By Bill Ruh, CVAR Government Affairs Director

Election Day 2016 is now one for the history books.  No matter where your partisan political preferences may rest, your non-partisan REALTOR® Party has been hard at work throughout this election cycle to help elect REALTOR® friendly candidates in the U.S. House of Representatives, the California State Senate and the California State Assembly.    To that end we at the Citrus Valley Association of REALTORS® are pleased to announce that ALL of the REALTOR® Party candidates in our service area have been elected or in some cases re-elected.

 In the U.S. House of Representatives, where we need to keep the Mortgage Interest Deduction and 1031 exchanges, we congratulate:

                              Congressmember Judy Chu – 27^th Congressional District

                              Congressmember Pete Aguilar – 31^st Congressional District

                              Congressmember Grace Napolitano – 32^nd Congressional District

                              Congressmember Norma Torres – 35^th Congressional District

                              Congressmember Ed Royce – 39^th Congressional District

 In the California State Senate and the California State Assembly, where we need to stop the potential for Professional Service Taxes and need to keep the Independent Contractor status of REALTORS®; we congratulate:

                              Senator Mike Morrell – 23^rd Senate District

                              Senator Anthony Portantino – 25^th Senate District

                              Senator Ling Ling Chang – 29^th Senate District

                              Assemblymember  Marc Steinorth – 40^th Assembly District

                              Assemblymember Chris Holden – 41^st Assembly District

                              Assemblymember Blanca Rubio – 48^th Assembly District

                              Assemblymember Ed Chau – 49^th Assembly District

                              Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez – 52 Assembly District

                              Assemblymember Philip Chen – 55^th Assembly District

                              Assemblymember Ian Calderon – 57^th Assembly District

 That is 15 races in which the REALTOR® Party competed and 15 races the REALTOR® Party won! A 100% victory for REALTORS®  We know each of them and we know that they will fight for REALTORS®.

At CVAR we ask you to get involved with the real estate politics that affect your business. Join the advocacy of CVAR, CAR and NAR to keep all REALTORS® protected and nationally recognized. The REALTOR® Party is a powerful alliance of REALTORS® and REALTOR® associations working to protect and promote home ownership and property investment. The REALTOR® Party speaks with one voice to advance candidates and public policies that build strong communities and promote a vibrant business environment. Get involved with the real estate politics that affect your business. Without the advocacy of the REALTOR® Party, victories such as those above would not be possible.  We ask you to join the advocacy of the REALTOR® Party by making a contribution to the REALTOR® Action Fund. Your participation will help to ensure future victories.

 As Winston Churchill once said:  “Many forms of government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe.  No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise.  Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst from of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”