On Monday, Long Beach City’s State Legislation Committee met to discuss the Homeowners’ Bill of Rights in addition to other legislation.

The Homeowner’s Bill of Rights discussion was referred by the full City Council on May 8. It is designed to protect homeowners from unfair practices by banks and mortgage companies and is also intended to help manage the state’s mortgage and foreclosure crisis.

The Council voted unanimously in favor of SB1472 and SB 1473, which are still pending in the California Legislature. SB 1472 would extend the time period that homeowners have to remediate for code violations from 30 days to 60. SB1473 deals with tenants rights. Currently California state law requires that homeowners have to give tenants 60 days notice to vacate if the property is going to be sold. The bill would extend that period to 90 days and in addition it gives the tenants the right to stay in the property as long as the new homeowner recognizes the lease that was in existence when the property was bought by the original owner. 

The State Legislative Committee also voted unanimously in favor of SB1234, which recently passed in the State Senate unanimously 38-0 and was sent to the State Assembly for approval. The bill would extend the partial exemption on the sales tax on bunker fuel. Currently the exemption is set to expire in 2 years, but SB1243 would extend it for another 10 years. The bill was authored by Democratic State Senator Alan Lowenthal, who is a candidate for California’s 47th Congressional District, which includes the city of LongBeach.