i think there's two debates going on here (feel free to join in either k.o.)
to facilitate the maintenance of common areas, an hoa is both practical and arguably necessary. none of us are proposing homeowners need to water the shrubbery on a hillside themselves. but the role of the hoa should be limited to what is absolutely necessary.
parking enforcement, for example, is NOT necessary. we already pay for those services.
"The Irvine Police Department is responsible for the enforcement of laws related to parking within the city of Irvine."
RV parking on residential streets would clearly qualify for a number of violations. for one, most cities ban parking RVs on the street to begin with. i believe irvine is included in that because they are currently leasing the old runways at el toro for RV parking. even if technically legal to park, blocking visibility is not. also, unless the owner is commuting to work in his RV every day, its likely being parked on the street for days at a time. past 72 hrs the police should be notified to mark the car as abandoned.
<em>it?s the people that make communities, not the governance structure. (i.e. senior living communities and Celebration in Florida).</em>
chicken or the egg -- although an overbearing hoa certainly doesnt help the problem. implement an hoa that unnecessarily controls how residents live their lives, it shouldnt come as a surprise when residents themselves feel entitled to butt into the business of their neighbors. prickly hoa makes prickly neighbors.
the example you gave of celebration FL is the perfect example of hoa gone wild. disney's master planning of the community reached into every facet of life there. not just architectural, landscaping, and parking, but the resale mkt, retail and economic development, and even school curriculum.
essay on celebration controversies
http://www.intbau.org/essay8.htm