Article Writing: CAI Legislative Visits

On July 18th, 2024, four members of the Chapter’s Legislative Support Committee (Betty Ross, Daniel Heaton, Robert Riddick, and myself) arrived at Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh’s local district office hoping to sit down and speak with her for about fifteen minutes. Instead, we were privileged to have the Senator and her staff engage with us for about an hour and twenty minutes! During this extended meeting, we advocated for the Senator’s support in addressing the pressing concerns of homeowners and community associations throughout the State. Senator Ochoa Bogh was attentive and very passionate as we discussed AB2159, SB900, and the ongoing insurance crisis in California. During our discussion of AB2159, we were able to address Senator Bogh’s potential concerns about ensuring security in utilizing electronic voting process. We explained how similar fears about security problems have been prevented in the other 27 states that have already approved and are currently utilizing electronic voting systems. Because this is not a new concept, it will continue to be integrated in all our systems given our expanding age of technology. After hearing this information, the Senator was eager to do more research and learn more about the bill. When we brought up concerns regarding the state of insurance in California, the Senator was very sympathetic. She expressed her understanding of the struggle that homeowners face in trying to keep our livelihoods safe. As the Senator was recently added to the Senate Insurance Committee, she was determined to learn more regarding this issue so that she could help find a solution to the problem. This was a great opportunity for us to discuss our own experiences so she could understand the crisis from a homeowner’s perspective. We described the ongoing efforts by CLAC to seek solutions and offered to help put the Senator in touch with members of the established Insurance Task Force. Finally, we discussed SB900, including certain logistical issues that the Senator raised about what might happen if a special assessment or loan is approved for emergency utility repair, if down the road there is an eventual insurance pay out. We discussed that many associations have built provisions in their governing documents to address this particular circumstance, as well as additional ways to address emergencies without creating financial issues. The Senator was grateful for the additional insights and spoke with her staff about additional areas of research that she wanted to conduct on the bill in order to look at it from the perspective that we discussed. We also had an opportunity to talk with the Senator about CAI in general, and the efforts of the Chapter’s Legislative Support Committee. The Senator had not previously heard of our organization, and we were able to take advantage of the opportunity to discuss the work that CLAC has done in the past, as well as potential projects that she may be interested in for the future. Senator Ochoa Bogh was very interested in our work and loved the idea of using us as a direct resource for education in the future. The Chapter’s Legislative Support Committee has been hard at work meeting with government officials all over the Inland Empire to express the needs of homeowners throughout California. These types of meetings allow us to provide information to our governing officials and make change happen in our communities. The benefits of these efforts can be seen in the changes that have already been made in the legislation directly impacting homeowners. By continuing meetings like this, homeowner voices can be heard, and further positive changes can be made. We are grateful for the support of legislators like Senator Ochoa Bogh, who are open to working with CAI and CLAC and continuing such wonderful dialogue and education with the goal of further strengthening our communities.