2023 SDCEA Board of Directors Election Meet Your SDCEA Board of Directors Candidates

and 6 p.m., and, if the meeting is adjourned, on April 25 between 2 and 4 p.m.

Your vote is your voice in our SDCEA community, so make sure to vote!

Vote early so we can meet Quorum!

Members who return their ballot with a postmarked date of March 31, or earlier, will be eligible to win a $100 gift card to the San Vicente Resort. Three winners will be selected.

www.sdcea.net. After you log in to your member portal*, click on “Shared Documents” on the lefthand tool bar, then click on “Board of Directors Election 2023.” There, you will find candidate statements and resumes, as well as election rules, proxy forms and meeting information.

Seven members are running for two open positions on the SDCEA Board of Directors, which will be decided by an election that is scheduled to conclude on April 22. One (1) position is for a one-year term, and one (1) position is for a two-year term.

The candidates, by random draw as voted on and conducted by the board at the regularly scheduled Jan. 24 board meeting, will be shown on the ballot as follows: Travis Johnson, Nicholas Deseno, Jackie Sedler, Laura Miller, Loren Long, Bill Owens and George Stoba. In this issue of Valley News, all candidate information is organized in alphabetical order.

SDCEA members can also “write in” a candidate on their ballot but can cast no more than two votes total. Voting for the same candidate more than once is also permitted, with no more than two total votes being cast. Casting more than two votes will disqualify a ballot. You may also vote by marking “For Quorum Purposes Only,” which will not specify a candidate but allow your ballot to count toward achieving quorum. Additional nominations may be accepted from the floor if a quorum (1,726 members) is met at the Annual Meeting, scheduled to start at 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 22, in The Oaks Grille at 24157 San Vicente Rd. Polls will be open from 4 to 6 p.m. preceding the meeting. If a quorum is not met on April 22, the Annual Meeting will be adjourned to Tuesday, April 25, in the San Vicente Room, and nominations will be accepted from the floor at that time assuming quorum is achieved. Quorum for the adjourned Annual Meeting decreases to 25 percent, or 863 members. Polls will be open from 2 to 4 p.m. preceding the adjourned meeting, as well.

The ballot package will be mailed to all members on Monday, March 13, in an envelope from HOA Elect CA. Included with the ballot will be information about the Annual Meeting and the candidates.

Please remember to place your ballot in the secret ballot envelope and insert it into the mailing envelope, then sign the outer envelope prior to mailing, pursuant to the instructions. Members can return the ballot in the envelope provided by mail to arrive no later than Friday, April 21, 2023, at 5 p.m. Ballots can also be cast in person at the Annual Meeting/ Election on April 22 between 4

Members who mail in their ballots from April 1 and postmarked no later than April 21 will be eligible to receive a $50 gift card to San Vicente Resort. Three winners will be selected. Gift cards are good for dining, golf and lodging. Pursuant to Corporation Code Section 7525, neither the Association or anyone acting on behalf of the Association may be held liable for any material related to the election supplied by a board candidate, or member, for mailing by the Association, but the candidate or member submitting the material shall be liable for any damage or injury caused by such material.

Please note that all candidate information is available online through your member portal at

My name is Nicholas Deseno, and I believe I’m an ideal candidate for Director of the San Diego Country Estates HOA board.

My wife, Debra, and I found our home in SDCE in 1987. After discovering this community, we knew it was the ideal place to raise a family, so we did! 35 years, 3 children and multiple grandchildren later, we’re confident we made the right choice. This community and its incredible schools equipped each of our 3 kids with the foundation necessary to build flourishing lives of their own.

I have served the town of Ramona as a licensed Real Estate Agent since 1994; and have been operating as a Broker since 2010. As owner/ president of MJN Real Estate, Inc., I’ve had the honor of representing hundreds of families moving into our community which has given me a vast knowledge and understanding of the nuances of land ownership, as well as a hands-on, real life understanding of the details and expectations of our HOA rules and regulations.

Over nearly 4 decades, I’ve witnessed this community evolve right before my eyes. During years of development, I’ve worked closely with builders and owners throughout the home buying and selling process. Now, I’m eager to give back to SDCE and contribute my experience and knowledge to further community development. I have strong critical thinking and decision making skills, which I feel are essential to be an effective part of the board. I will work collaboratively with all board members to find positive solutions for the betterment of our community.

I would appreciate your consideration and vote for Director of SDCE.

I promise to listen, consider and actively pursue the concerns of homeowners with passion and integrity.

Hello SDCEA Homeowners,

My name is Travis Johnson and I’m excited to announce my candidacy for a position on the SDCEA HOA Board of Directors. I’m looking forward to working harmoniously with other board members and volunteers as well as the management team to continuously make SDCEA HOA a great place to call home.

For those of you who don’t know me, I have lived in SDCEA for 6 years and have enjoyed my time here. In my spare time I enjoy the outdoors cowboying with my 9-year-old daughter in San Diego County. I work for Commercial Credit Group, financing Heavy Equipment for contractors in the west. We provide financial solutions to help grow and improve contractors cash flow by offering a clear picture into their business operation and current financials.

Being on the board, one must know how to plan and understand the budget, manage association’s finances, discuss and carry out ideas, vote on operations purchases and listen to the voices of our members. With my background in Construction as a Superintendent and Construction Finance Management gives me the knowledge to understand how to execute the responsibility as a Board Member.

These are my goals for the community:

1. Continue to provide a safe and fun environment for our families

2. Encourage members to get involved with the association

3. Provide a voice for our members regarding annual budgets and monthly assessment increases

4. Find “Out of the box Ideas” to improve the over all profits of all operations to increase our reserves and Capital funds

5. Find cost saving way to improve the overall renovation projects from the bidding process to final completion

If you like and believe in my goals, please vote for me at the Board of Directors election!

Thank you, Travis

Johnson

San Diego Country Estates Homeowners Association Members,

Loren Long, M.B.A

My name is Loren Long and I’m excited to announce my candidacy for our one-year term, or the two-year term position for our San Diego Country Estates (SDCE) HOA Board of Directors for April 2023. I’m looking forward to working harmoniously with other board members and volunteers as well as the management team in an effort to continuously ensure The Estates are a wonderful place to live, raise a family, and retire in.

For those who don’t know me, my wonderful wife and I have lived in our community since August 2020. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time here and all the amenities provided. More so, we are excited to begin showing and sharing all there is, here in our community, with our beautiful baby boy ready to come out into the world in January 2023.

SDCE HOA board members must know how I plan to understand our budget, manage our association’s finances, deal with disputes, discuss and carry out ideas, and listen to the membership.

I believe my background in Project Management, where I support Aerospace and Defense programs throughout San Diego County, my MBA in Finance, and numerous volunteer efforts have allowed me to interface with a vast variety of individuals, issues, and solutions. Although this would be my first position on an HOA board, I believe that to be a strength. I’ve sat in on our monthly HOA board meetings, listening to topics, discussions, and concerns from our residents and am excited to bring in different perspectives and new ideas to better our community.

If you enjoyed my writings and believe in my goals, please vote for me during our next HOA Board of Directors election. Thank you.

Loren Long

My Goals for the SDCE community

Currently, I belong to 2 committees in SDCE, the Community Relations Committee and Equestrian Advisory Committee.

I believe I have much to offer the Board of Directors. My goals for the SDCE community are to help with ongoing tasks required of the board, assist in planning and implementation of events, reviewing any documentation for updates, revisions, and corrections. My understanding is that the Board works as a team to ensure all covenant’s, rules, regulations, finances, and input from the residents in the SDCE. The Estates are known for their high standards of the community, well maintained street appearance, quality amenities and active community. Growth and development have continued in 50 years as was designed. To continue that growth, we encourage input from the residents through regular meetings. SDCE is an amazing place live, raise a family, retire, or just enjoy life.

Owning and operating a woman owned Agricultural business from 1997 till 2020 gave me experience in many facets of business. I scheduled most of our custom haying operation, breeding dates, foaling delivery expectations and on hand preparations. Purchasing decisions were shared with my partner/ husband along with daily activities. We worked together on as partners and family, construction projects, bill of materials, spreadsheets, and finance.

The business provided feed products for all types of livestock, including supplements and the inventory was managed by (first in first out). There were many phases to the business, a string of 36 horses that were leased to individuals, dude strings and/or sold outright. The business operated a boarding barn with capacity of 45 horses. We both competed in Equestrian events until my husband’s health declined. The business, the ranch and home were sold, and I moved here to SDCE in 2021.

As a 44-year resident of San Diego Country Estates, it would be an honor to continue serving our community as a current member of the Board of Directors. Currently serving as the Vice-President of the Board, it would be my continued duty/obligation not to defer maintenance, like decisions made in the past, that eventually became safety issues but to ensure the continued protection and enhancement of those assets within San Diego Country Estates.

Costs to defer maintenance or replacement year after year becomes more expensive with inflation and additional degrading of the assets. Kicking the can down the road has never had a good financial outcome and in some cases here in San Diego Country Estates, safety issues. It is also the boards responsibility/duty to insure we use our member dollars in the most economical way (Best bang for the buck). Association assets play a major part in property values; therefore, it is my obligation to represent the entire community as a whole, keeping the assets of the whole community a priority. In order to maintain the values of our assets I would support priorities on the upkeep of existing assets with sufficient reserves for future planned maintenance/asset replacements before taking on new projects. I will continue to work for the residents of the San Diego Country Estates Association with an obligation to continue providing the quality of living that we envisioned when we were drawn to our homes here in San Diego Country Estates. My education and varied experience will, when re-elected to the Board of Directors, provide a solid foundation and passion to represent the people of our community.

I am passionate about the community. It is my fresh set of eyes and willingness to take action in areas that have been long overlooked by the BOD that I bring to this role. I consider the BOD to be a partner and a voice for the community and would be honored to represent the Interests of our residents in order to continue to make the SDCEA a great place to live.

My goals as a member of the HOA Board would be to ensure that HOA remains a financially responsible entity and serves its’residents and the community. Safety and physical condition of the buildings and grounds are a high priority for me.

I have brought new and fresh ideas on how to enhance the community. Note my suggestions below:

• Farm-to-table food for the restaurant

• Construction of a fitness center to support a community of 10,000 residents along with a babysitting amenity

• New digital sign to update the community of the events in the Estates.

• Landscaping improvements to enhance our community

• Upgrades to the pickleball courts

• Investments in the equestrian facility so that it, too, may become profitable.

While I believe that the amenities should be for the benefit of the community – the fact that many are not profitable effects all of us. We are unable to invest into the community and the burden to sustain the amenities continues to fall on the shoulders of all the residents. We can and should be doing more to improve our grounds and to invest into solutions that benefit families.

What I bring to the board is a solid business management acumen to help drive good, fiscally sound decisions for the entire community and not one special interest.

This is the mindset that I bring and will continue to bring if re-elected.

Dear Residents and neighbors,

I am writing to introduce myself as a candidate for the position of the San Diego Country Estates Homeowners Association board member. My wife and I have lived in this community for over 30 years now and I have seen the positive impact the HOA has on our community. I would like to contribute my time and expertise to help maintain and enhance our community's lifestyle and property values.

My background in Law Enforcement (San Diego Sheriff's Dept) and running a computer forensic company would allow me to bring a fresh perspective to the board. I have a proven track record of managing budgets, negotiating contracts and working with various stakeholders to achieve common goals. I am confident that I can bring these skills to the HOA board and help make informed decisions that will benefit all residents.

One of my priorities, if elected, would be to improve communication between the board and residents. I am an active Equestrian and have boarded horses at both the Casey Tibbs Center and the International Equestrian Center. I also believe in the importance of maintaining and upgrading the community's equestrian centers and amenities, and I would work with the board to find ways to effectively allocate resources for these initiatives.

In conclusion, I am eager to serve on the HOA board and work with fellow residents to maintain the integrity and beauty of our community. I believe that together, we can make our community an even better place to live. Thank you for considering my candidacy.

Sincerely,

2023 Candidates Statement Ranking and Rationale listed in alphabetical order

Each candidate was asked to rank the priority of five statements in the chart below (1 through 5, 1 being most important). The statements are five-often cited duties of an SDCEA Board member. Then each candidate was asked to explain the rationale for the ranking.

Ensure that SDCEA finances and reserves are budgeted and managed prudently to provide for ongoing operations, to maintain the community’s brand, as well as to fund asset replacement for the future.

Ensure that SDCEA is managed professionally and efficiently, providing value to its members.

Maintain and improve core infrastructure, e.g. buildings, structures, amenities, parks, landscape, etc.

Ensure SDCEA conforms with county, state and Federal laws and regulations.

Embrace the element of change by inviting new ideas, concepts and strategies that improve the community and add value.

Nicholas Deseno: Ranking Rationale

1 I believe this is most important because it preserves a strong alliance and trust with the members.

2. properly handling our assets is critical to our future values and helps promote homeowner involvement.

3. This is important, but we need to be careful not to overlook areas used by homeowners to insure everyone has been considered.

4. I love this one, I’ve seen many changes over the years and I’m sure there is more to come. I encourage homeowners to bring ideas.

5. This should always be considered

Travis Johnson: Ranking Rationale

I know I’m not the first one to say this, and I’m sure I won’t be the last. To keep this short and sweet, I believe that each one of these statements have an equal priority rank across the board. They all coincide and are of equal importance when it comes to running an efficient HOA.

Loren Long: Ranking Rationale

1. Money is what makes the world go round. Having an MBA in Finance and being a Project Manager for DoD contracts, staying below cost and on schedule not only make our Customers happy, but also allow further investments.

2. Without conforming to codes, laws, and regulations we actually create risks to our finances and our community’s brands. If we don’t instill trust in local and federal governments along without all of our almost 10,000 residents, we’ll be moving backward with the progress we can gain from.

3. Which is why I’ve focused maintenance of our beautiful buildings, structures, amenities, parks, landscape, etc. as number 3. We need to say within regulation, a given, but setting up our finances and reserves allow us to reinvest back into our wonderful neighborhood.

4. Professional management is key for any business. Whether it’s Cattle Dog Café, or Starbucks there is a set standard to expect and without providing that value to our community and residents we’re not fulfilling our oath as board members.

5. Each of our homes has a solid foundation and strong structural trusses. It’s up to us to add paint walls, add a pools in our backyards, create a beautiful garden, etc. That same principle applies to our board member’s duties. We need to have a solid foundation of our finances, conform to government regulations, improve what we have, and ensure all of this is done professionally. We then can embrace change and new ideas adding further value to the San Diego Country Estates.

Laura Miller: Ranking Rationale

1. It’s necessary for the Association to review, analyze, and protect the budget and reserves. To prudently manage ongoing operations, it’s important to know all the facets of the budget, stay within the budget, and track individual line items. As a tool, we will utilize a reserve study to aid in planning the budget including future asset replacements.

2. The community safety and expectations of a high-quality infrastructure require that the maintenance and improvements must be handled expeditiously and within the budget.

3. It’s important to be open to new methods and ideas and evaluate them. These could add value to the community either by cost savings or increasing efficiency of operations.

4. It’s so very important to have staff which adhere to a code of ethics and maintain a high standard of professionalism. Offering exceptional customer service will enhance the value to members and keep the Association in the forefront of an efficiently well-run business.

5. It’s necessary to stay updated with the Davis Sterling guidelines, our in-house CC&R’s and conformance to the ever changing government regulations.

Bill Owens: Ranking Rationale

1. Without a highly qualified, effective and professional team the other four points may not be accomplished with desired results and may impact the health and sustainability of the association. The development of a highquality team starts with an effective nominating committee and the vote of our members.

2. The association not in compliance with regulations and laws the entire operation of the association could be affected. These violations could affect the viability and sustainability of the SDCEA, as well as costly to individuals within the association. This along with the other points in this ranking maybe affected by not electing that qualified, effective and professional team.

3. This ranking seems obvious. Keeping the financial condition of the association in good order is of utmost importance. Providing the wherewithal for improving and maintaining our infrastructure without the two previous rankings may not be accomplished.

4. What brought most of us here was the dollar value, the amenities and the beauty of our surroundings. Improving and maintaining our infrastructure, the Equestrian, Lodge, Golf Course, and Parks for example is what creates our draw and helps maintain and increase our property values.

5. The Board must be open to new ideas which can come from many sources. including association members and employes for example. Changes or additions to services or amenities must benefit the corporation, benefit members, relate to sustainability and must save dollars or stay within budgets.

Jackie Sedler: Ranking Rationale

#1: As referenced in my candidate statement, I look at this role as partnership with the residents. I am not tainted by the existing members’ view on issues and haven’t been part of the politics that have created the issues.

I have brought a fresh set of ideas. I have not agreed to all the Board’s decisions – specifically on the increase in the monthly assessments. I feel that it is important to ensure that the Board is working for the ENTIRE community.

#2, 3, 4 & 5: My Goals as Your Board Member:

• Ensure SDCEA continues the path of excellence for vision, management, amenities, service, and recreation.

• Be sensitive to the cost of the Annual Assessment while balancing the needs of the Association with the wants of the Community.

• Listen to and get feedback from the Community. Discuss, decide and promote Board decisions that maintain—or better yet!—enhance member experience, satisfaction and property values.

• Voice community concerns and bring that perspective to current and future Board decisions and debate.

• Communicate and be transparent, accountable, approachable, and responsive to the community.

I AM your candidate who has continually stived to ensure that the HOA is managed well and makes solid and thoughtful financial decisions, plans for and improves facilities when needed, strives for excellent service, and listens to and solicits feedback from its members. SDCEA is a great place to live, vacation and play and as your board member I will work openly and diligently to support that path.

George Stoba: Ranking Rationale

1 Comply with laws & regs: Adhere to laws & regs to protect the organization and its members from legal consequences, fines and damage to reputation. Ensure transparency and accountability in operations.

2 Manage finances wisely: Manage finances and reserves in a prudent manner to ensure the long-term stability and success of the organization. Create and follow a budget, invest wisely, and have a plan for managing reserves.

3 Efficient, professional mgmt: Ensure that the organization operates efficiently and professionally, providing value to its members. Have the right processes, policies, and systems in place, and have a knowledgeable and capable leadership team.

4 Improve core infra: Maintain and improve core infrastructure, such as physical structures, technology systems, and any other assets that support the day-today operations of the organization. Updating and improving the infrastructure helps to meet the evolving needs of members.

5 Encourage new ideas: Embrace change and invite new ideas and concepts to keep the organization innovative and relevant. Be open to new strategies, technologies, and ways of doing things that can improve operations and better serve members. Fosters a culture of continuous improvement and learning.