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PERMIT NO. 30 JULIAN, CA
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An Independent Weekly Newspaper Serving the Backcountry Communities of Julian, Cuyamaca, Santa Ysabel, Shelter Valley, Mt. Laguna, Ranchita, Sunshine Summit, Warner Springs and Wynola.
Julian News
PO Box 639 Julian, CA 92036
1985
Change Service requested
DATED MATERIAL
For the Community, by the Community.
A Career Of Service And Love
Wednesday
It’s Crazy Spider Dance Time; Orb Weaver Season is Back!
By Gig Conaughton, County of San Diego Communications Office
They’re big. They’re scary looking. And they spin enormous, circular webs that can stretch between trees, from a tree to your house, or your house to your car. It’s orb weaver spider time again in San Diego County—and this year could yield a bumper crop. Stumbling into an orb weaver web is an unmistakably creepy feeling. You could be hiking around the neighborhood, working in the yard, or walking out to the car. Suddenly, you’re smacked right in the face, your hair, your arm or other exposed bit of skin by a large, sticky strand of web! Your spider-senses scream. You flail, stumble, try to peel the web away, and as passersby stare you’re doing what County supervising vector ecologist Chris Conlan calls “the crazy spider dance.” Conlan, who has loved insects, spiders and critters since he was a kid, has been the County’s most visible “bug guy” for years as part of the County’s Vector Control Program. Conlan said this week that county residents could see more orb weavers this year than they have in years. He said that’s because spiders—including orb weavers— have more little bugs to eat this year because we had a lot of rain, which created more vegetation and insects overall. “So, you’re probably going to be running into a lot of spider webs very soon, if you haven’t already,” Conlan said. Fortunately, Conlan said, orb weaver spiders are generally harmless to people. He said orb weaver spiders, like many spiders and insects, can bite, but they generally only do if they feel very threatened—even if they look scary. “A well-fed female can be a pretty imposing spider,” Conlan said. “But they’re generally nothing to be worried about. In all honesty, if you run into their web, their general reaction is to bail off quick. They don’t like to hang around once something that’s big enough to smash through their web hits it. They know it’s not anything they want to tackle and wrap up to eat.” Orb weaver’s webs are one of their most fascinating features. In fact, orb weaver spiders are not a singular species. They’re a family of spiders, classified by their web spinning, that come in various sizes and colors. Conlan said many spiders spin small, undistinctive strands of webs tucked into corners to catch prey. But orb weaver spiders spin large, circular, often beautiful webs, the classic kind Conlan said that we often see depicted in “kid’s books and children’s stories.” Orb weaver spider webs are often so big they seem to defy logic. They can literally stretch from one tree to another, or between large objects like houses and cars. “It’s pretty amazing,” Conlan said. “They have a few ways of doing that. They can just walk down one tree and to another. Typically, they’ll spin a single strand of silk and a gust of wind will blow it to another branch or object. It will stick and the spider can now walk back and forth on that strand that’s now attached to the far-away object.” continued on page 8
www.visitjulian.com
Julian, CA.
Volume 35 — Issue 03 ISSN 1937-8416
www.JulianNews.com
Home Owners Insurance Non-Renewal Notices On The Rise
by Michael Hart
Tom Mountain is retiring from Julian Union School District. He has maintained our campus and transported Julian’s precious youth for 26 years. He drove the same bus route for all of those years; never an accident. Tom is a legend around here, and his work ethic is an example to all who know him. Elaine Bicanic, retired Julian teacher and current Board Member, said, “He made my life easier by always being there to help my classroom, and he was that way with all the teachers. I’d ask him for something and it would be done instantly. Always there in a pinch, he’s a jack of all trades.” Superintendent Brian Duffy added, “He always puts kids first. You can see a genuine joy when he works with kids.” When speaking with Mr. Mountain about his career you immediately sense his humility and sense of responsibility. Highlights of his career? He responds with appreciating the “honor of being trusted to help raise these children. Watching the kids grow up and become responsible adults is a source of great pride.” He’s going to miss his school family. “It always amazed me, the professionalism of the talented and caring people we have here at school. I feel very lucky to be a part of this impressive group of people.” He is going to miss the annual pilgrimage to Catalina Island with the 8th graders, but plans to continue traveling with his wife, Barbara. He’s proud of his four children and four grandchildren. Tom’s other passions are shooting, fishing, photography, and cross country motorcycle rides with his buddies. To get a sense of his joy serving Julian’s youth, go to Youtube and search: “Tom’s Perfect Day Julian” and you’ll see of brief video describing one of his favorite reflections.
August 21, 2019
It seems like every ten years or after a major wild fire that insurance companies get cold feet in the back country. It must be that time again! Numerous people have contacted the Julian News about the “Non-Renewal” notices they have received from their home owners insurance company, we are not talking about small companies here either - Travelers, All State, Farmers, State Farm have all issued the notices. We have been Non-Renewed for our Business Liability insurance and the reason given was “located in a high wild fire risk area.” This will not be the first time we have had to “shop” for a new policy (although it is a first for the business - the current policy has been in place since 1990), we are keeping our fingers crossed our three year old home owners policy will survive come February. So what do you do when you get the notice, other than chew on your insurance agent - not a satisfying experience, especially if you have a good relationship and assuming you have more than just your home owners policy with them. Also they are not the problem. The problem is the companies themselves. Most of whom are part of a major conglomerate. The California Department of Insurance is aware that there has been an increase in non-renewals and understands that residential insurance is getting harder to find in any area that insurers identify as having a higher than average risk of wildfire. While the Department of Insurance doesn’t have the legal authority to tell insurers what level of risk they must write or where they must write insurance, they do monitor the companies and make sure they are consistent in their decisions and that their decisions are based on considerations of risk, not other biases. The California Department of Insurance offers the following tips for anyone who has received a notice: 1. If you get a non-renewal notice, contact your insurer and ask if there are any specific actions you could take to mitigate your risk and retain your coverage. 2. If you think your non-renewal was unfair, you may file a complaint with us.< http://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/101-help/index. cfm> 3. Don’t let these actions delay starting your search for a new insurer. Make sure you have done everything you can do at your property to mitigate fire risk then start shopping for coverage. 4. In addition to contacting local agents or brokers in the vicinity of your home, you may wish to use our Residential Insurance Company Contact List that provides toll free numbers for over 50 insurers that are licensed to sell homeowners insurance. You can contact each of them to find the closest agent or broker or, in some cases, get a quote from them directly.< http://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/105type/95-guides/03-res/res-co-contact.cfm> 5. If you need help from an agent that speaks a specific language, you can use our Agent Language Locator to find one near you. 6. You can also utilize our Premium Comparison Tool< https:// interactive.web.insurance.ca.gov/apex_extprd/f?p=111:20> and our Coverage Comparison Tool< https://interactive.web.insurance. ca.gov/apex/f?p=143:16> to compare premiums and coverages. 7. Some agents may exclusively represent only one company. You should also contact independent agents or brokers who represent multiple insurers to seek coverage. Verify which insurers each agent you contact represents in order to conduct a thorough search of all insurers. 8. Understand that the California FAIR Plan< https://www.cfpnet. com/> is available to every homeowner as a last option for coverage. The maximum limit written by the FAIR Plan on a residential property for all coverages combined is $1,500,000. Because the coverage provided by a FAIR Plan policy is very limited, it is recommended that you supplement the FAIR Plan policy with a Difference in Conditions policy. 9. If none of these options work for you, you may try obtaining coverage in the “surplus lines” market. Ask your agent or broker if they are able to obtain coverage with a surplus lines insurer or obtain coverage through a surplus lines broker (note, surplus lines insurers are not backed by the California Insurance Guarantee Association). 10. If you prefer to speak live with our staff, you are always welcome to call the Department of Insurance toll free at 1-800-927-4357. Mortgage companies and the insurance industry have us over a barrel and the only recourse for now is to continue to shop when our insurance company doesn’t play nice. Because the mortgage lender requires we carry insurance, to cover their investment. Once your mortgage is paid off, you may have a tougher time finding an insurer who will cover you at a reasonable price, we have heard of premiums more than doubling over the past year. Proposition 103, passed by California voters in November 1988, requires the “prior approval” of California’s Department of Insurance before insurance companies can implement property and casualty insurance rates. The ballot measure also required each insurer to “roll back” its rates 20 percent. Prior to Proposition 103, automobile, property and casualty insurance rates were set by insurance companies without approval by the Insurance Commissioner. If your rates have increased or you have received a non-renewal notice, call or file a complaint on line with the Department of Insurance. Hold onto letters you have received, records of payments and any other documents you have with the insurance company. When you call an agent make sure that the company that they are working with is licensed in California, there where a number of people who found out after the Cedar fire that although they had insured their property, the company was not licensed in California, and that created a major headache for them when they tried to file their claim. We as a community need to make the issue of non-renewal and just the difficulty of securing property insurance and issue with our elected representatives, call or write Supervisor Jacob and State Assemblyperson Randy Voepel, State Senator Brian Jones, even congressperson Hunter and Senators Feinstein and Harris. Make them aware of the issue(see page 2 for contact information). As long as we have the threat of wildfire in the state, which never goes away, we need to stay vigilant - keeping our property safe by clearing dead trees and brush, yes! But we as property owners we also need to be assured that we will have affordable insurance, with reasonable deductible, to secure “our” investment - even when the mortgage company or bank thinks it is theirs.
Monthly Historical Society Meeting: The Santa Ysabel Rancho Peroid Ms. Katy Moretti has an extensive knowledge of the Santa Ysabel valley’s history from the Rancho period to present. With this presentation she will begin at the beginning and bring us into the early dairy period with the early family’s histories. We are fortunate to have a direct descendent of the settlers who immigrated to, and prospered in, the Santa Ysabel and Mesa Grande area share the history of this beautiful part of our back country. The reglar mothly meeting is Wednesday August 28 at 7pm in the Old Witch Creek School house on 4th Street, admission is free to all, donations and new memberships are encouraged. There will be refreshments (cookies and coffee) provided. Updates on the Historical Societies various projects Washington Mine: An ore car has been delivered to the Mine, a loan from the Warner Springs Historical Society. Plans are to include the car in a new display are underway. Archive Committee: A sizable collection of photographs and letters was donated by family members related to the Littlepage, Kear and Mitchell families. Stageline garage: Our dedicated docent and Board member, Mr. Miller has decided to scale back on his busy schedule and has been replaced on the Board by Kiki SkagenMunshi. Mr. Miller will continue to be at the Stageline Garage sharing his knowledge of the vehicles with visitors when the garage is open, and when he is working on other garage related projects. He has been an asset to the board, and we thank him for his contributions and many hours of volunteer service. September: There will be an Ice Cream Social again this year on September 25th, time and location to be announced.
5 Key Skills For Academic Success
by GreatSchools.org Staff
It takes a combination of skills — organization, time management, prioritization, concentration and motivation — to achieve academic success. Here are some tips to help get your child on the right track. Talk to your child — To find out which of these skills your child has and which he can develop further, start a simple conversation that focuses on his goals. Ask him about his favorite subjects, classes he dreads and whether he’s satisfied with his latest progress report. Listen for clues — Incorporate your own observations with your child’s self-assessment. Is your child overwhelmed by assignments? She may have trouble organizing time. Does your child have difficulty completing her work? She may get distracted too easily. Is your child simply not interested in school? She may need help getting motivated. Identify problem areas — Start here to help your child identify which of the five skill areas are continued on page 5
Melodrama Auditions
The Triangle Club’s Annual Melodrama will be “The Dastardly Deeds of Rodney Murgatroyd (or Villany Foiled and Love Resurgent)” Auditions are September 9, 6:30 in Town Hall. Performances the last two weekends in October. Contact Kat: 760 315-8491.
Fall Sports Schedules Cross Country
Friday, August 30 Wolf Pack Invitational @West Hills HS (Santee) Friday, September 6 Ian Cumming/Tim Latham Invite @Rohr Park (Chula Vista) Thursday, September 12 Cuyamaca State Park Invite Wednesday, September 18 Frontier Conference Cluster #1 @ NTC Park (San Diego) Saturday, September 21 Woodbridge HS CC Classic @Silverlakes Sports Park(Norco) Friday, September 27 Coach Downy CC Classic @Morley Field (Balboa Park) Thursday, October 3 Maranatha Invitational @Rancho Bernardo Com Park Thursday, October 10 Frontier Conference Cluster #2 @ NTC Park (San Diego) Thursday, October 24 Frontier Conference Cluster #3 @ NTC Park (San Diego) Thursday, November 7 Frontier Conference Cluster #4 @ NTC Park (San Diego) Thursday, November 14 Frontier Conference Finals @ NTC Park (San Diego) Saturday, November 23 CIFSDS Championships @ Morley Field (Balboa Park) Saturday, November 30 CIF State Championships @Woodward Park (Fresno)
Football
Friday, August 23 7pm Home vs Warner Friday, September 13 3:30 Home vs Rock Academy Friday, September 20 3:30 Home vs San Pasqual Academy Friday, September 27 7pm @ Foothills Christian Friday, October 4 7pm Homecoming vs Borrego Springs Friday, October 11 7pm @Calvary Christian Friday, October 18 tba @Horizon Prep
Volleyball
Tuesday, August 27 @Rock Academy Friday September 6 Home vs Rock Academy Thursday, September 12 @Mountain Empire Tuesday, September 17 Home vs West Shores Thursday, September 26 Home vs Warner Wednesday, October 2 @West Shores Tuesday, October 22 @Warner Thursday, October 24 @ Borrego Springs
Julian Check out the Julian Calendar of Events at: visitjulianevents.com
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