Capitol Update- June 29, 2023
By Chris Wysocki
Legislature Passes Budget Language, and Nobody Is Thrilled
The Legislature this week passed a “final” spending package after sending the Governor a placeholder budget on June 15th to allow lawmakers to continue receiving paychecks. The budget, as passed, will spend approximately $311 billion on programs and services, but since most taxpayers have until October to submit their tax returns this year, the actual revenues the state must work with will not be known until the Legislature is adjourned for the year. If revenues fall below expectations, it is possible that a special session may be called in November to revise the budget, but the spending plan passed this week seems to have made nobody happy. Cal Matters published a good summary of the budget, and it can be read by clicking here.
Update on WMA-Supported Legislation
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 last week on an 11-0 vote and will be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee next week. 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 last week on an 11-0 vote and was passed by unanimous consent in the Senate Governance and Finance Committee yesterday.
WMA utilized its VoterVoice platform to encourage parkowners and managers to write to their legislators urging passage of the bill in the Senate Housing Committee, and we thank 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. To read the current version of Assembly Bill 1334, please click here.
Update on WMA-Opposed Legislation
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 on July 6th. 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 last week on a 9-2 vote and will soon be heard in the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee on July 10th. To read the current version of Assembly Bill 604, please click here.
US Housing and Urban Development Department Creating Office of Manufactured Housing Programs
Last week, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that it had created a new office of Manufactured Housing Programs as an independent office to focus on the importance of manufactured housing to increase the national housing inventory available to families across the United States. WMA is working to identify how this new program will interact with HCD in California, and we will keep our membership informed about this issue. To learn more about the new HUD program, please click here.
July 13th Coffee Talk Focuses on Mobilehome Residency Law Protection Program
The WMA Coffee Talk is typically held on the first Thursday of each month. However, in observance of the July 4th holiday, WMA’s Coffee Talk will be held on Thursday, July 13th 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.
