Our Mission

We are dedicated to improving the quality of life in our community by promoting a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment for all residents. Our goal is to foster a strong sense of unity and enhance the value of our homes.

We are committed to protecting the community through proper insurance coverage and by safeguarding it from liabilities. We want future generations to love Bell Canyon as much as we do, and we are focused on making continual improvements within our community.

We are working tirelessly to rebuild the HOA funds and to repair essential parts of Bell Canyon, including the community center and our private roads.

HOA Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors is comprised of dedicated volunteers who are committed to serving the best interests of our community. They work tirelessly to ensure that our neighborhood remains a great place to live.

Over the past year, the HOA Board has truly shown their love for this community. They stepped in during one of the most difficult times in Bell Canyon’s history — facing $11 million in debt, a neglected community center that was no longer able to host events or generate rental revenue, and roads that had gone without proper maintenance.

Despite these challenges, the Board remained committed to transparency and initiated a full financial audit — and they delivered. Their efforts have laid the groundwork for real recovery.

Thank you, HOA, for the love and support you have shown to Bell Canyon. You are rebuilding the foundation for generations to come.

Community Events

We host a variety of events throughout the year, including holiday parties, movie nights, the famous Halloween event, and so much more. These gatherings provide opportunities for neighbors to connect and build lasting friendships. Now that the CSD Board is on the up and up and the HOA is aligned, we’re excited to bring even more events and programs to the community.

Soon after the community center is fully repaired, we’ll be launching new initiatives to enhance life in the Canyon. One generous resident has offered to donate computer rentals, opening the door to exciting new programs. For example, we plan to offer classes for kids on video editing and other digital skills. With the incredible network of creative professionals living within our gates, we’re looking forward to uniting the community through innovative and inspiring tech-based programs.

Letters From Home owners

Reflections

We have been residents of Bell Canyon for 44 years. Most of that time the Canyon was a great place to live and be part of a community. Our children grew up here and were blessed to "grow up without sidewalks" amidst wilderness and hiking trails.
Most of our time here we had a very quiet, no drama, HOA that took care of the essential business of the community. We were sound financially with adequate financial reserves and we had boards that were committed to the general welfare.
The previous administration has completely changed the atmosphere and the tone of the Canyon. Significant damage has occurred both financially and spiritually. The discord between the different factions reminds me of the national politics. We have lost the sense of community which has always made this a very special place.
My feeling is that our current HOA board, a core of members elected and/or appointed following the recall of less than two years ago, is on the right track to bring back the closeness that used to be our strength. We have our share of challenges, both internal and external, and the initial actions of the current board seem to be moving forward in a positive direction while trying to remedy what we can of the past. They have only held office for 1 and 1/2 years and have accomplished quite a lot by arranging for payment of our debts without a large property assessment, repairing the community center roof, arranging for a professional management service to run our business affairs, resolving 12 previous law suits, arranging for a difficult sale of a property that we owned, initiating legal actions designed to recover some of our losses, planning several successful and much needed social events, collaborating on a financial audit, and many other items that I have no knowledge of. All of this was accomplished under the duress of a very vocal and destructive opposition.
This is quite remarkable from a group of part time volunteers.
My vote is to keep the current board as they have demonstrated that they have our best inerests in their sights.

Sincerely,
Robert Solow

Richard Rubenstein

I have been a resident of Bell Canyon for 43 years. I have noted many directors and boards and the peaceful transfer of power and general respect for those choosing to volunteer to better our community.

It was not until Eric Wolf and his cohort of enablers that I witnessed an unprecedented level of divisiveness, discord, and a lack of fiduciary responsibility.

After the majority of Bell Canyon residents recognized the self-serving and financially unethical practices of Eric Wolf and his colleagues, we chose to recall the board. We elected new members to the board who genuinely had the community’s best interest at heart and moved forward with rebuilding the community.

Now, once again Eric Wolf and his current proxies are dividing this once cohesive community by telling half truths. blatant lies and “alternative facts” to confuse people and hide their own misdeeds. The idea of a politically motivated recall when so much progress is being made is illogical. Make no mistake, those behind the current recall are fully aligned with the “Wolf Pack” and are trying to get power back. If they succeed, their primary focus will be to prevent holding those accountable responsible for past misdeeds.

If we have disagreements with the present BOD, there are regularly scheduled elections to make our feelings known. Until then, the only logical path forward is to allow the current board to complete the work they were elected to do and vote NO on this preposterous recall attempt.

Ron Marks

Dear neighbors,

My wife Leah and I have loved Bell Canyon since the first time we saw it and have now lived here for almost forty years. During this period we joined various committees, including the Emergency Preparedness. We also joined the Garden Club and the Dinner Club. Through their activities, we had the pleasure of getting to know many of our neighbors. It was a very delightful time.

When an opportunity to lease an office in the Community Center presented itself, I took it.As a result of my proximity to the HOA office, I became acquainted with the manager and staff of the HOA and learned about how our HOA functioned. We also got to know each other.

Within a year or so I was asked if I would consider running for the position of Board Director. Because of my love for this community I agreed to do that and won. By the time I retired from the board, I had served for nine years.

During my time of service, I had coordinated the structural repair of the barns at the Equestrian Center. I also served as liaison to and then became a member of theArchitectural Committee and ended up as its Chair. As a result of serving I had the opportunity to meet many Bell Canyon residents.

Since I have lived in Bell Canyon many boards have come and gone. Some were better than others but in my opinion none had managed to come close to damaging the spirit and financial status of our beloved community as much as the previous board did. I had a front row seat to seeing the damage this board did. They went after and fired almost anyone who did not agree with them as to how the association should be managed. That included our long serving general manager and the Architectural Committee. This led to the law suits that were so financially disastrous for our community.

After a long hard effort the leaders of the old board were removed and a new transparent board has taken their place. This board has worked hard to rectify the damage done by the previous board, and succeeded in greatly minimizing the cost of the damage they had caused to the community. Had they not your HOA fees would have likely been much higher.

Now we have a group of people being led by those who were responsible for thedisastrous financial damage we have suffered, attempting to recall the current board whichis responsible for minimizing the damage and preventing new financial damage.

I personally know many of the current, as well as the past, board members, and it’s my opinion that the members of the current board are honest, qualified and hard working people that know how to run the board to the best benefit of us Home Owners. I thereforestrongly recommend that the current board NOT be recalled.

Do not be fooled, do not re-elect the same leaders that are responsible for the financial hole we found ourselves in. A leopard does not change its spots.

Dear Neighbors,
I want to introduce myself. My name is Mike Klein, and I am the co-president of the HOA board and the legal liaison. I want to share my thoughts. I am writing to you personally as a community member and as a homeowner who has lived in Bell Canyon for many years. The Recall Candidates sent a letter to the community stating, "No more lawsuits" We can all agree we do not want lawsuits, but then you have to ask yourself why they commented when they never said anything about this before?

Eric Wolf and Lisa Riccomini strongly support this group of candidates. Eric and Lisa, ex-board members, are the ones who oversaw all the multi-million-dollar lawsuits. I found the Candidate's letter calling for an end to lawsuits inconsistent with Eric and Lisa's years of suits. Worse, these candidates said nothing during these board members' years of getting Bell Canyon into its legal quagmire. Why didn't these candidates petition for a recall then, or even proclaim "no more lawsuits" when their key supporters ran the board? Their friends left the current board with 12 lawsuits?

Futher, the new board eliminated all 12 lawsuits during their first year. It wasn't easy, but hard work, creativity, and skilled negotiations by competent board members made it happen. Also, our community has had no new costly lawsuits since we have been on the board.

We have filed lawsuits against Eric Wolf and the two lawyers to recoup your money. Are the recall candidates trying to help their friends against the financial clawback that could return money to the community? That's what I suspect. Are these candidates all hypocrites? Are they so committed to their buddies to get them out of an 8.6 million dollar jam? Why don't they all take up a collection rather than stick it to our community? Why would two law firms take this case on contingency if there is nothing there? We have been taken advantage of, and one day this will go down in the annals of HOA history as to what not to do on a HOA board.

We released the forensic accounting audit to the community, which is pretty shocking. If these candidates get elected, they will likely cancel the suits, thus eliminating the community's opportunity to claw back fuds, costing each homeowner thousands.

But do they even care? Has the Wolfpack ever cared about this community? Save me their preaching from on high when these recall candidates sat back when our community was virtually pillaged of all of our money. This recall is a scam.

If they prevailed, we would open a Pandora's Box with Irreparable harm. It could harm our community for years to come. It could trigger Recalls every 2 months. Based on Judge Walsh, the previous board "breached their fiduciary duty, and did not act in good faith." That ruling became the call to action to recall the board led by Eric and Lisa. Since then, as displayed in the forensic audit, additional corruption has been identified. It must be clear that anything specific past board members are associated with requires a deeper look, and their association with these Recall candidates is unsettling.

These Recall candidates are running on the guise of saving the fire department.

We appreciate the volunteers but NOT their leadership. Their leadership has taken our community's name and has put us all in financial jeopardy. Volunteers should be allowed to volunteer without being under the thumb of Eric Wolf and the other tainted players. The Ventura County Battalion Chief and other certified firefighter leaders explained last week that they are not a fire department and they are not recognized. Why does the "leadership" of the fire department have to have donations of over $500,000 from our community? Troubling.

I find the recall of the Candidate's association with Eric Wolf, Lisa Riccomini, and Richard Levy a problem. I believe they are not independent. Some led the BCA, CSD, and now two not-for-profit organisations. In each case, bad decisions were made, increasing legal fees were incurred, and community division and chaos followed.

From now on, we genuinely need independent people who will not feel their "friends" are more important than the community. We must demand that letters that have gone out to the community are no longer littered with lies. Most Bell Canyon residents elected "the new board" for a Fresh Start, and got it.

We have accomplished enormous goals to date. We made promises and kept them. With constant misinformation and letters intended to distract and discredit, the recall group has tried to make our daily efforts to improve the community for you as hard as possible. It's been nonstop, but as you can see, with your help, we will continue to make great strides regardless of their noise.

Our goal is for Bell Canyon to be the amazing community it once was. I have no doubt we will accomplish that goal and much more. Vote NO on the recall.

Thank you for listening, and thank you for being such great Neighbors.

If you have any questions

Please feel free to call.

Mike Klein 818 203-4888

Bell Canyon Community Members

Doing things right and doing the right thing is a difficult task when part of a diverse community. Finding community members willing to try to build consensus and willing to commit time and effort to the task is challenging. Fortunately, we have had 9 individuals that have been up to the task. Not agreeing with everything but willing to find solutions to significant issues we had been facing.

In as little as five years ago------

Who would have expected we would have been involved in major ligation involving millions of dollars and be searching for the best way to pay the costs.

Who would have expected staff turnover and board members to be called on to perform hundreds of hours of staff work.

Who would have expected payroll would be an issue when we had reserves of over $5,000,000.

The 9 directors did deal with those unexpected events and more.

In other words the current Board has still managed to settle the outstanding suits, stabilize the community center with the new roof and begin road repairs.

Do we agree with the solutions or direction? Certainly not on all but supporting the individuals willing to take it on is a YES without question.

Our by-laws provide for changing our board when there are significant differences between the community direction and board actions. Each year 3 of the 9 are up for reelection allowing continuity and/or change.

Recalls are disruptive and divisive preventing normalcy within our community.

As to several major issues of disconnect such as the volunteer efforts to provide woodland fire emergency response vs. the concerns of many regarding very real potential ligation arising from such action.

Maybe too much risk for the Board, in their fiduciary responsibilities --- but is it too much for the community?

Let’s vote NO on the recall and bring the “risk” to the community for consensus, and keep us moving forward.

Just sayin,

Peter Machuga

A Message to the Bell Canyon Community: The Truth Must Be Told

While I understand Andy Vorzimer’s request not to be tagged in posts, I believe it’s important to address the serious consequences of his recent actions. Andy attempted to post links directing people to Bell Canyon Strong—a Facebook page connected to individuals who inflicted lasting damage on our community—people who divided us during our most vulnerable moments.Andy claims he has never seen proof of wrongdoing. But he was active on Facebook when Eric and Lisa illegally halted the construction project I was managing for my widowed mother. The emotional, financial, and physical toll I endured for over a year is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone. I even posted a video of the Architectural Committee meeting where it was made crystal clear: Eric and Lisa had no reasonable justification for their actions.Let’s not forget the facts:

HOA computer files were erased.
Sensitive information was stolen.
Shelby L—a respected, figure who never once criticized Eric or Lisa online—was removed from Bell Canyon Strong immediately after being elected to the CSD. Why? What are they trying to hide? This was a respected figure removed not for his words, but for what?

When I asked Andy for a recorded interview—with myself and Consumer Watchdog—to promote transparency, he declined, citing family hardship. I genuinely empathize. Andy nearly lost his home in the fires, and I understand what it means to carry that kind of trauma forward. I lost my own home as a child—not to fire, but in a way that changed my life forever. That kind of loss shapes who you become.But even amid personal hardship, Andy found time to write letters attacking the HOA board and directing people toward Bell Canyon Strong.What’s happening here is not just political—it’s deeply personal for many of us. Some are using past trauma, including wildfires, to manipulate this community and regain influence, ignoring the staggering $11 million debt we still carry.I was nearly sued for building a guest home for my mother, but I stood my ground. I caught them red-handed. After a full year, I finally got a hearing with the AC—and it validated everything. Not one reasonable restriction was found on my build.Let’s also talk about the Reingold lawsuit. What Eric doesn’t tell people is that he sued them. He halted construction on their home—just as he did with mine. He even stopped my geo-soils truck at the gate. I had to call the police. He threatened the company, saying they’d be blacklisted from Bell Canyon if they came to my property.This pattern of abuse runs deep. Board members were framed for crimes. Homeowners were handcuffed and accused based on baseless, fabricated charges—all to protect former board members. This is corruption, plain and simple.Yet some still ignore these behaviors—just to protect the BCVFD, hoping it will be there in the next fire. But safety doesn’t come from denial. It comes from preparation and integrity.We should be focused on rebuilding our CERT program, which is officially recommended by the Ventura County Fire Department. CERT can offer the same critical services—without the politics, grant misuse, or the growing liability risks tied to current BCVFD leadership.This issue goes far beyond a few individuals. It’s a network operating in the shadows, exploiting fear and goodwill. They even rebranded their Facebook page—from Bell Canyon Connections to Bell Canyon Strong—to capitalize on the emotional weight of wildfires and residents’ love for their homes.We’re launching a comprehensive website soon—full of documentation and evidence, including:

Details on the clawback lawsuit
Information about the corruption that has occurred throughout this community—including abuse of power, misuse of HOA authority, and coordinated efforts to silence, discredit, and punish those who spoke up for fairness and transparency
Instances of financial abuse
Disturbing pet-related incidents that left many afraid to board horses or let their animals outside

This isn’t about personal attacks or name-calling. It’s about restoring trust and rebuilding community. Let’s move forward—together—with facts, not fear. Vote NO
Stand for CERT
Reclaim our strengthTrue resilience lies in rebuilding—not repeating the past.
Let’s continue rebuilding—with honesty, unity, and a shared commitment to a stronger, safer Bell Canyon for everyone.

Mathew Perelman 101 Buckskin

ADU Laws

Our Mission

HOA Board of Directors

Community Events

Letters From Home owners

A Message to the Bell Canyon Community: The Truth Must Be Told

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