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T he R ancho S anta F e News
Destination Portugal — Part 1 Northbound vince vasquez
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’m pleased to announce that next year I’ll be heading abroad. Portugal, to be exact. Fear not, gentle reader: I’m not relocating from North County or ending my column. Just planning a long overdue vacation. Earlier in my career (read: before a mortgage), I was in the habit of heading out to Europe for two weeks or so a year, on mostly solo trips. I loved the thrill of losing myself in another country, experiencing sights and sounds I couldn’t find anywhere else. Living in the moment. With age, it’s been much tougher to find the time, let alone the budget, to make a European vacation work. But after a three-year hiatus, I’m doggedly determined to make it happen in 2017. And, in true Northbound fashion, I already have a bunch of money-saving vacation planning tips, which I’d like to share with you, no matter where you’re headed next year. In fact, I have so many money-saving tips, I need two columns to share them all! Now, I don’t speak Portuguese, but there’s a phone app for that, and best of all, it’s free. DuoLingo is a fantastic app that can help you easily learn more than 20 languages in a fun, user-friendly format. I’ve been using it a while to brush up on my Spanish. Not only can it help improve your recognition and writing skills, but also oral — it’s so advanced, it can even tell you if you’re pronouncing words correctly. Downloading this app
is definitely a must if you’re heading to a non-English speaking country. Looking for cheap, unadvertised flights? I’ve been really impressed with the listings I’ve seen on Fare Deal Alert, The Flight Deal, and Secret Flying, all of which are specialty flight sale websites (and free). I follow them on Twitter, but you can subscribe to their daily email blasts. Being flexible with your time horizon and destination will also save you money. Now, my budget is $600 for a round trip flight, but few flights from San Diego to Lisbon, the country’s capital, are under $1,200, no matter what time of year. However, when I scan flight deals, I see there are plenty of flights from LAX to Dublin, Ireland and Eastern Europe under $600, round trip. Cheaper flights are also generally available in the spring and fall months. Packing for an international trip is also key — avoid lost luggage and airline bag fees by packing everything into a carry-on bag. Don’t think you can do it? Simplify. I proved it could be done on a business trip to Buenos Aires a few years ago. Picking one pair of shoes, one jacket, and “rolling” your clothes (versus traditional packing) will save you plenty of space. Going somewhere cold and need a thick coat? I’ve been impressed with how tightly you can pack a down puffer jacket. I bought one for about $30 on Amazon, and I can squeeze it down to the size of a grapefruit. It’s rated to keep me warm, all the way down to 32 degrees Fahrenheit. In the next column, I’ll share with you where you can find cheap accommodations, and how you can dine and explore your host city like a local. Stay tuned! Vince Vasquez is an economist based in Torrey Pines. He is a Carlsbad resident.
SEPT. 30, 2016
Ditonto addresses possible assessment increases By Christina Macone-Greene
RANCHO SANTA FE — Delivering his monthly controller’s report for the Rancho Santa Fe Association, Matthew Ditonto said while they were only one month into the new fiscal year, what their department was working on was reviewing and analyzing the last fiscal year against the prior one. They were also noting any reasons for variances between the two. During his presentation, Ditonto pointed out the Association revenues and wanted to talk briefly about the 5 percent increase. “This is mainly due to the county Assessor’s role of what the property values are — what they came in as — so we’ve received that about a month ago and we’ve been look-
ing at this and just kind of digesting it,” he said, noting what the increase was going to be and reviewing it against last year’s numbers. Ditonto shared that they are collecting this data now because last year, the Association billed out to its members in November. This year, the plan was to send out their billing a bit earlier in the month of October in an effort to align their invoices to when the County sends out their property invoices. “So just in a nutshell, we’re looking at probably a 5 percent increase in our assessment revenue this year, and that is based on property values going up essentially 5 percent, which sounds to be in line with what the County of San Diego is saying prop-
erty values went up,” he said. During Ditonto’s presentation, board president Fred Wasserman chimed in on how the Association does not set those assessments. “You don’t vote on increasing the assessment. This is atypical because almost every community that I know of that has a community association, the members vote on it,” he said. “Based on our protective Covenant, that drives what your assessment’s going to be and that’s why the 5 percent is here.” Wasserman also noted that this has been the protocol since 1927. He went onto to share how there are two parts to this: existing property and changing ownership of property. If someone changes
their property ownership, he said, it accelerates the market value due to the close of escrow amount which is new assessment value. In other cases, if one “adds” to their property, another reassessment may occur. That’s the reason for the bump, Wasserman said. He also noted how there are so many projects under consideration and underway in the Ranch which is raising the total value. On a side note, Wasserman shared that Rancho Santa Fe pays approximately $46 million a year in property taxes and it’s estimated that this represents a little more than 1 percent of all the property taxes collected in San Diego County. Wasserman called it a pretty significant number.
Rancho Days: Celebrating a rich history of community collaboration
The Village Voice
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By Karlin Molina
he RSF Association is excited to announce Rancho Days, a long-standing Covenant celebration of its history, traditions and community spirit. Rancho Days connects residents with the organizations, charities and community partners in the Ranch. We welcome all members of the Covenant and their guests to these events, which run Oct. 1 through Oct. 9. Rancho Days kicks off with Neighbor Night gatherings hosted at homes in the Covenant, where neighbors share food, drinks and good conversation. Kids Night Out at the
Karlin Molina, RSF Association communications and events specialist, gives a preview of the upcoming Rancho Days, starting Oct. 1. Courtesy photo
Community Center is a fun event for kids that free their parents to mingle at Neighbor Night. Sunday is family day with pony rides, a petting zoo and a heaping of history at Osuna Ranch. The RSF Association-owned property boasts a working horse ranch and a nearly 200-year-old Adobe home. A concert and barbecue at the Village Church follows. Monday is an adult-only event with the tasting of exceptional wines and appetizers hosted by the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe. Tuesday, the Library Guild and Garden Club
team up to host Petals & Prose, an evening of literature, floral arrangements and discussion. The event is followed by an old fashioned bake-off. Wednesday the Association hosts its Fiesta & Taco Fest for its members. Join us for lunch, followed by dessert at The Country Friends’ patio. The Santa Fe Irrigation District will share ideas with residents on being water wise. Thursday, breakfast is served by the Thyme Together food truck, sponsored by the RSF Foundation. An art show runs Thursday through Saturday at the library. The RSF Golf Club’s Community Harvest Celebration features hay rides, a pumpkin patch and fabulous fall food. Friday is Strings in the Garden, an afternoon of music at the RSF Senior Center. Fandango caps off the evening with Mexican food, margaritas and music at the Historical Society’s La Flecha House. Saturday’s Trail Walk gives members a glimpse of the Covenant’s private trails. Riders and horses will enjoy a trail ride, and hikers and riders will meet up at the Rancho Riding Club for lunch. A spectacular Farm-to-Table Dinner at Osuna Ranch features locally sourced food, live music and a silent auction benefitting the RSF Garden Club and Osuna Restoration Fund. Sunday, the annual firefighter’s annual pancake breakfast is a favorite. The Tennis Club has a BBQ lunch and afternoon games for players of all levels. The nine-day celebration concludes with the Rotary’s Taste of Rancho Santa Fe at the Inn. Association members were sent Rancho Days sent and may see more details about events at rsfassociation.org or (858) 756-1174. Karlin Molina is the RSF Association Communications and Events Specialist.