Tuesday, August 8, 2023

Welcome to The Costa Mesa Mobile Home Coalition Blogpost!

The Costa Mesa Mobile Home Coalition (CMMHC) was founded in by Ginger Roberts, Nathan (Bud) Petty, Wanda Garro, Audeen Balsamo, Dolores Minerich, former Costa Mesa vice mayor Jay Humphrey and Wendy Leece, along with other concerned mobile home residents in 2015.They formed the CMMHC in response to the closure of the hastily announced Costa Mesa
Anchor mobile home park which had been purchased by developers for a housing project with little regard for the mobile home residents. Fearing that more parks would be on the chopping block, the a handful of Costa Mesa mobile home residents collaborated with
Mary Jo Baretich a representative of The Golden State Manufactured-Home Owners League (GSMOL) and Richard Walker a attorney lawyer at the Orange County Public Law Center to form a non-profit organization that would help improve the quality of life in mobile home parks and support mobile home residents with matters concerning mobile home living and the possible sale of Costa Mesa mobile parks. Some accomplishments of CMMHC include: • In 2019 CMMC was successful in the Costa Mesa City Council voting to establish the Costa Mesa Mobile Home Advisory Committee, formed to advise the City Council on mobile home matters and connect mobile home residents with City services. Mobile Home Park Advisory Committee | City of Costa Mesa (costamesaca.gov)CMMHC is in process of drafting and presenting to city officials plans several city ordinances to protect the residences of mobile home parks. • CMMC is also dedicated to educating the residents of mobile home parks with information on how to form a park HOA, understanding their rights based on the California MRL laws, and assisting with other issues park residents face every day. • Several members of CMMC have been appointed to serve on the city committee. Anchor mobile home park residents were given very little notice that the park was closing to make way for a luxury housing development. Because the park lacked an active homeowner’s association (HOA) state laws (Calf. MRL Laws) could not protect Anchor residents from the developers. The developers offered $2000 to $5000 for each mobile home owner and no helpful relocation assistance. However the City of Costa Mesa came to the rescue and worked with the developer and residents to find suitable relocations. In 2014 other developers proposed a massive apartment complex at the Rolling Homes Mobile Home Park on Newport Blvd., In Costa Mesa, where Bud and Ginger lived. Rolling Homes residents rolled up their sleeves and showed up at the City Council meeting. The meeting was very suspenseful because the Council majority had the votes to approve the project until a business owner on Ford Road spoke up at the last minute and said he would not provide access to the apartment project from his property. There was a hush in the council chambers! The Rolling Homes residents won! Their park was saved! Also CMMHC was helpful when a developer bought the storage business on Ford Road and a condominium project was proposed next to Rolling Homes Mobile Home Park. The Rolling Homes mobile home park residents wanted to make sure there was an “emergency exit” from their park onto Ford Road should traffic on Newport Blvd. be backed up so much that residents could not get safely out of their park. A special emergency gate was included in the final project thanks to CMMHC members.