Written by Mark Noack | Source
Mountain View Voice | August 23, 2018 3:08 PM
A decision is expected soon in a legal battle over whether Mountain View’s mobile homes should be eligible for rent control.
On Tuesday morning, Aug. 21, attorneys representing residents at the Santiago Villa mobile home park argued in court that mobile homes fit the bill for protections under the city’s rent control law. Attorney Armen Nercessian of the firm Fenwick & West requested a judicial order to compel Mountain View city officials to extend these protections to the approximately 1,100 mobile homes in the city that occupied rented spaces in mobile home parks.
If granted, that court order would reverse a 3-2 decision made earlier this year by the city’s Rental Housing Committee not to cover mobile homes. That decision was controversial, particularly because it contradicted the committee’s own legal staff, who recommended that mobile homes should be included.
But any decision on the issue seemed headed for a lawsuit. John Vidovich, the owner of the Santiago Villa and Sahara mobile home parks, had warned that he would sue if the city imposed rent control on his properties. His attorneys later joined the lawsuit to help the Rental Housing Committee defend its position.
On Tuesday, Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Mark Pierce heard arguments from both sides in the case. The judge indicated he would consider the case and issue a decision shortly. Check online at mv-voice.com for updates.
