Bill Introduction Deadline Approaching

February 17^th is the deadline for bills to be introduced, and the Legislative Counsel’s office is currently working to draft over 2,000 legislative proposals submitted by Senators and Assemblymembers on a wide array of issues. So far, there have been 663 bills introduced, but this number will significantly increase over the coming weeks. To view a comprehensive list of bills introduced, please click on the following link:

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billSearchClient.xhtml?session_year=20232024&house=Both&author=All&lawCode=All

Current Bills of Interest

• AB 12 (Haney, D-San Francisco) – As drafted, this bill would prohibit a landlord, including an owner of a mobilehome park from demanding or receiving security for a rental agreement for residential property in an amount or value exceeding an amount equal to one month’s rent. While this bill is largely focused on apartment communities, the current language would apply to manufactured housing communities.
•  AB 318 (Addis, D-San Luis Obispo) – As drafted, this bill removes the sunset on a bill signed into law in 2018 that created the Mobilehome Residency Law Protection Act. This program is set to expire at the end of 2023, but AB 318 permanently eliminates the sunset provision. There is a $3.3 million surplus in the program created under AB 3066 to assist residents with alleged Mobilehome Residency Law violations. In 2021, there were 387 complaints processed by HCD and 18 of these complaints were referred to another enforcement agency or to a nonprofit legal service provider.
• AB 319 (Connolly, D-San Rafael) – This bill would require HCD inspectors to file statements of economic interests with the Fair Political Practices Commission to identify potential conflicts of interest in real property.

Many other bills are being considered but have not yet been introduced.  WMA staff continues to engage legislators on proposed legislation involving statewide rent control, allowing parkowners to electronically notify residents about disruptions of utility service, and allowing the transfer of water systems managed by parks to a PUC regulated water purveyor to name a few.

To view a list of bills WMA is currently tracking, please click on the following link:

https://www.wma.org/bills-interest

High Speed Internet

Over the past several weeks, this update has informed WMA members about an opportunity to access federal funds to build a broadband network in mobilehome parks. The March 10^th deadline to apply for these funds is quickly approaching. To learn more about the potential of installing fast and reliable internet speeds of up to 1,000 mbps for residents in your parks, please visit the following site:

www.kwikbit.com/gov

Joint Legislative Audit Committee Deadline Approaching

The Joint Legislative Audit Committee is responsible for asking the California State Auditor to audit state agencies and programs. The deadline for audit requests (which must be made by a state legislator) is February 8, 2023. If you have an idea on a program or state agency that interacts with manufactured housing communities that should be reviewed by the State Auditor, please let us know as soon as possible.

To learn more about the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, please click on the following link:

https://legaudit.assembly.ca.gov/overview

The WMA Foundation

The WMA Foundation operates a fund designed to help residents who have been struck by fires, floods, earthquakes, or other disasters who need immediate financial assistance. Whether the disaster affects an individual family or an entire manufactured housing community, the WMA Foundation has provided financial support for over 1,000 families to date. If you have been affected by a natural disaster and would like to learn more about the WMA Foundation, please visit the following link:

https://www.wma.org/wma-foundation

Thank you for the opportunity to serve, and please feel free to e-mail me at chris@wma.org or call me on my direct line at (916) 288-4026 with any questions.