Seniors and families struggle as HOA fees skyrocket
In the Jan. 26 front-page article about the garage fire (“Hidden Oaks Residents Raise Concerns Over HOA Fees After Garage Fire”), a mention was made about the recent increase in fees at Hidden Oaks condominiums.
We live at Bluebonnet Lane condominiums, also managed by Shoreline Property Management. Our HOA fees were also raised by 20%, bringing our monthly fee to $833. An additional $500 Special Assessment was added to our January bill also.
Most of our residents are seniors or young families, who can ill afford such added expenses. I realize there has been an increase in insurance and other costs due to inflation, but if this continues, many seniors on fixed incomes will be unable to afford their homes.
Just as in the past, property tax increases left seniors having to choose between a home, health care and other necessities.
At a previous meeting, we were callously told they could raise our fees 20% every year. What can be done to bring relief to this problem?
Karin Meyer
Scotts Valley
A call to action to keep landline phones
If you have kept your landline phone service to ensure you have a way of communicating with the outside world in an emergency, did you know that landline service is in clear danger of being canceled?
The California Public Utilities Commission is about to hear AT&T’s petition to discontinue wired landline service entirely.
As we all know, much of our county is in a high fire threat area (CalFIRE tier 3), and we have all experienced recent devastating fires, mudslides, flooding and road closures. Having a wired landline is the only truly reliable way to get information, communicate or seek necessary help during an emergency situation, as both cellular service and VoIP frequently go down when the power is out, not to mention that they are consistently unreliable, often on a day-to-day basis.
Let the California PUC and your elected officials know you want to keep your landline service. Write the PUC or leave a comment at apps.cpuc.ca.gov/c/A2303003.
Renee Shepherd
Felton
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