Legislation

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

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

As of July 13, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that all counties must close their indoor operations in the following sectors:

• Dine-in restaurants;

• Wineries and tasting rooms;

• Movie theaters;

• Family entertainment centers (e.g., bowling alleys, miniature golf, batting cages and arcades);

• Zoos and museums; and

• Cardrooms. 

Bars and pubs across all counties must also close, whether or not they are indoors or outdoors. What is more, counties on the State’s “County Monitoring List”, which include, among others, Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Riverside and Ventura, must close the following facilities, unless they can be modified to operate outside:

• Fitness centers;

• Worship services;

• Protests;

• Offices for non-essential sectors;

• Personal care services, like nail salons, body waxing and tattoo parlors;

• Hair salons and barbershops; and

• Malls. 

SB 407 (Wieckowski) Noncommercial Solicitation.
Civil Code §4515
Effective January 1, 2018

SB 407 expanded on existing law which requires associations to provide equal access to common areas for candidates and members for the purpose of advocating a point of view during an election. This bill protects certain free speech rights, i.e., to meet, canvass, and distribute materials of a community association.

AB 634 (Eggman) Solar System Requirements.
Civil Code §714.1, §4600 & §4746
Effective January 1, 2018

Under AB 634, associations cannot establish a general policy prohibiting the installation or use of solar energy systems on the common area roof of the building where the owner resides, or a garage or carport assigned to the owner for exclusive use. Additionally, a vote of the membership is not required to grant exclusive use of common area for such purposes, and associations cannot require approval by a vote of the members as a condition to approval.