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Condo Guru – Everything About Your House, Apartment & Home Home Articles WHY DO BOARDS HIDE… AND WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THEY DO? THE DAVIS STIRLING ACT IN PLAIN ENGLISH” What Do Hardwood Floors, Barking Dogs, And Wind Chimes Have In Common? 5 Year Statute of Limitations on Enforcement of HOA Violations … A HOMEOWNER’S”Bill of Rights” AMENDING GOVERNING DOCUMENTS -IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE PAINFUL!! CORPORATE STATUS Determining Size of Assessments forCommon Interest Developments DO MANAGERS NEED TO BE LICENSED TO OVERSEE HOA CONTRACTS? E Day is Here EARTHQUAKE INSURANCE EARTHQUAKE INSURANCE – EARTHQUAKE INSURANCE ELECTIONS / MODEL ELECTIONS RULES/SAMPLE FHA NEWS! INSURANCE DISCLOSURE MANAGER CERTIFICATION” – WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU? RECALL -A Blessing or a Curse??? RENTAL LIMITATIONS AMENDMENTS – ARE THEY LEGAL IN CALIFORNIA? RENTAL LIMITATIONS AMENDMENTS – ARE THEY LEGAL IN CALIFORNIA? SAMPLE CONSENT FORM – EMAIL CONSENT Sample PROXY SUMMARY OF CALIFORNIA CIVIL CODE The Davis Stirling Act Watch Out! ­ WATER LEAKS – START TO FINISH What Are Transfer Fees”? What Are HOA Lawyers Saying About Solar Installations In HOA? WHAT IF YOU DON’T CARRY WORKER’S COMPENSATION INSURANCE … Board Member Faq HOA Tool Kit PUBLICATIONS WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO AMEND? About Blog Contact Me Menu Toggle CURRICULUM VITAE of BETH A. GRIMM , Community Association Attorney, Mediator, Expert Witness, Speaker and Author LEGAL EDUCATION: 1988: J.D., John F. Kennedy School of Law, WC, CA. 1981: Certificated Paralegal, St. Mary’s College, CA HOA RELATED EXPERIENCE: 14 years – Girard and Vinson, Walnut Creek – representing homeowner associations and school districts, advising boards 20 years – Beth A. Grimm, P.L.C. – representing homeowner associations and advising homeowners in CIDs (Common Interest Developments) Total: 34+ (combined) years of experience in solving problems in HOAs and advising homeowner/community associations and people who live in them. LEGISLATIVE EXPERIENCE I have spoken at public hearings before the legislature many times about CID issues and served on specially appointed committees dealing with Homeowner Association issues at the request of legislators and aides including Assemblyman Thomas Hauser, Robyn-Boyer Stewart, and Assemblywoman Barbara Lee. I have attended and given testimony at (including written testimony) several of the hearings of the California Law Revision Commission hearings relating to common interest development proposals for changes in the law in the past 20 years. Relevant Expertise: Attended early on all courses required for the Professional Community Association Manager” (PCAM) through Community Associations Institute (CAI), a national industry group serving associations and owners throughout the country, with 10 local California chapters, to learn the nuts and bolts” of the industry. Experience: I represent community associations in the areas of document updating and enforcement; elections, meetings, recall; formulation of policies, practices and procedures; construction and other contracts, service providers and managers; employment matters; legal disclosure requirements; architectural standards and review; and disputes that arise between association members, board members, neighbors, contractors, and residents, including the conduct of hearings, violation letters, and recommendations for action. I have advised associations in all aspects of insurance matters and disputes, and in considering and obtaining insurance coverage. I am able to interpret CC&Rs; (Declarations of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions) and am familiar with various forms of disputes over common area and exclusive use common area, and the definitions of Condominiums vs. Planned Developments. I represent concerned homeowners in various types of disputes with associations, interpretation of governing documents, communicating with boards, architectural issues, recall efforts, inspection of records and enforcement hearings. I have conducted litigation, mediations and negotiations in various aspects of community association matters, for associations and for homeowners, including organized groups of homeowners. I have extensive mediation training and experience. I no longer serve as an advocate in litigation. I do consulting and expert witness work on a limited basis (as time permits). Participation in Service Organizations/Volunteer Service: Besides the usual aspects of legal representation for associations, I served as a member of the Community Associations Institute-California Legislative Action Committee (CLAC) since 1988. This is a statewide group of industry professionals immersed in legislative issues and proposed laws that affect community associations. I served on the executive committee for that group as a delegate and as the Statewide Public Relations Chairperson for more than 15 years. I also served as a volunteer mediator for Contra Costa County Conflict Resolution Services and for the EASE (Early Attempt at Settlement) Program in the Contra Costa County Courts for more than 5 years. I served as governmental liaison regarding records inspection requests for a year in Contra Costa County. Industry Group Affiliations: I am a prior member of the Community Associations Institute (CAI) and its College of Community Association Lawyers (CCAL). I was initiated into to the Distinguished Speakers’ Club of CAI and have spoken at several national and California seminars. I authored THE CLAC CORNER – a periodic update of what’s happening in Sacramento”, the BILL OF THE MONTH alerts, and assisted with the grassroots fax tree for CAI-CLAC for more than 20 years. I had reached emeritus status as member of CLAC, when actively participating. I served as the East Bay Resource Chairperson for ECHO (Executive Council of Homeowners) for more than 6 years during two different time periods.. ECHO is a more localized industry group serving associations and homeowners in the Bay Area and throughout the state. I also serve on the Legal Resource Committee of ECHO for more than 20 years. I have authored numerous state and national articles for the CAI (THE CAI UPDATE) and THE ECHO JOURNAL for ECHO. I belonged to the California Association of Community Association Managers (CACM) for 10 years. These are the 3 major industry groups for homeowner associations in this state. Here is an example of what I wrote to help protect the copyright for one client: How to Protect the Copyright of Wall Decals Design? Are you a creative professional who designs wall decals? If so, then you might be worried about someone stealing your design. After all, if someone can simply recreate your design and sell it as their own, then they could potentially undercut your business. So, how can you protect the copyright of your wall decals design? Copyright law protects your wall decal design from being copied without your permission. To copyright your design, you will need to register it with the United States Copyright Office. You can do this online or by mail. Once your design is registered, you will have the right to file a lawsuit if someone copies it without your permission. To increase the chances of winning a copyright infringement lawsuit, you should marked your designs with the copyright symbol © as well as your name and the year of creation. You should also keep detailed records of when and where you created the design, as well as any changes that you made to it over time. How to Protect your Creativity The first thing you need to do is register your design with the U.S. Copyright Office. This will give you legal protection in the event that someone does steal your design. You can register your copyright online or by mail; for more information, visit the U.S. Copyright Office website. Once you have registered your copyright, you should include a copyright notice on each of your wall decals. This notice should include the year of first publication and your name (or the name of your company). For example:...