A. “Capital improvements” means those improvements, not previously located in the mobile home park, that materially add to the value of the property and appreciably prolong its useful life or adapt it to new uses, and which may be amortized over the useful life of the improvement in accordance with the Internal Revenue Code and regulations issued pursuant thereto; provided, that this definition shall be limited to capital improvements approved by more than fifty percent of the tenants in the affected park.

B. “Mobile home park” means an area of land which rents spaces for mobile home dwelling units.

C. “Mobile home park owner” or “owner” means the owner, lessor, operator or manager of a mobile home park.

D. “Mobile home tenant” or “tenant” means any person entitled to occupy a mobile home within a mobile home park pursuant to ownership of the mobile home or under a rental or lease agreement with the owner of the mobile home.

E. “Rehabilitation work” means any renovation or repair work completed on or in a mobile home park performed in order to comply with the direction or order of a public agency or public utility, or to maintain existing improvements in a safe and usable condition, or to repair damage resulting from fire, earthquake or other casualty.

F. “Space rent” means the consideration, including any security deposits, bonuses, benefits or gratuities, demanded or received in connection with the use and occupancy of a mobile home space in a mobile home park, or for housing services provided, but exclusive of any amount paid for the use of a mobile home dwelling unit.

G. “Change of ownership” means the sale, rental transfer, or exchange of a mobile home subject to the provisions of this chapter, excepting the transfer to tenant’s spouse by gift, bequest or devise.

H. “Hearing officer” means the duly appointed hearing officer selected from a panel of qualified hearing officers. A hearing officer shall have no financial interest in either a mobile home park or a mobile home nor have been a resident of nor reside in a mobile home park.

I. “Appellate panel” means a panel of three qualified hearing officers. A panelist shall have no financial interest in either a mobile home park or a mobile home nor have been a resident of nor reside in a mobile home park.

J. “CPI” means the Consumer Price Index (1967 = 100) All Items, All Urban Consumers, for the Los Angeles/Long Beach/Riverside standard metropolitan statistical area published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States Department of Labor. If the CPI is not hereafter published, then any substitute index, or, if none, then the index most closely resembling the CPI shall become the new CPI.

K. “Qualified Hearing Officer.” The city administrative officer shall maintain a list of available qualified hearing officers. Qualified hearing officers shall be persons experienced in financial and accounting methods with knowledge of mediation process and rules of evidence. (Ord. 1117 (part), 1988)