July continued to be a busy month related to SB 19, the pending legislation that would transfer the regulation of Household Goods Carriers from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA). Activities included: an in-person meeting with DCA senior staff at their Sacramento office, speaking at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the bill, and a conference call with the CMSA Board of Directors reviewing issues and strategies related to the bill and potential transfer. As the month drew to a close, CMSA’s team (Lobbyists: Chuck Cole, Josh Shaw, Matt Robinson, CMSA Counsel Mark Hegarty, and I) met with Senator Jerry Hill’s staff and DCA staff in a Capitol meeting room to review the bill and attempt to work through CMSA’s requested modifications.

We can report that the meeting went well and we are working on amendments that will serve the regulated industry, consumers of moving services and the citizens of California. I am proud of our team’s accomplishments to date. When legislation was first introduced to transfer motor carrier authority from the CPUC to the DCA, the task at hand seemed daunting. However, as we work through this together as an Association, I have even more confidence that our effort will effect positive change.

On this note, I’d like to share a story with you. I like golf, I don’t play it frequently enough and I tell myself that’s why I’m not that good, but I still like it. I’m a fan of the British Open Golf Tournament for several reasons. First, as I’ve already stated I like golf, I love the look of the British links style courses and the impact of weather on playability. There is always fantastic competition and being an early riser, appreciate that it is on early in the morning and done by 11 a.m. American, Jordan Spieth, won this year. He led from the first round until the middle of the final round, then ran into some trouble and many thought he was about to have an epic collapse. If you don’t follow golf, it has happened to him before. After a not-so-great shot, his caddie, Michael Greller, took the unusual step of calling his player back to the tee box for a word. To paraphrase, he told Spieth that he needed to believe in himself, that he was a world-class athlete and that he could get it done. And, according to Jordan, that was enough.

By the time August rolls around in the moving business, more than a few are saying to themselves, and maybe even to others, that this business is too tough. The thing is that they are good at it! Sometimes we just need to hear that we are good at what we do and that it has meaning and value, not just in the revenue that it generates for our families and our employees but for our customers and the greater community in which we work and live. Sometimes, we all need a caddie to pull us aside and remind us that we are up to the task and just go out there and do it!

August 2017 - CMSA Communicator