Board of Directors President, Cheryl Turner, Leads AAGLA Delegation to DC

President Turner Goes to Washington

Board of Directors President, Cheryl Turner, Leads Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles Delegation to Washington, D.C. to Lobby for Property Rights

A delegation from the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles went to Washington, D.C. along with 100’s of delegations from apartment associations throughout the United States that are affiliated with the National Apartment Association. The lobbying effort, which took place on April 28^th and 29^th included a half day of meetings to discuss important regulatory matters of concern to rental housing providers and to hear from members of Congress and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and a full day of lobbying activity on Capitol Hill when the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles’ delegation met with 8 members of Congress.

Attending on behalf of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles were Board President, Cheryl Turner, and Board Members Larry Cannizzaro, Curt Knabe, Kari Negri and Earle Vaughan. Also, Executive Director, Daniel Yukelson, and Director of Government Affairs, Janet Gagnon each led one of the two delegation teams that met with Congressional members. Several members of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles also participated during the two-day lobbying effort.

The delegation from the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles held meetings with office holders or staff members of the following Congressional offices: Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, and Congressional Representatives Julia Brownley, Maxine Waters, Jimmy Gomez, Pete Aguilar, Mike Garcia, Brad Sherman and Ted Lieu. Topics of discussion included:

• Revitalizing and Streamlining Section 8 Voucher Program. We discussed the “too many” barriers and red tape associated with the Section 8 Voucher program and discussed some real-life examples of delays and challenges owners have had with the inspection process. We also spoke about the poor reputation the Section 8 Voucher program has among housing providers and that 60% of housing providers who participate in the voucher program never do so again.
• Reducing Barriers to Housing Production. We spoke about the process of entitlements and how nearly one-third of project costs go towards entitlements such as permits, environmental review, legal, etc. We suggested that incentives be provided to encourage states and local jurisdictions to streamline the review and entitlement process, all greater density where appropriate, and provide tax incentives in order to increase the supply of housing, particularly affordable housing.
• CARES Act 30-Day Notice of Eviction Requirement. We asked that the Representatives support legislation to eliminate a remaining provision of the CARES Act that is still effective, which requires housing providers to give 30-days’ notice (vs. 3-days) of eviction if they have any Section 8 tenants at their property or have a Federally backed loan (e.g., Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac) for their property. We made the point that all other provisions of the CARES Act, which had established a 120-day moratorium on evictions due to non-payment of rent, have now expired, and this remaining provision not only harms property owners seeking to collect legally owed rent, but also discourages participation in the Section 8 Voucher program.
• White House Blueprint on Renters’ Rights. Lastly, we discussed the proposed “Blueprint on Renters’ Rights” proposed by the Biden Administration. The White House proposals, while they do not include any specific laws or regulations, encourage a new, Federal layer of tenant protections which some Federal agencies are now considering for further action. We asked the members of Congress to discourage further advancement by the Federal Government to avoid, among other complications, adding yet another layer of regulation onto the already complex layers of state and local imposed housing regulations.

All members of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles are welcome and encouraged to attend future lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C. taking place in March and in Sacramento taking place in April of each year.