California HOA Reform Initiative

We, the undersigned residents of California, respectfully but urgently request your immediate attention to a matter affecting millions of homeowners across our state: the pervasive and often unregulated conduct of homeowners associations (HOAs).

HOAs, originally conceived as vehicles for community harmony and property value protection, have in many cases mutated into hyperlocal regimes—operating outside the bounds of transparency, devoid of true accountability, and frequently in direct conflict with the communities they claim to serve.

At LS Carlson Law, we represent thousands of Californians who have been financially, emotionally, and legally harmed by these abusive micro-governments. We are not alone in recognizing the systemic nature of this problem. It is structural, it is widespread, and it is time for California to lead the nation in decisive legislative reform.

We urge you to consider and act upon the following Three Pillars of HOA Reform, each essential to restoring justice, order, and equity in our residential communities.

Transparency: No More Governing in the Dark

Homeowners deserve access to the decisions that shape their lives and their property. We propose legislation requiring HOAs to provide timely, unfiltered access to financial records, enforcement actions, and meeting agendas. But mere access is not enough.

We are calling for meaningful enforcement mechanisms, including:

• Mandatory civil penalties against any HOA board or management company that recklessly withholds legally required information;
• Per-instance statutory fines for delay or denial of access to financial or disciplinary records;
• Personal liability for board members who intentionally engage in document suppression or obstruction.

Opaque governance is not a procedural failure—it is a betrayal of trust. California law must reflect that.

Accountability: Malice Should Cost More Than Regret

It is not enough to say that bad actors should be removed; they must be held personally and financially responsible when they abuse their power.

We are advocating for:

• Mandatory treble damages in any civil action where a board member is found to have acted with malice, oppression, or fraud;
• Automatic board disqualification for members found liable for willful misconduct or retaliatory enforcement;
• Expanded standing for homeowners to bring derivative actions on behalf of the HOA where the board refuses to address internal corruption.

Unchecked power must be met with unflinching consequence. If a board member weaponizes their authority to harm those they serve, California law must ensure they are not shielded by the structure they corrupted.

Integrity: Governance Must Be Governed

The integrity of an HOA lies not in its rules, but in its adherence to them. We propose codified penalties for boards that willfully ignore or subvert their own governing documents, including:

• Revocation of indemnity protections for any director who acts in knowing violation of internal governance;
• Mandatory injunctive relief where a board enforces CC&Rs unequally or selectively;
• Escalating civil fines for boards or associations with repeated findings of governance abuse.

Communities cannot function under arbitrary rule. We must make it legally perilous—not merely inconvenient—for board members to ignore the covenants they were elected to uphold.

The Time to Act Is Now

This is not a fringe issue. It affects homeowners in every income bracket, in every region, and in every type of community—from first-time condo buyers to retirees in planned developments. The stories we hear daily are not minor disputes; they are stories of harassment, displacement, financial ruin, and institutional gaslighting.

California can lead the nation by becoming the first state to enact comprehensive, enforceable HOA oversight legislation.

We are not asking for abolition. We are asking for order.

We are not asking for favoritism. We are asking for fairness.
We are not asking for power. We are demanding protection.

Respectfully, we call upon your leadership to move forward with public hearings, sponsor meaningful HOA reform bills, and stand with the millions of Californians who have nowhere else to turn.