San Francisco Apartment Association

From the President

Three Years — Already

by Eric Andresen

Hard to believe that three years have come and gone. My three years as president
of the San Francisco Apartment Association (SFAA) have been wonderful, yet like all good things, it is coming to an end.

Every one of us connected with SFAA has seen incredible changes over the past three years. Looking back, Supervisor Chris Daly had only just begun his assault on the housing industry and the rest of the city. Gavin Newsom was still a supervisor, and Willie Brown still enjoyed the beautifully paneled office under the dome. Grey Davis was still our governor then, and Kevin Shelley had not yet moved up to the Secretary of State office.

Now look how things are. Mayor Newsom has proven to be quite capable and competent. Hopefully, the Board of Supervisors is now more reasonable and responsive to real issues. Governor Schwarzenegger has managed to not only shake up the people at the state capitol, but he has given us a glimmer of hope that we have not enjoyed in decades. Although Kevin Shelley is dealing with some pretty tough times right now, he has moved the state into the electronic age and has paved the way for a streamlined and more efficient election process.

Our opportunities are better than we have seen in years, and I am thrilled to continue to be part of our industry’s leadership. Although I am stepping aside and letting your new president, Marc Wilson, lead you locally to new heights, I will not be very far away. I have accepted the nomination as President-Elect of the California Apartment Association (CAA), and the subsequent presidency of CAA in 2006, so I am still very much involved in protecting and championing our industry.

Even better is my opportunity to help reshape the way landlords are viewed, the services we provide and the way we are governed by local and state legislators and regulators. We are poised to take control of our destiny—the sky’s the limit on where we go from here. The next several years are going to be a turning point for us, and I know that all of us in our industry will be in far better circumstances by the end of this decade. About time, isn’t it? We have certainly been paying our dues for more years than we wish to count.

As I step aside, I would be remiss in not offering thanks to the awesome work of your board, the SFAA Board of Directors. Sitting on this board is an often thankless one and certainly an expensive one. I have watched all our directors over the past three years make a real commitment to the work involved in moving our industry forward and protecting us from some of the more onerous attacks and challenges we have ever faced. My sincere thanks go to each and every member over the last three years. Of course, nothing would happen if it were not for our executive director, Janan New, and her incredible staff. The job that Janan and her crew do is amazing, especially considering the onslaught of negative legislation directed at our industry. What Janan does on a daily basis is remarkable. I cannot say enough about the respect that I have for her and her abilities. Janan—you are awesome and I thank you, on behalf of all of us, from the bottom of my heart. You are a true diamond in the rough.

With that, I pass the gavel to Marc Wilson as I move onto new opportunities and challenges. To all of you, I convey my thanks and appreciation for all your support over the years. This has been an awesome and rewarding experience. Yet, I leave the SFAA presidency with this challenge to each and every one of you: look at what you are doing now for SFAA and the industry and then double your efforts next year. Our opportunities are limited only by the amount of participation our members undertake. I know how each one of you can make a really big difference—so get out there and make your membership count like it never has before.
Thank you, SFAA.


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. Eric Andresen is the current president of SFAA, the vice president of CAA, a past president of PPMA and the original author of the PPMA Residential Tenancy Agreement. Eric owns and operates both West Coast Property Management and West Coast Property Maintenance Companies. He can be reached at eric@wcpm.com. Copyright © 2004 by the San Francisco Apartment Magazine. All rights reserved.