Ralston Management
41800 Enterprise Circle South, Suite F
Temecula CA 92590, Tel 951-296-9030
Member requests for any action must be a written request sent to Ralston Management. To receive the Newsletter by Email contact Ralston Management.
YOUR HOA
HOA Members Volunteer
HOA Board and Committees Members volunteer their time. Some of our association members have the misconception that by paying dues they are paying the salaries of these volunteers. When an association member asks the Board or Committee member a question or has a problem they try to get back to them with the answer ASAP but, unless it is an emergency, this does not always happen. You have to remember that these people have obligations and commitments to family, work, friends, etc. just as you do. If they don’t get back to you right away, you can give them a little nudge, I mean reminder by calling them again.
Some of the Board and Committees Members give 20, 30, or more hours a week working on HOA business. They are saving our association money, otherwise this work would have to be done by the management company, and attorney or others who the HOA would have to pay. If you can help as a volunteer please contact a board member. This help may not be more then, depending on your expertise, reviewing documents and/or advising our committee members, but it would help lots.
The HOA has a Chairman for the Committee to help
the BOD deal with environmental issues
Environmental Liaison Committee which coordinates HOA activities to be in concert with governmental and environmental agencies now has a Chairman. The committee works with the CEAM and ARC with landscaping, erosion control, water runoff, grading and natural habitat preservation and protection by identifying current and potential threats to our environment. If you have experience with environmental policies and or agencies and would like to assist the committee please call Ralston Management.
Common Interest Developments
Reducing Reserve Contributions
QUESTION: Due to the current economic situation, associations are not collecting adequate assessments to cover their operating expenses. To cover the expenses, it would seem prudent to fund reserves at a less amount or fund at zero percent until the association becomes solvent. Is it possible to reduce or eliminate reserve allocations? If so, is it possible to make the change mid- year?
ANSWER: Yes to all three questions: (i) in the current economic climate it is prudent to reduce expenses wherever possible; (ii) associations can reduce reserve allocations; and (iii) reductions can be done mid-year. Notice of the changed reserve funding plan must be given to the membership. Also, keep in mind that large-ticket reserve components will still need repair/replacement and if reserve monies are not available, special assessments will result.
Litigation Special Assessment
QUESTION: Is it legal for a member of the board to use association money to defend himself in a legal case which was initiated by an association member? It does not seem right that a board member can use the members' money to defend himself--all the other members may be penalized by a special assessment because of it.
ANSWER: Yes, it's legal for the association to fund the defense of a director who has been sued for his actions as a director. Most governing documents require that associations defend their directors. It is also provided for in Corporations Code §7237. Too many litigious members forget that when they sue their associations, the entire membership may suffer as a result.
Does Lawsuit Require Resignation?
QUESTION: Our president is named as a defendant in a suit by a homeowner for breach of fiduciary duty. Should the president resign temporarily as a matter of ethical conduct until the suit is settled? Should he excuse himself from all voting or what, if anything, is required in the law under such circumstances?
ANSWER: There is a presumption of innocence in the American legal system. Being sued by an owner does not disqualify a director from serving on the board. More often than not, such lawsuits have no merit and are filed for the sole purpose of harassing a director. Allowing questionable litigation to force directors off the board would only encourage more lawsuits.
Info for Members
Prevent Drownings
As more property owners in our HOA build homes, some also put in swimming pools for their, and their children’s, enjoyment. Summertime is a happy time for children and when the heat rises, so does time spent near pools and other sources of water.
Water can be dangerous. For every child that drowns, there can be
as many as four non-fatal submersions serious enough to require
hospitalization.
Did you know that 300 children under the age of 5 drown each year in
neighborhood swimming pools and, at the time of the incidents, most
victims were being supervised by one or both parents? Nearly 70 percent
of the children were not expected to be near the pool when they were
found in the water.
It takes only a few minutes for a child to drown. More than three-quarters of children who drown at neighborhood pools are missing from sight for less than five minutes. Drowning is also a silent death. There is no splashing to alert anyone that the child is in trouble.
What can be done to prevent drowning?
The key to preventing these tragedies is to have multiple levels of protection. The following precautions can help keep children safer around swimming pools:
Fence it in. Pools should be completely surrounded by fencing material at least 4 feet tall. Chain link works well. A slatted fence should have no gaps wider than 4 inches, so kids can't squeeze through. Gates should be self-closing and self-latching. The latch should be out of a child's reach.
Install alarms. If your house is one of the walls of your pool enclosure, doors leading to the pool area should be protected with alarms. In addition, add an underwater pool alarm that sounds when something hits the water. Make sure you can hear the alarm inside the house.
Teach children to swim. But remember that swimming lessons won't drown-proof your child.
Remove toys. Don't leave pool toys bobbing in the water when no one is using the pool. Children may try to retrieve a toy and fall in.
Keep your eyes peeled. Never leave a child unsupervised near a pool. During social gatherings near pools, adults can take turns being the "designated watcher”. Parents should avoid alcohol consumption during pool gatherings.
Emergency Preparedness
During an earthquake, stay out of the kitchen, garage, and other
rooms with shelves, cabinets, and objects that may fall. Hallways
are often the least cluttered and are, therefore, the safest places to
seek shelter. We have more information on what to do in an earthquake.
Make your home and community fire safe. Visit the California Fire Safe Council for information on how to prevent fires and safeguard your family.
Keep your home clear of brush. Clearing brush from around your home can protect it from a fire.
When Disaster Strikes
Knowing what to do ahead of time can help make an emergency more manageable. Here are some basic tips to keep in mind: In Case of Emergency - Are You Prepared?
Be Prepared: You never know when a disaster (Earthquake, Fire, Floods) might strike, so SCE encourages you to be prepared – it’s the best way to keep you and your family safe.
Know your neighborhood. Your local emergency management office or American Red Cross chapter can advise you on the disasters most commonly found in your region. Review Ten Steps to Safety for more ways to prepare for an emergency.
Know your home. Make sure your family knows what to do in an earthquake, fire, or power outage. Create Your Family Emergency Plan and print SCE's Sample Family Emergency Plan to post in a visible place in your home.
Don't be caught empty-handed. Make sure you have the right food, water, clothing, and tools for a temporary evacuation of your home or another emergency situation. This Three Day Emergency Supply Checklist will help you prepare.
Plan ahead for family members with special needs. If you have family members with disabilities or special needs, make sure their needs will be taken care of in an emergency. Visit Preparing to Meet Special Needs for more information.
After a disaster:
Check for damage and make your home safe. Use flashlights -- do not light matches or candles. Do not turn on electrical switches if you suspect your electrical system is damaged. Check for fires and fire hazards. Check for gas leaks, beginning with the water heater. If you smell gas or suspect a leak, turn off the main gas valve, open the windows, and get everyone outside quickly. Shut off any other damaged utilities. Clean up spilled medicine, bleach, gasoline and other flammable liquids immediately. Electrical fires cannot be extinguished with water. Know how to identify and handle an electrical fire. Disasters may affect electrical lines and cause an outage. For more information visit power outages.
If emergency officials ask you to evacuate, do so immediately. Bring a battery-powered radio and emergency supplies. Review SCE's evacuation tips for more information.
E-mail Fraud/Phishing
A rapidly growing form of Internet fraud is a practice known as phishing. Phishing refers to when perpetrators send fraudulent e-mail messages requesting confidential information. The information then allows the perpetrator to gain access to the victim's accounts and steal the victim's identity.
Protecting Yourself
If you receive an unsolicited e-mail requesting personal information and it appears to be from a source not known to you, do not respond.
Keep this in mind: Practice good security habits:
- Change your password regularly.
- Sign off the web site once you have completed a secure online session.
- When your computer is not in use, shut it down or disconnect it from the Internet.
- Only provide your ID and password when your browser indicates an encrypted connection. An encrypted connection is normally indicated by an https:// in your browser's address bar in front of the address of the page you are viewing.
Reporting Fraudulent Activity
If you believe you are a victim of phishing:
- Change your password.
- Contact credit reporting services and have a fraud alert attached to your credit report file.
- Monitor the activity in your account for a period of time.
- Notify appropriate law enforcement agencies. Report all suspicious contacts to the Federal Trade Commission through the Internet, or by calling 1-877-IDTHEFT.
New fire rules decree 100 feet be weed-free. March 2007
By KIMBERLY TRONE The Press-Enterprise
Fire officials say they hope to begin visually inspecting properties in fire-prone Riverside County next week to determine which owners must comply with new weed- and brush-abatement regulations adopted Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors.
County Fire Chief John Hawkins said the new regulations eliminate an outdated requirement to entirely clear unimproved parcels less than 5 acres and till larger undeveloped parcels in a crosshatch pattern.
Hawkins said too much clearing has adversely affected the environment and been too costly for taxpayers who pay the tab for owners who don't clear their land of fire hazards.
The new rules require at least 100 feet or more of clearance between unimproved property and homes or roads where inspectors determine lives or property could be imperiled by a fast-moving fire, Hawkins said. They also give inspectors greater discretion over what steps property owners must take to maintain a fire-defensible space. In some cases that means more clearing might be required, he said.
"We feel this practically addresses life safety," Hawkins said.
Environmental groups, this week, protested the regulations, saying the county failed to sufficiently analyze their impacts on wildlife and critical habitat.
Jonathan Evans, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, which has an office in Joshua Tree, said the regulations could result in thousands of acres being cleared countywide and possibly conflict with the county's habitat-conservation plan.
"Our concern is this was rushed through," Evans said.
Dan Silver, executive director of the Endangered Habitats League, filed a letter with the board calling the new regulations a "major improvement over the existing ones."
"The new rules were not adequately reviewed by the public and fire-prevention experts, and need more work," Silver said.
"We also reiterate our call to end the land-use policies which continue to place people and property at risk in high-fire hazard zones and which burden the taxpayer with the costs," Silver said.
Land-use policies and brush-abatement regulations have come under greater scrutiny in Riverside County since the Esperanza Fire near Cabazon claimed the lives of five U.S. Forest Service firefighters in October. Raymond Lee Oyler, of Beaumont, has been charged with starting the blaze and with five counts of murder. He has pleaded not guilty.
Karin Watts-Bazan, deputy counsel for Riverside County, said the new brush-abatement regulations are exempt from the state's environmental-review process because the changes will not have an adverse effect on the environment.
Watts-Bazan said property owners would only be responsible for their parcel.
"For example, if a home were 30 feet from its property line, the homeowner would be responsible for clearing up to the line. The owner of an adjacent unimproved lot would be required to clear 70 feet from his or her property line to maintain a 100-foot clearance from the neighbor's house," Watts-Bazan said.
Fire Chief Hawkins said the new rules could prevent fires like the one in the Anaheim Hills in Orange County on Sunday when a car fire ignited brush along a road. As recently as Sunday, a wildfire consumed more than 1,000 acres west of Lake Mathews, one of about 4,000 fires that Hawkins said will burn in Riverside County this year.
"Our fire season has become Jan.1 to Dec. 31," Hawkins said.
Hawkins has asked state officials to declare an early fire season to get more resources sent to protect the tinder-dry region. Hawkins said Tuesday, he was still awaiting the response.
Hawkins said notices about the changes likely will be mailed to property owners in April. Hillsides would be exempted to protect against erosion.
Specter of water rationing emerges for Inland providers
Climatologists say it will take a very wet year or several average years in a row to bring California back to even. Southern California's largest water wholesaler, the Metropolitan Water District, is considering limited deliveries to retail suppliers and charging a great deal more for those who use more than their allotted share, spokesman Bob Muir said.
EMWD Starts Water Budget Tier Rates in March 2009
Your Total Water Budget is based on indoor and outdoor water budgets. Check your water bill for specifics on your property. Budgets may be customized to your specific household size or irrigated area through EMWD's variance process. If you are planning to landscape your property or the county is requiring you to plant because of grading or both, you should file a variance. Download Variance Request form (Solicitud de Varianza) from EMWD web site http://www.emwd.org/ You can also get more information on water rates by going to the web site.
There are four budget tiers for water use.*
Tier 1: Indoor Use: $1.301/billing unit
This tier covers indoor water use and is based on the number of residents in the household. The default single family residential household budget is based on 3 residents, each using 60 gallons of water per day; multifamily residential is 2 residents per unit, each using 60 gallons of water per day.
- Single Family Residential: 7 billing units (for 30-day billing period)
One billing unit is 748 gallons of water.
Tier 2: Outdoor Use: $2.381/billing unit
Number of billing units will vary depending on ET (weather) data and irrigated area size.
Tier 3: Excessive Use: $4.267/billing unit
Number of billing units is calculated by adding indoor budget billing units to outdoor budget billing units and dividing by two.
Tier 4: Wasteful Use: $7.805/billing unit
All billing units in excess of Tier 3 use.
