Menjivar introduces Fair and Affordable HOAs
State Sen. Caroline Menjivar (D-San Fernando Valley) and the Consumer Federation of California teamed up this week in introducing Senate Bill 1007 – Fair and Affordable HOAs to protect affordability for the approximately 14 million Californians living under a homeowner association (HOA).
The legislation includes common-sense guardrails that ensure homeowners know what their HOA fees fund, protect them from exorbitant fee increases without homeowners’ approval, and guarantee that homeowners facing fines can access the HOA Board’s evidence against them.
“During a time when Californians are gripped by dual threats, an unprecedented housing shortage and a crippling affordability crisis, many find their homeownership dreams destabilized by the volatile and sometimes arbitrary escalation of homeowner association fees,” said Menjivar. “Nearly 67% of all newly built single-family homes nationwide are a part of HOAs. Protecting homeowners’ financial stability requires more HOA oversight, including rules for transparency, financial accountability, and due process, keeping these monthly costs reasonable and predictable for homeowners who are on a tight budget.”
HOAs largely operate outside state oversight but wield significant influence over many homeowners’ ability to pay their fees, in some cases even leading to foreclosures.
Stories of refusals or significant delays in addressing maintenance issues, fines for alleged violations with an unclear process for contesting, and ever-growing HOA duties without an explanation for the increase are adversely impacting household budgets across the state.
SB 1007 seeks to mandate the disclosure of third party management company costs, require HOAs to provide a clear, concise breakdown of what their fees fund, limit the HOA boards’ authority to unilaterally raise HOA fees without a homeowners vote to the rate of inflation, and establishes the right of a homeowner who is facing fines to view any evidence the HOA Board is reviewing to make their determination.
Kamlager-Dove demands investigation into Trump’s UAE AI chip deal
U.S. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Culver City, View Park-Windsor Hills, parts of South LA), this week was a lead writer in a letter to the acting Inspector general for the U.S. Department of Commerce demanding an investigation into “blatant” financial conflicts of interest surrounding President Trump’s decision to approve the export of 500,000 advanced AI chips to the United Arab Emirates in May 2025.
This letter is a precursor to an investigation that Rep. Kamlager-Dove plans to launch as Chair of the South and Central Asia Subcommittee once Democrats are back in the majority.
Top Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Armed Services Committee, Oversight Committee, Select Intelligence Committee, CIA Subcommittee, State Department Appropriations Subcommittee, and Commerce Appropriations Subcommittee joined the letter as co-leads.
“Sheikh Tahnoon bought a 49 percent stake in President Trump’s crypto company, World Liberty Financial, just months before securing U.S. approval for the sale of 500,000 AI chips. 100,000 of those AI chips were greenlit for direct sale to Sheikh Tahnoon’s company, G42…These facts raise serious questions about whether the President’s personal financial interests, and those of Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, compromised U.S. export controls and national security decision-making,” wrote the lawmakers.
“The U.S. intelligence community has raised concerns about G42’s interest in accessing advanced U.S. AI chips, citing the risk that such technologies could be diverted for PRC military or intelligence use. Despite these security concerns, the Trump Administration decided to sell chips directly to G42 only after Sheikh Tahnoon entered into very high-value business deals with President Trump,” the lawmakers continued.
“These overlapping financial, corporate, and national security relationships underscore the need to determine whether U.S. export control decisions were improperly influenced by personal enrichment. We request you conduct an immediate review on whether the Bureau of Information Security and Commerce Department officials followed appropriate safeguards and whether outside financial interests influenced the granting of these export licenses,” the lawmakers concluded.
The full letter can be viewed here.
Schultz Introduces bill that promotes fairness in the justice system
Assemblymember Nick Schultz (D-Burbank, North Glendale, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, Silver Lake) yesterday introduced Assembly Bill 1917, legislation that strengthens transparency and efficiency in criminal court proceedings by ensuring that charges filed against a defendant align with a court’s initial probable cause findings.
The proposed measure requires prosecutors to file a motion to reinstate any charges initially dismissed by a judge at a preliminary hearing, protecting due process while maintaining an avenue for prosecutors to seek the addition of charges when supported by the evidence.
“Maintaining the integrity of due process rights is an absolutely vital function of our judicial system,” said Schultz. “It’s a matter of basic fairness. If a judge has dismissed charges, prosecutors need to explain why there is probable cause for reinstating those charges.”
In criminal case proceedings, a judge determines whether there is sufficient evidence for a charge to be brought against a defendant in a preliminary hearing. Under current law, a prosecutor may simply reinstate any charges a judge dismisses without a process or explanation. This requires the defendant to bear the burden of proof in filing a motion to re-litigate those charges, undermining due process and judicial efficiency.
AB 1917 instead requires prosecutors to carry this burden of proof to explain why a dismissed charge should be reinstated.
Lancaster launches FlashVote
The City of Lancaster announced a new partnership with FlashVote, an online community engagement platform that gathers resident feedback and informs City decision-making.
Through FlashVote, Lancaster residents can quickly and easily share their opinions on important local issues. Participation is simple, anonymous, and takes less than a minute to sign up.
“Hearing directly from our residents matters,” said Mayor R. Rex Parris. “FlashVote makes it easier for the community to share their input, and that feedback helps shape how we move Lancaster forward.”
Once registered, participants may choose how they receive surveys, including by email, text message or phone call. FlashVote will send 1-minute surveys up to once a month. Each survey remains open for 48 hours, allowing residents flexibility to respond at their convenience. After a survey closes, participants automatically receive a summary of the overall results and can see how their responses compare with others in the community.
Feedback is completely anonymous, and personal and demographic information collected by FlashVote is never shared with the City or any third party.
Residents are encouraged to register now at flashvote.com/lancasterca or by calling 775-235-2240 to participate via phone or text message only.
