PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID RANCHO SANTA FE, CA PERMIT NO. 53
BOXHOLDER
RANCHO SFNEWS
.com THE RANCH’S BEST SOURCE FOR LOCAL NEWS
VOL. 6, NO. 22
OCT. 22, 2010
THISWEEK
Tracker investigates mountain lion trail
FORGOTTEN BATTLE
A Ranch resident’s documentary tells the story of The Battle of B1 Outpost Harry
BUSTED?
By Patty McCormac
Two suspects have been arrested in the Rancho Santa Fe Bank of A3 America robbery
RANCHO SANTA FE — The sighting of a mountain lion in the village of Rancho Santa Fe was still on the minds of Association members at its Oct. 7 meeting. “Any word on the mountain lion?” asked Deb Plummer, board member. Administrator Ivan Holler said he and Chief Matt Wellhouser of the Rancho Santa Fe Patrol called UC Davis, who sent a tracker to determine if there had indeed been a mountain lion in the area. “We went out on one of the trails and he did ID prints
CHECK IT OUT
The RSF Library Guild holds activities to encourage people to B4 keep on reading
INSIDE
TWO SECTIONS, 36 PAGES
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . B12 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . B14 Consumer Reports . . . . A14 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . B14 Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A8 Eye on the Coast . . . . . . A4 Frugal Living . . . . . . . . B4 Hit the Road . . . . . . . . . A7 Hot Off The Block . . . . . . A7 Lick the Plate . . . . . . . . A13 Machel’s Ranch . . . . . . A15 Odd Files . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Pet of the Week . . . . . . . B3 Ranch History . . . . . . . . B6 Ranch Profile . . . . . . . . . B4 Second Opinion . . . . . . A14 Small Talk . . . . . . . . . . . B1 Taste of Wine . . . . . . . . . B3 Who’s News? . . . . . . . . . A6
HOW TO REACH US (760) 436-9737 CALENDARS SECTION: calendar@coastnewsgroup.com COMMUNITY NEWS: community@coastnewsgroup.com LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: letters@coastnewsgroup.com
FREE CLASSIFIED ADS Sell your car at any price, or any one item $150 or less for free! Go online to www.coastnewsgroup.com or call our free ad hot line at (760) 436-1070. Deadline is Monday at 4 p.m.
GRANDPARENTS GALORE
TURN TO LION ON A16
Above, Horizon Prep third-grader AlliGrace Raymond shares a project with her grandpa, Charles V. Lindsay. Grandparents were cheered and honored at Horizon Prep’s Annual Grandparents Day on Oct. 13. Students made their own invitations and welcome signs and projects to make all the grandparents feel welcome. Grandparents joined their grandchildren in classrooms and a special family chapel. Left, Christel Schaniel and granddaughter. Courtesy photos
New light fixtures coming to the Ranch By Patty McCormac
RANCHO SANTA FE — At its Oct. 7 meeting, the Association approved eight new plastic globe lights with a Spanish Colonial style to replace the current round pilaster-mounted lighted light fixtures currently at the parking lot on the southwest corner of La Flecha and Via De Santa Fe. The lights are at the entry and exits to the post office and market parking lot on a property owned by the Woolley family. Each of the eight entrances requires a sign that warns against towing if a vehicle is parked there illegally. Patricia Woolley told the board she knows the signs are horrible, but required by law. She said the new signs that will go up with the new light fixtures are much more attractive.
WARNING SIGNS New warning signs will be posted along with the new ornamental light fixtures at the market and post office. Photo by Patty McCormac
Steve Shillington, who was representing the Woolley family at the meeting, said the signs became necessary
several years ago, when a landscaping truck with a large sign kept parking in the parking lot, almost seem-
Association votes to keep assessments the same By Patty McCormac
ingly taking up residence there. The owner of the truck was asked several times to move his rig, but to no avail. As a result, the owners of the property had the rig towed which brought a lawsuit down on the Woolleys. To avoid such troubles in the future, it was suggested to them to post the limitations of the parking lot. The state requires such signs to be large, plain and attached to each opening in the parking lot. “It seems so un-Rancho Santa Fe-ish,” said board member Jack Queen. Patricia Woolley agreed and said that everyone else is cordial and they have never had any trouble from anyone other than this particular party. In a presentation given
RANCHO SANTA FE — Discussions about lowering the assessment rate for open space became emotional at the Oct. 7 Association meeting. Members of the finance committee challenged the 2010-2011 budget, asking the board to lower the assessment rate from 3 cents per $100 property value to 1 cent because they feel if the board has the money, it will spend it and the tough financial times require some belt-tightening. The majority of the board members believe the assessment should stay as is until they can get a reading on how important open space is to the community. “Open space is a wellestablished priority of the community. Until we hear different, this (discussion) is out of place,” board member
TURN TO FIXTURES ON A17
TURN TO ASSESSMENTS ON A16