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In this episode, hosts Steve Tinnelly and Ramona Acosta sit down with Gabe Ponce and Ryan McManus to discuss AB 1572 and California's restrictions on the use of potable water to irrigate nonfunctional turf. The conversation explores what these requirements mean for homeowners associations, including common area landscaping, recycled water, compliance, enforcement, and how boards can begin preparing for future landscape and irrigation changes.  KEY POINTS  • Understanding AB 1572 and California's restrictions on nonfunctional turf  • Why California is restricting the use of potable water for irrigation  • What qualifies as nonfunctional turf under the law  • What the restrictions mean for HOA common areas  • Options for converting nonfunctional turf and irrigation systems  • Exceptions for trees, perennial plantings, and health and safety needs  • HOA compliance requirements and potential enforcement  • The importance of planning and reserving funds for future landscape projects  • Resources and potential rebates available to associations  ABOUT OUR GUESTS  Gabe Ponce is the Founder and President of Precision Landscape Solutions. Nearly ten years ago, the landscape company Gabe worked for was acquired by a private equity firm. While grateful for the opportunities he had been given, he realized the company's new direction no longer aligned with his own values. Gabe believed that landscaping should be personal, that clients deserve direct relationships, accountability, and a company that genuinely cares about the communities it serves. With that vision, he took a leap of faith and founded Precision Landscape Solutions. Today, Precision Landscape Solutions proudly employs nearly 50 team members and maintains more than 40 commercial properties throughout Southern California.  Ryan McManus has been with Riverside Public Utilities (RPU) for 15 years and has served on the Customer Engagement team for his entire tenure. Ryan currently serves as the Principal Programs and Services Representative on the Customer Engagement Team and oversees the water conservation efforts of RPU. Additionally, Ryan develops energy efficiency programs for RPU that reach both residential and commercial customers. Ryan has earned an MBA from the University of Redlands and the Certified Energy Manager designation through the Association of Energy Engineers.  RESOURCES  Read the Blog  Read the Articles  FindHOALaw  Assessment Collections  Additional Resources  Watch Full Video

In this episode, hosts Steve Tinnelly and Ramona Acosta sit down with Corey Todd to discuss the growing reality of HOA delinquencies, liens, and financial pressure on California homeowners and associations. The conversation examines what is driving rising assessments, the impact of increasing operating and insurance costs, and what boards and homeowners should know about collections.  KEY POINTS  • Understanding the rise in HOA delinquencies and liens  • Factors driving higher assessments and special assessments  • The impact of insurance, inflation, maintenance, and reserve funding  • Why keeping assessments artificially low can create greater financial challenges  • Understanding when and why an HOA may record a lien  • The importance of consistent and effective collection practices  • Steps boards and homeowners can take when assessments become delinquent  ABOUT OUR GUEST  Corey Todd, Esq. is an attorney with Tinnelly Law Group who focuses on community association law and brings extensive experience in civil litigation and financial services. He earned his J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law and previously externed with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California. Before joining Tinnelly Law Group, Corey represented financial institutions in matters involving commercial and residential property portfolios, giving him valuable experience in property related financial and legal issues.  RESOURCES  Read the Blog  Read the Articles  FindHOALaw  Assessment Collections  Additional Resources  Watch Full Video

EPISODE DESCRIPTION In this episode, hosts Steve Tinnelly and Ramona Acosta sit down with Karen Kokowicz, owner of Coro Community Management & Consulting and founder of Happy Minds Network, to discuss mental health and wellness in community association management. The conversation focuses on recognizing burnout, managing workplace stress, establishing healthy boundaries, and creating a culture that supports employee well being.   KEY POINTS • Recognizing signs and causes of burnout and compassion fatigue • Managing emotional and mental fatigue in a demanding industry • Creating healthy work life boundaries • Building a workplace culture that prioritizes wellness and support • Using wellness resources, technology, and peer support • Developing healthy coping strategies and maintaining connection • Supporting employee well being to improve focus, resilience, and performance   ABOUT OUR GUEST Karen Kokowicz, CCAM, is the President and Owner of Coro Community Management & Consulting, bringing nearly three decades of experience in community association management and consulting. Beginning her career as a portfolio manager and later serving as an onsite manager, Karen has held a variety of leadership roles throughout the industry. She holds the CCAM, CMCA, and PCAM designations and is the founder of Happy Minds Network, a peer to peer support organization focused on connecting community association managers and promoting professional and personal wellness within the industry.    RESOURCES • Watch the Video • Read the Blog • FindHOALaw • Assessment Collections  • Additional Resources

In this episode, hosts Steve Tinnelly and Ramona Acosta sit down with Vicki MacHale of Community Association Standards and Advocacy (CASA) Alliance to discuss ethics and professionalism in the community association industry. Together, they explore the line between networking and undue influence, the role of gifts and incentives in vendor relationships, and why transparency and disclosure are essential to maintaining trust and professional integrity.   KEY POINTS Where networking ends and undue influence begins How gifts, incentives, and "pay-to-play" practices can impact professional judgment The "Follow the Candy" concept and how seemingly small benefits can influence behavior The growing expectations for vendors to sponsor events, dinners, and other activities Understanding the professional and financial implications of sponsored events CAMICB's Standards of Professional Conduct and disclosure requirements Recognizing and properly disclosing potential conflicts of interest The importance of avoiding commissions, kickbacks, and commission-sharing arrangements How managers can maintain ethical boundaries and build professional, transparent relationships with vendors, boards, and homeowners   ABOUT OUR GUEST Vicki MacHale is a 30+ year veteran of the community association industry with extensive experience in onsite operations, executive leadership, education, consulting, and community association governance. She has held leadership roles including Division Manager, executive leader, and owner/partner, while educating community managers through California-specific certification and designation programs. Vicki has also served on her HOA board for more than 10 years, completed three elected terms on the CACM Board of Directors, and was honored with the 2015 CAI Award for Training of the Year. She has served as an expert panelist for numerous CACM and CAI educational programs and is currently the founder of the Community Association Standards and Advocacy Alliance (CASA Alliance), focused on education, transparency, advocacy, and open dialogue within the community association industry. RESOURCES Read the blog Related Articles FindHOALaw Assessment Collections Additional Resources Watch the Video

EPISODE DESCRIPTION In this episode, host Steve Tinnelly sits down with Ramona Acosta to discuss CAM University, a professional training and development program that guides community managers from obtaining their CMCA certification to maintaining it. CAM University leverages Tinnelly Law Group's legal and industry expertise in HOA Law to provide this one-of-a-kind program was designed with the MANAGER in mind. KEY POINTS First California edition of a prerequisite course that complies with state certification requirements Approved by CAMICB as a prerequisite course for the CMCA designation California education + national certification = personalized learning on topics like: Budgets and reserves Governance and legal issues HR management Meetings and operations Property maintenance Ethics and more Approved alternative to CAI's M100 California Edition Earn your CMCA with California based instruction in less time and at a lower cost Pass your exam with CMCA Study Group Maintain your CMCA with over 27 hours of on-demand CEUs Explore the CAM University virtual campus here: camuniversity.org ABOUT OUR GUESTS Steven J. Tinnelly, Esq. is the Managing Partner of Tinnelly Law Group. He is known for his exceptional writing, analytical and negotiation skills, and providing general counsel representation to many of the firm's larger HOA clients throughout the state. Mr. Tinnelly is very active within the community association industry and devotes a substantial amount of time to educating homeowners and industry professionals about the legal issues affecting California community associations. Read more Ramona Acosta, PCAM is the Director of Operations & Business Development for Tinnelly Law Group. Ms. Acosta directs and manages the firm's business development, marketing, public relations, and client relationship management efforts. Her success as a community manager and management company executive, coupled with her extensive knowledge of the California laws pertaining to HOAs, provides significant value to our clients and the professionals who manage them. Read more

EPISODE DESCRIPTION In this episode Co-Hosts Steve Tinnelly and Ramona Acosta speak to Isaac Camacho and Sean Andersen on the Rising Costs of Construction KEY POINTS Construction and labor costs Mandatory minimum wage Systemic inflation Building code changes SB 326 due by the end of the year Why HOAs need to raise assessments Properly maintaining assets, deferred maintenance and underfunded reserves Rising insurance costs in relation to liability claims ABOUT OUR GUESTS Isaac Camacho has over 10 years' experience in business development and has taken clients from positions of none-to-low brand recognition to exceeding sales goals and expectations and solid brand reputation in target markets. Isaac has strong interpersonal skills and is not only able to produce record-breaking sales himself but is also able to build and train successful sales teams that can sustain a level of desired sales revenues. Isaac is currently a sales/marketing expert with the state's fastest growing termite and pest control company, Accurate Termite & Pest Control. Read more Sean started working at Association Reserves in 1999. He opened the regional office in Orange County in 2003. Sean has completed over 3,000 Reserve Studies for properties ranging from small community associations to large master planned communities. He earned the Community Association Institute's (CAI) Reserve Specialist (RS) designation and has the distinction of being RS #68. Sean is an active member of the CAI Orange County chapter. Sean has also been an instructor on the subject of Reserves for training courses offered by CAI. Read more

EPISODE DESCRIPTION In this episode Host Cang Le speaks to a guest panel live from our 2024 Legal Symposium featuring Tinnelly Law Group Attorneys Corey Todd and Carrie Heieck; Mark Dodge, Regional Vice President at Associa; and Michelle Lopez, Director of Community Management at Powerstone Property Management, regarding the rights of entry for deceased homeowners. KEY POINTS Exercising the right of entry provisions in the CC&Rs What constitutes an emergency in order to gain entry without notice Gaining entry when the owner is deceased How to seek judicial assistance Recouping delinquent assessments, attorney's fees and costs ABOUT OUR GUESTS Mark Dodge is the Regional Vice President of Associa and the President and CEO of Associa - Desert Resort Management, the largest HOA management company in the Coachella Valley. His experience is wide and includes both senior management and financial positions in the publishing, sports marketing, automotive, technology, and event management industries. Read more about Mark here. Michelle Lopez is the Director of Community Management at Powerstone Property Management and oversees the Coachella Valley office. As a lifelong resident of Coachella Valley, Michelle understands the needs and way of life in the desert. She is an experienced supervisor and senior community association manager. Read more about Michelle here. Corey is a Senior Attorneys with Tinnelly Law Group and Alterra Assessment Recovery. Prior to Tinnelly, Corey completed an externship with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California, where he clerked for the Honorable Erithe Smith. Corey also spent several years working for a civil litigation firm that built its core business on the representation of financial institutions in the servicing of both commercial and residential property portfolios. Carrie is a Senior Attorney with Tinnelly Law Group practicing for over 15 years primarily representing corporate and institutional clients in areas including corporate formation, contracts, and real estate issues. It was by chance that she began representing several HOAs through word of mouth and discovered a niche of the law that she loves.

Duration: 52:56 | Recorded on December 20, 2022 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | iTunes EPISODE DESCRIPTION In this episode Co-Hosts Steve Tinnelly and Ramona Acosta speak to Cindy Collins on the Vendor/Manager Relationships KEY POINTS Recognizing our vendors as business partners to support our mutual clients Utilizing our business partners as a resource The value of developing a long-term relationship How to properly vet business partners ABOUT OUR GUEST       Cindy Collins, Vice President of Community Management, has joined the PMP team in San Diego and brings over 23 years of experience in homeowner's association management in San Diego giving her a unique and in-depth perspective of the local market.Throughout Cindy's career, she has consistently demonstrated her ability to successfully lead teams that deliver results. With a wide range of expertise including new community development and construction, as well as aging communities, Cindy has made it her mission to inform and educate board members, so they have theconfidence to make the best decisions for their communities. She also served on her own HOA board for five years, giving her insight and perspective into the processes and needs of board members. Her high-touch communication style, level of care for excellent customer service, communication and direct straightforward approach to problem solving has resulted in high customer satisfaction and employee retention rates.Cindy earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia College in Chicago and work towards a Master's in Public Administration with a focus on Not-for-Profit Organizations. She has been a member of the Community Associations Institute (CAI) since 2000 and served on the CAI Educational Services Committee for four years. Industry credentials include the Community Associations Institute as a Professional Community Association Manager (PCAM®), the highest professional recognition available to community association management professionals, as well as the AMS and CMCA® certifications Read more about Cindy Collinss here

EPISODE DESCRIPTION In this episode Co-Hosts Steve Tinnelly and Ramona Acosta speak to Scott Clements about new legislation regarding EV charging stations and its impact on aging infrastructures Key Points: • California updates Public Policy to establish the long-term goal of 100% electric vehicles in the state • Architectural requirements for homeowner installed EV charging stations • Aging common area and parking infrastructures • New Building Code standards to update parking infrastructures to allow for more EV charging stations • How to fund the installation of association controlled EV charging stations and infrastructure upgrades ABOUT OUR GUEST Scott is Chief Executive Officer of Reserve Studies Inc. and has a long and distinguished career in Reserve Studies and building inspection and analysis. He has personally performed thousands of property inspections, including services for reserve funding analysis, property purchase, construction defect litigation support, and cost estimation. He has authored numerous articles for CAI and CACM publications and has served on multiple committees—including CAI-OC's Education Committee, CACM's Reserve Analysts Committee, and he is a CACM Faculty member. Scott has been awarded Educator of the Year by CAI-OC, and was recognized with a Vision Award for Excellence in Service from the California Association of Community Managers. Read more about Scott Clements here

EPISODE DESCRIPTION In this episode Co-Hosts Steve Tinnelly and Ramona Acosta speak to Attorney Corey Todd for answers on some of the more common questions we receive regarding HOA assessment collections. KEY POINTS Why do we have to file a new lien (corrective work)? Why do we have a file multiple liens (non-continuing liens)? Why not use Small Claims Court? Why is it important to file the lien early? What if we don't want to foreclose? ABOUT OUR GUEST Corey Todd is an attorney with Tinnelly Law Group and is supervising a supervising attorney for our assessment collection division, Alterra Assessment Recovery. Read more about Corey, here! RESOURCES Read the blog FindHOALaw Assessment Collections Podcast Episode 11 on Assessment Collections

EPISODE DESCRIPTION In this episode Co-Hosts Steve Tinnelly and Ramona Acosta speak to Marybeth Green, Vice President of Education and Development at Seabreeze Management Company and Arthur Hopkins, Vice President of Click2Blind Insurance Services, regarding the new condo lending requirements for Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae backed loans. KEY POINTS   Fannie Mae and Freddie Macs Requirements What is unsafe? How do you answer these questionnaires? is there liability if you get it wrong? What types of documents do you need? What if the board of directors does not want to answer these questions? ABOUT OUR GUEST Marybeth O. Green, Vice President of Education and Development, oversees all training endeavors across the Seabreeze organization. As a member of the Seabreeze senior management team, Marybeth creates, implements, and manages internal and external initiatives to help both Seabreeze representatives and their board member partners define clear paths to success.  Marybeth has earned the Certified Community Association Manager (CCAM®) designation from the California Association of Community Managers, is a Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA®) via the CAM-ICB, an Association Management Specialist (AMS®) and Professional Community Association Manager (PCAM®) through the Community Associations Institute and holds a Master of Arts degree in Education specializing in online curriculum design. Read more about Marybeth here! Arthur Hopkins is Vice President of Click2Bind Insurance Services, an independent insurance brokerage providing services to community associations and their members.  Art brings his passion for complicated insurance risks with more than eighteen years' experience into his new role in developing a nationwide insurance producer program with an emphasis on community associations.  He maintains the CMCA certification from CAMICB and the Education Business Partner designation from the Community Associations Institute.  Art also serves as President of his own community association and is Co-Chair of the San Diego Equality Business Association. Find out more about Click2Blind here!

EPISODE DESCRIPTION In this episode, Co-Hosts Ramona Acosta and Steve Tinnelly discuss the current state of HOA fire insurance with Patrick Prendiville of Prendiville Insurance Agency. KEY POINTS Why is the cost of HOA insurance skyrocketing? Why aren't the preferred or admitted insurance companies willing to insure us? Can the cost of insurance really be this high? Is there anything the association can do to lower premiums? ABOUT OUR GUEST Patrick Prendiville started Prendiville Insurance Agency in 1988 after graduating from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Patrick has earned the "Community Insurance and Risk Management Specialist (CIRMS)" designation from Community Associations Institute (CAI). Read more about Patrick Prendiville, here! RESOURCES FindHOALaw Assessment Collections Related Articles Additional Resources MORE WAYS TO LISTEN! FOLLOW TINNELLY LAW GROUP ON SOCIAL MEDIA   ABOUT US

EPISODE DESCRIPTION In this episode, Co-Hosts Ramona Acosta and Steve Tinnelly discuss how to choose the right management company for your community association with Colette Marcelle of FirstService Residential. KEY POINTS Onsite vs. Portfolio Managers Full-Service Management Contract Management Expectations with the Board What is Included in the RFP? ABOUT OUR GUEST Colette Marcelle brings over a decade of experience in the property management industry in which she excels in cultivating lasting associate, client and vendor relationships. As a Community Manager, Colette's strengths include a vast knowledge of building maintenance and contract negotiations. She specializes in project management and streamlining operations. She has taken her property management skills and shifted into a new role focusing on the training and development of new community managers as well as continuing education of experienced managers. Colette's knowledge of community management, training, and development has given her the ability to seek out prime talent and opportunities across the industry.  MORE WAYS TO LISTEN! FOLLOW TINNELLY LAW GROUP ON SOCIAL MEDIA   ABOUT US

EPISODE DESCRIPTION In this episode Co-Hosts Steve Tinnelly and Ramona Acosta speak to Attorney Corey Todd regarding Assessment Collections in your HOA.   KEY POINTS Money Judgements How the pandemic has changed Assessment Collection SB 908 FDCPA Bankruptcy ABOUT OUR GUEST Corey Todd is an attorney with Tinnelly Law Group and is supervising a supervising attorney for our assessment collection division, Alterra Assessment Recovery. Read more about Corey, here! RESOURCES Watch the video Read the blog FindHOALaw Assessment Collections Related Articles Additional Resources

EPISODE DESCRIPTION In this episode, co-hosts Steve Tinnelly and Ramona Acosta speak to Cathy Tinnelly and Cheryl Wilson with Accurate Voting Services about the current state of HOA elections. ABOUT OUR GUESTS Accurate Voting Services is headed by Cheryl Wilson and Cathy Tinnelly, two experienced election management professionals.  Cathy's background is in homeowner association law, while Cheryl's is in property management.  The two principals' different backgrounds ensure that Accurate takes a broad view, one both mindful of the needs of property managers and cognizant of the legal pitfalls that other election companies may not know to look for. Read more about Cathy & Cheryl, here!  ABOUT OUR HOSTS Read more about Steve Tinnelly here Read more about Ramona Acosta here