Sheriff called to keep association lawyers away from homeowner's residence

February 14, 2004

By Peter Amherst
Copyright AHRC News Services

Jim Galley is running in the Republican primary in March against Larry Stirling in the 39th. Senate District in San Diego. Larry Stirling was the co-author of the controversial Davis Stirling Act in 1985 - the Act that governs homeowner associations in California. (Stirling has stated in an interview that he would never live in an association.)

Galley began to hear disturbing stories about homeowners in homeowner associations. As he dug deeper, he began to realize that there were major problems in homeowner associations. So he decided to bring victims together for interviews with Fox 6 News TV in San Diego.

On Friday night, February 13, 2004, thirty homeowners - one from as far away as Long Beach - descended on the home of James and Sonni Bass in Brookhills Homeowners Association in Fallbrook, a popular rural residential area in North San Diego County. The Basses are involved in a lawsuit with their homeowner association, which is represented by the controversial law firm of Peters and Freedman.

Much to her surprise, Sonni Bass said that she saw a lawyer from Peters and Freedman, Michael Kim, sitting in his car outside her house as the homeowners arrived. Another homeowner stated that she saw the lead partner of the law firm, David Peters, driving back and forth along the road outside the Bass's house in a black CL 500 Mercedes.

After being told that Peters and Kim might try to crash the Fox 6 News interview with the homeowners, Sonni Bass called the Sheriff's department, and it dispatched a deputy to sit outside her house in a sheriff's vehicle while the meeting lasted. The two lawyers did not attempt to crash the meeting.

At the meeting, Fox News interviewed and filmed each homeowner. Fox 6 news has not stated when it will air the interviews.

Click here to view FAX 6 tape of the interviews

Cecilia Taylor described how she organized homeowners to take back their homeowner association and get rid of her association lawyers, Peters & Freedman, and management company, N. N. Janaske. Peters and Freedman are also the lawyers for Brook Hills Homeowners Association, and Jaeschke is the management company. Both are named defendants in Sonni Bass' cross complaint against her homeowners association.

At 1.30p.m. on Tuesday, February 17, the California Senate Housing Committee in Sacramento will hear testimony on the foreclosure problems in homeowner associations. One of the panel members will be Joel Radcliffe, the son of the elderly, disabled man who recently lost his home in foreclosure for $120. The Senate Housing Committee is considering revising the foreclosure powers of homeowner associations.

Jim Galley stated that he has been deeply touched by the terrible stories that he has heard from homeowners in homeowner associations. He said that he gets flash backs about these homeowners, and has promised to continue working on homeowner association problems no matter what the outcome of the Republican primary in March.