The California Association of Community Managers (CACM) is excited to announce the launch of their podcast “CACM Chat: The HOA Life.” The first episode was released today and is now available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.  The weekly podcast is geared toward anyone interested or involved in community associations, also known as HOAs. California is home to more than 53,000 homeowner associations, according to Secretary of State records, with millions of Americans living in HOA communities across the state.   Read the article…………………………….

Facts: A homeowners’ association (HOA) wants to trim trees on a parcel within the HOA to protect the view of other parcels. The covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs) on the parcel do not contain a tree-trimming provision for protecting the scenic views of other parcels in the HOA. Another parcel in the HOA with a tree-trimming provision in its CC&Rs lost its scenic view due to the growth of trees on the parcel without the tree-trimming CC&R provision.    Read the article…………………………….

Neighbors in Sun City Palm Desert are telling News Channel 3 an investigation is underway after they say a number of political sign were stolen.  Neighbors are now calling for accountability after the string of alleged thefts left several dozen homeowners without their Harris-Walz signage.   Read the article…………………………….

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Rancho Palos Verdes on Tuesday due to the impacts of accelerated land movement on the provision of basic utility services.  Over Labor Day weekend, residents in the Portuguese Bend neighborhood had their electricity cut indefinitely and were evacuated from their homes. SoCalGas shut off gas service in the neighborhood at the end of July due to safety concerns.     Read the article…………………………….

SoCal Edison has announced plans to cut off power at more homes in Rancho Palos Verdes this week, just hours after the utility company indefinitely ended their service for 140 homes on Sunday.  Company officials say that the decision again comes for “safety reasons,” and will go into effect at 7 p.m. on Monday for 105 customers in the Seaview area.  This time around, 105 additional customers will be affected, 20 of which will have their power shut off indefinitely as they are located in the area with the “worst damage,”    Read the article…………………………….

California is chipping away at developing new statewide rules to remove plants, mulch and other flammable materials within 5 feet of buildings and structures in fire-prone areas, the Board of Forestry confirmed this month.  This proposed set of guidelines would also forbid that ubiquitous backyard feature — a wooden privacy fence. This rule lumps existing flammable fences into the same category as new construction.   Read the article…………………………….

Southern California Edison will cut off power Sunday at noon to 140 homes in the Portuguese Bend Community Association neighborhood of Rancho Palos Verdes, weeks after gas service was shut down in the area amid enduring land-movement worries. In July, Southern California Gas Company abruptly shut off service to 135 homes in the area.    Read the article…………………………….

Q: How many consecutive elections by acclamation? Our HOA board with management approval held a 3rd consecutive acclimation year. What does Civil Code allow? When must an election be held even though open seats same as those applying? Thank you for your most helpful informative newsletters.   Read the Q&A………………………………..

Homeowners in California insured by Allstate are facing a rate increase. Allstate was recently approved for an insurance rate hike by the California Department of Insurance, the insurance company said in a statement to KRON4.  The rate hike is set to be an average of 34.1% for more than 350,000 homeowners across California. Allstate is the state’s fourth-largest insurer, according to the CA Department of Insurance.   Read the article…………………………….

Cal Fire responded to a residential structure fire at a condominium building in Nipomo on Thursday morning.  According to emergency services app PulsePoint, at around 10:48 a.m., Cal Fire received reports of a multi-story structure fire threatening at least four units in the 1400 block of Golf Course Lane in the Blacklake community.   Read the article…………………………….

It’s another blow to homeowners across the state. Liberty Mutual fire insurance company is the latest company ending fire insurance in California.  About 17,000 California policy holders will not have their “dwelling fire insurance” renewed.  Those changes started last fall and will run thru November.    Read the article…………………………….

The San Diego Country Estates HOA board recently voted to eliminate quarterly guest passes and 10% food discounts. While distressing, it is not unexpected. This board doesn’t seem to understand the nature of our HOA.  As homeowners in the Estates, we OWN all the facilities. Some have mistakenly called them “businesses.” They are not. They are amenities that are available to the homeowners that share in their ownership. That’s the way it was originally set up with the CC&Rs, which are still legally in effect.   Read the article…………………………….

The forces behind the relentless land movement plaguing Rancho Palos Verdes appear to be more complicated, and possibly more widespread, than originally thought — forcing the city to once again rethink how it can limit some the mounting damage.  Officials confirmed a very deep and active landslide plane — previously considered dormant — during exploratory drilling this summer, a discovery that has upended emergency efforts aimed at stabilizing the Portuguese Bend area.    Read the article…………………………….

Attorneys from ACTS LAW filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging inverse condemnation, negligence and other failures from utilities, contractors and several municipalities led to the landslides that have continually plagued residents over the last two years.  Several residents in Palos Verdes who are directly impacted by the well-publicized landslides filed the lawsuit to hold accountable those entities and municipalities they allege are responsible for this disaster.     Read the article…………………………….

Q: We have a small HOA. Currently, we are conducting both membership and board meetings in person or by Zoom. There is one owner that generally attends all meetings and is allowed to discuss items on the agenda. That owner also refuses to pay late fees on their monthly HOA fees, so technically they are not “in good standing”. Can we refuse to allow them to participate in meetings? The person in question is an owner, but is not a board member.    Read the Q&A………………………………..

“Glen Cove residents teamed up with Solano Resource Conservation District and staff from Wildland Res Mgt. to conduct a comprehensive survey of all 2,443 buildings in the community. Those results – covering features like construction materials, vegetation clearance around structures, and open space features – were then incorporated into a Community Action Plan outlining the steps Glen Cove will take over the next three years on its journey toward fire resilience,” organizers state.   Read the article…………………………….

A California law may soon make homeownership more attainable for some Americans. AB-1033 permits California property owners to build and sell Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) as separate entities, much like condos, independent of the main house. This law offers homeowners more flexibility in developing their properties and creates much-needed housing in urban areas. San Jose recently became the first California city to allow the law to take effect, with Berkeley potentially following suit.   Read the article…………………………….

Firefighters worked to contain a fire on Wednesday at a condominium in Antioch, the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District said. All residents of the building were evacuated.  One person was taken to the hospital, according to Con Fire. Their condition is unknown at this time. Firefighters were able to rescue one dog, but another dog was found dead.   Read the article…………………………….

It was in January 2019 when residents of the Coyote Village condominiums in La Habra first had to be evacuated after ground their complex occupied opened up following torrential rains, creating a 120-by-40-foot hole. One resident who had lived at the property for 20 years told the L.A. Times it felt like a small earthquake when the ground gave way that day.  Read the article…………………………….

There is a banner debate in Lodi with the Sunwest Homeowners Association responding to CBS13 after it initially reported how it was requiring a resident to remove his Donald Trump 2024 signs and banners.  Read the article…………………………….

What started as a mail theft investigation at a condominium complex in Santa Clara has resulted in 12 arrests. Santa Clara police say their investigation led them to bust a major fraud and theft ring.  On August 5, a person using a postal service key was captured on security video opening all 130 mailboxes at the Boulevard condominium complex near El Camino Real and Scott Blvd. in Santa Clara.    Read the article…………………………….

There is a debate over banners posted on one Lodi resident’s house after their homeowner’s association sent a letter that said he had to remove the signs he had posted out in front that support Donald Trump.   Read the article…………………………….

Owners of the troubled Millennium Tower could soon face hefty fines — simply for leaving their windows open at the wrong time.  The tower, notorious for its leaning and sinking, has been dealing with separate window problems dating back to before February 2020.  That’s when an open window broke free in high winds and plunged from a 41st floor unit of the high-rise. No one was injured, but San Francisco’s Department of Building Inspection ordered the tower to install a stronger support system to better secure its open windows.    Read the article…………………………….

New defaults for delinquent homeowners association dues have engulfed a troubled downtown San Jose housing tower that faces multiple legal entanglements.  Litigation and real estate woes have engulfed the western high-rise of a two-tower residential complex at 188 West St. James Street — an eye-catching addition to the San Jose skyline that commands a prime location near bustling San Pedro Square, one of the Bay Area’s hottest spots for dining, drinking and nightlife.    Read the article…………………………….

The wildfire risk in Diann Dumas’ neighborhood is very low. And yet it’s making her bills more and more difficult to pay.  She lives in Village Green, a park-like condo complex in the middle of the busy, concrete neighborhoods of South Los Angeles. The hundreds of 1940s townhomes and bungalows encircle a manicured green space.   Read the article…………………………….

A massive sinkhole at a La Habra condominium complex will soon be no more, local leaders declared Thursday, Aug. 15, by lifting the first dirt into the wide trench, signaling the start of construction that will repair the collapse from five years ago.  A storm channel running underneath a grassy area between two rows of homes in the Coyote Village condo complex collapsed in early 2019 after heavy rainfall, exposing a huge hole just feet from residents’ doors. Efforts to figure out who should pay to fix the problem and legal wrangling delayed getting the storm channel rebuilt, and a second sinkhole formed in 2023.   Read the article…………………………….

With electric vehicles increasing in popularity, many HOA members wonder where they’ll charge their vehicles.  California at the end of 2023 had 1,178,948 electric passenger vehicles registered, per the US Department of Energy.  In 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered that no fossil fuel vehicles shall be sold in the state starting in 2035. In 2017, the Legislature and governor approved Senate Bill 1016, which added EV charging stations to the list of “protected uses” found at Civil Code Section 4700-4753.    Read the article…………………………….

Police are still searching for a ring of thieves who stole a master key to plunder mailboxes at a Santa Clara condo complex.  Around 3:30 a.m. Aug. 5, video footage shows a masked thief entering the mailroom at Boulevard Condominium complex in Santa Clara, near El Camino Real and Scott Boulevard. Armed with a postal worker’s key, the thief burglarized 130 residents’ mailboxes, absconding with mail ranging from packages to driver’s licenses and debit and credit cards.    Read the article…………………………….

One of San Francisco’s most infamous pieces of real estate is suddenly much, much cheaper.  At the beleaguered Millennium Tower, which has made headlines across the country ever since the public found out it was sinking in 2016, a condominium was recently listed for $649,000 — a precipitous 41% drop from its $1.1 million sale price a decade ago.    Read the article…………………………….

Due to the challenges in the California insurance market, the Canyon Lake Property Owners Association (POA) has halted gas and propane sales at Happy Camp.  As of midnight tonight, all current insurance policies held by the POA will expire, and the POA is facing significant rate increases due to the impact of California wildfires and the broader challenges within the state’s insurance industry.   Read the article…………………………….

Furious San Francisco neighbors say they are losing sleep over a parking lot full of driverless cars that continually honk at each other.  California residents near 2nd Street and Harrison Street in the South of Market neighborhood have recorded Waymo vehicles honking in a nearby parking lot throughout all hours of the day.   Read the article…………………………….

New defaults for delinquent homeowners association dues have engulfed a troubled downtown San Jose housing tower that faces multiple legal entanglements.  Litigation and real estate woes have engulfed the western high-rise of a two-tower residential complex at 188 West St. James Street — an eye-catching addition to the San Jose skyline that commands a prime location near bustling San Pedro Square, one of the Bay Area’s hottest spots for dining, drinking and nightlife.    Read the article…………………………….

Dozens of people gathered in Forest Ranch Thursday evening for the annual ice cream social, but many are dealing with the aftermath of the Park fire.  “Our goal again is to help keep this community strong,” the president of the Forest Ranch Community Association, Marlene Fune, said.   Read the article…………………………….

Back when Nick Welsh wrote a column urging downtown businesses to buy in to the proposed Santa Barbara Community Benefit Improvement District (CBID), he clearly did not give much thought to its implications for the homeowners in the area.  As noncommercial property owners, we have little or nothing to gain from the “services” that are proposed, which are largely geared toward businesses and other commercial interests. (Our condominium already pays to have our streets cleaned each morning.)   Read the article…………………………….

Thieves have been using stolen master keys from the U.S. Postal Service to steal mail from apartment complexes, a crime that is becoming alarmingly common.  A recent incident at the Boulevard Condominium complex in Santa Clara, near El Camino Real and Scott Boulevard, where all 130 mailboxes were burglarized.     Read the article…………………………….

More than 50 firefighters responded around noon to the blaze at the two-story, four-unit building in the 22100 block of West Burbank Boulevard, where crews found fire burning within the walls, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.     Read the article…………………………….

Better luck next year.  That’s what the City of Santa Barbara is telling about 25 condominium homeowners who were ensnared in the recent approval of the Community Benefit Improvement District.  Marilynn Brewer has been trying to fight City Hall for the past few weeks over what she and her neighbors believe is an unfair inclusion in the assessment.    Read the article…………………………….

Expanded insurance coverage for homeowner and condo associations in California is the centerpiece of another round of changes planned for the state’s insurer of last resort.  The California FAIR Plan Association, according to a July 26 agreement with the state’s Department of Insurance, said it is starting work on the regulator’s plan to expand insurance coverage for farms, builders, businesses with multiple buildings and homeowners and condo associations.   Read the article…………………………….

The wildfire risk in Diann Dumas’ neighborhood is very, very low. And yet it’s making her bills more and more difficult to pay.  She lives in Village Green, a park-like condo complex just north of Baldwin Hills. The hundreds of 1940s townhomes and bungalows encircle a manicured green space. The giant sycamore trees and smell of fresh cut grass completely obscure the noisy streets of South LA that surround it. It’s a far cry from the tinderbox hillsides that have scared away insurance companies.    Read the article…………………………….

New defaults for delinquent homeowners association dues have engulfed a troubled housing tower in downtown San Jose whose future is tangled in multiple legal webs.  In April, nine condominium units were auctioned for a jaw-dropping average price of $31,900 in an effort by a homeowner’s association to recoup unpaid maintenance fees.    Read the article…………………………….

Q: We are a small HOA with about 60 units. Our bylaws call for a five-person board. We are having trouble getting residents to run for the board. Since we have about 30 active residents, what are the pros and cons of reducing the size of our board to three? This still represents 5% of our residents. We are a pretty simple HOA with no common areas or amenities.    Read the Q&A………………………………..

Starting next year, all smokers, vapers or marijuana users living in rental housing units in the city of Carlsbad will need to look outside their home to light up.  The new city law, which was passed earlier this week and is set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2025, bars any smoking activity in and around Carlsbad apartments, condos, care facilities and other multiunit homes. Certain designated outdoor spaces will remain available for smokers to use.   Read the article…………………………….

A protracted legal battle involving a defective sidewalk and alleged injuries has reached a pivotal moment. Elizabeth Karnazes filed a complaint against The Lauriedale Homeowners Association in the Superior Court of San Francisco City & County on July 23, 2024, after she reportedly tripped on a defective sidewalk in 2017.    Read the article…………………………….

In a significant move to address California’s ongoing insurance crisis,unveiled a breakthrough agreement to modernize the California FAIR Plan Association (FAIR Plan), the state’s “insurer of last resort.” This initiative is a key component of Lara’s Sustainable Insurance Strategy, marking the largest insurance reform since Proposition 103 was passed in 1988.    Read the article…………………………….

Rancho Palos Verdes neighbors whose natural gas service was cut off Monday morning said they are livid.  “I don’t know if I can say the word other than pissed,” Claudia Gutierrez, a member of the Portuguese Bend Community Association, said. “I’m not scared. Angry, frustrated. Now we’re scrambling to get information.”    Read the article…………………………….

Residents of a 61-unit townhouse complex in Encino say they’re outraged that the bill for collecting the property’s trash and recycling may increase to more than $37,000 a month because of newly assessed add-on fees imposed by the area’s city-designated trash hauler, Waste Management.    Read the article…………………………….

California YIMBY policy director Ned Resnikoff now advocates banning homeowners’ associations (HOAs). The YIMBY (“Yes in My Back Yard”) movement unites around the idea of building a lot more homes in the places people want to live, but it’s also philosophically divided on certain issues. Resnikoff’s position is basically “YIMBY Leninism”: force every lot to be open to dense residential development, even if doing so makes everyone worse off.    Read the article…………………………….

Fire broke out Saturday evening in a garage under two-story condominiums in a Northridge building but firefighters managed to keep the flames from spreading.   Read the article…………………………….

Donze in Bermuda Dunes agrees with the overall conservation goals, especially because the valley’s aquifer is replenished with fast-dwindling Colorado River water, but knows she has an uphill battle in a 5-square-mile area that depends heavily on winter seasonal visitors. Myoma Dunes supplies about 9,000 residents, many living in large homeowner association developments that still have extensive rolling lawns. As a private agency they also can’t apply for many of the turf removal grants and other public incentive programs.    Read the article…………………………….

A new law signed recently in Sacramento will expand the field of experts eligible to inspect balconies or “exterior elevated elements” at California homeowners associations.  Civil Code Section 5551 requires that all HOAs inspect elevated elements by Dec. 31, 2024. That statute requires the inspection to be conducted by a licensed architect or structural engineer, and many HOAs are having difficulty finding such professionals to perform the inspections.   Read the article…………………………….