1.1 CALL TO ORDER - The regular meeting of the San Lorenzo Village Homes Association Board of Directors was held Thursday, March 19, 2009. President Wulf Bieschke called the meeting to order at 7:41 pm.

1.2 SALUTE TO THE FLAG – President Bieschke led the Board and the audience in the pledge of allegiance.

2.3 ROLL CALL – Directors Wulf Bieschke, and Mel Medeiros, Margaret Wright were present. Director Richard Ogg and Kathy Martins were absent due to illness.

2.O MINUTES FROM THE PREVIOUS MEETING - Director Wright made a motion to approve board meeting nos. 1194 A.B.C, regular meetings on February 19, 2009, and work session 1193 on March 2, 2009. Director Medeiros seconds. The motion carries unanimously.

3.0 COMMENTS FROM PUBLIC AGENCIES

3.1 CHP -- Officer Eric Roz was present and reported the following statistics:

CHP Statistics for February 2009

                                             Total for
Infraction               San Lorenzo      Unincorp. area

Collisions                   12                128
Tickets                      79                971    
Parking Tickets              NA                 NA
Storage/Impounds              4                 64
Reported Stolen               2                 12
Stolen Recoveries             1                  6
Traffic Complaints           NA                 NA
Parking Complaints           NA                 NA
DUI Arrests                  NA                 NA                                                 

3.2 SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT -- Deputy Liskey reported on the crime statistics for the month. He also stated that the Alameda County Board of Supervisors is considering re-opening some of the marijuana clinics in the area. He asked the community to attend a very important unincorporated meeting on April 22, 2009 which will be held here in the San Lorenzo Community Hall and host the Board of Supervisors who will discuss the issue with the Board and our community. He stressed the importance of residents attending regardless of their opinion on this issue.

Liskey stated that the Sheriffs Citizen’s Academy for the spring already has 58 people signed up; he invited more and asked anyone to contact him at the Cop Shop at 667-7770 if they have any questions.

Liskey said that he is applying for a beverage control grant. The funds for some of the proactive organizations are not their due to budget cuts, so he is applying for funding through the State. He will keep the Board and the community updated on this issue.

Deputy Liskey noted that he will be discussing the County’s Alcohol Ordinance at the next Association Board meeting.

3.3 Supervisor Lai-Bitker -– Gene Calderon stated that the Planning Department can approve the proposed Farmer’s Market in the old Mervyns square area administratively. He is going to urge Supervisor Lai Bitker to see that it can be done this way. May 22, 2009 is the target date for the market to begin.

Calderon announced that there will be a Community Forum on the San Lorenzo Initiative held in the Arroyo High School cafeteria from 10 am to 12 pm on Saturday, March 28, 2009 and from 9-10 am there will be a free pancake breakfast. The youth from Bohannon and Arroyo are also involved. He invited residents to come out and participate.

Resident Keith Barros asked about the status of a Graffiti Policy for Alameda County. Calderon stated that it is in the process of being developed.

3.4 Zoning Enforcement Report -– A report was left on the back table.

3.5 Public Comment - Items Not on the Agenda

Resident Lois Moser stated that she had received a copy of the agenda for tonight and noted that it speaks of a Town Hall Meeting—April 7. She stated that this meeting is not a “town hall” meeting but a “special meeting” and as such cannot be held without restrictions. Moser said that the Association By-laws adopted 9/21/06, state in Article (4), under “Types of meetings – (4.2 b)– Special Meeting restrictions: “only those matters specified in the given notice shall be specified in the meeting...” It was her contention that this meeting could not be held as a “Town Hall” meeting without a specific agenda.

Resident Michael Ratto stated that he hopes that the Town Hall meeting in April will be beneficial. However, he stated that he believed this meeting to be in direct conflict with corporation code. It did not handle the issue addressed in his petition. It also does not address the issue of an agenda as is needed for a “special meeting”. Members must be mailed out agendas within a certain timeframe in order for this meeting to be in compliance with a “special meeting”.

Ratto stated that he has taken his petition to the California Attorney General’s office and their office has asked the Homes Association to reply, however there has been nothing thus far from the Board or the Association. He read a copy of the letter sent by the attorney general to the San Lorenzo Village Homes Association.

Ratto stated that he has written another letter. He presented the letter to the Board which he has also mailed to the Association office. He gave a copy of the letter to the Administrator. Ratto stated that he would like to know when the board will be holding the special meeting that he has requested and received signatures for.

The Administrator stated that in the event the Attorney General finds that the Association is out of compliance, then the Association will act accordingly. The Association has until April 4, 2009 to respond to the letter from the Attorney General’s office.

4.0 FINANCIAL REPORT

4.1 Approval of February 2009 Expenditures -- Director Wright makes a motion to approve the expenditures for February 2009, Director Medeiros seconds, the motion passes unanimously.

5.0 ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT

5.1 Town Hall Meeting - April 7, 2009 -- The Administrator stated that there will be a town hall meeting held in the San Lorenzo Community Hall. The agenda will be established at the meeting. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. and she invited residents to attend to let their issues and concerns be heard about the Association.

5.2 Other Informational Items –- None.

6.0 OTHER BUSINESS (MOTIONS MAY BE REQUIRED)

6.1 Alameda Co Housing Element Plan, Rodrigo Orduna (7:45 pm) Orduna noted that his main purpose was to announce the Planning Commission’s meeting on April 6, 2009 that would be held at 224 W. Winton regarding the Housing Element allocations. Orduno noted that the capacity for “need allocation” for housing has gone down considerably. The county has no “new” allocations for housing. The Housing Element will be counting the same parcels that it considered in its original plan. Orduna asked residents to attend and any questions or concerns could be addressed through himself or his department.

6.2 Discussion of proposed Front Yard Policy for San Lorenzo Village -- The Administrator noted that in the January/February newsletter there was a proposed “Front Yard Policy” There was quite a bit of response to this proposed policy. Several good recommendations have been submitted which she advised the board to consider. Procedurally wise, if there is one major change to the policy, the Association would need to re-publish it. Thus she recommended that the Board postpone a vote on this issue until a meeting be held where more discussion takes place.

The board concurred that they would not be voting on the policy tonight.

Resident John Payne said that the policy as currently laid out has a lot of ambiguity. One of his concerns is that many of the lawns meet the “height” standard, but they are not attractive. “Short” is no guarantee of attractive or a nice yard. He also stated that there is an issue of drought, and water saving techniques. He was pleased that the board postponed a vote on this issue and thanked them for trying to create a policy that would be fairer and less vague.

Resident Howard Beckman said that he believes the proposed policy creates monotony not diversity. He noted that he is currently in the process of creating a plot in front of the San Lorenzo Library that is full of native grasses that would be out of compliance with this policy. Beckman stated that he has been an intense critic about the enforcement of the CC&Rs, which he believes should be balanced with education to the homeowners. He believe there has been no effort on the part of the Association to do this. Beckman stated that the Association does not have the power to reach out and dictate what is aesthetically proper in landscaping. If the Association does this it risks undermining its credibility. The rule of law should be important, it is to him.

Resident John Roberts stated that he does not believe the board should be telling a homeowner how to landscape. It is the owners’ prerogative, not the Associations.

The Administrator said that anytime the Association Board develops a policy, it gets the members input and that is what the board is trying to do with its proposed front yard policy. She stated that the Association would be holding another meeting for additional input on this policy prior to taking any other actions.

6.2 Draft Budget for FY 2009-2010 -- The Administrator said that the Draft Budget will go out in the next newsletter so that homeowners may review it prior to Board discussion and adoption at April 15, 2009 Board meeting. The Association has $30,000 less income than last year. Most of this is due to foreclosures which result in a loss of assessment income. On the expense side, our newsletter is also costing more due to a decline in advertising.

The staff will not get a raise this year and medicals insurance costs for staff have been reduced. The Board is recommending that there be no increase in assessments. The 2010 assessment fee will hold at $100 per year.

Resident Howard Beckman stated that he is confused every year at budget time. Residents see the budget after the board has already met to discuss it. He would like to see a time line where residents can have input prior to the board having its initial meeting on this issue. He thought that in the past we got the budget prior to the preliminary meeting. He would like to see how much staff time is used managing other associations. He was astonished to hear that 10% of our homes are behind in their payments. Beckman also stated that he has never thought street sweeping to be a necessary expense. Why are neighbors not helping each other pick up the leaves on their properties and in the streets?

The Administrator said that street sweeping is expensive. The Association purchases a street sweeper approximately every five (5) years. In an attempt to save funds, the last purchase of the sweeper was seven (7) years ago. However, maintenance costs for repairs are very high at this point.

Several years ago the Association did a survey on services provided by the Association and an overwhelming 70% of those who responded wanted to keep street sweeping. As far as the budget time line, the Administrator stated that she does the budget in an 8 month window of “operation”. Since our new Board is officially seated in February, it would be difficult to do the budget before then. She will be putting it on the Association’s web site this year.

When the board discusses its draft budget it is generally a 5-6 hour meeting and review. The Administrator also reminded Homeowners that they may attend any work session. Also, members have always had at least three weeks to comment on the initial draft prior to any adoption. President Bieschke noted that once the initial draft is discussed and developed, the Association should post it on its web site.

Resident Kathie Ready recommended homeowners go into areas where the county sweeps. They will be able to see the difference. If needed she would be happy to vote again for the services of street sweeping she believes they are a needed service.

The Administrator noted that last time she checked, the county only sweeps certain streets once every two month in areas that are within its jurisdiction.

7.0 COMMITTEE REPORTS

7.1 Committee Engagement Committee -- Director Wright reported that the committee met March 11, 2009. At this meeting several issues were discussed including Earth Day scheduled for 4/25/09. The Association will be partnering with Supervisor Lai Bitker’s office and will have free t-shirts for the first 50 people who sign up and work a minimum of 2 hours. They are getting flyers out about this event and it will noted in the upcoming Association newsletter. The committee also talked about a “Community Day” for July 4th this year. It was also looking into participating in the Hayward Zucchini Festival. The group will also be involved in the Farmers Market in the old Mervyns lot. Director Wright also announced that the next board meeting on April 16, 2009 will be a “Meet and Greet”. There will be a free dinner and a raffle and residents can meet their board members.

The Administrator encouraged more people to join the committee. Their next meeting will be Wednesday, April 8, 2009 in the community hall.

7.2 Marijuana Subcommittee Report -- President Bieschke reported that he wrote a letter that will be published in the Association’s next newsletter outlining this issue and inviting people to attend the meeting in the Association’s hall on 4/22/09. President Bieschke noted that he participated in Nate Miley’s marijuana subcommittee. The dispensaries are now required to apply as a “statutory collective” or a “cooperative”. The ordinance will have to be re-drafted and county counsel has been issued to write this new draft.

President Bieschke noted that on April 22, at 6:30 pm will all the county supervisors will be in attendance to listen to residents concerns. It is very important that they hear everyone’s input and that San Lorenzo has a voice. It does not matter what side you are on with respect to this issue, but it is important that the Supervisors know what our issues are with respect to these dispensaries. Bieschke stated that he is concerned about attracting businesses to our area knowing that a marijuana dispensary could be opened next door. He encouraged residents to make this meeting.

7.3 San Lorenzo Initiative -- Director Medeiros stated that out of this initiative there many areas that were identified as concerns. They finally narrowed the issues to six of the greatest importance. These issues will be discussed at the March 28, 2009 meeting. The group will be trying to identify the two most important areas of concern and in turn will be asking for assistance from Supervisor Lai Bitker to implement these two. The meeting will be held after a free pancake breakfast which begins at 9 am in the Arroyo High cafeteria. He encouraged people to attend and help make an important decision for the community. This is your chance to actively participate on decisions being made for San Lorenzo.

8.0 LIENS AND VIOLATION REPORT -- There have been no liens released since the February 2009 board meeting.

February 2009 Violation Report

Number  Violation                              No. of Letters

1/19    Inoperable Vehicles in driveway              22
2/22    Recreational veh/trailer in driveway         10
6       Lack of General Maintenance                  14
10      Lawn Height                                  16
11      Dead Trees                                    0
12      Overgrown Vegetation                          0
13      Holiday Lights                               18
14      No signs                                      0
15      Building Exterior                             4
16      Dirt Accumulation                             0
17      Attractive Nuisances                          0
18      Lean/miss fence                               0
20/7    Unpaved parking                              12
21      Working on vehicles                           0
23      Dogs/Cats more than 2                         0
24      Barking dogs                                  2
25      Prohibited animals                            1
26      Excessive noise                               1
27      No Home Business                              0
28/99   Other/ comments                               9
30      Multiple violations                          16
31      Plans needed                                  1

Total                                               126

9.0 HEARINGS AND VARIANCE ISSUES (requires recommendations motion)

18059 VIA RINCON -- Multiple violations. Lawn mowed/cans put away, closing.
15946 VIA DEL SOL -- Inop/Stored Vehicle. Violations cleared; please mow lawn consistently to owner; close.
15952 VIA PINALE -- Multiple Violations. Owner to remove vehicle by 4/16/09 or will be fined.
16061 VIA PINALE -- Multiple Violations. Fined owner and will refine if not corrected by 4/4/09.
16011 VIA CONEJO -- Multiple Violations. Asking owner to remove unauthorized screening from car port and to provide vehicle registration by 4/1/09 or will refine.
17069 VIA PERDIDO -- Multiple Violations. Owner to submit landscaping plans within 60 days all other violations cleared.
17012 VIA MEDIA -- Yard Maintenance. Violations cleared, closing.
17641 VIA ARRIBA -- General Maintenance of Property. Owner asked for extension, has a landscaper. Gave owner 30 days to submit actual landscaping plans.
16124 VIA ARROYO -- Building Maintenance. All violations cleared. Closing.
17263 VIA CHIQUITA-Yard Maintenance-Submit landscaping plans within 30 days to avoid fines 17216 VIA MELINA-Unpaved parking-All violations cleared, closing. 1742 KELLER AVENUE-Inop/Stored Vehicle-All violations have been cleared, closing 1740 VIA MESA-Yard Maintenance- All violations cleared, closing 17446 VIA FRANCES- Inoperable / Unlicensed Vehicle in the front or side yard- Gave owner 30 days to put vehicle in garage. 823 VIA POUDRE- Inop/Stored Vehicle-Fine again and refer to collections if violation not cleared 1844 VIA TOYON-Other-comments-Owner has planted seed, asking him to maintain edges of area. 16186 VIA OWEN -Building Maintenance-Canopy removed. Closing 1865 KELLER AVENUE-Holiday lights- Violation removed, closing. 16118 VIA MILOS-Multiple Violations- 16124 VIA MILOS-Inop/Stored Vehicle Boat removed, closing. 2173 BOCKMAN ROAD-Inop/Stored Vehicle-Fine and recheck in 30 days 16051 VIA CATHERINE-Trailer 36 hrs+-Violation removed, closing. 855 VIA BREGANI-General Maintenance of Property- Fine and refer to collections if violation not cleared 1041 BOCKMAN ROAD-Yard Maintenance-Violation cleared, closing.

Variances

1. 16163 Via Arriba- Second Story Application- Approved by board. 2. 16100 Via Paro- Revisit status of fence/gate revisions-Continued to next Work Session.

Director Wright moves to approve the Hearing and Variance recommendations, Director Medeiros seconds, the motion carries unanimously.

10. PUBLIC COMMENT

Resident Lou Areceli stated that he has a large number of feral cats in his neighborhood and would like to see something in one of the upcoming newsletters about not feeding them because they create a neighborhood nuisance.

Resident Beverly Krall asked what was happening with the Heidi House and its current condition. The Administrator noted that it has been turned over to Alameda County Zoning Code Enforcement for violations to the Neighborhood Preservation Ordinance.

11. COMMENTS FROM BOARD MEMBERS -- Director Mel Medeiros had handouts for residents about the sidewalk repair program that residents can get help with paying for repairs. He noted that the Association office also has this information.

Director Medeiros also reminded residents that if they have any concerns about crime in their neighborhoods they should come to the Sheriffs Advisory meeting usually held the second Monday of every month in the community hall.

Director Medeiros also announced that there are two (2) openings on the Hayward Area Recreation Districts (HARD) Advisory Board. If you call the District Office they have applications. The position is a one or two year commitment and they will be making some major recommendations about where to spend money in the coming years with the passage of the proposition in the last election. San Lorenzo entitled to 1.4 million dollars in funds when they sell the bonds.

Director Wright said that she attended the opening day of the San Lorenzo Little League and it was great to see the community come together for this event. She is also excited about the San Lorenzo Initiative and the participation of residents.

President Bieschke reminded residents to come out and let their voice be heard when the Board of Supervisors hears the marijuana issue at the Unincorporated Meeting in the community hall, Wednesday April 22, 2009, starting at 6:30 pm.

12.0 ADJOURNMENT -- Director Bieschke adjourned the meeting at 9:56 pm.

Respectfully Submitted,

Margaret Wright, Secretary-Treasurer

Recorded & Transcribed By: Kathleen Harrigan
Reviewed By: Nancy Van Huffel, Administrator, Kathie Ready, Resident