President
Good morning, and welcome to another day with a beautiful sunrise in paradise. I stare at the mountain with snow and think how lucky I am that I am not up there, but down in the valley where I get to enjoy the view. I should explain that I write these articles and turn them in on the fifth of the month prior to printing, which is why some information might seem a little late in coming.
To be sure everyone is aware, the Ceasar Larrach embezzlement case was settled, and you can watch a video explaining how it was done and the terms of the settlement on our community website. We held town hall meetings explaining all the details on November 13, 2018. The short story is that the known fraud amount was about $123,062. Funds recovered from Ceasar Larrach in restitution were $125,000. Total known losses and expenses were $162,748. Total potential recoveries over a three-year period will be $290,000. Watch the video, which explains all points in detail.
We have a Board election coming up on April 9, 2019. This year will be a little different than years past because we only have two people running for the Board for two open seats. Some might ask, if there are only two people running for two open seats, why do we need to have an election? Why not just elect by affirmation at a meeting of residents? Unfortunately, our by-laws do not allow for that kind of process. We are required by California Code and our by-laws to hold the election even though it is uncontested.
This means you will receive ballots in March to vote and return for the annual meeting on April 9, 2019. We are required to have a quorum of 518 ballots, or homeowners, present to hold the election. If we are not able to get at least 518 ballots turned in, the election will be void; and we will have to do it again. The election costs about $10,000 to follow all procedures required by law. If the election were void, the existing Board would continue in place until we held another election at a cost of another $10,000. This is something we need to avoid.
The Board urges everyone to vote so we don’t spend more money for an additional election. When you receive your ballots, please fill them out and send them back so we can move on and finish the election process.
The two candidates running for the Board are Linda Aasen and myself, Kim Fuller. I want to thank Linda for spending her time to volunteer for the Board. Her time will be gratefully appreciated by us all.
I want to thank all of you for your support, consideration, and time in making such volunteer work a pleasant and rewarding experience. It has been a privilege to work with the other Board members, committee members, and staff to help make Shadow Hills such a great place to live. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
It makes me smile to gaze upon another sunset and to know, “It doesn’t get any better than this.”
Have a great day!
Kim Fuller
President