Southern California residents say HOA made them take down American flags

WASHINGTON (TNND) — Residents in a neighborhood in Southern California said that their homeowners association has threatened to fine them if they don’t take down the American flags displayed outside their homes.

Amy and Chris Cooke and their neighbor Terri Collins live in San Marcos, which is located in San Diego County.

They said that they could potentially face a $100 fine if they keep the flags displayed outside their homes, according to the Daily Wire.

“I’m not taking my flag down,” Collins said. “They can fine me, $100, $200, $1,000, I’m not paying it.”

Collins said that the neighborhood is very patriotic because it is located close to the former Miramar Navy Air Station.

She said that “all the Top Gun pilots lived here.”

The neighbors said that ever since President Donald Trump won the 2024 election, the HOA has enforced the rule about flags.

“Once the members allow use of a common property by an owner to express what is essentially a political or affiliative view in a flag, other owners will want to do the same and the common area will degrade,” a letter from the HOA reads.

Homeowners were told that flags displayed in “exclusive use” areas like backyards.

An HOA attorney told the Daily Wire HOAs “count on the fact that homeowners don’t know better and might be scared.”

“I would tell these people to stand firm and under no circumstances should they remove that flag,” he told the outlet.