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
BOD meetings
RGO HOA Board meetings are held on the 1st Monday of every month. Agendas are posted at Ralston Management and on the HOA web site (www.ranchoglenoaks.com) 5 days before the monthly/annual meetings. Contact Ralston Management for a copy of the BOD meeting agenda, time and the location of the BOD meeting.
Making Minutes Available
Minutes of board meetings must be made available to the membership within 30 days. Members can request, in writing, minutes to be mailed or Emailed to them from Ralston Management.
RGO HOA Annual Meeting
The annual meeting was held on August 10, 2008 at Ralston Management with about 20 HOA members attending. Presentations were given on the Davis-Stirling Act, the Five Year Plan, the Reserve Funding Plan and the Notice to Increase Dues followed by a Q&A session. The Inspector of Elections made a final call for election ballots and then closed the polls. There were not enough ballots to constitute a quorum so the ballots could not be counted. A BOD meeting was set for August 18th, 2008 for the counting of ballots.
BOD Election Results
The BOD meeting was held on the 18th for the counting of the ballots. There was a quorum and the votes were counted by the Inspector of Elections and three volunteers. The results were Joe Kenitzer (President), Kevin McDaniel (Vice President), Chonie Wlaschin (Secretary), Ethelene Owen (Treasurer), and Robin Seal, (Member at Large). Congratulation to all the newly elected Board Members.
Updating HOA Members' Information
The “Member at Large” will have volunteers calling HOA members to validate/update their phone numbers, postal and Email address. It is the responsibility of every member to keep the HOA informed of any changes.
Summary of New Laws
DAVIS-STIRLING COMMON INTEREST DEVELOPMENT ACT 2007 LAWS
Posting Agendas. (Senate Bill 528). Notice of board meetings must now contain an agenda for the meeting. Boards may only discuss and take action on items on the agenda.
Dog Bites. (Assembly Bill 670). A person who has an animal that bites another person must, within 48 hours, provide the bitten person with their name, address, telephone number and the name and license tag number of the animal, and the status of the animal's vaccinations.
Reserve Funding. Starting January 1, associations are required to make the following reserve disclosures:
Deficiencies. Disclose any deficiencies in the reserves on a per unit basis.
Deferrals. Disclose whether the board plans to defer repairs or replacement of any major component, including a justification for the deferral.
Loans. Disclose whether the association has any outstanding loans with an original term of more than one year, including the payee, interest rate, amount outstanding, annual payment, and when the loan is scheduled to be retired.
Funding Plan. Prepare and distribute a funding plan that indicates how the board plans to fund the annual contribution to meet the association's obligation for the repair and replacement of all common area components. The reserve funding plan must be adopted in an open meeting. Beginning January 1, 2009, boards must distribute their reserve funding plan to all members along with the association's annual operating budget, not less than 30 nor more than 90 days before the start of the association's fiscal year.
Assessments. If the board determines an assessment increase is required to fund the reserves, the assessment must be adopted in an open meeting and separately from the adoption of the funding plan.
Form of Disclosures. Prepare and distribute specific reserve funding disclosures using the new disclosure format in Civil Code §1365.2.5
Common Area Encroachments Case Law. Owners extended their exclusive use patios into unused portion of the common area adjacent to a downward slope. Boards may use their best judgment to decide whether to sue to enforce a particular violation. A CC&R amendment which ratified the encroachments was also deemed proper. Haley v. Casa del Rey Homeowners Association (2007) 153 Cal.App.4th 863.
Info for Members
West Nile Virus:
What You Need To Know
What Is West Nile Virus?
West Nile virus (WNV) is a potentially serious illness. Experts believe WNV is established as a seasonal epidemic in North America that flares up in the summer and continues into the fall. This fact sheet contains important information that can help you recognize and prevent West Nile virus.
What Can I Do to Prevent WNV?
The easiest and best way to avoid WNV is to prevent mosquito bites. When you are outdoors use insect repellent containing and EPA-registered active ingredient such as DEET, Picaridin, etc. Follow the directions on the package.
Many mosquitoes are most active at dusk and dawn. Be sure to use insect repellent and wear long sleeves and pants at these times or consider staying indoors during these hours.
Make sure you have good screens on your windows and doors to keep mosquitoes out.
Get rid of mosquito breeding sites by emptying standing water from flower pots, buckets and barrels. Change the water in pet dishes and replace the water in bird baths weekly. Drill holes in tire swings so water drains out. Keep children's wading pools empty and on their sides when they aren't being used.
How Does West Nile Virus Spread?
Infected Mosquitoes. Most often, WNV is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes become infected when they feed on infected birds. Infected mosquitoes can then spread WNV to humans and other animals when they bite.
Transfusions, Transplants, and Mother-to-Child. In a very small number of cases, WNV also has been spread through blood transfusions, organ transplants, breastfeeding and even during pregnancy from mother to baby.
Not through touching. WNV is not spread through casual contact such as touching or kissing a person with the virus.
How Soon Do Infected People Get Sick?
People typically develop symptoms between 3 and 14 days after they are bitten by the infected mosquito.
What Else Should I Know?
If you find a dead bird: Don't handle the body with your bare hands. Contact your local health department for instructions on reporting and disposing of the body. They may tell you to dispose of the bird after they log your report.
For more information call the CDC public response hotline at (888) 246-2675 (English), (888) 246-2857 (Español), or (866) 874-2646 (TTY)
Fire Protection
Weed Control/Fire Protection
Keep weeds, brush and trees cleared and trimmed on your property and around your home. There are many fire hydrants now in the HOA. To help our fire department when and if there is a fire in our HOA you can help by clearing weeds around the hydrants near your property/homes so the firemen can find them quickly.
Fight Fire Before it Starts
Indoors:
Do not overload power outlets; rather, use a circuit breaker power strip with multiple sockets to accommodate your needs.
Keep fire extinguishers close to where you may be using fire --your kitchen, patio, or garage.
Be attentive when using heat-producing electrical devices such as blow dryers, flat and curling irons, clothes irons, stoves, ovens, barbeques and fireplaces, and discontinue use of any item that has frayed or broken wires. If such items come in contact with flammable or wet surfaces, they may cause a fire or electrical shock.
Outdoors:
Consult with a licensed arborist to help you select plants for your yard that will not easily catch on fire.
Clear away vegetation within 30 feet of your house and other structures on your property.
Follow local authority directions and campground rules for using fire outdoors.
Follow manufacturer's instructions for using potentially hazardous products.
Remember, if you notice smoke or fire at home or nearby, immediately caIl 9-1-1, alert everyone at home, and prepare to evacuate quickly. Once you have evacuated, let fire professionals handle the danger and do not return until local authorities have declared that it is safe to do so.
Learn more about fire and emergency preparedness at www.sce.com/firesafety.
Power Outage Info
The following questions and answers are designed to provide useful information to better help you prepare for and react to a power outage. It is a good idea to print this page and place on a highly visible spot, such as your refrigerator door.
Q. What should I gather to prepare for an outage?
A. Make sure you have emergency supplies in a place you can easily find them. Items include flashlights and batteries, a battery-operated radio, a manual can opener and canned food.
Q. What should I know before a power outage?
A. Know the location of the fuse box or circuit breaker in or outside of your home. Learn how to reset a tripped circuit or change a blown fuse. Practice manually opening electric garage doors and gates so you can do it safely and easily during an outage.
Q. How should I treat my appliances?
A. Use a surge protector to protect electrical items like your computer, TV and DVD player. This could help prevent a sudden surge of electricity from damaging them.
Q. If the weather is cold outside, what should I do during a power outage?
A. If it begins to cool down in your home, cover windows with blankets or cardboard to help prevent drafts. Identify the most insulated room in advance; that's where you and your family can best stay warm.
Q. How should I set my thermostat during an outage?
A. Turn your thermostat to low and turn off the circuit breaker for your water heater. This will reduce a high demand for electricity when the power returns, and help prevent an overload that can cause the circuit breaker to trip again.
Q. What should I do with my lights during an outage?
A. Set all of the lights in the off position except for one. Leaving one light on will let you know when electricity has been restored.
Tips for the Temperature-Sensitive
Extreme hot weather may be harmful to people who are sensitive to high temperatures or those who are in poor health. Here are steps you can take to avoid heat- related illness this summer, should you be without air-conditioning.
To help you stay cool in hot weather…
Take a cool shower or bath.
Wear lightweight, loose, light-colored clothing and a head covering.
Stay out of direct sunlight and limit outdoor activity to covered or shaded areas.
Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
Visit a movie theatre, an air-conditioned mall, a library or a community center.
Visit friends or family whose homes are air-conditioned and are located in areas not affected by a rotating outage or severe weather.
What can Temperature-Sensitive Customers do During Rotating Outages?
Plan ahead! To learn which rotating group you or your friends and family members are assigned to, or to learn if there is a current rotating outage in your group, visit www.sce.com/outages and type in your zip code. You can also view areas of your community that might be affected by a rotating outage.
Note: Rotating outages are designed to last no more than one hour: Customers in rotating outage group NO01 are normally not subject to rotating outages. Your rotating outage group number is located at the top of your SCE bill.
Conservation Saves Energy, Money and the Environment
Conservation is a lifestyle, not just something we should do during emergencies. And SCE encourages everyone to conserve electricity year round. Here are some ways you can start conserving power today:
Use electric fans instead of air conditioners. Fans cool just the areas you need and they take less power to operate.
Set your thermostats to a minimum of 78 degrees during heat waves.
Turn off appliances and equipment and unplug them when not in use, as they still draw on your power supply when plugged in.
Hang drapes and blinds to keep out heat from the sun during hot periods.
Limit your trips to the refrigerator. Keep a cooler stocked with beverages to quench your thirst.
Plan your swimming pool maintenance for early in morning or late in evening as pool equipment pulls heavily on your power supply.
Avoid using washers and dryers for single items or very small loads. And remember to give your appliances a day off.
Be Water Wise
Stopping Water Runoff
Mulch! Spread a 2"-3" layer of mulch around plants to help reduce runoff and slow evaporation.
If you have any runoff from your irrigation, you're watering too much! Program your irrigation controller to cycle and soak. For example, irrigate for 5 minutes, wait an hour, and then irrigate 5 more minutes. Use drip irrigation for trees, shrubs, and perennials when possible.
When irrigating slopes... If possible, apply less water on the bottom of the slope and increase the application at the top of the slope. If a slope is irrigated all on the same zone, consider changing irrigation nozzles to ones that deliver semicircular patterns so more water is delivered up slope.
Irrigate between 9 pm and 6 am. To further minimize evaporation loss, irrigate between midnight and 6 am. Do not irrigate in windy weather. Reduce water pressure in irrigation systems that release a fine mist that easily blows away. Open the irrigation valve box cover and look for the round "faucet type handles" on top of each valve. These are made to be turned for adjustment just like a faucet handle!
Let There Be Night
The Board wants to thank many of you for keeping the night sky dark and full of stars. In one of the previous Newsletters there was an article on light pollution. It has been noted by some of our HOA members that this has been taken to heart by many of our residence. Many have changed their outdoor lighting by reducing the wattage of their lights or changing the types of lights and some new homes are putting outside light fixtures that shine downward instead of lighting up the sky. It's a myth that brighter lights or more lights will make an area safer. Light pollution doesn't only affect astronomers, it affects anyone who wants to enjoy the night sky.
ARC
Architectural Review (Assembly Bill 2376 adds Civil Code 1378). Associations must provide a fair, reasonable, and expeditious procedure for making decisions on architectural requests by owners. Decisions must be in writing and, if the members request is denied, the decision must explain the reason for denial and set forth the procedure for reconsideration of the decision by the Board.
Architectural Approval Disclosure (Civil Code §1378(c))
Boards are required to annually disclose to the membership those things that require architectural approval. For example, most associations do not require approval for interior painting but they do require architectural approval for exterior painting. The annual membership notice must contain the procedures used for reviewing architectural applications.
Enforcing Architectural Restrictions
Recent court decisions support associations in their enforcement of architectural restrictions. Application. If boards adopt rational rules that do not contradict the CC&Rs and then enforce them in a fair and nondiscriminatory manner, the courts will uphold the association's interpretation and enforcement of its rules.
