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Government Affairs

Government Affairs

Government Affairs is the voice of the REALTORS® in local government. Our goal is to protect the REALTORS® of San Mateo County from ordinances, rules and regulations that would be a hindrance to the success of their businesses.  Government Affairs also works to advance one of SAMCAR's primary objectives: the preservation of private property rights throughout San Mateo County.

The Government Affairs staff informs and advises the Board of Directors and SAMCAR's Legislative Committees regarding pertinent land use and zoning policies, state and federal legislation, and local political issues. In conjunction with SAMCAR REALTORS®, the Government Affairs staff executes the legislative and political directives of the Board of Directors.

Government Affairs serves as a liaison between SAMCAR and the California Association of REALTORS® and the National Association of REALTORS®, and assists with member mobilization for state and federal issues of importance to the real estate industry.

Government Affairs Director

Fernando Peña
SAMCAR
850 Woodside Way, San Mateo CA 94401 (map)
(650) 696-8200
 
 
Published: August 08, 2023
Fire Insurance Townhall with CA Insurance Commissioner recap
To address growing concerns surrounding finding and maintaining homeowners insurance coverage in California, experts at the California Dept. of Insurance, CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS and United Policyholders, a nonprofit that advocates on behalf of consumers, recently gathered for an insurance townhall briefing for REALTORS.
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Photo of Burlingame Avenue located in Burlingame, California (Adobe Stock)
Published: June 30, 2023
NAR study: Americans prefer walkable communities
Realtor Survey Shows Strong Demand for Housing in Walkable Communities — The National Association of REALTORS recently released the "2023 Community & Transportation Preferences Survey" which found that Americans living in walkable communities report a higher quality of life. Learn more...
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Photograph of (Left to Right) Fernando Peña, Frank Vella, Jerome Madigan, Congressmember Kevin Mullin, Sue Walsh, Paul Beaudreau, Judy Taylor
Published: April 05, 2023
SAMCAR Meets with Congressmember Mullin to Discuss Realtor Priorities
On Wednesday, April 5, 2023, SAMCAR members Sue Walsh (FPC Coordinator), Paul Beaudreau, Judy Taylor, Frank Vella, Jerome Madigan, and SAMCAR Government Affairs Director Fernando Peña met with Congressmember Kevin Mullin to discuss research/data, fair housing, inventory, supply, and affordable housing. The purpose of the meeting was to reinforce National Association of REALTORS (NAR) priorities, provide the Congressmember with a new resource team, and for members of SAMCAR to weigh in locally on important topics impacting the real estate industry at the local, state, and federal levels. (Read more for an overview of the REALTOR Priorities discussed).
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Published: June 13, 2022
South San Francisco Sewer Lateral Ordinance
Ordinance effective June 21, 2022
The South San Francisco City Council passed a new sewer lateral ordinance at its March 23 meeting. The new ordinance does not become effective until Tuesday, June 21, 2022. According to Eunejune Kim, City of South San Francisco Director of Public Works, purchase and sale agreements entered prior to June 21 are exempt. Transactions entered prior to June 21 do not have to be closed to be exempt. Multi-unit residential buildings sharing a lateral are exempt. However, June 21 marks the new compliance date for all transactions entered after June 21 moving forward.
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Discrimination And Its Impact On LGBTQ+ Community: Real Estate Professionals And Consumers | LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance
Published: April 27, 2022
Report: LGBTQ+ Discrimination in Real Estate Industry
The LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance, one of the nation's leading LGBTQ+ trade organizations with more than 2,200 members, has unveiled its second annual LGBTQ+ Real Estate Report, which found that while Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts and marketing towards the LGBTQ+ community have gained traction, unconscious bias and blatant discrimination remain all too common in the real estate industry. This includes 20.7% of surveyed Alliance members identifying real estate agents as the leading culprit in how housing discrimination occurs against the LGBTQ+ real estate home buyer.
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header image about Remember to Obey City Sign Ordinances
Published: February 08, 2022
Remember to Obey City Sign Ordinances
SAMCAR was recently alerted, again, to complaints regarding REALTORS' signs placed in violation of Municipal Code. REALTORS must be diligent about obeying local city ordinances and rules about placement of open house and directional signs by becoming familiar with city sign ordinances. Information on city sign ordinances can be found on the SAMCAR Website.
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850 Woodside Way, San Mateo, CA 94401   -   (650) 696-8200   -   www.samcar.org   -   facebook.com/samcar.realtors
Printed on August 3, 2026 from https://www.samcar.org/government-affairs/
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