San Francisco Apartment Association

Feature

Get Engaged and Make a Difference in the Legislative Process

by Dan Lieberman

Consumer protection and activism continue to be controlling influences at the state and local levels during these times of economic belt-tightening in California. Given that nearly half of the state’s residents are renters, the independent actions on the part of our industry members and service providers, who at one time could quietly go about their business, will remain squarely at risk of increased visibility (positive or negative) and a focus for politicians and the general public.

In this continuing era of heightened visibility and awareness, there has never been a better opportunity for our industry to be proactive rather than reactive from the state level down to the local level. We must adapt to this new playing field, not only in the way we do business, but also in the way that we advocate for issues and engage our communities.

To stop bad legislation is never enough. We need to be active in developing and passing good legislation. In turn, to be silent about our business in our local communities is no longer enough. We need to actively engage and educate our local city governments, local news media and, most important, our prospective consumers/residents on the subject of renting and the importance of the rental housing industry to local communities and to the state’s economic prosperity.

By your presence at city hall or the state capital, you demonstrate your willingness to promote the rental housing industry. Both the California Apartment Association (CAA) and the San Francisco Apartment Association (SFAA) are successful because active members like you are involved and you help keep policy makers informed on how legislation affects the rental housing industry.

Four Steps to Protecting Your Interests

1) Get Informed:
The SFAA and CAA are reliable sources of information on local and state politics. Read up on the issues. Most important, be sure to sign up to receive CAA’s Legislative Briefing. It is available at no charge and delivered weekly via email or fax. To begin your subscription, email jstrawn@caanet.org or call (800) 967-4222, ext. 16.

2) Act:
Through CAA’s Legislative Briefing, you will be asked to contact your legislators or the governor when a particular bill is under consideration. Legislators are allowed to set their bills for a hearing with as little as three days’ notice. This means you may have limited time to respond. CAA has made your work easy, however, by providing sample letters that you can customize; and they have even gone a step further by creating a Legislative Action Center at www.caanet.org where CAA members can automatically send semi-customized emails and faxes to specific legislators. CAA members have a reputation for inundating the Capital with hundreds, even thousands, of letters.

3) Build Relationships:
You may already have a relationship with one or several legislators. You may have known them from earlier days when they held local office positions, or they may be longtime friends of your family. Whatever your relationship, make sure you take advantage of opportunities to enhance it whenever possible. Remember, the supervisor you meet today may well be in our State Assembly tomorrow. Legislators make it a point to meet with constituents, especially in their local district offices. Attend SFAA functions where legislators may be present. These are excellent opportunities for you to forge new relationships.

4) Elect Policymakers Who Understand Our Industry:
Term limits offer some challenges, but they also provide tremendous opportunities. Term limits present the chance to elect policymakers who understand the importance of the rental housing industry and understand the vital role that private rental property owners play in providing homes for nearly half of all Californians. Through contributions to both SFAA’s and CAA’s political action committees, you can have a direct impact on local and state elections.

Shaking Hands with Legislators

Remember, your primary goals when meeting with your legislators are to learn their positions on issues affecting the rental housing industry and to underscore the grassroots legislative efforts by SFAA and CAA. Include the following points in your discussions with them:

  • stress the fact that you are a constituent, because in this era of term limits, legislators are more interested in receiving input from individuals who live and work in their districts;
  • identify briefly the location of your rental property, business and/or residence and how many units you own and/or manage;
  • identify yourself as a member of SFAA, which represents almost 3,000 members who are responsible for over 75,000 rental units in the city, and also as a member of CAA, which represents in excess of 50,000 rental property owners and operators who are responsible for two million units statewide;
  • select one person to act as the spokesperson, if you meet as a group; and should you anticipate a fairly complex issue, assign different individuals the responsibility for responding to anticipated questions;
  • tell legislators why you care, and bring them real solutions;
  • find out why the specific legislator may not agree with your position and, even if the reasoning is based on partisan politics, write down the legislator’s arguments; conversely, if the legislator agrees with your position, thank him/her and ask if there is any additional information you could provide;
  • thank your legislators for taking the time to meet with you and/or your group and make sure to send letters of appreciation to them after the meeting, again thanking them for the opportunity to meet with you and/or your group. To achieve a successful meeting with your legislators, make sure you avoid the following:
  • never discuss political fundraisers or contributions at this meeting;
  • do not indicate to your legislator your party affiliation, for there is no need for this information;
  • resist the temptation to make any decisions during your meeting, keeping in mind that your legislator is unlikely to offer a solution or compromise to an issue at the time of your meeting (remember that all decisions, including positions on legislation, are approved by either the SFAA board of directors or CAA’s board of directors);
  • do not threaten your legislators if they will not vote your way;
  • do not make promises to your legislators in exchange for their favorable vote on a bill.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of SFAA or the San Francisco Apartment Magazine. Dan Lieberman is the past president of the California Apartment Association and owner of Horizon Management Group, a real-estate management, development and investment company based in Oakland. He can be reached at (510) 452 2300 or dlieberman@horizonnow.com. Copyright © 2005 by the San Francisco Apartment Magazine. All rights reserved.