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95-454: Copiague Harbor is a small community located on a southern peninsula of Copiague, primarily composed of larger size homes deeded belonging to a homeowners' association , Great South Bay Estates Homeowner's Association (GSBEHA). The community offers amenities including a mini-beach and mini-marina on a private lagoon. It was developed in the 1960s intended as a private community, gated and guarded. From time to time residents have considered adding

190-445: A board of directors . Initially, the board is composed of developer-appointed members, in order to maintain the character of the community that the developer has for it. As the percentage of ownership shifts from the developer toward owners, the corresponding percentage changes from developer-appointed members to homeowners elected at an annual meeting, and ultimately the board will consist solely of homeowner-elected members. Usually,

285-721: A category that includes planned unit developments of single-family homes , condominiums , and housing cooperatives . Since 1964, HOAs have become increasingly common in the United States. The Community Associations Institute trade association estimated that in 2010, HOAs governed 24.8 million American homes and 62 million residents. Throughout the rest of the world, HOAs—though they do exist in some neighborhoods—are uncommon. For centuries, communities have, informally or formally, combined resources to maintain common areas, like wells or roads. However, modern HOAs established covenants and deed restrictions to dictate who could buy

380-604: A clear understanding of the responsibilities of the HOA board, community members need to read their association's CC&Rs, Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, and other rules. Many HOAs (especially larger ones with more upscale amenities) hire management companies to handle the governing duties of the association. Management services are typically divided into three categories: financial only, full management, and on-site management. Financial services typically cover administration of bank accounts, bookkeeping, assessment collection, and

475-622: A gate and guard as originally intended. Copiague Harbor is located at the southernmost part of the hamlet of Copiague. It borders the Great South Bay . Copiague Harbor is located within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) the Copiague Union Free School District. As such, all children who reside within Copiague Harbor and attend public schools attend Copiague's schools. Copiague Harbor

570-460: A home in a development. These were the children of deed restrictions in a new kind of planned subdivision, and they established the national legal precedent for zoning districts exclusively for upscale, single-family residences. Private restrictions normally included provisions such as minimum required costs for home construction and the exclusion of all non-Caucasians, and sometimes non-Christians as well, from occupancy, except domestic servants. In

665-406: A large cluster of government buildings in the city's Civic Center. Historically, the courthouses were county-owned buildings that were maintained at county expense, which created significant friction since the trial court judges, as officials of the state government, had to lobby the county Board of Supervisors for facility renovations and upgrades. In turn, the state judiciary successfully persuaded

760-410: A legal determination as to the enforceability of a provision in the governing documents. However, because HOAs are private associations, they are not considered "state actors" subject to constitutional constraints, and therefore homeowners cannot sue for civil rights violations under 42 U.S.C. 1983. The major power of the HOA is the ability to compel property owners to pay a share of common expenses for

855-401: A mandatory member of the HOA, and must pay assessments to, and abide by the rules of, the HOA. In return, the owner/member is permitted to participate in the HOA's governance and use the amenities offered by the HOA, provided that they are current on assessments (or on a payment plan to become current). Once an owner sells or otherwise transfers interest in all the property owned within the HOA,

950-400: A median income of $ 36,299 versus $ 30,981 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 20,683. There are 14.4% of families living below the poverty line and 17.9% of the population, including 24.2% of under 18 and 10.5% of those over 64. Los Angeles County has the highest number of millionaires of any county in the nation, totaling 261,081 households as of 2007. The homeownership rate

1045-399: A more lenient approach. For instance, while California does not require HOA managers to be certified, it does require that managers meet certain educational requirements to claim certification. Through its board an HOA will provide some level of amenities (though differing greatly between HOAs), regulate activities within a development, levy assessments, and may (if authorized by CC&Rs or

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1140-427: A person who wants to buy a residence within the area of a HOA must become a member, and therefore must obey the governing documents including articles of incorporation, CC&Rs ( covenants , conditions and restrictions) and by-laws—which may limit the owner's choices, for example, exterior design modifications (e.g., paint colors). HOAs are especially active in urban planning , zoning, and land use—decisions that affect

1235-551: A powerful force for good or for ill' in their members' lives. Therefore, anyone who buys a unit in a common interest development with knowledge of its owners association's discretionary power accepts 'the risk that the power may be used in a way that benefits the commonality but harms the individual.'" Benefits to homeowners may include maintenance and management services, provision of recreational amenities such as pools and parks, insurance coverage, enforcement of community appearance standards which may lead to higher property values, and

1330-479: A reduction in public service levels and may be worse off. At the extreme, HOAs may contribute to sentiments of secession and withdrawal from the public sector." Real estate developers establish HOAs in the belief that they can contribute to the developer's ability to build and sell units profitably. Providing common amenities may enable developers to build at a higher density, if the local government has encouraged such results. In addition, by relieving municipalities of

1425-516: A single county. As a result, both the county superior court and the federal district court are respectively the busiest courts of their type in the nation. Many celebrities have been seen in Los Angeles courts. In 2003, the television show Extra (based in nearby Glendale ) found itself running so many reports on the legal problems of local celebrities that it spun them off into a separate show, Celebrity Justice . State cases are appealed to

1520-410: A single lot or two contiguous lots as a current or future residence or vacation home. In some HOAs, the developer may have multiple votes for each lot it retains, but the homeowners are limited to only one vote per lot owned. This has been justified on the grounds that it allows residents to avoid decision costs until major questions about the development process already have been answered and that as

1615-404: A state legislature) impose fines for noncompliance. Depending on the governing documents, HOA boards may create committees, such as an "architectural control committee" (this is a very common one, and frequently this committee has the ultimate authority to approve or deny a building request), a pool committee, a neighborhood watch committee, etc. Depending on the governing documents or state law,

1710-427: A suburban look, they clustered homes around green open areas maintained by associations. These associations provided services that formerly had been provided by municipal agencies funded by property taxes. Residents of such development also had to pay their local taxes. Accordingly, local governments began promoting subdivision development as a means of improving their cash flow. In an effort to control water pollution,

1805-574: Is 365,000 workers. Despite a business exodus from Downtown Los Angeles since the COVID-19 pandemic , the city's urban core is evolving as a cultural center with the world's largest showcase of architecture designed by Frank Gehry . The following major companies have headquarters in Los Angeles County: The Los Angeles County Office of Education provides a supporting role for school districts in

1900-400: Is 47.9%, and the median value for houses is $ 409,300. 42.2% of housing units are in multi-unit structures. Los Angeles County has the largest number of homeless people , with "48,000 people living on the streets, including 6,000 veterans ," in 2010. As of 2017 the number of homeless people in the county increased to nearly 58,000. In 2015, there were over two thousand Christian churches ,

1995-663: Is a state-mandated county transportation commission that also operates bus and rail. In the United States House of Representatives , Los Angeles County is split between 17 congressional districts. In the California State Senate , Los Angeles County is split between 13 legislative districts. In the California State Assembly , Los Angeles County is split between 24 legislative districts. On November 4, 2008, Los Angeles County

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2090-575: Is crucial for reducing the chances of a special assessment (mentioned in the risks below). Obtaining a reserve study is recommended to help determine and set the reserve contribution rate which is included in the regular monthly assessment. According to a 2019 study in the Journal of Labor Economics , "houses in HOAs have prices that are on average at least 4%, or $ 13,500, greater than observably similar houses outside of HOAs. The HOA premium correlates with

2185-416: Is dominated by lawyers and HOA managers . The CAI does not represent HOAs. It lobbies the legislatures of states that have HOAs in order to promote legislation beneficial to its interests. Although in some cases membership in an HOA may be voluntary for a property owner, in the majority of cases membership in an HOA is mandatory. Once an owner purchases property within the subdivision, that owner becomes

2280-407: Is equal to the proportion of ownership, not to the number of people. The majority of property owners may be absentee landlords , whose values or incentives may not be aligned with the tenants'. However, some HOAs limit owners of multiple properties to one or two votes regardless of the number of lots owned, so absentee owners do not end up controlling the HOA to the detriment of residents who only own

2375-491: Is home to the largest Armenian population outside of Armenia. Los Angeles County contains the largest Iranian population outside of Iran of any other county or county equivalent globally. At the 2000 census, there were 9,519,338 people, 3,133,774 households, and 2,137,233 families in the county. The population density was 2,344 inhabitants per square mile (905/km ). There were 3,270,909 housing units at an average density of 806 units per square mile (311 units/km ). Of

2470-568: Is located within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) the Copiague Library District. Homeowners%27 association A homeowner association (or homeowners' association [ HOA ], sometimes referred to as a property owners' association [ POA ], common interest development [ CID ], or homeowner community ), is a private, legally-incorporated organization that governs a housing community, collects dues, and sets rules for its residents. HOAs are found principally in

2565-431: Is managed on a day-to-day basis by a chief executive officer and is organized into many departments, each of which is enormous in comparison to equivalent county-level (and even many state-level) departments anywhere else in the United States. Some of the larger or better-known departments include: The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority , despite its name, is not a County department. Technically it

2660-472: Is more arts-centered. Santa Monica's pier is a well known tourist spot, famous for its Ferris wheel and bumper car rides, which were featured in the introductory segment of the television sitcom Three's Company . Further north in Pacific Palisades one finds the beaches used in the television series Baywatch . The fabled Malibu , home of many film and television stars, lies west of it. In

2755-511: Is the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense. Crime in 2013 According to the authors of Wild L.A. , a book about urban biodiversity, "Los Angeles is the birdiest county in the country with over 500 recorded species." L.A.'s amenable climate supports a large number of introduced, tropical and migratory species. Because of

2850-500: Is the most populous county in the United States , with 9,861,224 residents estimated in 2022. Its population is greater than that of 40 individual U.S. states . Comprising 88 incorporated cities and many unincorporated areas within a total area of 4,083 square miles (10,570 km ), it is home to more than a quarter of Californians and is one of the most ethnically diverse U.S. counties. The county's seat , Los Angeles ,

2945-554: Is the second most populous city in the United States , with 3,822,238 residents estimated in 2022. The county has been world-renowned as the domicile of the U.S. motion picture industry since the latter's inception in the early 20th century. Los Angeles County is one of the original counties of California , created at the time of statehood in 1850. The county originally included parts of what are now Kern , San Bernardino , Riverside , Inyo , Tulare , Ventura , and Orange counties. In 1851 and 1852, Los Angeles County stretched from

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3040-644: Is the largest diocese in the United States. In 2014, the county had 3,275 religious organizations, the most out of all US counties. The Government of Los Angeles County is defined and authorized under the California Constitution , California law and the Charter of the County of Los Angeles. Much of the Government of California is in practice the responsibility of local governments such as

3135-549: The Fair Housing Act of 1968 prohibited such discrimination. However, by requiring approval of tenants and new owners, HOAs still have the potential to permit less formalized discrimination. In 1963, the FHA had approved federal home mortgage insurance exclusively for condominiums or for homes in subdivisions that had a qualifying HOA. The rationale was that developers wanted to get around density laws. The effect, however,

3230-720: The La Brea Tar Pits , the Arboretum of Los Angeles , and two horse racetracks and two car racetracks ( Pomona Raceway and Irwindale Speedway ), also the RMS ; Queen Mary located in Long Beach, and the Long Beach Grand Prix , and miles of beaches—from Zuma to Cabrillo. Venice Beach is a popular attraction whose Muscle Beach used to attract throngs of tourists admiring "hardbodies". Today, it

3325-956: The Pacific Ocean and encompasses mountain ranges, valleys, forests, islands, lakes, rivers, and desert. The Los Angeles River , Rio Hondo , Ballona Creek , the San Gabriel River and the Santa Clara River flow in Los Angeles County, while the primary mountain ranges are the Santa Monica Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains . The western extent of the Mojave Desert begins in the Antelope Valley , in

3420-738: The Transverse Ranges of southern California, and are contained mostly within the Angeles National Forest . Most of the county's highest peaks are in the San Gabriel Mountains, including Mount San Antonio 10,068 feet (3,069 m) at the Los Angeles– San Bernardino county lines, Mount Baden-Powell 9,399 feet (2,865 m), Mount Burnham 8,997 feet (2,742 m) and Mount Wilson 5,710 feet (1,740 m). Several lower mountains are in

3515-481: The United States , Canada , the Philippines , as well as some other countries. They are formed either ipso jure (such as in a building with multiple owner-occupancies ), or by a real estate developer for the purpose of marketing , managing , and selling homes and lots in a residential subdivision . The developer may transfer control of an HOA after selling a predetermined number of lots. In most cases,

3610-417: The residual claimant , the developer has the incentive to maximize the value of the property. HOAs have been criticized for having excessively restrictive rules and regulations on how homeowners may conduct themselves and use their property. Some of the restrictions commonly put into place by HOAs are limiting the length of grass , number of cars on a property, what animals you can have on your property,

3705-496: The 3,133,774 households 37% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48% were married couples living together, 15% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32% were non-families. 25% of households were one person and 7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.61. The age distribution was 28% under the age of 18, 10% from 18 to 24, 33% from 25 to 44, 19% from 45 to 64, and 10% 65 or older. The median age

3800-993: The Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District, which is also headquartered in the Civic Center , and then to the California Supreme Court , which is headquartered in San Francisco but also hears argument in Los Angeles (again, in the Civic Center). Federal cases are appealed to the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit , which hears them at its branch building in Pasadena . The court of last resort for federal cases

3895-458: The Government of Los Angeles County. The county's voters elect a governing five-member Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors . The small size of the board means each supervisor represents over 2 million people. The board operates in a legislative, executive, and quasi-judicial capacity. As a legislative authority, it can pass ordinances for the unincorporated areas (ordinances that affect

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3990-445: The HOA may have the authority to place liens on a property (for non-payment of assessments and/or noncompliance with CC&Rs, an example would be the costs to remove a non compliant structure such as a mobile home on a lot restricted to "site built" housing) and to, ultimately, foreclose on it. Homeowners have the ability to defend against such actions, and are usually entitled to sue HOAs for contractual or statutory violations, or for

4085-448: The HOA may sue the developer. In The Voluntary City , published by the libertarian Independent Institute , Donald J. Boudreaux and Randall G. Holcombe note that the association's creator (e.g. a developer) has an incentive to set up a government structured in such a way as to maximize profits and thus increase the selling price of the property. If a certain decision would increase the selling price of certain parcels and decrease

4180-470: The HOA's real and intangible assets (generally the amenities provided which were the basis for inducing people to purchase lots), and enforcing the governing documents. Boards of directors have a fiduciary duty to the property owners; violation of that duty may result in liability for individual directors, and as such the HOA will often adopt an ethics code for the board members to ensure they act ethically and in accordance with their responsibilities. To gain

4275-446: The HOA, the developers have expanded their scope, giving them authority to regulate changes to residences, landscaping and maintenance requirements, color of houses, etc., a variety of other requirements and amenities that the developers believe will make their project more desirable to the market. The Community Associations Institute (CAI) is a trade association of individuals and businesses that sell supplies or services to HOAs, and

4370-424: The HOA. These benefits may include amenities (eg. a pool, tennis courts, clubhouse, and open areas). Individuals may also benefit more or less depending on their political standing in the association and the degree to which the community's decisions match their preferences. In the 1994 court case Nahrstedt v. Lakeside Village Condominium Assn. , the California Supreme Court noted: "...Owners associations 'can be

4465-503: The HOAs budget. Full management typically includes the financial services plus help with board meetings (keeping minutes, agendas, etc.), board elections, and maintenance duties (obtaining contractor bids, etc.). On-site management typically includes all of the full management services plus direct assistance to homeowners with an assigned manager to the HOA. Education requirements for managers varies from state to state, with some requiring certification under all circumstances and others having

4560-502: The U.S. Clean Water Act of 1977 required that all new real estate developments had to detain storm water so that flow to adjoining properties was not greater than the pre-development runoff. As a result, nearly all residential developments had to construct detention or retention areas to hold excess storm water until it could be released at the pre-development flow level. Since these detention areas serve multiple residences, they are almost always designated as "common" areas. This requirement

4655-506: The United States amount to billions of dollars a year, but are not classed as property taxes. When determining what the assessment should be, it is important to consider what funds are required. There should always be a minimum of two funds: an operating fund and a reserve fund. The operating fund is used to pay for the operating expenses of the association. A reserve fund is used to pay for the infrequent and expensive common area assets maintenance, repair and replacement costs. The reserve fund

4750-715: The area. The county office also operates two magnet schools, the International Polytechnic High School and Los Angeles County High School for the Arts . There are a number of private schools in the county, most notably those operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese . The county's public education sector is run by numerous school districts with the Los Angeles Unified School District being

4845-415: The belief that they may reduce operational costs for the local government. Since the homeowners sometimes pay for roads, parks, and other services within the development, the local government may believe it can gain revenue from property taxes from owners in a development that costs the municipality little or nothing. A 2009 study of California HOAs suggested that this assumption was partially true, but that

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4940-477: The board (or parts of it) will be elected at an annual meeting of the homeowners, as specified in the Bylaws. In order to avoid an owner of multiple lots (who likely own the lots for resale or rental property) controlling the HOA's operation (to the detriment of those owners who only own a single lot or two contiguous lots as a current or future residence or vacation home), the Bylaws may limit all owners (regardless of

5035-411: The coast to the state line of Nevada . As the population increased, sections were split off to organize San Bernardino County in 1853, Kern County in 1866, and Orange County in 1889. Before the 1870s, Los Angeles County was divided into townships (many of which were amalgamations of one or more old ranchos ): As shown by the map below, Los Angeles County is bordered on the north by Kern County , on

5130-466: The costs of road and utility maintenance, developers may obtain more favorable terms. Ordinarily, the developer retains some control over the HOA until a specified number of units are sold, and the covenants, conditions, and restrictions of the HOA are put in place to further this goal. The potential disadvantage to a developer is that they may be exposed to liability to the HOA for poor construction, misleading marketing, or other problems. In these cases,

5225-437: The county are considered ecologically significant indicators of ecosystem health and may be documented using the iNaturalist app. Los Angeles County is commonly associated with the entertainment and digital media industry; all five major film studios — Paramount Pictures , Sony Pictures , Warner Bros. , Universal Pictures , and Walt Disney Studios —are located within the county. Numerous other major industries also define

5320-532: The county is 48.7% White, 11.0% African American, 0.8% Native American, 10.0% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 23.5% from other races, and 4.9% from two or more races. 44.6% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. The largest European-American ancestry groups are German (6%), Irish (5%), English (4%) and Italian (3%). 45.9% of the population reported speaking only English at home; 37.9% spoke Spanish, 2.22% Tagalog , 2.0% Chinese, 1.9% Korean , 1.87% Armenian , 0.5% Arabic , and 0.2% Hindi . The county has

5415-409: The county's wide range of biomes it is possible to see desert bighorn sheep and green sea turtles in the same day, without crossing the county line. The range of habitats in the county is "greater than in many states, with mountains, wetlands, desert, ocean, meadows and chaparral, each with its own endemic species." There are at least 100 species of trees, and 1000 species of non-native plants, in

5510-603: The developer sole rights to amend the CC&;Rs was declared unenforceable as a matter of public policy in at least one state, where the developer attempted to amend years after he had sold all the property. That state's legislature later codified that public policy. Other examples include CC&Rs which prohibited sales of property to certain racial groups; the Fair Housing Act rendered all of these also to be unconstitutional and unenforceable. The HOA will be governed by

5605-694: The early postwar period after World War II, many were defined to exclude African Americans and, in some cases, Jews, with Asians also excluded on the West Coast. Some of the first HOAs were formed early in the 20th century in Los Angeles County . The Arroyo Seco Improvement Association in Pasadena was founded around 1905 by Henry Huntington , a transit magnate who developed several whites-only housing divisions. The Los Feliz Improvement Association (still in operation today) in Los Angeles

5700-429: The east by San Bernardino County , on the southeast by Orange County , on the south by the Pacific Ocean , and on the west by Ventura County . According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has an area of 4,751 square miles (12,310 km ), of which 4,058 square miles (10,510 km ) (85%) is land and 693 square miles (1,790 km ) (15%) is water. Los Angeles County borders 70 miles (110 km) of coast on

5795-522: The eastern Antelope Valley – California State Parks' largest in area within the county. The California Poppy Reserve is located in the western Antelope Valley and shows off the State's flower in great quantity on its rolling hills every spring. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), located in the Westchester district, is the primary commercial airport for commercial airlines in the county and

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5890-480: The economy of Los Angeles County, including international trade supported by the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach , music recording and production, aerospace and defense, fashion, and professional services such as law, medicine, engineering and design services, financial services. High-tech sector employment within Los Angeles County is 368,500 workers, and manufacturing employment within Los Angeles County

5985-418: The land" , which means that all current and future owners of property within the HOA will be bound by them as a condition of property ownership. They usually include: Generally CC&Rs are enforceable as legal documents. However, there are instances where a CC&R is rendered illegal by later enacted state or federal law and therefore is no longer enforceable. For example, a developer-drafted covenant giving

6080-560: The largest Native American population of any county in the nation: according to the 2000 census, it has more than 153,550 people of indigenous descent, and most are from Latin America . As estimated by the Public Policy Institute of California in 2008, Los Angeles County is home to more than one-third of California's undocumented immigrants , who make up more than ten percent of the population. Los Angeles County

6175-761: The largest one running public schools primarily within the city of Los Angeles and its immediately neighboring cities. The county's most visited park is Griffith Park , owned by the city of Los Angeles. The county is also known for the annual Rose Parade in Pasadena, the annual Los Angeles County Fair in Pomona, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art , the Los Angeles Zoo , the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County ,

6270-606: The last census of 583,364 people (i.e., 1,152,564 births minus 569,200 deaths) and a decrease due to net migration of 361,895 people. Immigration resulted in a net increase of 293,433 people, and migration from within the United States resulted in a net decrease of 655,328 people. The racial makeup of Los Angeles County was 4,936,599 (50%) White, 1,346,865 (13.7%) Asian, 856,874 (9%) African American, 72,828 (0.7%) Native American, 26,094 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 2,140,632 (21.8%) from other races, and 438,713 (4.5%) from two or more races. Non-Hispanic whites numbered 2,728,321, or 28% of

6365-434: The majority of which are Catholic. Roman Catholic adherents number close to 40% of the population. There were 202 Jewish synagogues , 145 Buddhist temples, 38 Muslim mosques , 44 Baháʼí Faith worship centers, 37 Hindu temples , 28 Tenrikyo churches and fellowships, 16 Shinto worship centers, and 14 Sikh gurdwaras in the county. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles has approximately 5 million members and

6460-683: The maximum volume for playing music at certain times of day, what signs you can display on your property, and what plants you can plant. Homeowners have challenged political speech restrictions in associations that federal or state constitutional guarantees as rights, claiming that certain private associations are de facto municipal governments and should therefore be subject to the same legal restrictions. Several court decisions have held that private actors may restrict individuals' exercise of their rights on private property. A 2007 decision in New Jersey held that private residential communities had

6555-420: The more amenities provided the more frequent the assessment must be paid. Some associations operate little or no common property, and the expenses relate solely to enforcement of use restrictions or assumed services. Others are effectively private towns, with elaborate amenities including private roads, street lights, services, utilities, commonly owned buildings, pools, and even schools. Assessments paid to HOAs in

6650-508: The mountain, canyon, and desert areas one may find Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park , where many old Westerns were filmed. Mount Wilson Observatory in the San Gabriel Mountains is open for the public to view astronomical stars from its telescope, now computer-assisted. Many county residents find relaxation in water skiing and swimming at Castaic Lake Recreation Area – the county's largest park by area – as well as enjoying natural surroundings and starry nights at Saddleback Butte State Park in

6745-576: The northeastern part of the county. Most of the population of Los Angeles County resides in the south and southwest, with major population centers in the Los Angeles Basin , San Fernando Valley , and San Gabriel Valley . Other population centers are found in the Santa Clarita Valley , Pomona Valley , Crescenta Valley and Antelope Valley . The county is divided west-to-east by the San Gabriel Mountains , which are part of

6840-676: The northern, western, and southwestern parts of the county, including the San Emigdio Mountains , the southernmost part of Tehachapi Mountains and the Sierra Pelona Mountains . Los Angeles County includes San Clemente Island and Santa Catalina Island , which are part of the Channel Islands archipelago off the Pacific Coast . The Northern part of the county has a Desert climate , while

6935-426: The number of lots owned) to one or two votes per owner. Depending on the state, board meetings may be required to be open to the public, except in instances where a board may enter into an "executive session" for discussion on confidential matters (e.g. discussions with its attorney on an upcoming lawsuit). The board of directors makes decisions regarding the HOA, including management of the HOA's finances, protecting

7030-458: The opportunity for members to plan development in accordance with community values. Disadvantages to homeowners may include the financial burden of association fees, punitive fines, and costs of maintaining appearance standards; restrictions on property use and personal autonomy; and the potential for mismanagement by the board, including the possibility of arbitrary or heavy-handed enforcement of rules. Many municipalities have welcomed HOAs in

7125-434: The overall effect of HOAs on municipalities was mixed. While HOAs did offset the costs of city governments to a small degree, they also reduced overall tax revenues because their members, insulated from the larger community, tended to vote down taxes that the city required to fund services. This led to an overall decrease in government expenditures that disproportionately affected those citizens who did not reside in an HOA. As

7220-500: The overall maintenance of the HOA and the amenities, usually proportionate to the ownership interests (either by unit or based on square footage). These expenses generally arise from the operation and maintenance of common property, which vary dramatically depending on the type of association. An HOA may have, in addition to a regular assessment, a "special" assessment for unexpected expenses (such as for road maintenance). The assessment may be paid monthly, quarterly, or annually; generally

7315-432: The owner ceases to be a member of the HOA and loses all rights previously held. Usually HOAs are structured as private corporations or private unincorporated associations (commonly as non-profit ones). HOAs are governed by federal and state statutes applicable to corporations (or unincorporated associations if so structured), as well as the HOA's own "governing documents". The HOA's governing documents generally "run with

7410-477: The pace of growth, the quality of life, the level of taxation , and the value of land in the community. Most HOAs are incorporated , and are subject to state statutes that govern non-profit corporations and HOAs. State oversight of HOAs varies from state to state; some states, such as Florida and California , have a large body of HOA law. Other states, such as Massachusetts , have limited HOA law. HOAs are commonly found in residential developments since

7505-570: The passage of the Davis–Stirling Common Interest Development Act in 1985. In Canada, HOAs are subject to stringent provincial regulations and are thus quite rare compared to the United States. However in recent decades, HOAs have infrequently been created in new subdivision developments in Alberta and Ontario . The fastest-growing form of housing in the United States today are common-interest developments (CIDs),

7600-617: The population. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race numbered 4,687,889 (48%); 36% of Los Angeles County's population was of Mexican ancestry, 3.7% Salvadoran, and 2.2% Guatemalan heritage. The county has a large population of Asian Americans , being home to the largest numbers of Burmese , Cambodian , Chinese , Filipino , Indonesian , Korean , Sri Lankan , Taiwanese , and Thai outside their respective countries. The largest Asian groups in Los Angeles County are 4.0% Chinese, 3.3% Filipino, 2.2% Korean, 1.0% Japanese, 0.9% Vietnamese, 0.8% Indian, and 0.3% Cambodian. The racial makeup of

7695-420: The rest of the county generally is a mix of Semi-arid and a hot-summer Mediterranean climate . There is rainfall mostly in the wintertime, but the mountains in the north-central part of the county have snow during winter. In 2019, the median household income in the county was $ 72,797. Los Angeles County had a population of 9,818,605 in the 2010 United States Census . This includes a natural increase since

7790-478: The right to place reasonable limitations on political speech, and that in doing so, they were not acting as municipal governments. With few exceptions, courts have rejected claims that private actors are subject to constitutional limitations in a manner comparable to courts and police. Los Angeles County Los Angeles County , officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County ,

7885-405: The selling price of others, the developer will choose the option that yields his project the highest net income. This may result in sub-optimal outcomes for the homeowners. HOAs established a new community as a municipal corporation. Voting in an HOA is based on property ownership, By the 1970s, only property owners had were eligible to vote, while renters are prohibited from directly voting for

7980-423: The state Legislature to authorize the transfer of all courthouses to the state government in 2008 and 2009 (so that judges would have direct control over their own courthouses). Courthouse security is still provided by the county government under a contract with the state. Unlike the largest city in the United States, New York City , all of the city of Los Angeles and most of its important suburbs are located within

8075-424: The stringency of local land use regulation, local government spending on public goods, and measures of social attitudes toward race." The study also found that people in HOA neighborhoods "are on average more affluent and racially segregated than those living in other nearby neighborhoods." The perception of the benefits that an HOA provides to homeowners varies depending on the specific regulations and practices of

8170-493: The study noted, "...critics of private governments claim that HOAs erode support for public institutions. Those who join can bypass the public system: homeowners who fear crime do not have to vote for tax dollars to attack the root of the problem; they can build a gate to keep the criminals out. Opponents maintain that the erosion of public support, reflected at the ballot box, leads to further deterioration of municipal services and reductions in local revenues. Nonmembers experience

8265-527: The unit. They could, however, deal directly with their landlords under their lease contract, since that is the party who has responsibility to them. In the 1973 book Federally Assisted Communities: New Dimensions in Urban Development , author Hugh Mields, Jr. raised questions about the constitutionality of having an association that had the authority of a municipal government, despite being private in nature. Additionally, voting representation

8360-1022: The urban areas of the county. Charismatic biodiversity indicator species native to the area include three species of amphibian ( Baja California chorus frog , black-bellied slender salamander , western toad ), 14 species of bird ( acorn woodpecker , California quail , canyon wren , cinnamon teal , great blue heron , great horned owl , greater roadrunner , hooded merganser , Northern harrier , red-tailed hawk , red-winged blackbird , spotted towhee , western bluebird , western meadowlark ), nine kinds of invertebrates ( Behr's metalmark , bramble green hairstreak , bumblebees , El Segundo blue butterfly , harvester ants , Lorquin's admiral , North American Jerusalem crickets , Sara orangetip , velvet ants ), five mammals ( bobcat , dusky footed woodrat , gray fox , mountain lion , mule deer ), and six reptiles ( California kingsnake , coachwhip snake , gopher snake , side-blotched lizard , western pond turtle , western rattlesnake ). Any observations of these species within

8455-510: The whole county, like posting of restaurant ratings, must be ratified by the individual city). As an executive body, it can tell the county departments what to do, and how to do it. As a quasi-judicial body, the Board is the final venue of appeal in the local planning process, and holds public hearings on various agenda items. As of 2020, the Board of Supervisors oversees a $ 35.5 billion annual budget and over 112,000 employees. The county government

8550-466: Was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males. The median personal earnings for all workers 16 and older in Los Angeles County are $ 30,654, slightly below the US median; earnings, however vary widely by neighborhood, race and ethnicity, and gender. The median household income was $ 42,189 and the median family income was $ 46,452. Males had

8645-449: Was a reason for developers to establish an HOA. Although these areas can be placed on an individual homeowner's lot, eliminating the need for an association, some U.S. municipalities now require these areas to be part of a common area to ensure an entity, rather than an individual or the municipality itself, has maintenance responsibility. Real estate developers have frequently established HOAs to maintain such common areas. Having established

8740-568: Was almost evenly split over Proposition 8 , which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages. The county voted for the amendment 50.04% with a margin of 2,385 votes. The Los Angeles County Superior Court is the county's court of general jurisdiction, while the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California may hear cases where federal jurisdiction is present. Both are headquartered in

8835-595: Was founded in 1916. A racial covenant in a Seattle, Washington , neighborhood stated, "No part of said property hereby conveyed shall ever be used or occupied by any Hebrew or by any person of the Ethiopian, Malay or any Asiatic race." In 1948, the United States Supreme Court ruled such covenants unenforceable in Shelley v. Kraemer . However, private contracts effectively kept them alive until

8930-892: Was strongly influenced by a 1964 publication (TB 50) by the Urban Land Institute . This technical bulletin was funded by the National Association of Home Builders and by certain federal agencies: the FHA , the United States Public Health Service , the Office of Civil Defense , the Veterans Administration , and the Urban Renewal Administration . In order to do this while still retaining

9025-429: Was to divert investment from multi-family housing and home construction or renovation in the inner cities. This accelerated the middle-class exodus to the suburbs and into common-interest housing. The rapid expansion of federally subsidized highways under federal programs made access to new areas easy. According to Donald R. Stabile, the explosion in the number of CIDs (many of which were based on homeowners' associations)

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