Assembly Bill 661 Moves to State Senate

Assembly Bill 661 (Joe Patterson, R-Rocklin) advanced on Tuesday to the State Senate for consideration after passing the Assembly on a unanimous vote. Sponsored by WMA, this legislation would allow parkowners and managers to notify residents who sign up for electronic notification about utility disruptions via email, text, or phone call instead of receiving paper notices.  It is expected that this legislation will be considered in the Senate Judiciary Committee sometime in late March or early April. 

To read the contents of AB 661, please click here.

Legislative Budget Committees Begin Crafting 2024-25 State Spending Plan

After the Governor announced his budget proposal last week with an assumption that a deficit of $38 billion existed, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) reiterated its belief that the truer number is nearly $60 billion.  Whether the current deficit is $38 billion or $60 billion, future deficits of more than $30 billion a year are likely, according to the LAO. 

To view an analysis of the Governor’s proposed spending plan, please click here.

Over the coming months, the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee and the Assembly Budget Committee will begin a thorough review of proposed spending.  The first hearings are set to begin next week. WMA will keep you posted about the status of the state budget as it relates to the manufactured housing community industry.

Assembly Bill 919 Appears Dead for the Year

With the January 31st deadline quickly approaching for the Senate to pass Senate bills and the Assembly to pass Assembly bills that were introduced in 2023, it appears that legislation that would have given resident groups the ability to effectively stop the sale of mobilehome parks by exercising a right of first refusal is dead for the year.  This legislation was held last year in the Assembly Judiciary Committee, and the committee is not scheduled to meet again before the deadline – meaning that this specific bill will not move forward.

While it is certainly possible new legislation could be introduced by the February 16th bill introduction deadline, Assembly Bill 919 – in its current form – appears to have been successfully stopped.  To read the contents of AB 919, please click here.

No Indication of Statewide Mobilehome Rent Control Coming in 2024 – but We’re Set to Fight If It Comes

As with Assembly Bill 919, a statewide rent control measure introduced last year appears to have been stopped in its tracks.  Assembly Bill 1035 (Muratsuchi, D-Torrance) would have established statewide rent control for mobilehome parks with a cap of 5 percent and no vacancy decontrol. 

Due to WMA’s lobbying efforts and litigation, filed by the Rudderow Law Group over the constitutionality of Assembly Bill 978 that was passed and signed into law a few years ago, Assembly Bill 1035 stalled in committee. AB 978 was ruled as unconstitutional by the Superior Court, and the State of California has appealed the decision.  One of the primary reasons Assembly Bill 1035 was not brought up in Committee was the fact that the issue’s constitutionality without a safety valve allowing for a fair rate of return was being litigated.

To read the contents of Assembly Bill 1035, please click here.

Mark Your Calendars for February 8th MCM Webinar – Fair Housing Basics for 2024

Every rental housing professional should be aware of and understand the implications and sometimes complicated Fair Housing regulations.  

Join us for an informative session with Angel Rogers of STAR Training as she covers 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.