Articles

How the Business Judgment Rule Protects Volunteers Jan 11, 2026

By Kelly G. Richardson, Esq., CCAL 

Association directors are unpaid volunteers serving their neighbors – so is it fair that they could be sued for their volunteer work? The ...

Continue Reading...
2026 Legislative Update and Case Law Review Jan 06, 2026

The following is a summary of the new legislation impacting community associations that was signed into law this year. Unless otherwise noted, all laws outlined below take eff...

Continue Reading...
Breaking News: Major New Court Decision Supports Board Discretion Jan 04, 2026

By Kelly G. Richardson, Esq. CCAL, HOA Homefront Column

A major new case, Eng v. Opperman, was decided by the California appellate courts on December 19, and was certified fo...

Continue Reading...
What Board Eligibility Requirements Must HOAs Follow? Dec 29, 2025

By Kelly G. Richardson, Esq. CCAL, HOA Homefront Column

Serving as HOA directors is a high responsibility, as the directors on the board are elected or appointed to make most...

Continue Reading...
Board Candidate Nominations Dec 21, 2025

By Kelly G. Richardson, Esq. CCAL, HOA Homefront Column

Dear Mr. Richardson, a careful reading of the election statutes indicates non-members still have ways to be HOA Board ...

Continue Reading...
Four New Laws from Sacramento in 2025 Dec 14, 2025

By Kelly G. Richardson, Esq. CCAL, HOA Homefront Column

2025 brought HOAs 4 new bills signed by the Governor, one which took effect July 1, and three that will take effect Ja...

Continue Reading...
Insurance on Charging Stations Dec 07, 2025

By Kelly G. Richardson, Esq. CCAL, HOA Homefront Column 

Kelly: We are a HOA with no condominiums. Most of our homeowners have an 240V outlet in their garage to charge their ...

Continue Reading...
Elections – HOA Endorses Homeowner for Public Office, and Non-Owner Candidates Nov 30, 2025

By Kelly G. Richardson, Esq. CCAL, HOA Homefront Column

Kelly, we thought it was not legal to use any HOA facilities or resources for political purposes. A HOA resident has a...

Continue Reading...
Elections – Reduced Quorum, Recall Quorum, Who is an “Owner”? Nov 24, 2025

By Kelly G. Richardson, Esq. CCAL, HOA Homefront Column

Kelly: Did state law change reconvened quorums to 20% for all associations, effective 1/1/2025, or must associations c...

Continue Reading...
HOA Homefront – 800 Columns Later, 8 Continuing Motivations Nov 14, 2025

By Kelly G. Richardson, Esq. CCAL, HOA Homefront Column 

California’s over 51,000 HOAs house at least 36% of California’s population (Foundation For Community Association Res...

Continue Reading...
R|O Welcomes New Senior Associate Shakira L. Johnson Nov 12, 2025

Welcome to our new Senior Associate Shakira Johnson! 

We are pleased to announce that Shakira L. Johnson has joined Richardson | Ober LLP as a Senior Associate Attorney. Shak...

Continue Reading...
Problem Renters; Rental Fees? Nov 07, 2025

By Kelly G. Richardson, Esq. CCAL, HOA Homefront Column

Kelly: Rental units have become a consistent problem to the quality of life in our large HOA community. Our board memb...

Continue Reading...