New Assembly Speaker Elected

Last Friday, a new Speaker of the Assembly was sworn into office.  The new Speaker is Democrat Assemblymember Robert Rivas from Hollister and a two-term county supervisor in San Benito County. The Speaker is responsible for appointing Chairs, Vice-Chairs, and members to the 33 standing committees of the State Assembly.  Rivas succeeds former Speaker Anthony Rendon from Los Angeles County, who served as Speaker since 2016 and will leave office at the end of 2024 due to term limits.

While the new Speaker has made several changes in the Assembly’s leadership structure, expectations are that most changes will not take place until the Legislature adjourns for the year on September 14^th.

Key Bills Affecting WMA Await Action

Several bills affecting the manufactured housing industry remain active.  WMA and our members have succeeded in defeating the most significant measures including statewide rent control, first right of refusal that would have allowed residents to effectively stop the sale of a mobilehome park, and allowing recreational vehicles parked in manufactured housing communities to be given rights of permanent tenancy, to name a few.

The key bills WMA continues to closely monitor and actively lobby include:

Assembly Bill 318 (Addis, D – Morro Bay)

This bill would extend the Mobilehome Residency Law Protection Program (MRLPP) for another three years. Given that WMA led efforts to require the State Auditor to conduct a thorough review of the MRLPP, WMA has recommended a one-year extension of the program to allow the Auditor to complete its audit, which should be concluded by the end of 2023. 

WMA continues to work with the author and the Senate Judiciary Committee to amend the bill, and the bill will be heard later today. If this bill is approved by the Judiciary Committee, it will be referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee, and a hearing will likely be held in August upon the Legislature’s return from Summer Recess.  To read the current contents of Assembly Bill 318, please click here.

Assembly Bill 604 (Lee, D -San Jose)

This bill would extend the provisions of Assembly Bill 1061, authored by Assemblymember Lee in 2021, to water companies regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission. WMA strongly opposes this measure and will continue to lobby against its passage. The bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 9-2 vote and will soon be heard in the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee on July 10^th.

Please check your email to learn how you can express your opposition to Assembly Bill 604 through our VoterVoice campaign that was launched yesterday. Instructions on how you may reach out to legislators serving on the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee to encourage a “NO” vote on this bill were sent out yesterday morning.

If this bill is approved by the committee next Monday, it will be referred to the Senate Floor for full consideration and will be eligible to be heard later next week. To read the current version of Assembly Bill 604, please click here.

Assembly Bill 319 (Connolly, D- San Rafael)

This legislation would require inspectors with the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to file statements of economic interest forms with the Fair Political Practices Commission and extend the sunset of the Mobilehome Parks Act by one year.  Supported by WMA, the bill passed out of the Senate Housing Committee on June 20th on an 11-0 vote and will next be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee. To read the current version of Assembly Bill 319, please click here.

Assembly Bill 1334 (Pellerin, D- Santa Cruz)

This bill will encourage the construction of new spaces in existing manufactured housing communities by exempting up to ten percent of new development from local fees and taxes. The legislation passed out of the Senate Housing Committee and the Senate Governance and Finance Committee by unanimous consent, largely due to the 800 WMA members who took the time to respond to our VoterVoice appeal.

The outpouring of support for this legislation was instrumental in securing the overwhelming passage of a common-sense bill to increase the housing supply in California.  This legislation will be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee on July 10^th. To read the current version of Assembly Bill 1334, please click here.

Coffee Talk One Week Away – Mark Your Calendars for July 13th

The WMA Coffee Talk is typically held on the first Thursday of each month. However, in observance of the July 4^th holiday, WMA’s Coffee Talk will be held on Thursday, July 13^th from 10:00 am – 11:00 am.

This month’s conversation will be led by industry attorney Ed McDonald who will discuss the Mobilehome Residency Law Protection Program (MRLPP). Staff will also be on the Coffee Talk to answer questions about the Legislature’s actions to extend the sunset date of the program set to expire at the end of the year. To learn how to register for the Coffee Talk, please click here.

It is an honor to serve WMA, and please feel free to call me on my direct line at 916.288.4026 with any questions.