BILL NUMBER: SB 920 CHAPTERED 10/02/01 CHAPTER 437 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE OCTOBER 2, 2001 APPROVED BY GOVERNOR OCTOBER 2, 2001 PASSED THE SENATE SEPTEMBER 6, 2001 PASSED THE ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 4, 2001 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JULY 3, 2001 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 30, 2001 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 19, 2001 AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 8, 2001 AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 30, 2001 AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 17, 2001 INTRODUCED BY Senator Dunn FEBRUARY 23, 2001 An act to add Section 798.43.1 to the Civil Code, relating to mobilehomes. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 920, Dunn. Mobilehomes. Existing law regulates mobilehome parks and limits the fees and charges the mobilehome lot park management may charge a park resident or owner of a mobilehome within the park. Existing law requires that, if the management provides both master-meter and submeter service of utilities to residents and owners, the monthly charges shall be separately stated for each resident or owner and that the management post in a conspicuous place the prevailing residential utilities rate schedule as published by the serving utility. This bill would require the management of a master-meter mobilehome park to give written notice by February 1 of each year to homeowners and residents in their utility billing statements about assistance to low-income persons for utility costs available under the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program. The notices would be required to include specified information regarding the CARE program. This bill would provide that the management of a master-meter mobilehome park may accept and help process CARE program applications, and send the applications to the serving utility. This bill would also provide that the management may not deny a homeowner or resident who chooses to submit a CARE application to the utility himself or herself any park information, including a utility account number, the serving utility requires to process an application. This bill would also require the management of a master-meter mobilehome park to pass through the full amount of the resulting CARE program discount in monthly utility billings to homeowners and residents who have qualified for the CARE rate schedule, as defined in the serving utility's applicable rate schedule. The bill would require the management to notice the discount on the billing statements of any homeowner or resident who has qualified for the CARE rate schedule, as specified. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 798.43.1 is added to the Civil Code, to read: 798.43.1. (a) The management of a master-meter park shall give written notice to homeowners and residents on or before February 1 of each year in their utility billing statements about assistance to low-income persons for utility costs available under the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program, established pursuant to Section 739.1 of the Public Utilities Code. The notice shall include CARE information available to master-meter customers from their serving utility, to include, at a minimum: (1) the fact that CARE offers a discount on monthly gas or electric bills for qualifying low-income residents; and (2) the telephone number of the serving utility which provides CARE information and applications. The park shall also post the notice in a conspicuous place in the clubhouse, or if there is no clubhouse, in a conspicuous public place in the park. (b) The management of a master-meter park may accept and help process CARE program applications from homeowners and residents in the park, fill in the necessary account or other park information required by the serving utility to process the applications, and send the applications to the serving utility. The management shall not deny a homeowner or resident who chooses to submit a CARE application to the utility himself or herself any park information, including a utility account number, the serving utility requires to process a homeowner or resident CARE program application. (c) The management of a master-meter park shall pass through the full amount of the CARE program discount in monthly utility billings to homeowners and residents who have qualified for the CARE rate schedule, as defined in the serving utility's applicable rate schedule. The management shall notice the discount on the billing statement of any homeowner or resident who has qualified for the CARE rate schedule as either the itemized amount of the discount or a notation on the statement that the homeowner or resident is receiving the CARE discount on the electric bill, the gas bill, or both the electric and gas bills. (d) "Master-meter park" as used in this section means "master-meter customer" as used in Section 739.5 of the Public Utilities Code.