A California state legislator is looking into a bill that would allow city and county governments, when successful in defending rent control ordinances, to charge the party who brought the challenge for the government’s legal expenses, according to the San Jose Mercury News. A representative of Assemblyman Bill Monning, D-Carmel, relayed the news to a meeting of mobile and manufactured home residents from across the county at the De Anza Mobile Home Park. The legislation could embolden local governments that have spent significant amounts of money defending rent control ordinances. Manufactured and factory-built home community owners have long argued that the various rent control ordinances prevent them from collecting a fair return on their investment.