From the President
By Eric Andresen
Over the past four years or so the California Apartment Association (CAA) has undergone some dramatic and radical changes. Under the guidance of a dedicated team of board members, officers and staff, CAA has positioned itself to burst forth on the state and local legislative scene like never before. And the timing couldn’t be better.
During this time, CAA has tripled in size, both in terms of the number of staff positions and in its annual budget. Most organizations would spin out of control with this type of growth, but careful and thoughtful guidance at CAA has created an incredible organization that is cohesive and on track.
For example, CAA now has four full-time, paid lobbyists who carefully review every piece of legislation for its potential relevance to our industry. They attend meetings at our state Capitol, respond at a moment’s notice by providing background or industry information and prepare detailed and easy-to-understand reports and position papers. As a result, both CAA members and our state legislators have a clear idea of each proposal’s impact and our response to it.
Also, CAA now has in-house legal counsel that assumes a myriad of roles that include serving as experts in such fields as mold and mildew, workers compensation, unfair business practices, property and liability insurance and so much more. CAA is now actively sought out for opinions and positions on a variety of issues, legal challenges and legislation. Consequently, our concerns garner substantial reflection and attention in almost every political and judicial arena.
CAA has been named to participate in such influential organizations as the California Employer’s Coalition and the California Chamber of Commerce, as well as on several insurance task forces, such as those under the direction of Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi. Through these affiliations, CAA now has the opportunity to educate a vast number of public representatives and agencies, delineating for them the absolute importance of our industry to our state’s economy.
CAA will also launch several brand new programs this year, each one aimed at achieving more recognition for our industry and ensuring our input on any proposal or piece of legislation introduced at both the state level and in most local jurisdictions. One of the most important and obvious programs will be our public relations work. We now have a full-time, highly qualified public relations expert who is putting CAA in a more prominent position on the map by promoting our strength and impact in a more positive light.
We also plan to reach out more effectively to our customers—the tenants. An Ethics Committee has been formed to review and update our Code of Ethics and to put together a program of enforcement and support. Our Code of Ethics and our Tenant Bill of Rights will receive an incredible amount of publicity in the coming years. We will prove that, as housing providers, we are not only committed to providing safe and affordable housing, but we also support reasonable and effective plans for regenerating this dramatically depleted resource throughout the state.
A formal Speaker’s Bureau will also be established. This bureau will ensure that competent, trained and articulate individuals are available across the state to express our concerns, viewpoints and opinions on all matters relating to rental housing. These speakers will also educate our future customer base—current high school and college students—who will become renters in the years to come. Our new Consumer Education brochure, scheduled for release later this year, will also help us begin the process of establishing CAA members as the preeminent choice for safe and affordable housing.
Later this year, all of this information and more will be presented to CAA members in far greater detail at the Annual Legislative Conference in Sacramento, scheduled for May 25. We will have an incredible program that not only brings each CAA member on board in terms of all our new programs but also advertises to state and local media that we are now a force to be recognized and respected—a force where the health and security of our industry is integral to the future of the state of California.
Make sure to mark your calendars and join many other SFAA and CAA members in Sacramento on May 25. You will be impressed with what our future holds, and you will realize that you are a vital part of what promises to be the turning point for our industry. CAA is primed and ready to fly, so come on board and support your industry’s preeminent organization — the California Apartment Association.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of the SFAA or the San Francisco Apartment Magazine. In addition to serving as the current President of SFAA, Eric is also the Vice President of Political Affairs for PPMA and is the original author of the PPMA Residential Tenancy Agreement. Eric also serves as Vice President of the California Apartment Association, and he is extensively involved in other industry organizations here in San Francisco and at the state level. He owns and operates West Coast Property Management and West Coast Property Maintenance Companies. He can be reached at eric@wcpm.com. Copyright © 2004.