CBPA's California Legislative Update 7/10/2020
- LEGISLATURE DELAYS RETURN TWO WEEKS
- ENERGY CODE: WHOLE BUILDING AIR LEAKAGE TESTING
- PROP. 15 WILL KILL PROP. 13
- WEAR A MASK – KEEP YOUR PROPERTIES OPEN
- ALL THE PROPOSITIONS IN NOVEMBER
- CBPA 2020 CALENDAR
LEGISLATURE DELAYS RETURN TWO WEEKS
Instead of coming back to Sacramento on Monday, both Houses of the California State Legislature have delayed the reconvening of session from its short Summer Recess for two more weeks.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the legislative body had tried to manage with a truncated legislative schedule and now because several legislators and staff members have recently tested positive for coronavirus they will take more time before returning to the Capitol.
The Legislature has until the end of August to deal with thousands of bills that have been introduced this legislative cycle.
CBPA is tracking hundreds of measures on behalf of the industrial, retain, and office sectors of the commercial real estate industry. As your representatives in Sacramento we are continuing to engage legislators and their staffs on these bills even though the legislature is not currently meeting in person. We remain active and vigilant and will engage in whatever manner is appropriate to protect your interests.
ENERGY CODE: WHOLE BUILDING AIR LEAKAGE TESTING
The California Energy Commission (CEC) is updating the Title 24 Energy Code, and commercial real estate regulations are the focus of the process. If you are worried about what is coming and want to help provide input, please read further.
The stage of the process we’re in now is the utilities have finished drafting proposals and the CEC seeking input from stakeholders. At some point over the next two months the CEC will announce the docket schedule which will open the process for public comments and establish a final timeline for adoption.
Before the schedule is announced and the clock for the official process is started stakeholders are being asked to engage with CEC staff directly and raise early concerns on proposals and provide feedback.
The “Whole Building Air Leakage Testing” proposal is just such an item that has piqued our interest and we are seeking input from you and/or your company’s technical experts.
Currently only Climate Zones 1-9 require an air barrier. For Climate Zones 10-16, there are three ways to meet the prescriptive air barrier requirement: whole building air leakage testing, the use of compliant materials, or compliant assemblies of materials. This measure proposes the following changes:
• Expand the air barrier requirement to all climate zones;
• Require whole building air leakage testing and the use of compliant materials, or compliant assemblies of materials;
• Require air barrier design and installation details on the construction documents;
• Lower the maximum permitted whole building air leakage rate from 0.4 to 0.3 cfm/ft2;
• Require corrective action if the maximum permitted leakage is exceeded; and
• Apply the air barrier requirements to major alterations.
At first look, these requirements appear to have significant up-front costs, don’t seem particularly practical, and applying them to alterations of existing buildings would likely be overly burdensome and would potentially prevent building alterations erasing any potential energy efficiency gains at all.
The details for this specific measure are available here.
Any feedback you have, in terms of the costs of meeting these requirements would be very helpful for us in raising the issue with the CEC. The deadline to provide comment is August 10th.
PROP. 15 WILL KILL PROP. 13
The proposition numbers for November’s election have been released, and the Split Roll Property Tax Measure pushed onto the ballot by public employee unions and far left activists has been numbered Proposition 15.
Proposition 15 is aimed directly at you and your business and during one of the worst health crises ever seen, precipitated one of the worst recessions, this measure would enact an $12.5 Billion PER YEAR tax on commercial property in California.
Think about that. The largest property tax increase ever. $12.5B per year, every year on your properties. When many of you are no longer receiving rent payments.
Click here to learn more about the flaws in Proposition 15, how it will kill California’s economy, and diverse interests from Former Speaker Willie Brown, to the California Assessors Association, to former State Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero, oppose this measure.
Vote “No” On Prop 15. Click here for more information and to donate to the campaign to stop this bad measure:
WEAR A MASK – KEEP YOUR PROPERTIES OPEN
Be safe, be healthy be smart. Wear a mask when you go out. If your properties are still open, lets do everything we can to keep them that way.
ALL THE PROPOSITIONS IN NOVEMBER
For your information, here are all the proposition numbers that will be on the November 2020 ballot. Although we have not taken formal positions yet, we have noted early support/oppose recommendations on some measures:
Prop 14 – Bonds For Stem Cell/Medical Research
Prop 15 – Split Roll Property Tax – VOTE NO!
Prop 16 – Reinstates Affirmative Action Programs In California (Repeals Prop. 209)
Prop 17 – Allows Parolees To Vote
Prop 18 – Allows Certain 17-Year-Olds To Vote In Primary Elections
Prop 19 – Realtor Measure To Allow Base Property Base Year Value Transfers – VOTE YES!
Prop 20 – Repeals Portions Of Props 47/57 To Add Crimes To The List Of Violent Felonies; Recategorize Certain Types Of Theft (Shoplifting) And Fraud Crimes As Wobblers; And Require DNA Collection For Certain Misdemeanors – VOTE YES!
Prop 21 -- Rent Control – VOTE NO!
Prop 22 – Repeals AB5 And Sets New Rules For Independent Contractors
Prop 23 – Kidney Dialysis Clinic Rules
Prop 24 – Consumer Privacy Rules
Prop 25 – Reinstates The Cash Bail System
Click here to read the language for each initiative:
CBPA 2020 CALENDAR
NOTE DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC EVENTS ARE BEING ADJUSTED TO TELECONFERENCE OR PENDING SHELTER-IN-PLACE ORDERS BEING LIFTED
Thursday, November 5: CBPA Board Meeting – via Zoom
For more information on any of our events, please contact Melissa Stevens at 916-443-4676 or mstevens@cbpa.com.
