Important Political Dates

March 7, 2012:                  Primary Election Cycle begins (90 days before election)
March 9, 2012:                  Deadline for filing Declaration of Candidacy and Nomination papers
March 16, 2012:                NEED SUPPORT EMAILS FROM LOCALS ON CANDIDATES
March 19-20, 2012:           Special CREPAC Trustees Meeting to review primary candidates
May 1, 2012:                      Spring CREPAC Trustees Meeting in Sacramento
June 5, 2012:                      California and Presidential Primary Elections       

Candidate Protocol and Questionnaire

The California Real Estate Political Action Committee (CREPAC) is beginning the formal process of selecting non-incumbent candidates and incumbent members to support for the State Senate and Assembly for the June 5, 2012 Primary. The Trustees value and need your input by Friday, March 16, 2012 to help determine the best candidate(s) to support during the 2012 election cycle.  If you are unable to meet this deadline, please be sure to contact David Howard or Lisa Edwards.

NON-INCUMBENT, OPEN SEATS
All non-incumbent candidate seeking CREPAC support  MUST complete  the state questionnaire on real estate industry issues and should be interviewed by the local associations in that district. Joint interviews should be held where possible.  When the questionnaire has been completed, the CREPAC Trustees and staff evaluate the responses and rate the candidate on their understanding and support of our business.  The questionnaire will be shared with the appropriate local AORs where the candidate is running.

To print and/or download the Questionnaire ONLY in “word” format , please click on Candidate Questionnaire.  To print and or download in PDF format,please click on “PDF 2011-2012 Protocol and Candidate Questionnaire.

Input from local associations plays an important role in the candidate selection process.  Each non-incumbent candidate is asked to seek the support of the AORs that are within their Assembly or State Senate district.  Each local association is encouraged to share their evaluation of the candidate with the CREPAC Trustees as an important component of the selection process.  Local associations may also have had ongoing relationships with candidates who have served as mayors or county boards of supervisors as well as on planning commissions and city councils.  The level of interaction with the local elected official should be addressed in the evaluation.

Based on the questionnaire, the recommendation of local AORs, and the outcome of the formal interview, the CREPAC Trustees will make their decision on whom to support.  As a general rule, the CREPAC Trustees prefer to wait until after the March 9, 2012 filing deadline to make decisions for support of non-incumbents. This way all candidates are known and the selection process can be made without fear of new variables being added to the political equation.  However, there may be circumstances when an early support for a candidate might be considered, the decision for "an early support" is made on a case-by-case basis by the CREPAC Trustees.

INCUMBENTS
State Senate and Assembly incumbent candidates are dealt with differently than non-incumbents.  For those candidates already in office, CREPAC Trustees evaluate the candidate’s record on real estate issues and the impact the office holder has on the state legislative process.  Local AORs are consulted to insure that there is good communication with the incumbent and a mutually respectful relationship.  Finally, CREPAC Trustees determine the political viability of the candidate and their campaign through a variety of means.  Based on the above-mentioned criteria, a support decision is made by the CREPAC Trustees.

If you have any questions, or need any form of assistance, please feel free to contact David Howard, C.A.R. Political Affairs Directors, or Lisa Edwards, CREPAC Coordinator, at the Sacramento office (916) 492-5200.