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As we approach the 35th Anniversary of Ocean Hills Country Club our homes may need various and sundry upgrades from a simple interior paint job to a major upgrade, i.e., cabinets, counter tops, flooring, appliances, bath remodels, landscape upgrades, etc. Now most of us have little or no experience with the construction trades. However, the state of California has a department called the State Contractors License Board. The Board oversees all construction in the state. Per state law any building construction with a total cost (labor and materials) of $500 or greater, must be done by a state licensed contractor classified for the work to be done. Any unlicensed person who submits to a homeowner a proposal, whether verbal or written, to do work with a total sum (labor and materials) of $500 or more, is subject to a fine and possible jail time, especially if he does any work, no matter how well he does it. Most OHCC residents have hired help for maintenance, repairs, modifications or major rework on their homes. This hired help may or may not be qualified to do the work at hand. So How Does One Tell? First ask the potential contractor if he is licensed in the State of California. Then ask for his state license number. He should be able to produce a California State Board pocket I.D., card like a credit card, NOT JUST A BUSINESS CARD WITH A CITY BUSINESS LICENSE NUMBER. You then should contact the California State Contractors License Board at 800-321-2752, or www.cslb.ca.gov and make sure that he is actually the real thing, has no disciplinary actions pending and is current with his State Surety Bond with no claims against it. At that point ask your potential contractor for recommendations from previous jobs and CHECK THEM! Remember, the State Contractors License Board is there to protect you not the contractor. So use them if necessary, to arbitrate cost over runs, poor work or poor performance. To recap: 1. If the total cost (labor and materials) will be $500 or more, use a licensed contractor. 2. Check with the State Contractors License Board and make sure this guy is who he says he is and he is licensed in good standing. 3. Check his references, if he can't supply them or if his responses to your queries are shaky, find another one, there are lots of hungry ones out there. P.S. Don't forget to run your proposed work by the OHCC Architectural Review Committee by submitting an application for approval. They will keep you on the straight and narrow in a friendly supportive way. | OHCC LIVING | APRIL 2019 | 5 Treasurer's Report By Greg Kusiak, MBA, Treasurer The Executive Finance Committee reviewed the financial reports for February in detail. The EFC Minutes documenting the completion of this task, along with specific authorizations for transfers of amounts in excess of $10,000, are on the website. The approved 2019-2020 budget has been distributed to all owners, and the new fiscal year will begin on April 1. Depending on the budgets of the individual villages, you will have a change in your dues with your next payment. Please note again that the amounts reported in the reserve accounts mailed to you are slightly higher than those in the report of the reserve analyst due to the additional contribution of $200,000 made in February after the reserve report was prepared. Even though we have a number of expensive projects in the works, our reserves are still substantial. We are now in the middle of the last month of our fiscal year, and are expecting to finish the year with income about ½ percent higher than forecast, and expenses about 2½ percent below forecast, for a surplus of about 3 percent. We are pleased to report that your Homeowners' Association continues to maintain its excellent financial status. At February month-end: There are no new Under/(Over) Budget Items of Interest YTD. Our interest income continues to be double what was budgeted, with correspondingly higher California and Federal income taxes. Our water for the common area and the golf course is now $146,000 below budget, with more savings expected in March. Operating Cash and Receivables .......... $1.13 (millions) Reserves and Other .............................. $5.25 Total Assets ........................................... $6.22 Liabilities .............................................. $.527 Equity ................................................... $.448 Month Year Income ..................... $.653 ................... $7.181 Expenses .................. $.576 ................... $6.909 Net ............................ $ (.077) ............... $.272 To Contract Or Not To Contract? That Is The Question!

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