The assessment stems from a cluster of major repair and upgrade projects the Homeowners Association (HOA) decided to undertake simultaneously: a full rebuild of the building’s podium — a structure supporting the complex — at a cost of $13 million, plus re-piping the entire property and repairing the elevators, totaling $19 million, according to Wang.
Homeowners in the complex have filed a lawsuit and are working to recall the HOA board.
A nationwide surge in special assessments
Wang’s situation is extreme, but the broader trend is not. According to Vantaca data cited by Forbes, regular HOA monthly assessments have risen 50.5% since 2020 — more than double the rate of inflation — with median special assessments reaching a record $1,100 per unit in 2025.
And according to Yahoo Finance, also citing Vantaca, almost 10% of HOAs levied a special assessment last year, up from 7.8% in 2021.
Ben Currin, CEO of Vantaca, warned that HOAs that have been absorbing rising costs without raising dues are exposing themselves to risk. Associations that continue underfunding their reserves “will see bigger and bigger swings,” he told Yahoo Finance.
California’s particular pressure
California condo owners face compounding pressures that are accelerating the special assessment trend. According to LS Carlson Law’s analysis, two forces are at play: the years of underfunded reserves catching up, plus California’s SB 326 balcony inspection law,
SB 326 set a January 1, 2026 deadline for inspections of exterior elevated elements — like balconies, decks, walkways and load-bearing structural components more than 6 feet above ground — at all condo associations with three or more units. Non-compliant associations face enforcement fines, insurance coverage gaps and potential personal liability for board members.
The result, the analysis notes, is special assessments ranging from $40,000 to $60,000 per unit at some California communities — squarely in line with what Wang is facing in Torrance.
The legal landscape and its gaps
Attorney Michael Kushner, managing partner at MBK Chapman and an HOA law specialist, told ABC7 that he’s seeing a significant rise in special assessments.
