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COMMUNITY NEwS | FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JUNE 2014 7 6 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JUNE 2014 | COMMUNITY NEwS New Assistant Manager Happy to be Here Eric Zarr has enthusiasm, a big smile and he's glad to be here. "I'm really excited," he said. "This is a really beautiful community. It's a fantastic place to be right now." Zarr is the new Assistant General Manager of the Four Seasons HOA Euclid Management office. He moved here from Euclid's regional office in Upland where he was a portfolio manager, overseeing between 10 and 15 small community associations from Covina to Palm Springs. "I was on the road a lot," he said. "Now I just have one community to worry about — but it's a lot bigger." He is a native southern California boy, born in Los Angeles, who lived in Redlands until he was 15. He went to Redlands Christian School where his three older children go now. Then his family moved to Virginia. Moving to a new home and school at age 15 was difficult, but, "In a way it was good," he said. "I went from a really small, private school to a huge public one. There were twice as many people in my graduating class in Virginia than my whole school in Redlands — and that was kindergarten through high school. I'm glad I had the experience. It has helped me." His first job out of high school was with a Subway store. "I was a sandwich artist for about a year, then I worked for a concessionaire who sold lemonade and funnel cakes at fairs, city festivals, dog shows, concerts — anyplace we could sell funnel cakes and lemonade." The job had the advantage that at concerts it was busy before the show, during intermission and after the show. During the show, he could watch with few interruptions. "It was a fun job." "But we'd be busy enough so we couldn't leave for meals. We'd have funnel cakes for breakfast, for lunch, for dinner. It was long time before I could eat funnel cakes — but I've grown to like them again." Then he went to work for a direct mail company as data base manager. The company specialized in non-profit groups, many of them political, some philanthropic. "We had Democratic and Republican clients — we didn't care about their affiliation. We were really busy at election time — we did local races and worked for national organizations. We kept track of their donors." He worked his way up to list rental manager — in charge of renting prospect lists to other companies. "If you have a solid list of names, it can be a real money maker." But in 2008, the economy went south, his company was bought out, then folded, and he lost his job. "It was one of the most humbling experiences of my life." He started looking for work. "I always thought if you really wanted a job, you could get one — at McDonald's — something, and I really wanted a job." But in the last recession, there was no work at all. He was taking community college courses and realized education was less expensive in California — and he had family here so he came back. "I worked for the Census Bureau for a while, as an office supervisor," during the 2010 census, he said. That between- jobs job worked out well for him. Because of it he met wife, Catherine, the sister of one of his employees. She is a project manager for a software company in Redlands. Between them they had three children, very close in age. His two daughters, Gabrielle, 14, and Evelyn, 11, gained a brother, James, 12. Since then the Zarrs have had another son, Aaron, who is 1. At his house with four kids and both parents working, "We're busy," Zarr said. After the census ended, he got his first job in property management with a company in Redlands. "I really liked the industry. There's always something new. There is so much variety." He is certified with the Community Associations Institute and is a Certified Manager of Community Associations. He's working on becoming an Association Management Specialist. In 2012 he joined Euclid. Zarr, who was a cross-country runner in high school, now runs marathons and half marathons. He is particularly fond of a race series called "Rock and Roll." It's really fun," he said. "Every mile there's a band — of a different kind." He said he especially liked a Japanese drum band that stretched a full block along a race course in Los Angeles. He has finished two marathons and six half marathons and is signed up to run in the Los Angeles Half Marathon in October. As for his new job at Four Seasons, "I'm really looking forward to being here. Everybody is just fabulous." Being new on the job, he said, the residents, "help me more than I help them. They know more than I do. "It's nice seeing all the people involved in clubs and committees. It's so active; it's really neat." foUr SEaSonS SPotLiGHt By Leighton McLaughlin The Mello-Roos Proposal By Leighton McLaughlin There is a proposal before the Beaumont City Council to change the yearly Mello-Roos payments for some Four Seasons homeowners. Those affected are residents of Community Facilities District 7A, the portion of Four Seasons east of the Potrero Gate (Four Seasons Boulevard) and north of the Potrero Creek greenbelt. The Mello-Roos payment varies with home size, presently ranging in District 7A from $1,206 for a Springdale home to $2,403 for Landmark. They are scheduled to increase by two percent each year for the next 20 years — as they have for the past 10 years. The total 30-year payout will retire bonds issued for community improvements. The new proposal is to freeze the assessments at their present level, but increase the length of the payout to 39 years, making total payments the same. If the proposal is adopted, the benefit is to current homeowners who will not face a yearly increase. The trade-off is that beginning 20 years from now homeowners will have to pay at the fixed rate for nine years longer. If the Council approves of the move, it must be further approved by a vote of District 7A residents. Present plans are that two public hearings on the issue were to be held in May and the vote taken by mail in August. Non-resident homeowners will not be allowed to vote, only registered voters in the district — owners and renters — are eligible. The Mello-Roos (formally the Community Facilities Act) was passed by the California legislature in 1982 after Prop 13 severely limited the ability of local governments to raise taxes for public facilities and services. It was named after its two sponsors, Sen. Harry J. Mello of Watsonville and Rep. Mike Roos of Los Angeles. The city of Beaumont required establishment of Community Facilities District 7A (among other districts) before building permits for the construction of Four Seasons were issued. The bonds issued under Mello-Roos pay for the added expense to the city for providing facilities and services that the added population of Four Seasons requires. Residents receive their Mello-Roos bill with their property tax bill, even though the Mello-Roos portion is, strictly speaking, an assessment and not a tax. If it were a tax, it would violate Prop 13. For those interested, a schedule of the payouts under both the old and new plans for all six home sizes in District 7A are available at the Lodge desk. Eric Zarr

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