Beaumont Tashjian Law Blog

Beaumont Tashjian is pleased to announce that Kumar Raja, Esq. has joined the firm.

Kumar S. Raja, Esq. is a senior associate at Beaumont Tashjian, where he primarily handles the Firm’s litigation and enforcement matters. He also provides general counsel services for the Firm's diverse community association clientele on a wide array of subjects, including risk management and corporate governance. His passion is developing creative solutions which foster community harmony. Board member education and support are cornerstones of Mr. Raja's practice. Mr. Raja has over 10 years of experience representing common interest developments.

Mr. Raja holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles (Dean's Honor List), where he wrote for the school's newspaper (Daily Bruin). At Loyola Law School in Los Angeles (J.D. 2002), Mr. Raja participated in the school's Scott Moot Court Program and completed externships at the LA City Attorney's Office and U.S. Bankruptcy Court (Hon. Kathleen March).

Mr. Raja is a proud member of Community Associations Institute (CAI) and has been an invited guest speaker at state and local CACM and CAI chapters throughout the state. He is an award-winning author having written several articles on Covid-19 topics and new legislation affecting common interest developments. 

kraja@HOAattorneys.com | 866.788.9998

The homelessness crisis in Los Angeles is impossible to ignore. While it seems that over the years, the crisis has become embedded into the fabric of the City’s culture, with encampments such as Skid Row becoming household names, legislators and local leaders have continued to grapple with solving, or at least mitigating exacerbation of the situation. It’s also no secret that this hot button issue has left community association boards and managers wondering, “What is the City doing to help?”

This question is more relevant than ever, given the pandemic’s impact on homelessness over the last year alone. As of the date of this letter, the State of California reports the highest homeless population by far, according to the U.S.

As you may be aware, the Los Angeles City Planning Commission is currently considering two ordinances meant to protect the City’s ridgelines: (1) the Ridgeline Protection Ordinance (CPC-2021-3001-CA), and (2) the Zone Change Ordinance (CPC-2021-3059-ZC). If implemented, these proposed ordinances would create a two-step process whereby the City Planner would re-zone much of the area located East of Interstate 405 to Coldwater Canyon Drive between Mulholland Drive and Sunset Boulevard.

The Ridgeline Protection Ordinance coupled with the Zone Change Ordinance establish a new district in the Los Angeles Municipal Code and are intended to address maintenance of the ridgelines within the city. In short, this ordinance will be used to re-zone the lots located closest to ridgelines, create two new zoning designations, RP1 and RP2, and implement development regulations to “preserve and protect” the ridgelines that surround the City of Los Angeles.

If approved, future buildings would be required to follow strict guidelines for construction, improvements and development including height and grading restrictions on nearly all of the lots between Interstate 405 and Laurel Canyon.

As you have heard, effective June 15th, the State of California and Governor Newsom have confirmed that restrictions and protocols related to the pandemic have been lifted. This means that counties are no longer placed into “tiers” based upon their COVID-19 case rates and hospitalizations, and very limited mitigation measures are in place. Specifically, there are “no restrictions” for capacity or physical distancing, with respect to most venues. In other words, the association’s fitness center, clubhouse, swimming pool area, etc. may reopen fully, without limitations.

Diving Back In! How to Safely Reopen the Common Area Facilities

With Memorial Day quickly approaching, community boards and managers are feeling the pressure to reopen pool amenities as soon as possible. This begs the question, “how do we reopen the pool?”

SB 391 will allow for common interest developments throughout California to conduct meetings via teleconference during a state of emergency.

In this episode, Brittany A. Ketchum, Esq. was a guest on The HOA Show Podcast.

Beaumont Tashjian (BT) proudly congratulates Brittany A. Ketchum, Esq. on celebrating her 10-year anniversary with the firm. Brittany is an associate attorney with BT, where she provides general counsel services to the firm’s clients and manages the firm’s governing documents department. Brittany has significant experience providing legal opinions to the firm’s clients, as well as review and analysis of governing documents, interpretation, and recommendations to same.

As you likely know, COVID-19 cases are on the decline and, as a result, many counties are quickly moving through the State’s Red Tier and into the Orange Tier. The Red and Orange Tiers allow for lifting/relaxing of certain restrictions based on reduced infections, ongoing vaccinations throughout the county, etc. As the case has been throughout the pandemic, homeowners’ associations are not necessarily mentioned in State and county orders. So, what do the Red and Orange Tiers mean for common interest developments?

Beaumont Tashjian’s Assessment Collection Technology Service (BT ACTS) is a 24-hour, full-service online collection recovery system that significantly streamlines your community’s collection process.

Delivering Real-Time Results

Now more than ever, boards need the very latest information regarding delinquent accounts in order to make informed and educated decisions in the collection process. BT ACTS eliminates archaic monthly status reports and allows managers to check the status of delinquent accounts online for real-time updates and information.

BT ACTS also tracks the relevant statutory time frames of each delinquent account so that unnecessary delays are not only minimized, but prevented. Our calendaring system alerts us to the “next step” which prevents unintentional hold-ups and guarantees prompt assessment recovery as soon as legally possible.