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Inside Homeless count A team of volunteers will be cruising town to help a regional agency determine how many people living here are homeless...........3
‘Cleanup’ language irks many vintners By KAREN BRAINARD Of the estimated 100 people who attended the county’s Jan. 17 workshop on proposed revisions to the Tiered Winery Ordinance, about 23 spoke, with the majority from the Ramona area and in opposition to the changes. “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it,” said Elaine Lyttleton of Hatfield Creek Vineyards and Winery,
speaking as a representative of the Ramona Valley Vintners Association. “We would urge no changes to the ordinance as currently written.” “The proposed changes are not consumer-friendly,” said Teri Kerns, co-owner of Ramona Ranch Winery and editor of Ramona Valley Wine Region Magazine. Not all were against. Carolyn Harris, co-owner of Chuparosa
Vineyards and general counsel of the Ramona Valley Winery Association, gave her support, saying some of the ordinance’s language was ambiguous and needed clarification. The interpretation of “by right” in the ordinance needs to be strengthened, she said, “so that critical boutique winery category can live.” Joe Farace, planning manager with the county’s Planning and
Racing to the top
By KAREN BRAINARD
Index
Presorted Standard US Postage PAID Ramona CA Permit No 136 425-A 10th Street Ramona, CA 92065
See WINERY ORDINANCE, page 14
District may cut connection fees for sewer plant
As Jaron Cappos races to the top of his mountain bike competitions, his sister captures the moments with her camera ...................25
Opinion............................. 8 Obituaries ......................... 9 Business News...................10 Our Town .......................... 17 Sports ................................ 18 Classifieds ......................... 20 Coupons ............................ 27
Development Services (PDS) opened the workshop, held at the county’s operations center in San Diego, by explaining the background of the ordinance and the reason behind the changes. The Tiered Winery Ordinance was adopted by the county Board of Supervisors in 2010 to allow boutique wineries on agricultural-
Sentinel photo/Maureen Robertson
Superintendent Robert Graeff discusses the school district’s community workshop set for Saturday. At left is Dawn Perfect, school board president.
School officials interview potential bond consultants By MAUREEN ROBERTSON What a difference a year makes, Ramona Unified School District Assistant Superintendent David Ostermann said at the start of his report
Saturday workshop targets fiscal health of school district on the governor’s budget proposal for 2014-15. “Fourteen months ago I
was standing here and we were talking about Proposition 30 and what would happen to schools if it did not pass, the devastating cuts that See SCHOOLS, page 16
Ramona Municipal Water District’s controversial $20,000 sewer connection and mitigation fee that has been blamed for stifling business growth in town could be reduced by a third — to $13,090. Residents and business owners will have a chance to comment on the proposed change at a public hearing Tuesday, Jan. 28, at 2 p.m. in the Ramona Community Center, 434 Aqua Lane. The $20,000 per equivalent dwelling unit (EDU) fee was charged to new customers in the Santa Maria Sewer Service Area that serves the downtown and western portions of Ramona, and to those seeking business expansion or a change in use that would increase discharge into the
sewer system. One EDU is 200 gallons per day of wastewater discharge. “I think this will be a good thing for Ramona,” Darrell Beck, board president, said Jan. 14 after a presentation on the recommended reduction. “I think this is huge,” Ramona Realtor Carol Fowler told the board. “It will stimulate growth.” Alex Handlers of Bartle Wells Associates, the consultant the district hired last year to conduct a Santa Maria fee and rate study, presented the findings to the board. The $20,000 fee was a combination of the district’s $5,432 connection fee and a $14,568 mitigation fee to help pay for upgrades and planned expansion of the Santa Maria See SEWER FEES, page 12