Guest Blog By Pam Richardson, Esq.
This has been a busy and very successful year for CAI-CLAC. With the engagement of our members and the incredible work of our Legislative Advocate, Louie Brown, and his office, we have had several legislative successes so far this year. Additionally, we have produced numerous educational programs and events to further our goals of educating homeowners, business professionals, legislators and their staff members, and regulatory agencies regarding our industry and the challenges that we face.
Mid-Year Achievements to Date
This year, CAI-CLAC sponsored three bills AB 2114 (adding Civil Engineers to the list of those who can conduct inspections of exterior elevated elements), AB 2159 (to authorize associations to use electronic balloting for elections), and AB 2460 (a clean-up measure clarifying who can call for a reconvened meeting where a reduced quorum can be used for election of board members). AB 2114 was an “urgency” bill that has already been signed by the Governor. This means that the bill is now law, effective immediately. The next step for each of the other bills will be a vote on the Senate Floor as both successfully passed through the Assembly and the Judiciary and Housing Committees in the Senate.
Additionally, CAI-CLAC has requested amendments and opposition to proposed legislation. Notably, AB 2149 ( regarding gate inspections), and SB 900 (requiring a specific time frame for associations to make repairs or replacements pertaining to the interruption of gas, heat, water, or electrical services located in common areas). To date, we have been successful in obtaining some necessary amendments and are still working on potential amendments to them.
Members’ responses to our Calls To Action have been tremendously helpful in achieving these goals! Hearing directly from constituents, other homeowners, and those who work in the industry goes a long way in helping us stress the importance of our positions with our legislators regarding bills or issues that we are advocating for. Our most recent Call to Action resulted in emails from five thousand of our members to the Senate Judiciary Committee supporting AB 2159.
Our Insurance Task Force has also been hard at work engaging with and educating the Department of Insurance, legislative offices, and members to tackle major issues that have threatened the insurance industry. These issues negatively impact communities and individual homeowners as many are unable to obtain and maintain insurance at a reasonable cost.
Members of the Insurance Task Force have testified before congressional committees and been asked to work with the Department of Insurance directly to tackle these issues. The Task Force has also tracked a number of insurance bills this year.
An Insurance Discussion Group has also been established to obtain more input from professionals and homeowners who are interested in, and directly affected by the insurance crisis. The Insurance Discussion Group also created a “Who to Contact” form that gives homeowners three steps to take to make a difference in the insurance crisis. Visit our Current Campaigns Page to learn more about these resources and share your story.
We also encourage our CAI Chapters and community associations to meet with local legislators to talk about the insurance crisis and your communities’ concerns. You can visit our Legislative Advocacy Page for useful documents to help make your meeting a success.
Programs and Events
We have also produced several events open to all those interested in learning more about CAI-CLAC, our initiatives, and interacting with legislative offices.
We held three Town Halls this year focused on Legislative Action Committees and activities to support our initiatives in 2024, preparations for Advocacy Week, and new ideas for fundraising by local chapters to support CAI-CLAC’s efforts.
Advocacy Week, which allows participants direct contact with legislators’ offices to discuss our priorities and understand their concerns, was quite a success this year as we were able to meet with more than eighty legislators and/or their staff members. This year, Advocacy Week was held both in person and virtually. Immediate impact was made regarding a bill of major concern (which is no longer being considered this year), and we brought even more awareness to insurance issues facing our communities. Much interest was expressed by legislators and their staff members to learn more about the insurance crisis and to help find solutions.
Due to the interest expressed during Advocacy Week and subsequent meetings with legislators and staff, we are working in partnership with Assembly Member Avelino Valencia to produce a series of educational modules regarding the insurance crisis designed to further educate legislative offices in Sacramento (and those staff members based in their local districts) on many of the issues that are involved with this crisis. We hope that this educational series will lead to further understanding of, and solutions to, these ongoing issues.
Engagement with our social media channels has also shown very positive results. CAI-CLAC has successfully reached more than 160,000 people with social messages, received more than 11,700 engagements online and our social media channels have gained more than 200 new followers since January. Please continue to share CAI-CLAC’s social media channels and like content to ensure our continued success.
If you haven’t already done so, we urge you to take a moment to sign up for CAI-CLAC email updates to stay informed. You can also follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for real-time updates on legislative news, resources, event updates, or legislative action.