GOVERNOR NEWSOM SIGNS SB 323 INTO LAW What’s next? Plus, other bills that will impact homeowners associations in 2020. By Jennifer Wada, Esq.
A
nother legislative session has come
Of course, there was no shortage of CID bills. For
to a close. Housing was at the top of
the industry, the end-of-session activity largely
the Legislature and the Governor’s
involved our efforts to kill SB 323, which would,
agenda this year. The session ended
among other things, eliminate an association’s
with high profile legislation on rent control and
authority to impose candidate qualifications
other affordable housing measures.
except under limited circumstances. As is typical, the sponsors of this measure alleged that HOAs
“Since taking office in January, my
and management companies are conspiring to
Administration has been urgently focused on
retain their ordained slate of board members and
California’s housing affordability crisis,” said
barring any candidate that may have differing
Governor Gavin Newsom, in a recent press
views.
release. “The high cost of housing and rent is putting the squeeze on family budgets, and
The sponsors claimed that HOAs across the state
our housing shortage threatens our economic
are imposing overly-restrictive and unreasonable
growth and long-term prosperity.
candidate qualifications in order to maintain control. CACM had asked for examples of these
“In 2019, California has taken urgent action to
improper qualifications in order to assess the
address this challenge. We’ve invested more in
scope of the problem and proposed numerous
new housing than at any point in our history,
amendments. Unfortunately, the bill continued
and we have created powerful new tools to
to impose a one-size-fits all approach that CACM
incentivize housing production. Now, we are
had to oppose.
removing some key local barriers to housing production. This crisis has been more than a half
One glaring problem with the bill was language
century in the making, and this Administration
that would prohibit a board from imposing
is just getting started on solutions,” Governor
a disqualification if a candidate had been
Newsom added.
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Vision Fall/Winter 2019 | cacm.org
