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AB 502: an acclamation bill I can’t cheer for

3/9/2026

 
In her hit single “Ironic,” Canadian pop star Alanis Morissette bemoans traffic jams when you’re already late, free rides when you’ve already paid, and a laundry-list of other unfortunate events, none of which are actually ironic. Thus — ironically -- the only irony in her song is its title.

In its Assembly Bill 502, the California Legislature hits a similar note. Ostensibly introduced to permit election by acclamation for all HOAs, AB 502’s laundry-list of legal malapropisms will reduce the practice for most, bar it for some, and add yet more cost and complexity to board elections.

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SB 323: a cautious new timeline for director elections

1/13/2026

 
Prior to Senate Bill 323, a typical HOA board election would require 60-75 days to complete. SB 323 extends that timeline to at least 105 days - more like 120 in practice - and imposes complex new notice requirements on associations.

The following represents a prudent 130-day timeline for conducing SB 323 compliant board elections. This timeline is longer than that required by law, but its length ensures sufficient time for boards to understand SB 323's complex new requirements, select workable dates, retain a qualified inspector, and prepare SB 323's multiple new forms.


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SBs 323 and 754: the certain death of acclamation

11/12/2025

 
Election by acclamation is the process of declaring a slate of director-candidates elected when the number of candidates at the deadline for nomination is equal to or less than the number of board positions to be filled, and thus the results a foregone conclusion.

Prior to Senate Bills 323 and 754, the HOA legal community was split on the advisability of acclamation. Some attorneys took the position that requiring zero-budget nonprofits to incur the expense and effort of a mailed secret ballot vote in the face of a known conclusion was little better than digging a hole in the yard, filling it with money, and lighting it on fire. Others read Civil Code section 5100(a)’s “shall” as requiring such folly.

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SB 323: which ship is the member-ship?

9/15/2025

 
Senate Bill 323 added new Civil Code section 5105(b), which provides that “[a]n association shall disqualify a person from a nomination as a candidate for not being a member of the association at the time of the nomination.”

An exception to this requirement is provided by 5105(b)(2), which provides that “[i]f title to a separate interest parcel is held by a legal entity that is not a natural person, the governing authority of that legal entity shall have the power to appoint a natural person to be a member for purposes of this article.”

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SB 323: odds and ends that are odd, and should be ended

7/14/2025

 
This blog post is a running list of Senate Bill 323's ambiguities and flaws that seem problematic enough to complain about but not problematic enough to waste a blog post on. I myself feel like running away.

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    HOA Law Blog

    Occasional musings that aren't legal advice about California HOA law. Reposts and reprints with attribution.

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    Assembly Bill 3182
    Assembly Bill 502
    Assembly Bill 670
    Senate Bill 222
    Senate Bill 234
    Senate Bill 323
    Senate Bill 392
    Senate Bill 432
    Senate Bill 754

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