Quorum May 2016

MAY 2016

Coachella Valley Community Associations Institute Magazine

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CAI-CV & KESQ PARTNERSHIP | ADVERTISE WITH KESQ 760-340-7115 – RON.DIGRANDI@KESQ.COM

CIATIO ASSO NS TY IN NI L LA

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10 CAI-CV Wins Awards from CAI National in Three of Five Categories!

31 CAI-CV & KESQ-TV Form Business Partnership RESERVES 17 Reserve Study Accuracy 18 Stretching Pool Budgets and Reserves with New Technologies 21 If You Fail to Plan, You Plan to Fail 27 Roofing Reserves 28 Reserve Study – a Major “Asset” of Your Association 30 When Reserving for Roads, Interlocking Pavers Could Save You Dollars 34 Association Reserve Accounts & Reserve Studies 37 Crash Course on Reserves (MOTR)

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Quorum May, 2016

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Legal Services for Community Associations • General Counsel • Assessment Lien and Foreclosure • No Cost Collections • Fees Paid by Delinquent Homeowner • Detailed Monthly Status Reports • Title Reports at No Charge to Association • Construction Defect/Reconstruction • Mold Claims/Litigation • Real Estate Dispute/Litigation Phone: (760) 340-1515

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FAX: (760) 568-3053 CAI-CV.org

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COACHELLA I VA CA BOARD OF DIRECTORS COACHELLA VALLEY CHAPTER 2016 GERARD GONZALES, PRESIDENT Albert Management, Inc. TAD BLACK, PAST PRESIDENT Associa OnCall

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ATTENTION CAI MEMBERS – THERE’S A PARTY YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS AT THE RENAISSANCE RIGHT AFTER THE LEGAL FORUM! TICKETS ARE AVALABLE AT

C A I - C V. O RG O R CAL L 76 0-341-0559

PHYLLIS HARKINS, CMCA, CCAM, AMS PRESIDENT ELECT Palm Desert Country Club Association LESLEE CICOGNA, PCAM, AMS, CMCA TREASURER Associa Desert Resort Management JOHN WALTERS-CLARK, SECRETARY Associa Desert Resort Management CARDINAL AMBROSE, CCAM, CMCA, AMS DIRECTOR Albert Management, Inc. RHONDA DREWS, CMCA,AMS, PCAM DIRECTOR Associa Desert Resort Management MATT LAWTON, CIRMS, DIRECTOR Prendiville Insurance Agency GEN WANGLER, ESQ., CCAL DIRECTOR Fiore Racobs & Powers A PLC JOLEN ZEROSKI, DIRECTOR Union Bank

CAI Coachella Valley Office 41-905 Boardwalk, Suite A-2 Palm Desert, CA 92211 Tel: (760) 341-0559 Fax: (760) 341-8443 Website: www.cai-cv.org CAL LOCKETT Executive Director clockett@cai-cv.org

ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS OR ADVERTISING INFORMATION editor@cai-cv.org The materials contained in this publication are designed to provide our members with accurate, timely and authoritative information with regard to the subject covered. However, the CAI Coachella Valley Chapter is not engaging in the rendering of legal, accounting or other professional types of services. The Coachella Valley Chapter has not verified and/or endorsed the contents of these articles or advertising, nor do we have the facilities or the personnel to do so. Readers should not act on the information contained herein without seeking more specific professional advice from legal, accounting or other experts as required.

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CAI-CV Wins Awards from CAI National in Three of Five Categories!

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By Alan Smith

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If You Fail to Plan, You Plan to Fail

By Erin Klink

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Roofing Reserves

By Rob Winkle

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Reserve Study—a Major “Asset” of Your Association

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By Mallory Graves

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CAI-CV & KESQ-TV Form Business Partnership

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Association Reserve Accounts & Reserve Studies

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By Steven J. Tinnelly, Esq. CHAPTER NEWS

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CAI-CV Chapter New & Renewing Members

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M202 Class

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Meet the Leadership Bowling Committe Chair John Walters-Clark

By Erin H. Fujioka

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Grease Is the Word The Grease Lightning Summer Bowling Tournament!

By Eric Angle

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Chapter Upcoming Events

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CHAPTER EVENTS

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April 8th 2016 Lunch Program High Conflict Personalities, Part II

By John C. Edwards, Esq.

37 MOTR Crash Course on Reserves

By Steven Shuey

IS THE WORD CAI-CV.org

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QUORUM COMMITTEE MEMBERS

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KYMBERLI TAYLOR-BURKE, CHAIR NPG Nelson Paving, Inc. RODNEY BISSELL, CO-CHAIR Bissell Design Studios, Inc. PHYLLIS HARKINS, CMCA, AMS, CCAM BOARD LIAISON Palm Desert Country Club Homeowners Association

With community association lending expertise like ours, you’ll get the job done right.

take that to the bank.

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ERIN KLINK Pacific Western Bank DEA FRANCK, ESQ. Epsten Grinnell & Howell, APC ERIN FUJIOKA G4S Secure Solutions, USA TIFFANY GOFF Dunn-Edwards Corporation

Member FDIC Equal Housing Lender

EQUAL HOUSING

LENDER

ANTOINETTE HAMILTON Suntrek Solar LISA LYNN, CCAM Albert Management, Inc. FRAN MULLAHY Vintage Associates, Inc. SUSAN BROWNE ROSENBERG Desert Cities Indoor Air, LLC. STEVEN SHUEY, PCAM Personalized Property Management Co. DAN STITES CBCI Construction, Inc. GEN WANGLER, ESQ., CCAL Fiore Racobs & Powers, A PLC

CREATIVE DIRECTOR & GRAPHIC DESIGNER RODNEY BISSELL Bissell Design Studios, Inc. rodney@bisselldesign.com (714) 293-3749

SUBSCRIBER SERVICES

The Coachella Valley Quorum Magazine is a publication expressly prepared for association leaders, managers and related business professionals of the Community Associations Institute. Members are encouraged to submit articles for publishing consideration. All articles accepted for publication in Quorum are subject to editing and rewriting by the Quorum Committee.

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Quorum May, 2016

CONTENTS DEPARTMENTS

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President’s Message

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Time Honored

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Becky Hayes

By Phyllis Harkins

Platinum Spotlight

EmpireWorks

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26 Charity

Coachella Valley's Own Four-Time Champion SoCal Coyotes

By Ron DiGrandi

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Welcome Aboard CV Pipeline

By Lisa Lynn, CCAM

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Maintenance

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When Reserving for Roads, Interlocking Pavers Could Save You Dollars

By Charissa Farley

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CAI Memories

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Water Wise Proposed CVWD Rate Changes Reflect Costs of Service, Financial Stability

By Jim Barrett

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Cyber Security

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FROM THE CHAPTER

President’s Message

Gerard J Gonzales, Vice President - Albert Management, Inc., CAI-CV Chapter President

It’s May in the desert, spring is marching along and the valley is in recovery from three full weekends of world class music. CAI – Coachella Valley has been busy as well. We hosted community association manager training, community volunteer leader board training, had a great educational luncheon with John Edwards on managing people with high conflict personalities and had a fun and wildly successful spring golf tournament. I can’t thank our volunteers enough for all the hard work that was put into these great events. I also want to thank the public relations committee on facilitating a presentation with the Palm Springs Regional Association of Realtors as this effort continues to raise our visibility as the authority on common interest developments in the community.

I also have some special news from CAI National. I was informed that we have won three of the five 2015 CAI National Chapter Achievement and Excellence Awards to be presented at the National Conference in Orlando, FL on May 6th. Although we are being recognized for our achievements in 2015, many of these programs started in 2014 and are continuing through this year. Not only are we raising our chapter’s visibility locally in the Coachella Valley, but also among our peers at the 60 international chapters of CAI. Those awards are: Leadership – Raising CAI-CV’s Visibility as the Authority on CIDs Membership – CAI-CV’s Membership Outreach Programs Member Services – Outstanding Service to our Members through QUORUM Magazine Congratulations to all the volunteers who made this possible and thank you for all that you do. We continue to do great things in our chapter and we are always looking for volunteers to serve on a committee. If you are interested, please contact our Executive Director Cal Lockett at the CAI office or simply reach out to me directly.

We have more good news! CAI-CV and KESQ-TV (ABC – Channel 3) announced a landmark agreement in May that will allow KESQ to become CAI-CV’s exclusive broadcast media partner. In exchange for CAI-CV membership at a Platinum level, KESQ-TV will be running CAI National’s commercials during prime time for the rest of 2016. Stay tuned as we continue to build CAI-CV’s reputation in the Coachella Valley.

For more information about the partnership with KESQ-TV, please call the CAI-CV office.

On Friday, May 13, 2016, CAI-CV will host another Educational Program Lunch & Mini Trade Show, at 11:15 at Palm Valley Country Club. Our guest speaker is Karen Conlon, MCAM, Founder and CEO Emeritus, California Association of Community Managers. The Orange County Chapter of CAI is hosting three courses, the M202, M203 and the M204, for managers from May 16th-20th in Santa Ana. And, our next Manager on the Road is scheduled for Friday, June 3. If you are a community board member or manager, make sure to plug into one of CAI-CV’s many educational programs. Statistics repeatedly show that educated communities are harmonious communities.

In May, we celebrate mothers on Mother’s Day and later in the month we celebrate Memorial Day as a tribute to the great servicemen and women who died serving our country.

Two things I’m planning to do this month is give my mother a great big hug and take a long moment of silence to recognize those who gave their lives for our freedom.

Lastly, a fun fact I’ll share is that all month is National Golf and Hamburger Month… so take some personal time and play a round of golf and eat a great big juicy hamburger.

Gerard J. Gonzales Vice President - Albert Management, Inc.

CAI-CV MISSION STATEMENT The mission of CAI-CV is to provide leadership for successful development and operation of community associations through information, research and education.

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Quorum May, 2016

CHAPTER NEWS 2016 CORPORATE

SPONSORS PLATINUM___________ Accurate Leak Locators AMS Paving Asphalt MD's Conserve LandCare, Inc. Associa Desert Resort Management EmpireWorks Epsten Grinnell & Howell, APC Fiore Racobs & Powers, A PLC NPG Nelson Paving Pacific Western Bank Peters & Freedman, LLP Signarama Sunshine Landscape Western Pacific Roofing

GOLD________________ AMS Security CBCI Construction Diversified Asphalt Flood Response United Paving Vintage Associates

SILVER_______________ 1 Stop Pool Pros Alan Smith Pool Plastering Artistic Maintenance, Inc. Blue Sky Landscape Coachella Valley Water District Mutual of Omaha Painting Unlimited, Inc. Powerful Pest Management Prendiville Insurance Agency PrimeCo Purified Pool Water Seacoast Commerce Bank Three Phase Electric Union Bank Homeowners Association Services

BRONZE_____________ Adams Stirling, PLC All Counties Fence and Supply Aloha Bin Cleaning Animal Pest Management Association Reserves Bank of Southern California Dunn-Edwards Paints Farley Interlocking Pavingstones Frazier Pest Control G4S Secure Solutions Horizon Lighting Kasdan LippSmith Weber Turner, LLP LaBarre/Oksnee Insurance Agency Pro Landscaping, Inc. Rudy’s Termite and Pest Control, Inc. S.B.S. Lien Services SCT Reserve Consultants ServPro of Palm Springs/Indian Wells Sherwin-Williams Paint Silldorf & Levine U.S. Security Associates, Inc. Universal Protection Service Vista Paint Corporation

CAI-CV Chapter New & Renewing Members NEW BUSINESS PARTNERS

NEW MANAGERS

GRAND MARK LANDSCAPE, INC Elvis Aranda (760) 409-7879 elvisgml@gmail.com

ASSOCIA-PCM David Archer (760) 275-2423 david.archer@associa.us

ROOF ASSET MANAGEMENT INC Rob Winkle (760) 333-9900 rob@ramroofmgmt.com

Vanessa Ayon (949) 768-7261 vanessa.ayon@associa.us

THE MANAGEMENT TRUST John Beaman (760) 776-5100 Ext. 6331 john.beaman@managementtrust.com

MARABELLA ESTATES John Edwards managermarabelle@gmail.com

Cari Burleigh (760) 776-5100 Ext. 6311 cari.burleigh@managementtrust.com

RENEWING MANAGERS

RENEWING NATIONAL CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP

RENEWING BUSINESS PARTNERS AMERICAN LEAK DETECTION Carl Daniels (760) 320-9991 cdaniels@americanleakdetection.com ARMSTRONG GROWERS Anthony Pytel (760) 360-2170 apytel@armstronggrowers.com HIGH TECH MAILING SERVICES Refika Jerkic (760) 779-0460 htmailing@aol.com PETERS & FREEDMAN, LLP James McCormick, Jr. (760) 436-3441 Ext. 221 jmccormick@hoalaw.com WESTERN PACIFIC ROOFING CORP. Debra Hall (760) 416-5877 dahall@westpacroof.com RENEWING MULTI-CHAPTER BUSINESS PARTNERS EPSTEN GRINNELL & HOWELL, APC Tiffany Christian (858) 527-0111 tchristian@epsten.com BEHR & KILZ PAINTS & PRIMERS Tim Hoss (714) 365-7427 thoss@behrpaint.com

Patricia Smith (760) 200-3924 Qista@aol.com TRILOGY AT LA QUINTA MAINTENANCE ASSOCIATION Erin Grossman (760) 702-3041 egrossman@mytlq.com HERITAGE VILLAGE MASTER ASSOCIATION Dennis Elam (760) 772-5755 delam@heritagepalms.org KEYSTONE PACIFIC PROPERTY MANAGEMENT Christine Rodgers (951) 769-7598 crodgers@keystonepacific.com MOTORCOACH COUNTRY CLUB PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION Diane Gentry (760) 342-4215 dgentry@drminternet.com PALM DESERT GREENS ASSOCIATION Roberta Reynolds (760) 346-8005 breynolds@pdgcc.org

PGA WEST RESIDENTIAL ASSOCIATION Michael Walker (760) 771-1234 Ext. 13 mikew@pgawest.org

UNION BANK HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION SERVICES Jolen Zeroski (800) 669-8659 Ext. 4 jolen.zeroski@unionbank.com NEW VOLUNTEER LEADERS Louise Stettler CASITAS II HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION Christopher Hopping Nancy Adams Nick Balsamo RENEWING VOLUNTEER LEADERS BERMUDA DUNES COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION Patrick Bohner THE SPRINGS COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION Ann Van Balen Barry O'Neil Gerry DeSilva Jim Walesby Lillian Kuzmanic Peter Samuels Stephen Spurgeon

VISTA PAINT CORPORATION Jared Knight (951) 454-2500 Jknight@vistapaint.com RENEWING MANAGEMENT COMPANY J & W MANAGEMENT CO. Jim McPherson (760) 568-0349 desertjaime@aol.com

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FEATURE

CAI-CV Wins Awards from CAI National in Three of Five Categories!

MEMBER SERVICES – LEADERSHIP – MEMBERSHIP CAI-CV thanks the 135 volunteers who serve on CAI-CV committees and have helped to make these awards possible.

NATIONAL 2015 CAI

MMAE MGB E RAS EZR VII CNE SE M U R U O NER FOR

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MEMBER SERVICES Title: Outstanding Service to our Members through Quorum Magazine Requirements: Winners will show member services that successfully meet the needs of our individual member groups and assist in retention and member satisfaction.

EXCERPTS FROM CAI-CV’S SUBMISSION: The written word has historically carried enormous weight because it withstands the test of time. The goal of CAI-CV has been to use its magazine to provide education, best practices, ethical support and encouragement to its members.

A survey of CAI-CV’s membership in late 2014 showed the Quorum Committee that overwhelmingly, members wanted to keep Quorum Magazine as a monthly publication. They wanted a printed and online version, not one or the other.

And, there were several suggestions that Quorum was the chapter’s flagship and banner and should be used to recruit new members. It was also discovered that

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Quorum May, 2016

many members who didn’t participate in CAI-CV events (mostly CAVLs) read Quorum cover to cover and heavily relied on the information Quorum published.

A new wave of momentum overcame the committee. They recruited new members and developed a strategy for the future. Over the first few months of 2015, the committee built a new infrastructure and strategically planned out the entire year’s issues in advance. They surveyed other chapters and found that many had cut back their publications. They also surveyed other membership associations to see if they could find solutions that worked within their budget that would allow them to continue to publish monthly, increase revenue, improve the publication, increase readership, and increase the shelf life of articles.

QUORUM FOCUSES ON SERVING ALL MEMBERSHIP CLASSES Quorum Magazine embraces all of membership services in a published document. Everything from joining CAI to advancing professional careers is published in Quorum. Quorum is the primary means of connecting CAI-CV members with the other 35,000 CAI members internationally. Quorum lets CID professionals and volunteers know they are not alone and there are indeed best practices and answers to the problems we face every day. Quorum is the primary source of recognition for outstanding volunteerism. Quorum also recognizes those who work hard at their jobs to build better communities.

Quorum gives hope to our members in INK, not just texts and emails.

BOARD LEADERSHIP The Board worked with the Quorum Committee and reviewed the surveys.

Working with the CED, a plan was put in place to increase Quorum advertising revenue. The Quorum Committee was also charged with making some

FEATURE JANUA

fundamental changes to the magazine, and with those changes, they were granted a full budget for 2015. The Board felt the risk was likely to turn into a chapter benefit – and they were correct.

EXPANDING QUORUM’S REACH In 2014, Quorum was sent only to the members listed on CAI’s national membership list. CAI-CV has many business partner members who are actively involved with the chapter but who are not the primary contact with National. These important CAI-CV members were not receiving Quorum.

This was remedied with the chapter’s new database that allows business partners to have multiple representatives listed as members. The chapter now uses its own database as the mailing list for Quorum and has increased distribution by almost 100. As soon as the chapter was sure all its members were receiving Quorum, they began to market Quorum with each of the key membership classes. Board members were told that Quorum would now have a section called “What Every Board Member Needs to Know.” Managers were told that every issue would have something for them. Business partners were invited to write articles that would help managers and boards make decisions about maintenance issues. A strategy was put in place to expand the number of people contributing to Quorum each month from 3-4 members to 40 or more for each issue. Games were introduced to push readership. For example, each issue prior to Casino Night had the “mandatory” password (Monkey Rum) embedded in the articles or pictures so readers had to search. Members who knew the password upon entering Casino Night were entered into the grand prize drawing.

Each month, the Committee printed another 100 copies to give out at the membership table at CAI events and at events for law firms, management companies and at realtor events. During the

year, they gave out over 1,000 magazines at thirteen functions. Quorum was also included in every “new member prospect” package.

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ADOPTING BEST PRACTICES In late November, the Committee investigated best practices at other CAI chapters and looked at publications and newsletters from Chambers and other similar organizations. Early in the year, the Quorum Committee met for a strategy session and began recruiting volunteers. Soon, the Committee had sixteen volunteers. They agreed to purchase an inexpensive professional publication management system called BaseCamp.

All sixteen Committee members and any invited writers were added to Basecamp’s “to-do” list that monitors assignments. Basecamp automatically tracks these assignments and sends reminders to those responsible, and keeps the Chair and Co-Chair apprised of each issue’s progress. At the strategy session, the Quorum Committee and Board were able to outline a list of articles for each category for the next thirteen months that corresponded and supported CAI-CV events and educational programs. Quorum was now in sync with the rest of the chapter. The Committee decided that the following jobs or assignments would be part of every issue: Themes, Covers, CAI National, Education, HOA Law, CLAC Moment, Platinum Sponsor Spotlight, Water Wise, Welcome Aboard, Time Honored, Meet the Board/Committee Chair, Trending Now, Maintenance, Event Articles, Advertising, 35th Anniversary Articles, Charity, By the Way, and the President’s Message.

Each of these areas are assigned to different Committee Members and article content/writer assignments are managed through monthly Quorum meetings and basecamp. Each of these departments is planned a year in

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The Board decided to measure Quorum’s success on increased revenue from advertising, increased readership and an increase in overall quality of the magazine. In 2015, Quorum’s revenue increased over $10,000 and is expected to increase another $10,000 in 2016. This increase in revenue is directly related to an increase in ad sales. Online readership has increased 100 percent from 2014. An independent editor has stated that the quality of Quorum is outstanding and rivals many other national association publications. We believe the success of Quorum, within a limited budget and a staff of volunteers is an amazing accomplishment.

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Quorum May, 2016

There is now no doubt that Quorum will remain a monthly publication. The Quorum Committee is committed to continuing the momentum created in 2015 and working to increase readership both in print and online, extend the viability of Quorum articles beyond 30 days, increase revenue and use Quorum as a tool to build membership in CAI-CV. The Committee has agreed to work with the Membership and Business Partner Committees to use Quorum as a way to recruit new business partner members. The Committee has also prepared a way for members who are featured in Quorum to purchase copies of their articles to use for their own promotional purposes. New advertising layouts were made available in 2016 and some have already sold. The new program to engage non-member advertising is kicking off this month and expected to be embraced. We believe that communities who are featured on the front page may want to send copies

to all their residents. We believe realtors may use Quorum as a sales tool in neighborhoods that are featured. By the end of 2016, we believe that Quorum articles will be hanging on the walls of over 100 businesses and associations in the Valley. The reprinting of Quorum articles will be promoted in Chamber publications, association newsletters and with other CAI chapters. We believe the readership of Quorum will increase three-fold in 2016. The CAI-CV Quorum Committee and Board have created a first-class publication that is already being embraced by the Coachella Valley communities.

In December, Quorum took on a new look on the chapter’s new website.

Prior to the change, the past five years of Quorum were listed on the website by date and a simple click would take you to the issue. In December, the Committee’s designer and Co-Chair, Rodney Bissell, restructured the web page for Quorum so that it now shows the cover of each issue with the key features listed below the picture. Both the photo reference and written names of features will make it easy for members to search past issues for important timeless information. The problem of making articles’ shelf life longer than 30 days has been solved.

CAI-CV’s website will eventually feature key articles prior to publication in Quorum to help build readership.

They will be using the new database capabilities to email previews of articles (with pictures) to members that lead back to the online magazine. A new online bulletin board will allow members to post story ideas and news directly to the Quorum Committee, creating an interactive Quorum for the first time. And, the Committee will send out updates on Quorum features via email to keep members interested in past, present and upcoming events.

FEATURE LEADERSHIP AWARD

its efforts on raising CAI-CV’s visibility as an authority on the CID industry in Requirements: Training, development, and/or recogni- the Coachella Valley. While CAI-CV was known in CID circles, it was unknown tion programs that empower volunteers and/or members to to the media and misunderstood by our be effective, efficient leaders. advisories. CAI-CV’s leadership was Title: Raising CAI-CV’s Visibility needed to turn around the one-sided

as the Authority on CIDs

In 2014, the CID industry in the Coachella Valley was inundated by bad press. The media regularly reported negative association stories without calling on the CAI-CV office, local community boards or management companies to check facts. Most articles published about associations were negative, fueling an abysmal reputation for our industry. In one front page Sunday story, local associations were blasted for denying a homeowner the ability to place solar panels on his roof. The reporter didn’t have the facts so the article didn’t mention that the homeowner lived in a condominium and was trying to cover the entire roof of a building he didn’t own.

Since it was clear that the media didn’t know CAI-CV existed, the Board adopted a goal of raising CAI-CV’s visibility as the authority on common interest developments in the Coachella Valley. The objectives were to improve our relationship with major media and to educate and neutralize some of the local groups that opposed CAI in the media.

The Board delegated this project to the Public Relations Committee (formerly the Marketing Committee).

This program fits into CAI’s Leadership category because it focuses

NATIONAL 2015 CAI

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media stories that negatively impacted our industry.

The Board developed a budget based on the CED’s and Public Relations Committee’s suggestions. The budget included funds for media training, funds to join two local Chambers, and a budget to attend events with local Realtors.

The budget also included free tickets to CAI-CV events that could be offered to help educate adversarial groups.

A NEW CHARTER WAS ADOPTED The Board asked the Public Relations Committee to retool their charter to make raising CAI-CV’s visibility their primary focus. The Committee Charter was previously focused on helping out CAI-CV event committees prepare communication plans for their events.

With the new charter, the Committee changed its name from the Marketing Committee to the Public Relations Committee and refocused their efforts externally. The responsibilities for internal communications are now the responsibility of each event committee, freeing up time and resources for the new PR Committee.

Among its first directives, the PR Committee directed the CED to place the following statement on all CAI-CV publications including press releases: CAI-CV is the authority on common interest developments in the Coachella Valley. This message is used on all CAI-CV presentations as well.

REACHING OUT TO THE MEDIA The Chapter was able to provide media training to some of its members through CLAC’s media training program.

The CED attended the program as did several members of the PR Committee.

The PR Committee drafted a Media Policy for the Chapter outlining the goals

"CAI-CV is the authority on common interest developments in the Coachella Valley."

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FEATURE and objectives as well as appointing the CED as the spokesperson and stating that all media calls to CAI-CV members would be routed to the CED who would determine how to respond. Local media representatives were contacted and provided with CAI-CV contact informat ion and encouraged to contact C A I- C V on any issues that involve CIDs in the Coachella Valley. So far, we have had 100 percent of repor ters writing stories about associations call the CAI-CV office for comments and background.

The Chapter has also worked to build relationships with The Desert Cities HOA Council, and Coachella Valley local Realtor associations – California Desert Association of Realtors (CDAR) and the Palm Springs Regional Association of Realtors (PSRAR). CAI-CV has had three educational sessions with CDAR and one with PSRAR. PSRAR is a new member to the chapter. New relationships with these key influential groups in the Valley have helped raise CAI-CV’s visibility in a positive way.

The Coachella Valley has nine independent cities. Disgruntled homeowners were turning to the cities when their associations were unresponsive and the cities were frustrated that associations were not dealing with homeowner issues. There were clear misunderstandings about responsibilities of the cities, associations and homeowners.

The PR Committee recommended reaching out to the city councils and joining their local Chambers as a way of reaching residents to educate them about associations.

The Board approved joining the chambers during the summer. By

November, the PR Committee had gained agreement with the La Quinta Chamber to publish six articles in 2016 at no charge. The Palm Desert Chamber is working with the CED on a similar arrangement. Together, the chapter expects to reach approx imately 60,000 residents with association stories in 2016.

In the meantime, the cities of Indio and Palm Desert have called on CAI-CV to help them draft a pamphlet to help homeowners understand what it means to live in an association. They have also asked CAI-CV to help draft model CC&Rs that will help them address future issues.

CAI-CV has assembled a panel of attorneys and PCAM managers to work with the cities to focus on assembling model CC&Rs that help predict future (non-builder related) issues.

Additionally, the city of Palm Desert just asked CAI-CV to help get the word out about their new General Plan to associations. In December, t hey asked us to tell our members about some important water issues in their city. This relationship with the cities has raised CAI-CV’s reputation as an authority on CIDs in the Valley. Word is spreading.

We have recently been contacted by Frontier Communication, the Salton Sea Authority and the local water districts to help them get word out to Coachella Valley associations about issues that impact our members.

"So far, we have had 100 percent of reporters writing stories about associations call the CAI-CV office for comments and background."

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Quorum May, 2016

NEW MEDIA PARTNERS Following the announcement of TV and radio commercials at the CAI National Convention, the CAI-CV Board approached a local media outlet to see if they would be interested in exchanging a higher level of corporate sponsorship for air time. An agreement was reached and announced this week that CAI’s National commercials will begin airing on KESQ-TV. The Board and PR Committee decided to measure the success of this program based on the results in the media. In the eight months since this program began, there have been no stories about CIDs that did not include CAI-CV’s input. All of the stories have been balanced. Most important, the reporters, for the first time, are calling CAI-CV before going to press.

In an effort to continue to raise CAI-CV’s visibility, the PR Committee is working to improve this program by reaching out to new constituencies that are related in some way to the CID industry. Now that home building has started back up, they plan to reach out to builders and contractors this year.

The Committee plans to continue their work with the cities and will publish joi nt educational brochures for new homeowners later this year. The Committee is working on a more detailed media plan that includes identifying media spokespersons on key topics, pre-approved quotes for reporters, and a training program for reporters about the CID industry. The Committee is also considering working with KESQ to film their own commercials this year.

FEATURE MEMBERSHIP AWARD Requirement: Membership acquisition, retention, or development efforts that enables CAI to expand its membership base.

Title: CAI-CV CAVL Membership Drive One of the Chapter's goals for 2015 was to increase CAVL membership.

The CAV L membership category had been ignored by the Chapter for several years. As a result, the Chapter had no CAVLs on any of its 15 Standing Committees or on the Chapter’s Board of Directors. The Chapter’s bylaws require t he Chapter to make a best effort to have at least two CAVLs on its Board. The bylaws also require that members running for the Board must have recently served a year or more as a chair or co-chair of a committee.

To achieve getting CAVLs on the Board, the Chapter’s 2015 President, Tad Black, asked the Membership and Public Relations Committees to create a three-year program that would facilitate getting CAVLs to join CAI-CV, to volunteer on committees and eventually rise to leadership positions that would make them eligible to run for the CAI-CV Board of Directors.

To meet the requirements of the bylaws, the Chapter had to gain new members and facilitate CAVL volunteerism on committees. The Public Relations and Membership Committees worked together to address every facet of membership for CAVLs. They solicited information from the state and commercial sources to build a database of

more than 1,100 potential new members.

They met with and sought the help of the Chair of the Desert Cities HOA Council to reach out to board presidents. We are delighted that the Council’s Chair, Mike Traidman, joined both CAI-CV and joined the Public Relations Committee.

The committees met to come up with a budget early in the year. The budget included the design, printing, and mailing of three postcards. Also

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included in the budget was the cost of creating a membership table that could be used at all CAI-CV events. The budget included the funds to purchase CAVL contacts from the Secretary of State and Inspectors of Elections. After the budget was prepared, the Committee took it to the CAI-CV Board and presented their plan. The Board approved both the plan and the budget unanimously.

The primary marketing was done through the mailing of the postcard invitations to all known association board members. The postcards were also sent to all CAI-CV manager members asking

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them to pass them along to their boards.

The CAI-CV Committees decided the best way to get CAVLs involved with CAI-CV was to invite them to attend one of five Educational Programs & Mini Trade Shows. They felt that having a CAVL attend an Educational Program would be a great way to introduce nonmembers to CAI-CV and display all that we have to offer them.

Three postcards were created and sent to a list of 1,100 non-member board members. Each postcard included information about CAI-CV and an invitation to attend one of our upcoming educational lunch programs with an offer for first-time attendance at no charge. Those wishing to participate in the offer were asked to contact the Chapter office to RSVP. The postcards were designed with a common theme, stunning photographs, quality card stock, and were a size that could not be overlooked in a pile of mail.

The office f lagged each of these firsttime attendees on the program attendance list and they prepared special nametags that were separated from the members' nametags and placed at the Membership Table.

When the CAVLs arrived at the program, they were sent to the Membership Table where the Membership Committee members greeted them.

After confirming their contact information, the Membership Committee representative introduced them to Chapter staff, Directors, business partners, and other members, all the while explaining the benefits of membership. They sat with the guests during

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FEATURE the program. After the event, the Committee representative provided these guests with a prospect package that included an application. The CAVL’s contact information was also provided to the Chapter office for follow up and tracking.

Since the program is expected to achieve its goals in three years, the Committees decided to measure their success in stages.

The first stage was based on the accuracy of the database.

The office received only four returned postcards after the initial mailing due to bad addresses. The Committee felt this demonstrated that their database was solid.

The second stage was based on how many RSVPs were returned to the office after each mailing. With a little less than a ten percent RSVP rate, the Committees felt that stage of the program was successful. The average response for a commercial postcard solicitation is two percent.

The third stage was based on measuring the total number

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Quorum May, 2016

of new CAVLs who attended an Educational Lunch Program and measured their experience by reviewing their program surveys. The program began in May and during that time, 80 CAVLs actually attended one of five programs. The average overall rating from CAVLs was 4.6 points out of 5 or an “Excellent” evaluation.

The fourth stage was based on new membership. CAI-CV saw 32 new CAVLs become members as a result of this program and the Committees believe that is a great start.

The final measurement was to look at whether these new CAVLs attended additional events or signed up as a volunteer on a committee. Twenty CAVLs have attended other CAI-CV events and two have signed up to volunteer on committees.

The Committees feel this is excellent progress and will increase as the program continues.

The Committees decided to start earlier for the 2016 program and rebuilt their database in November, just after new information was available from the CA Secretary of State.

The postcards were prepared in December and the first one was mailed the first week of December inviting CAVLs to the January and February programs.

The Committees also decided that in 2016, they would partner with the Education Committee and offer to use the new nonmember database to send invitations to non-member CAVLs to attend two Board Member Workshops (BMW), each one consists of one of the five modules of the new Board Leadership Development Workshop, and the Essentials Course, which will include three modules. Essentially, CAVLs will receive invitations to attend twelve CAI-CV events in 2016, up from five in 2015.

The Committees agreed that they will also send all the CAVL prospect names to CAI National to place on their prospect list.

The CAI-CV Board of Directors is excited about the success of this program and has used it as an example for other committees. The problem of needing CAVL involvement at the Board level and on CAI-CV Committees is being solved and the Chapter will never again be in a situation where one membership class is ignored. CAI-CV is grateful to the thirty volunteer committee members who worked diligently to make this program a success.

The CAI-CV Board wants to thank the following members for their help with the 2015 Awards submissions: Ramona Acosta, Tinnelly Law Group, Jolen Zeroski, Union Bank, Cardinal Ambrose, Albert Management, Matt Lawton, Prendiville Insurance Agency (Membership); Mark Dodge, Associa Desert Resort Management, Lori Albert, Albert Management (Leadership), and Phyllis Harkins, Palm Desert Country Club Association, Fran Mullahy, Vintage Associates, Rodney Bissell, Bissel Design Studios, Kym TaylorBurke NPG Nelson Paving (Member Services – Quorum).

FEATURE

Reserve Study Accuracy

By Kevin M. Leonard, RS

I

recently read an article critical of using “% Funded” to measure the financial strength of an Association’s Reserve Fund. The author argued that since an error in the Component List would make the “% Funded” computation misleading, “% Funded” results should always be ignored. I was initially bothered by this sideswipe at an established National Reserve Study Standard (NRSS) measurement of Reserve Fund Strength, but then realized some truth in the accusation.

While I am in the majority believing that “% Funded” reliably reports Reserve Fund strength, the truth is that when the Component List is wrong, everything else in the Reserve Study is equally suspect.

A NRSS-compliant Reserve Study provides three key results:

1. Component List (detailing the scope & schedule of reserve projects)

2. Reserve Fund Strength (% Funded)

3. Funding Plan (Reserve Contribution) The Component List is foundational because the second two results are computed based on the first! Therefore, if the Reserve Component List is “inaccurate” with respect to the scope and schedule of the anticipated repairs and replacements, the Reserve Fund Strength and Funding Plan calculations will also be inaccurate. Thus… get the Reserve Component List “wrong”, and you’ve

wasted your time.

Fortunately, National Reserve Study Standards dictate a four-part test to help ensure that the Component List is complete.

To qualify as a valid component, a project needs to pass all of the following four tests:

Test #1.

Is it a common area maintenance responsibility?

Test #2. Is it life-limited?

Test #3. Does it have a predictable remaining useful life?

Test #4. Is its repair/replacement above a minimum threshold cost of significance?

While there is still a great deal of skill and judgment involved in compiling all elements of the Component List (Useful Life and Remaining Useful Life to determine the schedule of the project and Current Replacement Cost to determine the scope), the NRSS fourpart test means we have sound guidance on which items to include.

Let me make two observations at this point: If the Association’s Reserve Specialist, Manager, and Board of Directors are all being guided by the NRSS four-part test to establish the Component List, the list should remain reasonably accurate and

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stable through the years.

There will always be some changes and surprises. For example, if your old landscaping company trimmed the trees on an ongoing basis, but your new landscaping company’s contract excludes tree trimming, you’ll need to add “Tree Trimming” to your Component List.

There is also a chance that a common area item everyone reasonably predicted would “last forever” (failing part #2 of the 4-part test) suddenly fails. In that case, you would have a new component to add to the Component List.

The bottom line is that “% Funded” or a Reserve Funding Plan shouldn’t be tossed aside as unreliable concepts just because of the potential for problems with the underlying Component List.

So place the proper attention on assembling an accurate and stable Reserve Component List, because everything else in the Reserve Study stands on that foundation.

Kevin is a Community Associations Institute (CAI) credentialed Reserve Specialist (RS #294). He is President – Inland Empire/Coachella Valley for Association Reserves. His experience ranges nationwide and he has completed hundreds of Reserve Studies to date. Kevin enjoys the satisfaction of bringing insight and order to the distracted and cluttered world of community associations. Kevin can be reached at (909) 906-1025 or by email at kleonard@reservestudy.com.

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FEATURE

Stretching Pool Budgets and Reserves with New Technologies

By Alan Smith

Now that we are in full presidential election hype, the debate over our national debt, budget and the proper spending of our tax dollars comes into full view. Cut wasteful inefficient spending to balance the budget vs. raising taxes for added spending to keep up with an expanding budget. The responsibility of spending other people's money should (we hope) be given to people with the talent and integrity to see the "big picture." As we are all well aware, this debate comes packed with spin, agendas and heavy political consequences.

Often, calculating and managing budgets and reserves for HOAs can be just as much "fun." Making the hard choices along with being creative to get the most bang for your buck is the Board’s main job. So, as HOA managers and board members, properly assessing the needs of our communities, and then setting an accurate budget for maintenance and reserves is a challenging responsibility. Boards can save thousands of dollars in their maintenance and reserve budgets by taking advantage of new technologies.

Our company is constantly looking for new methods, technologies, materials and systems that help extend our product’s life expectancy. This includes proactive maintenance, use of advanced materials and improved construction technologies.

The cost to maintain your pool areas are a big part of your budget and reserves. Let’s list them from most frequent to extended reserve items.

1. Weekly maintenance and chemicals 2. Energy to run pool equipment 3. Water replacement for evaporation and yearly draining for quality control and acid washing

4. Acid washings 5. Tile descaling 6. Heater replacement 7. Pump and filter replacement 8. Replastering 9. Tile, coping and mastic replacement 10. Deck and deck coating replacement 11. Corroded hand rail replacement 18

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With the drought in California and restrictions and increased fees from water agencies, water management is a huge issue for desert communities. Here in the desert, pools need to be drained annually to control the Cyanuric Acid [conditioner] levels so the chlorine can kill the bad stuff.

Draining the pool also helps control the total dissolved solids [TDS]. When the TDS levels elevate, the calcium scale [one of the dissolved solids] starts to “fall out” and stick onto your plaster, tile, coping, deck and inside of your heater. Controlling this is important to extend all these different product’s life spans and water quality. But new water restrictions and high fines can make annual draining expensive for HOAs. Mobile reverse osmosis is a new technology that can help control these issues without draining the pool. A mobile reverse osmosis unit assembled in a trailer is driven to your facility and simply filters all the high conditioner levels and TDS levels down to acceptable levels in a single day with only 10%- 15% waste. A chemical pretreatment can also be done and serves as gentle underwater acid wash to remove the scale and some stains. This saves the cost of water, draining charges, chemical usage and acid washing. This process extends the heater life by two to six years, reduces the need for descaling tile, extends the pool’s plaster life three to five years, and reduces the need to clean and descale coping and decking. On average, we estimate annual maintenance savings of $1,000 per 30,000-40,000 gallon pool. And this water treatment saves water and extends the life of reserve items.

HOAs can also extend the life of their pool’s plaster by using new technologies when building or remodeling their pools.

Replacing traditional marble pool plaster with pozzolan modified, quartz aggregate plaster is 50 percent more durable and only increases the cost about 25 percent. Pozzolans change the soluble components of plaster cement and make them harder and much more durable to the desert’s aggressive pool water.

The quartz aggregate is ten times harder than soft marble in regular pool plaster.

Another cost saving solution for HOAs who are replacing pool plaster is to use a 40,000 psi hydro blasting removal method instead of stripping plaster off the pools with the traditional jack hammer method. This relatively new method cuts down on gunite shell damage. Replacing gunite is frequently an unplanned expense for HOAs that have stripped their pools with jack hammers. Hydro blasting can come

TIME HONORED with a ten-year warranty and save the association $4,000 to $15,000 in the cost to re-gunite part or all of the pool.

Converting to solar powered commercial DC pool pumps is another cost-cutting item associations can plan for in their reserves. Southern California Edison’s Emerging Technology division just released a report on this new technology. At .15 cents a KW, it’s a three to five-year payback and takes your pool off the grid at prime use hours. If you are paying more than .15 cents a KW the payback is much faster. Solar pumps save HOAs 50%-75% of the average pool energy costs. It’s important to remember that solar pump conversions also require finding room for six to eight solar panels located reasonably close to the pool equipment area.

Using new technologies to tackle maintenance and reserve items at your facility can add up to serious savings. Being creative about saving association assessments (other people’s money) is more important than ever.

Maybe this presidential election season will turn out some solutions to responsibly manage our budget and debt. We can only hope.

Alan Smith is on the boards of National Plasterers Council (NPC) and the California Pool and Spa Association (CPSA). He was instrumental in the establishment of the National Pool Industry Research Center at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where he chaired their Advisory Board. He also serves on the EDD Small Business Advisory Board.

Alan is Owner and CEO of Alan Smith Pool Plastering/Purified Pool Water/Sun Powered Pool Pumps, in the Coachella Valley. Alan can be reached at (760) 399-6428 or at alan.smith@alansmithpools.com.

Becky Hayes

By Phyllis Harkins

B

ecky Hayes, CIRMS, licensed insurance agent with LaBarre/Oksnee Insurance Agency, is a longtime resident of the Coachella Valley, and has been a member of the CAI-CV Chapter since 2002. Her family’s roots in the Valley go back to her great aunt Lela Hall Frank; Lela was a well-known artist in the desert for many years, and Lela also is in the Missouri Trapshooting Hall of Fame, next to Annie Oakley! Becky is proud of her great aunt’s accomplishments during an era in the 1930’s and 1940’s, when very few women participated in the sport. Becky’s parents still reside in the Coachella Valley, also her daughter and two grandchildren reside in the Valley, and her son lives in San Diego; she commented that her cockapoo Izzy is truly her sidekick and the love of her life.

Becky enjoys day trips to Temecula and Idyllwild, and especially loves swimming. She commented in her interview that most of her day would be spent near the water if she could.

Another aspect of her life that she enjoys is decorating not only her house, but her friends’ houses as well, and frequently going to the movies. Her music tastes range from the 1970’s and country, and Blake Shelton is one of her favorites.

Interestingly, if she had not started in the insurance industry, she would have remained as a licensed hair stylist, which was her career for many years. Becky joined the Chapter when she began her career with LaBarre/Oksnee; although CAI-CV.org

initially joining the Chapter as a part of her job responsibility, she commented how much over the years she has enjoyed her participation with many Chapter committees and events. She chaired the Golf Committee for many years and also has served on the Volunteer Committee for 14 years, along with service to the Awards, Business Partner and Golf Cart Parade Committees.

Becky noted that three people have mentored and encouraged her; her mom and dad support her every day in all that Becky does. Becky told a story that her dad’s best advice was to think about the fact that Becky's knowledge of her industry was something she took for granted, and remember that if someone asks what appears to be a trivial question, pretend that it was her dad or her mom asking the question. Becky commented that she has never forgotten that, and always tries to apply that advice in her life. Her other mentor is her boss, Scott Oksnee, who, Becky stated, inspires her professionally.

She attributes most of her career growth to him, describing him as grounded, fair and loyal. Becky commented that she would not be the person she is today in the insurance industry without his experience, wisdom and advice.

Although Becky had insurance knowledge prior to her career with LaBarre/Oksnee, she feels that the experiences, relationships and education that she has obtained in the HOA industry, especially the CAI-CV Chapter, have, as she noted, catapulted her career, allowing her to be not only an insurance professional but also a “Specializing Agent in the Insurance Industry." She also firmly believes that "life is too short." Becky believes that a person should always treat people, every day, with kindness and respect. Thank you Becky for your years of service to the CAI-CV Chapter; it’s an honor to share your story.

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CAI-CV

2016 PLATINUM SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT

CAI NATIONAL M-202 CLASS COMING TO PALM DESERT The CAI M-202 class on Association Communications is a valuable course for all managers. This class is one of six required courses for the PCAM designation, and can also be one of the two courses needed for the AMS designation.

Communication skills are what set good managers apart from the average. By taking this course, you’ll gain the tools to effectively handle community issues, write association newsletters and reports, and manage association public relations. This is the only CAI course that is not offered online, so sign up now, before the class roster is full.

M-202 Class—June 23 and June 24, 2016, at the Homewood Suites in Palm Desert. Register online at caionline.org. Space is limited, so register now for this valuable class. This will be the only M-202 class this year in the Coachella Valley.

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Quorum May, 2016

E

mpireWorks has been a proud member of CAI for over 7 years. We greatly appreciate the relationships we have built with all our CAI chapters. The value we receive from the Coachella Valley Chapter in particular is certainly one worth bragging about. Like all CAI chapters, Coachella Valley offers a true sense of community where we are treated not as a vendor but as a business partner.

The cohesive bond they have created reflects their sense of appreciation for the association community, an immense appreciation EmpireWorks shares. It is our passion for this community that makes us a fierce business within this industry.

EmpireWorks provides professional exterior reconstruction and painting services for Homeowners Associations, Multifamily Properties, Property Managers, Building Owners, and Capital Expenditure Managers throughout Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon and Colorado.

Established in 2002, EmpireWorks began as a repainting company and has now become one of the largest and most successful repainting and reconstruction companies in the United States. After eight years specializing in large-scale repainting only, we grew the business and proudly began offering reconstruction services as well. Becoming both a painting and reconstruction business has become one of our most memorable moments in our company’s history thus far.

Our partnership with CAI has become an instrumental part of our company culture. Amongst the many other benefits to this partnership are the relationships we have gained and the unparalleled education we receive from CAI. At CAI we are provided with knowledge outside of our specific area of expertise.

This external knowledge allows each business partner within the community to receive a holistic understanding of the association community, which in turn enables each of us to become a stronger and more capable business owner.

Our advice here at EmpireWorks for board members, community managers, and other industry professionals is to be an active participant within the CAI community. What you put into this partnership is what you will get out of it.

Through your active involvement you will gain the unparalleled relationships and education that will truly strengthen your business.

We would like to thank CAI for the long lasting relationship we have built together. We greatly value the true sense of respect and camaraderie we have with CAI, a camaraderie we extend to our employees and clients and therefore one we value above anything else.

Thank you to EmpireWorks for their generous support of CAI-CV

FEATURE

If You Fail to Plan, You Plan to Fail

By Erin Klink

It’s 1 a.m., and you receive a panicked call from a homeowner: it’s raining in their bedroom! Upon further inspection, it appears a new roof is needed. How will the HOA pay for the new roof as well as the interior water damage? While emergency maintenance is every association manager’s worst nightmare, having an appropriate amount of reserve funds can help nightmares from becoming an unpleasant reality.

No HOA wants to end up filing for bankruptcy because one property sat vacant for three months while another needed major repairs, draining reserve funds and digging a hole deep into debt. As you may imagine, crawling out from such a place can be very challenging. Inadequate reserve funds or a complete lack of them could quickly snowball into a financial crisis for association managers.

Homeowners and board members often misinterpret HOA reserve accounts. Many see them as a slush fund to be used when the operating account gets low on cash. Others may recognize the necessity to have some measure of reserve funds, but do not make the connection that reserve funds are being reserved for particular components within the community that the homeowners association is responsible for, such as restoration, replacement of equipment, roads, fencing, and painting in the community. These misunderstandings are often propelled by well-intentioned but misguided attempts by members to keep dues as low as possible. An HOA lacking an adequate reserve fund is asking for trouble.

When an HOA lacking funds in a reserve faces expenses outside its general operations budget, the HOA will likely have to increase dues significantly, levy for a special assessment, or apply for a loan. All of which will not go over well with homeowners. Appropriate funding in reserves increases homeowner confidence by decreasing the need for special assessments or borrowing. Furthermore, proper reserve funding can enhance the desirability of a community and consequently property values. To be eligible for an HOA loan,

“The assumption is that a loan can be obtained, but what if the HOA is not approved for a loan?” lenders often require HOA’s to set aside at least 10 percent of their budget to funding reserves.

The assumption is that a loan can be obtained, but what if the HOA is not approved for a loan? There are quite a few things that can prevent an HOA loan from going smoothly. Many times the ratio of homeowners to tenants has to be just right.

Lenders believe an HOA occupied primarily by homeowners is less risky than one filled with rental units. The theory is that homeowners are more likely to maintain their home and common areas compared to someone who is simply renting.

Other stumbling blocks are the obvious, the HOA’s financial health and whether or not the HOA is properly insured.

If lenders constrict reserve level criteria for home buyers, some HOA communities will become ineligible for loans causing buyers' attention to plunge. Buyers will purchase in other communities that wisely planned ahead while sellers in the underfunded HOA will be stuck indefinitely. The bottom line is reserve funds are, or should be, an essential part of every HOA. Underfunding reserve accounts causes declining property values, inadequate maintenance, and the dreaded special assessments. It also damages the association’s reputation and punishes sellers because educated buyers steer clear of developments with funding troubles.

Erin Klink, is a HOA Client Service Officer for Pacific Western Bank. You can reach Erin at (760) 324-4914 and/or eklink@pacificwesternbank.com.

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21

CHAPTER EVENTS

April 8th 2016 Lunch Program High Conflict Personalities, Part II (see story on page 24)

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Quorum May, 2016

CHAPTER EVENTS

Guest Speaker (back by popular demand)

John C. Edwards, Esq. Attorney / Mediator / High Conflict Institute, San Diego What’s Behind High Conflict Personalities Strategies for Resolving Conflict Control Your Own Response to Hostile & Aggressive Behavior (see story on page 24) THANKS TO OUR APRIL PROGRAM SPONSORS! PROGRAM SPONSORS AMS Paving Artistic Maintenance Asphalt MD's Blue Sky Landscape CBCI Construction Conserve LandCare Diversified Asphalt EmpireWorks Flood Response Mutual of Omaha Bank NPG Nelson Paving Painting Unlimited Prendiville Insurance S. B. S. Lien Services SCT Reserve Consultants Vista Paint Corporation Western Pacific Roofing SPOTLIGHT SPONSOR EmpireWorks PEN SPONSOR Accurate Leak Locators

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23

EVENTS

Managing High Conflict People April 8, 2016 - Educational Lunch Program & Mini Trade Show Guest Speaker: John C. Edwards, Esq., The High Conflict Institute (www.HighConflictInstitute.com)

Excerpts from April 8th Presentation Have you ever had to work with someone where NOTHING you could do would calm them down? Do you know people who are UNWILLING to compromise? Where everything is EMOTIONAL? We all have!

Chances are, these people were part of the 5 percent of our population with personality disorders or high conflict personalities (HCPs). Working with HCPs is counterintuitive and requires practice and forethought. They will push all your buttons and every cell in your body will tell you to confront them directly – but if you do, you lose!

Remember, High Conflict Personalities (HCPs): • Act out of fear and often have personality disorders or traits • Have difficult behavior that is mostly unconscious • Want relief from their constant distress • Push professional boundaries out of desperation, not out of intent to be difficult • Meet direct confrontation with resistance and escalation of blame • Have problem-solving skills, which you can access if you calm their emotions

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Quorum May, 2016

You can connect with HCPs with Empathy, Attention & Respect (EAR) EMPATHIZE Don’t argue with HCPs logic – try to understand it. You won’t talk them out of their fears, but you can empathize with their fears.

Acknowledge HCP is upset: • “I can see this is upsetting” • “Wow! You’re really upset”

ATTENTION Reduce their fears by reassuring them that you are not going to make assumptions or quick decisions; pay attention to their concerns.

Let HCP know you care: • “I care about you and want to help” • “I want you to succeed here”

RESPECT Put your energy into clarifications to make sure you understand how they are thinking, and what they heard you say.

Connect with HCP’s feelings: “I can empathize with how frustrating this is” Sample E.A.R. Statement “I can really empathize with your frustration that I can’t answer your question today. I will pay full attention to your concerns about this issue and any information that you want to provide. I have a lot of respect for your commitment to solving this problem, and I look forward to solving it too. I will call you back next week once I have more information.”

Other EAR responses to help alleviate HCP’s fears: • “I want to help you” • “I respect your efforts” • “I’ll pay attention” • “I’ll listen” • “They’re just rules we all have to follow” • “I understand this can be frustrating” • “I’ll work with you on this” • “I know this can be confusing” • “Here’s how I can help you today…”

• “Let’s look at what your options are now…”

• “We’re going to focus on the future”

Some cautions about E.A.R. •Avoid believing or agreeing with content •Avoid volunteering to “fix it” for them (in an effort to calm down their emotions) •Avoid rejecting them or angry confrontations with them because of their heightened emotions •You don’t have to listen forever Your focus with HCPs needs to be on your relationship with the person, rather than the outcome. So as they move forward, then backward, you can calmly move them forward again. Don’t become stressed by their “resistance.” Keep using E.A.R. Statements. Remember: The “issue’s” not the issue; your relationship is the issue! You’re not responsible for the outcome – just providing your professional standard of care.

As a full service law firm, our services include: • Board Education & Fiduciary Compliance • Governing Document Interpretation • ADR & IDR • CC&R Restatement & Amendments • Assessment Recovery • Writs & Appeals • Litigation – Enforcement & Defense • Construction Defect / Reconstruction • Contract Negotiation San Diego Area: 760.436.3441 Coachella Valley: 760.773.4463 Orange County: 949.390.2977 www.hoalaw.com

mail@hoalaw.com

Please contact us for a free consultation on how we can help your association!

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25

CHARITY

Coachella Valley's Own Four-Time Champion SoCal Coyotes Meet America's #1 Developmental Pro Football Program

R

By Ron DiGrandi

on DiGrandi has been actively “Faith, Family and Football” is the The team’s patriarch is Darrel “Mouse” involved with the Coachella Valley real mission of the Coyotes – and not sur- Davis, godfather of the Run ‘n’ Shoot and CAI chapter since its inception in 1981. prisingly, something that dates back to modern pro offense, a lifetime mentor to At that time he was the Commercial the great Vince Lombardi in 1959. More Coyotes head coach and founder, AAA Business Manager with Warner Cable than game tape. More than a weight Hall of Fame head coach J. David Miller. and launched a new cable television room. More than a 40 time. The Coyote Headqua r tered in Sout her n business model that would not only mission reaches so far from the actual California’s Coachella Valley, the SoCal streamline cable service for HOAs, but gridiron that developing well-rounded Coyotes are dedicated to restoring hope also lower costs. This plan activated all young men is just as, if not more, impor- in personal lives, families and comhomes in the HOA with cable television tant to the entire organization. munities. Their logo depicts a Coyote, service at a discounted price included in The SoCal Coyotes are the nation’s viciously "Defending the Shield" of Faith, their HOA dues. His plan was launched in only non-profit sports leadership orga- Family and Football. part through CAI, and became extremely nization to field a professional football More than 400 young men have successful both locally and nationally. team, and were named "America’s #1 matured in the Coyote program, with Approximately 90 many advancing percent of all HOA’s in to camps in the the Coachella Valley National Football have taken advantage League, Canadian of this opportunity.

Football League and In the years since, the Arena Football Ron has continued League. With priorhis passion and comity on faith, fathermitment to service hood and family and helping people. values, the Coyote He has been an active organization has member on many CAI been nationally reccommittees includognized for “Building "More than 100,000 Coachella Valley middle school, ing Membership, C h a m p ion s by high school and at-risk youth have participated in Coyote Golf, Bowling, PR, Building Men.” Leadership programs in camps, clinics and curriculum."

Del Mar and others.

Since 2012, the He is a well known SoCal Coyotes have and respected leader in our community. Developmental Football Program" by impacted the epidemic of absent fathers One of the organizations he is most pas- former Denver Broncos GM and two- by mentoring and equipping young sionate about is the SoCal Coyotes. time Super Bowl winner Ted Sundquist. men to become better husbands, better No other Coachella Valley sports The Coyotes board is steeped in fathers, and better men. The Coyotes initiative in history has achieved more talent and tradition, and includes former were founded for the two-fold purpose of success or impacted so many youth as Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams; providing a developmental professional quickly as the four-time champion SoCal legendary All-Century University of football platform for ages 18-34 that also Coyotes non-profit sports leadership Southern California offensive lineman would address the Coachella Valley’s organization, the desert’s most domi- and Rose Bowl champion Brad Budde; vacuum for positive male role models, nant football program, fastest-growing and NFL Walter Payton Award final- reliable fathers and father figures, and sports brand, and provider of hope. ist Marvin Jones of the New York Jets. employable young males who are strong

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Quorum January, 2015

FEATURE community servants and leaders.

Coyote Leadership Programs are blueprints for attainable progress that provide schools, communities and organizations measurable results. Coyote players annually administer published leadership curriculum to more than 30,000 students. Other services range from educational classes, employment programs, motivational leadership symposiums, coaching clinics and intramural football.

More than 100,000 Coachella Valley middle school, high school and at-risk youth have participated in Coyote Leadership programs in camps, clinics and curriculum. The Coyotes Head of Household Work Leadership program (HOWL) trains players in demonstrable skills that produce sustainable incomes, and matches them with employment opportunities. Other programs train young men to co-parent with disciplined skills as fathers and/or husbands.

Dozens of Coyotes now live in and around the Coachella Valley, supporting and raising families, earning gainful incomes, and leading their businesses, schools, churches and communities.

On the field, the Coyotes (65-12) have few peers.

The team has never missed the playoffs; made seven consecutive bowl appearances; played for six league titles, and won four. Coach Miller has experience at every level of football and has been named “Coach of the Year” three different times in three different leagues. News sources named him National Coach of the Year in 2012, and the AAA Football Hall of Fame made Miller a unanimous "Class of 2013" inductee for his "ongoing 30-year contribution to the sport as an author, administrator and coach."

The Coyotes rely on sustaining support from corporate partners and private donors. To discover more, visit www.thesocalcoyotes.com, or www.facebook.com/thesocalcoyotes.

Ron DiGrandi, SVP, can be reached at 760.285.7073, or email ron@thesocalcoyotes.com.

Roofing Reserves

By Rob Winkle

Roofs are one of the single most expensive components of any reserve plan. Proper maintenance and a replacement plan are critical components for any association that is responsible for buildings.

Roofs protect the building structure from water damage. It serves to provide the building's owner with comfort that the interior contents are safe as well. Unfortunately roofs are often out of sight, out of mind. With proper planning, the replacement costs can be managed to fit most budgets.

It is important to have a qualified licensed roofing contractor periodically evaluate the roofing systems on the property and assist associations with a roofing plan for maintenance and replacement.

There are several types of roofing systems as well as slopes that determine the type of materials that are installed on a project.

Low slope or flat roofs require much different materials than steep slope roofs.

The general rule of thumb for the longevity of roofing systems in the Coachella Valley is that flat roofs last approximately 15 years and tile roofs (the underlayment) last 20 to 25 years. Some roofing systems last longer, some last less. Roofs are not likely to last this long without regular maintenance.

With the help of your roofing contractor, associations can determine how long until the "best" roofing system on the property will require replacement. Once this information has been gathered, let the budget process begin. Knowing that the roofs on the project have a shelf life, the end date of the last roof to be replaced is the most important number. The board of directors and their budget reserve analyst can decide whether to begin a replacement program that divides the work over several years or to complete the work in a shorter period of time.

Both approaches have benefits to reach the goal of replacement. By starting sooner rather than later, the work can usually be divided into much more manageable numbers and can help avoid special assessments or borrowing. By holding off on a replacement program, funds can be saved over time in preparation for replacement.

Working with both a qualified roofing contractor and a reserve specialist will give the board of directors the necessary information they need to determine the best process for their association.

LIC # 677708

Rob Winkle is General Manager of Roof Asset Management. Rob has 35 years of experience in the roofing industry and serves on the Western States Roofing Contractors Association Board of Directors. Rob can be reached at (760) 813-9999 or by email at rob@ramroofmgmt.com.

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FEATURE

Reserve Study—a Major “Asset” of Your Association

By Mallory Graves

RESERVE EXPENDITURE OR NOT, OR MAYBE?

expenses. When you remove that water-guzzling turf and replace it with drought-tolerant plants and rocks, there isn’t nearly as much to water! The existing water lines will need to be rerouted and adjusted to fit the new landscape. Sayonara spray sprinklers! Hello drip lines!

During these projects is the perfect time to take a closer look at the rest of the common area and adjust any other water lines that spray onto fence, homes, or walls. As we all know, water is the culprit of many unexpected issues! No one wants to replace metal fence or building stucco prematurely because the sprinkler’s reach went unnoticed for years. Because of the nature of these projects, they will not likely need to be repeated once they are finished.

So, how do you know how much money to set aside for turf conversion or drought resistant landscape? We suggest talking with your landscape business partner (if you don’t have one, the CAI Directory is a great place to start!) to begin a plan and priority list. Together with your reserve professional, you can then put a phasing plan together in your reserve study for the length of the project. The plan can be to go full force for one year, spread it out over a few years, or plan to fit your budget, whatever best fits your community. Make sure to use the latest technology when upgrading equipment, such as smart irrigation controllers. Take this time to look for other cost-saving opportunities including rebates, you will be happy you did. Putting a plan together also minimizes mistakes—you wouldn’t want to start a landscape project in the center of the community a few months after your beautiful black asphalt is sealed.

Common interest developments spend money three ways: through operating funds, as a capital improvement, and as a reserve expense. According to the California Civil Code, reserve funds are for “the major components that the association is obligated to repair, replace, restore, or maintain…” in the common area. A capital improvement, on the other hand, is a new component introduced to the association’s common area. Reserve funds cannot be used for a capital improvement, only for existing components.

When differentiating operating items from reserve components, it’s best to think of the big picture. Light fixtures and poles are reserve components, but the bulbs themselves are operating expenses. Similarly, pool chemical controllers and pumps are reserve components, but the acid and chlorine are operating expenses. Ultimately it is up to the board, in conjunction with their reserve professional, to set parameters that best suit the needs of the community. This can be done by the board establishing a monetary threshold for reserve expenditures.

Reserving for landscape conversion is a huge issue for the Coachella Valley. What can be done through reserves to convert to drought-tolerant landscape?

Everyone loves a nice green lawn, but these days, it’s just not practical. In the Coachella Valley, you know best! First, let’s define landscape and irrigation reserve components. We refer to landscape as softscape, meaning plants, trees, turf, etc. Irrigation refers to the equipment or hardscape, including backflow valves, controllers, and water lines.

Next, we need to consider if these are reservable expenses. WHAT SHOULD ASSOCIATION BOARDS AND Landscape, yes! Irrigation, yes!

MANAGERS DO TO HELP RESERVE SPECIALISTS? Now let’s think of other considerations. Is this a one-time When we start a reserve study job, we ask for financials expense, or will this recur? Originally, we thought of landscape and any component expenses incurred throughout the year. renovation projects as one-time expenses. Over the years, Often, we are not given enough information, so if invoices after realizing that some desert plants overgrow and others are provided it’s extra helpful because they generally include became stunted, it became clear that this will continue to more detailed information. The more detail you can provide, be an issue. The landscape the better we can update and would likely benefit from improve your reserve study. another major renovation in "Reserving for landscape However, the most helpful 8-20 years, depending on the conversion is a huge information will most likely association’s needs. come from the individual(s) issue for the Coachella Many irrigation projects, who meets with your site Valley. What can be on the other hand, are more inspector during the site visit. often considered one-time done through reserves An often missed opportunity 28

Quorum May, 2016

to convert to droughttolerant landscape?"

FEATURE for the board to ask ANY question is during a site inspection.

Your association is required to have an on-site visit with a reserve analyst every three years, so make the most of it!

Just walking the property with your reserve analyst can shed light on new issues, renew interest in other issues, and give you a fresh perspective with some new insights.

Another note to mention, that cannot be said enough—just because a reserve component’s remaining life has dropped to zero, does not mean it needs to be replaced! Discuss the life expectancy, maybe it should be increased for this component.

Many reserve component aspects will last long past their expected lives; others will fail early. It’s important to keep an eye on components as they age.

WHAT ARE THE COMMON “RESERVE” MISTAKES MADE BY ASSOCIATIONS? Two mistaken assumptions are that components will last longer than they really will, and components and projects will cost less than they really do. Take a condominium painting project with 20-year-old building stucco and wood trim.

Maybe there’s some water damaged stucco or siding from

those sprinklers. In many cases there will need to be wood repairs, which will cost more money, before the painting can be done. Unexpected costs can be minimized by continual maintenance and keeping a watchful eye.

Third, while a reserve fund is a savings account, it is not meant to be hoarded, it’s meant to be spent. The best way to spend that money is to tie the expenditures to the reserve study.

Lastly, be honest about your components! Be honest about the community’s priorities, and let the money sort itself out.

Get all your anticipated expenditures together, see how that works with cash flow, then, if that is not the simple solution, develop a plan. Depending on the priority levels and work to be done, it can be split into multiple years, do the worst first, or whatever makes the most sense for your community.

Mallory Graves has, quite literally, grown up around reserves, working for SCT Reserve Consultants during the past 12 years and full-time for over 2 years. She is a CSU Long Beach alumni with a Bachelor’s degree in Finance. Mallory has attained her Educated Business Partner designation, and can be reached at mallory.g@sctreserve.com.

WELCOME ABOARD

By Lisa Lynn, CCAM

Clint and Brenda Harris, owners of CV Pipeline Corp, joined CAI-CV to become involved with an organization connected to an industry they have served through HOA managers and communities for two decades.

CV Pipeline specializes in public works jobs for underground sewer, storm drain and water line projects. They also offer HOA’s a comprehensive service for storm drain maintenance both for the street basins, structures and outfall systems [both lines and dry wells], located in residential properties and out on the golf courses. Many of these systems are connected and need to be serviced together in order to work properly.

They employ a combination cleaning truck, which uses both vacuum and cleaning capabilities simultaneously for large projects. They have a trailer unit offering the same capabilities on a smaller scale for tighter areas and smaller jobs. Other equipment includes a small turf tractor, high

pressure water jet truck, locating equipment, dye testing and potholing capabilities. They are one of the only companies which has both a high resolution color camera specifically designed for underground inspections for lines 6”– 120” in diameter as well as a smaller color camera for inspecting lines as small as 1 ½” in diameter. This allows them to inspect lines and determine problems with accurate assessments and place them onto either a DVD or USB drive for documentation of problems and damage.

CV Pipeline has been servicing the Coachella Valley for 27 years and they are pleased to service their longtime clients as well as offer unmatched experience and services for Association needs.

You can contact CV Pipeline Corp at 42335 Washington Street, F8, Palm Desert, CA 92211; at 760-610-5563 or e-mail Brenda Harris at brenda@cvpipeline.com.

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29

MAINTENANCE

When Reserving for Roads, Interlocking Pavers Could Save You Dollars

BY Charissa Farley

THE LIFE CYCLE OF INTERLOCKING PAVERS IS NOW LONGER THAN 30 YEARS AND MAY BE PUSHING UP TO 40 YEARS.

N

ot only do pavers save money in the long run but they protect property values, a key fiduciary duty of association boards. Take the time now to start planning an upgrade to pavers through your reserves. Many older communities facing costly HOA repairs to cracked concrete driveways have already instituted driveway replacement plans, either replacing all of their driveways with pavers in phases or facilitating group discounts and/or incentives to encourage individual homeowners to replace the driveway and thus relieving the HOA of any liability for the cracked driveways in the future.

A recent study performed by Robert Tuvel, a Southern California reserve fund consultant of the prestigious Bighorn Golf Club, found that over the lifecycle of the pavement, interlocking paver streets are less expensive then asphalt streets if you incorporate the cost of maintenance. This is substantiated by an ICPI (Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute) study with the same findings.

The lifecycle of interlocking pavers is now longer than 30 years and may be pushing up to 40 years. It is important to note that the quality of the installation and the knowledge of the industry technical specifications will impact the life span of the pavement. Any installer performing street work should not only have a contractor’s license for this specific trade, but must have an ICPI Commercial certification, and

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Quorum May, 2016

provide references from other jobs of similar size and scope that are a minimum of five years old. These jobs should be inspected. Since we know that pavers have more load-bearing than concrete, will not crack, do not need resealing, and come in endless colors, designs and architectural styles from contemporary to old world, you may never look at asphalt the same again.

Pavers also help improve the value of homes in an association. You never get a second chance to make a good first impression, and when it comes to home value this is especially true. Years ago it was commonly thought that the kitchen and bath were the most important place to put your money when remodeling to increase the value of your home. In the past decade however, that has changed, and almost every expert’s recommendations (including an article in the Wall Street Journal) now starts with curb appeal at the top of the list. For this reason, the use of interlocking pavers in driveways, front walkways and entries has skyrocketed. Most new communities now incorporate the front yard pavers as standard while the backyard landscaping, pool and pavers may be standard or options.

But does curb appeal really start at the curb? Don’t visitors get their first impression at the entry of the community? What do the streets say about the property values? Are they cracked

FEATURE and resealed? Do they bleed black tire tracks onto the driveways and garages? Developers have long known that paver streets sell homes and add value whether it be the high-end custom home community that wants the highest value, a high density condo project that needs to look like a warm village or the multifamily community that doesn’t want its new project to feel cold and foreign but rather look like it has always been a part of the region forever.

Bighorn has over seven miles of interlocking pavement streets that are more than fifteen years old.

They look more expensive now than when they were originally installed.

Pavers directly out of the kiln are called “raw” or “non-tumbled.” This is the least expensive paver finish.

For approximately $1.00 more per square foot you can purchase an enhanced finish “shot-blast.”

However, Bighorn has over the years utilized the European tradition of maintaining their streets by periodically spreading sand over the top and allowing the residents to drive over it for a month and then sweeping up the sand.

This re-sands the pavers, tightening the joints as well as absorbing oil and stain. After many years of doing this (and they do not do it every year) it has gently given them a more expensive shot-blast finish.

Even municipalities have woven millions of square feet of interlocking paver streets into the urban fabric of Vancouver’s Olympic Village, North Bay Ontario’s downtown, Seattle’s downtown, Chicago’s Green Alleys, Hong Kong’s airport runways and the Los Angeles Zoo, just to name a few. Europe may have more pavers than asphalt in their streets.

Pavers are a great way to save money on your community roads and enhance value at the same time. Desert communities can accomplish an amazing transformation by planning road conversions now in their reserves.

Charissa Farley is President of Farley Interlocking Paving and the only woman in the country certified as an ICPI Advanced Residential Installation Instructor. She is the host of Home Makeover In the Desert and a member of CAI-CV’s Public Relations Committee. Charissa can be reached at (760) 773-3960 or by email at Charissa@farleypavers.com.

CAI-CV & KESQ-TV Form Business Partnership

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (May 2, 2016 - PALM DESERT, CA) – This week saw a landmark agreement between the nonprofit educational organization, Community Associations Institute – Coachella Valley Chapter (CAI-CV) and KESQ-TV, the Coachella Valley desert news leader and top broadcast station.

CAI-CV and KESQ-TV have entered a mutually beneficial agreement that will provide CAI-CV with much needed TV advertising exposure on KESQ-TV, while securing a Platinum level membership for KESQ in CAI-CV. KESQ will also be CAI-CV’s exclusive broadcast TV partner.

“We see this as a win-win for CAI-CV, KESQ-TV and homeowner associations (HOAs) throughout the Valley,” says Cal Lockett, Executive Director for CAI-CV. “I cannot think of a better opportunity for CAI-CV as we celebrate our 35th year of building better communities.” CAI-CV is the primary source of education for community association board members and professional designations for community association managers in California. According to Lockett, “Nearly all homes built today are governed by associations that are headed by volunteer homeowner board members. These boards take on the fiduciary responsibilities for managing HOAs, often without adequate education or management training.” CAI is dedicated to providing education to HOA boards and community managers. “This partnership with KESQ-TV will help CAI-CV raise its visibility among Coachella Valley HOAs and help us build harmonious communities. This agreement also allows CAI-CV to offer its members new opportunities to advertise their products and services with the desert’s news leader,” said Lockett.

KESQ-TV will provide CAI-CV members early opportunity TV advertising placement and advertising packages.

This will give CAI-CV members (community associations, business partners and professional management companies) the best opportunity to have their commercials seen during top programs before they are sold out, and at affordable pricing. In addition, CAI-CV business partners will now have first-hand access to digital advertising on CAI-CV.org

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31

FEATURE

PE ARLS OF

WISDOM TIPS TO ENSURE A

HAPPY COMMUNITY

ASSOCIATION

EXPERIENCE Compiled by Kenneth M. Budd H. Jackson Brown, Jr., wrote Life’s Little Instruction Book to provide his son with wisdom he could refer to as he lived his life. In that same spirit, CAI editors have combed through 20 years of CAI publications and periodicals to offer similar thoughts for successful community association living. Here then, are ten Pearls of Wisdom pulled from the 116, for this month to guide you and ensure that your association experience is a happy and rewarding one.

DEVELOP A SUCCESSFUL BUDGET 1

Gather recommendations from owners, committees, and management.

2 Conduct research to ensure the budget is accurate.

3 Develop a month-by-month

requirement; don't just divide by 12.

4 Talk with contractors to get realistic cost estimates.

5 Be realistic.

6 Raise assessments when it becomes necessary.

7 Be straightforward; omit gimmicks and emotional appeals.

8 Plan for the future.

9 Don't cut quality of services without telling owners.

10 Communicate the budget to members.

PE ARLS OF WISDOM 32

Quorum May, 2016

the Internet and mobile media through KESQ’s advanced multimedia advertising platform.

Ron DiGrandi, Business Sales Consultant for KESQ, is the station’s point-of-contact with CAICV. His 30-plus years of media experience is a valuable asset to CAI-CV. Ron is prepared to assist CAI-CV members with information related to broadcast TV, Internet, mobile media, cable television and social media advertising to help CAI-CV business partners succeed.

“Today’s digital advertising world has many business owners asking questions like, 'What is the best way to advertise?' and, 'Can I afford it?',” says Ron. He has been involved with CAI-CV at various levels since its inception in 1981. He was instrumental in creating and implementing the Cable Television Discounted Bulk Billing Agreement for common interest developments (HOA’s, apartments, mobile home parks), which are still in place today. These agreements have saved local homeowners millions of dollars over the years on their cable service by including the discounted rates in the HOA’s assessments. At the same time, associations have been able to establish state-of-the-art communications directly with homeowners through community in-house channels.

Ron has served as a volunteer leader on many CAI-CV committees throughout the years, and is known in the Coachella Valley for his volunteer work with other nonprofits. He is currently the Senior Vice President of the SoCal Coyotes Non-Profit Sports Leadership Organization, - America’s #1 Developmental Professional Football Program. As a “thank you” to all CAI-CV members and their families, the SoCal Coyotes are giving free game-day tickets for their upcoming 2016 Fall football season home games.

CAI-CV members will be able to go to the SoCal Coyotes website (www. thesocalcoyotes.com) and print out their free tickets.

CAI-CV and KESQ-TV are very excited about this new agreement and look forward to working together to build better communities in the Coachella Valley.

ABOUT CAI-CV: CAI-CV is one of 60 CAI chapters internationally. With more than 33,500 members dedicated to building better communities, CAI works with local communities to provide information, education and resources to those involved in community association governance and management, CAI-CV also advocates on behalf of common-interest communities before legislatures, regulatory bodies and the courts. More than half of Coachella Valley residents live in community associations. For more information, visit www.CAIONLINE.ORG and www.CAI-CV.org or call (760) 341-0559.

ABOUT KESQ-TV: KESQ-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for the Coachella Valley. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF Channel 42 from a transmitter on Edom Hill in Cathedral City. The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable and Frontier (previously Verizon FiOS ) Channel 3 and 503 both in standard definition and in high definition.

Owned by the News-Press and Gazette Company, it is partner of Class A CBS affiliate CBS Local 2, Class A FOX affiliate KDFX-CD, low-powered CW affiliate KCWQ, and low-powered Telemundo affiliate KUNA. For more information about KESQ, visit www.kesq.com or call (760) 340-7115.

TRENDING NOW

Cyber Security

By Antoinette Hamilton

W

ith the increased dependence on our phones, it’s no wonder that cyber security continues to be at the forefront of news stories such as Apple and the FBI. As our dependence on Wi-Fi technology continues to grow, we make ourselves more vulnerable to hackers.

TIPS FOR YOUR PROTECTION: • Use a rechargeable credit card with a low limit for online shopping.

• Before taking photographs turn off the geotagging feature, so it doesn’t disclose your location, particularly if you are on vacation or out of town.

WE WILL SEE MORE OF THESE STORIES… The largest breach against a U.S. retailer was in 2007 when more than 90 million credit cards at TJX Companies Inc. were hacked over an 18-month period.

In 2013 hackers stole data from up to 40 million credit and debit cards of shoppers who visited Target stores during the first three weeks of the holiday season in the second-largest breach reported by a U.S. retailer.

Target did not detect the attack on its own. The retailer was alerted by credit card processors who had noticed a surge in fraudulent transactions involving credit cards that had been used at Target. Complaints from customers began to surface on social media as they learned of the breach.

Facebook's WhatsApp messaging service rolled out end-to-encryption for the app's one billion users earlier this month.

Microsoft recently filed suit in federal court in the Western District of Washington for the right to be able to tell customers when law enforcement officials request their emails and other data. The lawsuit came the same week Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Sen. Richard Burr and the panel’s vice chair, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, circulated proposed legislation that would compel companies to help authorities access data on the power of a warrant or court order.

According to a 2015 analysis of numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics by Peninsula Press, a project of the Stanford University Journalism Program, cyber security job postings are up 74% over the past five years in the U.S. and more than 209,000 remain unfilled and is expected to rise to 6 million globally by 2019, with a projected shortfall of 1.5 million, says Michael Brown, CEO at Symantec, the world’s largest security software vendor.

OUR PHONES HAVE REPLACED…

• Disable your GPS when not in use.

WHEN BUYING A USED PHONE Mobile devices are one of the most commonly stolen items. Government agencies and other national and international carriers have joined together to help eliminate the use of stolen devices.

Your International Mobile Equipment Identity number (IMEI) is a major part of this plan. An IMEI is your 14-16 digit serial number which identifies your wireless device.

WHY SHOULD I VERIFY MY IMEI NUMBER? If a device is reported stolen, the device will be unusable on most carrier networks even if the SIM card is changed. Verify your IMEI number to ensure your device will work.

Antoinette Hamilton has experience in solar PV and solar pool heating in the Coachella Valley since 2007. She is a frequent guest speaker on energy efficiency solutions for HOAs, hotels, country clubs, apartment complexes and assisted living facilities.

You can reach her at 760 808-1128 or info@suntosolar.com.

• Books

• Radios

• Digital cameras

• Voice recorders

• Paper coupons

• Dictionaries

• Newspapers

• Banking

• Road maps

• Scanners

• Diaries

• Address books

• Cable TV

• Shopping

• GPS devices

• iPods

• Calendars

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FEATURE

Association Reserve Accounts & Reserve Studies Understanding the Importance of Properly Funding and Maintaining a Reserve Account

By Steven J. Tinnelly, Esq.

“Always be prepared.” That simple phrase sums up the importance of funding and properly maintaining a reserve account. Accidents and surprise maintenance issues will inevitably pop up. When they do, the association that has been properly funding and managing its reserve account will be prepared to do what is necessary to protect the interests of the association and its members. This article covers the basics of reserve accounts and reserve studies, their importance, and the relevant obligations of an association and its board.

THE RESERVE ACCOUNT: PURPOSE Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for a board of directors to fail to understand how important it is to prudently manage their association’s reserve account. The reserve account plays a critical role in the long-term health and financial viability of the association. The main purposes behind the funding of a reserve account are (1) to guarantee that the association will have access to the finances needed to satisfy the association’s common area maintenance obligations, and (2) to guarantee

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access to back-up funds in the case of an unanticipated emergency situation (e.g., the failure of a major common area component or litigation involving the association). Having those funds available at the time they are needed helps prevent costly and potentially crippling special assessments or assessment increases.

FUNDING REQUIREMENT There are numerous provisions in the Civil Code which place limitations on the transfer and borrowing from a reserve account. Uniquely, however, those provisions do not contain language explicitly requiring an association to actually fund its reserve account.

Despite that fact, the language within the Civil Code provisions paired with relevant case law indicates that a board does have a legal obligation to ensure that its association’s reserve account is funded and maintained at a healthy level.

In the case of Ravens Cove v. Knuppe, (1981) 171 Cal.Rptr. 334, an association brought a construction defect action against the developer. The complaint filed by the association also named the initial board members as defendants,

citing their failure to properly fund the association’s reserve accounts as a breach of their fiduciary duties to the association and its membership. In finding for the association, the court held the board members had “abdicated their obligations as initial directors of the association to establish [a reserve fund] for the purposes of maintenance and repair.” The board members were therefore held personally liable to the association “for breach of basic fiduciary duties of acting in good faith and exercising basic duties of good management.”

The court’s opinion confirmed that the proper funding and management of an association’s reserve account is indeed a key responsibility of board members.

That responsibility is echoed in the language of Civil Code Section 5515(e) which states that “[t]he board shall exercise prudent fiscal management in maintaining the integrity of the reserve account.” Accordingly, although there is no explicit funding requirement, case law and the language in the Civil Code illustrate the importance of funding a reserve account and thereafter maintaining it at a healthy level.

FEATURE BORROWING FROM RESERVES Boards are able to, without a vote of the membership, borrow (transfer) funds from the reserve account to cover the association’s short-term cash flow needs.

A board’s ability to borrow, however, should never be treated as a mechanism to avoid necessary increases in regular assessments over time. This is evidenced by the Civil Code’s strict limitations and requirements with respect to borrowing from a reserve account, such as the fact that the board must provide the membership with notice of the intent to borrow pursuant to Civil Code Section 5515(a) and must also develop a plan for restoring the borrowed funds within one (1) year. Boards should therefore consult with their association’s legal counsel to determine whether they have the authority to borrow and what procedural requirements will need to be satisfied in transferring the funds and then restoring the reserve account.

THE RESERVE STUDY: PURPOSE The reserve study is the primary tool for determining the extent of funding necessary for the association’s reserve account. The reserve study provides a list of all the major common area components which the association is

obligated to maintain, as well as an estimate of the remaining useful life of those components based on a physical evaluation performed by a third party. A financial evaluation is then performed of the reserve account. The information obtained from both evaluations is then used to determine the association’s present and future reserve funding needs. The reserve study is further defined in Civil Code Section 5550(a).

RESERVE STUDY REQUIREMENTS Unless an association’s governing documents contain stricter requirements, an association is required to perform a full reserve study at least once every three (3) years. There are exceptions to this requirement where the association has no common area or if the total replacement cost of the common area components is less than fifty percent (50%) of the association’s annual gross budget. Associations are also required every year to prepare and distribute (1) an annual update of the reserve study, (2) a reserve funding plan, and (3) an assessment and reserve funding disclosure summary. This information must be distributed to the membership thirty (30) to (90) days prior to the beginning of the association’s upcoming fiscal year.

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS: LEVEL OF FUNDING A common question with regard to reserve accounts is “what level/percentage of funding is considered healthy?”

One hundred percent is an obvious answer; however, that situation is very rare. Numerous factors may impact what can be considered “healthy” for any particular community, and boards and association managers will undoubtedly hear differing opinions on this issue from industry professionals. As a general position, we advise our clients to keep their reserve funding at or above 80 percent.

PROSPECTIVE PURCHASERS Associations that plan ahead by projecting long-term expenses and properly funding their reserve accounts will appear more attractive to prospective purchasers. A properly funded reserve account indicates that sufficient funds are in place to cover upcoming repairs, and also broadly reflects on the financial health and management of the community. As community associations become more prevalent, prospective purchasers are becoming more aware of these issues in their efforts to avoid financial pitfalls.

"A properly funded reserve account can be a source to borrow the funds needed in emergency circumstances and thus prevent the need for an association to levy a costly and potentially crippling special assessment."

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CAI-CV MEMORIES

Photos from the CAI's 51st National Convention April 29, 2002-May 4, 2002 The Westin Mission Hills Resort, Rancho Mirage, CA

EMERGENCY FUNDS It is impossible to anticipate every situation that an association may encounter. There are emergencies that arise—and sometimes those emergencies can involve the failure of a major common area component such as a slope or roofing system. A properly funded reserve account can be a source to borrow the funds needed in emergency circumstances and thus prevent the need for an association to levy a costly and potentially crippling special assessment.

BOARD DECISION MAKING A properly drafted reserve study will guide the board in making maintenance, repair and assessment related decisions.

It can therefore be useful in justifying the reasons why the board may have taken an action which was unpopular with certain association members (e.g., raising annual assessments). The reserve study itself indicates that the board is upholding its fiduciary duties to the membership and exercising prudent business judgment in managing the association’s affairs.

LOANS There may be situations where it becomes necessary for an association to take out a loan. Lenders often require a reserve study as part of the association’s loan application. Having an up-to-date reserve study can therefore make it easier for an association to obtain a loan and possibly a lower interest rate.

SUMMARY:

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The reserve account plays a critical role in the long term health and financial viability of the association. A poorly funded reserve account may hinder the association’s ability to carry out its responsibilities under its governing documents and may adversely impact the property values of the association’s members. The prudent management of the association’s reserve account is therefore one of the key responsibilities of the association’s board of directors. Failure to properly fund and manage the reserve account may result in situations where the association may be required to levy costly and potentially crippling special assessments, and may even expose the board members to personal liability in extreme cases.

The board should therefore utilize the assistance of industry financial and legal professionals to help the board comply with the Civil Code’s reserve study requirements, as well as the Civil Code’s limitations governing when and how funds may be borrowed from a reserve account.

Steven J. Tinnelly, Esq. is the Managing Shareholder of Tinnelly Law Group, PC, a law firm which has been devoted exclusively to providing legal representation to California community associations for nearly 25 years. Steve can be reached at steve@tinnellylaw.com.

EVENTS

MOTR - Crash Course on Reserves

By David Carter, CMCA, AMS

Starting off your Friday@ 8:30 in the morning in a room crammed to near capacity of 30 people to hash through yet another training course on, of all the exciting topics imaginable, RESERVE STUDIES, may not sound like fun to most people; that is unless you are a group of CAI-CV Association Managers and the facilitator is Mark Dodge CEO of Associa DRM and you know there's going to be loads of fun and laughter!

It all came together in the meeting and training room at Flood Response. Micha Ballesteros had changed up the seating arrangement, I believe, to just keep it interesting. Add delicious breakfast items such as a variety of individual piping hot fresh quiches, selections of chilled fresh cut fruit, cold juices, and fresh hot Starbucks coffee, all prepared by Panera Bread, all compliments of Lori Fahnestock from Powerful Pest Management.

As the room typically quieted when people start enjoying really good food, I glanced at the Agenda. 1) The Basics, 2) Experts, 3) Understanding Your Reserve Study, 4) Is it a Reserve Expenditure? 5) Borrowing from Reserves, 6) Poorly Funded Reserves! I thought all in one HOUR? With this talkative crowd? Good Luck, Mr. Dodge!

In true style, Mark forged on! What I gained from a few of his highlights were:

Basics: • Funding percentages: 60% is a good number, 84.3% may be enough saved for all components, a minimum would be to have at least enough cash to pay for the next component destined to fail.

• Component list: If it will fail, it needs to be on the list.

• Funding scenarios: This is not a cash flow plan.

Experts: • Reserve Analyst: Worth the money to go with the best.

• Update annually: The correct way to do it to maintain accuracy.

• Manager input: Although participation is very important in order to have all components listed accurately, it may not be a wise decision to have a manager or board member create the reserve study regardless of their past experience.

Is it a Reserve Expenditure: • If component failure can be predicted on a regular or annual basis consider it an operational expense.

• If you are not saving for it as a reserve component, don't pay/spend it out of reserves.

Borrowing from Reserves: • Payback strategies: Supposed to be paid back within a year. If longer it needs to be stipulated up front, documented in meeting minutes and your budget must have a payback schedule as a line item.

Poorly Funded Reserves: • Strategies for digging out: Really tough decisions need to be made. The best case scenario would be, to start at least a year in advance before implementing the plan. You need the time to thoroughly review the different strategies from all angles and perspectives.

All of this was covered in just slightly over an hour! I have attended reserve study presentations from some of the best experts in the valley and have gained a wealth of knowledge.

With some, the detail was the nuts and bolts mechanics, reasons and lifespan expectancies particulars, and their need to be included in a Reserve Study. With others the details were around the financial aspects and how they impacted the financial depth and overall strength of an HOA's future.

Having an accurate Reserve Study and funding the reserves adequately, creates a foundation for the HOA to maintain its future viability.

What was so unique and beneficial about Mark's Reserve Study presentation was it was from the Association Manager's perspective! WOW, that's a first! Although no matter how indepth your knowledge of the whole gambit of Reserve Study information is, to have it put into words and logical perspective for a Manager to be able to easily explain to a Board Member or a Homeowner was the first time I've heard a Reserve Study presentation that had such clarity in the purpose.

David Carter, CMCA, AMS is the manager of Cathedral Springs Homeowners Association and is active on CAI-CV's Education and Public Relations Committees.

Dave is on the Board of Directors for the Desert Area HOA Council. Dave can be reached at (760) 321-2731 or by email at cathedralspringshoa@hotmail.com.

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37

WATER WISE

Proposed CVWD Rate Changes Reflect Costs of Service, Financial Stability

By Jim Barrett, Coachella Valley Water District

C

oachella Valley Water District’s Board of Directors will soon consider a proposal for rate increases and changes to the rate structure that are fair, reflect the true cost of service and promote financial stability.

Based on a comprehensive Cost of Service Study and national industry standards, CVWD staff is proposing a five year plan for domestic water rates. If approved, the new rates would go into effect on July 1 and would be the first rate increases for domestic water since 2010.

The adjustments will impact residents, businesses and HOAs differently because the new proposed fixed rates vary based on customer class. A homeowner who efficiently uses water may only see a small monthly increase in their water bill, while there will be bigger increases for businesses and HOAs. The Board also will consider changes to the rates for Replenishment Assessment Charge (RAC) customers, which

Water-use restrictions are now in effect Drought penalties in effect with July water bills

Tier

2

Repair broken sprinklers within 24 hours, fix leaks as soon as possible Hose must be equipped with a shutoff nozzle to wash vehicles and windows Do not wash down driveways, patios or sidewalks Do not irrigate outdoors during or within 48 hours of measurable rainfall Increased water budget for over-seeding is eliminated CVWD will continue to prioritize working with customers to quickly resolve violations. After a written warning, customers will be liable for fines on their bill starting at $50. For a complete list of restrictions and recommendations, visit www.cvwd.org/CVsaving36

Have questions?

We are here for you, give us a call at (760) 398-2651.Visit www.cvwd.org

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Some of the proposed changes include:

Customers are being asked to limit Tier 2 water use to 36% below their water budget

Mandatory restrictions include:

x

includes some HOAs. These rate adjustments are also based on a Cost of Service Study and are critical for CVWD’s groundwater replenishment program, the key toward ensuring a reliable, long-term supply of high-quality water for the Coachella Valley.

The historical drought and state-mandated conservation encourage changes to the water-budget based rate structure.

In addition, CVWD is facing the largest capital improvement project in its history, responding to the state’s new drinking water standard for chromium-6. The best solution is projected to cost approximately $250 million in capital expenses, plus ongoing operation and maintenance costs. Ongoing capital improvement also is needed to protect the drinking water system to ensure it can meet the drinking water needs of approximately 318,000 residents daily.

The overall impact of these proposed changes is a reduction

Stay connected with us!

Tighten the outdoor portion of the water budget to promote conservation.

Previously, the budgets were designed to allow enough water for 100% grass. Given the historic drought and increased support of desert-friendly landscaping, the budgets will be designed to accommodate 50% grass and 50% desert-friendly landscaping.

Decreasing the indoor portion of the water budget to reflect industry standards based on today’s waterefficient appliances.

Slightly increase the irrigation efficiency factor for outdoor budgets.

The adjustments will impact residents, businesses and HOAs differently. in water budget of approximately 25%, which is less restrictive than the temporary drought budgets.

A key component of the water budget is the weather. It allows the water budget to increase during hotter months and decrease during cooler months. CVWD is proposing to change from actual weather to historical, thereby allowing for water budgets to be calculated in advance and providing a monthly target to customers.

Other changes proposed for domestic water customers include consolidating five rate areas into one and increasing the fixed rate, which provides for more stability in revenue. In addition, the Cost of Service Study determined that different fixed rates should be established for different types of customers in order to reflect the true cost of service and promote financial stability. The proposal outlines four separate classes of fixed rates for single-family homes, multi-family residences, commercial buildings and dedicated landscape meters.

For a wealth of information about the proposed domestic water rate changes, the dates of upcoming public workshops and upcoming Board of Directors meetings that you can attend, please see our website at www.cvwd. org/ratechanges. Information also is available about RAC and canal rates. CVWD is working to alert all residents, businesses and HOAs about the rates proposals with a significant public outreach program.

CVWD welcomes participating and input throughout the process as the Board considers the proposed rate increases. You are welcome to attend any public meeting of the Board of Directors to provide comments or you can comment on our website.

Jim Barrett is the General Manager of the Coachella Valley Water District. He can be reached at jim@cvwd.org or (760) 398-2651.

MEET THE CAI-CV BOWLING COMMITTEE CHAIR

By Erin H. Fujioka

JOHN WALTERS-CLARK John Walters-Clark works for Associa Desert Resort Management and is the District Manager of the Fire Access Maintenance District (FAMD), Indian Wells Country Club.

John was born and raised in Chicago. As a young adult, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting. He managed movie theaters and worked as a bartender while pursuing his acting career. He performed in TV shows, commercials and movies, and he is still a current member of the Screen Actors Guild. John joined the common interest development (CID) industry approximately four years ago as the Director of Marketing for NPG Nelson Paving and enjoys the business relationships, eclectic personalities, and lifelong friendships that are developed by being part of the Coachella Valley CAI family.

Through the years, John has lived in Chicago, New York City - where he worked as the Operations Manager of a pathology lab, as well as Los Angeles, prior to settling down and calling the Coachella Valley home for the past 13 years. He and his husband, Charles Walters-Clark, have been together for eight years, and married for two years. Charles is also a current employee of Associa DRM, where he has been the on-site General Manager for Outdoor Resorts in Indio.

John and Charles enjoy exploring the worlds of food, movies, collecting vinyl, traveling, and enjoying music together. John and Charles also enjoy spending time with their families and friends, hosting friends at their home and taking short weekend get-aways.

During his time with CAI, John has chaired and cochaired the Golf Committee and served as co-chair of the Bowling Committee. He was elected to the CAI-CV Board of Directors last year, and is on the Executive Committee, serving as the Chapter’s Secretary. John is proud to chair the Bowling Committee and is excited about the theme this year, “Grease Is the Word,” because "Grease" is John’s favorite movie!

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39

EVENTS

CAI Coachella Valley presents

IS THE WORD The Grease Lightning Summer

Bowling Tournament!

What: CAI-CV Annual Bowling Event Where: Palm Springs Lanes 68051 Ramon Rd, Cathedral City, CA 92234

When: Friday, June 24, 5 pm Theme: “Grease Is the Word” It’s that time of year again – time to trade in your well-worn golf spikes for the snazzy, too cool for the streets, bowling shoes! We’re heading indoors from the toasty links to the cooler climate of Palm Springs Lanes. In fact, this is sure to be the coolest event of the summer. Be sure to get your t-shirts pressed, leather jackets buffed and your poodle skirts from your sister’s closet.

Join Danny and his T-Birds along with Sandy and the Pink Ladies and roll some strikes as only the cool kids can. There will be no shortage of Rydell hijinks (unruly and often hilarious but troublesome fun) along with great food, fun prizes and memories to fill a classic Thunderbird. Featuring our first ever Red Pin Challenge and our No Tap Tournament.

Spots for this love story will fill up fast so get your clique together and sign up today. Not interested in bowling but want to get in on the action? Spectators are always welcome to join in the fun with corn hole and billiards activities. Sponsorships are also open if you are interested in participating with the cool kids. Part of the proceeds will support no kill shelters in the Coachella Valley.

Be there or be square!

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Quorum May, 2016

GRAND PRIZE SPONSOR Epsten Grinnell & Howell

LANE SPONSORS Accurate Leak Located Artistic Maintenance Asphalt MD’s Associa Desert Resort Management Conserve LandCare EmpireWorks Flood Response Frazier Pest Control G4S Secure Solutions NPG Nelson Paving Pacific Western Bank Prendiville Insurance Agency PrimeCo Roof Asset Management S.B.S Lien Services SCT Reserve Consultants Seacoast Commerce Bank Sunshine Landscape Three Phase Electric Vintage Associates Western Pacific Roofing

STRIKE SPONSOR Pacific Western Bank

BAR SPONSORS Dunn- Edwards Corp Fiore Racobs & Powers Painting Unlimited

FOOD SPONSOR CBCI Construction

SCHOLARSHIP SPONSOR Universal Protection Services

DESSERT SPONSOR ServPro of Palm Springs/Indian Wells

LANE ASSIGNMENT SPONSORS LaBarre/Oksnee Insurance Agency Pacific Western Bank U.S. Security Association United Paving Vista Paint Corporation

CONTENTS

Advertisers ACCOUNTANTS & BOOKKEEPERS BRABO & CARLSEN, LLP................................................. 42

ASPHALT AMS PAVING.................................................................... 43 ASPHALT MD’S.................................................................. 4 NPG NELSON PAVING/GOLDSTAR ASPHALT................... 25 UNITED PAVING CO............................................................ 2

ATTORNEYS FIORE RACOBS & POWERS................................................ 6 GREEN BRYANT & FRENCH, LLP...................................... 41 GURALNICK & GILLILAND, LLP.......................................... 3 LAW OFFICE OF PEGGY REDMON.................................... 42

A Full Service lAw Firm

Providing Practical Approaches in: CC&R Interpretation, Drafting and Enforcement Opinion Letters Contract Drafting and Negotiation

PETERS & FREEDMAN, LLP............................................. 25

Civil Litigation

BANKING

Assessment Recovery

MUTUAL OF OMAHA BANK................................................ 6

CONSTRUCTION

73-710 Fred Waring Drive, Suite 120, Palm Desert, California 92260

For inquires contact Jeffrey French www.gbflawyers.com

| 760.346.9310

CBCI CONSTRUCTION........................................................ 2

ELECTRIC & WATER COACHELLA VALLEY WATER DISTRICT........................... 38

FURNITURE PATIO FURNITURE DOCTORS INC...................................... 3

LANDSCAPING CONSERVE LANDCARE.................................................... 42 SUNSHINE LANDSCAPE................................................... 25 WATERRITE - VINTAGE ASSOCIATES, INC......................... 2

PEST CONTROL POWERFUL PEST MANAGEMENT...................................... 9

POOL DECK RESURFACING CTI OF THE DESERT........................................................... 2

POOL WATER PURIFICATION PURIFIED POOL WATER................................................... 42

ROOFING WESTERN PACIFIC ROOFING........................................... 42

SECURITY ALLIED BARTON.............................................................. 41 AMS SECURITY.................................................................. 3 SECURITAS...................................................................... 42

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41-905 Boardwalk, A-2 Palm Desert, CA 92211

HAVE YOU HEARD? Louise Stettler recently retired from Epsten Grinnell & Howell, APC, and rejoined CAI-CV as a CAVL member. Louise, from all of us at CAI-CV, congratulations on your retirement, and welcome back as a CAVL!

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GREEN IS FOR LOCAL EVENTS

COACHELLA

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CAI-CV UPCOMING EVENTS

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SIGN UP AT WWW.CAI-CV.ORG MAY

JUNE

CAI National Conference

Manager on the Run (MOTR) (for managers)

Educational Lunch Program & Mini Trade Show (for all members)

WHEN: Friday, May 13, 2016, 11:15 a.m.

Registration WHERE: Palm Valley Country Club, Palm Desert

WHEN: Friday, June 3, 2016

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Educational Lunch Program & Mini Trade Show (for all members) WHEN: Friday, June 10, 2016 WHERE: Palm Valley Country Club, 11:15 a.m.

ID

WHEN: Wednesday – Saturday, May 4–7 WHERE: Orlando, Florida

FR

(for all members)

CAI's M202 Course (for managers) WHEN: Thursday & Friday, June 23 & 24, 2016

CAI-CV's Annual Bowling Night

WHERE: Homewood Suites, Palm Desert

IS THE WORD

, , O CTOBER 21

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WHEN: Friday, June 24, 2016 WHERE: Palm Springs Lanes

Friday June 24, 2016 • Palm Springs Lanes Registration, 5:00 – 5:30 pm Grease Attire Encouraged GRAND PRIZE SPONSOR Epsten Grinnell & Howell STRIKE SPONSOR

SCHOLARSHIP SPONSOR Universal Protection Services

Pacific Western Bank

FOOD SPONSOR

DESSERT SPONSOR

CBCI Construction

LIMITED SPONSORSHIPS STILL AVAILABLE Strike Sponsor................................................$300 Bar Sponsor...................................................$300 Food Sponsor.................................................$250 Lane Card Sponsor......................................... $100 Dessert Sponsor............................................. $100 , Don t forget to contribute a door prize Email ADMIN@CAI-CV.ORG or call 760-341-0559

ServPro of Palm Springs/Indian Wells

LANE ASSIGNMENT SPONSORS LaBarre/Oksnee Insurance Agency Pacific Western Bank U.S. Security Association United Paving Vista Paint Corporation

BAR SPONSORS Dunn- Edwards Corp Fiore Racobs & Powers Painting Unlimited

LANE SPONSORS Accurate Leak Located Frazier Pest Control Artistic Maintenance G4S Secure Solutions Asphalt MD’s NPG Nelson Paving Associa Desert Resort Management Pacific Western Bank Conserve LandCare Prendiville Insurance Agency EmpireWorks PrimeCo Flood Response Roof Asset Management

S.B.S Lien Services SCT Reserve Consultants Seacoast Commerce Bank Sunshine Landscape Three Phase Electric Vintage Associates Western Pacific Roofing