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By Gregory Kusiak Most of us are feeling a renewed sense of freedom as we have been vaccinated and liberated from the fear of COVID-19, at least for now. San Diego's entrance into the Orange Tier in early April allowing the partial relaxing of restrictions on the use of our amenities has been quickly embraced, and life here looks a little more like it did at the beginning of 2020. As your HOA looks to restore your access to your facilities, however, we remain confronted with confusion. There are still differences between the dictates of common sense, the CDC guidelines, the State of California's pronouncements and the rules issued by the San Diego County Health Department. It turns out there was virtually no danger from surfaces, yet we were forced to spend your money sanitizing park benches twice daily, wiping down pool equipment between users and leaving sports court gates open. Public drinking fountains were shut down and single use rest room facilities were closed. Vaccinated people, who are no longer at risk from the disease or capable of transmitting it, are still being advised to mask up and socially distance, depending on whose authority one chooses to consult. One set of rules says we can open Abravanel Hall to only 25 people while another says 200. Our mission statement contains elements that we did not expect to be in conflict with one another. On the one hand we "promote safe and harmonious living" while on the other hand we "facilitate use and enjoyment of the property". In order to serve both of those missions, we will have to rely on the HOA making reasonably safe physical facilities available to our residents, and also rely on the informed individual judgments of residents regarding whether, when and how to enjoy those facilities — just as has always been the case before this pandemic. As your Board of Directors seeks to carry out its obligations, we continually inform ourselves about legal changes which affect our HOA. A major change in 2020 was the adoption of regulations by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing. Our law firm, Richardson|Ober|DeNichilo, conducted a training session for the Board on this topic on Mon., April 12. Despite the purposes for which our Association was created, new DFEH regulations make us a "provider" of housing as if we owned your home and rented it out to you. As ridiculous as that may sound, it now has the force of law in our fair state. And with it come obligations on the part of staff and Board that are very onerous, including the enforcement of non-discrimination policies for which we have neither authority nor expertise. As but one example, it could put the HOA in the middle of disputes between neighbors, a very troubling prospect. We will see what develops from these changes, but the direction does not look good. We note that a recent flyer about social and political issues upset a number of residents. Not too long ago, another flyer with a different philosophical bent upset a different group of residents. We remind everyone that the use of the tubes for these purposes is fully within our rules as long as they come from other residents. I remember joking with my mailman that my life would be easier if I moved my blue bin next to the mailbox and he could just put the mail directly into it. I would recommend the blue bin as a good location for any materials you find in your tubes that are not of interest. After a brief closure, the back nine of the golf course is again open while work continues on the front nine. The improvements in the safety, playability and ease of maintenance of the course will be welcome. We are also looking forward to eliminating the vast brown areas alternating with swamps that were the result of an amateurish developer design in the first place. You will soon be able to follow the financial progress of this project online by selecting the appropriate section of our web page. In the first half of May, we will have a special "town hall" style Board meeting to explain our progress and present the practical and financial case for the activation of our well using Capital Improvement funds. To emphasize the importance of this discussion, I wish to note that climatologists are predicting a coming "megadrought" and that we are below 50 percent of our normal meager rainfall this season, and the season is over. The Board met in executive session on April 12 to address legal matters, third party contracts and review a delinquency. The following actions were taken: • Participated in an educational session on Federal and California laws and regulations relating to Fair Employment and Housing • Approved the Minutes of the executive session Board meetings of March 15 and 18 • Reviewed legal counsel's recommendations on like-for-like repairs • Reviewed a water payment delinquency • Discussed the requirements for reporting potential claims under the new insurance policies effective April 1 • Approved a long-term lease on a postage meter which complies with updated USPS standards at a reduced rate of $168.99 per month • Approved a contract to stain and seal the Art Room floor for $2,800 • Discussed contract alternatives for providing electrical service to the potable water booster pumps for the golf course • Authorized solicitation of a proposal to design walking paths near the golf course • Discussed the details of the delinquency of Account #121611251 During the Regular April Board Meeting on April 15 the following occurred: • Approved the minutes of the Board meetings on March 3 and March 18 • Accepted the report of the Executive Finance Committee and the February 2021 abbreviated financial report • Approved fund transfers in excess of $10,000 • Approved the recordation of a lien on account #121611251 | OHCC LIVING | MAY 2021 | 3 President's Message Continued on page 4

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