Alameda Sun: Governor Signs Legislation Preventing Excessive Rent Increases for Bay Area Floating Homes

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California Governor Gavin Newsom approved a law on Wednesday, Sept. 28, that will protect 477 floating homeowners from sharp increases in the rents they pay for legal berths in the Bay Area. According to the bill, its two main provisions will limit annual berth rent increases in floating home marinas to 3% plus the cost of living, or 5%, whichever is lower, and prohibit marina owners from increasing berth rents for floating homes that are sold. These provisions apply to Bay Area floating home marinas in Alameda, Contra Costa, and Marin counties.

The bill was drafted and introduced by Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-AD18 Oakland). Assemblymember Marc Levine (D- AD10 Marin-Sonoma). State Senators Mike McGuire (D-SD2- Marin, Sonoma and North Coast) and Nancy Skinner (D-SD9-Oakland) joined as co-authors. The Marin County Board of Supervisors, Alameda County Supervisor Dave Brown, Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft and Sausalito Mayor Janelle Kellman urged the Legislature to extend, by law, the same rent protections now in place for mobile homeowners in 86 communities in California to floating homeowners on the Bay.

Bonta introduced AB 252 on June 16, saying: “Currently there are no state-level protections from excessive rent increases, and there is no place to move a floating home; when rents become unaffordable, floating homeowners are especially vulnerable. If this is not remedied, residents on low or fixed incomes will be displaced.”