BJ Fogg, Homeowner in River's Bend since 2001

Researcher at Stanford’s School of Medicine

bj@riversbend.us

I want to hear from you

I'm running for our HOA Board because I want to solve three specific problems. I explained a little about each in my candidate statement, so I won’t repeat those points here.

The main thing →  I want to hear from you. 

What questions do you have for me? What concerns? In your view, what are the biggest challenges in our HOA? 

Let's talk.

Join me for a virtual chat

I've scheduled four times before the election when you and I can talk - like a town hall on Zoom.

Come with questions. Come with concerns. Come just to listen. I welcome everyone, whether you're considering voting for me or not.

I will answer with respect, transparency, and facts.

You can sign up for one or more of the chats:

Do you want updates?

If you want me to update you when I add more to this website, please email me to let me know:  bj@riversbend.us

The noisy plastic ball is a problem

My candidate statement highlights the pickleball noise problem and the quiet ball solution. 

Back in the summer of 2022, I did a lot of research on how pickleball affected neighborhoods. (Note: I’m a researcher; I’m guided by data and evidence.)  

Summary: The noisy ball created big problems in many communities. It had caused some HOAs to go into chaos. What I learned worried me, of course.

I phoned a former HOA president who faced this problem in his community, and we talked for an hour. His advice was clear: Pickleball noise can tear a community apart. Do everything you can to avoid this problem.

Way back in 2022, I shared my research with the Board members and with key sport court stakeholders. (Important note: Two of those people would become new Board members in 2023.) If you want me to share my early research with you, please let me know.

Our HOA attorney never saw my research. However, if you read her official letter (emailed to all Homeowners on October 14, 2022), you’ll see her clear recommendations for our HOA. 

This video on YouTube compares the plastic ball to the quiet ball:

I tried to prevent the pickleball problem

I took many steps in 2022 in the hopes that pickleball noise would not be a problem in our HOA. From a legal perspective, I’m not yet sure what I can share here. But I’m pretty sure I can share this simple fact:

I bought pickleball equipment for our HOA, and I put it in the sport court gear box in November of 2022. The gear I bought included a set of quiet balls. 

Here is a photo of the gear. 

Later, in 2023, there was a time I saw people using the quiet ball for pickleball. Inside our home, there was no noise. No nuisance. What a relief! And for a moment, I had hope. 

I walked out to the sport court and I thanked the two people for using the quiet ball. They said something like this (not an exact quote): “Of course. This is what everyone should be doing. Even though we live a few blocks away, when we’re in our backyards we can hear the noisy pickleball sound.” 

How do my husband and I feel?

Please know that my husband and I really want River’s Bend to be a wonderful neighborhood.

We felt so frustrated -- and so sad -- the day we left River’s Bend. Of course, we did not want to leave, but we could not endure the pickleball noise inside our home any longer. At that time, we knew we could not return until the noise problem got resolved. 

My husband and I had lived near the sport court for over 20 years. We never had big problems with any of the activities going on there until noisy pickleball began in 2023. 

Taking legal action was not a step we wanted to take. In fact, my husband and I have never done anything like this before. However, after the Board showed no response, and after our lives were upended, we felt there wasn’t another path forward.

More evidence coming 

I have extensive documentation about the pickleball problem. However, from a legal perspective, I am not yet sure what I can share on this website. (I will find out.)

I realize you may not care about any of the stuff above. Instead, you may want to know what I will do to make your life better at River’s Bend.

Well . . . that’s okay. I still invite you to share your thoughts with me. If I become an HOA Board Member, I will do my best to be responsive to what Homeowners need.

For any matter related to our HOA, you can email me at bj@riversbend.us

To current and future Board Members —

Let’s work together to resolve this pickleball problem.

About this new website

Right now, this website is for you and me to connect and share information before the election on December 18, 2025.

After the election, whether I’m elected or not, I may use this site to provide updates about the most important issues facing our HOA. 

We are not the only community with a pickleball noise problem. See the photos below. In some situations, the quiet ball is required. In other areas, they have prohibited pickleball entirely, sometimes in response to a court order.