Sunday, June 08, 2008

THE TEMPLE OF BLAME - AB1921: ALL SHOCK AND NO AWE


THE TEMPLE OF BLAME - AB1921: ALL SHOCK AND NO AWE


June 8, 2008

NOTE: We sent an email to Mr. Heber to let him know we planned to publish this letter, and asked him if he would care to comment - we have not heard from Mr. Hebert or any CLRC representative. We are following the money related to any and all activity associated with AB1921, if you have leads, let us know.



Mr. B. Hebert
California Law Revision Commission
4000 Middlefield Road, Room D-1
Palo Alto, California 94303-4739


Re: Response to Memorandum 2008-12 Opposition to Assembly Bill 1921

Table of Contents


I. Reality and Fiscal Impact

II. AB 1921 Lacks Adequate Checks and Balances

III. AB 1921 Misleads the Public

IV. Indifference to Statutory Integrity and Caselaw

V. CLRC Has a History of Bastardizing Statutes

VI. "Recast" Is Just a Fancy Word for "Rewriting Law"

While Bypassing the Democratic Process

VII. The California Legislature Must Abandon Assembly Bill 1921

VIII. Far-reaching Problems with Assembly Bill 1921:

IX. Law Revision Interference with Legislation



Dear Mr. Hebert,

Make no mistake, Assembly Bill 1921 shatters the American dream for millions of residential deed-restricted property owners and many believe that the California Law Revision Commission has exceeded its jurisdiction.

I have received numerous letters and communications from deed-restricted titleholders to my co-authored Los Angeles Times, Real Estate section column titled Associations regarding the California Law Revision Commission's wholesale destruction of the Davis-Stirling Act. On March 24, 2008 I authored an Editorial discussing some of the problems associated with Assembly Bill 1921. It was published by the Central Valley Business Times and can be viewed at www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com letters to the Editor.

In MM08-05, the CLRC actually had the gall to state that it "took over two and half years in developing the recommendation, with every step open to public scrutiny and input." Only the CLRC could believe that self-serving statement. Worse, in the First Supplement to Memorandum 2008-12, Legislative Program: AB 1921 (Saldaña); the CLRC chastises the "Attorney Group" in stating:



"When AB 1921 was heard by the Assembly Committee on the Judiciary (April 29, 2008), the Committee Chair admonished the CID Attorney Group for raising concerns after the bill had been introduced, rather than during the Commission’s deliberative process, and directed the group to submit a specific and detailed list of its concerns to Assembly Member Saldaña by mid-May. The purpose was to reduce the group’s concerns to concrete terms so that they could be addressed through discussion and amendment. The list of concerns has not yet been provided."



Lest the California Law Revision Commission forget, it was the CLRC who claimed to be working on this project for two years¾not the Attorney Group. The CLRC had/has the duty of performing due diligence prior to embarking on such a nonsensical project at taxpayer expense¾not the Attorney Group¾not the public¾and certainly NOT the titleholders. The duty is YOURS, the California Law Revision Commission.

But this, from Memorandum 2008-12, stating "Memorandum 2008-11 described the general response that AB 1921 had received from CID interest groups. Many of those groups expressed new concerns about the bill, that had not been raised during the Commission’s two and a half year deliberative process" takes the cake. What planet are you on? When you make ridiculous statements like that how can the public believe anything you put forth?

The CLRC's arrogance in carrying out their pie-in-the-sky posturing by saying "the Commission had a clear practice of excluding any substantive change that might be controversial in the legislative process" is simply unsurpassed. The implication of that one statement alone invalidates EVERYTHING the CLRC does. Along with countless others, my suggestions were pooh-pooh'd by the CLRC, ignored by Saldana's office, ignored by the Assembly and Senate Committees and not published alongside other opposition papers. This out-of-control freight train spearheaded by the CLRC is not only embarrassing it is costly and unnecessary.



I. Reality and Fiscal Impact

California is presently cash and income strapped to the tune of over $20 billion dollars with proposed cuts to be made in every State Department. Keeping that in mind, nothing is laudable or applaudable about Assemblyperson Saldana's Assembly Bill 1921, just as nothing is commendable about the countless "paid" hours expended by the California Law Revision Commission in bastardizing the Davis-Stirling Act. Frankly, the Act is bad enough without your help.

Assembly Bill 1921 complicates an already problematic statute. I am on the record demanding a moratorium on any Davis-Stirling Act rewrites until a "credible" study of the problems can be, and has been, accomplished. AB 1921 is the full employment act for special interest parasitic industries and California's legislators. It is shameful that the remaining few protections for the titleholder's vested property interests are dangerously diluted by the cumulative effect of this bad legislation.

Though they may fancy themselves oracles of legislation, California Legislators are instead, masters of self-delusion. While in the Sacramento Holiday Camp, these public sector parasites are rarely held accountable for the disasters they cause. Once their paychecks end, their pensions begin. For the past three decades or so, California statutes have resulted in a battle-scarred minefield memorializing the delusions of self-congratulatory legislators wanting their names in books of California law—at any cost. The bigger the special interest payments—the bigger the name in the books.

If ABomination 1921 is signed into law, the end game for titleholders is prohibitively expensive litigation.



II. AB 1921 Lacks Adequate Checks and Balances

Assembly Bill 1921's caption reads, "This bill would revise and recast the Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act." In other words it is the "rewrite" of an entire Civil Code Title of law.

Assembly Bill 1921 is voluminous in print and anemic in its practicality. It amounts to a wholesale rewrite of law already in force, interpreted by the courts, and relied upon for well over two decades. Notably, the proposed rewrite is short on substance and lacks justification for shredding laws already in place. AB 1921 purports to sacrifice the Davis Stirling Act by codifying vacuous Legislative oratory. Hiding reality under the guise of "legis-speak" lest their intent be exposed, the cumulative outcome of AB 1921 if passed, amounts to condemning owners to subjugate their rights to the whim of their rulers, be they boards, legislators, vendors, attorneys, judges, arbiters, or the like. It is an "implicit submission" to forces outside the homeowner's control.

A sober look at this preposterous legislation—devoid sufficient public input and competent research—reveals the imposition of unilateral substandard lawmaking. Assembly Bill 1921 consists of bad law: rife with loopholes, titleholder disenfranchisement, and remarkably poor drafting. Without adequate substantiation, one hundred seventeen sections, "Title 6," an entire Chapter consisting of Civil Code sections 1350 through 1378, are hacked out and rewritten in a matter of months by the few, with virtually no meaningful input from the many.

III. AB 1921 Misleads the Public

Much of the public is unaware that these shenanigans are taking place right under their nose. What homeowner has the resources on such short notice, let alone the time and knowledge to pour over 300 pages of newly conceived laws and then sit down and attempt to craft a letter to their Legislator explaining their views on the matter? I tried to do that and was told the Legislators and the Legislature are only interested in "groups." My letter was not even admitted into the record, so intentionally ignored that the record baldly claimed there was "no opposition."

The level of scrutiny that should have gone into this massive rewrite was, and is, missing. What part of "fiscal impact" does this California Legislature not understand?

Our Legislature has a far higher duty to the public than it is practicing. Without delay, the Legislature should place full-page advertisements in major California newspapers for one year as well as notify every common interest development titleholder that laws profoundly affecting their ownership are in play.

To claim that the Internet provides "notice" is a self-indulgent fantasy. Not every homeowner is computer literate, or has a computer, or has affordable access to the Internet and a printer. And rare indeed is the Internet-enabled titleholder who searches daily to see if the Legislature is tinkering with his property rights. Let alone understanding the bloated Commission's purpose few homeowners have heard of the "California Law Revision Commission." Yet that Commission's dangerously misguided authorship of the proposed Assembly Bill 1921 will effect the lives, property rights, and personal assets of millions of homeowners in this state.



IV. Indifference to Statutory Integrity and Caselaw

Statutory changes tend to be of two types, renumbering-reindexing when societal change renders the current placement inadequate, and substantive changes in the law itself. By doing both simultaneously in Assembly Bill 1921 the Legislature renders impotent the public's ability to understand and comment on it.

Anyone who has ever had to find or follow the law knows the importance of stability of cross-referencing and the agony and cost wholesale renaming and reindexing impose. Moreover this renders much of case law unusable to all but the most sophisticated, well-funded researchers. Nonetheless, under the banner of "simplification" the California Law Revision Commission masks the enormous scope substance of its changes. In its enthusiasm for musical section numbers to cover its tracks and once again the CLRC excises "Title 6" from the Civil Code.



The initial heading of the former Title 6, "Wills", enacted in 1872 consisting of sections 1270 to 1377 was repealed by Stats.1979, c. 373, sec. 484 to make way for the present version of the Davis-Stirling Act monster. It should be noted that the purpose of moving "Wills" was to place it in Probate Code statutes.



Title 6 "Common Interest Developments" was hatched in 1985. Now its 117 Civil Code sections are littered by the detritus of the CLRC's self-aggrandizing musings also known as "Comments" throughout the Code's annotations. Here, "Common Interest Developments" stays in the Civil Code statutes but changes it numbering and alters text substance.



In 2007 the California Law Revision Commission reported that it would be "several years" before this "project" would be presented to the Legislature. Worth mentioning, is the fact that titleholders did not ask the Law Revision Commission to do this in the first place, but the Law Revision Commission was advised that the owners were against this rewrite of laws in the manner it was occurring. Having slipped this soporific to the public, the CLRC speedily cobbled together AB1921 to be introduced in less than a year.

Moreover, attempting to slip even alert observers another "mickey," it purported to address only "technical and conforming changes," shamelessly mischaracterizing an intentional revision bastardized of form and substance.



V. CLRC Has a History of Bastardizing Statutes

It appears that if a statute section is unclear, there's an excellent chance that the California Law Revision Commission had something to do with it. Responsible for wholesale disruption of entire sections of code, the California Law Revision Commission's pedestrian approach and sloppy analysis, has resulted in serious consequences, if not countless dollars needlessly spent by consumers throughout this state.

Presently, the Law Revision Commission's most recent project includes the bastardization of Civil Code Sections 1350 through 1378 all under the guise of “[t]he Law Revision Commission recommends that the existing Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act be repealed and replaced with a new statute that continues the substance of existing law in a more user-friendly form.”[1] So too, in justifying the morass it created within the Evidence Code, the Law Revision Commission states it did so “[t]o accommodate a wide range of mediation styles, the definition is broad, without specific limitations on format.”[2] Whatever THAT means. The Law Revision Commission continues to explain, “[t]he definition focuses on the nature of a proceeding, not its label. A proceeding may be a ‘mediation’ for purposes of this chapter, even though it is denominated differently …. This definition of mediator encompasses not only the neutral person who takes the lead in conducting a mediation, but also any neutral who assists in the mediation, such as a case-developer, interpreter, or secretary. The definition focuses on a person's role, not the person's title.”[3]

VI. "Recast" is Just a Fancy Word for "Rewriting Law" While Bypassing the Democratic Process

The audacity, let alone unmitigated arrogance that somehow the California Law Revision Commission is above the law and can perform such functions that are beyond its mandate, is unnerving. The Commission categorized their so-called "Statutory Clarification and Simplification of CID Law" as the panacea to problems plaguing such developments. What could possibly be "simple" about 300 pages consisting of some 85 cross over laws and no beta test as to its applicability?

Assembly Bill 1921 is not a revision; it is instead a rewrite of the LAW. A legalized pork barrel packed with goodies for the parasitic association industry and its vendors. It is an ill-conceived pork-barrel project that is proceeding without shame and accountability, with no end in sight.

If residential deed-restricted titleholders were ever under the mistaken belief that their Legislator could be an ally—by now they should know better. The public must understand that this cavalier rewrite will detrimentally affect the lives of millions of titleholders and prospective titleholders. Owners, who have dutifully spent decades coming to grips with understanding the Davis-Stirling Act, will be forced to start all over again. Frankly, some may not live long enough to figure it out. Others will likely employ a costlier route, that of hiring lawyers to explain an untested code to them with "on the one hand, on the other hand" and invoicing for it. Others still, may merely rely on the word of third parties whose interpretation of the codes may be slanted or just plain wrong.



VII. The California Legislature Must Abandon Assembly Bill 1921

While the text in Assembly Bill 1921 may look good on paper, it lacks useful application.

This massive, untimely project has far-reaching consequences for millions of titleholders. For all its pages of paper, and all the rhetoric, pomp, and circumstance, save the back-patting, the hundreds of pages of slop miserably fails to protect titleholder assets. It fails to eliminate longstanding problems of imbalance pertaining to mediation, arbitration, and litigation and the attendant costs thereof. And there are numerous problems related to those issues. Instead, it merely provides a laundry list of statutes as its prelude to a newly created mess with utter disregard as to its implementation in terms of "real life."

Apparently the only people throwing their hands up in disgust at the utter waste of "time," "resources," and "excess" in California's Legislature, are deed-restricted titleholders who lack adequate and meaningful representation in Sacramento. The millions of deed-restricted titleholders are left paying the price for bad laws, interference by special interests, and excess spending created by our legislators. It is scandalous the laws that are passed because some special interest entity wants it and can afford a lobbyist, rather than analyzing and researching laws that are necessary, and then proposing their introduction genuinely subject to public comment.

While the many problems with Assembly Bill 1921 are impossible to adequately address, here's a breathtaking example. Consider this newly hatched phrase slated to become law under Assembly Bill 1921: "An affidavit of delivery of a notice, which is executed by the secretary, assistant secretary, or managing agent of the association, is prima facie evidence of delivery."

Prima facie evidence!!! Might as well say "self-interested and unrebuttable evidence." It matters not what horse the drafter of that provision fell off of, what matters is that with the stroke of a pen something as egregious as what otherwise seem to be an innocuous "phrase" will become law—let alone prima facie evidence to be used against the titleholder with no viable avenue for rebuttable evidence.[4]

Imagine a third party vendor who contracts with the association, signing their name to an affidavit stating they did something when in actuality they did not. Imagine the board director secretary trying to cover his or her behind in a breach of fiduciary duty lawsuit for taking a person's home away from them, or instituting litigation against them, or penalizing them—merely by signing an affidavit. How can one disprove dishonesty if it is enshrined in the presumption of truth?

Imagine the same scenario if it were applied to fines, penalties, interest and late charges. The potential for abuse is overwhelming. Phrased alternatively, the venerable certified letter is replaced by the unsubstantiated claim from someone who has nothing to lose and everything to gain.



VIII. Far-Reaching Problems with Assembly Bill 1921:

• Assembly Bill 1921 has expunged the word "property" as it relates to the titleholder's vested interest.

• Other than to clarify "escrow" proceedings; define "claimants;" ownership of pets; roof repair or installation; survey questionnaires pertaining to defects; the term "homeowner" is mentioned little, and where it is mentioned it is wholly devoid legal significance rendering the term non-existent as it applies to the titleholder.

• Award of "attorney's fees" are mentioned over twenty-five times and not to the benefit of the titleholder.

• The titleholder is not provided with realistic redress and an avenue for providing penalties against associations, third party providers and advisors, and boards of directors. Assembly Bill 1921 fails to direct the benefits of any such penalties directly to the affected titleholder(s).

• Assembly Bill 1921 fails to provide a "Victims Fund" for any titleholder who is a victim to the bad laws and who suffers at the hands of the association, its third party vendors, providers and advisors, and boards of directors who break the laws.

• There should be no creation of an ombudsman department or agency because of the drastic fiscal impact it will have on the entire state and the owners. No such agency should be funded by residential deed-restricted taxation alone.

• Assembly Bill 1921 fails to provide per se penalties against third-party management companies and their employees and it fails to provide per se penalties against recalcitrant boards. Moreover, it fails to per se assist titleholders in protecting their assets, fails to provide a viable avenue of redress, other than prohibitively expensive litigation, for the mounting problems associated with common interest developments, and homeowner associations. Every avenue the titleholder attempts to pursue for "fairness" is a costly dead-end—thanks to California's obtuse Legislature.

• Assembly Bill 1921 fails to address a huge problem that is created by the lump sum rewrite that did not exist before. That is, the culmination of intersecting procedural demands such as Request for Resolution, mediation and/or arbitration causing a cumulative effect that often costs more and lasts longer than litigation itself. Needless to say, there are no guarantees that once initiated, any of those alternatives, ie, request for resolution, mediation, arbitration, will result in a viable resolution. Assembly Bill 1921 serves only to exacerbate these inherent statutory problems.



IX. Law Revision Interference with Legislation

The Commission's time has come and gone. It is no secret that on more than one occasion I have written the Governor imploring him to pull the Law Revision Commission's funding and/or altogether disband it.

Though paid handsomely while the rest of the State suffers great economic loss, cutbacks, and unemployment, the California Law Revision Commission no doubt believes they are only doing their job. That, however, should be a topic for debate. Often patronizing and condescending toward those in disagreement with its agenda, the Legislature not unlike the Commission, appear to side with, if not coddle the special interest industries. The standard response to the non-special-interest public is, "the staff recommends against that change."

Presently, the graveyards of repealed code sections caused by the Law Revision Commission's chainsaw approach in attempting to substantiate its grant money should be investigated. The Commission and the Legislature have created mass confusion for California consumers where none need exist. A first step to clarity and filling the over $20 billion deficit would be to zero out the CLRC budget and to thoroughly investigate the laws proposed by the State Legislature prior to passage.

For these reasons and much, much more, I oppose Assembly Bill 1921 in toto.


Respectfully,

D. Vanitzian


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


[1] California Law Revision Commission, Study H-855, Statutory Clarification and Simplification of CID Law (Preliminary Part), MM07-24s2 (2007) (proposed repeal of the Davis–Stirling Act Civil Code Sections 1350 to 1378).

[2] See Evidence Code Section 1115 (Law Revision Commission Comments).

[3] See Evidence Code Section 1115 (Law Revision Commission Comments). See also D. Vanitzian, Expert Series: Common Interest Developments—Homeowners Guide 2007-2008 (Thomson-West).

[4] e.g., D. Vanitzian, Homeowner Associations: Dynasties of Dysfunction (2004).


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Saturday, June 07, 2008

The California Law Revision Commission (CLRC), Numerology and the Hartford Syndrome


The California Law Revision Commission (CLRC), Numerology and the Hartford Syndrome

If this is what we can do to 17 attorneys, guess what we can do to average Joe Homeowner?


June 7, 2008

The California Law Revision Commission (CLRC) regularly sounds like a Homeowners Association board of directors, blaming homeowners for the Hartford Syndrome – In a hit-and-run incident May 30, 2008, a resident is left to die, while Hartford residents stood by - responsible for the malaise du jour.

For example, the president of the CZ Master Association recently blamed the lack of direct popular elections on the legislature because of loopholes contained in legislation mandating direct elections in common interest developments, failing to mention that her board had taken advantage of such loopholes to maintain the status quo. Other members of the board argued against direct elections due to apathetic residents.

Likewise the CLRC has been rationalizing its approach to AB1921, which Vanitzian calls a mistake and “.. shatters the American dream for millions of residential deed-restricted property owners and many believe that the California Law Revision Commission has exceeded its jurisdiction”, in her response to Response to Memorandum 2008-12 Opposition to Assembly Bill 1921.” The response from the CLRC is along the lines of “the bill has been out there for more than two years, homeowners are simply apathetic”. However, there is no mention of the chastising 17 attorneys have received at the hands of the CLRC who dared to speak against AB1921. The message sent out loud and clear by the CLRC is: If this is what we can do to 17 attorneys, guess what we can do to average Joe Homeowner?

Either out of desperation, wishful thinking or boredom, the number 17- as in the number of attorneys who dared to speak up against AB1921- caught our attention, and we turned to numerology: Is there a hidden meaning in the number 17? – It turns out that 17 is a very special number, as it carries the same meaning as the seventh prime number - Prime numbers carry a hidden meaning which is the same meaning as the number of their order in the list of primes. And since numbers can also declare a meaning from their appearance or arrangement, 17 portrays the number 7 (perfection) standing before the number 1 (Creator). As a prime number, 17 is divisible only by itself, so it speaks of single-minded worship of the Creator. Its sum [8] portrays eternity - new birth and perfection of spirit - because this figure has neither beginning nor ending and initiates a new series (after seven).

What we can glean from the 17 attorneys standing up to the CLRC and their behind the scenes industry supporters who use the CLRC as their personal un-registered lobbyists is that they are on the verge of self-destruction. Perhaps AB1921 is the triggering event? After all, no one else will do it, given that homeowners are apathetic – Hartford Syndrome


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HOMEOWNER ASSOCIATIONS: A CLUB YOU DON'T WANT TO BELONG TO
This ain't no party! This ain't no disco! This ain't no community!

Dare's role in Pastures cost association $100,000
By BRENDAN J. LYONS, Senior writer First published: Sunday, Times Union August 12, 2007. Republished with permissionAugust 12, 2007 ALBANY -- An advocate for the Historic Pastures Homeowners Association, which lost more than $100,000 in...

HIRING AN ATTORNEY CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH LEGAL
BLACKMAIL--TAKING CLIENTS HOSTAGE- Q: How can you tell when an attorney is lying? A. His lips are moving.August 10, 2007 If California can place caps on spending and caps on fees of various types of businesses -- then it needs to put caps...

BRING BACK GOVERNOR PETE WILSON
by Donie Vanitzian, JD(c) 2007 D. VanitzianYou can?t have a good old boys and girls club without a little help from friends in high places, of course, a little help from California?s State Bar wouldn?t hurt either. [FN1]Forget for a moment that the term...

Should I stay or should I go - in/from my HOA? X
First was the Delegate?s Corner blasting CZ Master Association board of director?s critics for speaking out against a corrupt delegate system and electoral process in favor of direct elections, consistent with current legislation, and consistent with the...

Casta Courier Coverage of Unhappy Campers at Leisure World
I'd like to comment on the following paragraph that was in your publication "The Casta Courier" on July 19, 2007. The second paragraph reads as follows:

SPENDING OTHER PEOPLE?S MONEY by Donie Vanitzian, JDX(c) 2007 Vanitzian
I mean really! How difficult is it to spend other people?s money? Cheech!! It?s a no brainer, especially with no statutory accountability. "Hey man, it ain't difficult" one board member tells me, he says "no one gives s**t." He proceeds to point to his...

Critics do not attend board meetings - GRF that is!
Critics do not attend Home Owner Association Meetings to learn of actions deemed necessary by their Board!August 6, 2007 Critics are principally individuals who fail to attend Home Owner Association Meetings to learn of actions deemed necessary...

The New Seven, err... Eight Wonders of the World
CZ's definition for leadership is that whenever questions are raised, the canned response is ?Remember the Reserves?! Now CZ Spin Machine has to be the Eight Wonder of the World!- August 6, 2007 The results of the NOWC?s New Seven Wonders of...

"TWIN RIVERS" = "TRIPLE PROBLEMS"
Note to the do-gooders whose glasses are corrupted by the half-full half-empty circular-argument nonsense and who want only to hear the good-of-it-all and nothing too depressing, oh, and want only smiley ha-ha journalism: Go grab your teddy bears and...

Lawyer seeking condominiums' business goes over the line
Question: I manage a large condominium project in Los Angeles. Unsolicited, an attorney sent me an invitation to meet with him over lunch. He then phoned me several times, including the day before the lunch, explaining the purpose was to speak only with...



CONDOMINIUMS ARE A GREAT INVESTMENT- FOR LAWYERS
About every two months I get a call, or a client comes in to ask me about condominiums. It usually starts off with, ?I bought this adorable little condo? and then the upstairs neighbor had a flood?. And then the Homeowners Association refused??

Paraphrasing the LA Times on Defeat of SB670 & Wicked Twin Witches of the West - SB 127 & AB-980
Taking a page out of the OC Register?s ?paraphrased reporting?, an article written by LA Times staff writer Diane Weder titled ?Bill to limit transfer fee founders?, published appropriately on May 13, 2007, quotes the president of the statewide Realtors...



Private Transfer Tax - Good for the Common Interest Development (HOA/CID) Industry or Good for the Politicians?
When we received our copy of the report that the California Association of Realtors (CAR) used to Sponsor and help draft transfer fees, we were confused. Given that Vanitzian has become an icon in Sacrament (some say a thorn in the legislature's side),...

Management company's tape-recording tactic puts homeowners at risk
Question: Because our management company has been sued before, it has a policy of recording all incoming and outgoing phone calls. Before a management employee answers the phone, there is an automatic announcement warning callers they are being recorded....

Of Trial Lawyers, the AAJ and the Democratic Party
The National College of Advocacy and AAJ Education maintain two distinct programs that recognize AAJ lawyer member efforts in pursuit of advanced legal learning and professional development?the Achievement Recognition Program and Advanced Studies in Trial...

Laguna Woods Village CC&Rs, What CC&Rs? I Got Your CC&Rs Right Here!
Coto de Caza is not the only place where the board of directors consistently either disregard the civil code, governing documents (Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions - CC&Rs) or even the moral code.



What is better in HOA Management? Transparency and Accountability or Feel Good?May 22, 2007
Mostly as a result of the Enron and Worldcom scandals, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 known as the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act of 2002 and commonly called SOX; was enacted to provide business executives with less wiggle...

HOW DO OWNERS SPELL L-A-W S-U-I-T? SENATE BILL NO. 127!X
This author asks WHERE ARE THE PENALTIES AGAINST MANAGEMENT COMPANIES AND BOARDS? WHAT?S THE PENALTY FOR BREAKING THE LAWS THAT THESE LEGISLATORS ARE PASSING?



Two of the Worst & Most Detrimental Laws to Hit California are Sponsored by None Other than: California Association of Realtors (R) The Gold is Gone --No more gold in the Golden State!
Dear Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger,
SHATZI! PLEASE REMEMBER YOUR PROMISE TO US. Please listen to the people who support you and look to you to help us! When you first began buying property in California NO ONE told you what you could or could not do...

THE LAW OF INTENDED CONSEQUENCES - WHAT A DIFFERENCE A "WORD" MAKES: NO! ON ASSEMBLY BILL NO. 563
It apparently does not matter that titleholders with a vested interest in their property cannot get their legislators to carry legislation to help US, but, they can waste taxpayer funds by preventing the bills WE WANT and NEED by CHANGING *ONE* WORD in an...

EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY! OOPS! WE JUST HAD THE MEETING! YOU MISSED IT!!
So THIS is what the Senate calls an "Open Meeting." How many Open Meetings have THEY been to? Obviously not many. ROTFLMAO!



CAN YOU OUTSWIM YOUR HOA SHARKS? or will you drown trying?
Owning, let alone living in an HOA is a tough JOB and requires you be physically fit, possess a certain sophistication of the processes, and have the character let alone stamina, that allows you to be persistent in a manner that indescribable to REAL...

HEY GRAY PANTHERS! YOU GOT IT WRONG!
(c) D. Vanitzian
May 16, 2007The Gray Panthers are on record as SUPPORTING A BAD BAD BAD BAD BILL: Senate Bill Number 948. SHAME ON YOU. Where the heck are you getting your information from?

The Law of Unintended Consequences: Legislation and HOA BOD Cause and Effect: Clueless in my CAR


Coming off a most improbable but successful campaign to defeat SB 670 author and HOA advocate Vanitizian thanks supporters making a connection between the quality of legislation being passed in Sacramento, and the quality of life in most homeowners...
























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Friday, June 06, 2008

The Coto Soccer Mom Syndrome


The Coto Soccer Mom Syndrome

Do Coto Soccer Moms get a bum rap, or is it deserved?


June 2, 2008

A few months back and in a parting shot, a former member of the CZ Master Board of directors in an interview with the Orange County Register blamed the “Coto Traffic Problem” on the Coto Soccer Moms. This was a surprise to us, given that the Traffic Citations and Traffic Accidents data, as supplied to us by the California Highway Patrol did not support such assertion.

Last week we observed how a Coto Soccer Mom run over a pylon being used to keep traffic out from a section of pavement being worked on. The Soccer Mom proceeded to drive for some 1/8 of a mile with a clonking sound coming from under her SUV, from the dragging pylon. Unfazed, she stopped, looked under the SUV, got the pylon and duped it on the side of the road, picked up her daughter who was waiting for her to finish the job, made a U-turn and left. We picked up the pylon and walked it the 1/8 and left it where it belonged.

For more than a month, a “caution, children at play” sign has been down at one of the most dangerous intersections in Coto de Caza: Seacliff and Vista Del Verde. Apparently no Soccer Moms, or Dads for that matter, cared that the sign was down. Apparently UPS guards never saw the sign being down and/or never reported it to Keystone and/or Keystone never took action. We reported to Keystone today and received the following response “I have sent a work order to our vendor and the corrective action has been taken to fix the sign.”


The moral of the story? Pray you never have an emergency while in Coto de Caza, your next door Soccer Mom could care less!





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Golf Longer Live Longer or Die Younger Play golf and add five years to your life. Play with children in Coto de Caza, and your life could end in a fleeting second! It has been said that golf does not qualify as a sport. However, according to research coming in from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, golf could have greater health benefits than walking and even more strenuous forms of exercise, adding an average of five years to your life.

Flash Report: Direct Elections in Coto de Caza Under Advisement!
For the last six years, the CotoBuzz Journal has correctly forecasted the results of the CZ Master Association board of directors elections ? results of the 2008-2009 elections were no different. The CZ Master association still relies on an arcane form...

The Wealth of Associations (HOA) - Separation of Chumps and State - First, the CZ Master Association, by law, has one mandate: Repair, Replace and Maintain (RR&M) common areas. That is, there is a clear separation of Chumps and State: Responding to ad hominem missiles lobbed by defenders of the various CZ Master Association (CZMA) subsidies, former member of the CZMA board of directors, Joseph Morabito figures that he “.. is upset with me now because I keep hitting the subsidy issue and he apparently is active in the Sports League. At some point, the Board will have to deal with the subsidies going to non-members and even Members who are not paying their fair share of the extra expense they are causing the Association” and our response is encapsulated below:

The CotoBuzz Journal - June 2008 - Loopholes in CZ Master Association
loop·hole ---> -a means of escape; especially : an ambiguity or omission in the text through which the intent of a statute, contract, or obligation may be evaded- Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2008.

Golf Longer Live Longer or Die Younger
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The CZ (Master Association) Lifestyle and the Volunteer Fallacy
The October 2007 CZ Master Association's Newsletter makes the argument that the CZ lifestyle is mostly due to efforts of volunteers and that it is ?very easy to overlook the tireless work and the thousands of hours donated? to benefit CZ residents.

Most Frequent HOA Complaints?: Dues Increases and CC&R Changes ? WSJ
So the number of people that lived in associations and complained about them is 69/75 = 92%. This is in stark contrast to Community Association Institute's (CAI) claim that 95% of the people living in associations love them

Desperate Homeowners ? From OCWeekly Perspective- Disgruntled rich folks wrangle over the question: ?When is a Coto de Caza resident not a Coto de Caza resident??
"?If the board members only used their heads and had no personal agendas to take care of first, they could see where they are going is wrong,? says the 72-year-old security consultant, who splits his time between working in Nevada and his daughter?s home...

No Decision-Making Outsourcing for Supervisor John Moorlach- On your face Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs! - Do As I Say Not as I Do! - Moorlach et al
Orange County supervisor John Moorlach has been described by local media columnists as the only politician solid enough to have accumulated sufficient political capital to take on the powerful Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs. A few weeks...

Mezger resigns from board ? an OCR Paraphrase
According to the September 28, 2007 issue of the CanyonLife, Jerry Mezger?s departure from the CZ Master Association board of directors is attributed to ??recent growth of his company and its increased demands on his time?.

The $1000 Fence for the $1 Horse - Or is it the other way around in your HOA?- $400 FENCE COSTS $83,000 IN HOA BATTLE
An example of what happens when volunteers do so for the wrong reasons??As reported by KING 5 News reporter Jane McCarthy on Wednesday, September 26, 2007 a battle over CC&R enforcement and decision making by volunteers created

Outsourcing Decision Making to Property Management Companies
Arguably, outsourcing can be a manager?s best friend, or worst enemy. It is fair to say that most people get paychecks prepared not by the employer, but by companies such as ADP. Of course, we also know about the call centers in India.


























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Thursday, June 05, 2008

Guess Who is Coming to Dinner at Saddleback College? Groucho!


Guess Who is Coming to Dinner at Saddleback College? Groucho!

Frank Ferrante recreates his acclaimed portrayal of legendary comedian Groucho Marx


June 5, 2008

The Performing Arts Department at Saddleback College continues its Unconventional Summer Season with An Evening with Groucho on Tuesday, July 8 at 8pm in the McKinney Theatre.

Award-winning actor/director/playwright Frank Ferrante recreates his PBS, New York and London acclaimed portrayal of legendary comedian Groucho Marx. This fast-paced 90 minute two-act comedy consists of the best Groucho one-liners, anecdotes and songs including “Hooray for Captain Spalding,” and “ Lydia , the Tattooed Lady.”
The audience literally becomes part of the show as Ferrante ad-libs his way throughout the performance in grand Groucho style. Accompanied by his onstage pianist, Jim Furmston, Ferrante portrays the young Groucho of stage and film and reacquaints us with the likes of brothers Harpo, Chico, Zeppo and Gummo, Charlie Chaplin, W.C. Fields, Greta Garbo, Marx foil, Margaret Dumont and MGM 's Louis B. Mayer. A show perfect for all ages!

Jim Furmston is pianist and musical director



As an added bonus, Groucho’s daughter, Miriam Allen, age 81, who lives in San Clemente , will be attending the show!

Tickets can be purchased by calling (949) 582-4656 (noon-4 weekdays) or online at www.saddleback.edu/arts. Ticket prices are $36 general; $33 students/seniors/Angels; $25 children 12 and under and Saddleback College community with current ASB card.

Saddleback College is located at 28000 Marguerite Pkwy in Mission Viejo , just east of Interstate 5 at the Avery Parkway exit. Parking is available in Lot 12. Take Avery Parkway to Marguerite Parkway turn left to the third traffic light, which is Saddleback’s Marguerite entrance. Turn right into the campus and take the third left to “ Theatre Circle ,” turning right into Lot 12.

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Frank Ferrante (Groucho) is an actor, director, and producer described by The New York Times as “the greatest living interpreter of Groucho Marx’s material.” Animal Crackers and A Night at the Opera co-author Morrie Ryskind called him “the only actor aside from Groucho who delivered my lines as they were intended.” Discovered by Groucho’s son Arthur when Frank was a drama student at the University of Southern California , Frank originated the off-Broadway title role in Groucho: A Life in Revue (written by Arthur) portraying the comedian from age 15 to 85. For this role, Frank won 1987’s New York ’s Theatre World Award and was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award. He reprised the role in London ’s West End and was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for ‘Comedy Performance of the Year.’ Frank played the Groucho role in the off-Broadway revival of The Cocoanuts and has played Captain Spalding in the several productions of Animal Crackers winning a Connecticut Critics Circle Award for his portrayal at Goodspeed Opera House and a Helen Hayes nomination in Washington D.C. at Arena Stage. In Boston in 1988, he played the Huntington Theatre in the record-breaking run of Animal Crackers that landed Frank on the cover of American Theatre magazine. His other regional roles include Max Prince in Neil Simon’s Laughter on the 23rd Floor at Philadelphia ’s Walnut Street Theatre (which Frank also directed); George S. Kaufman in By George (a one-man play written by Frank); Tom in the farce Perfect Wedding; Oscar in The Odd Couple and leads in The Sunshine Boys, Lady in the Dark, and Anything Goes. Frank directed M*A*S*H star Jamie Farr in the Kaufman & Hart comedy George Washington Slept Here and revivals of Simon’s The Sunshine Boys, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, Broadway Bound and Lost in Yonkers. In 1995, he directed and developed the world premiere of the Pulitzer finalist Old Wicked Songs. In 2001, Frank starred in, directed and produced the national PBS television program Groucho: A Life in Revue. Frank currently stars as the comic lead in the European cirque Teatro Zinzanni in San Francisco and Seattle . In 2007 he became a question on the classic TV program Jeopardy. “He took his portrayal of Grouch Marx to New York in 1986.” The answer: “Who is Frank Ferrante?”



Jim Furmston (Pianist and Musical Director) is a native of Canada and graduate of the U.S.C. Thornton School of Performing Arts. Jim’s musical interests have always been wide-ranging, being equally at home in both classical and commercial music. In addition to his work as a session player in Los Angeles , he was invited to perform a debut recital at New York ’s Lincoln Center and the inaugural program of the Arnold Schoenberg Institute in Los Angeles . In musical theatre, Jim has provided musical direction for such shows as Side by Side by Sondheim, Cabaret and Rocky Horror Picture Show. Jim music directed sold-out performances with Gene Barry at the Algonquin Hotel (Oak Room) and premiered the new work A Peek at a Poet: Langston Hughes with actor James Wheaton. Jim is the music director for the new Broadway bound musical Haven composed by William Goldstein, lyrics by the late Joe Darion, book by Jerome Coopersmith, and directed by Jerry Friedman. Jim began his collaboration with Frank Ferrante in 1983 and has accompanied Frank in his one-man show An Evening with Groucho since 1984. Jim’s most recent project is the CD for The Thrift Store Bears –an illustrated book of poems about teddy bears for all ages. For more info please go to www.teddytraveler.com. In 2007, Jim played in the pit of Menopause the Musical in Los Angeles . When Jim is not working on musical projects, he can be found on a Squash Court or in front of his computer tracking the music of S&P.









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Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Star Search – How the Tail Wags the OC Dogs


Star Search – How the Tail Wags the OC Dogs

Sort of like the human resources secretary being asked to interview a candidate to replace the CEO!


June 4, 2008

A quick review of the process used by the Orange County Board of Supervisors to select the finalists for the position left vacant by beleaguered Sheriff Michael S. Carona led us to conclude that the board should fire immediately the person(s) responsible for the process: The criteria prepared and used by the search firm clearly shows lack of experience with executive searches, among other things

When we questioned the criteria and the process used, we were told by the County that leadership and technical issues, were addressed in an interview “… conducted by a retired law enforcement officer with Bob Murray and Associates and included the points you noted as missing from the assessment, such as experience with law enforcement organizations similar in size and complexity, as well as familiarity with local law enforcement” The retired law enforcement officer was later identified as Bob Murray and Associates (BMA) Vice President, Regan William.

According to BMA’s website, “Mr. Williams brings 30 years of local government experience to Bob Murray and Associates. Most recently, he worked as a private consultant with Deloitte and Touche on various public sector assignments. Prior to that, he served as Director of Public Safety with the City of Sunnyvale, CA.” - to put it in context, the City of Sunnyvale had a population of 131,760, according to the 2000 Census, whereas the County of Orange had a population of 2,846, 289, according to the same census. Refer to BMA’s website for “current searches” for additional comparisons - Sort of like the human resources secretary being asked to interview a candidate to replace the CEO!

Perhaps in case we wanted to continue looking at the issue, the County was sure to let us know that the “..Board has seen all applications/resumes submitted for the position and chose to endorse the list of nine recommended candidates. The decision for appointing a Sheriff is entirely up to the Board to make”, so we continue to look at the issue. We decided to compare the BMA’s score to the most recent Board of Supervisor’s vote as shown below, where the BMA chart shows the scores given to each candidate, out of 39 points total.

A cursory review of how the supervisors voted, compared to how BMA scored the finalists, leads one to believe the board's assertion: the board will take suggestions under advisement, but will make the final decision on its own.

A closer look shows that BMA’s second choice (refer to chart below), chief Walters, just happens to be the leading candidate to replace Sheriff Carona. Seemingly always straight shooter supervisor Norby casts one vote and calls chief Walters the “best qualified”.

So why does the board think that Hutchens is just as qualified as Walters? Our only conclusion is that the board's last vote provides ample political coverage for all the supervisors with the exception of Norby: Bates can claim that she defended the current organization, but wants change. Moorlach can claim that he defended the gender vote as well as the search firm’s recommendations. Moorlach and Bates can also claim having voted for Martin, knowing Martin will surface again. In all cases, the board can claim that it was the search firm’s fault that Lt. Hunt and chief Anderson rated so low. In the end, it will have been Regan William and Bob Murray & Associates who selected the next Orange County Sheriff, and the board will have clean hands!

Candidate/

Supvervisor
Hunt
Hunter
Hutchens
Adams
Martin
Babka
Beemer
Walters Anderson

Nguyen -
X
X
-
-
-
-
X
-

Moorlach
-
-
X
X
X
-
-
-
-

Bates
-
-
X
-
X
-
-
X
X

Campbell
-
-
X
-
-
-
X
X
-

Norby
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
X
-

Regan Williams and Bob Murray & Associates scores
20
27
25
33
25
25
26
32
28





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Star Search – for the OCSD – The Final Episode SetAlthough the process used by the Orange County Board of Supervisors to winnow down the number of candidates to replace much maligned OC Sheriff Michael Carona was at best flawed, the final two candidates represent not necessarily the best of the field, but not necessarily the worst, either.

The OCSD Culture Thing – It is not my Job! - The leading OC Sheriff candidates agree that the OC Sheriff’s Department needs an organizational culture makeover, the OC District Attorney finds the current OCSD’s culture lacking, the Orange County Board of Supervisors demand changes to the OC Sheriff’s Department’s organizational culture, and the President of the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriff’s Wayne Quint agree that a culture change is required.

OCSD Insiders Make Paper Cut - How? We do not know We understand that a "paper cut" has been performed by Bob Murray and Associates, the talent search firm being used to hire the next OC Sheriff. We have contacted a number of the cut candidates - apparently, they did not know they were no longer viable candidates.

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Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Star Search – for the OCSD – The Final Episode Set


Star Search – for the OCSD – The Final Episode Set

Message sent to OC Board of Supervisors - Message received?


June 3, 2008

Although the process used by the Orange County Board of Supervisors to winnow down the number of candidates to replace much maligned OC Sheriff Michael Carona was at best flawed, the final two candidates represent not necessarily the best of the field, but not necessarily the worst, either.

Wit the fact that no OCSD insiders remain standing, but we are surprised that LA Sheriff’s Cmdr. Ralph Martin got only two votes, whereas Sandra Hutchens, a former division chief with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department is a finalist – where is Simon Cowell (American Idol judge), when you need him? At least the supervisors’ vote is a matter of public record, whereas the delegate system used in Coto de Caza is Uber-Secret!

How the OCBOS voted – Not as bad as we feared, not as good as it could be- Martin ONLY two votes?

Candidate/

Supvervisor
Hunt
Hunter
Hutchens
Adams
Martin
Babka
Beemer
Walters Anderson

Nguyen -
X
X
-
-
-
-
X
-

Moorlach
-
-
X
X
X
-
-
-
-

Bates
-
-
X
-
X
-
-
X
X

Campbell
-
-
X
-
-
-
X
X
-

Norby
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
X
-






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The OCSD Culture Thing – It is not my Job! - The leading OC Sheriff candidates agree that the OC Sheriff’s Department needs an organizational culture makeover, the OC District Attorney finds the current OCSD’s culture lacking, the Orange County Board of Supervisors demand changes to the OC Sheriff’s Department’s organizational culture, and the President of the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriff’s Wayne Quint agree that a culture change is required.

OCSD Insiders Make Paper Cut - How? We do not know We understand that a "paper cut" has been performed by Bob Murray and Associates, the talent search firm being used to hire the next OC Sheriff. We have contacted a number of the cut candidates - apparently, they did not know they were no longer viable candidates.

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The first and most important priority is to restore honor to the office that was taken by its last office holder- Kevin Keyes






















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Monday, June 02, 2008

The Wealth (or Erosion of) of Homeowners Association


The Wealth (or Erosion of) of Homeowners Association


June 2, 2008

We previously made the argument that analogous to how a wealth of nations is determined, one can use a similar approach to measure the wealth of an association – such wealth is over an above “book value” - such as the CZ Master Association, for example. Further, public safety and trust in local governance (as in direct popular elections), are the two key elements to consider when deriving the wealth of the CZ Master Association.

Of course the opposite is true as well. For example, in Escondido, you can buy a house in Royal View and get a second one free at Cityscape, as told to 10 News in San Diego by Dawn Berry of Michael Crews Development. “You know it's a straight-up legit deal; no prices have been increased, there are no hidden costs. (the company) is just giving away a free home for people who buy at Royal View,'’ said Berry.

The recent $20 million home sale in Coto de Caza not withstanding, how much might the Wealth of Coto be reduced when anyone can predict board of director’s election results months in advance? Or say, look at the OSCD data and conclude that no one is minding the crime and vandalism in the area?



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Sunday, June 01, 2008

Bankruptcy Won't Protect You From Future Dues


Bankruptcy Won't Protect You From Future Dues

By Stephen Glassman and Donie Vanitzian, Special to The Times

June 1, 2008


QUESTION: If owners cannot afford the monthly homeowner association dues that rise on a yearly basis, can each owner file for individual bankruptcy?

ANSWER: Any titleholder can file for bankruptcy, but the qualifications have become more stringent than they used to be because of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act, (BPCPA) which took effect Oct. 17, 2005, and is considered to be a major reform of the bankruptcy program.

Presuming the association has not yet filed a lien on the owner's property, the bankruptcy may discharge homeowner association assessments and/or dues that a titleholder owed before filing for bankruptcy protection. But association assessments that come due after the bankruptcy filing are not discharged and will have to be paid.

The law states that the failure to pay association assessments and/or dues may result in the loss of an owner's property through foreclosure. Foreclosure may occur either as a result of a court action, known as judicial foreclosure, or without court action, often referred to as nonjudicial foreclosure.

Since Jan. 1, 2006, it has been the law that an association may not use judicial or nonjudicial foreclosure to enforce a recorded lien if the amount of the delinquent assessments and/or dues, exclusive of any accelerated assessments, late charges, fees, attorney's fees, interest and costs of collection, is less than $1,800. For delinquent assessments or dues of $1,800 and up, or more than 12 months delinquent, an association may use judicial or nonjudicial foreclosure.

A number of associations are aggressively pursuing the money they believe is owed to them. Some even are attempting to circumvent the various protections written into the Davis-Stirling Act by filing Small Claims Court actions for outstanding assessments in amounts ranging anywhere from $1 up to the jurisdictional limit of $7,500 and obtaining judgments for such amounts.

If the association obtains a judgment in any court and it is not satisfied by payment, then interest will accrue and everything from garnishment to liens can take place until the judgment is paid or until a bankruptcy is filed.

Judgment debtor exams (ordered by the court to uncover assets and net worth) also are allowed but stop after the bankruptcy petition is filed and end permanently after a "discharge" is granted because the titleholder is presumably no longer personally liable for the obligation.

The bankruptcy process is complicated, limited in scope and typically used as a last resort.

Consumers cannot file a bankruptcy petition more than once every six years, they cannot receive a discharge more than once every seven years, and the bankruptcy information stays on the consumer's credit record from seven to 10 years.

But after two years, the effect of a bankruptcy is minimized in determining one's credit score, depending on one's credit history following the discharge and its fiscal impact on giving the consumer a "fresh start." For more information, visit the Department of Justice website at www.justice.gov/ust/eo/bapcpa.

Care must be taken when deciding whether or not to file for bankruptcy because it could result in a loss of equity in one's personal and real property. Before filing for bankruptcy, try meeting with the board and requesting that a payment plan be implemented.

A fact of owning deed-restricted property in common-interest development projects is that, as the costs of living rise, so too do the operating fees. This often increases the monthly assessment and dues payments for everyone.

If "all" the owners cannot afford to pay monthly assessments, then the board must take immediate action to streamline its operation and drastically cut costs. If only you cannot afford to pay monthly assessments, then you may have to sell and move.

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