b'By Michael J. Arnold & Michael D. Belote, Esq.CMA Legislative AdvocatesReal Estate Issues Front and Center For 2021f the analogy was to a horse race, weevictions and foreclosures for example,of housing needs, zoning, CEQA, finance, might say that the California Legislaturea budget trailer bill already has beenand many others.is off and running for 2021, the first yearenacted extending eviction protections of the new 2021-2022 session.During theuntil summer.Legislators believe, correctlyThird,GovernorNewsomandthe pandemic, however, we really should sayor incorrectly, that an unlawful detainerlegislature are concerned about wildfires that the state Senate and Assembly aretsunami will occur when the moratoriumand homeowners insurance availability. off and limping to begin the legislativeends.Foreclosures are a good deal moreAs this column is written, the legislature is year, as 2021 is beginning in the samenuanced, in that foreclosure rates are notconsidering a budget trailer bill allocating remote fashion as last year.To be clear,rising significantly, forbearances largelyover $500 million for wildfire costs and the legislative process does not functionseem available for those affected by theprevention, including home hardening. well in a remote environment: in a recentpandemic, and property owners stillObviously nothing could derail a healthy hearing on evictions, an overwhelmedhave equity, because of the increases inreal estate market faster than the inability AT&T conference operator attemptedhome values.But with the recent CFPBto obtain homeowners insurance, so this gamely to shepherd nearly 1000 landlordsproposal on foreclosures, it is likely thattoo is a big issue.and tenants wishing to testify on a bill.TheCalifornia legislators will want to visit the result was exactly what would be expected,issue this year. Beyond these mega-issues, CMA is also with barking dogs, crying babies, badinvolved in numerous individual bills, connections, disconnections, drunk callers,A second key issue with ramificationsincluding the following:abusive callers, and even people calling inforCMAmembersishousingand on the wrong bill. homelessness.Of the over 2500 discreet SB 373: Economic Abusepieces of legislation introduced for 2021,Wouldprohibit collection activities It turns out that legislating and lobbyingliterally hundreds relate to housing inin situations where various persons is both more effective and more efficientsome fashion.Given the personal interestspecified in the bill opine that the when done in-person.Who knew?Butof Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins indebt is the result of economic abuse, in contrast to restaurants and baseballthe housing shortage, it is very likely thatbroadly defined to include, among games, which might be able to functionlegislation will be enacted this year.Butother circumstances, defrauding the with reduced capacity, the Capitol prettyhousing has proven to be a veritable Rubiksdebtor of money or assets, in the much has to be either open or closed.Cube of complexity in the past, becauseprovision of products and services. Because the building cannot accommodateof the multiplicity of interests involved,Real property-secured loans are not unlimited visitors in the near-term, theincluding local governments, NIMBYs,exempt.remote environment is likely to continueYIMBYs, lawyers, labor, environmentalists, for some time. builders, and more.Probably every subject involving the creation of housing is the Several of the key issues of particular focussubject of bills this year, including such this year have implications for CMA.Ondisparate topics as local fair allocationscontinued on page 29Spring 2021 Page 5'