Dear Neighbor and LCPOA Member,

This is our second email to you from the volunteers in our Association. The first focused on the reasons why we strongly endorse Roy Paulson and David Boyd in the upcoming LCPOA Board of Directors election.

This email focusses on our concerns with the misrepresentations, distortions, and falsehoods that have been deliberately disseminated by candidates Steve Brown and Michael Ghafouri. Not only are these fictions an obvious attempt to pander for votes, but they also tear at the very fabric of our Association and create tension between neighbors. The following paragraphs contain selected samples of falsehoods and misrepresentations for your consideration:

Steve Brown

Social media postings have been the delivery vehicle for this keyboard warrior. In fact, he and his supporters, many of whom appear to be fake profiles, have become extremely proficient at posting misinformation and half-truths. On Nextdoor, Brown writes “The LCPOA Board Majority Votes on Mobile Homes.” This is FALSE. Nothing was presented to the Board of Directors for a vote. In fact, when informally polled at a recent Board meeting, all five Directors stated that the Board has not voted on this matter.

Brown also posted on Nextdoor, that the Board is “looking at changing our Rural Agriculture RA-5 designation to allow a broader based business exposure to our peaceful rural lifestyle.” Also, completely FALSE. There has been absolutely no Board consideration of this issue. Further, Brown’s attempt to point the finger at the Governing Documents Committee has been completely discredited as a distortion of the truth.

Brown has posted in support of the lawsuit filed against us by Gene Prokhorenko and has stated that Gene Prokhorenko’s Nextdoor posting about his lawsuit contains “valid points that have turned LCPOA upside down.” Moreover, Steve Brown drafted and filed a complaint with the Superior Court against the Association alleging “wage loss” and “humiliation” for actions that occurred over two years ago to his wife. When questioned about this at the LCPOA Candidate Meet and Greet event on August 21,2025, he claimed he was defending his wife’s honor – albeit more than two years after the fact! It is impossible for the volunteers in our Association to understand why anyone would support a candidate for the Board of Directors who brings or supports legal action against our Association, our Board, and our membership.

Steve Brown’s candidate statement alleges that “[o]ur roads are worse than ever.” While obviously a subjective statement, it is far from accurate. What he clearly leaves out is the fact that the damage to our roads that occurred during 2024 was the result of the delay in the 2024 pavement management work that was entirely attributable to the “NAY” vote cast by his running mate, Michael Ghafouri.

Steve Brown’s actions with respect to proxy voting in the last Board election, which resulted in the election of Director Wang over then-Director Jim Kramer, were inappropriate as documented by the reports of the Election Security Committee. The Election Security Committee report is currently available on the homeowner’s portal of the La Cresta Property Owners Association website. Moreover, Steve Brown defended the improper proxy activity in the 2022 Board election as “all perfectly legal.” The report of the Proxy Committee with respect to the 2022 election is similarly available on the homeowner’s portal. The proxy rules passed by the Board of Directors are allowed by the Association Bylaws and are consistent with current California law. Nevertheless, Steve Brown signed proxies that did not conform to these rules. Ask yourself, do you want a Director on the Board who flagrantly ignores rules that do not work for him?

As relates to the hard-working members of our Architectural Committee, Steve Brown has stated on Nextdoor that “[t]his AC committee operates like Seal Team Six in the shadows of public view, in secrecy and at the discretion of the of the BOD. Try to figure that one out!” While his flare for the dramatic is amusing, the implication that the Architectural Committee is doing anything inconsistent with our governing documents is patently FALSE.

On Nextdoor, Steve Brown wrote “Over the years several hundred thousand dollars have gone to the trails, did the people on cul de sacs balk at this No! So why doesn’t the horse and trail community rally around their friends and neighbors that live on cul-de-sacs and support them for a change.” Well, the answer is pretty clear – this cannot be done without a change to our CC&Rs and, as the past history has shown, that is a herculean task. That said, Roy Paulson and David Boyd welcome residents taking the initiative to research and estimate the potential costs to LCPOA members. As Directors, Roy and David have told volunteers that they would remain open to any suggestions that serve the best interest of the community.

Michael Ghafouri

This current Director has said things in open sessions and at candidate meet and greet events that he simply denies saying when challenged at a later point in time. He has been asked numerous times to follow up his statements with some type of support, and he readily promises to do so, but never follows through. An example that has come up more than once is his offer to provide a list of companies who will clean weeds from our right of ways for a reasonable price. Although he has balked at the prices charged by legitimate vendors, he has never offered viable alternatives.

Similarly, Ghafouri “says” that he is supportive of our multi-use trail system, but his voting record clearly supports the opposite conclusion. Here are some recent examples:

- January 2023: Motion to engage the services of a Trail Land Specialist on a per project basis –Ghafouri – NAY

- May 2023: Motion to approve a trail easement agreement as submitted –Ghafouri – NAY

- August 2023: Motion to approve the proposal submitted by Hemet fencing to install a fence on an approved trail easement – Ghafouri – NAY

- November 2023: Motion to approve a trail maintenance proposal – Ghafouri – NAY

- February 2024: Motion to approve trails maintenance after the rainy season – Ghafouri – NAY

- June 2024: Motion to approve Zig Zag trail maintenance – Ghafouri – NAY

- August 2025: Motion to approve the Zig Zag trail slope repair – Ghafouri – NAY

Ghafouri’s child-like actions as a Board Member were clearly apparent this past term. At the August 7, 2025, Board meeting, he was singled out by a Wildomar Code Enforcement Officer for shouting so loudly that he could be heard at the other end of the building. This exchange has resulted in the City of Wildomar expelling the LCPOA Board from further meetings in their facility. In a similar display of child-like behavior, when he did not appreciate the report presented by the Election Security Committee at the January 2, 2025, Board meeting, he simply packed his bags and walked out of the room thereby missing several key votes.

Ghafouri was approved by the Board to fill the position of Treasurer. However, he was soon thereafter removed by the Board from this role due to his refusal to perform the duties as required.

Michael Ghafouri has been sued by the Association for his failure to reimburse the membership for costs our community incurred and paid to remediate the damage he caused to the drainage on Avenida La Cresta. That damage was associated with work he commissioned without approval of either Riverside County or the LCPOA Architectural Committee as required. Moreover, during the attempted repair by the vendor hired to complete the work, Michael Ghafouri temporarily blocked access to the site with a car causing a delay that added an estimated $1,870 to the project total.

The January 2, 2025, Board of Directors meeting agenda had the following item under New Business – “Establishing a Process for Including Cul-de-Sacs in Road Maintenance and Repairs.” This agenda item was added at the request of Michael Ghafouri. Mr. Ghafouri presented no information as to the potential costs associated with this endeavor, no information as to the potential legal impediments to overcome, no information as to the community desire for such action, and no disclosure regarding the potential benefit that would result to property owners in La Cresta with lot sizes greater than 10 acres – including the properties owned by Ghafouri and Brown.

Ghafouri is currently “censured” by the Board for actions that have not been disclosed to the Association membership. Further, his continuing bad behavior is reflected in his multiple threats to sue his fellow Board member and our Association.

Candidates Brown and Ghafouri do not align with the values that are cherished by the volunteers of LCPOA. They offer no plans to keep our roads safe and our right of ways clear from unchecked weed growth. They do not appear to support the proper maintenance and repairs of our multi-use trails. They have criticized the addition of heli-hydrants and other fire-safety ideas of the current Board majority. They have inaccurately portrayed the actions of the Governing Documents Committee and the Board majority as supporting mobile homes, ADUs and commercial businesses. They have pandered for votes by dangling the prospect that our Association will pay to maintain roads created after the Association was formed, when our CC&Rs clearly state that our road maintenance obligation is limited to the original 26 miles of roadway depicted on the 1969 Association tract maps. In addition, they each are involved with legal actions adverse to our Association!

Finally, both Steve Brown and Michael Ghafouri have publicly criticized the volunteers who keep our community safe and beautiful. The list of committees disparaged by Ghafouri and Brown include the Road Committee, Trails Committee, Architectural Committee, Beautification Committee, Election Security Committee, Proxy Committee, and the Governing Documents Committee.

We, the day-to-day volunteers in La Cresta, respectfully ask you to join us and vote for Roy Paulson and David Boyd to continue the Board majority leadership that has made this community of La Cresta great!

Thank you,

Jeff Wax, Chair, Roads Committee; Fletcher Satterwhite, Member, Roads Committee; Bill Martin, Member, Roads Committee; Mark Clemens, Member, Roads Committee; Steve Marvin, Member, Roads Committee; Bill Lund, Member, Roads Committee; Dan Dellosa, Member, Roads Committee; Mark McLeavy, Member, Roads Committee; Jim Kramer, Member, Roads Committee; Mark Allen, Member, Roads Committee; Roy Paulson, Liaison, Roads Committee; Andy Brunker, Member, Trails Committee; Andrea Thralls, Member, Trails Committee; Susan Margolin, Member, Trails Committee; Susan Hurst, Member, Trails Committee; Andrew Agopian, Member, Trails Committee; Renee Aberle, Member, Trails Committee; Laurie Dellosa, Member, Trails Committee; Anne Gaarenstroom, Member, Trails Committee; Rick DeAndero, Liaison, Trails Committee; Bob Brumleu, Chair, Architectural Committee; Steven Nunez, Member, Architectural Committee; Lance Richmond, Member, Architectural Committee; Rick DeAndero, Liaison, Architectural Committee; Pam Hubbard, Co-Chair, Beautification Committee; Barbara Miller, Co-Chair, Beautification Committee; Andrea Thralls, Member, Beautification Committee; Craig Thralls, Member, Beautification Committee; Chris Porter, Member, Beautification Committee; Gene Miller, Member, Beautification Committee; Teresa Dishno, Member, Beautification Committee; Fletcher Satterwhite, Member, Beautification Committee; Rick DeAndero, Liaison, Neighborhood Committee; Mark McLeavy, Chair, Election Security Committee; Steve Cooper, Member, Election Security Committee; Jeff Wax, Member, Election Security Committee; Fletcher Satterwhite, Member, Election Security Committee; David Boyd, Member, Election Security Committee; Cathy Shickora, Member, Governing Documents Committee; Kim Newton, Member, Governing Documents Committee; David Boyd, Chair, Governing Documents Committee; Craig Thralls, Member, Governing Documents Committee; Roy Paulson, Liaison, Governing Documents Committee; James Kramer, Member, Finance Committee; Paul Gaarenstroom, Liaison, Finance Committee; David Boyd, Chair, Heli-Hydrant Committee; Barbara Miller, Chair, Nominating Committee; Claudia Lysengen, Member, Nominating Committee.