Government Affairs - Sacramento Association of REALTORS®

Policy Development

The SAR Government Affairs Department works year–round in the public policy and advocacy arena, making sure that REALTORS^® professional interests are protected and promoted in the halls of local, state, and federal government. Members of the Government Relations Committee, appointed by the President of SAR, review issues throughout the Sacramento region, and recommend actions to the Board of Directors. SAR confines its efforts to issues affecting private property rights and private property values. Leadership does not take positions on any issues that do not have an impact on REALTORS^® or the housing market.

Political Action

The third arm of policy development is the Local Candidate Recommendation Committee Trustees (LCRC). The LCRC Trustees focus on elections: directing funds to local candidates who support private property rights and the REALTOR^®‘s ability to do business.
The LCRC Trustees have a long history of involvement with SAR and are well versed on real estate issues and local, state and national politics. LCRC Trustees also contribute to the REALTOR^® Action Fund (RAF) and encourage all SAR Members to do so. The LCRC is a significant element of SAR’s public policy success.

Invest in the REALTOR^® Action Fund

Policy Issues

The Sacramento Association of REALTORS^® (SAR) provides members an opportunity to have their voices heard on local government issues. SAR tracks policy issues that affect REALTORS^®, so they can focus on running their business. SAR also protects REALTORS^®‘ clients on private property rights and private property values. They do this through focusing on such issues as: business license fees, gross receipts tax on commissions, point of sale regulations, design and zoning regulations, rental inspections, energy issues, private transfer taxes, repeal of the mortgage interest deduction, and flood control policies.

Mayor’s Climate Commission
Mayor Steinberg and Mayor Cabaldon are leading the Mayors’ Commission on Climate Change to develop a common vision and set of strategies for both cities to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions, referred to as Carbon Zero, by 2045. Learn more about the Climate Commission

Calls to Action

CTA on Vacancy Tax Proposal and MIHO December 4, 2023

Important Proposals that Impact Housing Need Your Voice! This Tuesday, December 5th, there will be two proposals that will have important housing implications. Please make sure to have your voice heard. 11 AM Law & Legislation Committee – Item #3 Vacancy Tax Proposal 5 PM City Council – Item #15 Mixed Income Housing Ordinance – Preliminary Recommendations Law & Legislation Committee – Item #3 Vacancy Tax Proposal The recommendation is to evaluate options and decide whether they want to pass a motion for staff to return with draft language for a ballot measure on a vacancy tax. The Issue: The topic of vacant parcels and properties, especially vacant blighted properties, empty buildings, and vacant storefronts, has been a topic of concern for many years. The committee is trying to evaluate if a vacancy tax will spur development. Key Points: Residential vacancy tax should not be included in the proposal. Our members are “mom-and-pop” housing providers that use their rental income as their retirement investment, so withholding a unit or a home from the market is not financially viable for them. Additional restrictions on housing and land will deter investment in the City overall, which can have a negative impact on housing development output. When you compare the 3,671 vacant lots to the 451 vacant buildings, the vacant lots are a much greater cause for concern. If blighted and unkempt properties are the issue, the city should look at ways to partner with property owners to create opportunities for owners to understand their options through resources and zoning. Currently, the market is still very volatile, and our local owners and businesses are still recovering from economic issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It sends a very negative message to those that have been working in partnership with the city. This issue needs to be narrowly tailored to focus on solutions that incentivize development. How To Advocate on Item #3 Vacancy Tax Proposal Make a Public Comment In person at Tuesday’s Law and Legislation Committee. The meeting is in the Council Chambers at 11:00 AM. Make sure to fill out a speaker slip when you arrive. Submit written comments here. Contact your elected official on the Law & Legislation Committee Councilmember Lisa KaplanDistrict 1lkaplan@cityofsacramento.org916.808.7001 Chair, Councilmember Katie ValenzuelaDistrict 4kvalenzuela@cityofsacramento.org916.808.7004 Councilmember Eric GuerraDistrict 6eguerra@cityofsacramento.org916.808.7006 Councilmember Rick Jennings, IIDistrict 7rjennings@cityofsacramento.org916.808.7007 Mixed-Income Housing Ordinance – Preliminary Recommendations The City is proposing updates to the existing Mixed Income Housing Ordinance, which establishes requirements for how new residential development contributes to the production of affordable housing in the city.Staff recommended updates would add drastic costs to infill housing development and cause many projects to be infeasible.On December 5, city staff is scheduled to present their preliminary recommendations for the Mixed Income Housing Ordinance to the City Council. We need you to come out and tell the City Council that the staff-recommended updates are detrimental to housing production in Sacramento. Key Points: Oppose the preliminary recommendations. Due to current macroeconomic conditions, housing production is already tragically slow and expensive. The city’s own analysis determined that these proposed recommendations would render housing development infeasible in Sacramento under current conditions and threaten future economic recovery. Analyses in other jurisdictions that have adopted similar requirements show that this ordinance would pass additional costs onto market-rate renters, increasing housing costs overall. SAR’s mission is to create and promote pathways to homeownership. The ordinance requires new housing projects to fund affordable housing on their project site, which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars or pay an in-lieu fee more than other jurisdictions in the region. These costs are then passed on to the new homeowners in that project, which could cause home prices to increase by 6% and make it difficult for thousands of families in Sacramento to afford a home. Adopting the preliminary recommendations may inadvertently worsen the housing crisis by pushing development toward the outer fringes of our region or stop it altogether. Policies that deter growth have more significant economic impacts, such as a shortage of local job opportunities and diminished contributions to the housing trust fund. The net result would exacerbate the already mounting housing costs, as historical evidence underscores that housing prices rise in response to a lack of supply. How To Advocate on Item #15 Mixed-Income Housing Ordinance – Preliminary Recommendations Make a Public Comment In person at Tuesday’s City Council Meeting. The meeting is in the Council Chambers at 5:00 PM. Make sure to fill out a speaker slip when you arrive. Submit written comments here. Contact your elected official via phone or email Mayor Darrell SteinbergCity of Sacramentodsteinberg@cityofsacramento.org916.808.5300 Councilmember Lisa KaplanDistrict 1lkaplan@cityofsacramento.org916.808.7001 Councilmember Sean LoloeeDistrict 2sloloee@cityofsacramento.org916.808.7002 Councilmember Karina TalamantesDistrict 3ktalamantes@cityofsacramento.org916.808.7003 Councilmember Katie ValenzuelaDistrict 4kvalenzuela@cityofsacramento.org916.808.7004 Councilmember Caity MapleDistrict 5cmaple@cityofsacramento.org916.808.7005 Vice Mayor Eric GuerraDistrict 6eguerra@cityofsacramento.org916.808.7006 Councilmember Rick Jennings, IIDistrict 7rjennings@cityofsacramento.org916.808.7007 Mayor Pro Tem Mai VangDistrict 8mvang@cityofsacramento.org916.808.7008

Thankful for our REALTOR® Champions November 16, 2023

Join your fellow REALTORS® in assisting Assemblymember and REALTOR® Champion Stephanie Nguyen as she hands out 2,500 turkeys to Sacramento Citizens. Volunteers are asked to arrive at 8:00am to help get everything set up. Please text Randall Hom (916-765-0033) for questions. Thank you for supporting your community, your Association, and your REALTOR® Champions!”

Support our REALTOR® Champion Rich Desmond October 17, 2023

Incumbent Candidate for District 3 – County Supervisor Rich Desmond Support Rich for Supervisor, District 3 on Monday, November 6th at Yianni’s Bar & Grill in Carmichael.Starting at 5:00PM Rich Desmond has been a great partner as we’ve searched for homelessness solutions and has been a champion of private property rights since being elected to the County Board of Supervisors. As one of our strongest allies at the County level for policies that are supportive of a strong real estate industry, Rich Desmond has shown up for us at a number of events. Let’s show up for him at his upcoming campaign event! Event Flyer Campaign Website

A Victory for Private Property Rights September 13, 2023

The Sacramento Association of REALTORS® secured another victory for private property rights at the County Board of Supervisors Tuesday. We defeated the Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance proposal that would have duplicated renter protections under state law while exposing housing providers to excessive fines, legal ambiguities, and unfair penalties. We thank our SAR members who showed up to have their voices heard. Your voices and support resonated at the County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday and helped secure another victory for the housing industry and private property rights in Sacramento. But in a political environment insistent on dismantling longstanding private property rights, the work will not end here. We need to remain vigilant and continue making our voices heard if we want to write our own narrative – not have it written for us.