2021 LEGISLATIVE SESSION COMES TO A CLOSE

The Legislature is done for the year.

Last Friday signaled the end of another tumultuous legislative session amidst the backdrop of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and wildfires that have ravaged the state. Before adjourning, members engaged in rigorous debate before advancing legislation on various issues ranging from police reform to wildfire mitigation.

State legislators also approved landmark budget trailer bills that appropriate funds to implement, as Senate Budget Chair, Nancy Skinner, put it, “the largest budget the state has ever adopted.”  California will spend over $262 billion next year using both state and federal tax dollars.      

ATTENTION MEMBERS: COVID-19 TENANT RELIEF ACT SET TO EXPIRE ON SEPTEMBER 30             

As a reminder, the COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act, California’s statewide eviction moratorium, established under AB 832 (Chiu), is set to expire on September 30. The California State Legislature did not extend the eviction moratorium before they adjourned for the year.

WMA has prepared an informational memo for members, which outlines the steps that parkowners need to take now to ensure they are in a position to move forward to deal with residents who have failed to pay the rent. Below is a link to the memo, which can also be found on WMA’s website, under WMA Highlights and COVID-19 Updates.

Please click on the link to view the informational memo:

https://www.wma.org/post/eviction-moratorium-will-expire-september-30-2021-0

AB 861 (BENNETT), OTHER KEY BILLS ENROLLED TO GOVERNOR

Last Thursday, the Senate passed AB 861 (Bennett) by a vote of 29-8, and the Assembly concurred in Senate amendments by a vote of 47-21. AB 861 is enrolled and will soon be sent to the Governor. WMA submitted a formal letter requesting a veto of AB 861 (Bennett), which prohibits parkowners from leasing out homes they own in their parks unless they allow other tenants to sublease their homes.

In addition to AB 861 (Bennett), WMA is awaiting the Governor’s action on several relevant bills, including AB 1061 (Lee), the water submetering bill, and AB 468 (Friedman), dealing with emotional support animals.  The Governor has until October 10 to sign or veto these legislative proposals.

WMA OFFERS SUPPORT FOR ASSEMBLY BILLS 1506, 1561

WMA offered its support for Assembly bills 1506 and 1561. Both measures contain clarifying amendments provided by the California Manufactured Housing Institute (CMHI) relative to AB 2257 (Gonzalez). Signed into law in 2020, AB 2257 exempted licensed manufactured housing dealers from the ABC test established in Assembly Bill 5 for determining independent contractor status.

According to the analysis, the CMHI-sponsored amendments clarify “an existing exemption from the ABC test for manufactured housing salespersons to specify that the statutorily imposed duties of a manufactured housing dealer under existing Health and Safety Code are not factors to be considered under the Borello test.”

Assembly bills 1506 and 1561 are both enrolled and will soon be sent to the Governor for his consideration.    

RECALL ELECTION UPDATE

Tuesday was election day, and Governor Newsom handily won the recall election.  More than 9.1 million votes were cast, and 63.9% of people voted to oppose the recall.  Governor Newsom will continue to serve out his term and will face re-election in the 2022 General Election.  Final results will be released by late October, but the initial results undoubtedly leave Governor Newsom in office throughout 2022.

CAPITOL UPDATES TO RESUME UPON LEGISLATURE’S RETURN

The Legislature is officially adjourned for the session and will reconvene on January 3, 2022. Therefore, we will resume our weekly updates upon their return. We will provide updates on any significant legislative developments that occur during the interim.    

Chris Wysocki is WMA’s State Legislative Advocate. He can be reached at chris@wma.org.