Opinion
Letter to the Editor
As a member of the now-disbanded Bylaws Revision Committee (BRC), I voiced concern about the current proposal to reduce the quorum requirement for amending the Bylaws. Other options for voting percentage requirements were raised and discussed during our work on this particular revision. However, the option that is now being put forth by the OVA…
Read MoreOPINION: THE BOARD SHOULD NOT PROPOSE A 25% QUORUM FOR AMENDING THE BYLAWS
Governance of Oakmont is controlled by three governing documents, the Oakmont Village Association Articles of Incorporation, the Protective Restrictions (CC&Rs), and the Bylaws. The governing documents are subordinate to applicable state law, including particularly the Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act that governs condominium, cooperative and planned unit development communities as codified in the California Civil…
Read MorePlans for Oakmont
Is there a hidden agenda that the OVA Board is trying to impose on the village membership, as was suggested? Are Steve Spanier and Tom Kendrick acting as co-regent, imposing a concealed program of steady and stealthy expansion on Oakmont? The record shows otherwise. The demise of the Oakmont Golf Club (OGC) operation demanded an…
Read MoreTHE BY-LAWS TOWN HALL
A major disappointment arising from the By-Laws Town Hall of September 3 is the realization that the Board leadership had already firmly committed, in advance of the Town Hall, to putting the proposed 25% quorum issue to a vote of the membership. That effectively turned the meeting into a listening session — which is valuable…
Read MoreThe two Oakmonts
Whether by design or encouraged by the city of Santa Rosa, H.N. Berger, a successful Southern California entrepreneur, planned and built Oakmont to attract buyers hailing from a variety of financial backgrounds. To this end, he built single family homes, as well as duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes. He even contemplated, but later abandoned, the construction of…
Read MoreOpen Letter to OVA Board of Directors
“We negotiate to satisfy our interests. Interests are our needs and wants. They underlie our hopes and fears and protect our core principles”. Don McPherson’s explanation of the BATNA approach for negotiations provides a concise process to help solve the complex and difficult agreements that almost every community HOA organization faces. BATNA (Best Alternative To…
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