Tag Archives: HOA Hell

Star War’s Revenge!

Movie producer George Lucas must have incredible patience. But even the most patient man in the world burns out sometime.

Lucas has owned a large ranch in Marin County for the past forty years. His dream was to create a 300,000 square foot movie studio that would have brought 300 million dollars worth of new economic activity to that part of California. Despite the fact that his studio would not have been visible to his rich neighbors, the adjacent Homeowners Association has spent two and a half decades fighting him every step of the way.

Lucas is well-known for his previous environmentally sensitive projects. He has planted thousands of trees on his properties and spent millions making sure his movie developments were low key. He has also built many miles of hiking trails for his neighbors.

But George Lucas has finally given up. A press release from his office says, “The level of bitterness and anger expressed by the homeowners in Lucas Valley has convinced us that, even if we were to spend more time and acquire the necessary approvals, we would not be able to maintain a constructive relationship with our neighbors.”

But then comes the zinger that’ll be talked about by Lucas fans for many years. He agrees that Marin County is a bedroom community. So he’s now going to use his ranch to build housing for low income families. It’s a perfect movie plot ending, as his foul-mouthed millionaire neighbors watch all those “po’ folk” move into their new double-wides. This blogger seriously doubts Lucas will plant trees to screen off the view.

Lucas’s press release is linked here:

http://gradyranch.com/pdf/Grady_Ranch_4_10.pdf

And it’s priceless.

And if you know george lucas, Please tell him we’d love to talk to him!  He’s our hero. We’d love to complete the circle! There’s not much time to interview him for our blog! God loves those who take a public stand! Help us if you can.

Watch Out for Young Black Males? Oh, My!

I have not investigated this incident personally, so I can only pass on the link to another blogger’s website. But I have seen rampant racism in a number of other HOAs across the country. In my upcoming book, Neighbors At War: The Creepy Case Against Your Homeowner Assocation, I trace a number of similar cases that should be of intense concern to anyone who respects the civil rights of all people.

If this story in Houston is even halfway accurate, then all men and women should read and weep:

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2012/05/walnut_bend_black_males_e-mail.php

Ward Lucas
Author of
Neighbors At War: The Creepy Case Against Your Homeowners Association

One More Korean Veteran Tossed on the Trash Heap

Sherman McCray fought for his country in the Korean War.  He worked ever since as a long-haul trucker. He uses a wheelchair to get around.

Somehow, Sherman got about $338 dollars behind on his dues at the Vistas subdivision.  By the time he collected the money and went to pay, the Vistas in Lake County, Florida had a little surprise for him.  No longer was it $338 bucks.  No, once the lawyers, the debt collectors and the HOA late fines and fees kicked in, the amount was raised to $4272.42 and going higher ever day.

McCray can’t believe his neighbors could do that to them.  With his heart attack, his gall bladder removal, and various other charges, McCray thought he could argue the case himself in court.  The Vistas HOA doesn’t mess around when it sees a homeowner drowning.  No, they school up like sharks and slam that house into foreclosure quicker than you blink your eye.

Mary Goldin, president of the Vistas Homeowner Association, didn’t respond to a request to explain.  They never do. They never ever do.

Ward Lucas
Author of
Neighbors At War: The Creepy Case Against Your Homeowners Association

Lovely, Just Lovely

The big lobbiest for the building industry is Winston-Salem, who works for the North Carolina Home Builders Association. One of her best “buddies” is Charles Thomas, a marred man who just happens to be the Chief of Staff to House Speaker Thom Tillis. A detective agency in Raleigh apparently has lots of photos and video showing it’s more than a casual business relationship. And lots of money is floating back and forth from the Home Building industry to those who supervise the Home Building Industry.

It all means nothing, of course.  Absolutely nothing.

But suddenly Chief of Staff Charles Thomas has resigned his job.

Hmmmm.

BTW, nobody returns messages. They never do.

Ward Lucas
Author of
Neighbors At War: The Creepy Case Against Your Homeowners Association

Are HOAs Facist?

I like pondering this question. Sadly, I can’t find the link for proper attribution. But the blogger talked about a statement made by Franklin Delano Roosevelt to a 1938 session of Congress. Here it is:

“The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to the point where it becomes stronger than the democratic state itself. That, in essence, is fascism – ownership of government by an individual, by a group or by any controlling private power.”

Whew! Sort of takes your breath away, doesn’t it? By casually stepping into a new form of government called the Homeowners Association movement, are we not giving away all of our Constitutional freedoms without giving it a second thought?

Sure, we’d all like to live in neighborhoods where property values aren’t brought down by some goofball with the muscle car on blocks and a trash can that never leaves the curbside. But at what cost? In the 1930s millions of people joined the Nazi party because they truly thought their membership was bettering themselves. They were truly enthusiastic about where their new party was leading them.

But are we going to sit back some day and ask ourselves, “did we once have something very special in this country, and we gave it all away?”

Ward Lucas
Author of
Neighbors At War: The Creepy Case Against Your Homeowners Association