Appropriations Committees Meet – WMA Supported Bills Move Forward

The Senate and Assembly Appropriations Committees dispensed with their respective Suspense Files late yesterday. Bills with a significant fiscal impact on the State Budget were placed on Suspense, and approximately 830 bills (515 in the Senate and 315 in the Assembly) were acted upon.

AB 2387 (Pellerin, D-Santa Cruz) – Supported by WMA

Passed on a unanimous 7-0 vote

This bill would allow mobilehome parks to add up to 10 percent of the permitted number of spaces for a park and be exempt from local fees or taxes.  In a year when housing is a key priority, WMA has made the argument, along with the bill’s sponsor (California Manufactured Housing Institute), that the projected annual cost of $189,000 to HCD is a small price to pay for creating thousands of new homes in California. 

This bill has received unanimous bi-partisan support and WMA will encourage the Governor to sign the legislation into law if it reaches his desk.

To read the current text of AB 2387, click here.

AB 2247 (Wallis, R-Rancho Mirage) – Supported by WMA

Passed on a party-line 6-0 vote

This 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 inform residents who have violations about the Manufactured Housing Opportunity and Revitalization (MORE) Program, and how to apply for loans and grants to correct the violations.

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

SB 1108 (Ochoa Bogh, R- Redlands) – Sponsored by WMA

Passed on a unanimous 15-0 bipartisan vote

This bill, sponsored by WMA, would inform community owners more promptly about resident violations that, if left uncured, could result in a suspension or revocation of a Permit to Operate (PTO) passed on a unanimous bi-partisan vote. 

The bill originally made the Mobilehome Parks Act (MPA) permanent, but amendments were adopted in Appropriations to simply extend the sunset of the MPA to 2030.

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

One Bill Opposed by WMA Also Moves Forward

AB 2022 (Addis, D-Morro Bay) – Opposed by WMA

Passed on a party-line 5-2 vote

This bill deals with how parkowners and managers operate in emergency situations and requires managers or responsible parties to be able to assist in evacuations of parks if requested by first responders. 

Now that the bill has passed, it heads to the full Senate for consideration.  WMA will request legislators vote against the bill, and we will be communicating with the Governor’s office to request a veto in the event the bill passes before August 31. 

We will argue that the bill’s annual fiscal cost of $2.6 million coming from the General Fund and the requirement that the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) hire an additional 13 staff positions warrants the Governor rejecting the legislation.

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

Senate Republicans Gain Seat After Democrat Changes Parties

Last week, Democrat Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil from Jackson changed her party affiliation from Democrat to Republican in this conservative-leaning Central Valley district. In her announcement to switch political parties, Alvarado-Gil pointed to the Democratic Party’s handling of crime in the Legislature. 

She represents the 4^th Senate District, which is generally considered a Republican-leaning district, and her election in 2022 was largely made possible by a primary in which six Republicans and two Democrats were on the ballot.  California’s “jungle primary” system resulted in the top two vote recipients, both of whom were Democrats, and Alvarado-Gil facing another Democrat in a district that at the time was 38% Republican and 34% Democrat.

Since her election as a Democrat, Alvarado-Gil has largely been a supporter of WMA’s legislative priorities.  The Senate Republican Caucus is now comprised of nine Senators, while the Democrats still hold a super-majority of 31 Senators.  For more information about Alvarado-Gil, click here.

Last-Minute Bills Being Introduced and Resurrected

With only two weeks left until the end of the 2023-24 legislative session, a lot of work is being done behind the scenes to bring back previously shelved bills in last-minute attempts to resurrect previously stalled legislative ideas.  Most of these bills, so far, have centered on criminal justice reform and legislation to reduce electricity rates for Californians.

WMA is closely monitoring the so-called “gut and amend” process by which previously stalled bills are entirely rewritten and decided in the last days of a legislative session.  So far, there have not been any attempts to resurrect bills dealing with statewide rent control or right of first refusal, but we are in regular contact with key legislators who would be made aware of these efforts prior to bills being open to public review.  Stay tuned to WMA’s list of priority bills by clicking here.

WMA Convention & Expo Coming Soon

The 2024 WMA Convention & Expo is right around the corner, and registration for this exciting event is now open.  This year’s Convention & Expo will be held at the M Resort Spa Casino in Henderson, Nevada (just outside Las Vegas).

The event starts with a golf tournament benefiting the Frank J. Evans Charitable Foundation’s scholarship fund on the morning of October 14. The convention continues through the President’s Dinner Dance on October 17. To learn more about the upcoming convention and to fill out your registration form, 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 if you need additional information.