The Board of Supervisors will meet on Wednesday, February 9th at 9 am to discuss the implementation of a Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Policy which could end hopes that San Diego will meet the housing needs of its residents.  

Please urge the Board of Supervisors to keep housing a top priority in San Diego County.  

You can submit written comments by clicking here: submit comments.

This proposal is item 7 on the Agenda, if you would be willing to testify on this, you can sign up here:  Sign up to speak

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Recently, PSAR sent a three-page letter to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors expressing our opposition to the Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) proposal.  See a copy of the letter by following this link.

VMT is a proposal that would slap new fees on housing development in car-centric communities. The fees would be calculated based on the additional “vehicle miles traveled.” Housing developments in rural or suburban areas would face fees that would disincentivize their construction.  Any homes that do get built would need to factor in those additional fees, pushing the dream of homeownership further beyond the reach of most aspiring buyers.  

Under the proposed VMT, to get approval for a project, a housing developer would have to show that their project would generate fewer vehicle miles traveled than the area’s average. 

PSAR’s letter to the Board of Supervisors states: “Homeownership is the bedrock of building strong communities and intergenerational wealth. REALTORS® know firsthand that buyers are moving to Riverside, Imperial Valley, and Mexico to own a property and build a future. They subsequently commute for hours on San Diego freeways, defeating the intent of the VMT policies.

“There are numerous economic and regulatory barriers that discourage developers from building both attached and detached “for-purchase” housing for all levels of income. If the County is forced to adopt a Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) planning tool that is being considered with a regional planning focus, the cost of new housing in the unincorporated portions of our region will be increased significantly, adding to the current housing shortfall.

“This policy will severely restrict future generations from realizing the dream of homeownership and a better quality of life for themselves and generations to come.”

The letter also states that PSAR is supporting six recommendations from the Building Industry Association (BIA) of San Diego County. BIA’s recommendations include an Infill Area Option, VMT Mitigation Program Options, and a programmatic Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to analyze VMT impacts.

PSAR is opposing VMT implementation because of the potential impacts on historically disadvantaged communities who would find it harder to realize the dream of homeownership.

PSAR’s letter states: “Homeownership is an essential steppingstone for families to build wealth. By adding requirements that will make homeownership opportunities more expensive for working families to purchase, we will be removing a crucial steppingstone for those who have not already had an opportunity to purchase a home. We would essentially be closing the door behind those who have already been fortunate enough to purchase a home.

“Society has been making a lot of strides towards providing historically disadvantaged communities with opportunities that had previously been denied to them. We should not be halting that progress by limiting access to homeownership opportunities. The book `The Color of Law’ by Richard Rothstein provides a very detailed analysis of how unequal access to homeownership due to government policies directly resulted in economic harm that continues to hold back communities of color to this day. Considering the fact that communities of color in San Diego are still suffering from the multigenerational impacts of redlining and segregation, we should not be implementing policies that cement these impacts by stopping the creation of new opportunities for homeownership or confining new housing opportunities for lower-income residents to certain areas.”

At their Jan. 26 meeting, the Board of Supervisors received a report from county planners that laid out ways to implement VMT. The board directed the planners to return on Feb. 9 with additional details on VMT options.

Please urge the Board of Supervisors to keep housing a top priority in San Diego County.  

You can submit written comments by clicking here: submit comments.

This proposal is item 7 on the Agenda, if you would be willing to testify on this, you can sign up here:  Sign up to speak

High Court Says CDC Lacks Authority         Breaking News - June 30, 2021

In a 5-4 ruling Tuesday evening, the U.S. Supreme Court said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lacked authority to implement a blanket, nationwide eviction moratorium.

Although the court declined to lift the ban immediately, the ruling means the current moratorium will expire at the end of July.

“This is a massive victory for property rights,” says NAR President Charlie Oppler.  “For more than a year, mom-and-pop property owners have been pushed toward financial ruin as they upkeep their properties and pay their taxes and mortgages with no income of their own.  With the pandemic waning and the economy improving, it is time to restore the housing sector to its healthy, former function.  Property owners also deserved this absolute clarity from our federal court system regarding property rights in America to avoid similar financial harm in the future.”

“This ruling keeps in place certainty for tenants for another month while bringing clarity to struggling housing providers.  It is now critical that the nearly $50 billion in rental assistance NAR helped secure gets out to those who need it most,” Oppler continues.

The eviction ban was first issued in September 2020 during President Trump’s term and was extended by President Biden several times through the end of July.

With the support of NAR, the Georgia and Alabama Associations of REALTORS® challenged the orders in federal court.

In May, a U.S. federal judge sided with housing providers, ruling the moratorium unconstitutional.  However, the judge issued a stay of her ruling pending appeal.

C.A.R. released this information on May 14th

CRMLS Update Regarding Paragon

CRMLS Update Regarding Matrix

C.A.R. released this information on May 14th

On Wednesday, the California Dept. of Public Health updated its guidance on open houses and stated further updates were pending. C.A.R. is pleased to provide the following changes to open house protocols. Please remember to adhere to local guidelines which may be more strict in certain areas. Check with your broker for guidance. 

• Open Houses: Advertising open houses, without qualifiers, is allowed and appointments for open houses are no longer required.
• Social Distancing: Showings, including open houses, are somewhat relaxed under the new social gatherings guidelines but still include social distancing between members of different households while attending an open house, and are subject to capacity issues depending on the tier of the county where the house is located. Please refer to local guidelines for this information.
• Signing In: There will still be a sign-in requirement on site. The new Property Sign-In (PSI) form can be used for this purpose. However, you can still use a PEAD instead of the on-site sign-in if you prefer. See the new Quick Guide for more details.
• Forms: C.A.R. has simplified and shortened the Rules of Entry (PRE), Prevention Plan (BPPP), and the Property Sign-in (PSI) form as an alternative to PEADS. There also is an addendum to the listing agreement LOHA reflecting the changed protocols. This form is necessary if the parties had previously signed the RLA-CAA, which did not allow for open houses. New listings should also include this addendum if the listing broker wants to hold open houses.
• PEADS: The PEADS have been combined and simplified into one shorter PEAD-ALL form that is available if members prefer to use it instead of on-site sign-in protocols.
• The newly revised forms PRE, BPPP, PEAD, as well as the new Property Sign-in PSI form and new Listing Addendum LOHA form will all be available on zipForm as soon as possible. In the interim, a PDF of each of these is available here. Members may still use the current forms that are on zipForm if they choose until the new ones are released. 

These changes represent a step in the right direction, and we are hopeful that they will make it easier for REALTORS® to comply with laws that are consistent with other businesses while remaining in accordance with health guidelines.

The newly revised forms PRE, BPPP, PEAD, as well as the new Property Sign-in PSI form and new Listing Addendum LOHA form will all be available on zipForm as soon as possible. In the interim, a PDF of each of these is available here.

CRMLS Update Regarding Paragon

In response to new guidance from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), CRMLS is re-enabling in-person open houses in its MLS systems, effective now.

This change will alter your workflow when inputting an open house, whether in-person or virtual.

While the state has recently revised its guidance on open houses, local jurisdictions are still in the process of reviewing the state's guidelines. Many have yet to determine whether they will allow in-person open houses. At this time, several major jurisdictions have not updated their guidance to allow in-person open houses.

C.A.R. released information on this subject to REALTORS® on May 12th. C.A.R. attorneys are looking into what it means when it comes to hosting open houses. The links in their email raise questions, including how these changes apply to local jurisdictions, the use of the PEAD, registrations, maintaining physical distance, and much more.

We encourage you to contact your brokerage and your local jurisdiction before scheduling any open houses. Attorneys and brokers will need time to interpret these new guidelines.

Here is what is changing in CRMLS Paragon:

Before – Live Stream checkbox checked by default, with no option to turn off

After – Live Stream checkbox ­unchecked by default, with the option to turn on

After – Live Stream checkbox ¬unchecked by default, with the option to turn on
To enter an in-person open house, keep the Live Stream checkbox unchecked.
To enter a virtual open house, check the Live Stream checkbox and add the URL for your virtual open house.

From CRMLS Regarding Matrix Update

We encourage you to contact your brokerage and your local jurisdiction before scheduling any open houses. Attorneys and brokers will need time to interpret these new guidelines.

Here is how the change will look in Matrix:

San Ysidro Health Center
Thursday, May 20, 2021 | 10:00am to 3:00pm

Parking Lot
1601 Precision Park Lane, San Ysidro CA 92173
Appointments Required

Book Your Appointment | (619) 400-8251

Can't make it on the 20th donate any time here.

Antibody Testing of Each Blood Donation
This is not a diagnostic test and will not detect active COVID-19 infections or recent
exposure. For information regarding COVID-19 and blood donation, visit:
www.sandiegobloodbank.org/COVID19

Safety precautions in place. Photo ID required. Arrive hydrated.

John’s life mission has always been to help people. Since being diagnosed with colon rectal
cancer, he has dedicated himself to bring awareness for early screening and detection.
As part of his treatment, John required a blood transfusion that helped him recover faster.
Though he no longer needs blood, now, he encourages others to pay it forward as a blood
donation advocate. Schedule your appointment today and use code JOHN when you register.

On January 27, the EastLake Educational Foundation (EEF) presented John Carroll with the Ostrem Award, which is named after the “Father of EastLake” Bill Ostrem, whose leadership and generosity left an indelible mark on the EastLake Community.

John's roots are in Chula Vista. He attended Hilltop High School in the ’80s. In fact, it was there that he met his future wife Susan. They moved to EastLake in 2002 where they raised their twins, JJ and Katie. Later they started Fidelity Title Company.  John and Susan will celebrate their 29th year of marriage this May. 

John was selected for the Ostrem Award because of his generosity and leadership in the community. He invested considerable time, talent, and treasure helping schools his kids attended, including Olympic View Elementary, EastLake Middle School, and EastLake High School. It is during these years that John expanded his commitment to helping all the area public schools by joining the leadership of the Eastlake Educational Foundation. His generous commitment is still felt today.

“John’s efforts have supported the dreams of countless children and have buoyed the ability of local public schools to educate kids for the 21st-century technology-driven world,” said Janet Francis, Executive Director at the EastLake Educational Foundation.

John thanked the EEF and stated he was grateful to receive the OSTREM AWARD. He reflected on a quote from his late friend Corky McMillian, “Treat people with respect, always do the right thing, and good things will follow.”

John’s long-standing commitment to the EEF Board ensured that events and activities were successful year-after-year—events like Taste of EastLake, the Stan Canaris Golf Tournament, and EastLake Cycle & Run. These events culminated in successful fundraising efforts that made it possible for EEF to provide substantial grants annually to EastLake’s public schools. These grants commonly totaled $120,000+ each year which allowed schools to fund technology, educational software, scholarships, and professional development.

Fellow board member Barbara Legg shared: “John’s can-do attitude and warm personality always made everyone feel they were fortunate to be involved in the mission, and his extensive list of contacts ensured that no matter what problem arose, he could get it fixed.”

Long-time friend Michael Minjares shared: “John has epitomized what the OSTREM AWARD means. He has modeled community leadership and generosity even during a difficult personal time in his life. He has inspired me with his courage and character.”

Others in attendance at the virtual award presentation shared their thoughts and reflections about John’s commitment to the community. Stan Canaris, Emeritus EEF Board Member, reflected on the bike shop in Bonita that John’s parents owned, and how the whole family worked together to make it a success. Canaris highlighted how John’s strong character is like his father. Stan went on to say: “John is a role model for his family, as well as his extended family—the EastLake Community.

Susan Mahler recalled how John simply shows up for people in need. She stated: “We are so fortunate that John Carroll is a member of our community. John is an extraordinary role model and his boundless love and care for others is a blessing to all he touches.”

The award was presented to John via Zoom. The presentation can be viewed at  https://vimeo.com/eefkids.

THE EASTLAKE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION's MISSION IS A FOUNDATION FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS

In collaboration with the community, the EastLake Educational Foundation raises funds to provide educational resources for programs in EastLake public schools, ensuring students can succeed in a technology-driven world.  EEF granted permission to share this message. 

For More Information about the EEF

The Pacific Southwest Association of Realtors membership have elected a new slate who will join the 2021 leadership team.  The following leaders were elected as Officers and Directors to serve in 2021.

2021 Election Results
Max Zaker, President-Elect
Sam Calvano Secretary / Treasurer
Mike Anderson Director
Merrie Espina Director
Rafael Perez Director
Amy Ruiz Director
Amber Tannehill Director
Andrea Martino Affiliate Director

These elected leaders will join current board members to form the 2021 leadership team.

The 2021 Officers: 
Ditas Yamane  President
Max Zaker President-Elect
Robert Cromer Immediate Past President
Sam Calvano Treasurer

The 2021 Directors
Peter Mendiola 2020-2021
Jason Lopez 2020-2021
Yvonne Cromer 2020-2021
Mike White 2020-2021
Laurie MacDonald 2020-2021
Mike Anderson 2021-2022 
Merrie Espina 2021-2022 
Rafael Perez 2021-2022 
Amy Ruiz 2021-2022 
Amber Tannehill 2021-2022 
Andrea Martino 2021-2022 Affiliate Director

PSAR is a 501C6 Non-Profit founded in 1928. The organization is led by volunteers who establish the policies that govern our organization. Our mission is to empower REALTORS® to flourish while being accountable to each other, our clients, and our community. We are thankful to all who were nominated to lead PSAR and we are looking forward to great things from both the elected candidates and those who will continue to serve in our committee leadership.