More than 100 San Diego condo owners have had their home insurance CANCELED
More than 100 homeowners in a California condo complex have lost their insurance after an overgrown creek bed was flagged as a wildfire risk.
Earlier this month, 115 residents of San Vicente Country Villas II in San Diego were informed that Farmers Insurance would not renew their master policy, blaming a single creek bed for the move, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.
The creek bed, wedged between residents' homes and a golf course, is choked with 20- to 30-foot-tall trees, dense brush, dead reeds and debris.
'It makes the gold course on holes #11 and #16 much more difficult to play, as well as ugly,' Steven Franck, a resident in the Estates since 1997, told the outlet.
'It's horrible,' he added. 'Some of the reeds have moved outside the creek bed and stretch 30 to 40 feet across.'
Residents along one street known as the Green Haven condos have long sounded the alarm over the neglected creek bed, where a dense wall of vegetation looms just feet from 30 homes.
However, the overgrown area is controlled by the Master Association - or SDCE HOA - not the condo's HOA, leaving residents powerless to maintain it.
Farmers Insurance argued that the HOA's failure to maintain defensible space - that is, keeping the land clear enough to reduce fire dangers - is reason enough for them to cancel coverage.
Earlier this month, 115 residents of San Vicente Country Villas II in San Diego - with one street known as the Green Haven condos - lost their insurance after an overgrown creek bed was flagged as a wildfire risk
The creek bed, wedged between residents' homes and a golf course, is choked with 20- to 30-foot-tall trees, dense brush, dead reeds and debris
With alleged HOA mismanagement, a nearly $1 million labor settlement and a rush for grant funding to pay for cleanup, residents' insurance hangs in balance before its April deadline.
'We are considering numerous options as we continue to seek a new insurance policy,' resident Doreen Smith told the Union-Tribune.
Franck, a former condo resident now living in an older home near the golf course, said: 'The new board is the best board we've had in some time, but I'm still skeptical that what is best will be done.'
'I have a wait-and-see attitude,' he added.
For years, residents have raised health and safety concerns over the overgrown creek bed, with Franck claiming that it has been a problem for at least five years - if not longer.
Units with a front-row view of the golf course are instead blocked by unchecked foliage, while the rapidly growing weeds have created a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
The plants' growth has drawn heavily on water resources, causing issues for both the community's golf course and the surrounding natural areas.
Last year, on December 16, the HOA held a general meeting where Smith revealed that former general manager Carl Weise had supposedly sent a letter from the association to the condo HOA board.
Farmers Insurance argued that the HOA's failure to maintain defensible space - that is, keeping the land clear enough to reduce fire dangers - is reason enough for them to cancel coverage for hundreds of homeowners
In December, resident Doreen Smith (pictured) claimed that the former general manager submitted a permit application to clear the creek bed - an application that, if not filed by December 31, would delay the process and require restarting the months-long process
In the letter, he asserted that he had submitted a permit application to clear the creek bed - an application that, if not filed by December 31, would delay the process and require restarting the months-long process.
Smith, however, alleged that Weise never actually submitted the application and has since stepped down from his role by 'mutual agreement' on November 18.
After the meeting, HOA President Jodi Taylor assigned Pete Smith, a special projects consultant, and new general manager Matt Brumbaugh to investigate the residents' claims.
During a January meeting, the consultant revealed that they found no evidence linking Weise to a permit application, despite his letter to the HOA board claiming it had been filed.
Luckily, the board caught the deception right before the December 31 deadline and immediately filed a permit application with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, which confirmed it had been received on time.
'The permit allows for removal of approximately 1.9 acres of overgrowth, and the department should have a plan for the removal by the end of February,' Pete Smith told the Union-Tribune.
Missing that deadline could have left residents without coverage, struggling with skyrocketing replacement insurance and in some cases, forced to sell or refinance their homes.
'The first step is to make sure the permits are in place, then we need to know how to implement the removal and then we to find out how much it will cost,' the project consultant added.
An investigation found that former general manager Carl Weise (pictured) - who stepped down in November - never actually submitted the application to clear the creek
Luckily, the board caught the deception right before the December 31 deadline and immediately filed a permit application with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, which confirmed it had been received on time
But the cleanup itself poses challenges, as it can be costly, slow and constrained by environmental regulations.
'It's a great deal of work and very expensive,' Pete Smith explained.
The board is now responsible for pursuing grants to cover the cost of removing the overgrown brush.
However, with silt - and concrete in certain areas - accumulated at the bottom of the creek bed, weeds continue to thrive, and the material will have to be cleared at a later date.
In the same meeting, during an informational segment on a separate issue, Estates HOA attorney Josh Carlon informed residents that the HOA had reached a settlement in a 2024 class-action lawsuit, according to the Union-Tribune.
The lawsuit, filed by former SDCE employee Brandon L. Smith on behalf of all SDCE hourly workers, alleged that the association failed to pay proper wages or overtime, denied proper breaks and did not adequately reimburse employee expenses.
Carlon revealed that the HOA had reached a $900,000 settlement, far below the original claim, which was estimated to be 'in the millions of dollars.'
He said the HOA acted quickly to settle rather than fight the lawsuit in court, and the final remediation settlement was approved on January 2.
The HOA asked the court to allow the settlement to be paid in three installments rather than in a lump sum, to which the court agreed, according to the outlet.
The payment schedule calls for the first installment in June 2026, the second in December 2026 and the third in June 2027.
