Magee Ranch Homeowners Association
General Notice of Proposed Voting and Election Rules; Notice of Board Meeting to Consider Adoption of Voting and Election Rules
Enclosed are the proposed Voting and Election Rules for Magee Ranch Homeowners Association. A law effective on January 1, 2020 required that all associations adopt new election rules that contain additional information than was previously required. The proposed Voting and Election Rules incorporate all current laws regarding elections, including a new law effective on January 1, 2025, which allows the Association to use an internet-based voting system (“electronic voting”) for secret ballot votes (other than assessment-related elections). The Association’s Board of Directors intends to adopt the proposed Voting and Election Rules at the Board meeting on July 9, 2025 at 6:00 p.m., at 2266 Camino Ramon, San Ramon.
The purpose of the Voting and Election Rules is to comply with Civil Code sections 5100 through 5135, including incorporating requirements for electronic voting. The effect of the Voting and Election Rules is to establish a procedure for conducting elections and to authorize the Board to select any one of the three (3) voting methods for a secret ballot election: (1) written secret ballot election (i.e., the way associations have been doing secret ballot elections since 2006); (2) “opt in” election (where the default method for voting is written secret ballot and members may opt in to vote electronically); and (3) “opt out” election (where the default method for voting is electronic and members may opt out of voting electronically).
All Members are encouraged to attend the Board meeting and provide comments concerning these proposed rules. Members may also submit comments in writing to the Association’s manager, Stacey Lint, at ten.secivresaoh%40tnils before the Board meeting. The Board will consider all Member comments before voting on adoption of the new Voting and Election Rules. Please retain the enclosed copy of the Voting and Election Rules. The Members will be provided with notice of adoption of the Voting and Election Rules.
Pending State Law on Fire Mitigation
At the last Board meeting, the Board discussed the recent Executive Order from the Governor of California. According to the Order, the State Board of Forestry must accelerate its work to adopt regulations known as “Zone 0,” which will require an ember-resistant zone within 5 feet of structures located in the highest fire severity zones in the state. The Order also tasks the Office of the State Fire Marshal with updating Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps. This update is expected to add 1.4 million acres of land into the two higher tiers of fire severity.
We will continue to monitor local maps and designations. Please be aware that if maps are updated and areas in the Association are in high fire severity zones, the Zone 0 requirements may apply. What does that mean? Most notably that fire departments or insurance companies may ask homeowners to remove mulch and plants within 5 feet of the home, replace wooden fence portions nearest the home with another material, trim trees back from the home, etc.
FireWise Information
Several homeowners have reached out to the Board and Management about whether the Association is FireWise recognized, which is a program that has gained awareness recently as insurance companies could provide minimal relief on premiums. The process for obtaining such recognition is extensive and a few homeowners are already working to setup FireWise Communities.
A summary of the steps needed in order to be certified is listed below:
Volunteers coordinate work within a “community” which is defined as 8 contiguous homes.
Complete online training to be able to complete a Wildfire Risk Assessment (and update every 5 years) – partnered with a local wildfire expert.
Create a 3 year action plan, update at least every 3 years.
Annually complete at least 1 hour of volunteer work per unit in the boundary, compiling that information on the Volunteer worksheet. Note these activities are restricted to Firewise specific items.
Resident Leader then files a report/application annually with Firewise.
State officials then review the application to determine if they get Firewise recognition.
You may find more out about the recognition process at the following link or reach out to Beth Topor at moc.loa%40bropot with questions: https://readyforwildfire.org/prepare-for-wildfire/firewise-communities/
Please note that work identified by each FireWise Community would be completed by the Community volunteers and homeowner volunteers in order to satisfy the annual required volunteer hours. The HOA is not sponsoring this recognition, simply using its platform to bring awareness to the community of the opportunity to volunteer in this manner.
Knock it Out of the Park with your Spring Lawn Care
How is your lawn like baseball?! If you want the glory in the summer and fall, you need to put in the work in the spring! Spring is the ideal time to get your lawn started on an All-Star season by patching any bare spots, overseeding, treating for grubs and fertilizing.
Now is the time to patch any bare spots in your lawn and overseed – the warmer temperatures during the day will help the seeds germinate and sprout and it gives you a couple weeks off of mowing! First, prepare the soil for the seed by scraping out any dead grass and softening the ground. Then add the seed using a spreader (or your hand). Finally, give it nutrients and protect it from birds with a layer of nutrient rich soil. Water the newly seeded areas daily for two weeks.
Over the winter months, your lawn was mostly dormant – it wasn’t doing much growing, but now that it is waking up in the spring, it is hungry and ready for some nutrients! Give it what it wants with fertilizer! Want a double play? Use a fertilizer with a weed killer too to keep dandelions, crabgrass and other weeds from taking over!
If your lawn was torn up last year, it might be animals (raccoons, turkeys) looking for grubs. Late spring is the time that hibernating grubs in the lawn begin to crawl toward the surface to chew grass roots before flying off to find a mate. Apply a grub treatment now to eliminate new grubs before they have a chance to hatch.
Now for the finishing touch - Apply mulch to planter beds around the lawn. Wait until the soil has warmed to refresh mulch for the growing season. Shredded mulch provides a polished finish to planting beds and adds nutrients to the soil as it breaks down!
June 2025
Topics: Emergency Response Plan, Electric Bike and Scooter Laws
Mini News May 2025
Topic: EBMUD Rate Increase Protest
March 2025
Topics: Volunteers needed for FireWise Committee, Pending State Law on Fire Mitigation, Little Free Library Coming
December 2024
Topics: 2025 Dues Increase, 2024 Annual Meeting results, 2025 Meeting dates confirmed, GHAD Duties
Topics: Meeting Highlights, Police Town Hall Meeting, GHAD Board Member Request, CC&R Feedback, V-Ditch Cleaning and Landscape Maintenance Reminders
Mini-News August 2024
The GHAD Board of Directors election is being managed by ENGEO and the County Registrar of Voters. Once candidate forms and statements are available, we will share them with you. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to Management with questions or to express interest in serving our community in this way.
Topics: Updates on recent HOA Board meetings, parking reminders, street sweeping reminders, safety reminders, and a plea to you all to consider volunteering to serve on our GHAD. There is also a short rundown of what the GHAD does and what Board members would need to do.
Topics: Meeting Highlights, Tree Maintenance, GHAD Board Member Request, CC&R Feedback, V-Ditch Cleaning Reminders
Topics: Meeting Highlights, Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers, Landscaping
Topics: Emergency Assessment FAQ2, SBA Loan Reasoning, Littering, Parking Reminders, Board Candidate Request, etc.
Topics: New Management, New Architectural Contact, New Website, Parking, Hillside Updates, Mulch and Landscaping, etc.
Topics: Hillside Repairs, Dog Attacks, GHAD Update, Howe Management Goodbye, etc.
Topics: Email, Website Coming Soon, CC&R Revision, V-Ditch Reminders, Landscape Reminders, etc.
Topics: 2022 Election Results, Website Coming Soon, V-Ditch Reminders, Parking Reminders, Pet Reminders, etc.