SB 19 is now law; and with it, the transfer of regulation of the California Used Household Goods Moving Industry from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) will happen on July 1, 2018. As previously stated, the California Moving and Storage Association (CMSA) has been engaged with this process as an advocate for our industry from the announcement of the Governor’s CPUC Reorganization Plan through the legislative process. A process which included a failed budget bill and Senator Hill’s successful SB 19. We have also engaged with the DCA at several levels since learning that authority would transfer to their Department. The transfer of the Household Goods Carriers Act from the Public Utilities Code to the Business and Professions Code is just phase one of what will be a complicated process.

In a recent meeting with senior staff of both the Secretary of the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency (BCSH) and the DCA, we shared our vision of what we would like in a new program. We shared that we are looking forward to the opportunity to enhance the program to the benefit of movers and the public through a collaborative and open process. We will be reviewing potential changes to improve the program in the future. Our hope is that the program will not seem dissimilar to existing permitted carriers after the transfer of regulation, but that enforcement against illegal operators, those that fail to follow the most basic rules, will be robust and impactful.

CMSA will do all that we can to remain an important part of the discussion, advocating for a program that serves both the regulated community and our customers. We can say that to date the DCA has been open and engaged with industry on the transfer and mindful of the impact of change on the legal and permitted industry. The interaction has been both positive and professional. We remain optimistic that this change will be positive for the moving public, regulated industry and the citizens of California.

November 2017 - CMSA Communicator