Government Affairs' Blog

2019 New Laws & Industry Outlook Recap

Did you miss out on the Greater San Diego Association of REALTORS® (SDAR) annual New Laws & Industry Outlook breakfast? Once again, the event sold out with approximately 400 attendees and included 20 speakers, moderators and panelists providing updates on the laws and issues shaping the future of the real estate industry. Emceed by California State Senator Brian Jones, the event continues to grow in popularity every year!

Among the speakers joining again the year was Gov Hutchinson, Assistant General Counsel for the California Association of REALTORS®. Gov provided a 45 minute overview of the key state laws for 2019 that will impact the real estate industry. You can see the complete presentation by clicking the video below.

For more information on the 2019 New Laws affecting REALTORS®, you may obtain a detailed summary chart at: https://www.car.org/riskmanagement/qa/New-Laws/2019-New-Laws.

Attendees also heard from some of the region's most influential local leaders from throughout the County. This included remarks from San Diego County Supervisor Kristin Gaspar, Mayor Rebecca Jones of San Marcos, Mayor Catherine Blakespeare of Encinitas, Mayor Bill Wells of El Cajon, Vice Mayor Colin Parent of La Mesa and San Diego Chief of Civic and External Affairs Matt Awbrey. Topics included housing supply, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), homelessness, and short term rentals. Of particular interest is the fact that while San Diego took the lead in passing favorable ADU regulations, the County and Cities of La Mesa and Encinitas are working to finalize a similar ordinance to streamline permitting processes and reduce fees to expedite these developments.

Joining the issues panel again this year were Matt Adams, Vice President of the Building Industry Association and Alan Pentico, Executive Director of the San Diego County Apartment Association (SDCAA). They, along with SDAR President-Elect Carla Farley, discussed new housing development and issues including rent control, permitting and proposed point of sale mandates in the city and county of San Diego. SDAR worked alongside the SDCAA to defeat a rent control measure in National City this past election. The coalition was successful in defeating the measure by just 155 votes.

Real estate economist Alan Nevin provided insight into the region's economy and its impact on housing demand. The final panelist, David Skelly, shared information about sea level rise and the potential impact of recommended policies from the Coastal Commission on private property rights. The issue is expected to garner a significant amount of attention in the near future as coastal cities work to update their local coastal programs to account for rising sea levels.

Would you like to know more about what you missed? The powerpoint slides from this year's event can be accessed here.

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