New Senate Leader to Be Elected on Monday, February 5th.

Last year, it was announced that Senator Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) would step down as the Senate President pro tempore and be replaced by Senator Mike McGuire (D-Geyserville). The official transition is scheduled to take place on Monday, February 5th at 2:00 pm.

The Senate President pro tempore serves as the Chair of the Senate Rules Committee, which decides the makeup of all Senate committees, as well as which bills get referred to which policy committee. The Rules Committee is also responsible for interviewing and voting on appointees presented by the Governor to fill hundreds of positions on state boards and commissions.

No significant changes in committee membership are expected resulting from the leadership transition, but there will be changes.  WMA will keep our members informed about any changes to committee membership that may affect legislation dealing with the manufactured housing community industry.

County Registrars Sending Out Ballots Next Week for March 5th Presidential Primary Election

County registrars will begin sending out ballots to every registered voter in the state beginning Monday, February 5th for the March 5th Presidential Primary election.  Voters will decide who advances to the General Election in all 80 Assembly Districts and 20 of the Senate Districts.  Unlike most other states, California has adopted an open primary system that will include all candidates for legislative office on ballots.

There are a total of 328 candidates running for state legislative office (67 Senate candidates and 261 Assembly candidates), but only 200 will make it to the General Election in November.

To advance to the General Election, a candidate will have to finish first or second in the Primary Election, which often means two Democrats or two Republicans will face each other in the November election. 

This provision does NOT apply to the race for President of the United States, as the Republican Party continues to allow only Republicans to vote in the Republican Primary.

To view a list of candidates running for state office in California, please click here.

Legislation Continues to Be Introduced in Senate and Assembly

As of the writing of this article, there have been 145 Senate Bills and 329 Assembly Bills introduced by legislators as the February 16th deadline approaches for bill introductions. After a bill is introduced, it is ineligible to be considered by a policy committee for 30 days. As a result, committees will begin meeting regularly toward the middle of March and April to hear hundreds of legislative proposals.

WMA will inform you of measures that potentially affect the manufactured housing community industry shortly after February 16th, once our Legislative Committee and our legal advisors review the introduced legislation.

Registration Deadline for February 8th MCM Webinar Fast Approaching

As a reminder, the registration deadline for the February 8th MCM Webinar on Fair Housing Basics is Monday, February 5th. (The webinar link will be sent to confirmed attendees on February 6th.)

We hope you can join us for this informative session with Angel Rogers of STAR Training, where she will discuss best practices and trending issues regarding Fair Housing.

Additional information and online registration can be found here. 

It is an honor to serve WMA. Please feel to reach me directly at chris@wma.org or on my direct line at the office – 916.288.4026.