VOTE NO TO $52,000 Assessment
(already increased from $35,000 to $50,000 to $52,000 and rising)
Board members have wanted glass railings for their ocean view/personal balconies from day one. They hired their architect (known for glass) in 2024; we all saw the glass rendering long ago. At $7.5 million, their project offers no return on investment while stripping our community of its peace for years of destruction and construction.
Decisions should be based on facts, not falsehoods or fear tactics. The board blocked owners from considering viable alternatives. We deserve transparency and true choice.
AI image: Railings with cleaning every 6 months as per Board proposal. By comparison, the glass around the hot tubs is cleaned weekly.
ENGINEER'S REPORT VS. FEAR MARKETING
The walkways are defective and must be ripped up to repair.FALSE
Truth: The board's plan to tear up every walkway and balcony is unnecessary and wasteful. The engineer's report summary explicitly states, "the walkways of the 2910, 2920, 2930 and 2940 buildings are free of defects." (minimal repair needed at 2950 and 2960). Additionally, the engineer's report identified 13 balconies that need repair and recommended "localized repair".
Don't let them confuse the facts: walkway repairs do not demand a total "demolish and rebuild" approach. The repairs can be accomplished efficiently and affordably. Glass railings desired for ocean view/personal balconies drive the excessive destruction, disruption and cost proposed by the board.
See the engineer's full report HEREINSURANCE
Insurance will not be available for horizontal railings so we must remove them and put in glass railings desired by board members.FALSE
Truth: No document threatening insurance cancellation; beware that they may repeat the falsehood more energetically or create a document now.
Independent insurance agents have confirmed that insurance is available for Sea Colony 2.
THE BOARD'S PROPOSAL IS DANGEROUS
The board's proposal is dangerous: earthquake, weight (increased construction cost not in the contract), liability, and replacement cost.
Earthquake Risk
Earthquake resistant laminated glass typically does not shatter (it just cracks). In a major earthquake, however, it can break with whole pieces falling to the ground.
We may wish to believe that we will use different or better glass, but top-end suppliers and installation likely occurred at the international facilities shown in recent earthquake videos. Whole pieces of glass will fall and many will break in a major earthquake.
Earthquake glass falls whole from shopping mall
Glass railing falls out in whole pieces from luxury building
Replacing glass after an earthquake may take years, particularly in California with so many glass high-rise buildings placing orders for replacement glass and supply disruptions from the quake.
Weight Risks
Owners want to know, but the board and its architect never answered, how much the walkway railings will weigh. An AI estimate based on glass and GFRC (lightweight) concrete indicates their proposed railings will weigh 13,000 pounds (4 cars) or more per walkway.
That enormous, additional weight along the vulnerable, narrow (approx. 6 inch) edge of the walkways where the railings will be installed risks potentially catastrophic collapse, particularly in earthquake. It appears the contract does not include costly work to support significant additional weight. We will have to pay when their dismissive statements not to worry prove empty.
Liability and Danger on Cleaning
Homeowners whose housekeepers clean the proposed glass railings will face liability for poop water or squeegees falling on people below. Residents will suffer the filth and injury.
AI image: Poop water and squeegee falling
Nightmare: The Board's Proposal Requires Destruction of Our Railings and Walkways And Then Construction
- •Scaffolding erection will render balconies unavailable
- •Even though may not be working on your balcony, work will happen above, below, and/or in courtyard
Noise:
- •Most disruptive is demolition, use of chipping hammers and hand tools for breaking the stucco and removing deck waterproofing.
- •The walls will vibrate during demolition
- •Inherently there will be hairline cracks as a result of demolition. Trifecta will repair cracks. [There has been no commitment to repair cracked interior walls or tile; they do not appear to be part of the contract and will likely be paid by the homeowner or HOA/all of us]
- •Railings will be cut with circulating saws
- •Nail guns will be used for framing, stucco, and installing lath to the plywood decks (16 staples/SF)
First the board's architect said self-cleaning glass, now they say it will be cleaned every 6 months.
"After six months without cleaning, a 150-foot, 4-foot-high glass railing in an area with a normal bird population would likely become a highly visible, and potentially hazardous, accumulation of environmental debris."
Based on the effects of bird activity and exposure, the railing would appear:
- Stained with Bird Droppings: Acidic bird waste would accumulate on top edges and run down the panels, resulting in visible white, grey, and green streaks, particularly around posts.
- Dull and Cloudy: Over six months, a layer of atmospheric dust, pollen, and salt spray (if near a coast) would adhere to the glass, eliminating its transparency.
- Water-Spotted: Rain and morning dew would leave behind hard-water mineral deposits, creating hazy, unappealing streaks that are harder to remove the longer they sit.
- Difficult to Clean: Dried, sun-baked droppings from a half-year period would require heavy scrubbing, potentially causing scratches or requiring specialized, heavy-duty detergents to avoid permanent etching.
Source: ChatGPT
Research says: approximately $5,000 or more per cleaning
Using the lesser of bi-weekly cleaning, that's $120,000 per year.
AI says: Cleaning glass railings in California/Santa Monica requires strict adherence to Cal-OSHA standards, including written safety assurances for equipment, annual inspections of anchors, and a mandatory Operating Procedures Outline Sheet (OPOS) for buildings over 36 feet. Fall protection is required, often involving suspended scaffolds or controlled descent apparatus.
LOAN TO HOMEOWNERS – here is a discussion the Board did not share:
HOA Loan To Homeowners Unlikely To Be Recovered On Foreclosure – Those Who Did Not Borrow Or Did Not Default Will Have To Repay The Loan
- The HOA will be unlikely to recover through foreclosure the unpaid project loan from borrowing homeowners who default: first mortgage holders have priority on foreclosure. After the first mortgage holder forecloses (including bank fees, bank lawyer costs, etc) there is unlikely to be anything left for the HOA to recover. The HOA lien will be wiped out and the HOA loan unrecoverable from the property.
Even our CCRs make clear that any claim by the HOA comes second to the mortgage holder making recovery unlikely. Our CCRs provide that the holder of the first mortgage "shall not be liable for unpaid assessments or charges". (see CCR, Article 18 here). Therefore, all of us will be liable for the borrower's loan, unpaid fees, and costs – amounts exceeding the initial borrowing – in a foreclosure.
HOA Loan Could Trigger "Due On Encumbrance" Clause In The Homeowner's Mortgage
- the HOA loan to the homeowner may trigger the "Due on Encumbrance" clause standard in homeowner mortgages (check your mortgage to verify). "Due on Encumbrance" typically triggers on creation of an additional debt with a lien remedy for the debt. The borrowing from the HOA, its right to create a lien and any actual lien may allow the mortgagor to accelerate repayment of the mortgage under the due on encumbrance clause.
Failing to disclose the full truth about the loan makes their agenda clear: push for glass railings at any price. Transparency requires truth. Our voices must be heard: VOTE NO
ALTERNATIVES
Sea Colony's railings, although grandfathered, do not meet current code requirements of no more than 4 inches between spaces. Board members have been committed to glass railings from day one, blocking alternatives. Indeed, two licensed, insured, railings contractors recommended upgrading the existing railings (using marine grade steel cable or rod) to code with projected completion within 3 months. The low cost ($400,000) could be paid from current reserves. The board made sure not to allow owners to see that option and other alternatives. We deserve transparency and choice.
AI image: Railings with cleaning every 6 months as per Board proposal. By comparison, the glass around the hot tubs is cleaned weekly.
Our current metal railings are durable, low-maintenance, and can be upgraded to code for a fraction of the cost by inserting marine grade stainless steel rods or cable between existing railing.
Estimated Cost
Proposed
$7.5 Million (and rising)
Alternative
$400,000
Assessment Per Unit
Proposed
$52,000+ (Minimum Estimate)
Alternative
No assessment (paid from reserves)
Timeline
Proposed
2–5 Years
Alternative
3 months
Scope of Work
Proposed
Tear up all walkways: toxic debris
Alternative
Upgrade existing railings to code
Added Weight Per Walkway
Proposed
13,000 lbs: Structural Risk
Alternative
110 lbs
Ongoing Maintenance
Proposed
Cleaning Required Bi-Weekly: Expensive
Alternative
Low maintenance
URGENT: Out of town voters need to call to get a paper ballot or proxy vote.
The process may take 2 weeks or more so call now. Votes must arrive by mail by May 8, 2026.
Impact on Tenants & Rental Income
Tenants are already moving out as they learn of the 2-years plus destruction of the railings, walkways and balconies and then construction. Even owners with signed leases will find tenants unwilling to pay or seeking significant rent reductions.
HOW DO WE STOP THEM?
VOTE NO. If they still push for glass railings, they will need to resign or be replaced.
WE NEED YOUR HELP: CONTACT US
We are Sea Colony II owners, not board members or the HOA, seeking to provide our neighbors with better informed choice. WE NEED YOUR HELP. Please contact us: