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REALTOR®: Legislative Day brings Realtors to Sacramento


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Wednesday, June 13, 2007

More than 2,000 Realtors and affiliates from the state of California gathered in Sacramento on Wednesday, June 6, for Legislative Day. Over 55 Realtors and affiliates from the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR), including Board of Directors of both associations, joined their counterparts at the state capital for the event, which is organized by the California Association of REALTORS® (C.A.R.) every year.

Legislative Day is an opportunity for Realtors from across California to meet with their state legislators and discuss issues that affect the real estate industry. The impact of political participation was also emphasized during the morning gathering. Realtors make up one of the largest groups that hit Sacramento every year.

"Attending Legislative Day is an opportunity to let our legislators know what works and what doesn't work," said C.A.R. President Colleen Badagliacco, as she thanked everyone for attending the event.

C.A.R. Senior Vice President Alex Creel and Senator Lou Correa briefed Realtors on developments in the real estate industry. The impact of political participation was emphasized during the morning gathering. Realtors make up one of the largest groups that hit Sacramento every year.

A Joint Legislative Luncheon, which included members from the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR), the San Mateo County Association of REALTORS® (SAMCAR) and the Santa Clara County Association of REALTORS® (SCCAOR) at the Sheraton Grand Hotel followed the briefing, with political strategist and analyst Donnie Fowler as guest speaker. After lunch, Realtors and affiliates headed to the State Capitol to meet their respective Senators and Assembly representatives.

The day proved to be one in which Realtors got the opportunity to witness legislators at work, and because of this, Realtors were not able to personally meet with all of their representatives. The Assembly was in session and legislators were busy at work. They had to decide on over 400 bills by the end of the week and were scheduled to discuss 125 bills that day, which meant they would be working till late in the evening.

Silicon Valley Realtors and affiliates met with staff members of Assemblymember Sally Lieber, Senator Elaine Alquist and Assemblymember Ira Ruskin, and they were able to personally meet with Senator Joe Simitian, who hails from Palo Alto.

Realtors told their representatives that they are opposed to the following bills:
• AB 1574 (Houston), which would allow the use of private transfer taxes, which would in essence add to the cost of owning a home and would encourage developers and private entities and others to impose these fees with no restrictions

• AB 239 (DeSaulnier), which would authorize the Contra Costa County and San Mateo County Boards of Supervisors to impose a document recording fee on all real estate recordings to generate funds for affordable housing. While the goal is good, Realtors are concerned the bill targets just one group to pay for affordable housing; it would basically create a tax and runs counter to Proposition 13; and it would ultimately add to the cost of buying a home and penalize the very people affordable housing policies seek to address.

• SB 464 (Kuehl), which forces landlords to stay in business for at least five years and requires them to give all tenants a one-year notice of termination of tenancy should ANY of their tenants be a senior or disabled. C.A.R. believes this bill is an attack on private property rights and an affront on business – landlords should not be told how long they should stay in business. The bill would also discourage investment in rental housing and could ultimately lead to landlords evicting tenants before putting their property on the market and discriminating against seniors and the disabled.

Senator Simitian thanked SILVAR, SAMCAR and SCCAOR members for meeting with him and addressing the hot issues. He noted, with 900,000 constituents in 13 cities and towns, "It's tough to stay in touch. You make it easier for me to do it by coming to me and expressing your views. Is anyone listening and does it matter? The answer is yes and yes."

"It was such a rewarding experience to see the whole process through from the beginning to almost the end," said Lehua Greenman, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker, Woodside. "As a citizen, you don't have control of voting in the legislature, but how the ideas are introduced to the legislators matters a lot. You yourself can take it as far as you can before it goes to vote."

"It was interesting to see the political process at work and how the process builds and how bills are passed," said Fe Manzano, a Realtor with Prudential California, Palo Alto.  "Leg Day gave me a real window on how things work, how it makes a difference to contact your legislators, and how even a phone call to them can make a difference."

Joel Spolin's of Absolute Mortgage Banking in Palo Alto, said "Legislative Day gives us a chance to meet other people and learn about the issues. Before I got here, I had no idea about the issues; I learned a lot. It's interesting to see the political process at work and keeps you apprised on how powerful this lobby (of Realtors) is."

It was the first Leg Day experience for SILVAR affiliate Gabriela Mancera of Bank of America in Palo Alto. Mancera said, "I didn't know much about Leg Day before I came on the trip; it gave me insight on the importance of getting involved in the political process."


The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) is a professional trade organization representing over 4,000 REALTORS® and Affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. SILVAR promotes the highest ethical standards of real estate practice, serves as an advocate for homeownership and homeowners, and represents the interests of property owners in Silicon Valley.

The term "REALTOR®" is a registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and who subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.

Variations of this article have appeared in local area newspapers.

For further information, please contact Rose Meily at SILVAR Public Affairs, email , or phone (408) 200-0109.

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