posted 17 October 2014
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The Community Wide Garage sale took place on October 11th. Garages were open and display tables set up with a variety of items for sale. Both fire gates and the Cabana and Lago gates were open for shoppers to come in the complex. Most participating residents thought the number of shoppers was lower than in previous garage sales. Also fewer residents participated which was attributed to the short notice of the event. Some attributed the lower traffic and shoppers to the modest number of signs announcing and directing people to the sale. The traffic went up when two enterprising participants placed two large stuffed bears with signs at the Lago and Cabana gates. Those who participated would like to see it become an annual event with more notice so more residents would participate.■ |
posted 7 Novermber 2014
Community Manager Mike Sukey has been re-assigned by Action Property and is no longer our HOA Community Manager. Julie Carter from Action is our current Community Manager. You can e-mail her at jcarter@actionlife.com or call
949-450-0202 and ask for Julie Carter. ■ |
updated 8 October 2014
The railings on these recently rebuilt balconies are  a new design. The top cap board on the railing isnot used in the new design. (See photos) The new railings should help lessen the dry rot of therailings since pots, plants and other items can no longer be placed on the top of the railings. The watering of plants on top of the old railings and the installation of satellite dishes and  use of nails on the railings contributed to the dryrot and termite damage to railings and balconies. The use of the new design should save the HOA money in the future.
Let The HOA Know
If you have dry rot or termite damage on your balcony, let Action Property Management know. The exterior of the buildings in the complex is the HOA's responsibility and paid for with your HOA dues. ■ |
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posted 6 Novermber 2014
Announcement:
BOARD MEMBER MOVES
Board Member Cheryl Boyd has sold her condo and moved from Harbour Vista. She was elected to the Board for the 2013-2014 term and was re-elected in June of this year for the 2014-2015 term. She served as a water shut-off volunteer along with her other responsibilities as a Board Member. Harbour Vista News hopes she enjoys her new home. There has been no announcement as to who will be appointed or replace her.■ |
updated 25 October 2014
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OWNERS PETITION BOARD
 A homeowner at Harbour Vista is concerned that owners can only have one real estate sign placed in a window of their condo when they are selling or leasing their unit. So, he decided to start a Petition asking the Board to re-install the Sign Posts for Real Estate signs for properties that are For Sale or For Lease/Rent in Harbour Vista. The Petition points out that having a place where Real Estate signs are visible from the street (Heil & Green) is an important part of advertising and marketing a property that is being sold or leased. Harbour Vista owners who need to sell or lease their condo(s) are at a disadvantage by not having a centralized, street visible place for Real Estate signage. The Petition was signed by numerous on site and off site owners and respectfully submitted to the Board for their consideration. It is the hope of those who signed the Petition that the Board will install sign posts at the corner of Heil and Green on both sides of the complex. ■
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example of what happens without a common area sign post
Editor Note: For the October 27 Meeting of the HOA, this petition will be on the agenda. |
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posted 28 September 2014
Unique Way to Post Notices
A new way to receive notices was experienced by residents when they went to their mailboxes!
A small folded flyer announcing the upcoming "Community Garage Sale" was taped to each mailbox. Unfortunately many of the flyers came off and landed on the ground around the mailboxes.■
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posted 26 October 2014
DISPOSAL OF LARGE ITEMS
Recently three mattresses and a refrigerator were abandoned by the trash bin enclosure next to the Cabana-Blackbeard-Lago mail box kiosk. While two mattresses were placed inside the trash bin
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after door removed and items relocated |
enclosure, the remaining mattress and the refrigerator were placed outdside the enclosure blocking its gate. This prevents our regular trash pick up company Rainbow from opening the gate to empty the trash bin. There was also the safety issue with the abandoned refrigerator with its attached door.
Board Responds
Board member Mike Peduzzi at the President's request remove the refrigerator door thereby eliminating the safety concern. The mattress and the refrigerator were moved from blocking the trash bin gate.
Unscheduled Pick-Up
Action dispatched Strategic Sanitation Services to make an unscheduled pick-up to remove the items. Strategic is contracted to come every other
Thursday to clean the trash bin enclosure and take away any items that Rainbow does not take. Rainbow does not take anything that is not in the trash bins (e.g. furniture, appliances, barbeques etc.).
Editor Note: Residents should call Action if they need to discard large items and to verify the pickup day. No one should ever place large items in front of the trash bins.■
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posted 19 June 2014
ByLaws Amendements Ballot Measure
The Election to change the HOA Bylaws did not receive the required number of returned Ballots to meet the majority quorum. Therefore, the election will simply dissolve.
As it stands, the current Bylaws still call for Cumulative voting in HOA Board of Directors Elections and One Year terms for elected Board members.
Because the needed quorum was not met the Ballots were not opened and will not be counted. There was not enough interest for these changes despite the original mailing of the ballots to homeowners and a second mailing to those homeowners who did not return the first ballot. Only 83 Ballots were received and that does not meet the needed quorum. ■
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posted 25 August 2014
USE CAUTION: Pedestrian Bridges
Recently, it has been brought to the Board's attention that the wooden pedestrian bridges around the community streams are in need of maintenance. The Board of Directors is in the process of having the bridges evaluated. In the meantime, please utilize care when using the bridges.
* from posting from the Action Property Manager at http:harbourvistahoa.com.■ |
posted 5 July 2014
CLEVER PLACE FOR REAL ESTATE SIGN
You may have noticed the "For Rent" sign displayed on the top of a parked car on Green. It seems a  property owner in Harbour Vista has one of their condos available for rent. This owner first placed a sign on the grass area just outside of the Lago gate. The sign was gone by the next day. So, they next placed another sign in front of the City sign post near the Lago Gate. That sign also disappeared the next day.
So, knowing they needed to have a sign that the public driving or walking by the complex could see from the street, they came up with another way to display the sign.
Car Parked with Sign
They parked their car on Green with the sign attached to the car's roof! The sign is very visible and it's getting results. They started getting phone calls inquiring about the condo, and several people scheduled appointments to see the condo. The owner thinks it will be rented very soon.
Policy was Announced
The HOA Board made a decission to not replace the real estate sign posts that were at the  corners of the complex at Heil and Green when they were removed for dry rot. This was where real estate signs were posted. The Board announced at the January 2014 HOA meeting that a new policy would not allow real estate sign posts in common areas as part of the beautification project for the complex. Owners are allowed to place one real estate sign only in the window of their unit as stated in the CC&R’s which may or may not be visible from the street. ■
Editor Note: A couple of days after the "For Rent" signs were removed, Action Property Manager contact the owner and told him that he could pick up his property at their offic in Invine.
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posted 19 March 2014
Residents of Harbour Vista were recently welcomed to their mailboxes by six flyer postings (count them) reminding homeowners to vote to
change the HOA Bylaws. “There is hardly any room for anyone else to post anything on the Community Bulletin Boards.” The election and counting of the ballots will be at the HOA meeting on March 31st.
The Question Is
"Do these changes really make a difference and help Harbour Vista move forward?" or "Do they simply help secure re-election of the current Board??" ■
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"Since the downsizing of the membership,
the voting procedure will be simpler" |
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posted 27 May 2014
WHY TWO MAILERS??
Homeowners recently received not one but two mailers from the HOA Board. The mailers were  the Board’s “Progress Report”. Several homeowners wondered why they received two of the same mailer? It seems the fist mailer was printed in black ink. The HOA Board had requested that it be printed in “color”. So, Action did a second mailing of the same report in “color”. The content of the two mailers was the same. Action stated that they will not charge the Association for the first mailing. ■ |
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posted 27 July 2014
New Grunion Outgoing Mailbox
A new outgoing mailbox has been installed on the Grunion side of the complex. There is now daily mail pick-up for the residents on Grunion. The mailbox is located on the outside wall of the bulletin board area facing the parking lot.■
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posted 19 January 2014
HOA SIGN POSTS
Mysteriously Removed
| The two wooden sign posts at the HOA common grass areas at the corner of Green and Heil are missing. These two sign post have been the designated common area place for Real Estate signs advertising "For Sale" or "For Rent/Lease" properties in the complex for many years. The corner location where the sign posts and signs were allowed was visible from the street which made it the best location for advertising the sale or rent of a Harbour Vista property. Without these designated sign posts property owners selling their properties have no choice but to have their Realtor put the real estate signs up in other places creating an “eye sore” and in violation of our Harbour Vista CC&R’s. |
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original sign |
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| 2ft deep 4X4 Hole |
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Hefty Signs
The signs posts were hefty—constructed of 4x4”, 12 foot long stacks supporting cross beams sunken 2 feet into the ground. They were purchased and installed by the HOA some years ago. It was a complex job to remove them. Only a 4x4” hole remains.
Knew Nothing
Action Property Management was notified of the posts disappearance. They stated they had no work order for the removal of the posts and knew nothing about who removed them.
Signs Gathering
Real estate signs are the “best” way to advertise properties for sale or rent and it is important they be in a place visible from the street. Property Owners/ Sellers and their Realtors find
themselves in a dilemma as to where they can hang their signs. One “For Sale” sign is hanging from the patio roof for a Grunion property that is on the market (see picture) so it can be seen from Heil. This violates all sorts of Association rules. Another real estate sign has been placed in the Common Area grass by a unit on Lago
that is for sale along with an additional sign for the same property attached to the balcony railing of the unit. Again this violates Association rules..but with no other designated area for these signs what is the Homeowner/Seller and the Realtor to do??
CC&R’s
Our Harbour Vista CC&R’s Section 8.04 states “The Board of Directors shall erect within the Common Areas a master directory of Units which are for sale or for lease.” This requirement was fulfilled by the HOA purchasing and erecting the now missing posts for signs and designating this area for that purpose. Replacing the posts will not be a trivial expense.
If you know what happened to the posts or saw them being removed Harbour Vista News would appreciate you contacting us with that information. You can remain anonymous.
Let’s hope the current Board addresses this problem/dilemma quickly!■
Follow On: Our Property Manager Taylor DeLauder at Action responded that the Sign Post were removed at the direction of the Board because they were dry rotted. It would have been better planning if replacement posts were available at the time the old posts were taken down so there would be no disruption and confusion about where Real Estate Signs can be placed. Let's hope that new Sign Posts will be installed very soon so Homeowners and their Realtors don't have Signs posted in places that violate the CC&R's and the R&R's.
He also stated "Under Section 8.04 of the CC&R's it states that a sign advertising the sale/lease of a unit can be placed within a unit but not upon any portion of the Common Area.
A running list of the units for sale/ for lease can be placed within the bulletin board of the complex maintained by the Board."
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posted 24 August 2014
NEWS FLASH
Action Property Management has assigned our new Community Manager. His name is Michael Sukey. His email is msukey@actionlife.com. You may contact him by phone by calling Action Community Care at 800-400-2284. Harbour Vista News Welcome Michael Sukey.■ |
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posted 3 March 2014
BOARD SET TO AMEND “QUALIFICATIONS FOR BOARD MEMBERS”
In recent two mailings from the Board and Action Property Management Company Homeowners/Property owners received notice of proposed changes to the Qualifications for Members of the Board of Directors. The Board will take a final vote on these changes at the HOA Board meeting on March 31st. The Board decided not to go to the homeowners for a vote on these changes, only the Board will vote on these amendments to our Election Rules.
These proposed changes make significant changes to who will be eligible to be elected to and serve on future Boards.
Disqualifying Owners Who Do Not Live Here
The first mailing proposes only owners whose primary residence is in the unit they own in Harbour Vista will be eligible. This will eliminate the owners of about 40% of the units in Harbour Vista, this totally disenfranchises these owners from serving on the Board. We currently have one Board member who owns several units in the complex, and was the top vote getter in last year’s election of Board Members. Also, the Editor of Harbour Vista News owns a unit in the complex but does not live in it. He too, was elected to the Board and served a term of one year before choosing to donate his time and resources to publishing the Harbour Vista News to have more communication about our community and HOA.
With these changes owners who do not live in the complex and want to serve on the Board will not be eligible.
Other Changes
Other changes that will apply to Owners who want to be a candidate for the Board are: you must be current in paying all HOA dues/assessments for the three months immediately preceding the date of the election; and you must be in Compliance with all Governing Documents. Compliance means you would have to correct any violation of the Governing Documents of the HOA, within five days after receipt of notice of violation.
You have time to let the Board know what you think about these changes. You can e-mail the Board or Taylor DeLauder or you can attend the March 31st meeting and voice your opinion.
IF THE BOARD VOTES TO AMEND THESE ELECTION RULES THEY WILL APPLY FOR THE UPCOMING ELECTION OF BOARD MEMBERS IN JUNE.
THE BALLOT MAILING
The Ballot mailing you received asks you to VOTE on two changes to our current Bylaws.
- The first change would be to have Board members serve two year staggered terms. Currently Board Members are elected for a one year term. There have been times in the past when it was difficult to find owners willing to run for a seat on the Board and to serve for just one year. In the future we may have a problem finding qualified owners to serve on our Board. This change would eliminate having a slate of five new Board members being elected at a time. It can be a problem for the functioning of our HOA to have five new, inexperienced Board members elected at a time.
- The second change would disallow cumulative voting. Since the beginning of our HOA, we have had cumulative voting. Owners could cast their five for the candidates of their choice by voting one vote for each of the five candidates, all five of their votes for one candidate, three votes for one candidate and two votes for another candidate an so forth. With this change you can only cast one vote per candidate. You may choose to not use all five of your votes if there are only two or three candidates you want to vote for in the election in June therefore throwing away your other votes.
YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT!
Your vote on these changes to our Bylaws is important. Be sure to follow the instructions on how to vote and then mail your ballot. Follow the instructions carefully (so your ballot is not disqualified) and return it on time before the March 31st HOA Board meeting.
IF THESE AMENDMENTS PASS AT THE ELECTION ON MARCH 31ST. THEY WILL APPLY TO THE UPCOMING ELECTION OF BOARD MEMBERS THIS JUNE.■
Related Article: "Surprise Proxy Letter" |
posted 22 February 2014
Surprise "Proxy Letter"
Recently HOA members received a letter from Taylor DeLauder our Community Manager from Action Property Management. The letter included a “Non-Voting, For Quorum Purposes Only” Proxy for HOA members to sign and return. No return envelope was provided.
Three Years
The Proxy would give the Board of Directors your non-voting Proxy for Quorum purposes only for ALL Annual Membership Meetings for a Term of Three (3) YEARS.
Clarifications
Since the letter and Proxy request was confusing to many homeowners/property owners Harbour Vista News contacted Taylor DeLauder for clarification and we also researched the HOA Governing Documents. Here’s some clarification we received.
- The Annual Membership meeting takes place in June of every year. Prior to the meeting HOA Members receive a mailing that includes the official Ballot for voting for the Board of Directors for the coming year and may contain other items to be voted on by the Membership. Per the HOA Governing Documents there must be a Quorum of 51% (91 ballots) of ballots returned by the Annual Meeting. If there are not 91 ballots received by this meeting, the meeting is adjourned to another date where the required Quorum drops to 25% (45 ballots) received ballots. HOA MEMBERS DO NOT HAVE TO BE PRESENT AT THE ANNUAL MEETING TO BE COUNTED FOR THE QUORUM. The HOA MEMBER’S BALLOT THAT HAS BEEN RETURNED/RECEIVED BY THE ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING COUNTS TOWARD THE REQUIRED QUORUM.
- If you sign and return the Proxy, you will still receive a ballot and be able to vote. The Proxy has no effect on the actual elections. It is only to reach the needed quorum if there are not enough ballots received by the Annual Meeting date.
- The additional cost to the HOA if the Annual Meeting has to be adjourned due to lack of Quorum is minimal. The costs to the HOA are associated with the mailings of the secret ballots, which is roughly $100 for printing, envelopes and postage. The only other cost is for the Ballot Inspector (person hired to verify and count the ballots) which is $100. If a second meeting is needed there would be another notice of the meeting mailed and another fee for the Ballot Inspector, costing the HOA around $200 or less. The HOA has incurred a minimal cost for preparing, printing, envelopes and postage for the Proxy Letter.
- The three (3) year term is the maximum time period allowed by Davis-Sterling CC 7613 and since our HOA Bylaws are silent on the term it was decided to have the maximum three(3) year term allowed.
Conclusion
In conclusion it seems this is an attempt by the Board to insure a Quorum at the Annual Meeting by having Proxies to meet the quorum if there are not enough ballots returned by the meeting. There may be some additional administrative issues if a member has signed the Proxy and returned it and then revokes the Proxy by voting and returning their ballot on time. There will need to be a check of ballots against proxies.
We hope this answers some of the questions/confusion about signing/giving your proxy to the Board.■
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posted 20 March 2014
Editor's Notes:
- Your VOTE is important. Although the Amendments to the Bylaws Ballot is long and contains a lot of legal language there are simply only two major changes. One is to have TWO YEAR STAGGERED TERMS and the other is TO CHANGE CUMULATIVE VOTING. The Board now has around thirty (30) non-voting, for quorum only PROXIES they can use to meet quorum at the March 31st counting of Ballots. It is all the more important that you return your Ballot so your choice on these amendments to be “AGAINST” OR “IN FAVOR” will be counted. For over 30 years our Election Rules have worked fine. Why change them now?? Who benefits from these changes? Is it the HOA Members or the HOA Board Members to secure their re-election? Harbour Vista News suspects it is the latter, therefore we urge our Readers to return your Ballot marked “AGAINST” on both Amendments.
- The Board will vote on the changes to QUALIFICATIONS FOR BOARD MEMBERS at the March 31st meeting. While you will NOT have a Vote on these changes you can let the Board know if you AGREE OR DISAGREE with these changes. Some homeowners in Harbour Vista have expressed their resentment of the number of condos that are renter occupied. They also express a concern that if the owners of the rental units are allowed to serve on the Board they might raise our HOA dues. This “FEAR” IS UNFOUNDED. The owners who have rental units in the complex have just as much concern that the complex be well maintained and that the HOA DUES be reasonable and NOT go up! They pay HOA dues just like Homeowners who live in the complex and will have to pay any special assessments that come in the future. I am one of those owners and this is how I feel. Also, some of these Owners might be willing to serve on future Boards and have experience and knowledge that would benefit our HOA. Lastly, it seems only FAIR that there be a BALANCE on the BOARD and Owners who have rental property in the complex can be a part of future Boards. They have an investment in the community!!"
“We are all in this together™” -- Michael Barto
Reference: Amend "Qualifications for Board Members" |
posted 30 December 2013 (revised 1/7/14)
Graffiti Vandalism on Heil
The perimeter block wall along Heil Avenue on the Grunion Side of the complex was vandalized the weekend (December 28th) with Graffiti. Harbour Vista has experienced some modest Graffiti vandalism from time to time, but never to this extents. It has taken eight days for it to be removed.
This vandalism was reported on December 30 to Action Property Managementm (new years eve). But it was a very bad time for this to happen as many of the Harbour Vista maintenance companies were on vacations. On January 7, 2014, Island Pacific Contractor power washed the walls to remove the Graffiti. The was eight day since it was first reported.
 Graffiti vandalism is motivated by the perpetrators ego. Accoding to psychologist, the longer the Graffiti stays up the more the perpetrator is motivated to do it again. Residents who see Graffiti vandalism should be reported it to Action Property Management. You can also send email to the HAO Board. There is no legal requirement to call the police. If you observe any person committing this act, Immediately call the police. Do not confront the perpetrator or perpetrators directly.
The City of Huntington Beach has a Graffiti Hot Line which is 714-960-8861. Photo graphs of the graffiti will be taken and police report filed. Certain styles of Graffiti has been identified to individuals. But according to the Police Department, the only way that this can be stopped is catch them in the act-which is very difficult to do. If you see graffiti, do not assume it has already been reported. As property owners at Harbour Vista, we are all responsible for maintaining the community.■ |
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