According to CAA CEO Tom Bannon, the decision to reunite is a sensible one and gets everybody under the same roof. “We recognize that government affairs and public policy issues on the local and regional level are intrinsically tied to the national scene and vice
versa. The industry’s strength lies in its unity, and after a unanimous decision by our 85-member board, we’re very excited by the decision.”
“The addition of the California Apartment Association and its more than 17,000 members means a lot of great things for NAA,” states NAA Chairman of the Board, Joe Sharp. “When NAA convenes for the annual Capitol Conference in Washington, D.C., we will visit Capitol Hill with an even greater force, as dozens of California members visit their members of Congress.”
Under Bannon, the CAA’s top priorities in 2006 include amending Megan’s Law issue (see President Elect Scott Monroe’s article on p. 82)to allow property owners to access the National Sex Offender Database to make housing decisions. The state of California currently prohibits
apartment owners and managers from using the database to deny housing in their communities to sexual predators.
Says Bob Pinnegar, Executive Director of the San Diego Apartment Association, “CAA’s affiliation with NAA gives us a legislative advantage: When we were part of CAA but not part of NAA, there were times with regard to legislative issues that we were at a competitive disadvantage when dealing with other organizations like the realtors who had resources that went far beyond
ours. Our affiliation with the NAA and CAA fills that gap and allows us to be just as effective as any other organization out there so the value to the membership has increased significantly.”
The CAA is also looking at ways to enforce its Code of Ethics and in so doing, building its brand. Eventually in Bannon’s view, the general public will look for the CAA logo when making a
rental housing decision.
Author: Carey Fried
