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All four of the California Apartment Association’s housing-supply bills have won the governor’s signature, a victory for property owners, developers and renters.
In light of California’s housing shortage, CAA sponsored the slate of bills in 2016 to encourage the development of new housing and remove local obstacles to construction.
The bills include AB 2299 by Assemblyman Richard Bloom, D-Santa Monica. AB 2299, along with SB 1069 by Sen. Bob Wieckowski, D-Fremont, will make it easier to build second units — also known as in-law units or granny flats, on residential lots. Under the bills, local governments will lose the ability… Read More
Tagged: LegislationLegislative Summary
Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law a pair of bills that will help chip away at the state’s housing shortage by making it easier to build in-law units on residential lots.
The bills include CAA-sponsored AB 2299 by Assemblyman Richard Bloom, D-Santa Monica, as well as SB 1069 by Sen. Bob Wieckowski, D-Fremont. Under the bills, local governments will lose the ability to mandate additional parking for second units when the units are within one-half mile of public transportation or ride-share parking areas.
Gov. Jerry Brown this week continued to sign legislation backed by the California Apartment Association, including bills on bedbugs, housing production and water submeters:
SB 7 (D-Wolk) – Water Meters and Submeters — will require that beginning Jan. 1, 2018, water submeters be installed in new apartment units. It specifically authorizes the imposition of an administrative fee by property owners or third-party billing companies when they read and bill tenants for their water use. It does not change or prohibit the use of ratio utility billing systems (RUBS).
AB 551 (D-Nazarian) – Bedbugs — will put in place disclosure requirements… Read More
Tagged: LegislationLegislative Summary
Now that the 2015-16 Legislative session has come to an end, Gov. Jerry Brown must decide the fate of nearly 800 bills.
And thanks largely to CAA’s advocacy work, rental housing owners and managers don’t need to worry.
Over the recently completed two-year session, the California Apartment Association has defeated numerous bad bills.
In the 2015-16 legislative session, CAA lobbied on 126 housing-related bills, including the following problematic legislation — all of which died before the session closed Wednesday, Aug. 31:
Rent control
AB 697 (Chu, San Jose) would have created a pilot project in specified counties to halt rent… Read More
Tagged: LegislationLegislative Summary
The California Legislature ended its two-year session having sent all four of CAA’s housing-supply bills to the governor’s desk, as well as a number of other positive proposals for the rental housing industry.
While increasing supply was a No. 1 housing issue in 2016, bills on issues such as water conservation, bedbugs and home-sharing platforms also advanced to the governor by the close of the session midnight Wednesday, Aug. 30.
Because the governor set housing production as one of his priorities this year, CAA’s housing-supply bills will likely elicit plenty of attention from him. Last month, Brown witnessed the collapse… Read More
With the state Legislature’s intense focus on housing this year, the California Apartment Association has played an unprecedented role in shaping policy at the Capitol.
In the 2015-16 legislative session, CAA lobbied on 126 housing-related bills. While all lobbying activity is important, the Association’s work on the following bills was especially noteworthy:
Seismic retrofit tax credit
AB 2392 by Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian, D-Sherman Oaks, would establish the California Seismic Safety Capital Access Loan Program to assist residential property owners and small business owners in seismically retrofitting residences and small businesses.
Position: Support
Status: Senate Committee on Governance and Finance
ADA… 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
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
With this month’s deadline for Gov. Jerry Brown to sign and veto bills in the proverbial rear-view mirror, CAA has compiled the following summaries of rental housing-related laws set to take effect Jan. 1, 2016:
Affordable Housing
Community Revitalization Authority
Assembly Bill 2 (D-Alejo)
AB 2 allows specified “disadvantaged” areas of California to create a new entity called a Community Revitalization Investment Authority. The purpose of the CRIA is to improve conditions with the intent to increase employment opportunities, reduce high-crime rates, repair deteriorating and inadequate infrastructure, clean up Brownfields and build affordable housing.
Density Bonuses and Parking Spaces
Assembly… Read More
Tagged: LegislationLegislative Summary