Chances are the hashtag # FEMA is not an internet search you would normally conduct or follow, unless you have a disaster recovery matter to cover. And, in a related matter,  January 17, 1994  seems like a distant searchable date, but the day is memorable around the world and in particular for California as the occurrence of the devastating Northridge Earthquake .  For homeowners around the TRILOGY of neighborhoods in the Temescal Valley, the Northridge Quake may be a distant memory, but it is a harbinger of events that may follow.  Many authorities, including seismologists, are predicting that California is overdue for another Northridge-type quake.  Question is: When and where will this happen across our 163,696 square miles (423,970 km)? These questions are given some immediacy because, last week, on our Federal Capitol Hill, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-10) introduced the Disaster Assistance Support for Communities and Homeowners Act of 201...

#HOA #Factbook source is a nationally-known watchdog of matters followed in the #SocialCurrentSee #CIDs #ALTACITIES https://t.co/XPAOS2HnwL — Mike Foxworth (@ALTALOMAN) January 18, 2016 * Of course, the terms (acronyms) of our headline are easily defined: SCS = social current see ; EDU = education; HOAs = homeowner associations. This site is focused on those topics, constantly looking for sources and content that help homeowners (titleholders) in common interest developments (aka HOAs) to better understand the challenge of living and operating in these locations. Since April 2000, George K. Staropoli has testified before legislative committees in Arizona, Florida and Nevada and his opinions and views have appeared in the national and local media. He has been quoted in Private Neighborhoods and the Transformation of Local Government (2005), AARP Policy Institute Homeowners Bill of Rights proposal (2006), and acknowledged as a leading advocate in the Thomson – Wes...

As California’s drought stretches into a fourth year, the common finger-pointing has taken some ridiculous turns. But strident politics and incriminations offer no solutions to this Golden State mega-problem without a silver lining.  One of the most intriguing options takes into account the largest body of water in proximity, the massive Pacific Ocean. Despite the sea salt within, many believe that desalination on a major scale is a viable solution. Flip②▶ STORIFY  ♥  FLIPBOARD  ★  BLOGGER  ▲ ALTACITIES  ® 1000+ followers on  FLIPBOARD [ View the story "CA 'waterless world' ... except off left coast" on Storify ] "Just keep going. Everybody gets better if they keep at it." ~Ted Williams #dailyqotd #qotd http://t.co/fq1zI7UyVq — Mike Foxworth (@ALTALOMAN) June 24, 2015

Xeriscaping is landscaping and gardening that reduces or eliminates the need for supplemental water from irrigation. It is promoted in regions that do not have easily accessible, plentiful, or reliable supplies of fresh water, and is gaining acceptance in other areas as access to water becomes more limited. Xeriscaping may be an alternative to various types of traditional gardening. Given the severity of the prolonged California drought, the Golden State may well become the test tube for widespread xeriscaping and common interest developments or HOAs may do well to embrace the concept now rather than later.  But the prospect of enlightened minds on the topic do not bode well when you read the following story:  HOA  forces homeowner to rip out xeriscaping Flip②▶ STORIFY ♥ FLIPBOARD ★ BLOGGER ▲ ALTACITIES © [ View the story "Drought documents despair about water" on Storify ] "Without courage, wisdom bears no fruit." ~Baltasar Gracian #dailyqotd #q...

It has been raining off and on for a couple of days this week in Southern California. How rare is that? The prolonged drought in this region has created a down-poor of media buzz and 'social current see' on water conservation and public policy about water management, particularly within homeowner associations (HOAs and CIDs). But even where rain is plentiful in the United States, if not worldwide, the value of water is a common discussion, as noted in the clips and links that follow. Flip②▶ STORIFY ♥ FLIPBOARD ★ BLOGGER ▲ [ View the story "Should Americans pay more for H2O?" on Storify ] "What we see depends mainly on what we look for." ~Sir John Lubbock #dailyqotd #qotd http://t.co/fq1zI7UyVq — Mike Foxworth (@ALTALOMAN) May 14, 2015 Examines the issue of why Americans don't recognize the true value of water http://t.co/AAvtqumDxJ — Mike Foxworth (@ALTALOMAN) May 15, 2015

No topic in the State of California is more top-of-mind than the current, long drought for Southern California. Nightly news reports on every media outlet offer information, details about political efforts to mandate water conservation across all segments of the population. Time will tell if these efforts bring relief, but only Mother Nature, a significant climate shift will bring rain. Almost caught as a pawn in the crisis are the 6-million-some residents of common interest developments (CIDs) or HOAs with their specific covenants, conditions, and regulations that mandate green lawns and surroundings. No doubt, we are at a point when those requirements will change. Flip②▶ STORIFY ♥ FLIPBOARD ★ BLOGGER [ View the story "Climate change in HOA and beyond" on Storify ] Tweets about california drought

One of the major perks of living in a homeowners association may soon become as extinct as the rain gauge at the local weather station. That, of course, is a reference to green lawns and common spaces that surround these communities. In fact, if there has ever been a significant perk for living in an HOA, it is the way in which these communities typically care for these green spaces. This era may soon live no more. [ALERT] April 1, 2015 - Following the lowest snowpack ever recorded and with no end to the drought in sight, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced actions that will save water, increase enforcement to prevent wasteful water use, streamline the state's drought response and invest in new technologies that will make California more drought resilient.   Read More [ View the story "Parched landscapes tarnish CA gold" on Storify ]