Calls For Action

The CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS (C.A.R.) announced a major victory for homeownership in California after REALTORS statewide mobilized to stop AB 736, a costly tax proposal, from moving forward in the California State Legislature last week. SAMCAR joined this effort in mobilizing to stop this proposal, protecting California homeownership.

On March 17, 2026, the Half Moon Bay City Council made a rare and significant decision voting 3–2 to repeal both the rent stabilization and rental registry programs. "Programs that were already in place were repealed," emphasized SAMCAR Government Affairs Director Fernando Peña. "That does not happen often." This outcome reflects months of focused advocacy led by SAMCAR on behalf of homeowners, Realtors, property managers, and housing providers in Half Moon Bay and the surrounding unincorporated communities -- the very individuals who make up the backbone of the local rental housing market.

On Monday, November 17, 2025, the San Mateo City Council voted to pass two local ordinances dealing with policies extending state law provisions to include relocation assistance for no-fault evictions for tenants with a tenure of less than a year from 12 months to 11 months and adhere to requirements for property owners to notify tenants displaced due to substantial rehabilitation when the new or substantially remodeled unit becomes available. Thank you to all the SAMCAR members who made your voices heard, calling on the council to direct staff to focus instead on building on the successful emergency rental assistance program, align ordinances to what is already found in State law, increase housing supply, tackle restrictive permitting, and educate both renters and housing providers on the numerous resources available in the community.

On August 25, 2025, the City Council in Foster City decided not to pursue a ballot measure in November 2026 to become a charter city, impose a residential property transfer tax, and commercial vacancy tax. Realtors, homeowners, and commercial property owners in Foster City faced the possibility that the council, by changing the city charter, would gain greater taxing authority to impose the taxes on future home sales and empty commercial properties. Your voices were heard and thanks to SAMCAR's local advocacy efforts Realtors, homeowners, and commercial property owners in Foster City and can now breathe a sigh of relief that they will not have to pay these added taxes.

On Monday, April 21, SAMCAR and the California Apartment Association (CAA) mobilized members to attend City Council proceedings in San Mateo and Foster City to speak on behalf of housing providers in opposition to city proposals to increase rental regulations in excess of state law. While both cities moved to advance some new rental regulations, SAMCAR presented a comprehensive case in defense of property rights and found common ground on the need for rental assistance and better education about the plentiful resources already available to support the needs of both tenants and housing providers.

The California State Assembly passed Assembly Bill fourteen eighty-two and the bill has been signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. SAMCAR and the Coalition for Housing Equality, with the support of the California Association of REALTORS (C.A.R.), is providing information to REALTORS and property owners about the implications of this new state law and how to comply. For questions, please contact the C.A.R. Legal Hotline at (213) 739-8282 or legalhotline@car.org