Dear CAR Member ,
I have great news about C.A.R.’s legislative agenda. This week saw C.A.R. sponsored and supported bills in the areas of fair housing and housing supply signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
A considerable number of fair housing bills in which C.A.R. was an integral part moved forward this year, including C.A.R.-sponsored bills AB 491 (Ward & Gonzalez), which prohibits discrimination against affordable housing residents living in mixed-income multifamily developments and SB 263 (S. Rubio), which requires California real estate professionals and applicants for a real estate license to take implicit bias training and more robust fair housing training. In addition, Gov. Newsom signed C.A.R.-supported AB 1466 (McCarty), which creates a proactive means for the removal of illegal restrictive covenants from property records and AB 948 (Holden), which addresses the issue of discrimination in appraisals. C.A.R. worked with the authors of both bills to ensure that these important issues were addressed, but at the same time, would not have adverse effects on the homeowners and buyers of homes whom the laws are intended to benefit. Also, as I reported last month, Gov. Newsom signed C.A.R.-sponsored AB 633 (Calderon) into law, which enacts the Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act in California to help protect those persons who inherit property where there are multiple heirs, but no will or trust exists.
Earlier this month, Gov. Newsom signed three other important housing bills — SB 8 (Skinner), SB 9 (Atkins) and SB 10 (Weiner) — that will make a meaningful impact on the state’s housing crisis. SB 8, SB 9, and SB 10 are prudent, reasonable actions in the path forward to helping the state reach its housing goals and create greater homeownership opportunities for working Californians. This week, he also signed C.A.R-sponsored AB 571 (Mayes), which prohibits local governments from assessing affordable housing fees on the “affordable” units contained within a density bonus application and thereby helps reduce the cost of affordable units.
Speaking of SB 9, C.A.R.’s latest episode of Unlocking California Politics podcast, featuring C.A.R. SVP, Government Affairs Sanjay Wagle, and C.A.R. Legislative Advocates Karim Drissi and Jennifer Svec, gives an inside look at SB 9 (Atkins), the expiration of the state eviction moratorium, and other topics. Listen to “Unlocking the CA Legislature: An Inside Look at How Housing Policy is Built,” on Apple Podcasts here, on Spotify here, or you can watch it on YouTube here.
As a reminder, California’s eviction moratorium under the COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act (CTRA) will end tonight. However, the law will not simply return to its pre-pandemic form. Instead, a new law, the COVID-19 Rental Housing Recovery Act, (the “Recovery Act”), will take its place. Read the key differences in practices and procedures here.
If you haven’t yet decided to join thousands of other REALTORS® by signing up for next week’s annual REimagine! Conference & Expo, there’s still time! From Oct. 5-7, we’re virtually bringing 30+ insightful sessions led by 70+ sought-after speakers, all from the comfort of your living room, office or wherever you choose to participate from. In addition to sessions on tech, social media, fair housing, ADUs, legal and more, I want to highlight a few can’t-miss sessions, including: the 2022 Housing Market Forecast, Joel Singer on 43 Years: A Career Retrospective, We All Stereotype: How REALTORS® Can Disrupt Implicit Bias, and The CEOs: Side’s Guy Gal Sits Down with C.A.R.’s Joel Singer.
At REimagine! you’ll have the opportunity to meet and chat one-on-one with 40+ resource-filled exhibitors in the virtual exhibit hall, participate in games for a chance to win 60+ big prizes and stay connected with your colleagues across the state. Once you register, you will also be able to replay all sessions on-demand post-event through Dec. 31. View the full session lineup and register for FREE now at reimagineexpo.org. I’m looking forward to virtually seeing you there!
Lastly, did you know that more than 353,000 Hispanic and Latinx renters are ready to buy a home? Unfortunately, misconceptions about down payment requirements, credit scores and the homebuying process are holding them back. To combat this, C.A.R. launched an educational consumer ad campaign focused on this group of renters. Through radio ads on popular Spanish radio stations, streaming audio with Pandora, paid social media, partnerships with Hispanic and Latinx social media influencers, digital display and paid search, we’re letting these mortgage-ready consumers know that owning a home is possible and that California REALTORS® are ready to help them achieve their dreams.
We’ve also launched two websites — one for English speakers and another for Spanish speakers — to help educate them on the homebuying process and let them know how a REALTOR® can help. Over the next few months, additional information, resources and tools will be added to both sites. I encourage you to share the websites with your clients and help break down the barriers to homeownership.
Sincerely,
Dave Walsh
C.A.R. President