Contrary to what the title of the Act suggests, the bill was authored/drafted by University of San Diego School of Law Professor Katharine N. Rosenberry while she served as a Senior Consultant to the California Assembly Select Committee on Common Interest Developments.
Assemblymen Lawrence W. "Larry" Stirling and Gray Davis added their names as authors prior to the bill being passed/enacted by the California State Legislature in September 1985.
As recognized by the Supreme Court of California, the Declaration of CC&Rs is the constitution of the HOA and is legally binding upon residents to the extent that it does not conflict with state or federal law.
As a 'mini-government,' the association provides to its members, in almost every case, utility services, road maintenance, street and common area lighting, and refuse removal.
In short, homeowners associations, via their enforcement of the CC&R's, provide many beneficial and desirable services that permit a common interest development to flourish.
These are used for functions like paying for security guards (including, for gated communities, the operation of a gatehouse) and maintaining common areas like corridors, walkways, parking, landscaping, swimming pools, fitness centers, tennis courts, and so on.
California developers traditionally focused solely on building and selling single-family detached homes as fast as possible to make a quick buck.
This made local governments increasingly reluctant to approve new residential developments, since they were now uncertain about their ability to provide adequate public services to new residents based on current and future projected revenues.
The reorganization was intended to make the law easier to understand by implementing standardized language, more logical grouping of subjects, and shorter Civil Code sections.