Governor Signs WMA-Sponsored Bill Allowing Electronic Notification of Utility Disruptions into Law

Yesterday, the Governor signed Assembly Bill 661 (Patterson, R-Rocklin) into law, allowing residents of mobilehome parks to receive notices of utility disruption via email, text message, or automated phone call.

AB 661 was sponsored by WMA, and the new law will save park managers and owners time currently spent delivering paper notices of utility disruptions. This is a significant win for park managers and parkowners, and WMA is most appreciative of the hard work of Assemblyman Joe Patterson and his staff to get this sponsored bill signed into law.

To read the language of AB 661, click here.

WMA-Backed Legislation Advances in Final Full Week of Session Before Summer Recess

This past week, three bills supported by WMA passed their last policy committee and now head to the Senate and Assembly Appropriations Committees.  These bills include:

AB 2247 (Wallis, R-Rancho Mirage) – Support

This bill is a sunset extension bill that will extend the life of the Mobilehome Parks Act (MPA) — which was set to expire on January 1, 2025 — to January 1, 2030. AB 2247 will also require HCD to provide residents with violations about the Manufactured Housing Opportunity and Revitalization (MORE) Program to inform them how to apply for loans and grants to correct the violation. WMA was the primary witness in support of this legislation.

AB 2247 was passed by the Assembly on a 71-0 vote and was unanimously approved by the Senate Housing Committee on June 24. Next, the Senate Appropriations Committee will consider it when the Legislature returns from its Summer Recess, which runs from July 4 to August 4.

To read the language of AB 2247, please click here.

SB 1108 (Ochoa Bogh, R-Redlands) – Support

This bill is sponsored by WMA and would inform community owners more promptly about resident violations that could result in a suspension or revocation of a Permit to Operate (PTO) if left uncured. 

The Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee unanimously passed this bill on June 26. It will be considered by the Assembly Appropriations Committee in August.

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

AB 2387 (Pellerin, D-Santa Cruz) – Support

This bill 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.

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. As drafted, the bill involves new space construction and is silent on the number of homes placed on a space.

The bill passed the Senate Housing Committee unanimously last week and passed the Senate Local Government Committee unanimously yesterday.  It will next be considered by the Senate Appropriations Committee in August.

To read the most current language of AB 2387, please click here.

One WMA-Opposed Bill Remains Alive – Vote Next Tuesday

AB 2022 (Addis, D-Morro Bay) – Oppose

This bill deals with how parkowners and managers operate in emergency situations, and was substantially amended from its introduced version. The Assembly Appropriations Committee advanced the bill to the full Assembly despite a fiscal analysis that showed the legislation would have a $2.6 million impact on the state’s General Fund, with the addition of 13 employees at the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). 

AB 2022 passed the full Assembly on a 56-4 vote, with 20 legislators abstaining. WMA continues to oppose this measure, which will be heard in the Senate Housing Committee on July 2. If it passes, it will move to the Senate Appropriations Committee, which could decide upon the Legislature’s return in August to hold the bill in the suspense file due to the fiscal impact and the current state budget crisis.

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

To view a list of bills being monitored and tracked by WMA and to learn about the positions WMA has taken on these legislative measures, please click here.

Legislators and Governor Reach Agreement and Pass ‘Balanced’ Budget

Late last night, the California Senate and Assembly voted to approve a state budget of approximately $298 billion. General fund spending was authorized at $211.5 billion, and the balance is made up of special funds and federally funded programs.

In closing, due to a deficit of over $46 billion, the Governor and legislators agreed to a spending plan that includes the following:

• Taking nearly $6 billion out of the Rainy Day Fund.
• Spending reductions of $16 billion.
•  $6 billion in fund shifts.
• Delays and pauses of spending push spending into a future fiscal year of $3.1 billion.
• Deferral of state employee compensation by one day in June to push payroll into the next fiscal year, in order to reduce spending by $3.2 billion.
• $13.6 billion of internal borrowing from special funds.
• Suspension of the Net Operating Loss credit to bring in $5.95 billion in new revenue (tax increase) in the next fiscal year.

To read a general overview of the 2024-25 Budget agreement approved last night, please click here.

Over the remaining months of the Legislature, additional budget trailer bills will likely be introduced and voted on. WMA is closely monitoring this process to ensure our members know as soon as possible if policy changes affecting the manufactured housing community industry are inserted into last-minute budget trailer bills — which is often done to avoid having to go through the normal committee process.

Supreme Court Removes Taxpayer Protection Act from Ballot

Last week, the California Supreme Court voted 7-0 to remove the Taxpayer Protection Act from the General Election ballot, ruling that the measure was ineligible due to the initiative being a revision to the California Constitution and not an amendment. 

The Taxpayer Protection Act was placed on the ballot after collecting more than 1.4 million signatures that had been submitted to the Secretary of State. Had the measure been placed on the ballot, it would have required voters to approve tax increases passed by the State Legislature or local governments before they go into effect.

This is only the second time in history that a measure was taken off the ballot by the Supreme Court before the election due to the measure being ruled a revision to the Constitution (which may not be done by a citizen-backed initiative) — and not simply an amendment (which may be done by a vote of the people).

To read a general overview of the Court’s decision, click here.

WMA Is Moving!

It has been a long process, but July 1 will be the first day for WMA in its new office location.  After 25 years of being in downtown Sacramento, WMA is moving to a nearby location in the Natomas area of Sacramento. While the new location is a little farther from the State Capitol, the location is convenient to Sacramento’s airport and Interstate 5, with abundant parking and without many of the challenges of being downtown.

The new WMA mailing address is 2295 Gateway Oaks Drive, Suite 240, Sacramento, CA  95833.

Phone numbers and email addresses will remain the same. It may be difficult to reach WMA on Friday due to computer servers being moved. We appreciate your patience as we go through this exciting process.

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 if you need additional information.