Caught on Camera: San Marino Mayor Tosses Bag of "Dog Doo" on Neighbor's Walkway | NBC Southern California:
"Homeowner Philip Lao says that surveillance footage shows Kneier and his wife walking. In the video, Kneier’s wife is seen pointing to Lao’s walkway, and then Kneier is seen tossing the bag onto it.
Lao believes that Kneier was seeking revenge for his opposition to the mayor’s dog park proposal. Lao is against the dog park because he believes dogs are left there for hours as their owners run errands, and the dogs tend to fight when left unattended.
Lao lives a block away from Lacy Park, and as such, has "no poop zone" signs in his front lawn. According to Lao, Kneier does not like him posting signs like that, but Lao believes it is his right as a homeowner. Lao told the city council that when people take down their USC and UCLA signs, he’ll take down his "no poop zone" signs."
------------
Well, of course. USC and UCLA signs---"no poop zone" signs--whatever, dude. It is astonishing how petty these neighborhood disputes become, but the evidence mounts up.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Monday, June 09, 2014
Woman, 68, And Male Partner Busted For Public Sex At Florida Retirement Community | The Smoking Gun
Woman, 68, And Male Partner Busted For Public Sex At Florida Retirement Community | The Smoking Gun
Perhaps this was just a case of misunderstanding the advertising:
The Villages, which describes itself as “Florida’s Friendliest Retirement Hometown,” has more than 50,000 residents. The community’s three old-fashioned town squares offer a variety of shopping, dining, and theater options. Additionally, free nightly entertainment--which ends at 9 PM--is offered in the squares, where the official performers are clothed.
Perhaps this was just a case of misunderstanding the advertising:
The Villages, which describes itself as “Florida’s Friendliest Retirement Hometown,” has more than 50,000 residents. The community’s three old-fashioned town squares offer a variety of shopping, dining, and theater options. Additionally, free nightly entertainment--which ends at 9 PM--is offered in the squares, where the official performers are clothed.
Anti-homeless studs at London residential block prompt uproar | Society | theguardian.com
Anti-homeless studs at London residential block prompt uproar | Society | theguardian.com
Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan would have been proud of this innovation from the private sector:
Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan would have been proud of this innovation from the private sector:
Sunday, June 08, 2014
No cartwheels at government meetings!
News from The Associated Press:
"Sixty-five-year-old Dianne Barker told KSAZ-TV this week ( HTTP://BIT.LY/UI1V4J ) that she's been banned from doing cartwheels at meetings held by the Maricopa Association of Governments.
An attorney for the association that oversees regional transportation projects said in a letter to Barker last month that she must "immediately cease performing cartwheels.""
-------------------
The jackboot of tyranny stomps on her vibe. Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link.
"Sixty-five-year-old Dianne Barker told KSAZ-TV this week ( HTTP://BIT.LY/UI1V4J ) that she's been banned from doing cartwheels at meetings held by the Maricopa Association of Governments.
An attorney for the association that oversees regional transportation projects said in a letter to Barker last month that she must "immediately cease performing cartwheels.""
-------------------
The jackboot of tyranny stomps on her vibe. Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link.
Thursday, June 05, 2014
Father-of-seven paints home with stars and stripes after officials tried to force him to make minor alterations to his home | Mail Online
Father-of-seven paints home with stars and stripes after officials tried to force him to make minor alterations to his home | Mail Online
Proving that this doesn't only happen in HOAs: "Brent Greer, 43, was angry when a code enforcement officer visited his home in Bradenton, Florida after someone complained that he had left an old Christmas tree on a balcony - and slapped him with even more complaints. Among the gripes were missing window screens, peeling paint and the need for pressure washing, the Bradenton Herald reported."
Proving that this doesn't only happen in HOAs: "Brent Greer, 43, was angry when a code enforcement officer visited his home in Bradenton, Florida after someone complained that he had left an old Christmas tree on a balcony - and slapped him with even more complaints. Among the gripes were missing window screens, peeling paint and the need for pressure washing, the Bradenton Herald reported."
VIDEO: To Prison For Poverty | MyFDL
VIDEO: To Prison For Poverty | MyFDL
Sometimes I hear from HOA residents that they feel like they are in prison. But there are some people who actually have been incarcerated because of privatization. Private probation companies are getting people locked up for not paying--a modern reincarnation of debtor's prison. And there's a video that tells their story, with a writeup by one of the directors at the link:
"If someone gets a traffic ticket and can’t pay, the judge puts them on “probation,” which really means walking down the hall and signing up for a payment plan with a private probation company who has a contract with the court. If they can’t pay, they go to jail. (Which is somehow supposed to make paying the ticket easier for someone who can’t afford it in the first place.) Like payday lenders, these for-profit companies seek out neighborhoods where they know the population will, on average, have a tougher time paying traffic tickets out right. Then they charge exorbitant fees. Hali Wood was hit with a $41 seat belt ticket. Her payment plan charged a monthly fee of $35. That’s 85% interest! This is unlike any other probation programs we’ve run across in almost two years of producing documentaries about the criminal justice system. Probation is supposed to help people avoid jail or prison. These companies are simply collections agencies on steroids."
Sometimes I hear from HOA residents that they feel like they are in prison. But there are some people who actually have been incarcerated because of privatization. Private probation companies are getting people locked up for not paying--a modern reincarnation of debtor's prison. And there's a video that tells their story, with a writeup by one of the directors at the link:
"If someone gets a traffic ticket and can’t pay, the judge puts them on “probation,” which really means walking down the hall and signing up for a payment plan with a private probation company who has a contract with the court. If they can’t pay, they go to jail. (Which is somehow supposed to make paying the ticket easier for someone who can’t afford it in the first place.) Like payday lenders, these for-profit companies seek out neighborhoods where they know the population will, on average, have a tougher time paying traffic tickets out right. Then they charge exorbitant fees. Hali Wood was hit with a $41 seat belt ticket. Her payment plan charged a monthly fee of $35. That’s 85% interest! This is unlike any other probation programs we’ve run across in almost two years of producing documentaries about the criminal justice system. Probation is supposed to help people avoid jail or prison. These companies are simply collections agencies on steroids."
Wednesday, June 04, 2014
Lincoln Institute of Land Policy: "Land and the City"
I just returned from a conference at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy in Cambridge, MA. The topic: "Land and the City." It was an outstanding conference in every way. The link goes to a summary of the papers. Mine was on the relationship between CID housing and the increase in segregation by income that we have experienced in this country.
Friday, May 30, 2014
Plano HOA: Letters asking for greener lawns 'mistake' in face of water restrictions | wfaa.com Dallas - Fort Worth
Plano HOA: Letters asking for greener lawns 'mistake' in face of water restrictions | wfaa.com Dallas - Fort Worth: PLANO -- It is a delicate balance that some North Texas homeowners are having to strike: to follow water-restrictions while keeping the lawn green.
Residents in one Plano neighborhood raised concerns after they received letters from their Home Owners Association asking them to comply with certain “aesthetic” rules. When News 8 pressed the issue with the HOA, SBB Management, we were told the letters that were sent out were a mistake.
---------
An HOA evergreen story that repeats year after year; only the HOA involved changes.
Residents in one Plano neighborhood raised concerns after they received letters from their Home Owners Association asking them to comply with certain “aesthetic” rules. When News 8 pressed the issue with the HOA, SBB Management, we were told the letters that were sent out were a mistake.
---------
An HOA evergreen story that repeats year after year; only the HOA involved changes.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Riverside Woman Sues Over Her Arrest For Clapping � CBS Sacramento
Riverside Woman Sues Over Her Arrest For Clapping � CBS Sacramento:
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — A woman who was arrested after she repeatedly clapped at a Riverside City Council meeting has filed a federal lawsuit.
The Riverside Press-Enterprise reports that Letitia Pepper argues her constitutional rights were violated.
Pepper, a longtime critic of Riverside government, was taken away in handcuffs last June. Authorities say she disrupted the meeting by repeatedly applauding speakers even after being warned by the mayor.
However, she was never criminally charged.
---------------------
Interesting legal issue that would pertain to CIDs if their meetings were held to the same standard as those of local governments. This could be seen as an example of "symbolic speech," as we call it in the field of constitutional law, which is protected by the First Amendment. Here's the video of Pepper being hauled out of the meeting room. She has had some choice words for the government of Riverside. Also--a person by the same name happens to be an attorney who was recently cited for misconduct by refusing to leave a courtroom after being ordered to do so by a judge. Then there's this. She appears also to be involved with the public debate over marijuana. I would say we can safely conclude that she is a person who fights hard for what she believes to be right, even to the point of challenging people in positions of authority. This federal case involving the clapping will be worth following.
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — A woman who was arrested after she repeatedly clapped at a Riverside City Council meeting has filed a federal lawsuit.
The Riverside Press-Enterprise reports that Letitia Pepper argues her constitutional rights were violated.
Pepper, a longtime critic of Riverside government, was taken away in handcuffs last June. Authorities say she disrupted the meeting by repeatedly applauding speakers even after being warned by the mayor.
However, she was never criminally charged.
---------------------
Interesting legal issue that would pertain to CIDs if their meetings were held to the same standard as those of local governments. This could be seen as an example of "symbolic speech," as we call it in the field of constitutional law, which is protected by the First Amendment. Here's the video of Pepper being hauled out of the meeting room. She has had some choice words for the government of Riverside. Also--a person by the same name happens to be an attorney who was recently cited for misconduct by refusing to leave a courtroom after being ordered to do so by a judge. Then there's this. She appears also to be involved with the public debate over marijuana. I would say we can safely conclude that she is a person who fights hard for what she believes to be right, even to the point of challenging people in positions of authority. This federal case involving the clapping will be worth following.
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Leaky condo crisis rears its head again in B.C.
Leaky condo crisis rears its head again in B.C.: Evidence of a second wave in British Columbia’s leaky-condo crisis is beginning to emerge, 15 years after the first one subsided.
It is becoming more apparent as condo strata corporations prepare mandated depreciation reports on their buildings. That process is forcing them to own up to the condition of their properties and the shortcomings of maintenance programs for structures that weren’t fixed in the first wave of repairs.
Some are buildings that haven’t started leaking until recently, or that owners patched over instead of repairing their underlying defects.
There are still potentially thousands of faulty units that were built during the so-called “leaky-condo” period — from 1982-99 — which were never repaired, but figures on how many have been fixed are difficult to come by.
-----------
The quest for a waterproof condo continues in the rainy lands north of the border. This story like its counterpart in the U.S. has been playing out for decades, drip by drip, drop by drop.
It is becoming more apparent as condo strata corporations prepare mandated depreciation reports on their buildings. That process is forcing them to own up to the condition of their properties and the shortcomings of maintenance programs for structures that weren’t fixed in the first wave of repairs.
Some are buildings that haven’t started leaking until recently, or that owners patched over instead of repairing their underlying defects.
There are still potentially thousands of faulty units that were built during the so-called “leaky-condo” period — from 1982-99 — which were never repaired, but figures on how many have been fixed are difficult to come by.
-----------
The quest for a waterproof condo continues in the rainy lands north of the border. This story like its counterpart in the U.S. has been playing out for decades, drip by drip, drop by drop.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Chuck Yeager, wife, must pay $43,150 in homeowner association dispute - Our Region - The Sacramento Bee
Chuck Yeager, wife, must pay $43,150 in homeowner association dispute - Our Region - The Sacramento Bee: A Sacramento judge has ordered retired Air Force Brigadier General Chuck Yeager and his wife to pay a homeowners association $43,150 in fees.
Superior Court Judge Judy H. Hersher issued her final decision on Monday after a court trial earlier this year in a lawsuit filed by the Park River Oak Estates Homeowners Association against the renowned test pilot.
The suit that was filed in 2008 charged that Yeager, 91, and his wife, Victoria, 55, hadn’t paid their association fees on two units they own in a townhouse complex near Garcia Bend Park.
------------
The general may have had the right stuff to safety navigate the early hazards of flying faster than sound. But like death and taxes, HOA assessments can't be avoided.
Superior Court Judge Judy H. Hersher issued her final decision on Monday after a court trial earlier this year in a lawsuit filed by the Park River Oak Estates Homeowners Association against the renowned test pilot.
The suit that was filed in 2008 charged that Yeager, 91, and his wife, Victoria, 55, hadn’t paid their association fees on two units they own in a townhouse complex near Garcia Bend Park.
------------
The general may have had the right stuff to safety navigate the early hazards of flying faster than sound. But like death and taxes, HOA assessments can't be avoided.
Thursday, May 08, 2014
Lexington neighbors fight for right to help with one another's chores
http://tdn.com/news/local/lexington-neighbors-fight-for-right-to-help-with-one-another/article_4f703382-d57f-11e3-a9ba-001a4bcf887a.html
"Friendly neighbors at Lexington’s Tim Wa Estates scored a victory Tuesday afternoon after battling for months with local property managers. Kalama-based interim property managers of the mobile home park were demanding that a neighborhood volunteer group, Helping Hands, stop offering their free services to elderly and ailing neighbors. They claimed the group violated the park’s “no solicitation” rules. The rules left residents fearing even going next door to borrow a cup of sugar, let alone lending a hand on a neighbor’s yard work. They said they tried to resolve the dispute for months with no response. But late Tuesday, Amber Monte, president of California-based holding firm Investment Property Group, which owns Tim Wa and oversees the Kalama managers, said those managers are gone from the park. “We’ve removed the employees involved from any further involvement with the property,” Monte said in an email. “We’ve contacted Helping Hands directly to relay our complete support for their charitable services and good deeds.”
----------------------------
I guess all's well that ends well, but it started as yet another example of property managers mindlessly ordering people around in some absurd effort to enforce rules for no good reason and in defiance of common sense.
"Friendly neighbors at Lexington’s Tim Wa Estates scored a victory Tuesday afternoon after battling for months with local property managers. Kalama-based interim property managers of the mobile home park were demanding that a neighborhood volunteer group, Helping Hands, stop offering their free services to elderly and ailing neighbors. They claimed the group violated the park’s “no solicitation” rules. The rules left residents fearing even going next door to borrow a cup of sugar, let alone lending a hand on a neighbor’s yard work. They said they tried to resolve the dispute for months with no response. But late Tuesday, Amber Monte, president of California-based holding firm Investment Property Group, which owns Tim Wa and oversees the Kalama managers, said those managers are gone from the park. “We’ve removed the employees involved from any further involvement with the property,” Monte said in an email. “We’ve contacted Helping Hands directly to relay our complete support for their charitable services and good deeds.”
----------------------------
I guess all's well that ends well, but it started as yet another example of property managers mindlessly ordering people around in some absurd effort to enforce rules for no good reason and in defiance of common sense.
Tuesday, May 06, 2014
Broomfield HOA Facing Controversy Over Plan To Kill Rabbits � CBS Denver
Broomfield HOA Facing Controversy Over Plan To Kill Rabbits � CBS Denver
“So they’re going to trap the rabbits in 60 cages and as we walk around our neighborhood we’re going to see these animals trapped awaiting their execution,” said Tasker.
-----------------
I don't believe I have ever heard the word "execution" applied to a rabbit. Why not have a community-building barbecue featuring something that tastes like chicken?
“So they’re going to trap the rabbits in 60 cages and as we walk around our neighborhood we’re going to see these animals trapped awaiting their execution,” said Tasker.
-----------------
I don't believe I have ever heard the word "execution" applied to a rabbit. Why not have a community-building barbecue featuring something that tastes like chicken?
Home buyers want new, but don't want to pay for it
In March, the median sale price for an existing home was $198,500, according to the National Association of Realtors. The median price for a newly built home was $290,000. While some of that premium can be attributed to the fact that builders are now focusing more on higher-end buyers, and therefore building more luxury homes, there is in general at least a 20 percent premium for new construction...Unfortunately for the builders, just 46 percent of the people who strongly prefer a new home are willing to pay the 20 percent premium that new homes typically cost. And even fewer of those who said they somewhat prefer a newly built home would pay the higher price. In total, just 17 percent of those who said they prefer new would actually pay for new.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/home-buyers-want-wont-pay-131356086.html
-------
Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link. Builders are catering increasingly to the affluent. The 1995-2006 housing boom was in part fueled by efforts to expand homeownership down the income distribution. That's all over now. The home ownership rate is falling, more people are renting, and the new housing market is for the wealthy. The rest of us can accept trickle down housing, as Anthony Downs described back in 1975
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/home-buyers-want-wont-pay-131356086.html
-------
Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link. Builders are catering increasingly to the affluent. The 1995-2006 housing boom was in part fueled by efforts to expand homeownership down the income distribution. That's all over now. The home ownership rate is falling, more people are renting, and the new housing market is for the wealthy. The rest of us can accept trickle down housing, as Anthony Downs described back in 1975
Monday, May 05, 2014
Return of 'mansionization' has some L.A. homeowners grumbling - latimes.com
Return of 'mansionization' has some L.A. homeowners grumbling - latimes.com: "Six years ago, Los Angeles politicians imposed new limits on the size of new and renovated houses, promising to rein in what they called "homes on steroids" dwarfing blocks of smaller buildings.
But as the housing market rebounds and construction picks up, many homeowners complain that "mansionization" has revved up — reigniting long-standing policy battles and sometimes bitter fence fights over the face and feel of L.A.'s neighborhoods.
Builders are snapping up smaller, older homes, razing them and replacing them with bigger dwellings. Increasingly, sleek, square structures are popping up along streets known for quaint bungalows."
---------------
Yuck. I lived for many years in and around LA, and the older neighborhoods do have a lot of charm. I'm not a huge fan of "sleek, square structures," as a general rule. But I'm writing a paper now on the increase in segregation by income that has hit many cities over the last three or four decades, and it is apparent that in today's economic and legal environment, the rich take over the neighborhoods they want, and they remake them in the image that suits them. And then they whine about being persecuted and invoke memories of the Third Reich if anybody complains about it.
But as the housing market rebounds and construction picks up, many homeowners complain that "mansionization" has revved up — reigniting long-standing policy battles and sometimes bitter fence fights over the face and feel of L.A.'s neighborhoods.
Builders are snapping up smaller, older homes, razing them and replacing them with bigger dwellings. Increasingly, sleek, square structures are popping up along streets known for quaint bungalows."
---------------
Yuck. I lived for many years in and around LA, and the older neighborhoods do have a lot of charm. I'm not a huge fan of "sleek, square structures," as a general rule. But I'm writing a paper now on the increase in segregation by income that has hit many cities over the last three or four decades, and it is apparent that in today's economic and legal environment, the rich take over the neighborhoods they want, and they remake them in the image that suits them. And then they whine about being persecuted and invoke memories of the Third Reich if anybody complains about it.
Woman attacks HOA president after he nixes neighborhood watch program, deputies say - Sun Sentinel
Woman attacks HOA president after he nixes neighborhood watch program, deputies say - Sun Sentinel: Roberts told the president their Oakland Park Mobile Home Park, located in the 1100 block of Handy Oak Circle in unincorporated West Palm Beach, was experiencing an uptick in crime, deputies said.
But the president said the association didn't have the money to do that. He told deputies he raised his voice at Roberts when he told her the idea wouldn't work.
Roberts, who was calm when describing her idea outside the president's house, became enraged after the president raised his voice, according to the report. She started cursing and stood at his doorway, keeping him from shutting his front door, deputies said.
But the president said the association didn't have the money to do that. He told deputies he raised his voice at Roberts when he told her the idea wouldn't work.
Roberts, who was calm when describing her idea outside the president's house, became enraged after the president raised his voice, according to the report. She started cursing and stood at his doorway, keeping him from shutting his front door, deputies said.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
U.S. Homeownership Rate Falls to the Lowest Since 1995 - Bloomberg
U.S. Homeownership Rate Falls to the Lowest Since 1995 - Bloomberg:
"The share of Americans who own their homes was 64.8 percent in the first quarter, down from 65.2 percent in the previous three months, the Census Bureau said in a report today. The rate is the lowest since the second quarter of 1995, when it was 64.7 percent."
------------------
Is this a problem? At that low point of 1995, the Clinton administration and HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros started the National Homeownership Strategy, which was intended to make home ownership affordable for the lower middle and working classes. Their goal was to get the homeownership rate back up. One of their plans was to make financing easier to come by for people of modest means (see below). I'm not blaming the housing crash on this program, because the major culprits were the financial institutions. Some things went well for a while, with people getting the benefits of home ownership, but then in the early 2000s, the market went competely crazy. Zillions of crappy condos and blighted HOA properties were slapped together, and lunatic loans were made to people who could never pay, just so they could be securitized and sold, and on and on. It's a long, sad story. However, one question we should ask is how high the homeownership rate should really be. I'm not sure that we need to view this as a problem presently.
-------from the announcement of the NHS:---------
"The share of Americans who own their homes was 64.8 percent in the first quarter, down from 65.2 percent in the previous three months, the Census Bureau said in a report today. The rate is the lowest since the second quarter of 1995, when it was 64.7 percent."
------------------
Is this a problem? At that low point of 1995, the Clinton administration and HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros started the National Homeownership Strategy, which was intended to make home ownership affordable for the lower middle and working classes. Their goal was to get the homeownership rate back up. One of their plans was to make financing easier to come by for people of modest means (see below). I'm not blaming the housing crash on this program, because the major culprits were the financial institutions. Some things went well for a while, with people getting the benefits of home ownership, but then in the early 2000s, the market went competely crazy. Zillions of crappy condos and blighted HOA properties were slapped together, and lunatic loans were made to people who could never pay, just so they could be securitized and sold, and on and on. It's a long, sad story. However, one question we should ask is how high the homeownership rate should really be. I'm not sure that we need to view this as a problem presently.
-------from the announcement of the NHS:---------
MAKING FINANCING MORE AVAILABLE, AFFORDABLE, and FLEXIBLE. The
inability (either real or perceived) of many younger families to qualify
for a mortgage is widely recognized as a very serious barrier to
homeownership. The National Homeownership Strategy commits both
government and the mortgage industry to a number of initiatives
designed to:
Cut transaction costs through streamlined regulations and
technological and procedural efficiences.
Reduce downpayment requirements and interest costs by making
terms more flexible, providing subsidies to low- and
moderate-income families, and creating incentives to save for
homeownership.
Increase the availability of alternative financing products in housing
markets throughout the country.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Judge okays the sale of a widow's $280,000 home over unpaid $6.30 tax bill | Mail Online
Judge okays the sale of a widow's $280,000 home over unpaid $6.30 tax bill | Mail Online
And no, this isn't an HOA foreclosure. These are property taxes.
And no, this isn't an HOA foreclosure. These are property taxes.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Nevada Public Radio -- News 88.9 KNPR
Nevada Public Radio -- News 88.9 KNPR
Here's a link to listen to the mp3 of the Nevada Public Radio program I was on this morning.
Here's a link to listen to the mp3 of the Nevada Public Radio program I was on this morning.
Listen to me live on Nevada Public Radio
http://www.knpr.org/son/archive/detail2.cfm?SegmentID=11146
The HOA: Help Or Headache?
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AIR DATE: April 23, 2014
This past weekend, KNPR ran across this story by the Las Vegas Review Journal about a man, geese and an homeowner's association. And that got us wondering about how HOA's are doing now in Nevada, some of the problems with HOAs, as well as the history of the organizations in Las Vegas and nationally.
GUESTSEvan McKenzie, law professor and HOA expert, University of Illinois Chicago
Mike Randolph, founder Homeowner’s Association Services
Michael Buckley, attorney
Mike Randolph, founder Homeowner’s Association Services
Michael Buckley, attorney
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