HOA Homefront: Civility Must Start Somewhere

By Mark Baird

Overloaded Circuits

Question:

Last night I had way too many electrical things turned on in the bathroom and then the power went out for all the plugs and lights in the bathroom and in a bedroom also. I should have known better but it was cold and I had the bathroom fan on that has a built in heater, all the lights on, an electric space heater in the bedroom running and then I made the mistake of turning on my hair dryer. I tried turning all the circuit breakers off and then back on but no power still. What can I do?

Your HandYman:

It sounds like your circuit breaker correctly did one of the jobs that it is designed to do, which is to protect your home’s wiring from getting overheated when your appliances are demanding more electricity than the wiring can safely provide. Modern conveniences that use heating elements like space heaters, hair dryers, toasters and coffee makers use relatively large amounts of electrical wattage to convert electricity to heat and without the protection of a circuit breaker, the electrical wires in

Question:

My wife and I are both now in our 80’s and are a little unsteady going up and down the steps to our front porch. The steps and walkway are concrete and we didn’t have any handrails put in when they were originally made, but we sure need them now. Is it possible to have a handrail installed without going through all the expense of putting in new steps?

Your HandYman:

There are a couple of different possible options for safely installing a handrail on your concrete steps which will give you a sturdy handgrip while going up or down the steps. The easiest would be to have an ornamental iron handrail with posts welded together as a single unit and fastened to the steps with concrete anchors. A metal square of about 4” x 4” is welded to the your walls could get dangerously hot trying to supply all the needed power when multiple appliances are in use.

Most homes will have a circuit breaker box located on an outside wall where the power wires from the telephone poles connect to the house, and sometimes an additional smaller circuit breaker box or sub panel will be located on a wall inside a closet or in the garage. The circuit breaker box should always be approached with caution and should not be opened when standing out in the rain or with wet hands. Usually you can easily see which circuit breaker has “tripped” or turned off by just looking at the position of the switches. However, the circuit breaker needs to be aggressively pushed back into the ON position to reset its internal mechanism. Just turning it back on like you would a wall switch in your home usually is not going to reset the breaker. If the power still does not come back on after resetting all the breakers, or you have any concerns about safely accessing the circuit breaker box, then

Hand Railings

it is time to call an electrician. bottom of each post, a hole is drilled in each corner of this base plate, and it is screwed down to the cement using expanding concrete anchors. Holes are drilled into the concrete using a rotary impact drill, the concrete anchors are inserted in the holes, and the base of the anchor mushrooms out when the nut on top is tightened, and when done correctly it is more than strong enough to support the post. A decorative metal “skirt” is then slid down the post to conceal the base plate and anchor heads. Usually a handrail is about 34” high and needs to be of a size that allows you to easily grip it when needed. There are many welding and wrought iron shops in Santa Barbara that can both design and install a handrail that will be an attractive addition to the front of your home and provide you with a safe grip.

Civility Must Start Somewhere

By Kelly G. Richardson, Esq. CCAL

From presidential debate stages to courtrooms to families to HOAs, civility is becoming so rare, it should be considered endangered. Differences of opinion are no longer allowed — either you agree with me or you are a demon and I will reject any dialogue with you. So, we need some serious rethinking of disagreement and relationship in HOAs. Since we clearly cannot count on our political leaders to model civility, we must start it from the grass roots level. Here are some thoughts to consider regarding disagreement and what it means (or doesn’t).

You don’t know or see it all. In the old parable of the blind monks and the elephant, each monk was stationed at a different part of the animal, and each had a distinctly different impression than the others. None were lying, yet each had a different truth. It is entirely possible that others in the HOA know something you don’t and see something you haven’t seen. Allow others to share that divergent view.

These people are your neighbors.

While it may be satisfying to lash out and say or write awful things about someone you are angry with, you have to see these folks around the HOA. While you can disconnect on social media, you can’t disconnect your neighbors — they are still there. Remember you have to live with these folks and extend courtesy and respect. You’ll make your life (and theirs) less stressful and uncomfortable.

Your opinions are not you, and rejection of your argument is not rejection of you. If I think that a remodeled clubhouse is important and you don’t, does that mean one of us is bad? Your opinions about HOA business have no relation to your worth as an individual, so don’t take offense when someone votes against your point of view.

Civility is not the same as agree-

ment, and unanimous votes are unnecessary. Many boards seem to feel that votes must be unanimous. That is legally incorrect and destructive. Disagreement is healthy, and there is nothing disloyal about voting against the majority. Allow for different opinions and dissenting votes — next time it might be you.

Reject abhorrent abusive com-

ments, whether written or oral. Raise the bar in your community.

Avoid assumptions or projections

about others’ intentions. Every four years, our country is split in half, with each side unreasonably thinking the other side’s presidential candidate hates America and wants to destroy it. The fact that someone in your HOA disagrees with you does not mean they want to harm the HOA, but only that they have a different view about the HOA’s needs. Don’t assume someone acts out of spite or bruised ego. Give them a chance to prove good intent.

Consider adopting a civility pledge.

Ask your HOA leaders to sign it annually and adopt it as HOA policy. The Community Associations Institute created a civility pledge which can be found at www.caionline.org. Adopt it or use it as a template to build your association’s civility policy.

HOA living requires healthy interaction among people who don’t always see eye to eye except on the one non-negotiable item — neighborly treatment of neighbors. Insist that civility be paramount at all times and in all places. Isn’t peace in your HOA worth it?

mark Baird is a General Contractor & the Owner of “Your Handyman” servicing Santa Barbara since 2006. You can contact Mark at 805-968-1234 or email him at: mark@yourhandymansb.com. Visit his website at: www.yourhandymansb.com.

Kelly G. Richardson Esq., CCAL, is a Fellow of the College of Community Association Lawyers and a Partner of Richardson | Ober | DeNichilo LLP, a California law firm known for community association advice. Submit questions to Kelly@rodllp.com. Past columns at www.HOAHomefront.com. All rights reserved® .