Capitol Update – March 9, 2023
By Chris Wysocki
Legislative Committees Gearing Up
Committees are starting to ramp up in the State Capitol as legislators begin the process of vetting over 2,600 bills that have been introduced. With a deadline of April 28th for bills that have a fiscal impact and May 5th to hear and report nonfiscal bills to the full Assembly and Senate, committees will be very busy for the next couple of months.
WMA is currently tracking dozens of bills that would affect manufactured housing communities across the state. Our highest priority is Assembly Bill 1035 (Muratsuchi, D-Torrance) that would impose statewide rent control on mobilehome parks.
Other priorities include but are not limited to the defeat of Assembly Bill 22 (Gipson, D-Los Angeles County) that would extend Mobilehome Residency Law (MRL) protections to recreational vehicles parked in mobilehome parks and Assembly Bill 318 (Addis, D-San Luis Obispo) that would make the Mobilehome Residency Law Protection Program permanent despite the program currently having a surplus of $6.4 million and relatively few complaints.
To view a list of bills currently being tracked by WMA, please click on the following link:
State of Emergency Limits Rent Increases in 13 Counties
On March 1, 2023, the Governor issued a proclamation of a State of Emergency in 13 counties due to severe recent Winter storms in Amador, Kern, Los Angeles, Madera, Mariposa, Mono, Nevada, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Sierra, Sonoma, and Tulare counties. In these counties, rent increases above ten percent will be subject to criminal prosecution under Penal Code Section 396 which is the state’s anti-price-gouging law until the State of Emergency is lifted.
To read the proclamation, please click on the following link:
GSS_9534-1E-20230301160031 (ca.gov)
Assembly Bill 1035 Subject of Next WMA Coffee Talk
Given the bill’s potential impact, WMA’s legislative advocacy team will discuss Assembly Bill 1035 (Muratsuchi) on the next Coffee Talk, scheduled for Thursday, April 6, 2023, from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. (Please note that this free event does not require registration.)
This statewide rent control bill targets mobilehome parks and is WMA’s top legislative priority. During the talk, WMA’s legislative staff will discuss the bill in-depth and explain how members can help us in our efforts to defeat this very harmful threat. We hope you can join us!
To learn how to participate in this coffee talk, please visit the following website:
To read the text of the most current version of AB 1035, please click on the following link:
leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1035
Governor Newsom Chooses to Deliver State of the State Remarks in a Letter Instead of a Speech to the Legislature
California’s Constitution requires the Governor to annually report to the Legislature “on the condition of the state.” Governor Earl Warren delivered the first in-person “State of the State” address to the Legislature in the 1940s, and Governors since then have addressed the Assembly and Senate in person to fulfill the Constitution’s requirement. With the state facing what could be a budget deficit of $50 billion or more, Governor Newsom has decided to forego an in-person address and will instead inform the Legislature about the condition of the state in a formal letter to lawmakers after he conducts a statewide media tour promoting his priorities.
To read more about the Governor’s decision, please click on the following link:
apnews.com/article/california-governor-newsom-state-of-state-17c6461bf8b241e75b85fcd2966adb1d
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.
