San Gabriel Valley : HOME SWEET HOME?
- Share via
La Verne’s greatest asset is its people, says the city motto. But soon its assets will include a mobile home park.
Saying that it wants to maintain affordable housing for La Verne senior citizens, the City Council approved a bond issue this week to, among other things, buy one of the city’s eight mobile home parks.
The city will use about $6.5 million of a $9-million bond issue to purchase the 188-space La Verne Mobile Country Club on Moreno Avenue.
“Why can’t a city own a mobile home park? Governments own shopping centers,” said Councilman Thomas Harvey. “It’s not generally our business to be in business, but when there is a compelling public need, then we should be in business.”
He said residents of the park approached the city last year, raising concerns that the owner wanted to sell and a purchaser would probably raise rents and open the park to families. Once the city acquires the park, the residents, 80% of whom have low to moderate incomes, will run it in concert with a property management firm hired by the city, Harvey said.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
