Inform the Board on a Dollar Per Door
Jamie Gould and Jennifer Parker Co-Chairs, CAI-OC Legislative Support Committee
CLAC is taking on the following crucial areas of focus in 2024:
Many homeowners are unaware that CAI has an advocacy group working to promote fair legislation on behalf of common interest developments all over the state: The California Legislative Action Committee (“CLAC”). CLAC is a non-profit organization that relies on donations from the HOA industry to give a voice to community associations in Sacramento. The Legislative Support Committee (“LSC”) is the fundraising arm of CLAC and has a volunteer committee in all 8 CAI chapters state-wide.
WHAT HAS CLAC DONE FOR US LATELY? Through donations from business partners and community associations, as well as fundraising activities that occur throughout the year, the LSC has supported CLAC’s efforts on important legislation that directly impacts homeowner associations. In 2023, CLAC sponsored AB 648, which allows for virtual board meetings without a physical location. The bill was signed into law as of January 1, 2024. This relieves communities of the burden of meeting in person (where facilities may not be readily available) and facilitates meetings where communities have enjoyed increased accessibility for the membership. Once an accommodation exclusive to the pandemic, homeowners may now participate and listen in on all or part of a virtual board meeting while traveling or making dinner at home. CLAC also sponsored AB 1458 regarding the election of directors. This bill – also signed into law on January 1 – permits associations to reduce the quorum for director elections to 20%, if quorum is not achieved in the first election, and specific procedural requirements are met. This important change
equipped
communities with an increased chance at a fair election without having to amend their governing documents. Some associations can go ten years or longer without reaching quorum, and directors frequently stay in volunteer positions longer than their terms simply because of failure to achieve quorum (which prevents the ballots from being opened).
CLAC continually monitors new laws being proposed that may affect HOAs. Where potential legislation benefits HOAs, CLAC alerts California chapters and encourages support from CAI members. When potential legislation may not benefit
Solutions to the insurance crisis
Extending the deadline for balcony inspections (SB 326) Electronic balloting for elections
HOAs, CLAC lobbies to prevent or rewrite the law. CLAC also monitors emerging HOA issues that could require new laws, or clarification of old ones, and seeks legislators to sponsor needed changes. One dollar from each home in your association is an inexpensive investment in a group that works on your behalf to influence the legislative process in Sacramento.
A DOLLAR PER DOOR SUPPORTS CLAC The LSC campaigns annually to encourage boards to allocate just one dollar per door (or per unit) from the budget to support its advocacy efforts. This is called the “Buck-A-Door” campaign, and navigating questions about it can be challenging sometimes. When the association has an obligation to assess owners the costs for common area maintenance and other compliance efforts, how can they be expected to donate any of those assessments to CLAC? First, managers are encouraged to share CLAC’s past wins with their clients, as outlined above. Also, a dollar per door per year is a negligible cost relative to the overall budget; many California associations pay about as much for their worker’s comp insurance policy. Once the board is informed about the important advocacy work being done on their behalf, they can better understand the importance of allocating a small amount of association income towards those efforts.
BOARD MEMBERSHIP If a 450-unit community simply can’t stomach the idea of allocating $450 dollars to support CLAC, perhaps they would consider a board membership with CAI instead. At just $305 per year for up to 15 directors, this membership will support their continued involvement and knowledge as community leaders. Through a variety of publications produced every month they’ll receive ongoing education on new legislation, market trends, best practices, and an enhanced understanding of their fiduciary duty. They’ll have access to industry events with discounted pricing, as well as the service provider directory. While they’re enjoying these benefits as a team and realizing its value, perhaps they’ll consider increasing their support the following year and find a dollar per door to specifically support CLAC’s advocacy efforts on their behalf.
Want more information about donating to CLAC? Download and share information from this resource:
https://caiclac.com/donate/
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