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At a recycling rate of 5 to 10 cents a bottle, the 70-year-old's attempt to raise $10,000 to campaign for a rent control measure seemed like a long shot. But living in the heart of
"People are looking for somebody to save them, and they're not looking to themselves," said Pavlick, a retiree who has lived in the
The mobile home park sits on more than 65 acres of some of
Pavlick knows how this goes. She's not going to wait to be priced out. She's rallying her neighbors: Plastics. Cans. Put 'em out, now.
To live in the
"When people think
Most of
Its monthly newsletter includes a calendar of activities such as Mahjong Tuesdays,
Many longtime residents have never thought of themselves as part of the
The most recent tech boom created staggering job growth in the region, with real estate brokers estimating that firms such as Google and Apple now occupy around nine times the amount of land they did in 2005. The expansion of companies such as Facebook,
One-bedroom homes in the
On her first day driving around the park, Pavlick collected 10 bags of bottles and cans. Total Value: $40.
"Next Thursday, how about 20 donations?" she wrote to
It costs only $200 to file the initial paperwork to get a measure on the ballot in
Proponents have to publish a notice of intent in local newspapers, get the ballot measure written, gather signatures of at least 10 percent of the city's eligible voters and win a majority of votes. Printing costs alone can push costs into the thousands of dollars.
"You can't just take a notepad and get signatures," Brodie said.
When Pavlick bought her home in 1989, she paid $65,000 plus $356 in monthly space rent, which also included water, garbage, sewage and cable. She was a business systems analyst, working for companies such as Memorex and
The original owners kept
Today, Pavlick pays $1,004 for space rent, the result of incremental rent increases over nearly 30 years. Residents now cover the cost of all utilities, in addition to personal property taxes and the cost of maintaining their homes, patios and yards. On top of doubling the space rent increase in 2016 from previous years (residents have long paid increases of 3 percent to 4 percent a year, comparable to neighboring parks), Carlyle raised the space rents for new residents to $1,600, nearly 40 percent more than the park average.
Earlier this year the firm offered residents a five-year lease that would cap rent increases at 4 percent a year, but only if they also agreed to sign a contract that would give Carlyle the right to make the first bid if a homeowner decided to sell. Carlyle declined to comment on the rent increases or its plans for the park after the five-year period is up. As of May, around 70 percent of residents have signed the lease. Those who have not signed might see rents increase to market value - Carlyle declined to define what this would be.
Mobile home owners face a "double whammy," according to housing lawyers, because unlike traditional homeowners, they don't own the land beneath their houses. That means they can't expect a windfall when they sell. Newer, larger mobile homes can go for as much as $400,000, according to local Realtors, but older homes in the park can sell for as little as $120,000. Recent space rent increases have hurt homeowners looking to sell because Realtors estimate that for every $100 increase in space rent, a home loses $10,000 in value.
And unlike renters, who can easily up and leave, mobile home owners are saddled with a house that is, despite the name, difficult to move. Some homes exceed 1,800 square feet, with multiple bedrooms and bathrooms. Many are brought into the park in pieces and built on site. Taking apart and transporting a mobile home can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Putting one back together can cost even more. And once a home has been uprooted, homeowners have to find a new space for it.
"Just move, just move," said Pavlick, mimicking those who believe that the solution to her problem is to leave. "Move where?"
(EDITORS: STORY CAN END HERE)
Mobile home parks have traditionally been mom-and-pop operations. But as the value of land in
That includes private equity firms. Private equity investors typically snatch up struggling or undervalued businesses and find ways to increase their value - either by investing resources to beef up the business or cutting costs to improve the bottom line - then reselling them at a profit.
Carlyle spokesman
"We like to buy in locations where there are good supply-demand fundamentals and economic strength," Whitestone said.
Because of zoning rules, there is little chance that
Investors can upgrade a park before they sell it. Although Carlyle declined to comment on its long-term plans for the park, Whitestone said it has "made significant capital investments to materially improve the property for residents."
Another way is to increase the rent.
"They won't care if it's seniors or young people," said
This gives Carlyle reason to fear rent control. Any caps to rent increases would not only limit the park's near-term profitability but also potentially reduce its future resale value, which is where private equity firms make most of their profit.
And that's why Carlyle sent its managing director of
"We do not believe it furthers the objectives of the city, the residents or the owners in the long term," Kingery said at the meeting.
The firm's annual earnings reports spelled it out more plainly: Under the "risks" heading, which details all the things that could hurt Carlyle's business, the tenth bullet point reads "changes in government regulations (such as rent control)."
Depending on who you talk to, rent control either always works or it never works. It's the answer to the housing affordability crisis. It's the reason that homes are so expensive. It will deter developers from creating more housing stock. It will keep people in their homes. It has never solved a city's problems. It's the answer to residents' prayers.
Although
But it's also one of the few cities in
"The problem I have is there are a lot of loopholes in rent control, and we're going to have a lot of lawsuits the moment it goes through," council member
The neighboring city of
"This is a free country and anybody with a filing fee can file a lawsuit," said Brodie, the attorney who helped
For housing advocates, rent control is good policy. For opponents, it's a Band-Aid solution. Rents are high, they argue, not just because landlords can charge whatever they want, but because
"There are no bad guys in all this," Goldman said of Carlyle and
There are tech industry workers who live in
(EDITORS: STORY CAN END HERE)
Despite making a six-figure salary working in information technology, a traditional home was out of reach for
When they moved in 12 years ago, their combined mortgage and space rent was only $2,150. Today, it's $2,600, which is still more affordable than the rent on a one-bedroom
"The tech industry is displacing the middle class," said
He and his wife are considering
On a recent Thursday morning, Pavlick drove around
"Someone must have had a party,"
At the recycling facility, they traded the goods for $46.55.
Pavlick frowned. "I thought we'd get more from those heavy bottles," she said. "But it's more than last week."
"Enough to pay for a third of an hour with an attorney!" Garcia joked.
Pavlick did the math in her head. If
She currently has around 115 people from
It's a long shot: a few dozen mobile home park residents trying to stop a private equity firm from upending their lives. But Pavlick likes to say aloud: "Carlyle has the money, but we have the people."
Now she just needs those people to knock on doors, push for rent control and fight for their future - one plastic bottle at a time.
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