KTVU.com: Fines for brown yards even amidst drought By Mike Mibach — January 23, 2014 SAN LORENZO, Calif. — Despite the state being a drought-zone, some San Lorenzo residents are receiving citations for having a dead lawn. John Glisar, 55, watered … Continue reading
wvgazette.com: Fighter ace Chuck Yeager sued by homeowners group February 6, 2014 — By McClatchy Newspapers SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Retired U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Chuck Yeager could have thought of a few other things he’d rather be doing Tuesday, but there he … Continue reading
latimes.com: ASSOCIATIONS Any recourse when evidence of board misconduct surfaces years later? By Donie Vanitzian — January 5, 2014 Question: I was on the board of directors when our homeowners association got sued. Some directors were sued individually for breach of their … Continue reading
CONTRA COSTA TIMES: Rules against trick-or-treating and playing prompts Blackhawk family to sue By Malaika Fraley Contra Costa Times — 11/07/2013 BLACKHAWK — A family that says its children were banned by their homeowners association from trick-or-treating or playing outside has sued … Continue reading
neighborsatwar.com: Huge Break for California Homeowners! Big Bummer for CAI By Ward Lucas October 27, 2013 When homeowner Arlyne Diamond failed to pay a special assessment of nearly ten thousand bucks, the Casa del Valle Homeowners Association slammed her with … Continue reading
The Sixth Appellate Court in Santa Clara County has officially published their opinion which requires HOA’s to strictly comply withe pre-lien and pre-foreclosure notices under the Davis-Sterling Act. This came to light in a lawsuit between Diamond v. the Superior … Continue reading
Beginning January 1, 2014, an estimated 9.4 million homeowners will be affected by updates to the Davis-Stirling Act. In preparation for the deadline, the California Association of Community Managers (CACM) has provided a clear explanation of the changes and developed … Continue reading
Ventura County Sheriff’s Press Release — September 9, 2013 Ventura County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Investigators Arrest Suspects for Embezzling $900,000 from a Simi Valley HOA — And this isn’t the first time Kristin Davis, the owner and CEO of Paradigm … Continue reading
By Sergio Quintana — August 30, 2013 LOS ALTOS, Calif. (KGO) – A little boy who fought cancer is learning his family must now fight to keep his beloved swing set. For the last few months, little Weston has been enjoying … Continue reading
VENTURA COUNTY STAR: Owner, CFO of homeowner association management company accused of embezzlement By Teresa Rochester — September 9, 2013 An Agoura Hills woman was out on $20,000 bail after pleading not guilty Monday to charges that her employer and she … Continue reading
utsandiego.com: Man stabbed in dispute with HOA president By Susan Shroder — September 6, 2013 SAN DIEGO — A man was stabbed Friday during a dispute between the president of an Otay Mesa homeowners association and a worker, San Diego police … Continue reading
By David Swedelson, Partner at SwedelsonGottlieb, Condo Lawyer and HOA Attorney – September 3, 2013 Disgruntled homeowner association members often want to share their “issues” with the other owners hoping to garner sympathy. They ask for the names and addresses for … Continue reading
California Governor Jerry Brown recently signed SB 745 into law. The bill is a multi-issue omnibus bill, and as to community associations primarily acts to “clean up” some issues related to the reorganizing of the Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act, … Continue reading
THE SACRAMENTO BEE: Homeowner group backs off claim that couple with Cal-Vet loan don’t own their home By Hudson Sangree — August 27, 2013 A South Natomas couple in an ugly fight with their homeowners association won a partial victory last … Continue reading
August 3, 2013 — Written by Colin Atagi The Desert Sun PALM DESERT — The $2.7 million awarded to a Palm Desert homeowners association in a lawsuit against its engineering firm will be used to install a new drainage system and reimburse the … Continue reading
Evan McKenzie: “… a criminal justice system with prosecutors but nodefense lawyers.”Published: Sunday, Jul. 28, 2013 – By Hudson Sangree Allen Campbell is a disabled former U.S. Marine pilot who, as a civilian working in Africa, helped rescue nuns and orphans during the … Continue reading
By: Community Associations Institute California Legislative Action Committtee — Posted July 9, 2013 A California appellate court recently overruled a trial court decision that allowed a homeowners association board to advocate a point of view in an election to amend the … Continue reading
The Greater Los Angeles Chapter of Community Associations Institute has published its May/June issue of Focus Magazine, which features an article by David Swedelson, Esq. describing case law which affects California community associations’ disclosure responsibilities. As David describes in the … Continue reading
A property owner’s right to attend a meeting of a homeowner’s association does not necessarily include the right to send a lawyer to represent the owner at the meeting, the Fourth District Court of Appeal has ruled. Div. One yesterday … Continue reading
by Jay Root — posted May 21, 2013 INDIO, Calif. — The slick brochure advertising homes in the Sun City Shadow Hills neighborhood near Palm Springs has escapist senior fantasy written all over it. “Get Ready For The Next Great Chapter Of Your Life,” … Continue reading
This is one in a series of occasional stories about ethics and transparency in the part-time Texas Legislature. It was produced in partnership with Texas Monthly. INDIO, Calif. — The slick brochure advertising homes in the Sun City Shadow Hills … Continue reading
By Tamara Sone — May 10, 2013 RANCHO MIRAGE — More than two months after a fight erupted during an HOA meeting at The Springs that sent one man to the hospital, that man has filed a lawsuit accusing the … Continue reading
CCHAL NewsBrief – April 15, 2013 Thanks to all who phoned/emailed the author of AB968, the California bill exempting 17,000 homeowner associations from complying with state laws governing associations. Today the author, Richard Gordon [D – 24th District; Menlo Park] “pulled” the bill, meaning that … Continue reading
Orange County Register: Condo owners win secondhand smoke case Published: March 12, 2013 By Marilyn Kalfus An Orange County jury has found a homeowners association negligent for failing to resolve a secondhand smoke dispute between neighbors at a Trabuco Canyon … Continue reading
By Jim Sanders The Sacramento Bee Published: Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013 Millions of Californians would not be able to smoke tobacco inside their own homes under new legislation that would raise the bar nationwide for fighting secondhand smoke. No state … Continue reading
I was on Nevada Public Radio the other day with the state ombudsperson, an HOA lawyer, and an owner advocate. It was a good conversation. But there was something that kept going through my mind that I never got a … Continue reading
By Carole VanSickle – February 19, 2013 Vacation-home buyers are finding it harder and harder to finance their purchases, even with good credit and a healthy down payment. In some cases, the culprit behind their lenders’ skittishness is not even … Continue reading
By: Tamara Sone – The Desert Sun – February 18, 2013 RANCHO MIRAGE — What began as a routine Homeowners Association meeting turned into something resembling a WWE wrestling brawl on Sunday at The Springs Country Club in Rancho Mirage. According … Continue reading
By Brian Sullivan – February 1, 2013 There’s a mindset that craves the acquisition of any kind of authority and takes full—even excessive—advantage of it. Individuals afflicted with said mindset tend to amplify the significance of insignificant matters and insist, … Continue reading
February 12, 2013 Lexology.com: Property owners are entitled to fee award arising from invalid claims made by homeowners association Barger & Wolen LLP David J. McMahon February 12, 2013 In Grossman v. Park Fort Washington Association, 2013 DAR 747 (2013), … Continue reading
The community’s HOA rules prohibit backboards from being left on the street when not in use, McCormick said. But the association doesn’t have jurisdiction over public streets, leaving enforcement to the county. Published: Jan. 24, 2013 By BROOKE EDWARDS STAGGS … Continue reading