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We watched with horror and sadness as the images of f lash f lood victims filled our TV screens. At other times, we see disasters from hurricanes and storm surges, or tornadoes and thunderstorms, or blizzards and arctic air masses. What a stroke of fortune that we had the ability to choose this place where these disasters are rarely, if ever a factor! We are even relatively immune to the disastrous wildfires that have plagued some of our fellow Californians. I'll spare you my usual weather report, but I am ever mindful of how much this wonderful weather is a part of our lives here in Pueblo Blanco. The most obvious community matter to address is the progress of the lake construction. As has been the case for the many, many months we have worked on this project, it never seems to go according to plan. The Board met in special executive session twice after the Regular June Board meeting to act to keep the project moving forward. It appears that prior to the creation of the development in the 1980s the lake site had a natural basin. As the developer graded and cleared the surrounding area for homesites, they encountered a sizeable amount of rock. The basin became a convenient spot to dispose of this rock, and it was filled in with this excess rock and graded soil. Fast forward to 2025 and we discover that we are not digging out just soil but also the rock that was deposited there. This has increased our costs since the process of digging out and separating the rock is more involved and slower than dealing with normal soil. In addition, the rock is more expensive to haul away since the trucks can only be partially loaded due to weight limitations. Currently we are working on rock disposal issues. But Murphy's Law has not finished its toll on us. The project stumbled onto a large diesel oil spill from some time in the past, possibly during the initial development. This triggered a requirement for soil testing which established it was not hazardous and a plan for off-site disposal of the contaminated soil. The Board has authorized its testing and removal at a cost which may exceed $100,000. In the meantime, the City has issued a "Stop Work" order which will delay the project for weeks and require us to open a case with the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health. The problems with the lake project have impacted the turf removal project near the back gate. We have again received an extension from the City of Oceanside, but remain concerned whether there will still be rebate money available. We will also have to make some modifications in the plans to account for the volume of rock which will be deposited elsewhere, reducing the amount of fill soil available. This will result in a smaller area being filled and graded, but the entire site will be relandscaped according to plan. The California Legislature and the Governor, in their infinite wisdom, slipped a non-budgetary item into AB130, the "budget bill" which was passed and approved on June 30 and signed into law the same day, effective immediately. It requires some procedural changes which we will deal with in the near future, but it also imposes a limit of $100 on HOA fines. This is simply another statement on the part of the powers that be in Sacramento that they know better than we do how to govern ourselves and make decisions about our community. There are more such items currently under consideration that would impose onerous burdens on our operations and help insure that nobody volunteers to serve on HOA Boards in the future if the current trends continue. There are exceptions to the $100 limit for items affecting health and safety, and we will be taking further action regarding some of those exceptions. We address delinquencies and late fees each month, discussing them in executive session and acting on them in the Regular Monthly Meeting. As people, we are frequently sympathetic to the problems of our neighbors which lead to failure to pay their assessments. However, as fiduciaries, we are responsible to assure that everyone pays their fair share and that we maintain the integrity of our Association now and into the future. Accordingly, we seldom approve waiving any fees since most of them are hard costs to the Association; waiving them is merely asking all of you to pay for someone else's problem. Frequently, delinquencies arise from the passing of a resident owner and the transfer of responsibility to a trustee. Most often the property is soon sold and the fees are brought up to date and penalties and interest are paid. More recently, we have had a problem with properties being purchased in distress by f lippers, | OHCC LIVING | AUGUST 2025 | 3 President's Message By Greg Kusiak, HOA President (2024-2025) Continued on next page

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