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Our Voice in Sacramento
The time is right to reignite our PAC efforts – BY JENNIFER WADA
Imagine for a minute that you’re a legislator: You are bombarded daily by thousands of interest groups competing for your attention. As a busy California community association manager, you can empathize with how easy it can be (and even how necessary it becomes) for a legislator to dismiss various issues, viewpoints and even entire industries. A legislator – much like a community manager – only has so much bandwidth.
But, with an estimated 50,223 associations impacting aggregate annual revenues of $11.2 billion, the California common interest development (CID) market is one industry legislators shouldn’t gloss over. With the second year of the legislative session upon us, now is a prime time for CACM and its members to build collaborative relationships with legislators statewide.
Not only is the landscape changing in the housing market and the management industry, but the majority of lawmakers are brand new. In 2015, 72 out of 120 legislators started their first term with little to no The CACM Political Action Committee (PAC) allows CACM to impact the state legislative process by supporting political campaigns and legislation that protects the practices, services and careers of community managers in California.
Learn how you can make a donation to CACM’s PAC Fund at www.cacm.org/ legislation/pac.html.
CACM manager members will also have the chance to make a donation in conjunction with their 2016 membership dues.
ASSESSMENTS & COLLECTIONS
RAISING NON-JUDICIAL FORECLOSURE AMOUNTS Lobbied against legislation that would have increased the delinquency threshold for nonjudicial foreclosures causing financial burden to all owners
ASSESSMENT INCREASE CAPS Lobbied against legislation that would have created different classes of voting within an association
DISCLOSURE & REPORTING
TIMELINES FOR DISCLOSURE Secured amendments to extend or maintain the status quo regarding time for associations to provide disclosures
GOVERNING DOCUMENT RESTRICTIONS
ARCHITECTURAL RESTRICTIONS Secured amendments to a number of bills, ranging from solar panels to artificial turf, to ensure associations can impose reasonable requirements
RENTAL RESTRICTIONS Worked on legislation to defend homeowners’ ability to vote on whether rental restrictions were appropriate for their community
WATER MANDATES Worked on legislation to protect associations from having to monitor and enforce water conservation policies for local water agencies; worked on legislation requiring submeters in all CIDs
MANAGEMENT CREDENTIALS
EDUCATION STANDARDS Secured amendments to ensure quality standards for manager certification and education
OTHER ISSUES
MANAGEMENT FEES Lobbied successfully against attempts to cap fees that management firms charge for various documents and services
RECYCLING Secured legislative intent via a Letter to the Legislative Journal to ensure recycling requirements did not apply in certain instances in light of the unique age and structures of CIDs
STATE REGULATION OF CIDS Secured amendments to legislation emphasizing consumer and volunteer board education and minimizing onerous state enforcement authority against associations
REVISIONS TO DAVIS-STIRLING Worked on a variety of issues, including efforts by the California Law Revision Commission, to revise portions of the Davis-Stirling Act
ENERGY EFFICIENCY Sponsored legislation to allow associations to enter into multi-year contracts for energy and water efficiency technologies
QUORUM REQUIREMENTS Worked on legislation addressing the difficulty of associations meeting quorum requirements state-level experience. In addition, new term limits mean these newly elected legislators will likely be sitting in their seats for the next 10-12 years. CACM wants to educate these lawmakers on the important impact California community association managers have on this state, its economy and millions of its residents.
In order to seize this opportunity, focus on CACM’s PAC is critical. CACM’s PAC provides a means to solidify relationships with legislators who will understand, value and fight to protect the community management industry.
Over the years, the relationships CACM has formed with legislators have been able to protect members from burdensome processes, unnecessary regulation of fees charged and significant liability. They have also made gains in the way of ensuring a balance between consumer protection and association governance. (See list at left for a snapshot of legislative issues that were significantly influenced by CACM, either by preventing enactment of legislation or obtaining amendments to protect CIDs.)
CACM’s policy influence has been successful and significant. But, as you know all too well in this industry, in Sacramento you are never in the clear. If there was ever a time to reignite our efforts, it would be now. Our collective voice has the power to protect the future of the community management profession.
Jennifer Wada, principal of The W Group, LLC, is CACM’s legislative advocate who represents CACM members’ interests in Sacramento.
CACM’s 2016 Board of Directors Election Voting Opens November 30!
On behalf of this year’s Nominating Committee, I want to sincerely thank all of the manager members who expressed interest in running for CACM’s 2016 Board of Directors. The Committee is in the process of making our final selection of candidates to appear on this year’s ballot.
You may recall from past communications about the election that, due to term limits instituted a few years ago, there are five openings on CACM’s Board each year. This allows CACM’s Board to constantly learn from new perspectives and thus expand our ability to offer CACM members real value for their investment.
Now, I encourage all CACM manager members to vote for their favorite candidates in this year’s election: First, learn more about the candidates later this month at www.cacm.org/about-us/bod-candidates.html. Next, keep an eye out for the voting email from CACM on November 30; this will include your username and password to log in and vote. Cast your vote by December 13; the 2016 Board will be introduced to the membership in January 2016.
Your participation in this process is critical, and we hope you are as excited for CACM’s future as we are. Good luck to all of the 2016 candidates! Melinda Young, CCAM Chair of CACM’s Nominating Committee
Committed to leadership in protecting the rights of clients.
• Delinquent Assessments • Annual Retainer Program – Unlimited Phone Calls – Annual Check-Up Meeting – Quarterly Newsletter – Reduced Rates • Fee for Service Program • CC&R Enforcement • Document Revisions • Opinion Letters • Civil Litigation • Unlawful Detainer
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maintaining high standards
New Manager & Management Firm Council Members
CACM members further their success in the industry and benefit by partnering with colleagues to share new ideas and best practices. Please join us in welcoming these new members from the second quarter of 2015!
Manager Members
Jennifer Adkison Joe Aguilar Talibah S. Allen Helen M. Allison Yuriy Amiragov Stacey Anderson, CCAM Christina Ayala Stacey Bantz Bonnie W. Basham Amanda L. Bauer Morgan Bomboy Daniel M. Borge Silvia Boyadjian Mark E. Capestany John Carney Bryan M. Chan, CCAM Hannah L. Cossa Rosalina Cutchon Zachary A. Daly Kristine C. De Perio Miguel A. Duran Macy P. Faumuina Katherine M. Fonte Jane Frazee Geoff B. Frederick, CCAM Christina R. French Tamara L. Glover Cameron L. Gonzales Elizabeth A. Gonzales Monica M. Havert Jana D. Jenkins Erin M. Jones Cynthia M. Lucero Jenny Mann Jessica L. McCarron Lawrence D. Mellberg Mark Moreno Danyelle M. Morgado Susan A. Norman Ronald G. Pavelka Amanda L. Porter Nicholas Ramirez Troy D. Reis Adrian Rivas Alberto Rivas Tim J. Sawyer Dawna L. Schoenberger Andrew W. Scott Joseph M. Shipman Christie S. Speed Cheryle A. Stites Edgar J. Szabo Cherlyn A. Taylor, CCAM Brandon Tsurumoto Jim J. White Kapree A. Wiekamp, CCAM Kari L. Wilkinson Pamela M. Zegers
Congratulations to CACM’s Newest Accredited Community Management Firm (ACMF)
CitiScape Property Management Group, LLC, ACMF
3450 3rd St., Ste. 1A San Francisco, CA 94124-1443 www.citiscapesf.com
They join 14 other California management companies that have met state-specific standards for professional business practices, accountability and self-regulation. Learn more about the steps to earn the ACMF at www.cacm.org/management-firm.html.
Find a Management Firm Near You
CACM’s Management Firm E-Marketplace allows you to access the industry’s leading management firms. Each company in this online directory is part of CACM’s Management Firm Council, which means they are committed to the highest professional standards.
You can search for management companies by ACMF accreditation, region, services offered, size and type of properties managed, and more.
Management Firm Council Members
San Mar Properties, Inc.
6336 N. Fresno St. Fresno, CA 93710 www.sanmarprop.com
North County Property Management
P.O. Box 155 Cloverdale, CA 95425 www.ncpmanagement.com
Dan Kocal Scholarship Offers Full Tuition for Certification
Earlier this year, the industry lost one of its most influential leaders: Dan Kocal, CCAM. In memory of Dan and his commitment to professionalizing our industry, CACM has established the Dan Kocal Scholarship, which will offer full tuition for community managers pursuing one of CACM’s credentialing programs, including: the Certified Community Association Manager (CCAM) certification, a Specialty Certificate, or the Master of Community Association Management (MCAM) certification.
The Dan Kocal Scholarship will recognize professionals who exhibit outstanding character and leadership in the community management industry, much like Dan did throughout his career.
According to colleagues and close family members, Dan was a firm believer in the value of educating our workforce. His son, Brent Kocal, CCAM, says Dan placed a high value on certification and believed that designations like the CCAM not only brought credibility to the individuals who earned them, but also to the industry as a whole.
Throughout his career, Dan’s leadership philosophy was unparalleled. “He believed that ‘the leader goes first,’” says Brent. “In other words, in order for him to gain the trust and respect of his colleagues and staff, he needed to give them his trust and respect first.” Brent added that it was this example of mutual respect that made Dan such an exceptional leader; he always made others feel like their voice was important and that they were part of the solution.
“One thing that really set him apart is he actually cared,” says Brent. “He genuinely cared about our industry, his employees, his clients, and even the competition. He wanted everyone to feel important and empowered.”
“What we really appreciate about CACM developing this scholarship is that education was really the foundation of who Dan was,” says his wife, Penny Kocal. “We are happy that this scholarship program is one of the legacies he’s able to leave.”
CACM will award one full-tuition scholarship per year. Applications for the 2016 Dan Kocal Scholarship will be accepted through December 1, 2015.
To learn more about the Dan Kocal Scholarship and download an application, visit www.cacm.org/what-we-offer/education/ scholarships.html.
CACM EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIPS
In addition to the Dan Kocal Scholarship, CACM also offers Education Scholarships to manager members for individual courses and events. Education Scholarships are awarded based on the availability of funds, as well as the applicant's financial need, career and educational aspirations and goals, and employer's policy for payment and/ or reimbursement of tuition funds. Approved applicants will receive a scholarship for one course or event per calendar year.
Download the Education Scholarship Application at www.cacm.org/what-we-offer/education/ scholarships.html.
For more information on CACM scholarships or the application process, contact (949) 916-2226, ext. 320 or education@cacm.org.
