Housing Crisis isn’t nothing compared to homeowner associations in California

From: open letter to Barack Obama from American Homeowner Resource Center:

“This letter is not the place for a full exposition of the problems in the housing market. If you desire it, we will be happy to provide any further information that you need. However, there is one particular aspect that we would like to draw to your attention.

We recognize that you are in the midst of drawing a group of people around you to help you with the many issues that face you as the new President. We also recognize that your task requires the hiring of quality people, and that this task is a massive one, demanding the screening of countless candidates. To help you in that task, we would like to suggest the names of some people whom you should NOT hire. We list them here for a variety of actions that they have taken in the housing field. But the common element is that they all have not protected the sanctity of the American home. We will be happy to provide details if necessary.”
Willie Brown, former speaker of the California Assembly. He is the one, who as speaker, initiated the Davis-Stirling Act – the legislation that made California homes into cash registers for lawyers and other vendors. He also stated in a C-SPAN interview that he authored the system of superdelegates in the Democratic Party to nullify the voice of the ordinary homeowner.
Gray Davis, former governor of California. When he was in the California State Assembly, Willie Brown tapped him to author the legislation that would turn California homes into cash registers for lawyers and other vendors. He hired the chief lobbyist for homeowner associatons, Katherine Rosenberry, to write the legislation. She testified a few years ago that Gray Davis asked her to take care of the lobbyists.
Jackie Speier, congresswoman from California. As a member of both the California Assembly and Senate, she refused to introduce legislation to curb the abuses in homeowner associations, even though homeowners repeatedly asked her to do so.
Janet Napolitano, governor of Arizona. Homeowners in homeowner associations in Arizona report that they repeatedly asked Janet Napolitano both when she was Attorney General and Governor, to investigate the fraud and corruption in homeowner associations. She refused to so.
Dan Lungren, former Attorney General of California, and currently a House member of the Congress. Even though homeowners filed numerous requests asking him as Attorney General to investigate housing fraud in homeowner associations, he refused to do so. One homeowner, Jim Trautman, who had been working to clear up corruption in his homeowner association, appealed to Lungren for help after he had been hit with fraudulent judgments. Lungren refused to help. Eventually, Mr. Trautman committed suicide.

This is only a small, partial list, but they represent the very people whom citizens want to remove from the political arena. They are some of the reasons why people want change. They represent the very mindset that you campaigned to change. We are working with the victims of home foreclosure fraud on a more comprehensive list and will be sending it to you. In addition, other homeowners from around the country will be contacting you with other names from their parts of the country.

“We know that the task facing you in so many areas is daunting. But as a home is built brick by brick, so a nation is built by the contributions of each citizen. We hope that the above helps in the re-building of a nation that has been ravaged beyond recognition in recent years.”