board behavior & ethics

Let’s get one thing straight: the Board isn’t above the Rules. They can break them — and they do.

Whether it’s as a collective group or as individual officers, violations happen. Some small, some serious, but broken is broken.

What the current leadership is banking on is apathy. They’re counting on homeowners being too busy, too frustrated, or too checked-out to notice. And it’s working. The same names get re-elected year after year, not because they’ve earned trust, but because most people have stopped paying attention.

And that’s exactly how they like it.

It’s not “unethical” to serve multiple terms. But it is unethical to violate the Rules, get caught, and face zero consequences — especially when you’re the one charged with enforcing them. Heck, it's even unethical to appear like you're violating the Rules!

That’s where this Board is today:

• Ignoring legitimate enforcement requests.

• Ignoring court orders and unsatisfied judgments.

• Handpicking vendors that serve their interests, not the community’s.

• Operating like accountability is optional.

They break the Rules because they believe no one will call them out.

Until now.

HOA Board members don’t need training, licensing, or certification before they take control of the community’s operations. Yet they make decisions about how your money is spent, which rules get enforced, and how homeowners — including themselves — are treated.

The absence of formal oversight doesn’t mean they get a free pass. Their actions are governed by California law — specifically, the Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act — which lays out not only how an HOA should function but also the ethical standards Board members must meet. They’re legally required to act in the best interest of the entire Association — not themselves, not their friends, and not just the people who agree with them.

At Willow Glen Creek, the Board chooses not to take part in any formal ethics or governance training. Think about that: we hand over control of thousands of dollars, rule enforcement, and decision-making power to a group of volunteers who are expected to “just know” how to do the right thing. Too often, what counts as “right” seems to shift with personal opinion or convenience.

So, it’s worth asking — who’s actually making sure the Board plays by the rules?

In a well-run HOA, Homeowners can raise concerns directly to the Board during meetings. Sounds good in theory — but here’s the catch: the Board isn’t required to take any action. Think of it like public comment at a City Council meeting — you can speak your mind, but you’ll have better luck winning the lottery than getting a meaningful response.

You can also put your concern in writing, which many prefer because it creates a paper trail. The Board should work collaboratively with owners to resolve issues. Full stop.

Unfortunately, at Willow Glen Creek, silence has become the Board’s communication strategy of choice. If they don’t like what you’re saying — or who’s saying it — they simply ignore you.

California law actually provides a clear process for resolving HOA disputes. It starts with Internal Dispute Resolution (IDR) — a legally required, free, and supposedly amicable step designed to resolve conflicts without lawyers. If a homeowner requests IDR, the Board must participate. If the HOA requests it, the homeowner doesn’t have to. Learn more about IDR here.

If that doesn’t work, the next step is Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) — a more formal, time-consuming, and costly process that’s often required before taking legal action. Learn more about ADR here.

And if all else fails? The final option is litigation — expensive, stressful, and often a years-long battle just to get the HOA to do what the law already requires.

Speak up. Educate yourself. Document everything.

The current leadership hates when members speak up — because every question exposes what they’d rather keep hidden: incompetence, unethical behavior, and an inability (or unwillingness) to resolve issues fairly.

And when your concerns are met with silence? That’s usually confirmation you’ve hit a nerve. This Board retreats the moment it’s confronted — not because they’re right, but because they’re unprepared. With no formal training or governance experience, they’ve been winging it for years.

And really, after the same person has been on the Board for three decades we deserve things be better by now.

Here are two clear examples of potential CC&R violations by current Board members:

• Shane Patrick Connolly has previously leased — and may still be leasing — less than 100% of his unit, a direct violation of Article 4, Section 2 (Leasing of Units). You can download and read the CC&Rs from the Downloads section below.

• Ron Rickard is currently leasing less than 100% of his unit, also a violation of the same section.

These concerns have been formally submitted to the Board in writing — multiple times. 

And yet:

• Has an investigation been launched? No.

• Have these Directors been held to the same standard as other owners facing minor violations? Absolutely not.

When questioned, their defenses are predictable:

1. “We’ve been members in good standing.”
2. “We volunteer our time on the Board.”
3. “We contribute to the community.”
4. “There’s no written lease, so it doesn’t count.”

In other words, they admit they may be violating the spirit of the rules, but expect you to believe it’s no big deal. “Who’s it hurting?”

This is exactly the kind of rule-bending and self-protection that breeds selective enforcement, erodes trust, and undermines ethical governance.

If the Board won’t hold itself accountable, we must.

Let’s be honest, one reason they keep getting away with it is because the same people keep getting re-elected. They know it. They count on it. They rely on a Membership that’s too disengaged, too disillusioned, and too apathetic to demand better.

Has anyone ever seen a Uniform Complaint Policy and Procedure for our HOA?

No, because it doesn’t exist.

Every community that values fairness and transparency should have one. A clear, published process ensures that when a complaint is made, both the complainant and the subject of the complaint receive consistent updates and documentation on how the issue is handled from start to finish.

That’s not radical — that’s basic governance.

It’s called: transparency, accountability, good governance.

Exactly what this Board continues to avoid.

We deserve better.

We deserve a Board that welcomes accountability — not avoids it.

We deserve transparency.

We deserve neutrality.

Because even if the Board’s actions don’t trigger a full-blown crisis, rules are still being broken. And if this Board insists on exercising authority over the community, it must remember one simple truth:

Board members aren’t above the Membership — they are the Membership.

Nothing — absolutely nothing — exempts them from the same standards, the same rules, and the same accountability expected of every homeowner.