Daniel Reyes leaned forward to his microphone.
"Mr. Hayes, are you telling this room that your client demolished a state-permitted flood mitigation structure on land your client had no jurisdiction over, on the strength of an annexation vote two of her own board members objected to in writing, designed and signed by the engineer of record at the county water resources office?"
Hayes did not answer.
"Because that's what the documents in front of me say, and I'd like you to be very precise, because the State Water Resources Commission is opening a formal enforcement file against the Cedar Ridge HOA effective tomorrow morning. Your answer will become part of that file."
Tom Briggs took out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead. Brad stood up, said, "I need to step out," and started for the door.
Rebecca Choy cleared her throat. "Sir, as a named officer of the filing party, you are required to remain seated." Brad sat back down.
Hayes finally spoke: he said his client would be reviewing the documents.
Rebecca said the documents had been on file with the state since 2017 and with the county since 1998. She let that sit. Then she opened the floor for resident comment.
Mrs. Alvarez stood first. She walked to the open mic with the shoebox under one arm and her reading glasses in her hand. She didn't editorialize; she read line items:
"July 14th, 2020: $75, non-approved mailbox color.
December 2nd, 2020: $200, holiday wreath.
March 8th, 2021: $300, unauthorized exterior lighting—a porch light."
Four minutes total. When she finished: $9,685 in fines levied against an 80-year-old widow.
Frank Devereaux read his two-year-old drainage letter aloud, and then the board's reply signed by Karen Whitfield.
A young mother played a voicemail in which Karen told her, word for word, that her property values would suffer if she voted against the pool levy.
Three more residents stood with folders. By 8:30, the residents' section had become an open hearing. By 9:00, Hayes had asked Rebecca Choy for a five-minute recess and been denied on the grounds that Karen, as filer of an emergency motion for reckless endangerment charges against me, was required to remain in her seat. She had filed her own leash.
Around 9:15, when the last resident sat down, Reyes made a brief closing statement: he said the State Water Resources Commission would be opening a formal enforcement action against the Cedar Ridge HOA, against each board member who had voted to authorize the demolition, and that he would be in contact with Ridgeworks Demolition, who he expected would be filing their own claim against the HOA for misrepresenting authority on the work order. He said the commission would also refer the matter to the State Attorney General's office.