Speaker after speaker residing in El Rancho  Mobile Home Park made the same plea Tuesday of the Manteca City Council.

Please look at imposing mobile park rent control in Manteca.

They — along with their neighbors — face the prospect of being squeezed out of what is one of Manteca’s last affordable housing options.

The recent buyer of the mobile home park has been imposing rent hikes every three months for the past year.

One resident’s space has gone up from $290 four years ago to $800 a month currently.

“We as a city will be looking into rent control to protect what is Manteca’s last affordable-to-own housing,” Mayor Gary Singh said after the meeting.

His colleagues appear to be on board with imposing what would be the city’s first rent control measure.

Council members Charlie Halford as well as Dave Breitenbucher both indicated during the meeting that the time has come for the city to explore its options.

Singh said the city attorney’s office has already started looking into what the city can do to address the situation.

El Rancho with more than 300 spaces was developed nearly a half century ago on the southeast quadrant of the Highway 99/East Highway 120 interchange by the late home builder Antone Raymus.

Raymus from the start wanted an age-restricted community that was affordable for people who retired after working all of their lives building Manteca and the rest of California’s economy.

Raymus was an almost daily weekday presence in the clubhouse where he would play pinochle with many of the park’s residents.

Most of the residents are on fixed incomes.

Several speakers noted they aren’t against the owners enjoying reasonable return on their investments of between 3 and 5 percent a year.

But they believe the rate hikes being imposed every three months — along with requirements for higher incomes for future renters to qualify for a spot — are excessive and unreasonable.

It was noted that some renters that are long-term residents are surviving only on Social Security checks just north of $800.

The new rents likely will force them  out with no option available in  Manteca to move.

And if they own their mobile home, they can’t afford to move it.

There was no indication of what time frame the city has to bring an actionable item back to the City Council for consideration.

You contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com