Event Coverage
REALTORS® Advocate for Pathways to Homeownership on Legislative Day
SILVAR members pose for a photo during a break from their meetings with legislators.
Thousands of California REALTORS® traveled to Sacramento again this year for the California Association of REALTORS® Annual Legislative Day. This is the one day every year when REALTORS® meet their state legislators as a group and discuss pressing issues affecting real estate, homeownership, and their clients.
Legislative Day kicked off on Tuesday with a REALTOR® block party filled with music, games, food, and fun. On Wednesday morning, members gathered at the Sacramento Convention Center to hear from C.A.R. officials and special guests, California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher.
C.A.R. President Melanie Barker and other officials thanked members for attending the event, for their support for the REALTOR® Party and for advocating for policies that support pathways to homeownership for all Californians.
Rivas, who hails from Salinas and represents the 29th Assembly District, told REALTORS®, "At the top of the list, wherever I go, almost all are in agreement that we must build more housing, we must improve access to housing, and we must make housing more affordable."
Rivas said an entire generation in California is getting locked out of owning a home. "Owning a home is the quintessential dream in California. … It is undeniable that we must do much, much more at the federal, state , and local levels. Californians expect us to deliver new solutions, from increasing supply to removing barriers to homeownership."
Gallagher, who represents the Assembly District 3, located in the northern Sacramento Valley, is also a REALTOR®. He indicated he understands the importance of advocating for homeownership for all Californians.
"Never more than any other time has change been needed right now. Homeownership is not possible for far too many in California. … Demand better for your clients who are looking for their first home," said Gallagher.
The Assembly Republican leader noted he is against Assembly Constitutional Amendment 1 and 13 because he feels both undermine Proposition 13. ACA 1 asks voters whether the threshold to approve new special taxes and bonds for affordable housing and public infrastructure projects should be lowered to 55%. ACA 13 requires future ballot measures that increase voter approval requirements to also pass by the same margin.
"We have to do more and change what's going on. We are taxed far too much in California and homeowners are taxed far too much," said Gallagher.
President pro Tempore Emeritus of the California State Senate Toni Atkins was the guest speaker at the joint luncheon with members of SILVAR, the San Mateo County and Santa Clara County Associations of REALTORS®. Atkins, who is passionate about affordable housing, has championed the California Dream for All program which aims at helping first-time homebuyers achieve the dream of homeownership. Last year, the program ran out of about $300 million in funding in just 11 days. The down payment assistance program opened again to California residents on April 3. The state has about $250 million on the table, which is expected to assist between 1,600–2,000 new applicants. Atkins expects the program to be oversubscribed.
"We need more housing. It's gotten dire and dire. What working families need is just a little bit of assistance," said Atkins. "Our challenge is to see that there is continued funding."
Atkins also addressed the home insurance problem, which is mounting since more insurance companies are leaving the state and others are not renewing homeowner policies. Many homeowners have had to move to the insurer of last resort, the FAIR Plan, which has exorbitant costs and was only meant to be a short-term solution. She said insurance carriers need better tools to access a property's risk reasonably.
"We have got to have reliable and somewhat affordable insurance for homeowners. We need transparency, accountability and reliable premiums," said Atkins.
Following Atkins' talk, members were joined by Silicon Valley legislators who listened to REALTOR® concerns about local property tax increases, the need for legislators to support more efforts to make homeownership easier to achieve, and their call to oppose SB 1462 (Glazer), which allows developers to keep buyer deposits for any reason.
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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.
For further information, please email or call the SILVAR office at (408) 200-0100.