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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