Happy Holidays 2014

Excuse my absence. With the holidays, a little time frees up to do the things we really love to do or need to do.  Well, the BSV Election ballot has been issued. I expected to submit my intent to run but am too busy at work to commit the to community at this time. BUT, I will say alot of bad stuff continues to happen at Brookside and new slat of candidates doesn't seem to promise any change.  Over the holidays, I will catch you up on what has transpired in the past 6 months or so.  Stay tuned. BTW: I would be happy to accept your Write-In vote for the 2015 Board of Directors.
Happy Holidays!

Going into the May 2014 Board Meeting,
there are already a lot of Board actions in question. Way too many issues to cover in just one post. Many come from my review of the financial reports and Board meeting documents over the last two months. I will be posting those details of my findings, which will show where our money is being spent (or not spent) and the Association's new unorganized management style in decision making.

Take the recently posted meeting agenda, for example, anyone can spend $1,000 on flowers and say "Look what we've done, the place looks great! But here are some real issues that homeowners are concerned with;
1) the Communications Committee is now officially "inactive" at this time. Amazing politics even at  Brookside Village. This Board ran a campaign promising better communications with the community and now the Communications Comm itself is now inactive! Way to go Candice, VP and Director of Communications!
2) the Garden Club is being funded with $2,500 to construct an herb garden for only the 818 and 820 buildings, despite the funds coming from the entire Association. It just happens that one of the Board's biggest supporters, January Blanford, lives in the 818 building and has been driving the garden idea. Way to go self-serving Board!
3) a new business agenda item - "Processes/Authorizations/Delegation". Seems that the Board President has expressed comments on the overwhelming activity within BSV at the last two Board meetings, where it has been taking three Board members to perform the daily duties of the previous on-site manager. With this new agenda topic, is the Board now going to form additional sub-committees, spreading out the work load to more unqualified residents, adding more Chiefs for the Maintenance Dept to answer to? Way to go Nedra, President!
4) another new business agenda item - "Day Time Board Meeting". Here is the best self-serving example from this Board. Moving the monthly HOA meetings to day time (reg work) hours, no homeowners of the membership will be able to attend, except for the 10-or-so retired supporters of this Board. In just two months, the Board has already forgotten who they serve. The Community, AS A WHOLE! Way to go self-serving Board!

I will be observing the entire Board meeting this month because of these self-serving topics. I will report the developments soon after the meeting instead of having to wait a month for the approved minutes to be posted. If anyone would like to join me, please reply to PreserveBSV@gmail.com.

There are a lot issues at BSV,
to catch up on but in the meantime, check out these other public (YELP) postings about one of our HOA Directors with financial authority over our bank accounts! OMG!

Happy Reading - NOT


See http://www.yelp.com/biz/peninsula-fireplace-campbell

See http://www.yelp.com/biz/wilshire-fireplace-pacific-palisades-2

Spurned by the pet waste issues, 

a resident had communicated their concerns in the "dropping of property values due current management's ineptness in making simple management decisions of budgetary concern".

What happens after just a short while, Realtor's in the area start hearing bad stories about Brookside from Sellers. Realtors then start pushing Buyers to better managed and better maintained competing properties. So then, our properties don't sell as quickly, or don't get fair offers or multiple offers, etc, etc.    When new owners move in and start hearing negative gossip, more dissension grows. It is a common reason from BSV Sellers of late along with the rumors of a $10,000 special assessment for the south parking structure that these (Board) residents were spreading around last year..

It is not some intangible or virtual thing(s) that drives supply and demand for real estate. It includes a multifaceted, managed, economic and private sector that is reflected in your selling price.  In the last two years, I started hearing excellent feedback from local Realtors and our properties have been selling high and quickly.  It was previous management's hard work over the last 5 years that righted the ship from these very same persons sitting on the Board now. It is amazing how the cycle of mismanagement continues to repeat itself within Brookside.

A few weeks ago,
you may have noticed that the (6) pet waste stations around BSV were empty for over a week and that the green belts were becoming a basic dumping ground for BSV pets.  Quite a few complaints were filed with the Board.

Soon after, you may have noticed the pet waste stations were filled with white plastic grocery bags and HOA notices were posted to the stations advising residents to carry their own waste bags when walking their dogs. This was explained by the Board as an effort to cut budgetary costs. A few more complaints were filed with the Board.

Soon after that, you may have noticed that the pet waste stations have been filled with the wrong sized waste bags. A few more complaints have been filed with the Board. This was explained as being purchased on a bulk discount from the wrong vendor that supplies the right sized bag for the (6) pet waste stations. The Board has since decided to use up the inventory of the wrong bags before purchasing the right bags. In the meantime, users continue to be frustrated by the Board's penny-pinching error that makes the property look cheap.

Introduction to Brookside Village HOA

The Brookside Village location in South Redondo Beach is an attractive property.  Originally built as multi-unit apartment buildings in the 1970's and converted into homeowner association condominiums in the 1980's. Since incorporation, the original CC&R's have never been updated to modern legislation under the CA Davis-Sterling Act. This alone causes many and frequent frustrations for the 385 homeowner members within the HOA. For instance, the CC&R's allow for  elections of the entire Board on an annual basis.

Over the years, this community has experienced long-term periods of pleasant living under professional management, occasionally with short-term interruptive years of unfortunate self-management by residents. Nearly a decade ago, this association was managed by a group of unqualified residents, who had quickly put the association in financial jeopardy by exhausting cash, borrowing from Reserves, not preparing proper budgets and failing to rely on legal experts and  appropriately raising assessments moderately over time.

2008, new leadership by residents with financial and business expertise had been elected. A new on-site general manager and a new property manager attracted new business leaders each year thereafter to step forward and manage the property. The association had flourished with long term goals despite troubled economic times and a moderate rate of foreclosures.

Today, the general manager is gone and the association is once again self-managed by an unqualified, egotistical Board made up of school teachers and retired individuals with outdated thinking. Where will this Board of Directors lead the association? Not sure, but projections can be made from the past because these are the very same people who self-managed the association in 2004-2007.