Michael Cardenas Ordered By HOA To Take Down Christmas Lights

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/california/holiday-light-rules-inland-empire-residents-234342541.html

A man in La Jolla, Calif., is accusing his homeowners association of being Scrooges, Grinches and other holiday pejoratives after being ordered to remove his Christmas decorations from the outside of his luxury condo.

Michael Cardenas said his HOA forced him to remove lights and other holiday decorations from his outside patio because they are considered to be a modification to his home.

If he doesn't, he faces a $100-a-day fine, according to NBC San Diego.

“This is what we are disagreeing about. The lights here, in this patio, and these two right here,” Cardenas told the station. “This is what they considered potentially offensive? This is what we are talking about."

Managers for the HOA were unavailable for comment, but this isn't Cardenas' first battle over holiday decorations with his HOA.

In October, the association demanded he take down Halloween decorations, including a gory severed head hung upside down from his porch light, a scary clown, a witch and a rubber Medusa with a motion sensor, according to 10News.com.

At the time, the HOA Board of Directors sent him a letter mandating that no holiday decorations be displayed in common areas, but the condo's rules and regulations did not mention any such edict.

Not everyone is prevented from decorating for the holidays.

For the second year in a row, Sarah Childs has placed holiday lights on the rooftop of her home in Denham Springs, La., in the unmistakeable shape of a hand flipping the bird.