Monday, April 28, 2008

"Meet the Candidates" Concept


E-mail readers, click on "Meet the Candidates Concept" above for full story.

In recent years, California has tightened up the way elections are conducted in community associations. I think this is generally good, as people should be able to truly vote in secret, and they should make their own choices rather than turn the decision over to the association president or whoever comes knocking on their door asking for their proxy.

Some of the downsides are that I don't believe you can "recall" your ballot once you've voted, and most people have voted by the time the annual meeting comes along. It's far less likely, then, that the majority of the community will get a chance to hear the candidates speak and pose questions to them before making a decision.

So here's a thought I'd like to throw out to my readers: what would you say to a "Seabridge Candidates' Forum" here on The Bridge? The concept would be as follows:

  • Readers submit questions that they would like posed to all candidates.

  • All candidates are invited to participate and will be "featured" a few days apart, with the order determined by random drawing.

  • Each candidate who chooses to participate can provide further information to the community on why they should be elected, and will be asked to answer the submitted questions.

  • The Comments section will be a way for you to follow up with the candidate with additional questions and responses.

Weigh in with your feedback and additional suggestions on this concept in the Comments section of this post. And in the meantime, you can get the word out to your neighbors so that we have a good audience for such an event. I anticipate that this discussion will take place in the homeowners-only section of The Bridge so interested homeowners can shoot me an e-mail to gain access to that.

A Bit of Pasta Heaven on Earth

E-mail readers, click on "A Bit of Pasta Heaven on Earth" for full story

Downtown Long Beach is at the edge of Seabridge Territory, but neighbor Debby and I just had a dining experience there that was too amazing not to write about.

Pâtes Fraîches means "fresh pasta" in French - and that perfectly describes the essence of the restaurant: fresh, artisan pasta with a french flair. It's located just east of downtown Long Beach, at 1st and Elm, in an area that's seeing a lot of redevelopment. As it's situated on the corner, it has two full walls of windows that let in a lot of light. The back wall is a colorful mosaic of tiles based on a french textile. And the focal point of the restaurant is the 10-person communal table in the center. You can almost imagine that the people surrounding you are family.

But it's the food that was the highlight of the experience. The herb salad tasted like it came right from the garden, with a mix of flavors that blended perfectly. I had a whole-wheat fusilli with fresh tomatoes, basil and mozzarella, while Debby had a wonderful salmon and asparagus on top of barley cavatelle shells. All the pasta is made fresh daily by the restaurant. Neither of us could pass up dessert, so we shared the chocolate mousse and pear clafoutis. In the true French tradition, the meal satisfied without stuffing us silly, and it didn't take a big hit on the wallet, either.

I would totally recommend it for a new and different casual dining experience - and it's only 25 minutes away. Pâtes Fraîches is located at 400 East Elm in Long Beach. 562-437-2222.

Do you have any dining recommendations to share? Write about them in the comments!

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Candidate Applications Due Today

Just a reminder that if you are considering being a candidate for the board of directors - or if you know of a good candidate - the forms are due to Cardinal today. I have copies if you need one.

We all benefit when we have choices to make come election time. Last year we didn't have enough people interested in serving. I hope that this year we'll have a good group of people willing to help the community. Participating on the board of directors is a great way to have a say in what's going on around Seabridge.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Ahh, Sweet Victory!


E-mail readers, click on "Ahh, Sweet Victory!" title above for the full story.

Congratulations are in order for Seabridge resident Christa Schubert, who placed 1st in her age group in the Newport Beach Triathlon last Sunday!

The achievement was especially meaningful for Christa, whose father recently passed away. Having just returned from that very trying time in Wisconsin, she thought that her training wasn't where it should have been. Thus, she never thought she was anywhere near 1st place. Christa reports that she kept looking for other women in her age group and had a sinking feeling that she was last place. Little did she know at the time that they were all behind her! She goes on to share:

"When I was with my dad in the hospital I showed him my finishers medal from the Huntington Beach marathon in February. I don't know how much he saw or heard, but it was something I was proud of and wanted to share with him. I did this race with him in my heart, and I know he was there with me every step of the way.

Congratulations, Christa! What may have been unimaginable before is now real. To all your competitors: "Look out now!"

Editor's Note: I like to publish stories about our neighbors and their achievements and interests. So I've created a new tag "neighbors" to help identify these - click on it for past examples. And if you know of other stories to share, please send them my way.

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Monday, April 21, 2008

Upcoming Meetings of Note

E-mail readers, click on "Upcoming Meetings of Note" title above for the full story.

The recent billing statement included an insert regarding some upcoming meetings. I'm repeating the information here in case you missed it, and also to underscore the importance of these sessions.

First is a Special Meeting to discuss the second revision of the Association's CC&Rs and By-Laws.

Thursday, April 24th at 6:30 PM in the Clubhouse

When this was discussed in the 4/15 board meeting, I got the impression that the board wanted to receive additional feedback from homeowners, but the notice does not specify that. If any board member wants to clarify the agenda for the meeting, feel free to do so here so homeowners know whether there are opportunities for participation, or whether it is just a session for the board to discuss next steps.

The next meeting is a Special Meeting to discuss the proposed Budget and Reserve Study.

Thursday, May 15th at 6:00 PM in the Clubhouse.

Budgeting sessions like this one provide an important opportunity to see how the board plans to spend the assessments in the coming year. If you have any suggestions or concerns, it's much better to voice those now than once the budget has been approved.

As it turns out, I am not able to attend the meeting this coming Thursday, so I would welcome a volunteer to serve as "guest blogger" and take notes for me.

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Friday, April 18, 2008

Board Meeting News


As promised, news from last Tuesday's board meeting is available to registered homeowners here.

In other news, if you're looking for something to do this weekend, consider checking out the Taste of Huntington Beach.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Notes from the Regular Board Meeting of April 15th

E-mail readers, click on "Notes from the Regular Board Meeting of April 15th" for full story.

If you haven't recently attended one of the meetings of the Seabridge board, it's something I would recommend everyone do. It gives you a deeper understanding of the challenges we face as a community, and it lets you see what a group of dedicated volunteers tries to do to meet those challenges. I don't always agree with those decisions, but when things work ideally, it's really pretty cool to see community-in-action.

Last night afforded us a great example. We had a homeowner who wanted to challenge an ARC ruling. Normally these hearings are private, but she wanted it to be public. She stated her concerns with what information was provided on the violation, how there was a long history with the structure in question, and the emotional connection she had to it.

The board, and in particular the president, was very good about giving the homeowner an opportunity to speak. They were also good about representing the interests of our association as a whole and in recognizing there are tough decisions to be made in balancing out the need to maintain standards with the desire to get along as neighbors. Bob Gallucci from the ARC was exceptional in explaining the committee's reasoning in denying the ARC request after the changes had been made without approval. In the end, the best part was that there was a dialogue between the three parties, with the ARC offering to help the homeowner make modifications that were acceptable to the committee. The homeowner appeared happy for the assistance with labor and decisions, and the board doesn't need to compromise on our community standards. We don't often get to see such a process, and I appreciate the fact that all involved participated in a non-confrontational way - I think everyone is set to come out of this a winner.

There was more news coming out of the meeting, but for that you'll need to go to the homeowner-only section. I'll post a link to that article here once it's written!

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Sunday, April 13, 2008

Monthly Board Meeting - this coming Tuesday, April 15th

E-mail readers, click on "Monthly Board Meeting - this coming Tuesday, April 15th" for the full story.

Unless you're one of those procrastinators frantically working on taxes April 15th, you should consider attending Tuesday's board meeting. The agenda is posted in the pool area, and I see the board plans to consider a lot of items that have a direct impact on the community. Of note:

  • Counting of ballots for the vote on the governing document amendments

  • Window/Sloped roof cleaning proposals

  • Water intrusion policy

  • Public hearing for an architectural violation

At some point soon, the board will also need to approve a budget for the 2008-09 fiscal year. I didn't see it on this agenda, so I suspect there will need to be a special meeting to do so. If you have an interest in where your monthly assessment dollars go, you'll want to attend that.

Seabridge Spring Summer ?! Celebration

E-mail readers, click "Seabridge Summer Celebration" above for the full story.

Well, it was intended to be a way for folks to welcome the gentle arrival of spring, and say goodbye to the cold winter weather. But I don't think anyone expected temperatures in the high 80s!

Still, neighbors gathered today to enjoy the unexpectedly balmy weather and some great company.

Sandra Zarcone and Eve Busher organized a cool treasure hunt for the kids. (at left we see Sydney, the first to find all 5 items depicted in her photos!)

There were plenty of bubbles and food for all. We even were treated to gourmet pasta by resident chefs Alex Kuncio and Ted Rodriguez.

More pictures are available in my picasa album here.

I'm looking forward to a long summer, with plenty of parties!

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Thursday, April 10, 2008

The Trader Joe's Rumor

E-mail readers, click on "The Trader Joe's Rumor" title above for more info.

Most of you know by now that Ralph's at the Huntington Harbour mall is closing. For several weeks now, I've heard rumors that Trader Joe's would come in there.

I would LOVE to see TJ's go there. I shop almost exclusively there and can't imagine what I'd do without one. How great it would be to have one in our neighborhood!

I've asked around at the Five Points location and at one near my work, and it doesn't seem that anyone at Trader Joe's can confirm their interest. So it sounds like at this point it's just wishful thinking. The OC Register tells us that Fresh 'N' Easy has looked into the space. However, I also understand that Fresh 'N' Easy isn't doing as well as anticipated. Doesn't seem like they'd continue to open new stores as quickly.

In any case, resident BarbraSue Miller makes a great suggestion - you can contact Trader Joe's if you'd like to see them open a location there. It certainly doesn't hurt to let them know that they've got people who are ready to shop there!

Other fun Trader Joe's sites:

What have you heard? Share your Trader Joe's rumors in the comments.

UPDATE 5:57PM - VickiD reports the following:

Anyway, regarding the Trader Joe's rumor, I was told by two different checkers at little Ralphs that Fresh 'n Easy is going in there, and Tom was told the same thing by a third checker. One of them said that Trader Joe's had also put in a bid for the location, but was outbid by Fresh 'n Easy.
Apparently, Ralph's lease expired and the property owner raised the rent too high for Ralph's to stay there, which is why the location became available.
So this is what I have been told--I would be ecstactic if TJ's went in there, but Fresh 'n Easy is supposed to be a good store too, sort of a mix between TJ's and Whole Food's, so I've read. My sister shops at one in the Whittier area and really likes it.

And Todd then adds:

As to Fresh & Easy, I wonder if they'll really be able to make it. I was hopeful when I heard about the concept, but my first experience didn't live up to expectations. The LA Times recently reported that I'm not alone in my impression. We shall see.

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Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Quorum

E-mail readers, click on "Quorum" title above for full story.

quo·rum
Pronunciation: \ˈkwȯr-əm\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, quorum of justices of the peace, from Latin, of whom, genitive plural of qui who; from the wording of the commission formerly issued to justices of the peace
Date: 1602
1 : a select group
2 : the number (as a majority) of officers or members of a body that when duly assembled is legally competent to transact business
3 : a Mormon body comprising those in the same grade of priesthood

One of my major concerns with the proposed CC&R amendments is small in actual words, but big in impact. It has to do with changing the quorum required for votes of the membership in meetings from 50% to 25%. The stated intent behind it is that it's becoming more and more difficult to get quora in other HOAs. And given the attorney's explanation, I don't dispute that.

But does anyone else find it interesting that yesterday we get a letter reminding us to vote on the CC&Rs, and in effect establish a quorum for that vote? I'm fairly confident that the association will receive at least 67 votes. And if that's the case, then the process will actually have illustrated that a little reminder can go a long way. Why lower the bar, and the opportunity to include as many voices as possible in the most important decision we have - electing a board of directors - if we can take measures like this to help avoid quorum problems?

AB 1921 is a bill recently introduced in the California legislature that proposes a rewrite of the Davis-Stirling Act, the law that governs community associations. One of the changes proposed for it is a reduction in quorum to one-third of the voting power, unless the governing documents say otherwise. I honestly don't see why we'd want to lower ours below even the proposed state standard. And I still don't think we should lower it at all until we have demonstrated a problem that occurs consistently. Even should we not make quorum one time, reducing the quorum would seem a rash decision. Seabridge is not the same as other associations, and I think we should pride ourselves in the community participation we have rather than remove incentive for it.

It's unfortunate that this change is included in the proposed governing document amendments, as I do think the core changes to clarify maintenance responsibilities would be helpful. I'll be interesting in seeing if we get a quorum for the vote, and whether the changes pass. We'll know soon.

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