June 20 issue:
Hold RSF Association directors able to represent us all
RSF Association issues have evolved into golfer vs. non-golfer matters that have involved golf-related projects valued over millions. I am voicing concerns about the demographics of the skewed make-up of the current RSFA board and the candidates during this election cycle.
We have five RSF directors who are golf and two who are not. While the RSFA hip is 30% golfers and 70% non-golfers, the RSFA board is 70% golf and 30% non-golf . This imbalanced representation does not reflect the make-up of the general hip of the RSFA.
The majority of golf member RSFA directors tend to vote as a pack with little deliberation on matters of golf which have the appearance of being biased in favoring and prioritizing golf- related projects like the clubhouse remodel, a money-losing asset, over non-golf-related projects such as building a “barn” for community event space that can be an income generating asset. Seventeen years ago, the $8M Player’s Club loan was approved with the promise that it would be paid back by 2012. Financial and golf access decisions have been made by the RSFA board that have been consistently to the benefit of golf club and to the detriment of the general RSFA member.
The RSFA board made decisions that have abdicated its fiduciary responsibility to the 70% RSFA hip in favor of projects benefitting the 30% golfing hip. Instead of paying back the Player’s Club loan by 2012, as promised, it is now scheduled to be paid back by 2028, 16 years after it was promised. The golf course remodel was originally approved on a $7M budget now needs an additional $7M to complete due to delays, violations of SD County regulations related to grading and bury pits, cost over-runs and a change in contractors. The board approved the additional $7M with about 10 minutes, compared to the 20 minutes it took to deliberate over the $15,000 budget for the “Celebrate Osuna” community-wide event.
In 2019, the golf-dominated RSFA board voted to cancel the golf 6/12 Pack that the general non-golf RSFA hip had access to for years. In 2021, the golf-dominated RSFA board proceeded to vote on converting the formerly coed Vaquero Lounge in the Player’s Club into the “Men’s Locker Room,” a violation of discrimination laws against the female of the RSFA. The RSFA board just voted in 2024 to raise the golf initiation fees to $100,000, exacerbating the barrier to use for RSFA .
We need less biased and less skewed representation on the RSFA board with a make-up of directors who represent the interests of 100% of its hip, not just the 30% golfing subset. Neighbors, hold your RSFA directors able to represent us all.
Linda Leong (Scuba)
32-year Rancho Santa Fe resident
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