Surfing in HB on a Sunday Morning

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No, not that kind of surfing! Although it looks to be a great day to be out at the beach, I'm referring to web-surfing. I have a bit of unexpected time on my hands, so I thought I'd check out what's of note regarding our city and neighborhood.

Are you prepared for disaster? - As someone who thought long and hard about whether to move to Earthquake Country, I'm pathetically unprepared when it comes to readiness. It's always a good idea to put plans into place and stock up. I think the writer makes an excellent point about "do the math" - 11 fire trucks for 200,000 residents. I think too often, even at Seabridge, we fall into the assumption that someone else will take care of things for us. The primary responsibility lies with each of us.

The Local HB - I just stumbled upon this site, and it seems to work hard to create a local experience. Especially as it has coupons for Brix and Slowfish, spots that I know are favorites of Seabridge residents, it's worth checking out.

Speaking of Slowfish - I was there on Friday night, and it was packed. It's nice that we have some great local restaurants nearby. In addition to Slowfish, we have Cafe Gazelle (has anyone tried it?) and Sea Siam. I lament that none are in walking distance, but I'll get by.

Head of Seabridge (and the Charles)

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An impromptu gathering of neighbors was held in the wee hours of Saturday morning. The reason? The 43rd Annual Head of the Charles Regatta, in which resident David Gleeson was competing. Thanks to modern technology, we in California gathered in pajamas and were able to watch the live webcast at 5:30 AM.

And while I'm hardly a morning person, some things are worth rolling out of bed for. This event was one of those, with David delivering a solid first place finish in his category! (David gave new meaning to the term giving chase).

Hearty congratulations to David from his Seabridge fan base!

(I would also like to note that Seabridge Journal scooped even the Boston Globe in bringing you this news first.)

Thoughts from the 10/16/07 Regular Board Meeting

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Taking a Pulse Check

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So, Seabridge Journal has been around about 3 months now. I'd like to know whether you find it worthwhile. I don't necessarily write anything expecting feedback, but one of my goals is to help increase community and communication, so I'd like to know if you think it's beneficial. What features do you find most useful?

If you find this blog helpful, you can assist by sharing the website with others. Do your neighbors read/subscribe to Seabridge Journal? Maybe they would be interested in learning about it from you...

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Deep Thoughts from the Guru

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As I mentioned in the earlier post, it had been a while since I checked the website of the California Condo Guru, Beth Grimm, so I thought I'd pay it a visit. There were some interesting updates, and below I'll share with you some of the ones I found to be most interesting.

Earthquake Insurance - What are some of the things we should be thinking about? What risks are we willing to take on? What risks are we putting on our neighbors? This is an interesting perspective on the topic.

Additional Perspective on Earthquake Insurance - some additional considerations on the subject

Homeowner Conduct - It's all too easy to focus on what the board does, but sometimes it's helpful to think about how we homeowners conduct ourselves. Even if we don't engage in such behavior ourselves, we might know of someone who does.

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New Law Affecting Board Meetings

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It's been a while since I've written about the California Condo Guru, but I'll have to remember to check her work more often. It's always insightful and relevant.

For example, I recently came across a post from August entitled "Should Agendas Be Required With Meeting Notices?". It discussed a bill pending in the State Legislature that requires boards of HOAs to post agendas prior to meetings, and to only discuss items on the agenda. I've long been an advocate of getting meeting topics out to people in advance, so that homeowners can know what the board plans to discuss, and they can share their opinions on those topics in open forum. How can the board hear from homeowners on projects like entry gate upgrades if homeowners don't know prior to a meeting that this topic will be acted on? Nonetheless, I was still a bit surprised when I went to check on the status of the bill and found it had been signed into law by the governor on September 26th.

So, it will be interesting to see how our board and management company handle the requirement, and where the agenda will be posted. There is the community bulletin board in the pool area, but I would love to see it available on-line, via the association's website.

This also provides me with the opportunity to remind you that there is a board meeting tomorrow, October 16th at 7PM in the Clubhouse. As I understand it, the law is already in effect, so it will be interesting to see how it's followed. I do recognize that it's less than a month old and often difficult to keep on top of every new requirement.

UPDATE 10/17/07: - I was once again impressed with Morgen Hardigree, who was aware of this bill's passing and explained that it would be taking effect 1/1/08. (I still have not seen any dates in the bill, so if someone out there understands the process and can explain how we know when it takes effect, enlighten me!) I am also pleased to report that the board president and management supported making agendas and minutes available to homeowners via the website. That was really the key thing for me, as it's important that you understand what work the board is doing on your behalf, and that you have a chance to participate in a meaningful way.

UPDATED 10/20/07: - The California Legislative Information website explains that most bills that are signed into law take effect January of the following year. Only urgency bills and certain other measures take effect immediately. Still, I hope that the board gets an early start on the spirit of the measure.

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Report from the 10/9/07 Special Board Meeting

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Registered homeowners may click here to read the story.

Also, don't forget the regular monthly board meeting, next Tuesday, October 16th at 7PM in the Clubhouse.

Pearls Of Wisdom

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One of our neighbors shared these Pearls of Wisdom from CAI, the Community Associations Institute. CAI puts out some pretty good educational material for homeowners associations, and I think this is right in line with their other stuff.

You may read it and think they are obvious - but it's amazing how many people live in HOAs - or lead HOAs - and have little awareness of these. I think it's well worth a read.

Among my favorites...

• 1. Review the covenants, conditions and restrictions
  (CC&Rs) and other association documents before you buy a home.

• 2. Read them again when you move in. It's amazing to me how we can all manage to remember just our favorite ones. Or think that we never agreed to abide by them.

• 6. Follow the rules.

• 7. Serve on a committee.

• 8. Serve on the board or, at a minimum, attend board meetings.

• 9. Don’t expect someone else to do it for you. Amen.

• 28. Use CAI courses and information to learn how to run a community association and work most effectively with others in your community.

• 29. Study the documents before you enforce them.

• 123. Conduct surveys to gauge community opinion and solicit input.

How about you? Which ones resonate with you? Share your thoughts in the Comments...

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This has nothing whatsoever to do with Seabridge

But I still think it's very cool.

Click here.

And share with us in the Comments which way it was turning for you! (counterclockwise for me)

About Town - News Roundup

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This is another in a continuing series of article regarding local news items you may find interesting.

Pinkberry hits HB - Have you heard of the Pinkberry craze? The taste that launched 1000 parking tickets? Heck, they even have a wikipedia entry. Well, the first Orange County one opened in Bella Terra last night, and this reporter was on the scene earlier this week to scope it out for you. (Verdict: I prefer Beachberries).

Edinger Project - The groundbreaking gets underway this month, but the group still needs to raise money to take advantage of a city grant. I thought it might be nice to bundle some contributions from Seabridge when I attend a meeting at the end of this month - would anyone be interested in doing so? Please comment below. The contributions would be from the individual, but I would present with a Seabridge "wrapper" to highlight our community's support.

Trivia Night - There's a nice promo in the Wave for the Literacy Volunteers' Trivia Challenge on October 25th. We're hoping to fill the Library Auditorium with spectators. It's free - so please feel free to join us. There will be an opportunity drawing for cool prizes, and the proceeds support literacy programs, so I hope you can make it.

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Special Board Meeting - October 9, 2007

I'm a bit late in my posting of this, but there is a special meeting of the board tonight, October 9th, at 7PM 6PM in the clubhouse. Word has it that the meeting will cover planning for upcoming projects, including streets, roofs and CC&Rs.

Seabridge's Own Triathletes

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Our own Bill and Bryan Schubert, joined by Bill's sister Mimi, competed in the Long Beach Triathlon on September 23rd.

Although this was Bryan's first triathlon, he's no stranger to them, as he has watch bothed mom and dad participate in years past. And clearly, he is off to a great start, finishing the 11 mile bike ride in 46 minutes, and averaging 14 miles per hour. All in all, "Team Schubert" finished a respectable 26 out of 34 teams.

Be sure to congratulate Bill and Bryan as you see them around the community! Even better, plan to cheer them on as they compete in their next one. Bryan is already planning to participate in triathlons in San Diego and Newport Beach next Spring.

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Found

Did you or anyone you know lose a video iPod over the weekend? If so, it's been found. Contact me with information regarding the player and its contents, and we'll reunite you!