OUTRAGEOUS!!!

8:40 p.m. Roger and I went to the Clubhouse to post the new Greenbrier Gazette.

When sorting through the utter disarray on the "Sunshine News" bulletin board to find a place for the HOA’s newsletter, we discovered numerous documents that were extremely old, including two memos from Sandi that date back to 2004, a calendar from June 2004, several flyers dated 2005, and a news clipping of a double-decker outhouse that was yellowed with age, among other things.

We started sorting through the documents and removing outdated materials, arranging the SDG&E assistance flyers, Meals-on-Wheels hotline numbers, etc.

8:45 p.m. Non-residents arrived at the Clubhouse looking for their resident friends. Roger asked “Where do you live?” Caught off guard, the girl responded that her “brother” lives in a particular space which I will not disclose in this forum.

8:50 p.m. Claudia arrives with a large chocolate cake, children and more people. She asks what we are doing. I explain that we are sorting out the bulletin board. As homeowners and members of the HOA, it is my understanding that a community bulletin board in the Clubhouse is fair game (especially one featuring advertising, flyers and outdated comics). Besides, it obviously has had ZERO attention in the past two years, and someone has got to take ownership in our community. The run down condition of that Clubhouse sometimes makes me wonder if we are living in a third-world country.

8:52 p.m. They turn off the lights in the Clubhouse, except for the lights in the kitchen, where they were putting snacks in the fridge and arranging cake, plates, etc. for their imminent soiree.

8:55 Claudia becomes hostile, states that the bulletin board is for "management information ONLY "(in this regard, I suppose the double-decker outhouse is appropriate). I explained that some of this recyclable material dates back to 2004. She insisted in no uncertain terms that we are to place the materials back on the bulletin board and leave. She stated that it is her job to go through that stuff (a curious admission, given the obvious nature of her dereliction of duty).

I placed the materials back on the board. From this photo, you can see the beginnings of my organization, with the remainder of the documents stuck on top. Note the calendar date of June 2004 in this one. Claudia questioned our taking pictures, particularly in the dark, to which Roger replied, “Well, you turned out the lights on us.”

Claudia then pulls the “This room is reserved for a private party” card. Her increasing hostility prompted Roger to ask if she was throwing us out of there, even though it wasn't 9:00 p.m. yet. The remaining conversation went something like this:

Roger: “Are you trying to tell me I can’t be in the Clubhouse?”
Claudia: “No, but it is reserved from 8:00 – 9:00 p.m.” (mind you, it was vacant when we arrived at 8:40, and the food and guests did not arrive until a few minutes before 9:00)
Roger: “Well, I never saw any signs posted or anything.”
Suzanne: “I wasn’t aware that we could use the Clubhouse after the posted hours.”
Claudia: “It’s a PRIVATE PARTY.”

(Check back later for a link to night-vision video footage of the festivities out at the pool, well past the pool hours, in violation of park rules and regulations...unfortunately, we are currently experiencing technical difficulties.)

These park employees have gotten way too big for their britches. We homeowners have made the investment in our homes and in our community. We pay to live in this community and to receive certain services. Park management and their employees are supposed to work for us, and this is absolutely outrageous.

California law requires park owners and their employees to “comply with all park rules and regulations, to the same extent as residents and their guests.” (Civil Code § 798.23.) And we all know that the park rules state that “the use of the clubhouse by Homeowner and guest [sic] is restricted to the rules and hours posted at the clubhouse.” (Rules and Regulations § 12(d).) The rules also state that the pool is “restricted to the rules and hours posted at the pool,” and that a “Homeowner must vacate the pool together with all guests at the direction of management if management determines that posted rules are being violated.” (Rules and Regulations § 12(e).) Who handles this when it is the onsite employees who are blatantly violating the rules?

Here’s the kicker: The MRL also states that a homeowner who prevails in a civil action against park management may be awarded statutory damages of up to $2,000 for each willful violation of the MRL. (Civil Code § 798.86.)

Fellow homeowners, please help us keep track of incidents like these. These resident managers think they can run roughshod over us and they are sadly mistaken. The law is on our side. We just need to be diligent in our efforts to document their actions and require them to serve our community as they were hired to do. Please send your comments to ggmhoa@gmail.com. If you send complaints directly to management or the owner, please forward a copy of your correspondence to the HOA, care of Suzanne Ervine, Secretary, in #9. By consolidating information in one central location, we will have all the documentation we need to revive our community. Thank you!