We discussed this recently: the California bill to forbid Homeowners Associations from fining homeowners who allow their lawns to go brown.
The drought in the Southwest is historic, with water to Southern California all but going dry. The Central Valley is dry, the Colorado River is almost a dry basin. Commercial irrigation in much of the state has evaporated. People in Los Angeles County who suddenly can’t get drinking water from the tap are going to be astonished.
Despite the water disaster, arrogant HOA boards have been fining homeowners who don’t water their lawns enough. It took a state law to forbid HOAs, their management companies and their lawyers from ordering homeowners to ignore drought warnings. And now all those board members are whining that they have a new law they have to obey.
Strange that HOA boards can be so short-sighted. No concience, I guess.
But that’s why we keep electing them, right?
(link to story on drought legislation)
If they don’t like following laws, they could resign…
I hope the California legislature will be able to enforce the law they passed. In Florida, there are Water Management mandates of the same time during drought, but HOA’s continually ignore them and send out violation letters to owners for dying grass. Florida even has a law that prohibits HOA’s from denying owners the right to landscape with water-wise and Florida friendly plantings (720.3035). It is not a slam dunk as there are many Florida owners who have been sued by their HOA for planting Florida friendly plants. The Floridians have a group on Facebook that was formed for support and for education. It seems many board members are willing to bet HOA money that they can either get the owners to back down or to win in court. Who wins except the attorney’s?All over the use of plants less likely to die in a drought and using fewer resources than grass and sod.