Seasons Greetings

Kudos to the residents of the south end of Sparkler Drive for their coordinated holiday light display!

I thought it was impressive several years back, when 4 adjacent homes had come together to decorate their garages with light. This year, I see the whole building is aglow!


December is one of my favorite months at Seabridge, a time when we once again see our neighbors who seem to have gone into hibernation. I thought this year's boat parade was especially good.

In HOA news, I believe there is still a board meeting this coming Tuesday, December 16th. Last I heard, parking rules are slated for approval. I have unfortunately been able to attend the past few, and no one else has given me news from the meetings. Hopefully I'll be able to attend this one, so I'll be back to providing highlights from the meetings.

Best wishes to all of Seabridge for very happy holidays!

Quakes and Parking

Where were you during the Big One? While we can't predict the answer to that question, most of us will be able to recall where we were at 10AM today, the time of the Great Southern California Shakeout, a simulated drill for a magnitude 7.8 earthquake on the San Andreas fault.

We in Seabridge would be well-served to use this opportunity to reflect on our own preparedness. How are we with supplies on hand? Do we know how to turn off our gas? How is you insurance coverage?

Beyond that, maybe it's time to get together more as neighbors - do we know who lives near us who might need assistance? Do we know how we'd be able to work together in a recovery?

Even if you miss the drill, it's still a great opportunity to take some time to better prepare.

Also, don't forget the special meeting tonight to discuss possible changes to the parking rules. I understand it's at 6PM in the clubhouse.

Mosquitoes and Meeting

What is with the mosquitoes this week? I remember them last year in August, but it seems unusual this year - and I know of many people who have commented on them in the past week.

Also, just a reminder that there is board meeting tomorrow (Tuesday, 9/16) at 7PM. I don't know what's on the agenda, as it wasn't posted in the common area as it's supposed to be. Look, I'm not trying to be a stickler, but that's what's required, and there are good reasons for it.

Our Artist in Residence

E-mail readers, click on "Our Artist In Residence" title above for full story.

Last week I enjoyed the opportunity to attend the opening of an art show at Cypress College. I was really impressed by the new gallery space they have - it was a great place to view some thought-provoking artwork.

More important, the show is a faculty art exhibition, and features works by the "Class of '71", including our own neighbor Char Felos. This shot features Char in front of her own work.

If you're in the Cypress area, I encourage you to drop by and see the art for yourself. There's a little something for everyone. The gallery is open Monday - Thursday 10AM - 2PM and Tuesday and Wednesday 6PM - 8PM.

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CC&R Revisions

E-mail readers, click on "CC&R Revisions" title above for full story"

It's been a while since I've commented on our CC&R revision process. While I support the goal, the approach has made me tired. To be fair, I'm sure the board feels this way, too. Interested people can read my past posts on the matter here.

The board recently sent a letter to homeowners to gather input regarding another planned vote. While I welcome the idea of getting input, it's pretty late in the game. But I'll give it another go with my thoughts...

I've been consistent in saying "Define the problem, and then propose the solution". You've got me convinced with the maintenance issues. But other proposals seem to address topics that not everyone agrees are problems. And we've seen in the past that things that some people consider to be "problems", result in solutions that many in the community are not happy with (witness our entry gate modifications, now in their second year). So - if you truly care about what will make me comfortable with the revisions: tell me what each real issue in the community is, what has been done to understand that problem and confirm it affects the majority of us, and how the revisions address it.

The recent letter to the community talks about the need to revise the CC&Rs to remove developer language, get current with state laws and allow for clearer maintenance responsibilities. If the revisions stuck to those stated goals, I could support them. But if there are other goals, these should be stated as well.

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Songs from a Cave and Other Selected Poems: (1995-1999)

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

I have been meaning to write about this for some time. We now have another published author at Seabridge. Resident Gerald T. Olson of Tempe Drive has self-published his book of poetry, Songs from a Cave and Other Selected Poems: (1995-1999).

The book is a delight on its own, but those of you who know Jerry will benefit all the more, as you can see his personality directly in his work. This poem tells you what you're in for with the book:

Transubstantiation

A book as wafer,
This is my mind.
This is my imagination.
Take a look.
It’s a remembrance of life.

Be sure to check it out. Jerry joins other Seabridge authors like Vicki Hogue, Marti Davis, Andrea Diem, and Steve Nakamoto We are fortunate to have such talent in our community!

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Board Meeting, August 19th

As you may have noticed, summer is in full swing, and I have not been posting as much as I'd like, nor have I been able to attend recent board meetings. I will try to make up for that a bit today.

In recent association news, our community manager Morgen Hardigree has left Cardinal Property Management to allow for a schedule that better fits with her family. I look forward to meeting our new manager, Jim Goldman.

There is a board meeting this coming Tuesday, August 19th. The agenda has been posted, and I find the following items of interest:

• Landscape committee appointments

• Dock Repairs

• Key Fob Distribution and Entry Gate Procedures

• Investment Requirements

• Window Washing

I encourage everyone to attend. There are a lot of decisions to be made on behalf of the community and you should understand and have your say on how they are being made.

Board Meeting, July 15th

E-mail readers, click on "Board Meeting, July 15th" title above for full story.

We have a new board of directors, and its first meeting will be this coming Tuesday, July 15, 2008 at 7PM in the clubhouse.

The board of directors makes important decisions for our community in each of its meetings. If you haven't attended, it's always helpful to sit in on one.

The agenda for the upcoming meeting is posted in the pool area. Topics slated for the Tuesday meeting include:

• Bids on pathway lighting poles

• Appointment of landscape committee members

• Announcement of secret ballot results (CC&R revisions)

• Work orders for various homeowner units

I will be unable to attend this meeting and would really appreciate a volunteer to take notes for me so that I might report them on The Bridge.

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Community Garage Sale

E-mail readers, click "Community Garage Sale" title above for full story.

A community-wide garage sale is planned for Saturday, July 26th. Set up will begin at 7, with the sale opened to the public 8AM - 12PM. Please watch for further information, and begin rounding up your old treasures!

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Summer is Here!

E-mail readers, click on "Summer is Here!" title above for full story.

We can hardly complain here in Huntington Beach, since nice weather stays with us virtually year-round. But it's still nice to have summer here, with all the fun activities that go with it.

The Orange County Register has a nice feature on kayaking in Huntington Harbour. Might be time to take mine out for a nice paddle!

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Vote!

Remember that the Seabridge Annnual Meeting and Election is next Tuesday, June 17th. This is one of very few opportunities most of us get each year to actually vote on something that matters to us as homeowners - please take advantage of it. You should mail your ballot immediately, or be sure to drop it off at the clubhouse before the meeting to have it counted.

As you may know, I was a big proponent for not reducing the annual meeting quorum. I think that it's important to have at least 50% of the homeowners involved in the decision as to who leads our community. So however you vote, please make sure to return your proxy/ballot and have your voice counted in the quorum.

It would have been helpful had the association sent out a reminder mailing, as they did on multiple occasions with the CC&R change ballot. But in lieu of that, please make sure you and all your neighbors participate in this important process.

Meet Some of Your Candidates

E-mail readers, click "Meet Some of Your Candidates" title above for the full story.

On Sunday, May 18th, I invited all declared candidates for the board of directors to participate in The Bridge's "Meet The Candidates Forum". I received information from the following:

• Mike Busher
• Fernando Scalini
• Debra Wychgel

Homeowners who have registered on this blog may click each name above for more information above and beyond the candidate statements you received along with your ballot.

Each of these candidates took the time to respond and I believe is worthy of your vote. Because I did not receive statements from all candidates, let alone a majority, I am publishing all profiles at once. I may also exercise some additional discretion when moderating the Q&A.

Talk to people who know the candidates and/or attend meetings. Do your homework. More than anything, I encourage all homeowners to exercise their right and responsibility to vote for members of the board of directors.

The Importance of Your Vote

E-mail readers, click on "The Importance of Your Vote" title for the full story.

The national media may have us all looking ahead to November already, but when it comes to elections, one in June may have even more impact on our day-to-day lives at Seabridge.

The Seabridge Annual Meeting and Election of Directors takes place on June 17th. You may think this is akin to a high school student council election, but you'd be wrong. The Seabridge Board of Directors manages an annual operating budget in excess of half a million dollars, as well as a reserve fund with several hundred thousand dollars. They also make important decisions affecting how you and your neighbors can use your property and our common areas. And with nine candidates vying for five positions, there is no reason each and every one of us should not cast our votes for those who will represent our interests.

Unlike in national contests, the candidates in our Seabridge race are not covered by the media 24/7. Although they are your neighbors, you may not even recognize their names and faces, let alone what positions they hold. So I'm hosting a Meet the Candidates forum and encourage you all to participate before casting your votes. The e-mail below was sent to all candidates on the ballot and describes more specifics of the forum.

If you wish to even view the discussion, you will need to register for the site. Seabridge Homeowners can do so by e-mailing me your name and the address of the unit(s) you own. I hope that you will find this to be a helpful forum and that you will exercise your right and privilege to vote.

E-mail to declared candidates:

First, I’d like to thank you for submitting an application as a candidate for the Seabridge Board of Directors. Relatively few residents take an active interest in this community, let alone take the additional step of running for the board, so it is very exciting to see a large field of candidates for the office of director.

Many of you know that I blog from time to time on matters that I think are of interest to Seabridge residents. Last month I asked my readers whether they thought it would be helpful to use “The Bridge” as a forum to learn more about our candidates for office. You can read more about it by clicking here. I was glad that the response was favorable.

So now that we know who the declared candidates are, I am inviting you to participate in this “online candidates’ forum.” Your participation is obviously optional, but I would hope that you would take advantage of the opportunity so that homeowners have a better understanding of the candidates beyond what they glean from the form that we received in the mail.

Here’s the way I envision this working:

· If you elect to participate, please submit the following additional information to me electronically (e-mail) by Thursday, May 22^rd:

o Any additional candidate statement you wish to make. It will be printed as-is, though I reserve the right to format it to be consistent with other statements and the website.

o A photograph of yourself. It may be cropped and scaled to be consistent with the other photos I receive.

o Your answers to the following questions that were submitting by blog readers:

1. What do you see as successes of the board in the past year? Is there anything you believe the board should have done differently?

2. What is your understanding of the “fiduciary duty” of a director, and how does that/will that guide your actions on the board?

3. Can you give a specific example of a decision you’ve had to make when you didn’t feel you were fully knowledgeable on the topic? For current or past board members, an example related to the HOA board is preferred.

· On Friday, I will have an uninvolved party draw names from a hat, and each candidate will be featured on the blog daily, in the order they are drawn. Homeowners will have an opportunity to pose additional questions to you using the “comments” feature, and you will be able to respond in kind. I will not allow homeowners to post anonymously, and I will ensure as moderator that each question is posed respectfully before it gets posted. Aside from that, I do not plan to moderate the questions or the answers.

· Viewing of these posts will be restricted to registered homeowners, who must log in with a username/password to view that section of the blog and participate.

In this “electronic age”, I hope this will be a useful and even fun way for candidates to interact with homeowners on the topics that are important to voting homeowners. I think it’s especially relevant since no other forum, real or virtual, has been scheduled to provide this dialogue. I hope that you’ll join in it.

Thanks –
Todd

"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.

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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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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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.

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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