AB 761 – The Fight Continues
June 27, 2009
AB 761 – The Fight Continues
Despite the hard fought efforts of hundreds of homeowners throughout the state and a broad coalition of homeowner groups, seniors, local governments and legal services advocates, AB 761 passed the Assembly floor today. Passage of the bill was aided by the votes of several Democratic members who had initially stayed off of the vote, including Assemblymember Portantino and Speaker Karen Bass. In the end, 42 members voted in favor, with 37 voting no or abstaining. An official tally of the vote will be posted on the Assembly’s website by Friday morning. It was very, very close and the disappointment is felt by everyone who has worked so hard to stop this dangerous measure.
The bill moves now to the Senate, where it will likely be heard in Senate Judiciary and possibly Senate Transporation and Housing. A hearing date is not yet known, though it faces significant time constraints: it must pass all policy committee(s) no later than July 10.
Now is the time to redouble our efforts to fight this attack on homeowners. We need to enlist more of our neighbors and friends from through out the state, and focus calls and letters on our Senate representatives. If you don’t know who your Senator is you can use this form.
AB 566 Update
AB 566 will likely be reheard in the Senate Transporation and Housing Committee on July 7 at the regularly scheduled 1:30 hearing. Meanwhile, please keep up your efforts to contact Senators Wolk and Simitian to urge their support for the bill.
ASSEMBLY BILLS
AB 481 (Ma) – OPPOSE – Not Heard in Assembly Housing, Two-year bill that may be heard in January.
Description: Would provide that a mobilehome that is not owner-occupied would not be subject to local rent controls.
AB 566 (Nava) – SUPPORT – Failed passage in Senate Housing. Will be reheard June 30. Description: Would require that the currently-mandated survey of residents of a park for slated for conversion to condominiums demonstrate that a majority of the residents support the conversion. The bill also would state that localities may enact reasonable measures to prevent sham conversions or to preserve affordable housing.
AB 761 (Calderon) – OPPOSE – Failed passed on the Assembly Floor (38-27). Could still be heard again on the Assembly Floor. Urge your Assemblymember to vote no. Description: Would impose “Costa-Hawkins”-style vacancy de-control restrictions on local mobilehome rent control ordinances. Upon a sale or vacancy of a mobilehome, the space rent would be set by the park, at market rate (i.e., “vacancy decontrol”). The bill would destroy billions of dollars of homeowner equity.
AB 869 (Mendoza) – SPONSOR – Bill will be taken up in January. Description: Would create a program of certification for, and continuing education of, mobilehome park managers.
AB 1108 (Fuentes) -SUPPORT – Passed the Assembly Floor (45 to 30) and now pending in the Senate Utilities committee. Urge your member to support. Description: Would make various changes to requirements when electric or gas utilities are provided to mobilehome park residents and residential tenants through a master meter, including the following: (1) would allow the Public Utilities Commission to order repairs and maintenance of system; (2) Directs that the rate differential received by park owners be directed toward maintenance and repair; and (3) Would limit late fees on utility bills.
SENATE BILLS
SB 23 (Padilla) – SUPPORT – Passed the Senate (36-0). Pending in the Assembly Housing Committee. Urge your Assemblymember to Support.
Description: Would require mobilehome parks to develop, implement, and post an emergency and fire safety plan; would allow cities and counties to adopt more stringent regulations.
SB 804 (Leno) SUPPORT – Passed the Senate (28-6). Pending in Assembly Housing. Description: Would prohibit a park from requiring a homeowner, who is replacing a mobilehome or manufactured home on a space in the park, to use a specific broker, dealer, or other person as an agent in the purchase or installation of the replacement home.
SB 111 (Correa) SUPPORT – Bill passed Assembly Housing (4-2) and is now pending on Assembly Floor. Urge your Assemblymember to Support.Description: Would reorganize the MRL to clean it up and make it more user-friendly by combining certain related sections and cleaning up other portions of the code.
