Committees Moving Fast on Legislation Impacting WMA Members

The Legislative Committee process is in high gear. This week, they saw several bills affecting manufactured housing communities pass out of their first committee. Many of these bills will be amended in subsequent committee hearings, and bills with a fiscal impact must still clear the Appropriations Committees in both the Senate and Assembly. WMA has already helped stop legislation that would have imposed statewide rent control on manufactured housing communities — but several other bills were acted upon this week.

Assembly Bill 2539 (Connolly, D-San Rafael)

This bill that would give tenant groups a right of first refusal to purchase a community that is up for sale, passed the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee yesterday on a 5 – 2 vote with two legislators not voting. WMA joined the California Mobilehome Parkowners Alliance (CMPA) to testify against the measure, and the bill passed after the author committed to amending the timeframe for a resident organization to form and make a qualified offer to purchase a community from ten months to four months.

The amendments still must be put into print before being heard by the Assembly Judiciary Committee, but WMA will continue to oppose this measure. A special thank-you to those who responded to our VoterVoice message urging our members to convey their opposition to AB 2539 to their Assemblymember.

If the bill advances out of the Assembly Judiciary Committee, it will be considered by the Assembly Appropriations Committee, due to the increased workload for the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). The Office of the Attorney General will be forced to defend the constitutionality of AB 2539 in court after litigation is filed should the bill be signed into law. With a budget deficit of approximately $73 billion, many bills are currently being held in the Appropriations Committee Suspense File — which will be voted on in May after the Governor releases his May Revision to the State Budget.

To read the most recently published language of AB 2539 that does not include the change in the timeline, please click here.

Senate Bill 1108 (Ochoa Bogh, R-Redlands)

This bill is sponsored by WMA and would more promptly inform community owners about resident violations that could result in a suspension or revocation of a Permit To Operate (PTO) if left uncured. The bill passed the Senate Housing Committee on a 10 – 0 vote on March 19, and it cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee this week on a 11 – 0 vote. The bill now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

To read the most updated language of SB 1108, please click here.

Assembly Bill 2022 (Addis, D-Morro Bay)

This bill will be heard in the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee on April 24 and would require community managers or responsible persons to sign under penalty of perjury that they are available to facilitate emergency evacuations of mobilehome communities, and have a working knowledge of the community’s gas, electric, and water systems, as well as be able to assist in evacuation efforts.

Please be on the lookout for a VoterVoice alert that will be distributed next week to our members asking WMA members to write to their Assemblymembers and urge a NO vote on AB 2022.

Manufactured housing communities already have a requirement to post evacuation plans in common areas. AB 2022 would expose owners to excessive liability if power is left on or if a catastrophe happens through no fault of the community.

If AB 2022 passes out of the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee, it will be considered by the Appropriations Committee before being considered by the full Assembly.

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

Other Bills Waiting for Committee Action

In addition to the above-listed bills, WMA is closely tracking many others. To view a list of all the bills being monitored and tracked by WMA and to learn about the positions WMA has taken on these legislative measures, please click here.

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.