Committees Begin Hearings – Wildfire Bills Moving Fast

This past week, WMA staff testified in the Assembly Judiciary Committee in opposition to Assembly Bill 246 (Bryan, D-Los Angeles), which would freeze rents on most rental housing in Los Angeles County until March 1, 2026.

Many of the arguments made in support of freezing rents centered on landlords in Los Angeles County who increased rent by more than 10% after the LA wildfires. There is clearly a lot of discomfort among legislators to impose an across-the-board rent freeze as even supporters of the bill acknowledged that landlords may be financially unable to stay in business if there is no mechanism to raise rents that result from increased costs of insurance, construction materials, and labor.

AB 246 next heads to the Assembly Appropriations Committee. 

Committees Start Holding Hearings More Often

With over 2,300 bills introduced this year and a deadline of May 9 to send bills to the full Senate or Assembly for consideration, committees are starting to meet more regularly. WMA is the sponsor of five bills, actively supporting six others, and aggressively opposing seven others.  Our legislative team is also actively monitoring approximately 50 bills to see if any amendments are suggested that warrant an official position from WMA.

As the year goes on, please be on the lookout for emails from our Legislative Team to learn how you can engage in the effort to pass or defeat legislation. Our grassroots engagement program will look different from the past few years, and we will provide detailed instructions on how to weigh in with your individual lawmakers.

If you would like to review the legislation being supported, opposed or monitored by WMA, please click here.

Tensions Rise in Capitol – Lawmakers Removed from Committees

Tensions ran hot this week as Assembly Budget Committee member Carl DeMaio (R-San Diego) questioned why the Governor’s proposed budget contained a line item for $25 million being spent on a COVID-19 outreach program.

DeMaio questioned why, when the State is facing a significant budget deficit, taxpayer dollars are being spent on 76 community-based organizations that are engaged in ballot harvesting, voter engagement and empowerment campaigns. DeMaio was removed from the Budget Committee last Friday at 5:00 p.m.; and he was informed about this when he received the press release from the Speaker of the Assembly.

Other committees that underwent changes this week include Assemblyman Bill Essayli (R-Corona) was being removed from his position as Vice Chair of the Assembly Elections Committee; Assemblywoman Alexandra Macedo (R-Tulare) was removed from the Governmental Organization Committee after she attended an event with United States Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, criticizing the High-Speed Rail Project; Assemblyman David Tangipa (R-Fresno) was relieved of his position as Vice Chair of the Assembly Insurance Committee and the Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee after he criticized the state’s lack of wildfire prevention through vegetation management. 

 Assemblyman Joe Patterson (R-Rocklin) was also removed from the Assembly Health Committee where he served as Vice Chair after he called for an end to the government forcing certain employees to sign nondisclosure agreements. On the Assembly Housing Committee, there is now one vacancy to be filled by a Democrat after Moderate Democrat Esmeralda Soria was removed from the committee. 

These changes come as the committees begin gearing up for hearings later in March and early April. 

Click here to learn more about the politics of removing certain members from committees as a way to punish lawmakers.

Elections Over in SD 36 and AD 32 – Legislature Soon to Be Fully Seated

Last week, special elections were held in Senate District 36 and Assembly District 32 to fill vacancies that occurred due to Senator Janet Nguyen’s resignation to become an Orange County Supervisor and Assemblyman Vince Fong’s decision to not take the oath of office to serve as a member of the United States House of Representatives.

In the 36^th Senate District, former State Senator Tony Strickland (R-Huntington Beach) appears to have avoided a runoff election by receiving over 50% of the vote. The Orange County and Los Angeles County registrars of voters have until the end of the day on March 6 to certify the election results. It is likely Senator Strickland will be sworn into office next week.

Click here to learn more about Senator Strickland.

In the 32^nd Assembly District, Republican Stan Ellis received over 64% of the vote, avoiding a runoff election, and has already been sworn into office as the Assembly’s newest member.  Prior to being elected, Ellis was a Kern County businessman, quantum physicist and cybersecurity expert. He also developed a radiation device to irradiate and mutate RNA, killing over 99.9% of viruses such as COVID-19.

Click here to learn more about Assemblyman Ellis.

Governor Newsom Orders State Workers Back to Office Four Days a Week

This past week, Governor Newsom issued an Executive Order requiring all agencies and departments to bring workers back to the office at least four days a week. The State of California employs over 224,000 full-time workers, and half of them are already required to show up every day. The goal of requiring people to show up for work is to improve accountability and improve performance. 

The Executive Order has already drawn sharp criticism from some collective bargaining units, citing the quality of life that comes with working from home. All state employees (with limited exceptions on an individual basis) are required to show up for work four days a week starting July 1, 2025. 

To read the Executive Order, click here.

Housing Committee Vice Chair Tours Auburn Mobilehome Park

Last week, Assemblyman Joe Patterson (R-Rocklin) toured Edgewood Mobile Home Village in Auburn.  In attendance was Andy Balaguy, President of WMA and HCA Property Management’s Director of Property Facilities, representatives from J&H Asset Property Management and Hometown America, and nearly the entire staff of WMA. Thank you to the owners and staff of Edgewood Mobile Home Village for hosting a very educational tour.

General Remarks

As advertised, 2025 is shaping up to be a tumultuous year for WMA and its members.  Thankfully, because of the generosity of our members who donate to the WMA PAC, we are faced with a much more moderate legislature when it comes to private property rights. It would have been impossible to sponsor so many bills with a real chance of passing if the WMA PAC had not been successful in its goal of creating a centrist governing coalition of Republicans and Moderate Democrats. 

Thank you for the opportunity to serve WMA as State Legislative Advocate. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach me at my office at 916.288.4026 or by email at chris@wma.org.