Is your home at risk for takeover? State law allows for condos to be forcibly taken - ABC15 Arizona

Is your home at risk for takeover? State law allows for condos to be forcibly taken - ABC15 Arizona

"The Arizona Condominium Act (ARS33-1228)  allows for an HOA to disband if 80 percent of the members agree to it. In this case the investors were the 80 percent. Forcing the remaining owners to sell at what they called market value set at $75,000.  That number was determined by an appraiser, hired by the investor-run HOA according to the termination agreement filed with the county. These folks say it was just enough to pay off their mortgages and left nothing to even put toward a down payment."

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I get lots of comments and emails from people saying they want owners to have the power to dissolve their HOA, and sometimes that's the sensible thing to do. But that can also be done by an investor-owner with 80% of the voting interests, who can then force the remaining owners to sell.

What Will Become of Levittown, Pennsylvania? - CityLab

What Will Become of Levittown, Pennsylvania? - CityLab: "The archetypal postwar suburb has less socioeconomic diversity—and hardly more racial diversity—than it did in the 1950s."

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Race restrictive covenants and burning crosses on lawns will tend to cut down on racial diversity. These days there are less obvious ways to accomplish the same objectives.

The rise of American authoritarianism - Vox

The rise of American authoritarianism - Vox

"Hetherington and Weiler published a book about the effects of authoritarianism on American politics. Through a series of experiments and careful data analysis, they had come to a surprising conclusion: Much of the polarization dividing American politics was fueled not just by gerrymandering or money in politics or the other oft-cited variables, but by an unnoticed but surprisingly large electoral group — authoritarians. Their book concluded that the GOP, by positioning itself as the party of traditional values and law and order, had unknowingly attracted what would turn out to be a vast and previously bipartisan population of Americans with authoritarian tendencies...Trump, it turns out, is just the symptom. The rise of American authoritarianism is transforming the Republican Party and the dynamics of national politics, with profound consequences likely to extend well beyond this election.

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Authoritarianism is the best predictor of liking Trump.

A Country Breaking Down by Elizabeth Drew | The New York Review of Books

A Country Breaking Down by Elizabeth Drew | The New York Review of Books: "The near-total failure of our political institutions to invest for the future, eschewing what doesn’t yield the quick payoff, political and physical, has left us with hopelessly clogged traffic, at risk of being on a bridge that collapses, or on a train that flies off defective rails, or with rusted pipes carrying our drinking water. Broadband is our new interstate highway system, but not everyone has access to it—a division largely based on class. Depending on the measurement used, the United States ranks from fourteenth to thirtieth among all nations in its investments in infrastructure. The wealthiest nation on earth is nowhere near the top."



'via Blog this'

HOA HOMEFRONT: Take care when selecting board members - Press Enterprise

HOA HOMEFRONT: Take care when selecting board members - Press Enterprise: "Yes, amazingly, no education or license is required to manage California associations and no education is required to serve on California HOA boards. Florida in 2013 began requiring HOA directors to certify they had read the governing documents and promise to uphold them, or to take an HOA certification course. Nevada’s CAI Chapter created a “Dedicated Community Association Leader” (“DCAL”) distinction, in which the volunteer receives about 30 hours of training. That is presently voluntary, but hundreds of Nevada volunteers have already attained their DCAL certification. In 2008, the Community Associations Institute in California sponsored AB 2806, which would have required volunteer directors obtain at least three hours of education. During the legislative process, the bill was diluted from a mandatory to a voluntary education law and then was vetoed by the Governor, who said voluntary laws are not helpful."

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Board members and officers who don't know how to do their jobs--there is so little oversight that nobody has any idea how bad the situation really is.

Condo residents warned against purchasing electric cars - WHEELS.ca

Condo residents warned against purchasing electric cars - WHEELS.ca:

"Residents of a west-end high-rise condominium just got the following message in a letter from their management board president:“Don’t buy an electrically powered vehicle in the expectation that you can have it recharged or powered on our premises … for now, thinking about buying an electrically powered vehicle may not be a practical thing.”"



'via Blog this----------------



Well...this is disappointing. When will building practices catch up with the demand for electric cars?

Police in Condos | Michelle Kelly's Condo Law Blog

Police in Condos | Michelle Kelly's Condo Law Blog:



'via Blog this'



"What does the board have to do if the police attend with a warrant? What if they don’t have a warrant? When should the condominium contact the police because of an incident that occurred on the property? In the past these questions were not easy to answer. While the condominium’s lawyer could provide general advice, there wasn’t really much case law to support the advice. Fortunately, in the past few years there have been cases that give some guidance. The courts have confirmed that residents have a reasonable expectation of privacy in the common areas of a condominium. Here are a few court of appeal decisions in the area: R. v. White (2015), R. v. Labelle (2016), and R. v. Drakes (2009). "



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These situations are complicated by the individual interest/common interest property ownership arrangement, building entry controls, and board responsibility for owner safety.

What does it say about the GOP that Trump is the white supremacists’ candidate? - The Washington Post

What does it say about the GOP that Trump is the white supremacists’ candidate? - The Washington Post

"Maybe the Republican Party cracked the seal on this kind of thing in 2014, when it elevated Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) to the top tier of the House Republican leadership. Scalise, as a state legislator, once addressed a white supremacist convention of the European-American Unity and Rights Organization. He says he had no idea that it was a racist group, but a local reporter says he also told her at the time that Louisiana voters should think of him as “David Duke without the baggage.”