March Pony Express

This Week in Nellie Gail Ranch

From the Week ending February 24, 2023

Short Term Rentals on City Council Agenda February 28, 2023

The topic of short-term rentals is on the City Council’s meeting agenda for Tuesday, February 28, 2023. The staff report is available via the button below. The report reflects the results of the survey the city conducted November 14th through December 1, 2022. The report identifies and describes the following four regulatory options and seeks direction from the Council:
1. Take No Action2. Adopt an Ordinance to Ban STRs3. Regulate STRs4. Regulate and Tax STRs
Homeowners with an interest in Short Term Rental regulation or restrictions may wish to attend the meeting or log on to the city website and provide comments or express a preference for one of the regulatory options.
The City Council Meeting is Tuesday, February 28, 2023 7:00 PM at 24035 El Toro Road, Laguna Hills, CA 92653.
Report

6th Annual Blood Drive at Nellie Gail Ranch

Hours of Operation

The Watering Hole will be closed Mondays

Tuesday – FridayKitchen Service Hours4:00pm – 9:00pmBar Service Hours4:00pm – 9:00pm
SaturdayKitchen Service Hours8:00am – 9:00pmBar Service Hours11:00am – 9:00pmSundayKitchen Service Hours8:00am – 6:00pmBar Service Hours11:00am – 7:00pm
The Watering Hole may be reached at 949-524-0527Parties of seven or more are invited to call ahead for the best dining experience.

This Week in Nellie Gail Ranch

From the Week ending February 17, 2023

Crime Prevention Workshop

Thank you to Chief of Police Captain De La Rosa and Crime Prevention Specialist Alyssa Rabas for leading the Crime Prevention Workshop at the Association Clubhouse last night. We had a standing room only turnout of 121 attendees watch the presentation and interact during the Q&A and discussion portion of the meeting.

Attached are the handouts provided by the Orange County Sheriff. Of particular interest is the Neighborhood Watch flyer with information on how to start a Neighborhood Watch. Over half of our attendees last night are part of an active Nellie Gail Ranch Neighborhood Watch group. The benefits of being part of a Neighborhood Watch group are apparent by the constructive feedback they shared.

Also of interest is the lead flyer on the attachments related to the interactive Crime Mapping program. This is the site recommended by the OC Sheriff for up to date information on recent crimes occurring in the community: CrimeMapping.com – Helping You Build a Safer Community . Sites like Personalized SpotCrime Report are report based and contain a lot of false alarms and unverified reports while the Crime Mapping site contains Sheriff’s Department confirmed and categorized criminal activity.

The other handouts contain information on personal safety, home security tips and a checklist to evaluate your home security with suggestions for how to “harden the target” and decrease your chances of home burglary.

Please continue to report suspicious people and activity to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department

Non-Emergency: 949-770-6011

Emergency 9-1-1

Starting A Neighborhood Watch
Workshop Handout

Association Office Closed for

President’s Day

This Week in Nellie Gail RanchFrom the Week ending February 17, 2023Crime Prevention WorkshopThank you to Chief of Police Captain De La Rosa and Crime Prevention Specialist Alyssa Rabas for leading the Crime Prevention Workshop at the Association Clubhouse last night. We had a standing room only turnout of 121 attendees watch the presentation and interact during the Q&A and discussion portion of the meeting.
Attached are the handouts provided by the Orange County Sheriff. Of particular interest is the Neighborhood Watch flyer with information on how to start a Neighborhood Watch. Over half of our attendees last night are part of an active Nellie Gail Ranch Neighborhood Watch group. The benefits of being part of a Neighborhood Watch group are apparent by the constructive feedback they shared.
Also of interest is the lead flyer on the attachments related to the interactive Crime Mapping program. This is the site recommended by the OC Sheriff for up to date information on recent crimes occurring in the community: CrimeMapping.com – Helping You Build a Safer Community . Sites like Personalized SpotCrime Report are report based and contain a lot of false alarms and unverified reports while the Crime Mapping site contains Sheriff’s Department confirmed and categorized criminal activity.
The other handouts contain information on personal safety, home security tips and a checklist to evaluate your home security with suggestions for how to “harden the target” and decrease your chances of home burglary.
Please continue to report suspicious people and activity to the Orange County Sheriff’s DepartmentNon-Emergency: 949-770-6011Emergency 9-1-1Starting a Neighborhood WatchWorkshop Handout

Association Office Closed for

President’s Day

The Nellie Gail Ranch Association Office will be closed on Monday, February 20, 2023 in observance of Presidents Day.
The Tennis & Swim Center will have normal hours6:00am – 10:00pm.
President Day Fun FactPresidents’ Day never falls on the actual birthday of any American president. Four chief executives—George Washington, William Henry Harrison, Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan—were born in February, but their birthdays all come either too early or late to coincide with Presidents’ Day, which is always celebrated on the third Monday of the month. (See history.com for more Presidents’ Day information)

Architectural Submittal Workshops

(Wine & Design)

Next Workshop Wednesday, February 22nd at 5:00 p.m. at The Watering Hole in the Association Clubhouse
The Architectural Review Committee (ARC) works with homeowners who make improvements or changes to their properties by guiding them through a review and approval process to ensure a proposed change is consistent with the communities aesthetic and architectural standards.
E-Mail admin@nelliegailranch.org for an appointment at the February 22nd pre-submittal Wine & Design Workshop.

Next Board Meeting

Below is a link to the agenda for the Tuesday, February 21st meeting at 7:30pm located at the Association Clubhouse. Click the button to view the agenda. Contact admin@nelliegailranch.org with any questions.

Agenda

This Week in Nellie Gail Ranch

From the Week ending February 10, 2023

Application for Nominating Committee

Consistent with Nellie Gail Ranch Owners Association By-Laws Article VI, Section 1, the Board of Directors will be appointing a Nominating Committee at the February 21, 2023 Board Meeting. If you have an interest in serving, please complete the below linked form and return by Wednesday, February 15, 2023.

Application
Charter

Solicitation for Board Candidates

The Association is soliciting candidates for the upcoming 2023 Board of Directors election to be held on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Candidate applications must be received by the Association by 6:00 p.m. March 23, 2023 to be nominated and listed on the pre-ballot notice that will be posted prior to April 1, 2023. The pre-ballot notice will include all names that will be included on the ballot to be mailed by April 29, 2023.
Candidates whose nominations are received after March 23, 2023 may still run for election but will not be included on the ballot.
1) Subject to Civil Code §5105, all Candidates for the Board must meet the following qualifications:
a. The Candidate must be an Owner. If title to a separate interest is held by a legal entity, such entity may appoint a natural person to serve or vote on such entity’s behalf by delivering evidence of an appropriate written appointment to the Association;
b. The Candidate must be current in the payment of all regular and special assessments. For the purposes of these election rules, “current” means no regular or special assessment is past due by more than thirty (30) days, or such period of time as is specifically defined in the Association’s collection policy;
b. The Candidate must be current in the payment of all regular and special assessments. For the purposes of these election rules, “current” means no regular or special assessment is past due by more than thirty (30) days, or such period of time as is specifically defined in the Association’s collection policy;
c. The Candidate may not hold a joint ownership interest in the same separate interest as any other candidate or incumbent director; and
d. The Candidate is not eligible to run if the Association is aware or becomes aware of a past criminal conviction that would, if the Candidate were elected, either prevent the Association from purchasing the fidelity bond coverage required by Civil Code §5806 or terminate the Association’s existing fidelity bond coverage.
Candidate Resume
Solicitation Notice

Additional information regarding the Associations Election Rules and Procedures is provided in the Nellie Gail Ranch Owners Association Election Rules adopted March 15, 2022 and are available here or by request to admin@nelliegailranch.org.

Architectural Submittal Workshops

(Wine & Design)

Next Workshop Wednesday, February 22nd at 5:00 p.m. at The Watering Hole in the Association Clubhouse
The Architectural Review Committee (ARC) works with homeowners who make improvements or changes to their properties by guiding them through a review and approval process to ensure a proposed change is consistent with the communities aesthetic and architectural standards.
E-Mail admin@nelliegailranch.org for an appointment at the February 22nd pre-submittal Wine & Design Workshop.

OCSD’s Crime Mapping Program

Residents of Laguna Hills have the ability to better track public safety issues in their neighborhoods with the OCSD software program, Crime Mapping, which allows anyone to monitor and analyze criminal activity. More specifically, Crime Mapping allows residents to search for 15 types of crime by address, landmark, or zip code. In addition, residents can also sign up for custom-designed alerts, as well as create reports to easily analyze criminal activity near homes, schools, or businesses. The crime data reported on the mobile-friendly application is pulled directly from crimes reported to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and is updated every 24 hours. Although the data is preliminary, the Crime Mapping program provides the public with important and timely information, which will increase awareness of criminal activity and promote safer communities.
Laguna Hills residents can sign up for Crime Mapping alerts through the Orange County Sheriff’s Department website at www.ocsd.org/crimemapping

February Pony Express

The issue contains The Watering Hole food and drink menu and solicitation for board candidates.

This Week in Nellie Gail Ranch

From the Week ending January 27, 2023

Home Safety and Recent Crime

With the recent burglaries that have occurred in Laguna Hills it is important to have a home security system in place. Having a home alarm system can act as a deterrent to potential burglars, as the presence of the system can make a home less of an attractive target. Additionally, the alarm system can also detect smoke, fire, and carbon monoxide, which can provide early warning and increase the chances of survival in case of an emergency. Overall, home alarm systems can provide peace of mind and an added level of security for homeowners and their families.

Crime Prevention Workshop

This Week in Nellie Gail Ranch

From the Week ending January 20, 2023

Equestrian Center Event – Tack Shop & Swap

Crime Prevention Workshop

Valentine Wine & Dine

Valentine Wine & Dine

Sold Out

Package includes the following:

Sparkling wine upon arrival

Cheese and charcuterie grazing station

Salad:

Plated roasted beet salad with pistachios and feta

Paired with Rose Whispering Angel Beach Rose

Soup:

Roasted cauliflower soup shooter with truffle oil drizzle and micro greens

Paired with California Lloyd Chardonnay

Entrée:

Petite beef filet and lobster tail with bearnaise sauce, garlic parmesan risotto, roasted asparagus

Paired with Dressage Pinot Noir or Graves Bordeaux Red Blend

Dessert:

Flourless Chocolate Cake and Red Velvet Cake

Paired with Cockburn Port and Espresso upon request

This Week in Nellie Gail Ranch

From the Week ending January 13, 2023

CC&R Amendment Ballot

Seeking Ballot Collectors

We are seeking homeowner volunteers who may be willing to assist with a door-to-door effort to gather ballots from homeowners to help achieve the 75% threshold needed to adopt the proposed CC&R amendments. The amendment will require 1,055 “APPROVE” votes to pass. As of this Friday we have received 532 ballots leaving us well short of the required number. Additionally, we will not know the tally of the vote count (“APPROVE” and “DISAPPROVE”) on those submitted ballots until they are opened by the Inspector of Election. We will likely need in excess of 1,100 returned ballots to have a chance of passing the amendment.
Ballots are scheduled to be opened and counted February 7th. If we do not have a sufficient number of submitted ballots then we can reconvene to March 7th. The only chance we believe we have of achieving the number of ballots required to pass the amendment is to have volunteers go door to door to collect ballots from homeowners who have not yet voted. The thought is we would issue 10-20 ballots to each owner who confirms a willingness to solicit ballots from neighbors.
Please confirm if you are willing to solicit ballots from your neighbors. We are refining a process for issuing ballots to volunteers and will provide additional information regarding the process to those who reply to this e-mail.
Thank you for considering this opportunity to have a positive impact on this amendment voting process!Please confirm with us via the following link at your earliest opportunity.
Volunteer

CC&R Amendment Restricting Short Term Rentals

I need a Replacement Ballot

If you have not yet submitted a ballot and you misplaced yours please request a replacement ballot to be mailed to you via the following link:

Equestrian Center Event – Tack Shop & Swap

Criminal Activity in Nellie Gail Ranch

Please join us for the Crime Prevention Workshop

There have been several instances this month of theft of packages and decorations from home entries. We have also had several burglaries so it is more important than ever that we look out for each other. Look for suspicious vehicles and report them to the OC Sheriff at 949-770-6011. Know your neighbors phone numbers so you can call them if you see “vendors” who may not be their actual service providers.

Next Board Meeting

Below is a link to the agenda for the Tuesday, January 17th meeting at 7:30pm located at the Association Clubhouse. Click the button to view the agenda. Contact admin@nelliegailranch.org with any questions.

This Week in Nellie Gail Ranch

From the Week ending January 6, 2023

Trails Closed Due to Wet Conditions

All trails will remain closed to vehicles all weekend due to saturation and with expected rain next week will likely remain closed through next weekend as well. Please do not schedule feed or hay deliveries while the trails are wet. Every year we get one or two drivers who think they can beat the odds and it turns into an ordeal to offload and wait for the trails to dry enough to send out a rescue.

Ballot Collection Update Regarding

CC&R Amendment Restricting Short Term Rentals

To date we have received 519 valid returned ballots. Our goal is to receive a minimum of 1,100 before ballots are counted February 7th so we are a little over 47% of the way there. Please return your ballot at your earliest opportunity. If you need a replacement ballot please contact our office at admin@nelliegailranch.org. Remember, a non-vote is essentially a vote in favor of allowing short term rentals to continue unabated.