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ECHO maintains an active presence in Sacramento. We use our relationship with thousands of ECHO members to influence legislation on behalf of associations throughout California. Each year, the Legislature introduces thousands of bills. We identify those bills most likely to impact Common Interest Developments (CIDs), and work to amend or stop harmful bills. Over the last 20 years, ECHO has worked on hundreds of bills, some with potentially devastating consequences for CIDs.
How We Work
ECHO retains a lobbyist in Sacramento who represents our members' interests. Our lobbyist monitors all current legislation, and provides regular reports to the ECHO Legislative Committee. The committee - a volunteer group of attorneys, financial experts, homeowners, and ECHO staff - reviews the report and provides direction to our lobbyist.
Current Activities
In Sacramento, CIDs are always a popular target for new legislation. We publish regular reports on our legislative activities, both in the ECHO Journal and on our website. For a summary of the bills on our watch list, visit our Legislation at a Glimpse page.
Major Accomplishments
ECHO often teams with other industry organizations to lobby for or against specific bills. Our efforts, occasionally with the help of those organizations, have produced several major victories on behalf of California CIDs. Here are some recent successes:
- In 2009, ECHO developed and introduced AB 899. Because of that law, associations have a greatly expanded ability to send out documents (including budget packages) electronically.
- In 2008, ECHO lobbied against AB 952, a bill that would have severely hampered an association's authority to raise assessments where a property contained below market rate units. The author made several major concessions, and the bill was ultimately vetoed by the governor.
Have more questions about our legislative work? Contact the office.
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