Category: Opinion

Posts by GKS

Uniform Law Commission rejects subjecting HOAs to Constitution

Today I received a telephone rejection from ULC on my proposal for an HOA Members Bill of Rights.  It comes a day after my Commentary on ASU Law silence containing a statement that there has not been a ULC response, some 3 weeks after ULC’s Oct. 29 meeting.

“I am waiting for a response from The Uniform Law Commission (ULC) that is drafting updates to UCIOA. Its Scope Committee is reviewing my request for ULC study of my proposal for an HOA Member Bill of Rights; it will meet again in January.”

Nothing in writing, nothing formal, just a phone call. The essentials of the call, after a short debate where we could not reach an eye-to-eye understanding of what my point was, is very disappointing.

“I appreciate your call and our discussion on my rejected proposal.  I think we are too far apart at this time: ‘not functionally useful for lawyers,’ and ‘not workable.’”   The Scope Committee and editorial board “had difficulty in seeing HOAs as a government.”

In this call I stressed my proposed statute that would mandate HOAs to be subject to the Constitution like any other local government; the response was, “they didn’t see how that would help.”

Long ago The Founding Fathers rejected the patchwork approach to modifying the Articles of Confederation and replaced it with a complete rewrite — The US Constitution and the Bill of Rights. It’s well beyond time that the HOA “constitution,” the CC&Rs, be replaced in its entirety as proposed in A Plan Toward Restructuring the HOA Model of Governance.

ULC apparently doesn’t believe so!

ASU Law ignores content-neutral free speech for HOAs

Much to my disappointment, the ASU Law library has not responded to my 3 emails[i] requesting an HOA advocate resource listing on its Homeowner Associations resource webpage. Under Books CAI attorney member Scott Carpenter is listed (reference is to an AZ Bar Assn booklet on HOA law, and under Websites AACM (community manager association) is listed.

Both of these listings carry the lobbying view found in the CAI School of HOA Governance.[ii] Neither address constitutional issues nor do they contain the views of constitutional lawyers. There is a constitutional issue at play as I informed the librarian and the Law School Dean  — the illegal bias toward one party’s content while denying another party’s material content. The law requires content-neutral free speech which I believe is being violated by ASU. So, as I proposed, remove these listings, or add my books and web pages or those of other homeowner rights advocates.

How can law students from the prestigious Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law obtain access to material information concerning the long ignored HOA legal scheme that, apparently, ASU does not agree with?  Change cannot occur in the blind! There cannot be change without change!

PS:  I am waiting for a response from The Uniform Law Commission (ULC) that is drafting updates to UCIOA. Its Scope Committee is reviewing my request for ULC study of my proposal for an HOA Member Bill of Rights; it will meet again in January.

NOTES

[i] Copy of email letter

gKS256@nyu.edu

To:  Beth DIFelice (beth.difelice@asu.edu)

CC: ‘douglas.sylvester@asu.edu’; Diana.Bowman@asu.edu

November 11, 2020

Email letter

Beth DiFelice

Director ASU Law Library

Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law

Arizona State University

[ii]  The foundation and principles of the School can be traced back to CAI’s Public Policies, The CAI Manifesto (its 2016 “white paper”), its numerous seminars and conferences, its Factbooks and surveys, its amicus briefs to the courts, and its advisories, letters, emails, newsletters, blogs etc. I have designated these foundations and principles collectively as the CAI School of HOA Governance.

Rogue presidents: Trump and HOAs

What do I mean by “rogue president”?  I mean  a president who does not know the law and doesn’t care to know it, or who knows the law and just ignores it.  In either case that president is plain and simple an outlaw by functioning outside the law.  Trump and rogue HOA presidents fit my description and are outlaws.

I have often wondered why communities, or at least the strong voice of a faction, government officials and legislatures have supported and collaborated with HOA presidents; just like we have witnessed on the national scene.   And with their attorneys in full support! Obviously in pursuit of personal, self-serving agendas. 

I’ve come to the conclusion that the HOA social and political dynamics are identical as we have witnessed on the broad national scale. I am not sure as to what came first, the chicken or the egg?  To what extend has the HOA independent principality mentality and legal scheme contributed to the national scene? Or are the HOA dynamics just a reflection of the broader culture in America today?

To get a better understanding of the HOA dynamics at play, read:

A Plan Toward Restructuring the HOA Model of Governance

The HOA-Land Nation Within America

Laws without enforcement are just recommendations

In response to a post by Maria Winlet on the FB page, “HOA Reform – stop the abuse”,  reporting an article by Jessica Boehm of The Arizona Republic, I posted the following on the FB page:

“Want to stop this flagrant abuse and lack of homeowner protection by pro-HOA biased legislation, here in az or in any other state? Let’s hope that the uniform law commission — creator of UCIOA and its failed 2008 bill of rights version — agrees to pursue a legitimate bill of rights focused on limiting HOA government and protecting member rights, as is the intent of the constitution’s bill of rights. Set to decide this Oct. 29th. * * * * the ULC scope committee is handling the review. Timothy Berg is the committee chair. You can send an email to info@uniformlaws.org attn T Berg with a reference to member bill of rights. They have my history of HOA member bill of rights as posted here and on my website. We must offset CAI’s influence.”

All advocates and homeowners need to do their part if substantive reforms are to become real.

Will ULC pursue HOA Member Bill of Rights?

“Can private parties enter into contractual arrangements, using adhesion contracts and a constructive notice consent, that serve to regulate and control the people within a territory (an HOA), to circumvent the application of the Constitution?”[1]

In August I commented that I was working with 2 institutions on a Member Bill of Rights.[2]

“Currently, I am working with two leading institutions concerned with state laws and the constitutionality of the HOA legal  structure. Addressing the Bill of Rights issue is relevant to conducting necessary research and studies. A Homeowners Bill of Rights would be a major step toward the equal protection of the laws for members of HOAs.

“As a result of my proposed research by  independent, objective researchers,  the law will be clarified and all parties set straight as to their rights, and on the legitimacy and validity of independent private governments in America.”

The Uniform Law Commission  (ULC) will decide on the 29th whether or not to undertake a study of my proposal for  meaningful revision to its UCIOBORA (2008).  It’s composed of only attorneys appointed by state legislators and are pro bono.  I must call to your attention the long established presence of CAI at ULC and with respect to UCIOA.

I believe that ULC will move ahead and make the Constitution and state laws living documents reflecting the overwhelming evidence for the need to admit that HOAs are invalid ab initio — from the very start — agreements and are unconstitutional.  

Notes

[1] The “end of denial” of unconstitutional HOAs, August 5, 2020.

[1] HOA Bill of Rights redux, August 29, 2020. Updated, HOA bill of rights history updated Sept. 13, 2020