Several Legislative Victories Already in the Books for 2022!

Legislative Updates

With the first month of the year under our belt, the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles has already had a few important legislative victories.  We were able to “kill” a few high priority, two-year bills that were required to be passed in their Legislative house of origin by January 31, 2022, including Assembly Bill 854 and Assembly Bill 1241.

B. 854 (Lee) – Ellis Act: Withdrawal of Accommodations

Assembly Bill 854 would have prohibited rental property owners who have owned a property for less than five years from using Ellis Act to withdraw rental accommodations from the market, and would have prevented a rental property owner who had used Ellis Act from being able to do so again for 10 years. Fortunately, the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles and its state affiliate, the California Rental Housing Association (CalRHA) along with the opposition coalition were able to hold this bill on the Assembly Floor without a vote before the January 31, 2022, deadline expired.  Because it appeared that A.B. 854 did not have sufficient votes to pass, it was not brought up for a vote on the Assembly floor before the end of the final day.  A.B. 854 was a “carry-over” bill from last year’s legislative session and was postponed for further consideration during the current year, and accordingly, it is characterized as a “two-year bill.”

B. 1241 (Jones-Sawyer) – “Ban the Box for Rental Applications”

Due to opposition from the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles, CalRHA, and other opposing stakeholders, Assembly Bill 1241 did not move out of committee during January as the bill’s author had pulled it from its scheduled hearing. This proposed bill would have prohibited rental housing providers from asking about the criminal background of rental applicants during the rental application process (accordingly, “ban the box” applicants check on rental applications to advise of arrests, felonies, etc.).

On the proactive side, the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles’ sponsored bill, Assembly Bill 916 (Salas), passed through the Assembly unanimously.  We were able to negotiate language with the Chairs of the Housing Committee and Local Government Committee in order to gain their support of the proposed bill.   Assembly Bill 916 streamlines bedroom construction by eliminating public hearings.  Additionally, the bill seeks to increase height limits of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) from 16-feet to 18-feet on parcels that are multistory and multifamily.  We are grateful to proponents from SPUR Urban Center, YIMBY (Yes in My Backyard), and others who joined CalRHA and the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles in support of the bill.

The deadline for new bills to be introduced is February 18, 2022, after which time we will have a better idea of most of the proposed legislation and legislative fights we will be facing during the year.

Political Updates

Due to term limits, redistricting, and several legislators resigning, there will be several legislative races in 2022.  The most recent resignation is by Assembly Member, Autumn Burke, which was announced on January 31, 2022.  Also within the Greater Los Angeles Area, Mike Fong is anticipated to be elected to fill the vacancy left by Ed Chau when he was appointed as a Judge.  That election is scheduled for February 15, 2022.

Rental Assistance Update

As of February 1, 2022, the state had disbursed more than $1.9 billion in rental relief out of the nearly $7.0 billion in funding requested.  Clearly, the rental assistance program is underfunded and Federal money will not be enough to cover the need.  Therefore, both CalRHA and the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles has been in conversations with Legislative Leadership and the Administration regarding the potential to utilize state money available through the budget surplus to help fund and extend the progra m.   For more information on the rental assistance program, please visit the Housing is Key website at: https://housing.ca.gov/.

Kate Bell, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Kate Bell Strategies was most recently a Partner of Capitol Advocacy, which is ranked among California’s top lobbying firms. Ms. Bell’s firm specializes in lobbying, strategic planning, coalition building, budget advocacy, procurement, and political involvement.  Kate Bell Strategies and Capitol Advocacy represent the interests of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles through its affiliation with the California Rental Housing Association.  Both firms are based in Sacramento.  For more information, please visit www.katebellstrategies.com