A CALIFORNIA lawmaker has supported a bill for more transparent homeowner’s associations amid a battle with his own HOA.
He asserts that a woman has been taking pictures of his house every week, and he has been inundated with angry letters from his HOA, describing it as “sheer harassment.”
Assemblymember Joe Patterson endorsed fellow Republican Carl DeMaio’s bill advocating for California HOAs to conduct recorded open meetings and to make records like meeting agendas, minutes, and lawsuit notices accessible to the public.
Patterson gladly backed the bill amid a war with his own HOA in Placer County – about a 7-hour drive northwest of Los Angeles County.
The lawmaker alleges that a representative from the Whitney Ranch Community Association in Rocklin has been photographing his home while driving by at a slow pace roughly once a week, according to Cal Matters.
Patterson says she is gathering evidence to ensure his home complies with the HOA’s rules.
The lawmaker claimed he has also been getting letters from his HOA about the exterior of his home.
“I’ve been getting letters for, you know, ‘Oh, your bark isn’t deep enough,” Patterson said, referring to his landscaping.
He added: “Now it’s my son’s basketball hoop.”
The lawmaker said if he doesn’t pay his HOA fees, the organization can put a lien on his house.
In other words, they can put a legal claim on his home.
“If you’re going to take my house from me and have a recorded lien on my home, then you damn well better provide very transparent financial records to your community,” he said.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to the Whitney Ranch Community Association for comment.
Patterson decided to do something about the alleged “harassment” from his HOA by presenting DeMaio’s bill.
While speaking to the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee, Patterson said the proposed bill “brings sunlight to HOA governance.”
There are about 50,000 HOAs in California.
HOA crackdowns in the US
States across the country are working to restrict the power of HOAs.
- In Minnesota, lawmakers introduced a bill that would require HOA boards to create a schedule of fines and fees and distribute it to homeowners; ensure homeowners can contest an HOA fine; provide reasonable time to correct rule violations; and outlaw the practice of charging homeowners for asking questions.
- In Arizona, lawmakers are cracking down on HOA budgets. Under a newly proposed law, HOA boards would have strict guidelines for how they approve expenses.
- In Florida, a bill was passed that restricts the amount of control HOAs have over tenants’ property. It also stops HOAs from fining homeowners for leaving trash cans out and holiday lights up.
- In Atlanta, bipartisan bills were introduced to reign in overly aggressive HOAs to protect homeowners.
- In California, a new bill requires HOA elections to be monitored and the board to comply with certain homeowner requests.
- In Colorado, new HOA rules require greater transparency between HOA board members and tenants.
- And the Federal Fair Housing Act sets housing standards for all homeowners, tenants, and landlords.
“This isn’t a crazy, radical proposal,” Patterson said.
“It’s about ensuring that the people who live in these communities have the right to know what decisions are made on their behalf,” he added.
But his support, along with four Democrats on the committee who voted for the bill last month, wasn’t enough to advance the legislation.
Seven assembly members, both Republican and Democrat, either voted against the bill or didn’t vote, which counts as a “no” vote.
Patterson said he believes the bill didn’t pass largely because DeMaio wrote it.
“Honestly, it was Carl’s bill, and it going down in flames had nothing to do with the policy,” he said.
The lawmaker added: “I think if that was Joe Patterson’s bill, it would have had a different fate.”
DeMaio was described by Cal Matters as a “conservative firebrand.”
“It probably has a lot more to do with the Democrats’ pettiness of just trying to kill any bill associated with me,” DeMaio claimed.
Patterson plans to reintroduce the bill next year, which DeMaio said he would support.
The lawmaker said he’s gotten interest from Democratic assembly members to endorse the bill if it were brought up again.
