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California lawmakers continue to pursue ways to stop abusive disability-access lawsuits that persist against small-business and building owners, while ensuring that individuals with disabilities have access to those buildings.
“This is the first time that the Legislature as a whole is really recognizing that abusive ADA lawsuits exist, and that there are lawsuits that are more about money than justice,” said Kim Stone, president of the Civil Justice Association of California, in this Modesto Bee article.
Two lawmakers in particular are making headway: Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen, R-Modesto, and Sen. Richard Roth, D-Riverside.
Roth’s bill, SB 269, would protect a… Read More
The California Apartment Association is preparing to fight what’s almost certain to be a major statewide, legislative push to broaden the reach of rent control.
The rent control debate heads to the Capitol after a number of cities have considered either introducing or expanding the policy.
In Sacramento, where the 2016 legislative session began this past Monday, tenant advocates have the Costa-Hawkins Act in their cross hairs.
Under Costa-Hawkins, cities can’t impose rent control on housing built after 1995. The act also exempts single-family homes and condos, regardless of construction date. Without the protections of Costa-Hawkins, rent control would have… Read More
As we plunge into 2016, the California Apartment Association is building on a strong foundation of government affairs victories from the past 12 months, both at the state and local levels.
To help put the year gone-by in perspective, CAA’s public affairs team has selected the following successes as the Association’s Top 10 Legislative Victories of 2015.
Many of the issues described below will remain important topics in the year to come. Read more about CAA’s forecast for 2016 here.
In 2015, CAA proudly:
1. Led a petition drive to overturn Richmond rent control ordinance
The Richmond City Council —… Read More
When tenants want to place clotheslines outside, landlords have plenty of discretion.
Under Assembly Bill 1448, they can require that clotheslines be kept in a private area and even dictate the look of the drying devices.
To help rental property owners properly handle resident requests, CAA has published a background paper and an addendum. Both forms, available only to CAA members, can be accessed here.
To learn more about AB 1448 by Assemblywoman Patty Lopez, D-San Fernando, watch the CAA video below. Click here to learn about other laws taking effect Jan. 1 and here for information on CAA’s new… Read More
Tagged: Legislation
https://youtu.be/gb7t0ibaXzE
If you’re a landlord who reaches for a can of Raid at the first sign of a cockroach or spider, prepare to break that habit.
A law taking effect in January targets pest control do-it-yourselfers in the rental housing business. Owners and their employees must begin notifying tenants whenever they personally apply pesticides, as opposed to using a pest control operator. Below, you’ll find detailed information for following the new regulations, as well as links to the forms you’ll need — available exclusively to CAA members.
In large part, the new notification rules for landlords reflect the kind of… Read More
In response to laws taking effect in January 2016, in addition to member requests, the California Apartment Association has published 13 new rental forms and has updated many of its existing forms. Among the new forms are disclosures for pesticide application and forms to cover tenants with assistive animals.
The pesticide-notification forms were prompted by new requirements that landlords and apartment complex employees who apply pesticides on a rental property must first notify their tenants. Click here for the disclosure forms and here to read more about the pesticide-notification law.
Moreover, to provide owners with a process for handling assistive-animal… Read More
Tagged: ComplianceLegislation
The California Apartment Association now has forms and an instruction sheet available to its members for complying with a pesticide-notification law taking effect Jan. 1, 2016.
Under the new regulations, landlords and apartment complex employees who apply pesticides on a rental property must first notify their tenants. Click here for the forms. Note, you’ll need to sign in to access this material.
Since 1984, California law has required specific notification requirements of pest control companies when they apply pesticides at residential properties. SB 328 by Sen. Ben Hueso, D-Logan Heights, extends these requirements to landlords, their employees and agents when… Read More
Tagged: LegislationNews
California Assemblyman Tony Thurmond is putting together legislation that would leverage tax credits to address the Bay Area’s shortage of affordable housing, the San Francisco Business Times reported Tuesday.
The Richmond Democrat, who held a town hall meeting on housing this month in Oakland, said he’s prepared to pitch the idea to Gov. Jerry Brown, the article says. Thurmond may have his work cut out for him, considering that the governor has rejected several tax-credit based proposals as of late, including Assembly Bill 35, which would have increased California’s Low Income Housing Tax Credit by $300 million for the construction… Read More
In the 2015 legislative session, plenty of harmful rental housing bills failed to pass the Legislature. Unfortunately, several positive bills died, too – and some right on the governor’s desk.
Below, we offer summaries of rental housing related bills vetoed by Gov. Jerry Brown.
While most would have been good for multifamily, the first one in our list certainly deserved Brown’s rejection.
Bill to Ban Arbitration Agreements – Vetoed
AB 465 (D-Hernandez) – Arbitration Agreements –AB 465, among other things, would have prohibited arbitration agreements in employment contracts. The bill was strongly opposed by the business community, including CAA. In… Read More
Tagged: LegislationLegislative Summary
In 2015, CAA’s government affairs team fought numerous battles to stop legislative attacks on the rental housing industry. The legislative session, which ended Oct. 11, packed negative proposals on a wide spectrum of issues, from rent control to taxes to public safety.
Below is a sampling of some of the most onerous proposals, organized by subject, that CAA helped prevent from reaching the governor’s desk. The authors of these bills, however, can have them reconsidered in 2016, so CAA’s work is far from over.
Landlord-Tenant
AB 396 (D-Jones-Sawyer) – Criminal Records – AB 396 attempted to prohibit landlords from using… Read More
Tagged: LegislationLegislative Summary