2,800 homeowners pay in—One lawmaker fights back against California HOA ‘harassment’

Sacramento, California – After repeatedly being cited by his homeowners’ association for minor infractions — including insufficient landscaping bark and his son’s wheeled basketball hoop — Republican Assemblymember Joe Patterson decided to fight back. But not with just a phone call or complaint letter. Patterson took his frustration to the Capitol.

In a move inspired by what he described as “sheer harassment” from his HOA, Patterson carried Assembly Bill 21, a measure that would require California’s roughly 50,000 private homeowners’ associations to operate with more transparency — holding open meetings, disclosing key records, and giving residents the power to challenge decisions in court. But last week, the bill failed in its first committee hearing, despite bipartisan interest.

“I’ve been getting letters for, you know, ‘Oh, your bark isn’t deep enough.’ Now it’s my son’s basketball hoop,” Patterson said of his HOA, the Whitney Ranch Community Association in Rocklin, which he says sends someone to photograph his property nearly every week.

Patterson is hardly alone in his frustration. HOAs, which collect monthly dues from residents to maintain shared amenities like pools, roads, and security, also enforce neighborhood rules that some argue go too far. While many Californians appreciate the structure and appearance HOAs help maintain, others describe them as unaccountable entities that sometimes escalate into neighbor-versus-neighbor battles. Online, entire communities are devoted to mocking and criticizing what they see as overzealous enforcement and unchecked power.

Assembly Bill 21, authored by fellow Republican Carl DeMaio and presented by Patterson, aimed to address that concern by requiring HOA boards to conduct business like local governments — through open meetings, accessible records, and public disclosures. But the bill was struck down by a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee, with only five votes in favor and seven members voting “no” or not at all, which has the same effect.

Patterson said the bill’s defeat likely had less to do with its content and more to do with its author.

“Honestly, it was Carl’s bill, and it going down in flames had nothing to do with the policy,” Patterson said. “I think if that was Joe Patterson’s bill, it would have had a different fate.”

DeMaio, a former San Diego city councilmember, conservative radio host, and outspoken political figure, agreed: “It probably has a lot more to do with the Democrats’ pettiness of just trying to kill any bill associated with me.”

DeMaio did not present the bill himself due to a conflict with his radio schedule. He owns two properties in HOA communities and said the measure was about ensuring that those who pay monthly dues have the same right to transparency as taxpayers do with city or county governments.

“If they can tax you, if they can encumber your property rights, they’re governmental decisions,” he said. “And so they should be subjected to the open meetings and public records laws like any other public entity.”

Despite the setback, Patterson said he’s already exploring plans to reintroduce the legislation next year, potentially under his own name. He claims several Democratic lawmakers have shown interest in co-sponsoring the bill to give it more bipartisan credibility — though he declined to name them.

The bill was opposed by organizations including the California Association of Community Managers, the Inner City Law Center, the San Diego Housing Commission, and the Community Associations Institute, which lobbies on behalf of HOAs. Their representatives argued that current state laws already ensure transparency and accountability in HOA governance.

Still, Patterson believes a stronger approach is needed, especially when HOAs have the legal power to fine homeowners or even place liens on their property for unpaid dues.

“If you’re going to take my house from me and have a recorded lien on my home, then you damn well better provide very transparent financial records to your community,” Patterson said.

For now, the bill is dead — but in Patterson’s office, a black flag hangs with a clear message: Defund the HOA.