Legislative Committees Begin Voting on Bills

This week, the Senate Housing Committee and the Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development (HCD) both met to vote on legislation impacting housing policy in California. WMA testified on four bills and supported three measures (SB 1108, SB 1052, and AB 2387) and opposed one other (SB 1095).

Senate Bill 1108 (Ochoa Bogh, R-Redlands) passed unanimously on a 10 – 0 vote and would require that parkowners receive a 90-day notice of a resident violation that, if left corrected, could place the park’s Permit to Operate (PTO) at risk. Please click here to read the bill language.

WMA is the sponsor of SB 1108 and provided testimony at the hearing. The bill will next be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Senate Bill 1052 (Seyarto, R-Murrieta) was defeated on a 2 – 4 vote and would have implemented certain recommended changes to the Mobilehome Residency Law Protection Program (MRLPP) made by the California State Auditor. The State Auditor recommended a suspension of the $10 per lot fee collected from residents to fund the MRLPP since the program is currently running a surplus of $8 million, and the program continues to fail in meeting the expected number of complaints when the MRLPP was passed into law in 2018.

SB 1052 would also have required Legal Service Providers (LSPs) to document their activity on behalf of residents to HCD or a local enforcement agency.  While reconsideration was granted, it appears this measure will not pass the Senate. WMA provided testimony supporting SB 1052 at the hearing.

Please click here to read the bill language. 

Senate Bill 1095 (Becker, D-Menlo Park) passed on a 7 – 1 vote, mandating that mobilehomes be allowed to convert to all electric appliances regardless of the mobilehome park’s existing electrical system. WMA testified in opposition to SB 1095 due to the bill being silent on who is responsible for paying for the utility upgrades which may be required to comply with the legislation. 

For example, if a mobilehome park has a 30-amp system, the increased load due to converting appliances from gas to electricity may require a costly upgrade. SB 1095 would also require HCD or a local enforcement agency to change its regulations to allow for the installation of appliances outside of the home. 

Please click here to read the bill language. The bill will next be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Assembly Bill 2387 (Pellerin, D-Santa Cruz) passed on a 9 – 0 vote in the Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development and would exempt new spaces constructed in existing mobilehome parks from local fees and taxes not currently levied on other spaces in the park.

WMA testified in support of this measure, and we continue to work with the author to ensure that areas used for recreational vehicle storage and boat storage can be converted to new housing. 

The bill limits the number of new spaces that are exempt from fees and taxes to ten percent of the permitted spaces currently allowed in the park. For example, this bill would allow for ten new spaces to be constructed in an existing 100-space mobilehome park. Please click here to read the bill language. The bill will next be heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

Other Key Bills Awaiting Referral or Committee Hearing Dates

Assembly Bill 3200 (Hoover, R-Folsom) would create a pilot program to allow mobilehome parks to transfer their existing water systems and the management and billing for water systems over to the serving water company regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).

This legislation has not yet been referred to a specific policy committee, but that will occur next week. AB 3200 is sponsored by WMA, and is modeled after legislation that created the conversion program currently underway for natural gas and electric systems in mobilehome parks. 

To read the language of AB 3200, please click here.

Assembly Bill 2539 (Connolly, D-San Rafael) would give a so-called “right of first refusal” to residents, resident groups, nonprofit organizations, and local governments when a mobilehome park is listed for sale. Modeled after legislation in Colorado, this bill would delay the amount of time afforded to a mobilehome park when a decision to sell the park is made. 

WMA is in strong opposition to this measure and is leading a coalition of other organizations to join us in opposition. The bill has been referred to the Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development Committee, and will be heard April 10. 

To read the language of AB 2539, please click here.

Assembly Bill 2022 (Addis, D-Morro Bay) would require park managers, parkowners, or responsible persons to sign under penalty of perjury that they are fully able to assist emergency first responders in evacuating mobilehome parks in emergency situations such as fires or floods.

Mobilehome parks are already required to possess an emergency disaster plan, but AB 2022 goes beyond existing law and makes it the responsibility for park managers, owners, or responsible persons to have a working knowledge of fire hydrant pressure in the park, as well as knowledge of the status of the electrical and gas systems of the park, and forces managers, owners, or responsible persons to assist emergency first responders in an evacuation.

The bill has been referred to the Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development, but a hearing date has not been announced.

To read the language of AB 2022, please click here:

Assembly Bill 2778 (Muratsuchi, D-Torrance) would establish statewide rent control for mobilehome parks. While there is no substantive language in the bill yet, the author can still make amendments. If the bill is amended to a point where it is referred to a policy committee, WMA will quickly launch an aggressive campaign through VoterVoice to urge opposition and engage other groups and organizations to oppose this unconstitutional measure.

To read the language of AB 2778 as it currently stands, please click here:

Frank J. Evans Charitable Foundation Accepting Scholarship Applications

The Frank J. Evans Charitable Foundation (FJE) is seeking applications from college-bound high school graduates for $2,000 in 2024. To qualify for the FJE Scholarship, applicants must:

1. Return a completed and signed application form.
2. Provide copies of high school transcripts and proof of college registration.
3. Provide a one-page, typed essay describing his or her reasons for attending college.
4. Be college-bound to an accredited two-year or four-year institution.
5. Currently reside in a WMA-member mobilehome park.

The Foundation is able to offer these scholarships through the generosity of those who have contributed. If you have not yet done so, please consider making a contribution of $1.00 per space to the Frank J. Evans Charitable Foundation. For more information or to learn how to make a tax-deductible contribution, please call 831.475.0335.

To learn more about the Foundation, please click here:

No Capitol Update Next Week

The Legislature will be out of session the coming week for its annual Spring Recess. As such, there will not be a Capitol Update next week, but we will resume after the Legislature reconvenes on April 1.

Over the next week, WMA will continue to work with legislators on measures that affect the manufactured housing community industry. Measures without a fiscal impact introduced this year must be heard and passed by policy committees by May 3 and sent to either the full Senate or Assembly for consideration to remain alive for the year. May 24 is the last day for the Senate and Assembly to pass bills introduced in their respective houses.

It is an honor to serve WMA. Please feel free to reach me directly at chris@wma.org or on my direct line at the office at 916.288.4026, if I may be of assistance or you need additional information.