By Ken Silverman, HOA Resident
Sun City Lincoln Hills Community Association (SCLH) has over 11,000 residents. We’re actively trying to improve digital communications to increase our community association’s communication efforts and digital delivery of association documents to save money. In order to do so, we need residents to provide their emails. We now have over 10,000 emails, but that only makes up half of the households in our community – and we need it to grow.
Delivering association documents via email (now authorized by Civil Code) saves a great deal of money in printing and postage each year. The current cost with 6,783 households is well over $4,000 and that does not include printing.
Senate Bill 323 (Wieckowski) would require associations to provide owners’ email addresses to other owners, as long as they state a purpose reasonably related to their interest as members. This language is frightfully broad and ambiguous and will cause uncertainty among residents as to when (and why) their data may be obtained.
Our 55+ population, who vote, do not like their email address being given out. Email privacy is a great concern to our residents. Including emails on membership lists will create uncertainty among residents and deter them from opting in to receive email communications. Furthermore, the Association would lose a very effective method of communicating with its residents and continue to increases costs.
There are laws in place governing the privacy of digital communications. California has the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDRP) is even more strident. Our Community Association wants to ensure their digital information is protected and follows these laws.
For these and many other reasons, please vote NO on S.B. 323.
References:
Sec 6. Section 5200 of Civil Code
(a) “Association records” means all of the following:
Part (9) Membership lists – adding email address