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It’s now up to election officials to determine whether a rent control initiative has qualified for the November ballot in Mountain View. On Tuesday, June 14, the Mountain View Tenants Coalition submitted more than 7,100 signatures to the city clerk. The Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters will now count and check the validity of the signatures. The coalition needed 4,671 registered voters to sign their petition to qualify the initiative for the ballot. The California Apartment Association is closely monitoring this process to ensure it follows procedures outlined in the California Election Code. The measure would impose rent control… Read More

Tagged: Tri-County

A bill that would remove local barriers to adding second units on residential lots passed its first hurdle in the Senate this week. The Senate’s Transportation and Housing Committee on Tuesday approved AB 2299 by Assemblyman Richard Bloom, D-Santa Monica, on a 7-0 vote with four abstentions. Under AB 2299, local governments would have to allow the construction of second units that meet specific standards and are within one-half mile of public transportation. The bill, sponsored by the California Apartment Association, now heads to the Committee on Governance and Finance. AB 2299 is one of four CAA-sponsored housing production bills… Read More

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Question: If a guest causes problems or damages the property, what is my recourse? Answer: The tenant is responsible to pay for the repair of any damage caused by their guest’s negligence or intentional act.  If they fail to pay, a three-day notice to perform conditions and covenants or quit can be served. Question: If someone owes late charges and NSF check charges, do I give them a three-day notice to pay rent? Answer: The three-day notice to pay rent or quit should only include rent – no late charges. A separate notice to perform covenant for late charges can… Read More

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By SHANT APEKIAN Numerous candidates backed by the rental housing industry enjoyed success at the ballot box during the California June primary, but contests will remain tight — and the stakes high — heading into November. The California Apartment Association’s political action committees were heavily engaged in various state Senate and Assembly races. With legislators now serving 12 years in office in Sacramento, it’s all the more crucial to ensure to elect representatives who understand the importance and value of the rental housing industry in California. While ballots are still being tallied, it’s clear that Democrats turned out at the… Read More

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Last month a group of concerned residents came from Los Angeles to the California Apartment Association headquarters in Sacramento to protest rising rents and urge the adoption of rent control. Rather than call in the police, or lock our doors, I met them in our lobby and began a dialogue that is long overdue. I did agree with some of their concerns, but I disagreed that rent control is the answer. In the real world, regulations and restrictions have only resulted in fewer available homes. Since controls are not “means-tested” they do nothing to guarantee that lower-income residents will have… Read More

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The state Senate last week approved a bill aimed at issuing a $3 billion bond for affordable housing, joining a number of housing-production proposals still in play this year. SB 879 by Sen. Jim Beall, D-San Jose, is now in the Assembly. If the bond measure passes both houses of the Legislature, it will appear before voters in the Nov. 8 statewide general election. Beall’s office said his bill would generate thousands of homes and apartments priced within reach of California’s families. It also would house thousands of homeless individuals, his office said in this news release. “Senate Bill 879… Read More

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Question: A couple moved into our rental unit one month ago. Since they moved in, we have received eight complaints from the neighbors, who are now at the point of wanting to vacate because of these complaints. What should I do? Answer: If the disturbances are major and continuous, the court may grant an eviction based upon a three-day notice to quit, but the disturbances to the quiet enjoyment of the neighboring property must be severe, and there must be witnesses to prove your case in court if the case is contested. Question: If you state in the month-to-month contract… Read More

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During a radio show Monday morning, CAA’s chief executive made the case for legislation that would streamline the approval process for multifamily developments that meet affordable-housing standards and other state criteria. The discussion took place June 6 on  UpFront, a program hosted by Brian Edwards-Tiekert on Berkeley’s 94.1 KPFA. Tom Bannon, CEO for the California Apartment Association, spoke in support of Gov. Jerry Brown’s push to speed up the approval process for qualified multifamily housing. Under the governor’s plan, multifamily housing projects with infill housing and a certain number of affordable units would be exempt from a drawn-out approval process… Read More

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Facing opposition led by CAA, an inclusionary-housing bill failed to get off the Assembly floor by Thursday’s deadline, but it’s still alive. AB 2502 by Assemblyman Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco, lacked the needed votes to advance to the Senate. So instead of taking a vote, the bill was referred back to the Committee on Local Government. This unusual move keeps the bill alive, although it’s unclear whether the committee will take it up again. Mullin’s bill would allow cities and counties to force below-market rate housing in new rental developments. It would overturn the Palmer v. Los Angeles court… Read More

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An effort to recall three allies of the rental housing industry from the Lake Forest City Council has failed. The California Apartment Association, in a variety of ways, helped Mayor Andrew Hamilton, Mayor Pro Tem Scott Voigts and Councilman Dwight Robinson stave off a campaign to cut short their terms. Hamilton, Voigts, and Robinson make up a housing-friendly majority of the council. “If we lost them to a recall, we would have seen new housing projects denied at a rapid pace.  Lake Forest needs more housing, including apartments, to keep up with demand,” said Tommy Thompson, executive director of CAA… Read More

Tagged: Orange County