When the book is closed on the 2018 election cycle, historians are likely to look at several key trends that developed early in the election cycle. Those trends lead to dramatic sweeps by the Democrats in Nevada. From the top to the bottom of the ticket, Democrats in Clark County overwhelmed the rest of the state and ushered Steve Sisolak, Kate Marshall and Aaron Ford into office.

Like several other key battleground states, early voting participation was off the charts in terms of turnout. Early signs pointed to a difficult night for Republicans up and down the ticket.

At the federal level, in one of the most watched races in the country, Senator Dean Heller was defeated by Congresswoman Jacky Rosen. Two open seat races in the state also attracted a lot of national attention: in CD3, Susie Lee won against Danny Tarkanian, and in CD4, Steven Horsford defeated Cresent Hardy.

Statewide, the Democrats swept the constitutional offices except for one. Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske bucked the trend and got re-elected to her position. The other offices in which NVRPAC was involved went to Steve Sisolak (Governor), Kate Marshall (Lt. Governor), and Aaron Ford (Attorney General).

At the state senate level, the democrats increased their majority from 11-9-1 to 13-8, one seat short of a super majority. However, it appears that there might be a recount in SD20, where republican Keith Pickard won by 28 votes over democrat Julie Pazina; depending on the outcome of the recount, it could move to 14-7 and give the democrats a supermajority.

In the state assembly, we knew going in that the democrats were going to remain in control. The only question was whether they would be able to achieve a super majority, which they did.

Nevada has a new Governor and his name is Steve Sisolak. His challenge will be to reign in Democratic expectations. He is a moderate, small businessman. He is a skilled politician who is a deal maker, and someone who will want to bring people together for the betterment of the state. How will he deal with the majorities in both the State Senate and State Assembly is yet to be determined, but he has worked with many of the players before. We expect that Democrats may overreach on critical issues - from minimum wage to right to work to construction defects; all of those 41 vetoed bills from the 2017 session are now back in play.

On the larger front, Nevada is no longer a swing state. Following two successive elections, we are clearly a solid blue state with a Democratic Governor, and Democratic majorities in both houses for the first time in over two decades. Once a state that proceeded cautiously on public policy issues, today legislators want to blaze new trails across the United States and show that we know how to do things. Most importantly, the impact of the voter's decisions this election cycle will be felt for the next decade, as Governor-elect Sisolak will oversee reapportionment in the state. Governor-elect Sisolak will set the pathway forward for the state for the next 20-30 years.

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The Nevada REALTORS® Political Action Committee (NV RPAC) Trustees are now accepting applications for individuals interested in serving as trustees. Trustees are responsible for determining which candidates running for the Legislature or statewide offices in Nevada support private property rights and for allocating PSF investments to those candidates.

New terms will begin Jan. 1, 2019; the terms for these new positions will be anywhere from a one- to three-year term. Applications must be filled out and returned to NV REALTORS® no later than Monday, Nov. 26, 2018. Applicants must be available Nov. 30 for interviews. Any questions with the application or for more information, contact Beth Morrissey at Nevada REALTORS®, Beth@nvar.org or 775-829-5911.

Applicants must meet minimum qualifications to apply for an open NV RPAC trustee position. The Trustees must:

• be members of the Nevada REALTORS® (NVR);
• be registered voters in Nevada;
• have served in one or more of the following positions in the past four years:
  • local association political affairs committee or equivalent; or local PAC or equivalent; or NV REALTORS® RPAC, REALTORS® of Nevada Protection Trust Fund (RNPF) committee or Legislative committee.
  • NAR Federal Political Coordinator
  • a governmental affairs related committee of the National Association of REALTORS®

For Trustee Application and eligibility, please click here.

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City of Reno

RSAR continues to monitor the several issues currently under consideration at the City of Reno:

1. Restructure of the Reno Business Licensing fees,
2. Accessory Dwelling Unit code changes,
3. The Good Landlord Program, and, of course,
4. Affordable housing approaches.

Vacation Home Rentals

RSAR along with IVR, continues to engage Washoe County in the conversation associated with transient lodging, i.e. vacation home rentals.

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Many understand that homelessness is a pressing concern for many communities, and coming up with a solution to the problem is not simple.

The Nevada Homeless Alliance is a group made up of different interest groups that meets in Southern Nevada to address homelessness concerns. They are in the process of endorsing policies for the upcoming 2019 state legislative session that, ironically, could be counterintuitive to home ownership. Rather than encouraging homeownership, the Nevada Homeless Alliance could mistakenly embark on such policies as increasing recording fees as well as increasing taxes on the real property transfer tax. These kinds of policies actually discourage homeownership instead of encouraging it.

Another area of concern that the Nevada Homeless Alliance is looking into is landlord tenant issues and evictions. Many property managers will tell you that the laws in place give more than adequate time and notice to bad acting tenants for eviction. For instance, putting additional time to vacate a property puts additional strain on the homeowner that is not collecting rent and hence losing money. Policymakers should keep in mind that the property taxes collected by homeowners pay for essential services.

Although many share compassion for the homeless, there are other areas to look to funding practical programs that directly help the most vulnerable in our community. Your Government Affairs team will continue to follow these issues.

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The 2018 International Fire Code Amendments are working their way through local jurisdictions for adoption. These amendments update work to protect firemen as well as keep our communities safe. The Government Affairs Committee has been engaged with Carson City Board of Supervisors and staff to address concerns regarding defensible space.

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For the past three years, we have been closely tracking the TRPA Shoreline Strategic Initiative. To recap, this initiative was set up to develop a plan that will comprehensively address access (piers, buoys, marinas) to Lake Tahoe. The plan looks to ensure new structures don't harm water while increasing recreation access to the Lake.

Throughout the duration of the process, TRPA engaged an open, transparent process to get stakeholder and public involvement. After three years of meetings, TRPA's Governing Board had the Shoreline Plan on their agenda for final consideration at the end of October.

The final code of ordinance, rules of procedure, implementation program and memoranda of understandings can all be found at this website: www.Shorelineplan.org.

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• • 2018 General Election Report
• • Looking for NV RPAC Trustees
• • RSAR End of Year Recap
• • Nevada Homeless Alliance Proposals Concerning
• • 2018 International Fire Code Amendments in Northern Nevada
• • TRPA Shoreline Strategic Initiative
• • Sign Up to Receive Calls to Action

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For more information, please contact:

• Nevada REALTORS® President Heidi Kasama
• Nevada REALTORS® Legislative Chairman Kevin Sigstad
• Nevada REALTORS® CEO Teresa McKee