Industry Update features Legal Update

The Monthly Industry update, chaired this year by President-Elect Barbara Harsch, features great information on a variety of topics. Today, the 30 some SAR Members were treated to a legislative update by SAR Government Affairs Director Caylyn Brown and SAR Legislative Advocate Eric Rasmusson. They touched on a number of issues from local, state and federal levels.

The first topic discussed was point of sale. In an effort to reduce the amount of water used by local citizens, the City of Sacramento considered retrofitting old showerheads and toilets with newer, more efficient units at point of sale. If these retrofits were required at point of sale, the home transaction process is more complicated, and forces REALTORS® to act as code enforcement officers. SAR opposes point of sale ordinances, instead leaning towards reviving an older ordinance that specifies days and times (mornings and evenings) on which citizens water their yards. Because more than 50% of water is used outside, this is more realistic.

Statewide, C.A.R. opposed Senate Bill 407 because it required that all properties be retro-fitted at point of sale with low-flow showerheads, faucets, and toilets. SB 407 was subsequently amended and the point-of-sale section of the bill was removed to improve the bill, and eliminating C.A.R.’s opposition.

The California Water Plan is redrafted every five years and in this revision, proposed goal is to use 20% less water by the year 2020. There may be an attempt to reach this goal through point-of-sale. C.A.R. will definitely stand strong when representing REALTORS® on this issue.

REALTORS® are familiar with problems associated with sign ordinances. Open house signs that are improperly or dangerously placed have been known to “disappear.” There are very legitimate reasons for enforcing that signs are clear of the public right away, but often, the boundaries are not clearly known. SAR and County Officials have been working together to ensure that signs are safely placed and not always targeted as being incompliant and taken. This takes an effort on both sides, so REALTORS®, use discretion when placing your signs. If it’s questionable, you might want to reconsider.

Working with government officials and keeping Members informed is one way to steer clear of possible problems in the future. More information is can be found at www.car.org. If you have questions pertaining to a relevant issue, please inform us. You can contact your Government Affairs Director at cbrown@sacrealtor.org.

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