The President's Column

by Steve Weitekamp


March 2016

Members of the CMSA Board of Directors and of its Government Affairs Committee recently met in Sacramento for our annual Day at the legislature. We met with our Legislative advocate, Advocation Inc., state legislators and regulatory staff members. As we think about Government Affairs and how it relates to the CMSA and the greater Moving and Storage Industry, we traditionally focus our attention and energies on several areas. Our greatest concerns are related to regulations. In the California political climate, reduction of regulation is always a difficult proposition and our efforts are generally in the area of advocating for the best possible amendments for our industry. Our strength is that we represent responsible and ethical business owners who do their best on a daily basis to serve their customers and support their employees and the greater community.

The goals of this meeting were to educate our leadership on the current issues being addressed by the State Legislature, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), and the California Highway Patrol (CHP). Additionally, we wanted to ensure that our elected officials and regulators had the opportunity to hear directly the challenges and issues that business owners face directly from businesses impacted by their actions in regard to both regulations and enforcement. It was our perception, based upon feedback from all involved, that both of these goals were accomplished.

One of the most important meetings of the day dealt with political oversite of the CPUC and the future of the agency. With regards to this issue, we met with staff members from the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Commerce, the legislative committee that has CPUC oversite, as well as several of Assemblyman Mike Gatto’s staffers. Assemblyman Gatto is chairman of the Utilities and Commerce committee and has tasked the Committee with developing a proposal to dismantle the CPUC. Yes, Assemblyman Gatto’s plan is to have a referendum on the ballot on or before 2018 to shut down the CPUC. Even if they are able to move forward with their proposal to dismantle the CPUC, we will still be regulated by some other state agency. We are working to remain a part of the discussion and any developing plans. All the while we will continue working with the CPUC, unless and until they cease to be the agency that regulates household goods movers in California. This will certainly require a strong legislative and regulatory focus and direct engagement with a wide array of groups. There will definitely be more to follow.

March 2016 - CMSA Communicator