Remember our Fallen...

Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them." - Franklin D. Roosevelt

On Memorial Day, Avalon’s president will be honoring his father, whose final resting place is the Riverside National Cemetery, after a lifetime of service in the Marines.

Does your HOA Board Operate Openly?

Does your Board operate ethically and openly?  Here is a great Board Member Code of Conduct created by Avalon Management for communities to use:  Code of Conduct

What the Architectural Committee Does for You

Are you getting ready to make an addition to your house or build a new shed or fence in your back yard? Before you break out the miter saw or paint brush, make sure to get your plans and colors approved by your association’s architectural committee.

While it may seem arbitrary from an individual homeowner’s standpoint, the architectural committee looks out for the entire community. Aside from stopping residents from painting pink polka dots on their houses, the committee’s job is to make sure that the size and style of the project, the type of building materials being used and the overall look of the new structure or modification adhere to the association’s design requirements.


Not only does this keep the community looking cohesive, it also helps to keep property values up by preventing individual structures from standing out. Of course, it’s also important to note that unapproved structures might legally have to be removed at the owner’s expense, so save yourself money and headaches by getting approval before building.

So when you’re ready to start your new project, or if the design of your project changes midway through building it, send your plans to the architectural committee first so that they can make sure they are in compliance with the association’s design standards. If the committee does find any issues, they will let you know what they are and try to help you come up with other options.

We appreciate all the hard work residents have done to make their homes and this community beautiful—help us keep it going!

May Landscape Tips

We are all in some brushfire danger in southern California. If your home has large brush areas, and haven’t done so already, take care of your weed abatement. The spring grasses have turned into very flammable dry tinder, so now you should cut it down to a maximum height of 4”. We like to leave it that height for erosion control, but always follow your fire authority’s direction.  It is best to have at least a 100 foot perimeter of defensible space.  

Even if you do not have brush, make sure trees are pruned away from your home. Inspect and remove dead limbs and shrubs and any dry leaves or other fuel close to your home.  May is a great month for outdoor activities and gardening in particular. Finish planting any trees or shrubs, as the coming hot dry days of summer are less ideal.  Now that daytime temperatures are usually over 80 degrees, we should stop using broad leaf weed control sprays in our yards. Spraying for weeds while the temperature is high will put your turf at risk for damage. 

May is the time to apply our summer fertilizer.  Use a product labeled 25-5-5 with controlled release or similar. Make sure you water it in well right after application to prevent fertilizer burn, as this is more likely with hot weather.  If you had applied crabgrass prevention to your lawn back in January or February, you shouldn’t have too much crabgrass growing now. Hand-dig any small patches before you apply your second and final application of Crabgrass prevention. You can buy an all in one product   that “prevent crabgrass and fertilizes in one step.”  It might be a good idea to find a product that also has “broadleaf weed control or dandelion control” as well. Did you mulch your planter beds last month? Get it done now to help save precious irrigation water in the hot months ahead.  Bonus tip: May is the best time to prevent some of this year’s, and most of next year’s June bugs.  Right now the immature larvae are found in your lawn feeding on the roots of your grass. Use a granular grub control product labeled for “season long” protection. You will kill the immature grubs before they become June bugs, and hopefully kill any eggs that your neighbors June bugs lay in your yard later this summer.