All Around Town with YouTube

This blog isn't all about board news. Another goal is to inform the community of things going on in our neighborhood and town. The links on the right are automatically updated with Huntington Beach news pulled from the Register and local papers. YouTube is a great source of local color, and new videos from our neck of the woods are continually popping up. Here are few of the interesting ones I've seen recently - click on the picture to watch the video.

First, we have local sensation, Tyson, the skateboarding bulldog. I saw this guy in Central Park and was amazed. Apparently, he didn't need to be taught. He gets upset when he can't skateboard.

Next are some interesting clips of rays in the Bolsa Chica wetlands and the harbor. I always delight in seeing them myself just off our docks.

Next up is a nice overview of our favorite Dog Beach. The beach was recently the subject of some press when the city told the operators they couldn't sell merchandise on the bluff (the city has now decided to allow it)

We conclude with an interesting study of the "California Rolling Stop" at Heil & Saybrook. It couldn't be any of us, of course! ;-)

If you have any other videos to suggest, let me know. Better yet, take some ones of our own community and suggest them for publication here.

Special Meeting Called for July 3rd at 6PM

Hear ye, Hear ye...

I was just in the pool area and saw a meeting notice posted. It announces that there will be a special board of directors meeting on July 3rd at 6PM in the clubhouse. The discussion topics are landscaping and asphalt replacement.

Given the topics and the way the notice reads, I believe this is an open meeting and as such will have homeowner forum at the beginning. If you have opinions on either of the above topics, or just want to have a better understanding of what decisions are being made on behalf of the community, I recommend attending this meeting.

"The Association"

When I served on the board a few years back, most homeowners invariably referred to the management company, or occasionally the board of directors, when they spoke of "The Association". "The Association sent me a violation letter", "The Association needs to fix my leak", "The Association just raised our dues".

What many homeowners don't understand is that WE are "The Association". That's right - the Seabridge Homeowners Association is a non-profit California Corporation with 132 members corresponding to the 132 units in our Common Interest Development (CID). We elect a Board of Directors to direct the affairs of the association, and the Board of Directorshires a Management Company to manage the day-to-day operations that the association is responsible for.

I like to think of these three entities as forming a triangle, and life in our Seabridge Community works well when all 3 are in balance. If the management company is weak, we don't get good advice or prompt attention to maintenance issues. If the board is weak, we don't get sound decisions that take the current and future needs of our whole community into account.

But lately, it seems that the homeowners are the weak leg of our triangle. We need to provide input to the board of directors in making decisions, observe the decision-making process, and respect the authority they were entrusted with. We also need to have a better understanding of what's going on in meetings, and what our rights and responsibilities are. I hope this blog can help in both regards. Whether you knew what you were getting into or not, you chose to live in a common interest development, and now have some responsibilities if you care about how your home is maintained and your assessments are spent.

As a start, I suggest the following:

• Get a basic understanding of how Common Interest Developments work in California
• Request meeting agendas in advance; then attend regular board meetings
• Request homeowner association minutes
• READ the information sent to you. There's usually a time window wherein your input can make a difference
• Make sure you have a copy of our CC&Rs (Covenants, Codes and Restrictions). It documents the responsibilities of the Seabridge HOA - and the Association isn't responsible for everything.

It's not as bad as it looks. And you're not in it alone. Post comments to this blog, for example, if you have questions.

Don't wait until a decision is made to complain! It is the responsibility of every homeowner with concerns to know what will be discussed in a board meeting and to let the directors know your thoughts before a decision is made. You'd be surprised - they might listen to a compelling argument. The squeaky wheel may occasionally get some grease, but it's not going to contribute to the overall health and well-being of our association. And after all, WE homeowners are the association.

Annual Meeting - June 19, 2007

Registered Seabridge homeowners may click here for story.

Introduction

So, I thought I'd use this first post of the Seabridge Journal to explain its genesis and purpose. I have always found communication to be critical to the effective running of our association. Beyond that, it serves to connect neighbors and develop a stronger sense of community. With that in mind, I started the communications committee and Seabridge website.

These have worked very well, but are labor-intensive. So I have tremendous respect for those individuals who seek to keep them going, but I have passed the torch to them. It's just too much for me at the moment. I also came to find the newsletter format to be too structured and demanding -- publication deadlines, formatting in Word, visits to Kinkos, and the 800+ stairs to climb when delivering the final product. Often more time is spent on production than the actual tasks of communicating and informing.

With new technology available today, and a new board taking the reigns, it seems like a great time to make a fresh start. This blog will be available to anyone who chooses to subscribe. Posts will be made when something newsworthy occurs, not just monthly. And while I plan to write about goings-on in the community, this format will also allow me to post other items of interest. It goes without saying - but I'll say it anyway: the opinions published here are mine alone and do not represent those of the Seabridge Homeowners Association. I seek to accurately represent what I hear at meetings, but you should always confirm for yourself by requesting minutes.

I welcome your comments and feedback.