Thursday, October 14th, 2010
Starting in 2011, C.A.R. will be adding a $49 assessment to dues billings. Reprinted here is the information that C.A.R. has posted on their website.
Q. What is the new REALTOR® Action Assessment and when will it become effective?
A. It’s a $49 assessment that will go into effect with the 2011 dues billing cycle.
Q. How will the assessment appear on the dues billing statement?
A. C.A.R. is working on a revised dues billing statement for 2011 for those members billed directly by C.A.R. and for those Associations who use the C.A.R.-produced billing statement.
Q. Is this assessment mandatory?
A. Yes. A member may decide to satisfy the assessment in one of two ways: (1) By either making a voluntary contribution to the State REALTOR® Action Fund, which will be put into C.A.R.’s political action committees [California Real Estate Political Action Committee (CREPAC) and/or the California Real Estate Independent Expenditures Committee (CREIEC)], or be used for other political activities, or (2) by opting to send the funds to the C.A.R. general fund for political purposes.
Q. Why was the assessment needed?
A. Whether it’s the legislature looking to tap REALTORS®, the transaction, or our industry for additional sources of funding, placing restrictions on private property rights or on our right to conduct business, organized real estate must be continually vigilant in Sacramento to ensure that our interests are fairly represented.
This is even truer in today’s fiscal environment, with politicians searching for every available means to cut the state’s ballooning deficits and produce a balanced budget. C.A.R.’s opponents — the trial lawyers, for example — spend millions of dollars every year to fund candidates and legislators who support legislation creating additional liability for our members, increasing the likelihood of litigation and making it more difficult and more costly to be in business.
C.A.R.’s California Real Estate Political Action Committee (CREPAC) used to be in the top 10 of political action committees (PACs) in California. It now ranks 37th, according to a recent study of PAC spending in California. Special interest groups, including many supported by public finances, outspend CREPAC on a regular basis. The political assessment adopted by the C.A.R. Board of directors will help rectify this growing imbalance.
Continue reading: California Association of REALTORS’® Government Relations Assessment
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