Vision Magazine Winter 2022

Winter 2022 • Vol. 31, no. 4

President & CEO tfreeley@cacm.org

Chief Editor lbertrand@cacm.org

Managing Editor rkwon@cacm.org Advertising mhurtado@cacm.org

| Thomas Freeley

| 949.916.2226, ext. 315

| Lynette Bertrand | 949.916.2226, ext. 323

| Ryan Kwon | 949.916.2226, ext. 313

| Melissa Hurtado | 949.916.2226, ext. 318

Editorial Advisory Committee

Todd Greisen, CCAM Contra Loma Estates

Andrew Hay, CCAM-ND.PM The Helsing Group, Inc., ACMC

Scott Swinton Unlimited Property Services, Inc. Hamlet Vazquez, MCAM-HR Action Property Management, Inc., ACMC

Dean Jackson, CCAM-HR Collins Management, ACMC

Rob Buffington Gordian Staffing & East West Building Works

Jessica Melvin, CCAM The Management Trust - Northern California, ACMC

Caroline McCormick, CAMEx, CCAM OMNI Community Management LLC, ACMC

Vision Magazine is released digitally by CACM four times annually to members, industry partners and supporters of the California Association of Community Managers.

Magazine content copyrighted 2022. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from CACM.

Opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the policies of CACM. Mention of any product or service does not constitute an endorsement by CACM. CACM assumes no responsibility for return of photos or art and reserved the right to reject any editorial or advertising materials. CACM does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of articles, events or announcements listed.

Please address comments and suggestions to: California Association of Community Managers, Inc. 23461 South Pointe Drive, Ste. 200, Laguna Hills, CA 92653 949.916.2226 | communications@cacm.org

Attention CACM members: Have you changed jobs or moved to a new location? Reach out to us at communications@cacm.org to update your profile so you don’t miss your next Vision magazine or any other important CACM communications.

THE CONSEQUENCES OF PUTTING OFF PIPE REPLACEMENT

By Eric Lecky

EDUCATION SPOTLIGHT: THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

By Debbie Griffiths, Director of Education and Credentialing

HOW ANTIS DEVELOPS THE FUTURE WORKFORCE

By Ryan Kwon, Communications & Web Manager

WHAT’S ON YOUR BEDSIDE?

By Lynette Bertrand, Director of Marketing & Communications, CACM

RULES OF CIVILITY

By Scott Swinton

INSURANCE BY THE FIRE

By Jessica Melvin, CCAM

SADIE & SHERYL

By Ryan Kwon, Communications & Web Manager

VENDOR OUTSOURCING: WAYS TO MAKE A MANAGER’S LIFE EASIER

By Rob Buffington

SET YOUR SIGHTS ON THESE TRENDS IN 2023

By Todd Greisen, CCAM CREATIVE TIPS ON FINANCING FOR HOAS

By Caroline McCormick, CAMEx, CCAM

By Hamlet Vazquez, MCAM-HR GETTING A BETTER HANDLE

By Andrew Hay, CAMEx, CCAM-ND.PM LET’S SAY THE QUIET PART OUT LOUD

Jackson,

president’s message

Where in the world did 2022 go? It seems like yesterday we were all hibernating from a pandemic. The moment we get to be back in-person, the whole year flies by!

Legislatively, 2022 has been a quiet year, for a lot of reasons. I can only hope that 2023 will follow that path, but I highly doubt it. So, I need manager and management executive help!

Please join the CACM Legislative Committee! Just email me at tfreeley@cacm.org for a copy of the Legislative Committee Charter to confirm you have the availability to attend a monthly conference call or to join a task force that we anticipate developing. CACM was organized for the advocacy of managers and management companies, so please help me help advocate for you!

2022 has been a successful year for CACM and for many of our members. We led the industry back to in-person events, which actually started in 2021. As a member-added benefit, we started a 401K plan called the Multiple Employer Aggregate Program (MEAP), which is open to all management and industry partner company members, breaking a mold in our industry!

We expanded with an office in NorCal to better serve our NorCal members. We relocated the NorCal Law Seminar back to Oakland Marriott City Center, starting with the 2023 NCLSE, in response to the extreme financial impact to managers and industry partners from the Santa Clara Hyatt. We initiated and completed a CACM Compensation Study update, and there’s so much more!

2022 is almost over, and what we learned in 2022 is being carried forward to our planning efforts for 2023. Again, I still can’t believe we have gone from being stir crazy in a pandemic to where did this year go?! The important question is “How Are You?” Let us help recognize the efforts you make to our industry or to a charitable cause. Let us know about your successes in work, life, or even holiday fun!

Community is Communication + Unity. Let’s come together. Let’s stay connected. Let’s communicate.

Until I get to see you again, I hope you have a fantastic holiday season!

Thomas Freeley, CAMEx, CCAM, President & CEO

members in the news

Paola Scrimsher Promoted To President

The Prescott Companies, an Associa Company announced the promotion of Paola Scrimsher, CCAM, to the position of President. In her new role, she will oversee day-to-day operations of The Prescott Companies, which includes providing multilayered support to boards of directors, branch leadership, and community management teams. Scrimsher has more than 16 years’ experience in community management. She joined The Prescott Companies in 2006 as an assistant community manager and has since served as a senior community manager, division manager-general manager, vice president, and senior vice president of operations.

Seabreeze Management

Company Hires

Aliso Viejo Mayor, Ross Chun Seabreeze Management Company, Inc. recently welcomed Ross Chun to the Seabreeze team as their Director of Community Management. Chun will oversee community and associate managers in Orange County. “I’ve known Ross for years and seen what an incredible difference he’s made in the lives of Aliso Viejo residents,” said Isaiah Henry, CEO of Seabreeze. “He is professional, knowledgeable, and has been the lifeblood of this community for years. His dedication to public service and this community made him the obvious choice as a Director of Community Management.” For more than two

decades, Chun has held various public service positions in Aliso Viejo, including serving two terms as mayor and ten years on City Council after serving on the city’s first Planning Commission. “For 21 years I’ve worked to make Aliso Viejo a better place,” said Chun. “Now, I have the opportunity to continue that work in the private sector. Seabreeze plays an important role in keeping our communities beautiful, vibrant, and successful. I’m excited to join such an incredible company and group of people to continue to serve the residents of Aliso Viejo.”

Harvest Landscape Welcomes Sean Floody

Harvest Landscape Enterprises, Inc. welcomes Sean Floody to the Harvest family as the Creative Marketing Director. Floody will be dedicated to supporting their Inland Empire growth and working behind the scenes to help them continue their commitment to elevate the landscaping business.

Paola Scrimsher, CCAM

Ross Chun

Berding | Weil Welcomes

Gordon Walters

Berding | Weil recently welcomed Gordon Walters to its appellate practice group and litigation team. Walters has extensive experience litigating construction defect matters. Walter’s practice has also covered a broad array of other legal areas, including insurance litigation, real estate transactions, contract disputes, and community association law.

members in the news

Powerstone Promotes Five

Powerstone Property Management, ACMC , recently promoted the following: Jessica Oakes to Director of Community Management, Sarah Basko to Senior Manager, Karen Reed Marquez to Senior Manager, Wendy Miller to Senior Manager, and Heather Oliveira to Senior Associate Manager. Congratulations to everyone!

Roseman Law, APC Welcomes Michael Poole

Roseman Law, APC recently welcomed Michael Poole, Esq. ,to its team as a transactional attorney at Roseman Law’s Orange County office. Poole began his legal practice in the world of civil litigation where he gained experience with labor and employment, partnership disputes, trade secrets, and intellectual property law, and he has been an attorney for over 10 years.

Michael Poole, Esq.

Gordon Walters

members in the news

Antis Roofing & Waterproofing Celebrates Its 80th

Blood Drive

On October 17th, Antis Roofing & Waterproofing completed its 80th blood drive. At the beginning of 2020 when all of the clinics were shut down due to COVID, Antis Roofing’s COO and American Red Cross Southern California Region board member, Susan DeGrassi approached Charles Antis, Founder/CEO of Antis Roofing, and said, “We need blood!” Antis wholeheartedly agreed with DeGrassi’s proposal, because “it’s the right thing to do!” That motto is what runs Antis Roofing’s dedication and passion to keeping families safe and dry through their roofing expertise. Over the course of 80 blood drives, they have been steadily approaching 6,000 potential lives saved, thanks to the 2,000+ generous donors offering lifesaving units of blood and the hard work of volunteers and staff.

CACM Volunteers at Local Food Bank

On October 14th, the CACM staff volunteered for a morning shift at the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County. Together with other volunteers that day, they helped pack 8,000 pounds of green apples into bags for delivery to OC homes, and picked some orders into pallets. Second Harvest Food Bank is a nonprofit organization focused on ending hunger that serves children, seniors and working families. In 2021, its food distribution totaled 59,254,548 pounds of food to an average of 489,960 people per month. To get involved, go to feedoc.org.

members in the news

Hughes Gill Cochrane Tinetti Welcomes Darcy Smith

Hughes Gill Cochrane Tinetti (HGCT) recently welcomed Darcy Smith to its team as a paralegal. Smith has been in the industry for nearly 20 years in various roles, supporting the legal representation of HOAs and other common interest developments. Smith has joined HGCT’s corporate/transactional team, which is their largest CID general representation department in Northern California.

Powerstone Property Management, ACMC ’s 11th annual Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation Silent Auction/Happy Hour Event on October 14th was a huge success. This year, Team Powerstone surpassed its goal of donating $1 million for pediatric cancer research in 11 years. “Powerstone is very passionate about this cause and has been for the past 11 years,” the company said on Instagram. “With over 400,000 new cases of cancer in children and adolescents each year, Powerstone couldn’t think of a better cause to be involved with.”

PCM Partners With OC Coastkeeper to Clean Local Beach

Professional Community Management, An Associa Company recently partnered with Orange County Coastkeeper, a nonprofit, clean water organization, to remove trash and beautify the Bolsa Chica State Beach. More than 75 employees and volunteers from eight PCM vendor partners collected more than 72 pounds of waste as part of their companywide Annual Service Day. “Thank you to the entire PCM team and our valued vendor partners for their incredible support,” said Matthew Williams, CCAM, Branch President of Professional Community Management. “Through our work with Orange County Coastkeeper, we are demonstrating Associa’s commitment to environmental stewardship by helping maintain and improve the quality of life for the communities in which we live and serve.”

Powerstone Property Management Fights Pediatric Cancer

Darcy Smith

members in the news

Heritage Bank of Commerce Volunteers at My New Red Shoes

The Heritage Bank of Commerce team volunteered in September at My New Red Shoes. The focus of their volunteer event was Ukrainian relief through a project with the United Nations Refugee Agency. Over 100,000 shoes/boots will be sent to Ukraine by boat, which will then be reloaded with grain to be shipped to Ethiopia. By the end of their 3 hour shift, they were able to process over 1,400 pairs of shoes for shipment. To learn more about My New Red Shoes or upcoming volunteer events visit mynewredshoes.org.

Nabr Network Delivers New Optimization Enhancements

Nabr Network recently announced the release of several new features to its web and mobile platform. This release will include enhancements that drive efficiencies in business optimization and boost community engagement. Their key updates include:

• Renter account management automation through the new Renter Account Expiration Date feature.

• A new Account Impersonation feature, which allows website administrators to see exactly what residents see in Nabr Network.

• Enhancements to their Photo Gallery feature, such as new comment and positive reaction options and custom Photo Gallery covers.

• Custom interactive or administrator-only posting for individual Community Feed Channels. “Nabr Network provides community management companies the technology their business needs to thrive in today’s community association management industry,” said the company. “Releasing new features every quarter is another demonstration of our commitment to provide best-in-class software for community associations and community management companies.”

Don’t see your news listed? Update us at communications@cacm.org

yousaid it!

GOLF TOURNAMENTS

NORCAL ORANGE COUNTY

Nothing better than some golf to start off the week! Thank you CACM for putting this fun tournament together and thank you to those who helped sponsor and to those who attended. We hope everyone had a blast. #CACMOrangeCounty — Chapman & Intrieri

Did you hear about the CACM Trick or Tee Golf Tournament yesterday?

The weather was perfect, costumes and booth decor were off the charts, and the company was the best part! Thanks to all who visited us at hole 9 and the amazing team at CACM for putting together such a fun Halloween themed golf tournament!

–Megan Wright, Business Development, Saarman Construction, LTD

Work hard, play hard!⛳️��️We were thrilled to help sponsor the CACM Northern California Golf Classic! This event is so much fun, packed full of great opportunities to connect with friends, meet new people, and enjoy a beautiful day at Crow Canyon Country Club. �� #MBJpainting #CCAM #golfclassic –MB Jessee Painting, Inc.

SAN DIEGO

I wanted to thank you and your team for a wonderful golf event on Monday afternoon. It was nice to see everyone there – some I hadn’t seen in 7+ years. Rancho Bernardo was a great venue and the service was first class. Thank you again for inviting Michael and me and I look forward to seeing you at another upcoming event!

— Daniel Farrar, CCAM, FirstService Residential

We had a tee-rrific time on the course with our friends at Corvus Management & Consulting Inc. on Monday at the CACM San Diego Golf Tournament.

— Riley Pasek Canty LLP

What an incredible way to start off the work week! Thank you CACM for hosting such an excellent Golf Tournament! CM Squared, Inc.Architectural Design & Consulting had such an amazing time on the course ��️today!

— David Mosse, Business Development Manager at CM2

Thank you CACM for hosting yet again another wonderful golf tournament. We loved sponsoring the registration table & seeing all YOUR smiling faces! #cacm

— Pilot Painting & Construction

KNOWLEDGE SHARING LUNCHES

yousaid it!

Love these smaller more intimate #KnowledgeSharing luncheons we sponsor with CACM a couple times a year. I get the privilege of representing TARC CONSTRUCTION, INC. and spending time with such wonderful #AssociationManagement professionals learning, sharing and growing! Special thanks to Tom Freeley, Melissa Hurtado and the newest member of their team Natasha Fierro for always putting on such thoughtful #events. Stay safe and be well!

— Dan Fernandez, TARC Construction, Inc.

HIGH RISE & LARGE SCALE SUMMIT

As always, a fun and informative summit coupled with so many opportunities to create new and strengthen existing relationships with colleagues and business partners...

— Robert L. Smith Jr., CCAM-HR

Congratulations California Association of Community Managers - CACM on a successful educational and networking opportunity. Great to see so many engaged professional community association managers.

— Matt Ober, Esq., Richardson | Ober

This is always one of my favorite events; timely information, intimate group of professionals who have similar working responsibilities and wonderful connections made! Thanks again, CACM.

— Stacy Gerowitz, CAMEx, CCAM

Such an amazing event!! Thank you CACM!!! It was great to see everyone! I truly enjoyed speaking on the panel to discuss drought management and how to deal with less water! #cacmstrong #largescale22 #continuingeducation

— Christina French, CAMEx, CCAM-LS, CAFM

Thank you Melissa Hurtado and CACM for a fantastic Knowledge Sharing Lunch. This was a great way to spend Friday afternoon. I am grateful to those of you who came out to learn more about me and Behr Paint Company! #lifeatbehr #communitymanagement #hoamanagement #exteriorpainting

— Bridget Nigh

REGIONAL FORUMS

We are pleased to have been part of the CACM Orange County Fall Forum. It was a wonderful presentation covering the current trends in community association insurance.

— Fiore Racobs & Powers, A PLC

Christina French, CAMEx, CCAMLS, CAFM

from the roundtable

A MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD

As 2022 ends, I would like to take a moment to celebrate each of you.

Our industry continues to be resilient through the changes and challenges that we all face in serving our communities. This feat would not have been able to be completed without all the wonderful people that have pushed forward in finding ways to do so, which is every one of you. Whether it be management team members, CACM team members, or our valued business partners, we have excelled for our clients – yes, both internal and external.

I chuckle when I hear people say the “new normal” – that is probably something that has not been defined nor does it seem to be soon. We adapt, change, or the old saying, pivot to be successful for ourselves, our teams, and our clients, which has enabled us to endure the road that we travel day in and day out.

Finding new ways, revisiting past processes, stabilizing, forward thinking, reducing our footprint, increasing our presence (market share can be substituted here), adding team members – both new and the boomerangs (those who worked for us prior or also clients who we served before), remote team members, 3-year plan, 5-year plan, succession plans, work life balance, retention, growth and anything else that you want to add here are all part of the process.

As we move into 2023, it is important that we show our appreciation to each other and ourselves as this industry is very customer service oriented and driven by relationships with people. The key takeaway here is that people who create trust through the relationship process are those who continue the success of our industry. Be the best version of yourself and share that with others that you interact with daily.

Share a random act of kindness!

Best wishes and happy holidays to you all!

CACM Board Chair Powerstone Property Management, ACMC

Want to find out what the average salaries for various positions are in the California CID industry?

This comprehensive benchmarking report will provide detailed salary and benefits information including variations by location, position and specialty. It will also offer a look at the benefits and insurance plans offered by management companies as well as retirement options.

See how your company compares to others and make sure you stay competitive in today’s tough job market with valuable industry data.

The Consequences of Putting Off Pipe Replacement

By Eric Lecky

Planning for a capital improvement project can be one of the most challenging aspects of condominium management. This is especially true when a plumbing system fails because plumbing systems serve all units and many common areas in a building, and the piping that contractors must replace is usually behind walls, under floors, or in ceilings.

Often, a community hasn’t budgeted for a building-wide repipe, which means homeowners will question how the project is financed and every penny of funding required. Also, the board may not feel confident about overseeing a significant construction project while managing residents through several months of disruption to their lives.

Facing a pipe replacement project can certainly feel daunting, but don’t be tempted to put it off, as waiting may have some serious consequences.

WHY IT’S DANGEROUS TO WAIT

Putting off pipe replacement can have an extremely costly impact:

DEVASTATING FAILURES

Small, one-off leaks can be repaired, but failing pipes left in place for too long could lead to a major leak that damages multiple units, common areas, and elevators. Instead of saving money, the board could incur millions of dollars of costs to replace walls, floors, and other building components damaged by leaks and floods—plus the inevitable cost to repipe the building.

CONSTANT DISRUPTIONS

Ongoing repairs can lead to massive inconveniences for unit owners, whether they’re displaced from their homes during repairs or facing water shutoffs. The disruptions can continue even during a repipe project. We’ve worked in communities where the pipes had been failing for so long that we had to scramble project schedules and alter resident communications to work on parts of the building that started to flood before we could get to them.

LAWSUITS

Left unremedied, repeated, long-term problems may lead to lawsuits by homeowners, who may believe boards have failed to fulfill their duties. For example, we worked on a building where a homeowner had been complaining about leaks for years, but the board failed to act; the homeowner sued and was awarded $1 million for the inconveniences faced.

INSURANCE WOES

As larger repairs add up, expect your insurance premiums and deductibles to increase. For example, we’ve worked for associations whose deductibles rose to well over $50,000 per unit. In worst-case scenarios, an insurer may refuse to renew coverage once the existing policy has expired. Once its policy is canceled, an association may be forced to buy second-tier insurance that costs more and doesn’t cover as much.

RISING CONSTRUCTION COSTS

Construction labor and material costs rise over time and have increased significantly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. If you’re concerned about a repipe project expense today, it will be even greater if you delay. For example, if a board received a proposal last year and decided today to proceed, the project cost could have risen by 15% or more.

POOR COMMUNITY REPUTATION

Continual failures in your pipes and damage to individual living units can lead to negative impressions of the building and bad word of mouth. This will make it more difficult for condo owners to sell their units, further fueling their discontent.

Finally, it’s important that you don’t delay because the process to start a building-wide pipe replacement often requires more than a year. Even after you’ve obtained board approvals for the project, you’ll need to collect and evaluate contractor bids. Once hired, you’ll manage those contractors through the pre-construction processes—such as creating drawings required by the permitting office, obtaining permits, preparing the site, and delivering resident communications. All of this can take 12 to 18 months or longer.

FORTUNE FAVORS THE BRAVE

When your community starts experiencing more than four plumbing system failures in a year, don’t wait. Contact a pipe replacement specialist and start examining your options for capital improvement funding.

Better yet, start planning before your plumbing systems start to fail. When your building reaches 20 years old, talk with your reserves provider about options to start planning for pipe system replacement.

The prospect of pipe replacement can be challenging. Just remember that fortune favors the brave and taking swift action means you’ll avoid much greater costs and tensions down the road.

SageWater is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, with offices nationwide. Over the past 30 years, they have replaced more than 35 million feet of pipe in over 100,000 occupied residential units. Visit them at sagewater.com.

Eric Lecky is the Executive Vice President and Chief Growth Officer at SageWater, North America’s leading pipe replacement contractor.

Cracked and broken drain, waste, and vent system pipes we’ve found after opening walls in high-rise buildings. Odors and leaks from pipes like this present potential health hazards.

Image Source: SageWater

Cracked Vent Pipe

Sewage Leak Image Source: SageWater

spotlight on spotlighteducation education

Missing A CEU? Law Journal Quiz May Help

Have you been frustrated to learn that you are short just one or two CEUs for recertification and had to apply for an extension? Well, look no further! The Education and Credentialing Team have brought back the Law Journal exam. How will this work? Simply read an issue of the Law Journal, pass an exam, and earn 1 CEU. A maximum of 4 CEUs can be earned per year. The cost for the exam will be $50. For more information, reach out to education@cacm.org.

The Road Less Traveled

By Debbie Griffiths, Director of Education and Credentialing

Most of you are already aware of our CCAM (Certified Community Association Manager) designation. This designation is the foundation for the other designations CACM offers. In fact, most of you reading this have already earned it, but do you know the true value and worth of the CCAM?

Sure, you had to take some classes, pass some exams, complete an application, and submit some recommendations, but it doesn’t end there. In fact, having your CCAM is just the beginning and the possibilities are endless.

Let’s take a trip down the CCAM lane. In order to maintain your CCAM, there are 30 hours of continuing education units (CEUs) that includes attending one annual Law Seminar and taking an Ethics class. Those two tasks amount to 12 of the needed 30 CEUs. Now we come to a fork in the road. What classes should I choose to get the remaining CEUs?

Let’s start with insurance! Did you know CACM offers three insurance classes? Financial statements are a pretty prominent part of a manager’s job, and guess what. We have a class for that as well. We even have classes for understanding reserve studies and strategic financial planning.

Want to take a different path? No problem. We also offer courses in enhancing your professional development as well as governance within communities, and those are just a few examples of our many offerings.

If that isn’t enough, enhance your career with one of our four specialty certificates – Large Scale, High Rise, Portfolio Management, or New Development. These specialty certificates are a perfect way to grow in this industry.

Want to take your education to the next level? We’ve got you covered with the MCAM (Master Community Association Manager) designation. This is the crème of the crème designation. Earn this, and you are in the company of the best and brightest in the industry.

Wait...is this the end of the road? That answer is a resounding “NO!” Earning a designation from CACM sets you apart. These designations are the only ones that are specifically geared to managing associations in the State of California.

CACM ensures that managers earning their CCAM are provided the education needed to understand the numerous state requirements. No other organization provides this assurance.

Along with our designations, CACM hosts Regional Forums, annual Law Seminars, High Rise/Large Scale Summit and an Executive Leadership Summit every year for you, our managers. Not only do people come together to hear the latest industry topics, but it is a tremendous opportunity to network with industry partners and with each other. There is a wealth of information that can be found by simply talking with each other.

The next time you attend a Law Seminar, guestimate the number of years everyone in the room – managers and industry partners – have been in this industry. That number is staggering. Who best can we learn from than each other?

As we make the turn to the next street, let’s remind ourselves of the value of our CACM membership. Are you aware that CACM is the only organization that advocates for you, our community managers? Whether its topics for the Regional Forums, new educational courses, or better yet, advocacy in our state legislature, CACM is always working for you, so the next time you put your CCAM pin on, take a second look at it, smile, and wear it with pride.

For more information on our educational programs, please email the education department at education@cacm.org.

It’s Official!

The California Law Series course has now been approved for DRE credit. This is our fourth class that has now been approved for DRE credit and joins Basics of Association Management (BAM), Foundational Ethics and Advanced Ethics with CACM’s ability to offer courses for DRE credit as a value-added benefit for our manager members.

How can you obtain DRE credit from CACM? It’s simple. When you register for one of these classes, simply check the box on the registration form that you want DRE credit or, if you are registering on the website, click “yes” when prompted to do so. CACM will work with you about scheduling the proctor and exam for that course. It’s that easy!

Any questions, please contact our Education Department at education@cacm.org.

THE FATE OF 2022 LEGISLATIVE SESSION BILLS

By Jennifer Wada, Esq.

The deadline for the governor to sign or veto legislation was September 30th. Governor Newsom signed 997 bills into law and vetoed 169. This is a quick update on the fate of the bills that were reported on in the fall edition.

Assembly Bill 1410 (Rodriguez)

This main CID bill makes it unlawful for governing documents to prohibit a member or resident of a CID from using social media or other online resources to discuss association issues.

It also prohibits associations from preventing owners from having roommates in owneroccupied properties and clarifies that such roommates cannot violate any provision of the governing documents in the separate interest or common areas, including, but not limited to, parking restrictions and guest access to common facilities.

Lastly, the bill prohibits associations from taking any enforcement actions against an owner during a declared emergency, except for those relating to a homeowner’s nonpayment

of assessments, if the emergency made it unsafe or impossible to either prevent or fix the violation.

This bill was signed by the governor.

The governor also acted on other bills of interest that were passed by the legislature:

AB 2097 (Friedman)

AB-2097 prohibits public agencies from imposing minimum automobile parking requirements on specified residential, commercial, and other developments located within one-half mile of public transit.

This bill was signed by the governor.

AB 2011 (Wicks)

This bill enacts the “Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act of 2022” to create a ministerial, streamlined approval process for 100% affordable housing projects in commercial zones and for mixed-income housing projects along commercial corridors.

The bill would also impose specified labor standards on those projects, including requirements that contractors pay prevailing wages, participate in apprenticeship programs, and make specified healthcare expenditures.

This bill was signed by the governor.

AB 2221 (Quirk-Silva)

AB-2221 clarifies ambiguities in existing law to accelerate ADU development.

This bill was signed by the governor.

SCA 2 (Allen)

This bill places a repeal measure on the 2024 ballot that, if passed, would repeal Article 34

of the California Constitution that was passed in 1950. Article 34 requires development, construction, or acquisition of publicly funded low-rent housing projects to be approved by a majority of voters in a city or county. SCA-2 is intended to prevent wealthy neighborhoods from vetoing affordable housing.

This bill was signed by the governor.

SB 6 (Caballero)

SB-6 enacts, until January 1, 2033, the Middle Class Housing Act of 2022, which establishes housing as an allowable use on any parcel zoned for office or retail uses.

This bill was signed by the governor.

The legislature reconvenes on December 5th to commence the 2023-24 regular session. The governor has also called for a special session at that time for the legislature to consider a tax on oil industry profits.

While bills can be introduced as of December 5th, the large majority won’t be introduced

until January. Legislators and interest groups are already working on proposals for introduction in 2023.

For the management and CID industry, we anticipate legislation in the areas of CID infrastructure and attempts to expand virtual meetings beyond states of emergencies. It is almost certain that there will be more attempts to regulate associations, and we will be monitoring and advocating for the interests of managers.

BY RYAN KWON

In the community management industry, most managers are thrown into the HOA wilderness without a proper survival guide and kit. But what if it doesn’t have to be this

What if you could help newcomers by allowing experienced managers to raise and guide the next generation through an internship program?

Antis Roofing & Waterproofing has found a lot of success and excited young graduates raring to explore a part of our industry through their internship programs.

CREATING INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Every year since 2018, Antis has been partnering with non-profit organizations and their summer high school internship/externship programs. One of their partners, Samueli Academy, has their rising seniors all complete an internship for four weeks, 20 hours a week, prior to their senior year as a graduation requirement. Antis’ customer service department ran that internship, making it possible for the academy’s students to be paid minimum and work in person.

Another one of Antis’ partners, Girls Inc., has a workforce readiness and college preparation program in many high schools in Orange County, which also incorporates a summer externship. Antis’ President and COO, Susan DeGrassi, has partnered over the years with Girls Inc., so it was only natural for Antis to step in and offer the students an externship opportunity.

Before the high school juniors and seniors participating in the program are placed at their company, they are put through considerable training to prepare them for the world of work. Girls Inc.’s program is highly structured, easy to follow, and consists of four weeks of remote and in-person learning. The students also receive a stipend from the company, and whichever employer the students go with contributes a modest tax-deductible donation to the program itself.

Orange County United Way, a partner of Antis’ accounting department, is currently partnered with the Garden Grove School district and places students in summer internships that are unpaid, school credit only. These students also receive some training at their school site and do mock interviews in person for the internships that they have an interest in at a Career Fair Day, which the district hosts.

MAINTAINING THE PROGRAMS

Every summer, Antis partners with Samueli Academy, Girls Inc., and Orange County United Way and take an intern from each organization. They’ve had college interns from various colleges, such as the University of Arizona and California State University, Fullerton, and whenever they host college interns, it is always paid.

Typically, the interns are paired with a specific department within Antis. Most of the time, the Antis staff recognizes many of them from their previous participation in one of the non-profit programs when they were in high school, or the intern is an employee’s child.

In all of the high school programs, the student is expected to intern for four weeks, 10-20 hours a week. The program has benchmarks for the student to meet that are structured by the non-profit program or school district.

If the internship is in person, more effort is required by the employer to make sure a full day is structured, which includes shadowing a job and meetings, informational interviews with employees in various departments, and doing entry level work like data entry, social media posts, or a simple project.

“It is highly discouraged (as internships are meant to be learning experiences) to have an intern to a lot of ‘busy work’ – a little is okay of course,” said Susan DeGrassi, President & COO of Antis. “As these students are minors, there will be things the employer can’t and shouldn’t do. In our case, they can’t be on a job site for example due to OSHA regulations, and we also refrain from driving the student anywhere. If there is an offsite event that would be valuable for our interns, it is always ideal that the student be dropped off and picked up by their parent or guardian.”

HOW IT WORKS

Antis’ HR department owns the responsibility of understanding any changes in the program and/or state laws that might impact the relationship. It also calendars and sources the employees that will engage each year with each non-profit organization.

Often, there are pre-meetings, career fairs, mock interviews, and training for employees. A manager or director-level employee typically oversees all programs, but it is also a great opportunity to develop young employees by pairing them with an intern and non-profit organization, allowing them to guide the intern and helping both the intern and themselves to grow – with manager oversight, of course.

It doesn’t have to be the same person every year, but most often than not, enthusiastic employees who love mentoring young adults will always be found and request to participate year after year.

“This is one of the easiest ways for a company to make a difference in your community, to develop the future workforce, and to influence a young adult as they learn and explore the world of work and how education fits,” said DeGrassi. “This is most likely the very first job experience for a student, and some of them are very focused on what they want for their future – but most are undecided. So whatever your business is, there is always something and someone who is interested and willing to invest their time to discover their potential future careers with you. The non-profit organizations that we work with have well-run, long-tested programs, so participation is very easy to do!”

Ryan Kwon, Communications & Web Manager, CACM

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

FEBRUARY 9-10, 2023 OAKLAND MARRIOTT CITY CENTER

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

MARCH 16-17, 2023 DISNEYLAND HOTEL & CONVENTION CENTER

CONQUERING CALIFORNIA

Nearly 900 miles from point to point and with nearly 40 million residents, our great state is unlike any other. At this year’s event we celebrate California’s greatest treasures, from its beaches and mountains to its central valley farmland, Mojave Desert and the center of the Hollywood entertainment industry.

Join us at the 2023 Law Seminar and Expo where you will:

• Connect with industry professionals that provide services and legal insights in the CID industry

• Collaborate with other community managers who face similar challenges

• Celebrate your peers’ achievements at our annual Vision Awards

• Contribute to conversations that promote the growth of our industry

WHY ATTEND

1. Build Your Career

The strategies you learn at the CACM Law Seminar will enhance your professional skills and help you to successfully guide your communities.

2. Connections With Colleagues & Mentors

If catching up with colleagues and mentors is on your high list of priorities, then you can look forward to the largest gathering of California community management professionals at the Law Seminar. Expand your professional network and build powerful relationships.

3. Geographic-specific content

CACM’s Education team has pulled together California’s best and brightest to lead this year’s educational sessions. Although content is relevant for the entire state of California, these experts will focus their teachings on either the Northern California or Southern California regions making the conversations unique to the area in which you serve communities.

4. Earn up to 12 CEUs*

Attend the Law Seminar & Expo and receive 8 CEUs for recertification. Take one of our two Ethics courses being offered the day before the Law Seminars to earn an additional 4 CEUs.

CACM EXPO HALL

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Like in previous years, we will offer our Ethics Courses the day prior to the Law Seminar including:

• Advanced Ethics

• Ethics Mastery

CONCURRENT SESSIONS

Here’s a look at the sessions at our two-day event include:

• When Crime Comes to Your Community

• Back to Basics: Association Committees

• Fair Housing Pitfalls: How to Avoid Lawsuits

• Is it Harassment? Common Types and Taking Action

• Mental Health and HOAs

• When Neighbors Aren’t So Neighborly

• For the Record

• Special Assessments: It’s All About Communication

• Elections and Virtual Meetings: What’s New?

• Balconies: Beyond the Inspection

• Manager Roundtable

• The Secret of My Success

• New Case Law

Marvel at all that California has to offer – from its beautiful beaches and surf culture, to its wine country and movie and theatre backdrop, to its world renown state and national parks – as you walk the Expo Hall floor and discover California’s leading industry partners. The Golden State is unique and the Expo will highlight its many treasures. CACM is proud to continue our leadership role hosting the largest Expo for the California community management industry that features a vast array of exhibits, all while networking with the “who’s who” of the industry.

GOOD READS FOR 2023

Looking for holiday gift suggestions? Or maybe you are an avid reader looking for a few recs as you look ahead at 2023.

As we end the year, we asked our Vision Editorial Committee members to provide a book or two that they feel are great resources for our members or purely fun reads. Below is the compiled list of their favorites with abbreviated descriptions from the book jacket or reviews by the readers themselves in quotes.

Minute Motivators for Leaders

by Stan Toler

“After finishing it this time, it will get restationed to my desk as a reference. These quick reads are great reminders to help me stay on track as a leader, especially after a difficult meeting, conversation or phone call.”

Never Lose a Customer Again by Joey

Coleman

From the Book Jacket: Coleman’s theory of building customer loyalty isn’t about focusing on marketing or closing the sale: It’s about the First 100 Days after the sale and the interactions the customer experiences. His approach to creating remarkable customer experiences requires minimal financial investment and will be fun for owners, employees, and teams to implement.

John C. Maxwell

Be a People Person by

“I recently reread [this]. Maxwell teaches his tried and true skills as a Senior Pastor of a large congregation – a people business in the purest sense. His LinkedIn page says his organization has trained 10+ million leaders, and he offers a certification program for leadership development.”

David and Goliath

by Malcolm Gladwell

“Anything by Malcolm Gladwell. I just re-read David and Goliath. My takeaway runs along the lines of 3 points: The powerful become complacent and make assumptions which create vulnerabilities; there is not only hope for the underdog but the underdog will be better in the end as a result of the lessons learned on the road to being competitive; and … just don’t quit.”

Atomic Habits

by James Clear

From the Book Jacket: Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving every day. James Clear, one of the world’s leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.

Choosing Civility by P.M. Forni

From the Book Jacket: Most people would agree that thoughtful behavior and common decency are in short supply, or simply forgotten in hurried lives of emails, cellphones, and multi-tasking. In Choosing Civility, P. M. Forni identifies the twenty-five rules that are most essential in connecting effectively and happily with others.

Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by

Gino Wickman

From the Book Jacket: All entrepreneurs and business leaders face similar frustrations—personnel conflict, profit woes, and inadequate growth. Decisions never seem to get made, or, once made, fail to be properly implemented. The Entrepreneurial Operating System® is a practical method for achieving the business success you have always envisioned.

The Scythians: Nomad Warriors of the Steppe by Barry

Cunliffe

“An archaeological and textual (by way of Herodotus) tale of a vibrant and ruthless nomadic tribe and their influence on the surrounding civilizations (China, Persia, Greece) as told by a renowned archaeologist.”

•

•

•

The Five Disfunctions of a Team by Patrick

Lencioni

From the Book Jacket: For twenty years, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team has been engaging audiences with a page-turning, realistic fable that follows the travails of Kathryn Petersen, DecisionTech’s CEO, as she faces the ultimate leadership crisis. She must unite a team in such disarray that it threatens to derail the entire company.

Leadershift: The 11 Essential Changes Every Leader Must Embrace

By John C. Maxwell

“Easy read with relatable examples of how to handle difficult situations. Full of quotes from leadership experts and mentors as Maxwell is an avid reader himself. He provides first-hand experiences of how his own leadership style has changed with the times – from top-down, management heavy thinking to a teambuilding, relational approach focused on developing people and adding value to others.”

Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell

“’[This book] should be required reading for all community association managers. The audio version, which he reads himself, is really good.”

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

“It is a near future dystopian novel whose target audience is young adults. It is my genre and an easy read to get me into fiction again.”

Thor by Wayne Smith

“A very fun werewolf novel as told through the narrative of the family dog. For those who want to skip the reading of the novel and prefer an awesome 90’s horror vibe, you can see the film adaptation ‘Bad Moon’ on most of the streaming services. Arguably one of the best werewolf costumes ever made for film, courtesy of FX legend, ‘Mad Scientist’ Steve Johnson.”

communications@cacm.org.

achieving professional excellence

Congratulations Managers

It is with great pride that we recognize managers who have taken the next step in their professional career by pursuing advanced educational opportunities. Congratulations to our newest Certified Community Association Managers (CCAM), CAFM, and Specialty Certificate recipients for the period of September 9, 2022 through November 11, 2022.

NEW CCAM s

Kelly Adair, CCAM

Mallory Aranda, CCAM

Nathan Bowers, CCAM

Kellee Bryan, CCAM

Jennifer Carroll, CCAM

Armando Castillo, CCAM

Christie Curtis, CCAM

Alysia Dale, CCAM

Jessica Galindez, CCAM

Erika Gonzalez, CCAM

Elias Guzman, CCAM

Marissa Hunter, CCAM

Kelli LaBrado, CCAM

Megan Looper, CCAM

Edward Louis, CCAM

Rachel Lyons, CCAM

Jeannie Marcano, CCAM

Julianna Marckwordt, CCAM

Greg Martinez, CCAM

Cindy Murphy, CCAM

Rabecca Murray, CCAM

Stephanie Newberry, CCAM

Celeste Regalado, CCAM

Susan Schubert, CCAM

Ashley Silva, CCAM

Dawn Sims, CCAM

Cesar Vaca, CCAM

Meranda Valencia, CCAM

Molly Valles, CCAM

Jean Volz, CCAM

Erica Wood, CCAM

Jennifer Zeivel, CCAM

NEW CAFM

Ginger Karl, CAFM

Samuel McKee, CCAM, CAFM

Joseph Rosenthal, CAFM

SPECIALTY CERTIFICATES

CAMEX

Kimberley Flickner, CAMEx, CCAM-PM.LS

Christina French, CAMEx, CCAM-LS, CAFM Melissa Hajostek, CAMEx, CCAM-PM.LS.ND Lisa Triplett, CAMEx, CCAM

LARGE SCALE

Selina Guillermo, CCAM-ND.PM.LS.AA Rick Rapp, CCAM-LS

CCAM-EMERITUS

Catherine Acquazzino, CCAM-Emeritus

Sheldon Chavin, CCAM-Emeritus Bruce Ratliff, CAMEx, CCAM-Emeritus. HR.CI

Show your affiliation with California’s #1 provider of state-specific knowledge and professional standards with our member logo. Perfect for inclusion on all your business materials!

Download your copy in the Member Resources section at cacm.org/resources/member-logos/

Also, be sure to wear your member and/ or CCAM pin to your next board meeting or industry event. CACM provides these pins free of charge.

maintaining high standards

New Individual Manager & Management Company Members

CACM members further their success in the industry and benefit by partnering with colleagues to share new ideas and best practices. Please join us in welcoming these members from the third quarter of 2022 (July 1st – October 31st.)

MANAGER ProPlus

Hsiang Kuo

Janessa Owens

Brian Shrigley

MANAGER PRO

Dominique Albrecht

Eric Allshouse

Mallory Aranda, CCAM

David Bar

Nicholas Baratta

Brian Bednersh

Rosalinda Blackman

Nathan Bowers, CCAM Stefany Bravo Justin Breckenridge

Kevin Bron Lisa Bryce Jeff Buck

Kimberly Canedy Alycia Carmiol

Jennifer Carroll, CCAM

Armando Castillo, CCAM

Mikayla Christoffersen

Michael Cirillo

Jody Cote

Jane Denning

Cynthia Duffy

Louisiana Escalante

Marrichrist Evangelista, CCAM

Danielle Finley Nicole Fisher

Kelsey Fleming

Yvonne Flores

Juliana Garcia Kristina Gloudeman

Kami Goldstein

Wendy Gonzales

Michelle Griswold

Janelle Grose

Coral Gross

David Hajovsky

William Hawkins

Naz Hayath Tenaya Hearns

Erin Heilman

Chontel Hernandez, CCAM Michael Hernandez Alisha Horn

Marissa Hunter, CCAM

Kayla Hvezda

Eric Jacobsen

Melissa Johnson

Jason Jordan Hale Kelly

Alexandria Kubski

Melvin Kuppinger

Amy Kylberg

Edward Leiva Michael Lewis

Kimberly Londt

Megan Looper, CCAM Yeng Ly

Christine Margulies

Renee Martinez

Tricxi Massa

Christy Masterson

Jade Mawhinney, CCAM

Cara McCampbell

Janet McCormick

Wendy Medina Amanda Meng

Katherine Meyer, CAFM Charianna Miller

Madison Mills

Monchette Monshietehadi, CCAM

Sergio Moreno, CCAM

Michael Mumbert

Cindy Murphy, CCAM

Stephanie Newberry, CCAM

Izac Norman Mele Ofa, CCAM

Jessica Ortega Holly Patubo

Rebecca Perez

Tiana Rascon

Aaron Richardson Adrian Rivas, CCAM

Caitlin Robb

Wendy RobinsonSimpson Moises Robles

Valerie Roca Pearl Romero Anastasia Ross Prince Rubio Caitlin Schlussler

Kory Schoenke

Susan Schubert, CCAM

Laura Sheehan

Dawn Sims, CCAM

Gail Small

Patricia Stavros

Michael Sullivan

Kelsey Thum

Patricia Torres

Alexandra Troncoso Meranda Valencia, CCAM

Joseph Violi Lance Walker Sherwin Watson Eric Williams

Tera Willis

Eleanor Winiecke Jeremy Wright Jennifer Zeivel, CCAM

Business Plus

Allstate HOA Management Los Angeles | (310) 444-7444 www.hoamgmt.com

Consensys Property Management Anaheim | (714) 772-4400 www.consensyspm.com

Equity ManagementAn Associa Company Temecula | (760) 610-7734 www.equitymgt.com

Foundation Community Management, Inc. Oakley | (800) 651-4350 www.foundationhoa.com/

Business

Leiva Group LLC Lawndale | (310) 683-2601 leivagroup.com

Overland Solutions

Los Angeles | (310) 384-4620 www.overlandsolutionsco.com

ARE YOU LOOKING TO HIRE?

Let CACM help you!

CACM is committed to our members’ professional success. Whether you are hiring or looking for the next industry-specific position, the Career Center is your “go-to” resource. Bookmark the Career Center and visit often.

Jobs can be posted for 30 or 60 days and are optimized for mobile and SEO. Premium and enhanced posts include increased visibility.

On top of posting your job opening, CACM delivers new job posts directly into email inboxes through its monthly Job Watch email and in its monthly MyCommunity member newsletter – both are sent to all of CACM’s members.

JOB WATCH MONTHLY EMAILS:

Average open rate: 33%;

Average click through rate: 7%

POSTING YOUR JOB IS AS EASY AS:

Please ensure you select your membership type before purchasing (we want to make sure you receive your discount!). You’ll also find there is a live chat feature on the page. Those individuals are ready to assist you with any questions you have in real time.

If, after this, you still need assistance, please feel free to reach out to help@ webscribble.com, and a representative from the company that supports CACM’s Career Center will further assist you in answering your questions and assisting you with your posting.

serving your communities

New Industry Partner Members

CACM members further their success in the industry and benefit by partnering with colleagues to share new ideas and best practices. Join us in welcoming these new members from the third quarter of 2022 (July 1st – October 31st.)

INDUSTRY PARTNER PLUS

Apex Contracting & Restoration, Inc.

San Diego | (619) 750-7901 www.apex411.com

Asinc Systems, Inc. Austin, TX | (347) 740-3905 www.useclava.com

California Valley Roofing, Inc. Stockton | (209) 981-9310 www.cavalleyroofinginc.com

Compliance View 360 Jacksonville, FL | (904) 902-1360 complianceview360.com

Encompass Construction Development Group, Inc. Concord | (925) 332-5264 www.ecdg.group

Modern Mill McComb, MS | (601) 859-5050 modern-mill.com

O’Toole Rogers, LLP Lafayette | (925) 284-4693 www.otoolerogers.com

The March Group San Diego | (888) 811-6501 www.themarchgroup.com

TownSq Richardson, TX | (844) 281-1728 /www.townsq.io

INDUSTRY PARTNERS

AANTEX Pest Control

Brentwood | (925) 240-5100 aantex.com

ABC Builders Group Newcastle | (704) 502-6352 www.abcbuildersgroup.com

AEG Holdco LLC Westlake Village | (818) 865-7901 www.americanenv.com

Arbor MD Tree Care, Inc. Emeryville | (415) 250-2012 www.arbormd.com

BuildingLink.com New York, | (877) 501-7117 Ext 608 www.buildinglink.com

Columbia Bank Sacramento | (916) 287-4325 columbiabank.com

Diamond Roofing El Cajon | (619) 295-3110 diamondroofingsd.com

Elevate Construction LLC Concord | (925) 448-5002 www.elevatecdc.com

Inverge, LLC Anaheim | (800) 610-3906 invergellc.com

Kaufman Dolowich Voluck San Francisco | (415) 926-7630 www.kdvlaw.com

Mercury Insurance Brea | (714) 672-4827 www.mercuryinsurance.com

Millennium Construction Santa Ana | (714) 380-5413 buildingdreamsoc.com

National Renovations, LLC - DBA Repipe Specialists, Inc Burbank | (703) 801-8269 repipe.com

Poly Tuff Systems International San Diego | (866) 977-8833 www.polytuffus.com

Precision Landscape Solutions Riverside | (951) 897-9882 www.precisionlandscapeservice.com

Repipe1 Tarzana | (866) 737-4731 www.repipe1.com

S & K Marketing Group, LLC Watsonville | (925) 584-9825 www.sandkmarketinggroupllc.com

ServPro Team Brogdon Chino | (909) 548-3191 www.servprochinochinohills.com

Silicon Valley Landscape San Jose | (408) 320-0014 www.svlandscape.com

The Arboreal Company Pleasanton | (855) 272-7632 www.arborealcompany.com

Tree Care Concepts Anaheim | (714) 772-5334

Tree Pros, Inc. Chino | (909) 548-0033 www.treepros.com

Tru Exterior Siding & Trim Healdsburg | (909) 591-4861 www.truexterior.com

United Protection Industries, Inc Desert Hot Springs | (760) 894-3128 upi-security.com

Viking Environmental Group Anaheim | (714) 465-5800 www.vikingenviro.com

West Coast Deck Waterproofing Paramount | (760) 481-2513 www.wcdeckwaterproofing.com/ services

Ijoined a site walk with several board members recently. You know the mix: a quiet gentleman, a small busy lady who likes to reach out and touch your arm while she talks, and a she-wolf. The busy lady would quietly roll her eyes while the shewolf snarled and snapped. The gentleman would wince and attempt to move the conversation along. The vendors/victims were properly chastised and limped quietly away with tails tucked.

Justice had been served, of course. The vendors had sinned, and sins must be punished. The whole scenario was, in a way, barbaric. Even in

reconsidering the events of that day, I wonder if we, the bystanders, were complicit or wise to stand back and observe incivility from a distance. And even more humbling, how often have I been, to some degree, the one on the attack?

You’ve been the victim too. Wolves come snarling into board meetings, virtual conferences, site walks, and even your own office. They take the form of managers, board members, vendors, and mail clerks. Some of them you know to avoid, others take you completely by surprise stripping off lamb’s wool to go for your jugular, and some days, it’s you!

Rules of Civility

By Scott Swinton

Is a decline in basic civility trending? Many say it is and blame COVID’s forced isolation, social media, solar radiation, political leaders, or a decline in religious fervor. Probably some of those are indeed to blame, possibly all of them to some degree or another.

Are we too touchy, or are we too rude? In recent conversations, I’ve gotten both opinions. “People just need to loosen up and not take life so seriously,” argued some. “Rude arrogant behavior is unacceptable and is becoming way too commonplace,” rejoined others.

And is it surprising that we don’t see eye to eye? We come from different socioeconomic backgrounds, different cultures, different races, and the true north of our moral compasses don’t always align.

We are the authority on the portion of an issue which we feel we understand. They don’t, but we do understand. When another questions our authority, it stings. Clearly, they are wrong, right?

Maybe, but a moment of humility would demand that we recognize that they didn’t come to the conversation with the intent to offend our paradigm. No, rather, they came just as we did, firmly believing that they held a good, just, honorable, and logical position on the issue. Or maybe, just maybe, they’re actually a reasonable person just having a bad day.

So, what is the formula for civility? I think Ruth Bader Ginsburg was getting warm when she said, “you can disagree without being disagreeable.”

First, let’s not assume we understand the other point of view. Or, let me say it another way. We don’t understand the

other point of view. Are they obnoxious? They probably think the same of me.

I won’t bring them any closer to understanding my position by confirming their preconception. Offer them the courtesy of a listening ear. We’ll be the better for it even if they never reciprocate. At least, understanding their position will make our arguments sounder in the next debate. That exercise alone is a basic building block for civility.

Second, do no harm. Humor on the internet and television is a little better than what was once rightfully relegated to bumper stickers. As a society, sarcasm, put-downs, and criticism have been unfortunately elevated to humor.

If humor has been hijacked by sarcasm and criticism, is it any wonder that reasonable argument and debate has been hijacked by the same? In a disagreement, don’t use them. Whether the criticized person is present or not,

sarcastic comments only make one look small and never solve problems. Sarcasm is only an auger to dig a hole deeper, never a ladder out.

Third, be sure we understand our position as well as we think we do. This author has changed his mind after a few minutes of research countless times. Of course, my position has been reinforced with a bit of research too, but either way, I was armed to the best of my ability, with truth.

Finally, have a bad day once in a while. Take note of how we treated others while we were a mess and then give the next guy who’s messing with your good day a break. He may have bad days too.

Then, on the good days, model civility and kindness in difficult situations. Demonstration is among the greatest of teachers. Hope is not lost. We don’t need to be a Ghandi or Wilberforce and seek to change an empire. We can be kindness and grace in our own circles.

Can we learn to love our neighbors? In the words of G.K. Chesterton, “the Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because generally they are the same people.”

Scott Swinton is the General Contractor and Certified Construction Manager at Unlimited Property Services, Inc.

A moment of humility would demand that we recognize that the other side didn’t come to the conversation with the intent to offend our paradigm.

“ “

INSURANCE BY THE FIRE

By Jessica Melvin, CCAM

INSURANCE BASICS

CALIFORNIA INSURANCE CLIMATE

California has seen a mass exodus of insurance companies since 2019. In January of 2020 AIG, Liberty Mutual, and Chubb among others sent a round of cancellations to homeowners in “high risk fire areas.” In 2021, State Farm closed a major center in Bakersfield, and in 2022, Geico closed all of its 38 offices in California.

It is easy to blame the issue on fire claims alone; however, drought-related claims along with landslides added to the pressure on insurance firms. Insurance companies are now using AI models to determine risk of catastrophic events. Areas that used to be outside the fire maps are now considered at risk due to these AI computations on wind factor, drought, and unmaintained vegetation.

The issue is the models currently account for naturally started wildfires (drought, heat, lightning, etc.) and not for the 96% of fires started by people in California for 2022. These AI models are also in their infancy compared to other risk models for catastrophic events like hurricanes and earthquakes.

A very thorough wildfire guide and assessment of the insurance industry can be found here

HARD MARKET VS. SOFT MARKET

Insurance companies make their money on insurance premiums and investment income with the latter being the larger source of revenue. When the economy is booming, insurance companies’ margins are padded, and they are more apt to relax underwriting guidelines and broaden coverage all while charging lower premiums. This is known as the soft market.

Conversely, a hard market is where carriers pull back on the coverage they offer, tighten underwriting guidelines, or exit a segment completely, and increase pricing in efforts to regain their profits or due to the lack of reinsurance availability (insurance for insurance companies). Less options to choose from means decreased competition and less leverage than buyers and brokers would have in a soft market.

At the end of 2019, we began to see signs of a hard market as carriers issued non-renewals and many accounts had to turn to the non-admitted, excess and surplus lines marketplace where rates are generally much higher, but the companies have higher risk appetite.

Navigating the changes in the insurance market doesn’t have to be daunting. While many managers have faced cancellation, soaring premium costs and increased risk scrutiny, a better understanding of the industry can shed light on what you can do to protect your association, lower your risk, and prepare your boards for the insurance market to come.

WHAT YOU CAN DO?

BE PREPARED

Insurance costs are going up 1520% for the average association that insures any kind of building or structural element. If you are in a high fire zone, such as the Oakland Hills, you can see your premium increase 20-50%. In some cases, insurance companies are declining coverage for high fire risk areas.

Due to the volume of applications in the market, underwriters are backed up, meaning insurance renewals are commonly delivered anywhere from 14 days to 72 hours prior to expiration of your current policy.

The good news is the government is introducing legislation to help mitigate pricing increases. Insurance Commissioner, Ricardo Lara, introduced legislation on September 7, 2022 that is attempting to bring pricing transparency and integrate a variety of fire hardening building measures with building codes to help reduce the amounts of structures that are destroyed in any future wildfires.

For the press release, go to insurance. ca.gov or click here.

FOCUS ON WHAT YOU CAN CONTROL

Often, I hear managers are increasingly being told that if a claim is filed on the association master insurance and that the coverage is there, then the claim should be approved. Afterall, we are not insurance experts, nor are we licensed in that area. While it is true that a homeowner can submit any claim upon request, the board does not have to approve the claim and, often times, shouldn’t.

For example, a single family home has a faulty supply line to their toilet that causes $80k in damages. The homeowner wants to put in a claim against the master insurance on the recommendation from their insurance provider. The policy is walls out but holds coverage for interior large water loss. Should the association master insurance have a claim for the homeowners’ damages to the interior?

In this case, no. Boards should be directed to think about responsibility and what it means to the entire community should this claim be approved for payment by them. The quickest way to become viewed as high risk and get dropped by your provider is to frequently submit claims through the master insurance policy.

Once a claim slips by, you will see the claim frequency go up as word passes around the community. It may save a small amount on their individual policies by having their insurer avoid a claim, but now, the entire community will pay increased insurance premiums for the master insurance.

CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE

You might wonder, if an insurance company doesn’t have the money to pay claims, then what happens? If you are with an admitted carrier, CIGA (California Insurance Guarantee Association) will pay out up to $500,000 per claim that insurance companies approved but could not fund.

The last financial examination report in 2020 showed a funding surplus. This agency averages pay outs of $280 million a year in claims covering property, auto, and workers compensation. That being said, $500,000 would likely be inadequate for a total loss due to the rising costs of building materials caused by supply chain constraints and high demand for construction labor.

Unfortunately, CIGA does not pay unfunded claims for non-admitted carriers, so it is prudent to ask your provider for their A.M. best rating, financial size, and whether the particular carrier is reinsured to ensure you are working with a carrier who will not run out of money and leave you with nothing.

Insurance is always an integral part in our industry. When times are good, we are excellent negotiators to keep those premiums low and protect our associations by expanding coverage. When times are tough, we are needed more than ever to keep our boards and owners informed of the situation ahead.

Now is the time to complete your maintenance projects and bring in the insurance experts to talk with your board about the market and the importance of budgeting for these increases.

Jessica L. Melvin, CCAM, is a Portfolio Community Manager for The Management Trust, Nor-Cal division, serving Yolo, Solano, and Contra Costa counties since 2016.

Sadie & Sheryl

When visiting her mother at a nursing facility, Eugene Burger Management Corporation’s senior community association manager, Sheryl Kaonis-Rochon, CCAM, saw how frustrated and unhappy she was. That changed after a visit with a therapy dog. Seeing how happy a therapy dog made her mother, Kaonis-Rochon began the process of finding a dog and becoming certified as a therapy dog handler.

“After seeing the amount of positive reactions therapy elicited from my mother and the other residents, I just thought to myself, “I’d love to do that for other people!” she said.

Kaonis-Rochon has worked in the community management industry since 2000. Like most people, she fell into the job. When she was hired at her first management company, she didn’t even know what an HOA was. Six years later, she achieved her CCAM certification. She’s remained in the industry for 22 years.

We recently learned about Kaonis-Rochon’s volunteer work with her therapy dog, Sadie, and asked her more about it.

How did you meet Sadie? Did you have any pets prior to Sadie?

Whether it be cats or dogs, I always had pets growing up. In fact, I was eight years old when I first owned a dog.

Back in March 2016, I found my perfect therapy dog partner: a-fourmonth-old, parti coat, standard poodle named Sadie. Even though I got her for the main purpose of being a therapy dog, many people would be surprised that I got her from a generic breeder rather than one that specializes in therapy dogs.

A little fun fact, most people think that poodles are fashion French, but the word poodle derives from the German word, pudel, which are hunting dogs.

By Ryan Kwon, Communications Manager

Becoming a therapy dog handler took a lot of hard work, from both Sadie and me. The very first step that I took before being certified was signing up for the American Kennel Club’s “Good Canine” class. There were a standard set of behaviors that Sadie had to master before receiving her “Good Canine” certification.

How a community manager and her pawtner in crime make people’s day.

What was the journey like in certifying Sadie as a therapy dog and becoming a certified therapy dog handler?

Some of these behaviors included: accepting strangers, sitting politely for petting, walking on a loose leash, walking through a crowd, sitting, staying, coming when called, reacting appropriately to distractions, and supervised separations.

While Sadie eagerly trained right away, I also did some training of my own with a private trainer, because I wanted to start our therapy visits as soon as we could. The classes that Sadie and I took were a challenge because Sadie was still very much a puppy, and if there were other dogs in the room, she would just want to play with them. So, our biggest hurdle was to learn how to differentiate play time from work time.

Our first supervised visitation session took place at the VA hospital in San Diego through a volunteer program called “Love on a Leash.” Before Sadie could fly as a solo therapy dog, the program required a minimum of 10 supervised visits. In addition to our prior training, Sadie was enrolled in the Scripps Hospital evaluation process, and that took six months to complete.

For the Scripps Hospital evaluation process, Sadie had to complete various tasks such

as walking alongside someone with a wheelchair or IV pole, seeing how she would react if a loud noise were to occur, going up elevators, and seeing if she would snack on a treat if I were to leave the room. Best believe that the treat evaluation was the most difficult to pass.

With all the classes, training, and evaluations that Sadie and I had to pass, it took nearly 2 years for us to become officially a therapy dog and therapy dog handler.

What are your hospital visitations with Sadie like?

As soon as I put on her vest, Sadie knows it’s time to work. It’s like she becomes a completely different dog. Even though Sadie can be rambunctious when she plays and has a lot of puppy left in her, she has a really great understanding of what the people she visits need - whether it’s putting her head in their lap or giving them a gentle kiss, Sadie’s your girl.

I remember a visitation that Sadie and I had with a gravely ill, elderly patient, and the facility let us know beforehand that the patient had specifically requested a visit from Sadie. The patient couldn’t sit up, could no longer see, and had a really difficult time breathing, but as soon as she patted Sadie’s head, a peaceful smile appeared across her face and a tear ran down her cheek.

Something like that could really make you feel wholesome and make your day, knowing that you’re responsible for the happiness of people and the good that you’re putting out in the world.

What’s the difference between a therapy dog and a service dog?

The simplest way to break this down is that a therapy dog can only go to places where it’s invited, and a service dog can be taken

any place where they’re assisting a person with a disability. A few examples would be like a seeing-eye dog, a guide dog or a dog that’s been trained to detect their owner’s high blood pressure.

Since Sadie provides therapy to everyone she visits, does she provide therapy for you?

Of course! Fortunately, I have the freedom to take her to my office, walk in sites, and board meetings (if permitted by my board). She’s just a moral boost to have around, and the greatest thing about having Sadie around is that she helps me a lot when I encounter angry homeowners, because as soon as they meet her, their anger immediately dissipates into friendliness. Even outside of her therapy visitations, Sadie makes everyone around her happy.

TO MAKE A MANAGER’S LIFE EASIER

VENDOR OUTSOURCING: WAYS

As the HOA industry continues to evolve, new technologies and services are evolving to help fill the void. Ten years ago, the HOA management company did everything in house. Now, we are seeing an increasing number of companies embrace outsourced partners to help carry the load. With need for community association managers at an alltime high, every part of the job should be examined to see if it can be delegated to another position in the company or to outside partners.

ELECTION ADMINISTRATION

One of these partners is Bellwether Election Solutions, based in Roseville, California. As any manager knows, elections, special assessments, governing docs modifications are key times for HOAs and can add stress to a manager who is overworked and rushed.

By Rob Buffington

Election administration companies like Bellwether take over the entire process, from drafting the notices to mailing and counting the ballots. Most importantly, they track the calendar. When a missed deadline can require the entire process to start over, it can be helpful to have a partner who does nothing but watch the calendar and mail the notices and ballots.

They also review the governing documents and election rules for each association so that the process is compliant. Using a company in this space can take pressure off of community managers that are overworked and don’t handle elections every day.

VENDOR SCREENING

Another vendor that is taking an existing service into a new area is VendorSmart, based out of Plantation, Florida. Vendor screening companies have been around for a while. One of the community manager key roles is to ensure that all vendors who work on the property are properly licensed and insured. There are several services in the HOA space that offer this, but VendorSmart has taken it a step further, offering RFP coordination for companies.

One of the most time consuming parts of a manager’s job is to solicit RFPs and follow-up with vendors. What manager

hasn’t been putting together a board packet only to realize that a vendor didn’t send in a proposal that they agreed to send before the meeting?

VendorSmart has offloaded this part of the manager’s job by not only getting RFPs from vendors but using their existing vendor network to suggest new vendors that are already qualified and screened to managers as well. VendorSmart can also coordinate site walks, compare scopes of work, and put the proposals in a professional presentation format for the board.

INSPECTIONS

Inspections have always been an important, yet disruptive part of the community manager’s job. Aside from the drive time, community managers are often stopped onsite by homeowners with issues that rarely need the community manager’s time.

By the time they return to the office, emails and phone messages have piled up, meaning that inspection notes usually don’t get processed for days or weeks. Additionally, many community managers don’t receive proper training on walkthroughs, meaning they don’t properly record their visit in the event a violation is challenged.

Compliance View 360 is a new player in the HOA space that offers mobile inspection services. Taking a car with 360 cameras on top, Compliance View 360 can drive through all of your communities on any frequency that you like, taking video and still footage of the community. The inspectors can also wear body cams as they walk into the common areas such as mail rooms, laundry rooms, and other areas where a car can’t reach.

Once complete, the footage can be accessed through their custom software, which has the footage geotagged as well as date and time stamped. In the software, managers can mark violations and automatically mail the notices to the homeowners. The software can also mark maintenance issues like a broken sprinkler head or overgrown grass and send it to the vendor of choice.

With integrations to many of the major software options, this saves several steps in the violation and work order process. Customers can also pay for long term storage, meaning video records can be saved indefinitely to be used for insurance claims, court cases, reserve studies, etc.

With the continuing staffing shortage and increased cost of labor, partnering with thirdparty providers to offload parts of the job can save managers from falling permanently behind due to lack of support. Client expectations are at an all-time high and these new services offer a lifeline to weary managers.

Rob Buffington is the Owner of East West Building Works and President of Gordian Staffing, both of which are located in San Jose.

SET YOUR SIGHTS ON THESE TRENDS IN

By Todd Greisen, CCAM

It’s been said that to be able to predict the future, all you need to do is look back at history. It’s true that history repeats itself. The world has changed significantly in recent years, but it’s also said that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

As the dust settles on COVID-19, let’s look at some possible trends that will continue or likely develop in the world of HOAs and CIDs in 2023. Some trends will continue. Others appear to be faltering in the coming year.

Technology

One of the few positive outcomes from the pandemic was greater availability of remote work. Some industries have struggled to embrace it but not so much in our industry. Life balance has become more than just a cliche to be sought after. It’s now an expectation and requirement to attract the best talent.

For example, videoconferencing into board meetings is now mainstream and no longer leading edge. Even tech-resistant boards have had to acquiesce. Although the fear of this contagion is nearly gone, there’s nothing indicating that this trend will change.

Technology continues to advance so that even site inspections can be done remotely. See Rob Buffington’s article on page 38 for more on this subject.

This next trend could be more wishful thinking than a real trend, so I may be going out on a limb with this prediction. I also look for our state to become less tech-resistant as well. Electronic voting for HOAs is a reality in many states, so why not here in California, arguably the most tech-savvy state in the Union? It may not happen in 2023, but one can only hope!

Employment

As reported in the previous issue of Vision Magazine, the “Great Resignation” has created increased opportunity for experienced management staff.

CACM’s most recent Compensation & Benefits Study reflects this demand by salary increases, mirroring the hot job market in many other segments of the economy. The question remains: Will higher education fully embrace association management as a viable career path for younger generations? Expect it to be a positive trend that gains more traction in 2023.

Re al Estate

We’ve also seen the beginnings of layoffs in real estate and mortgage banking. Like in 2008/09, homebuilders will feel this pain as well. As development construction slows, new HOAs will follow that trend, meaning fewer management openings in our industry. There are some markets that will slow less than others. Paying attention to real estate market specific trends helps you know where the job demand will remain higher.

Increased unemployment will begin to parlay into foreclosures and assessment delinquencies for

Insurance

Need I say this? Even if you haven’t been in the industry long, you know these costs are skyrocketing. Although, its cause is debated. Climate change is real and resulting natural disasters over recent decades are likely to continue. Our sun and the entire solar system continue to go through significant changes. Here on Earth, we’ve only seen the tip of a melting iceberg regarding insurance increases from these disasters. Those caused by humans, such as Champlain Towers, only fuel the flame of higher costs.

associations. If you were around at the time of the great recession, you know well that when owners aren’t paying their mortgages, they certainly aren’t paying their association dues. In those years, housing prices dropped 33% as foreclosures flooded the market.

More recently, according to one survey, nearly three-quarters of pandemic-era homebuyers are now having regrets. For many markets, rising mortgage rates clashing with over-priced housing are a 1-2 punch for prospective home buyers. Young families simply cannot afford to buy. Well, at least not yet. High interest has begun to force sellers to cut asking prices in many markets.

During 2020 through early 2022, those who could afford to buy had the benefit of low inflation, which is no longer the case. Consumer inflation may become the third punch to the real estate market, pounding it even harder than the great recession. This time, the Federal Reserve doesn’t have the luxury of keeping interest rates low to bring demand and prices back up. They’ve got to raise rates to fight inflation.

But, look for this hot hiring market to slow. Think not? How’s your 401K performing these days? As reported recently by MSN, there will be less turnover and smaller raises as the economy cools. Recent decades have taught us how the tech industry is often on the leading edge when it comes to impacts of higher costs and lower demand. Hiring freezes and layoffs have begun and will likely continue in 2023.

EnergyExisting HOAs, particularly condo associations that bear much of the utility costs will also face significant increases in 2023. Politicians blame higher energy costs on the Ukrainian war. Planning for a normal 5% increase will be insufficient. Budget this coming year for at least 15%. Along with that and other increasing costs, make extra effort to help members understand these cannot be absorbed and must be passed on through assessment increases for 2023.

To summarize these doom and gloom trends, tighten your belts. Our world will continue the path of change in 2023. Managers’ ability to adapt to changes will be called upon more than ever. The good news is that we’re in a stable industry, even in times when instability seems to be all around us.

Todd Greisen, CCAM, is the General Manager of Contra Loma Estates in Antioch, California.

Civil code requires that HOAs disclose deferred maintenance, but many do not. Boards try and try to “save money” by waiting to perform maintenance or make needed repairs. This mentality, coupled with inflation, post COVID-19 labor and material price increases, and the notion that maintaining assessments artificially low is a benefit to the community, has created funding challenges for many associations.

WHERE DO WE START?

Robert W. Browning, RS, and owner of Browning Reserve Group believes that reserve studies are essential to the strategic planning of any community. “Having a professional study that’s reviewed annually just makes good business sense,” said Browning. Start nine months before the fiscal year end by examining in detail the reserve study component list and funding scenario to make sure it is reasonable for your community.

Make sure that any work the community plans to do next year is funded to spend in the next fiscal year. Ask your reserve study provider for options to fund reserves and reserve shortfalls. Just because the study says you need a 100% increase to reserve transfer next year, followed by 3% increases for 30 years, does not mean you have to do that. Think creatively. What if the 100% was spread out over several years or offset by a special assessment?

SPECIAL ASSESSMENT

It used to be that the word “special assessment” held a negative connotation, meant failure, or that the HOA was not viable. Now more than ever, homeowners understand that assessments rarely go down. A one-time special assessment is preferable to ever increasing monthly assessments.

Creative Tips on Financing for HOAs

By Caroline McCormick, CAMEx, CCAM

Rather than waiting for funds to accumulate through regular reserve transfers, a one-time assessment, even if broken up into monthly installments over time, allows your association to fund common area maintenance and repairs quickly in today’s dollars.

Work with legal counsel to prepare balloting materials for a member vote or consider advising your board about a 5% annual operating budget special assessment, which can be assessed by the board without a member vote.

LOAN OR LINE OF CREDIT

“HOA loans and lines of credit allow your association to fund common area maintenance and repairs quickly in today’s dollars,” says Blair Fox, Senior Vice President at Alliance Association Bank (AAB). Fox says that a nonrevolving line of credit is used during the construction phase (typically 6 to 24 months long), with interest-only payments required. This line converts to a term loan once the project is complete, typically from 5 to 15 years in length. The loan is secured by future assessments and not property liens.

To gauge credit risk, Fox gathers information about:

• Number of delinquencies, and the amount of money involved.

• Liquidity (the amount of cash as a percentage of annual assessments and annual debt service).

• Number of housing units and how many are owner-occupied.

• Whether monthly assessments will need to increase to pay for the loan.

• HOA officers’ management and capital planning experience.

Finally, run the bank loan through the reserve study during this process. The reserve specialist can be helpful to ensure the loan and payback are optimal for the situation.

HYBRID FUNDING CASE STUDY

Creative thinkers will consider a hybrid option, a combination of special assessment, use of reserve funds, and/or future assessment increases. One manager had a projected $40,000 per unit special assessment to replace T-111 siding with a cementitious product and realized that the new product would require significantly less future repair and painting maintenance.

The funding was structured by

1) a $10,000 per homeowner special assessment,

2) the HOA borrowed $10,000 per homeowner, 3) $10,000 was used from existing reserve funds, and 4) the remaining $10,000 was funded by reducing the reserve liability and phasing the work over four years.

The HOA successfully completed the project and paid off the loan two years early.

PHASED MAINTENANCE

By spreading large projects such as roof replacement or dry rot repairs and painting over several years, your annual cash outflow is reduced. It costs a bit more to do a smaller project annually, but it allows for reserve replenishment annually to fund needed repairs.

When confronting several large projects simultaneously, consider a design professional to provide a cohesive plan for color selection, materials, and other aesthetics. Roofing and painting are two components that may only sync together every 25 to 40 years.

Why not bring that 1970’s ranch style community into the new millennium? It costs the same to paint or re-roof with the correct or wrong color palette. Additionally, upgraded product use can minimize maintenance and lengthen the life of a component, lessening the funding need.

If you are lucky enough to manage funding challenged associations, remember that it is part of the community association manager’s job to let the board know what they did and did not budget for before and after publication and to encourage the treasurer to continually check the budget both operating and reserves to make sure that any projects being considered are funded.

If unfunded operating projects are approved, your community runs the risk of reducing cash below a viable threshold and then deferring reserve transfers or borrowing from reserves, further exacerbating funding challenges. Managing to budget and budgeting to fund adequately is key to avoiding funding “surprises.”

Caroline McCormick, CAMEx, CCAM, is the Internal Auditor of Client Services for OMNI Community Management LLC, ACMC and has been certified through CACM since 1993.

Managing the Manager Transition

BY HAMLET VAZQUEZ, MCAM-HR

ANNUAL CALENDAR

The annual calendar is probably the most underrated aspect of association managing. There’s nothing sexy about an annual calendar, but as someone who just started at a new community that did not have an annual calendar, I can tell you that it is invaluable when you have it and a challenge when you don’t.

Before you leave your community, make sure that you have such a calendar in place which indicates what important association and maintenance items take place each month. From the mundane like “When do the trees get trimmed?” to the vitally important like “When is the annual meeting?,” these kinds of events are key to the smooth transition in manager.

Current & Upcoming Projects

Before you leave your community, it is important that you summarize the current and upcoming projects and indicate where they stand.

The pool re-plastering project, when is that scheduled?

The automatic door opener installation, which vendor is supposed to pull the permits?

When will the parts arrive?

Contractor Contact Info

PASSING ON YOUR SUCCESS

If you’ve ever had homeowners express that they are sad to see you go and can’t imagine what it’ll be like to not have you managing the property, then congratulations, you have managed well and have been a successful manager. I recently experienced this as I left a property that I had managed for almost 12 years and was humbled by the comments from homeowners that filled my inbox and the farewell cards.

As I prepared to leave, it became clear that I had a lot of institutional knowledge that I needed to pass on to my replacement in order to help them succeed, since there would be no overlap training period. With this in mind, below are some practical suggestions on how to help set the stage for your replacement’s success:

Who are the contractors involved with the upcoming projects?

What is their contact information?

Who are the regular contractors and the points of contact?

What are the account numbers?

Username/Passwords

What username/passwords do you need to document for your replacement?

The Minutiae

If your property is managed by a management company, then they will usually train on A/P, A/R, Payroll, etc. Otherwise, you will need to have training material prepared or set aside time for one-on-one training during the overlap period, if any.

is best when it’s shared.”

- Howard Schultz

GETTING YOUR BEARINGS

What if you arrive at your new property and the previous manager did not leave you with an annual calendar, summary of upcoming projects, or was not available to train you in the administrative minutiae of the association? How do you go about getting your bearings in order to succeed at this new assignment? It will take some reading and some learning.

Circling back to that less than sexy annual calendar You need to develop one, so you don’t come to the shocking realization that that the trees needed to be trimmed when your holiday light vendor asks you when you want the lights up. And, since the holidays are right around the corner, it’s too late to trim those trees or put up lights. No big deal, right? I’m sure the residents won’t miss the holiday lights this year.

So, assuming you don’t want to be known as the manager responsible for ruining everyone’s holiday spirit, how do you craft that previously non-existent annual calendar?

You need to review three sets of documents:

The previous year’s board meeting minutes

Contracts

- Anthony J. D’Angelo communicate to them that you care about them. Even with a large team of 30+ individuals, it’s important that you get to know their names and get to know them early on.

These three sets of documents will help you put together the much-needed annual calendar that will set the foundation for your success.

 Getting to know your board, in particular your board president

One of the main questions you need answered is how involved the board president likes to be in the management of the association. Was he accustomed to weekly (or daily) meetings with the manager or was he simply available as needed? It’s important that you find out early on in the transition since the board president is key to your success.

 Getting to know your staff team

Another important relationship is the one with your staff team. It is imperative that you make decisions early on that



If you’re a high-rise manager, then you know that probably the most important staff relationship is the one with your building engineer. Get to know him and how he likes to operate and communicate. For example, how does he like work orders to be communicated to him? How involved does he expect/want you to be?

Getting to know your residents

Of course, no association manager can be successful unless if he or she has built up trust with the residents. How quickly do you respond to their concerns even if the response is simply, “Great question! Let me look into this and get back to you.” No one will promote you better than your residents, and the alternative is just as true. So take the time to build up trust.

MANAGING CHANGE

One of the most challenging aspects of starting out in a new community is gauging the community’s tolerance for change. Change has already happened – they have a new manager! What else can you (should you) change? And how soon? This will all depend on two factors.

First, how long was the prior manager in the community, and how positive was their experience with him/her? The longer the manager was there, the more positive the experience and the less change people will tolerate. This does not mean that if the previous manager had been fired, you can change everything, but it will certainly give you more freedom to make changes.

The second factor is how urgent are the changes needed? Are there changes that need to be made in order for them to be in compliance with Davis-Stirling or current employment laws? Are there technological

improvements that are available to them that they have not taken advantage of or may not have known about?

Whatever the change may be, it goes without saying that you must have the board’s support. Be sure to communicate with the board and take direction from the board, especially with big changes. At the end of the day, the goal is for the changes to make the community better, but they won’t see it that way unless you are patient and wise in your implementation of the changes.

Whether you are the manager who is leaving or starting a new role (or both!), this time of change is a great opportunity for you to grow and develop as a manager. Keep this in mind, and the success you had at your previous property will follow you wherever you go.

“Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.”

- John C. Maxwell

Hamlet Vazquez, MCAM-HR, is the General Manager at Wilshire Terrace Co-op in Los Angeles.

“Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.”

GETTING A BETTER HANDLE ON NEW RESIDENTS

By Andrew Hay, CAMEx, CCAM-ND.PM

Welcome to your new home! Now, call management to tell them you put your trash cans away or you will be fined! Sound familiar? Much too often, new homeowners’ first interaction with their HOA is related to a compliance issue and usually not a pleasant one.

While enforcing the governing documents is an important part of the success of a community, it isn’t necessarily putting the best foot forward for the association or the management company, and the standard traditional welcome letters, while carefully worded to be pleasant and informative, are rarely read (and sometimes not received due to address changes) and can be multiple weeks behind due to slow receipt of new owner information from title companies.

Here are a few ideas on how a manager or management company can welcome new owners with a positive message and a lasting impact.

Welcome Videos Over Welcome Letters

People simply don’t consume information in the same manner they did 10 years ago. While a written welcome letter is great, new owners need something to go back and reference, such as a welcome video that covers the general basics about association living.

A welcome video can be used to highlight important topics like the importance of paying assessments, the governing documents, governance structure, the role of management, and how they can get involved in the association.

Studies show that adults must hear something 7 times before they commit it to memory, so the more touch points you have to convey this important information, the better. Also, giving your staff the ability to send a link to the video helps cut down on time spent giving the same answers over and over again and paper.

Conduct Homeowner Training Sessions

Whether you choose to do this solely with new homeowners or with all the owners within a community, a training session combined with a “meet your neighbors” event is a great way to build community in a friendly format that’s free from the stress and formality of a board meeting.

Let’s face it. As managers, we are often so focused on doing our job to conduct and document board meetings that we aren’t as engaged with owners as we want to be. A training session can help remedy this issue, because it not only offers a less formal environment to get to know your owners, it also helps to build trust with community members, so they see you as a valuable informational resources rather the person who writes terrible letters and raises their dues every year.

Self-Promote At Any Given Opportunity

Whatever method(s) you use to welcome owners to the communities you manage, if you are not doing some level of self-promotion in the welcome process, you are missing out on a rare opportunity to promote yourself to that owner that will most likely not arise at any other time.

Whether that new owner is planning to live in their home for the remainder of their life or they see it as an investment, they’ll be renting or selling in 2 years, so a proper welcome to a community will either be a positive start in a relationship with a future board member or result in a referral to the next community your short-term owners move into.

They say that you only get one chance at a first impression. Our actions are equally as important as the words we use to welcome new owners to a community. It’s not only reflective of the community they moved into, but more so on the management company that was chosen to operate the association.

There is enough bad press and visceral reaction to the term HOA or HOA manager, and a few simple changes to the way we welcome new community members can go a long way to improve those initial feelings homeowners may have.

Andrew Hay, CAMEx, CCAM-ND.PM, is the Chief Executive Officer of The Helsing Group, Inc.

Let’s Say the Quiet Part Out Loud

By Dean Jackson, CCAM-HR

There appears to be a new trend, but appearances can be deceiving. The trend has even generated TikTok posts (I just need MySpace), Wikipedia entries, Gallup Polls, and Wall Street Journal articles. So, what is “Quiet Quitting?” Is it even new?

Research by Gallup indicated that nearly one-third of workers described themselves as engaged or enthusiastic about their work, and about 20% described themselves as “actively disengaged.” Gallup recently estimated that nearly 50% of the workforce consists of quiet quitters, with the trend having accelerated in late 2021.

Active disengagement isn’t a new thing. It is basically doing the minimum to get by at work and draw a paycheck. This is working to the job description but not doing more than it requires. Quiet quitting can include refusal of overtime, only focusing on work tasks during work hours, and letting tasks assigned at the end of the day wait until the following workday.

A focus on work/life balance can be conflated with quiet quitting, but they can be quite different. While someone tries to refrain from checking work emails during off hours, tries not to focus on work tasks during off hours, or takes vacation, they are trying to keep work and life balanced. They may not be quiet quitting though. Taking the time to recharge one’s batteries can have the opposite effect and make the person an engaged and enthusiastic employee.

In our industry, is it possible to be successful while just doing the bare minimum? While having a solid job description will certainly help an employee to know their responsibilities, what about the manager who unexpectedly has to act as a pet psychologist or leaf litigator?

Over time, quiet quitting can sabotage a job or even a company. It can be looked upon as selfish, as co-workers end up taking up the slack while clients are underserved. As coworkers get burnt out, they too may quiet quit, thus morale is damaged by what one CEO describes as unethical behavior.

A friend who works for the Employment Development Department (Unemployment) notes that employees are fired at a higher rate for attendance issues than any other issue. Tardiness, long lunches, and absences are all signs of quiet quitting. Sometimes, employees just “ghost” a company by not showing up one day.

So aside from loud firing, how should companies and staff respond to and forestall this problem? Working too hard can lead to exhaustion and start the path to quiet quitting. Technology that tracks computer work can reveal someone slacking off or overworking. Being overwhelmed can have the same effect.

A sign of a possible issue can be an overloaded email inbox with things presumably not being addressed, a cluttered desk could be a symptom, frequent tardiness, or a short temper may be a sign. Working from home may not be for everyone.

The structure of the office, the gallows humor, and the sharing of ideas can be a positive factor. If someone’s productivity has suffered in a hybrid work environment maybe that is a factor to consider.

The hot job market right now makes employees feel that they are in the driver’s seat. People can have low morale and give up internally, leading to disengagement. A company should be a team with each team member knowing their importance and their shared mission.

Does the team communicate? Is there the freedom to provide input or to take concerns to one’s supervisor? Does the team interact in a social setting, such as a periodic party or dinner?

Company culture is important. Setting goals and expectations for the staff (including an expectation that they will take vacation) is an important step as well. In our somewhat unique industry, doing the bare minimum is not sustainable for success. We just have too many things to juggle. It’s important to try to keep staff engaged, so they don’t quiet quit and join the circus for a different type of juggling.

Thanks to Paul Collins, CAMEx, CCAM, CEO of Collins Management, and Melanie Malik, CCAM-PM, Director of Operations and Education at Collins Management for their contributions to this article.

Dean Jackson, CCAM-HR is Director of Project Management at Collins Management, ACMC

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Longest Drive (Ladies) Sponsor Berding l Weil LLP

Longest Drive (Mens) Sponsor Blue Streak Lighting & Electric

Swag Bag Sponsor C & A Painting

Bathroom Concierge Sponsor Endure Painting, Inc.

Pin Flag Sponsor

Frank Bonetti Plumbing, Inc.

Awards Sponsor

Statcomm, Inc.

Tee Box Sponsors

Arborwell, A SavATree Co.

CAM Construction & Painting

Giuliani Construction & Restoration, Inc. Kelly-Moore Paint Co., Inc.

Signature Services

TARC Construction, Inc.

Registration Table Sponsor

HOA Repay

Putting Contest Sponsor

CALVAC Paving, Inc.

Course Calendar upcoming courses

ADVANCED ETHICS: LEADERSHIP & DECISION MAKING

Feb. 8

12:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Northern California Law Seminar 1001 Broadway Oakland Marriott City Center Oakland, CA 94607

REGISTER

ETHICS MASTERY

Feb. 8 12:30 - 4:30 PM

Northern California Law Seminar 1001 Broadway Oakland Marriott City Center Oakland, CA 94607

REGISTER

ETHICS MASTERY

Feb. 8

12:30 - 4:30 PM

Northern California Law Seminar 1001 Broadway

Oakland Marriott City Center Oakland, CA 94607

REGISTER

ADVANCED ETHICS: LEADERSHIP & DECISION MAKING

March 15

12:30 - 4:30 pm

Southern California Law Seminar 1150 W. Magic Way

Disneyland Hotel & Convention Center Anaheim, CA 92802

REGISTER

ETHICS MASTERY

12:30 - 4:30 pm

Southern California Law Seminar 1150 W. Magic Way

Disneyland Hotel & Convention Center Anaheim, CA 92802

REGISTER

ETHICS MASTERY

12:30 - 4:30 pm

Southern California Law Seminar 1150 W. Magic Way

Disneyland Hotel & Convention Center Anaheim, CA 92802

REGISTER

ETHICS MASTERY Zoom LDR550

Session 1 of 2 December 8 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Session 2 of 2 December 8 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

ENHANCE YOUR PROFESSIONAL PRESENCE Zoom CMM200

Session 1 of 2 December 13

9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Session 2 of 2 December 14 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

FOUNDATIONAL ETHICS FOR COMMUNITY MANAGERS

Zoom CMM130

Session 1 of 2 December 15 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Session 2 of 2 December 15 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Thank you to our sponsors for the third quarter of 2022 (July 1 - October 31, 2022) for their generous contributions. The next time you encounter a CACM Sponsor, please join us in acknowledging the work and generosity of these supportive members.

A-1 All American Roofing Co., San Diego Inc.

A7 Group, Inc.

AAA Roofing and Waterproofing, LLC

ADCO South Roofing & Waterproofing

Advance Construction Technology, Inc. (ACT)

All County Environmental & Restoration

Alliance Association Bank

Alta Roofing & Waterproofing

Angius & Terry LLP

Animal Pest Management Services, Inc.

Apex Contracting & Restoration

Arborwell, A SavATree Co.

Association Maintenance Services, Inc. (AMS)

AvidXchange

AWT Construction Group, Inc.

Axos Bank

Back Nine Greens

Bald Eagle Security Services, Inc.

Barcode Automation

Behr Paints

Berding l Weil LLP

Black Diamond Paving & Concrete, Inc.

Blue Streak Lighting & Electric

Boland Insurance Agency

Boise Cascade

Brightview Landscape Services

Brown & Brown

C & A Painting

CalPro Construction & Painting

CalVac Paving, Inc.

CAM Construction & Painting

Chapman & Intrieri

CiD Consortium LLC, ACMC

CINC Systems

CIT

Citadel Roofing & Solar

CM Squared, Inc.

Crank Waterproofing

Desert Resort Management and Associa Co.

DLC Construction Management

Dunn-Edwards Paints

EmpireWorks Reconstruction

Endure Painting, Inc.

Enterprise Bank & Trust

Enviro Diagnostics

Fenton Grant Mayfield Kaneda & Litt, LLP

Fiore Racobs & Powers, A PLC

FIRST ONSITE Property Restoration

Flanagan Law, APC

Frank Bonetti Plumbing, Inc.

GB Group Construction & Painting

Giuliani Construction & Restoration, Inc.

Harvest Landscape Enterprises, Inc.

Heritage Bank of Commerce

HOA Repay

Hughes Gill Cochrane Tinetti PC

IQV Construction & Roofing

Jim Murray Roofing, Inc.

Kelly-Moore Paint Co., Inc.

Kriger Law Firm

Life Specialty Coatings

Mariposa Landscapes, Inc.

MB Jessee Painting, Inc.

McKowski’s Maintenance Systems, Inc.

Motus Earthquake Insurance Services, LLC

MPS Financial, LLC

Nano Banc

Nordberg l DeNichilo, LLP

O’Connell Landscape Maintenance

Pacific Western Bank

Park West Landscape Management

Payne Pest Management

PCW Contracting Services

Pilot Painting & Construction

Prestige Paving Company

PrimeCo

Pro-Tech Painting Company

ProTec Building Services

Recon360, LLC

Reconstruction Experts

Richardson l Ober

Roofworks & Construction, Inc.

Roseman Law, APC

Roy Palacios Insurance

Saarman Construction

sageWater

SAX Insurance Agency

SCT Reserve Consultants, Inc.

The Secret Ballot

SECURITAS Security Services USA, Inc.

Servpro of Sorrento Valley Sherwin-Williams

Signature Services

Socher Insurance Agency

Splash Plumbing

Statcomm, Inc.

Sunwest Bank

SwedelsonGottlieb

TARC Construction, Inc.

Varsity Painting

Vista Paint Corporation

Westcoat Specialty Coatings System

Westlake Royal Roofing Solutions

Whitestone Industries

CACM’s New Group Retirement Plan Helps Members Satisfy California Statute

Did you know that California mandates that companies with 5 or more employees offer an employer-sponsored retirement plan?

Starting this summer, the state will begin to enforce its new retirement plan mandate. Companies can either opt into the state-run plan called CalSavers or offer another retirement plan of their own including a 401(k), 403(b) or SEP/Simple IRA. Companies who fail to comply with the mandate are subject to fees of up to $750 per employee.

As a member-added value, and to offer an alternative in response to this mandate, CACM has launched a Multiple Employer Aggregate 401(k) Program. This industry leading and changing initiative is now available to all CACM company members including management companies, industry partner companies, or self-managed associations where the management are members.

The basics of this Multiple Employer Aggregate 401(k) Program are simple: any member company can have access

to our retirement plan, offered through a partnership with Lincoln Financial Group. While CACM endorses the plan, each company can design their own plan with preferred investment allocations, matching contribution, etc.

CACM’s new program ensures members meet this new state requirement. In addition, members who opt for the CACM 401(k) will benefit from reduced administrative work; access to potential pricing and service efficiencies; and relief from many fiduciary obligations.

There is no financial benefit to CACM from this program. It’s our job to make sure we create and offer member-added value and this resource is just that.

Lincoln Financial Group has been in business since 1905, is a recognized leader in the retirement plan space and has group 401(k) program experience dating back to 1995. Surveyed Lincoln plan sponsors rated their overall satisfaction at 90% in 2019, and their award-winning websites help make your experience even easier.

To learn more about the program, go to our dedicated page on our website explaining the program or reach out to the plan’s financial advisor, Glenn Cassidy, Managing Director at Accelerate Retirement, at glenn.cassidy@accelerateretirement.com or call (949) 940-5898.