The Bear vs. The HOA
Based on a true story.
DATE: 1/10/26
TO: Majestic Townhome Estates Homeowners Association
ATTN: Ms. Karen K——
RE: Violation Notice - 833 Grammarly Lane Unit 261H
In 1603, Spanish reports from the California coast describe a maul of brown bears devouring a whale carcass like a pack of 1200lb hyenas. They lived off marine mammals, almost exclusively. They were respected, feared by the natives, and near ubiquitous. The bear on the California State Flag is, in fact, a grizzly; a bear that no longer lives in California.
To this land, overrun with wild meat, the Spaniards brought cows, horses, pigs, etc. Cows are easier to hunt than whales. A bear can breathe in a cow pen. The Spaniards fed the bears, essentially. And you’re not supposed to do that. The bears were an issue, even 400 years ago.
In 1810 the Mexicans won independence from the Spanish but could not win independence from the Grizzly. No matter how many they poisoned, trapped, or killed, the grizzly persisted, and the cows suffered. So the Mexicans waged a war of brutal revenge on the grizzly; former kings of the coast, were pushed to live like fugitives in the hills.
Then, the Americans were gifted California by Santa Anna in 1848 and, after genocoding the Indians (who used to cull the bear population, mind you), they turned their focus to genocoding the grizzlies. By 1920, the California Grizzly was a thing of myth.
They did not, however, eradicate the black bear.
What I have been dealing with this past week is NOT a “Pet grizzly bear living in my house,” as the board’s complaint suggests. I have a black bear invading my crawl space! And since the State of California decided to make illegal virtually all forms of vigilante pest control, we are left with black bears who roam free across the state; in and out of crawl spaces. Even in nice neighborhoods like ours.
I am already working with California Fish and Game to remove the bear from my property. Unfortunately, it’s no longer 1916 and we are limited to humane methods of Bear removal, which take time. You can’t just feed them a tall bag full of tainted dog food anymore. Believe me, I thought of it. But, it’d just die in my crawl space. 750 pounds of dead bear. It would have to rot down to dust before we could clear it out! How long would that take? Imagine the smell. I’d be in jail. Poisoning a bear is definitely illegal, but thank you for the suggestion.
None of this should even be my responsibility. If the HOA would fix the gate latch to the west end dumpster, like I’d asked ten days ago, there wouldn’t be an issue. Therefore, I am NOT IN VIOLATION of the exotic pets clause listed in the Owners Agreement. This bear is a WILD ANIMAL. Not a pet. And he is here because of the broken gate latch! Please update the violation report and remove the associated fine.
While I appreciate the board’s efforts to maintain property values across the community and to perform its due diligence to maintain the safety for all Majestic residents, the issue of the bear on my property is now in the hands of California Fish and Game. They outrank the HOA, and they are the source of the bear trap in my yard. It is not an “unapproved Additional Dwelling Unit (ADU).” This whole situation is outside of my control, both legally and physically. The penalty assessment of $2379 is laughable, if not illegal. Please remove these fees from my account.
I am working on the bear issue. I want it gone just as much as you. Levying penalties on me won’t motivate a bear to action.
Sincerely,
Your neighbor,
Ken J——
DATE: 1/18/26
TO: The J—— Family - Unit 261H
ATTN: Ken J——
RE: RE: Violation Notice - 833 Grammarly Lane Unit 261H
Mr. J——
Thank you for the history lesson on the California Grizzly. And that’s an interesting note on the state flag. I love flag facts. I can’t wait to share it on my Facebook. Your file has been corrected to show that the bear living on your residence is a species of black bear, not a grizzly.
As per your request, I have corrected the citation to show that you are harboring a wild animal, not keeping an exotic pet. If you’ll refer to your Owners Agreement, p.13 of the fees schedule, you’ll see that harboring a wild animal is a $900 fine. The increase brings your new fee assessment to $2779.
As always, Mr. J— (and you’ve lived here long enough to know this) non-emergency maintenance requests made via the Owners Portal may take up to 21 days to process. That line is clearly printed on each Maintenance Request Receipt Confirmation email. Levying insults will not motivate a board to circumvent its formal process. Your request to fix the gate latch on the west end dumpster enclosure was received January 2nd, approved and delivered January 16th, and has been scheduled for repair on January 28th. All of this is in line with what was voted in, by every homeowner in the community, including yourself, in order to move to a discount maintenance company, and is no excuse to keep a bear on the premises, or cast blame in The Board’s direction. We work on your behalf, Mr. J—-. To protect your most valuable investment.
Regardless of what may or may not have lured the bear onto Majestic property, the bear is on your property. It has been living there for over two weeks now. Much like a pet, or an undisclosed tenant - both, of which, are in violation of HOA by-laws, because of obvious safety issues. There are children who live here.
CHILDREN, Ken.
While I understand that you believe this situation is “out of your control,” I must remind you that your property is your responsibility to maintain. And the Community Standards subsection in the Property Guidelines Handbook clearly state with its list of line items: no wild animals… no exotic pets… owner is responsible for pest control within fence line. If the bear was in the dumpster enclosure, that would be community property and the responsibility of the HOA to address. However, after a visual inspection this afternoon, I see that the black bear is still dwelling in your crawl space, not on community property.
Let me make this clear: You cannot have a bear living on your property. If we let you have a bear, we have to let everyone have a bear and this is NOT the state of Texas. You can’t just have a menagerie of predators living at your home, in this community. The board finds that the fine stands in accordance with the Owners Agreement, and so your request to remove the fine has been denied.
Please remit payment of the new penalty assessment of $2779 with your February dues to avoid any additional late fees.
Sincerely,
Karen K——
Chairwoman of the Board - Majestic Estates HOA
DATE: 1/22/25
TO: The J—— Family - Unit 261H
ATTN: Ken J——
RE: RE: RE: RE: Violation Notice - 833 Grammercy Unit 261H
Good Day, Mr. T——
We hope this letter finds you well. And might I add, Karen has been reassigned to another Majestic property.
Upon receipt of the letter from your attorney, the board has unanimously voted to fast track procurement of a bear removal solutions company out of a less restrictive state to streamline the process of exiting the bear from our beautiful Altadena Majestic Estates Property.
We apologize for the misunderstanding. Our attorneys have advised us to make a full adjustment to the fine. We’ve removed the fines for harboring a wild animal and the ADU. The Ring Cam footage from unit 47B verified it entered on its own accord, not transported as a pet. Our sincerest apologies for the misunderstanding. Our lawyers advise us to leave it at that.
Let us know if there are any other issues in the common area and we will send a maintenance tech out within 48 hours. Our by-laws have been amended to reflect that change as of yesterday, January 21st, 2026.
We hope to move past this incident into a brighter, bear-free future.
Sincerely,
The Board
Home Owners Association
Majestic Townhome Estates
Mar 1st 2026
RE: Premium Increase - Effective June 1st 2026
Dear Valued Majestic Residents,
As you know, we’ve recently had some animal control issues on the property, and because of this, the HOA slush fund has taken a hit. In order to replenish the fund, dues will increase by $126/mo for a total of $848/mo per unit to cover unforeseen legal and repair costs, necessary in order to keep our community safe. This new assessment will become active as of June 1st, 2026. We appreciate you updating your budgets, and your calendars now to avoid incurring any penalties for underpayment.
Once again, it is an honor to serve this community. And to help maintain your property values for you here at the Majestic Townhomes Estates. Your common areas aren’t so common to us.
The Board
Home Owners Association
Majestic Townhome Estates