“It’s nice, in this day and age,

the [whole] truth does still exist.”

Fact Check

There’s a lot of mistruths and disinformation floating around. First, the HOA President’s response to Kim Richardson’s widely distributed email, and then below that, a fact check from 2024 claims that still holds true today.

Dear Three Springs,

As President of our HOA, I feel obliged to address mistaken information being spread by Kim Richardson and others.  Ms. Richardson, who is simultaneously suing and running for your HOA Board, continues to make claims that are simply not true.

As a Three Springs homeowner of 24 years, I detest this back-and-forth negativity. I suspect you do, as well. But electing the wrong people to the HOA Board can have serious consequences impacting homeowners. That is why I believe it’s necessary to take these falsehoods head on.

Kim Richardson’s lawsuit and legal costs

·  The HOA has responded and complied with every request of Richardson’s that are permissible under California law.  That’s not our opinion, it is the opinion of retained legal counsel.

·  When Richardson requested an Internal Dispute Resolution, a date was set to meet with the entire board. But rather than appear, Richardson had the Board served with a lawsuit. Suing the HOA without even discussing the matter imposes costs that are paid for by you.

·  Additionally, the HOA has incurred and continues to incur significant legal costs from the stream of threats, complaints, and more from Richardson, Johnson, and Grossman, each requiring response from the HOA’s attorney.

“The CC&Rs are a vanity project with carve out favors to friends”

·  This is just patently false. The drafted CC&R and Bylaw amendments were drafted painstakingly over a period of years. Experts, attorneys, and over 100 homeowners provided input that resulted in the many changes that will benefit all homeowners – the vast majority of which are conforming to current law and eliminating confusing and unnecessary language.  The benefits that the proposed CC&Rs and Bylaws provide for homeowners and home values are clear, including the potential to remove significant financial liability so that you won’t need to write a large check.

·  Also included in the Bylaws is an amendment to increase board terms to two years from one, stagger the terms, and eliminate cumulative voting, so that each year there are less open seats to fight over. This would avoid the current “winner take all” and those elected to the board will be elected democratically, not by cumulating a large number of votes from a small number of homes. These changes are not only all in accordance with best practices but designed to reduce, if not eliminate, our annual divisiveness.

·  The two people that never provided input are board members Pam Johnson and Mark Grossman.  They just kept voting “no.”

“They want to allow RVs”

·  We do not want RVs parked all over the place. In fact, we have made sure the proposed CC&Rs will have strict, clear, and enforceable limitations on RV parking.  The current CC&Rs make nomention of RVs, and the restrictions on “other vehicles” is vague and unenforceable.

“They want lot splitting”

·  Completely untrue and the entire Board voted in favor of the amendment to prevent it. However, there is one neighbor with a unique circumstance never contemplated by our amendment. This neighbor owns a 16-acre lot, the backside of which is literally a neighborhood away in Parkwood Estates.  He has worked with the City to build a home in Parkwood Estates by de-annexing a small fraction of his lot from Three Springs. As a technicality, he first needs to “split” that portion off and then de-annex.

There will be no new homes in Three Springs. There will be no access for either construction or to a finished home via Three Springs. There is no “extended driveway” or multiple houses. There is no financial implication to Three Springs.

This man is not a friend to give a favor, but rather a neighbor who came to the board three years ago with a problem to be solved, one with absolutely no impact on Three Springs. If you are told any other story, you are being lied to, and at this man’s expense.

Dues are going up

·  Yes, HOA dues have gone up. Despite significant inflation, we were able to avoid a dues increase during our first year, and last year our budget accommodated the costs of updating CC&Rs.  However, this past year we’ve seen an almost $5,000 increase in insurance, at least a $3,000 increase in landscape costs. More avoidably, due to the unending legal threats and challenges from Richardson, Johnson, and Grossman, each of which cost you money, our HOA legal expenditures have more than doubled.

Character counts

·  Lastly, I want to address the latest Kim Richardson email blast, defaming one of our neighbors for an email he sent. Richardson leaves a lot of context out of her email. But more importantly, she singles out and defames her own neighbor for the sake of winning an election. Richardson, along with candidates Johnson and Grossman continue to create negativity and divineness in our community through their words and actions — seeking attention and spreading misinformation. Let’s not put them in charge.

I am proud of all of the Board’s accomplishments these past years. We would like to continue our work on your behalf.  I implore you to base your votes on facts, not falsehoods. I am happy to speak with anyone and answer any questions.

Thank you,

Mark Teitelbaum

Fact Check

Below are fact checks from 2024 claims that still holds true today.

Insurance, legal, printing, and more. Costs have simply gone up. A well-researched and balanced budget was presented to the Board that worked out to a $28 increase in the annual assessment (that’s $2.25/mo). It would have been fiscally irresponsible to approve an under-funded budget. If Grossman and Johnson had better ideas, they should have fulfilled their Board duty and stated them.

Remember, though…

• Pam Johnson voted to raise dues THREE times since joining the Board in 2016 for a total of 40+% of dues increases (from $140 to $155 to $165 to $198).

• Johnson presided over the financially mismanaged front entrance project going significantly over budget (e.g., $7,000+ for the center median “bird cage”).

• Johnson insisted that the HOA assume responsibility for landscaping along Triunfo — costs the City had been paying for decades.

It’s difficult to respond to blatantly false statements. Suffice it to say that under Teitelbaum, Honig, and Kerman’s leadership, the current CC&Rs and ARC rules are followed carefully and in a neighborly way. It typically starts with a simple phone call and discussion and often resolved without fines.

We fear that Grossman, Johnson and Whiteman will ensure their definition of compliance by:

• Patrolling the streets
• Sending violations for the smallest infraction they perceive
• Preserving the character of our neighborhood, circa 1989.

Last year we came in under, and this year we came in at, budget. See for yourself in the State mandated reporting sent to all homeowners. Johnson likes to call out line items where estimates were exceeded, but fails to acknowledge those line items coming in under budget. Frankly, Johnson has repeatedly demonstrated a lack of understanding of how budgets work.

Our HOA’s CC&Rs were written over 40 years ago by the original developer of the neighborhood — drafted primarily for the protection of the developer, not the residents.  As a result, our CC&Rs contain a significant amount of irrelevant and antiquated rules and restrictions.  With Mark, Steve and Keith’s votes, the Board has initiated the process of reviewing all of our governing documents to: 

• Comply with current federal, state and local laws and regulations
• Remove portions which are irrelevant or antiquated
  • Special assessments for children living in your residence
  • Garages can ONLY be used to house cars
  • You’re limited on the number of guests you’re allowed to have in your home
  • No parking cars on your own driveway
    
• Clarify language that is vague, causing unnecessary homeowner headaches and creating HOA liability exposure.

We firmly believe that updated Governing Documents will ensure a more peaceful neighborhood AND help maintain our property values.