Local Lawmakers Led by John Block Have Failed Mobile Home Park Residents: Fifteen Years of Legislative Inaction in New Mexico

Santa Fe- Alamogordo, New Mexico-

For more than 15 years, the New Mexico Legislature—with consistent opposition from local representatives like Rep. John Block (R-District 51)—has failed to pass meaningful protections for residents of manufactured home communities (also known as mobile home parks or land-lease communities). Despite persistent problems including unchecked rent increases, unfair evictions, lack of enforcement of existing laws, neglected infrastructure, and the extreme vulnerability of homeowners who own their homes but lease the land beneath them, no comprehensive reforms have become law.

These communities remain some of the most affordable housing options in the state, especially for low- and moderate-income families and seniors. Yet residents are trapped by the high cost and logistical difficulty of moving their homes, giving park owners—often absentee investors or corporate entities—near-unchecked power to raise rents sharply, defer critical maintenance (as seen in prolonged utility outages in Alamogordo and Los Alamos in late 2024), or sell the underlying land without offering residents a meaningful opportunity to purchase it. The Mobile Home Park Act (MHPA) of 1983 has been largely unenforced, with credible estimates that at least half of park owners and operators violate its provisions without consequence.

In Alamogordo, these statewide failures previously hit hardest in parks such as Amber Skies and Two Hearts and other properties, where residents have endured water shortages, security issues, infrastructure decay leading to fires and condemnations, and steep rent hikes that have forced families to abandon their homes—their largest single investment. Local investigations by the Attorney General’s office, code enforcement actions, and resident-led pressure have secured some improvements (such as new water and gas lines in certain parks), but the underlying lack of strong state-level tenant protections continues to leave families exposed.

These local hardships have been powerfully documented through the Mobile Home Park Act Educational Series by Gary Perry, a resident of Amber Skies and advocate publishing via 2nd Life Media Alamogordo Town News & KALH Radio. Beginning in late 2024, Perry’s multi-part series (including Parts 4 and 5), along with commentaries such as “Dream to Nightmare?” (March 2025), explained the MHPA’s existing (but weak) protections, called for rent caps, Attorney General enforcement authority, and resident right-of-first-refusal provisions, and connected these reforms directly to Alamogordo residents’ lived experiences of declining services, predatory practices, and private-equity takeovers. Perry’s work—often in collaboration with other residents—has raised public awareness, supported local enforcement efforts, and kept pressure on lawmakers heading into the 2025 session.

Despite this grassroots spotlight, legislative efforts have repeatedly stalled. Bills have died in committees, been watered down under industry influence, or failed to reach a floor vote—often with decisive opposition from Rep. John Block in the House Consumer & Public Affairs Committee and from conservative members in other key panels.

2010: Early Attempt at Right of First Refusal

In 2010, Rep. Bill O’Neill introduced HB 129 (“Mobile Home Property First Right of Refusal”), which would have given residents the right of first refusal on park land sales and extended move-out deadlines for families with school-age children. The bill died without a vote in the House Consumer & Public Affairs Committee.

2023: Broader Reforms Falter

In 2023, SB 298 (“Mobile Home Park Act Changes”), cosponsored by Sens. Bill O’Neill and Siah Correa Hemphill, proposed resident purchase opportunities, rent caps (3% + CPI), stronger eviction protections, higher penalties, and Attorney General enforcement power. It died without a vote in the Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee. No tenant-protection bill reached either chamber’s floor.

2025: Multiple Bills Introduced, None Enacted

The 2025 session produced the most activity, yet all three House bills failed. Rep. John Block voted against two of them in the Consumer & Public Affairs Committee.

• HB 418 (“Mobile Home Rental Agreements & Landlords”) — granted Attorney General enforcement authority for the MHPA. Passed Consumer & Public Affairs (yes: Ferrary, Romero, Rubio, Thomson; no: Block, Lord) but died in Judiciary without a hearing.

• HB 442 (“Mobile Home Rent Stabilization”) — limited rent increases, created a study task force, and penalized utility outage neglect. Passed Consumer & Public Affairs (yes: Ferrary, Rubio, Thomson; no: Block, Lord), passed Judiciary in weakened form, but died before reaching the House floor.

• HB 426 (“Mobile Home Park Sale Notices - Opportunity to Purchase”) — gave residents a chance to buy the land. Passed House Commerce & Economic Development, Judiciary, and the full House (37-26 on March 17, 2025), Again Block opposed and the legislation died in Senate Judiciary without a hearing.

This pattern of committee roadblocks, industry-backed substitutions, and opposition from figures like Rep. John Block illustrates how local and statewide resistance has repeatedly blocked relief for manufactured home residents—despite clear evidence of harm in places like Alamogordo.

The Land of Enchantment Manufactured Home Owners’ Alliance (LEMHOA) continues to organize residents and advocates for stronger tenant rights, enforcement, and ownership pathways.

As rent pressures, infrastructure failures, and eviction threats persist in Alamogordo and across New Mexico—including recent lawsuits in Aztec and elsewhere—residents continue to wait for the legislative action that local lawmakers, led by figures like John Block, have so far failed to deliver. It is time
for the political establishment and
Rep. John Block to listen to the voters over special interests. In this election year citizens are encouraged to contact Representative Block and the legislative leaders and ensure your voices are heard

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