Well, JW has emerged from the shadows once again — like a groundhog with a Mailchimp subscription — to grace Rancho Santa Fe with another Truth in the Ranch email blast. This installment arrives bearing a heroic defense of Silvergate, complete with a “reader poll” so scientifically rigorous it could probably qualify for funding from the Flat Earth Society.
It’s an interesting pivot for JW, whose public sightings typically coincide with Board elections or whenever a Golf Club project needs a hype man. But now… Silvergate? Apparently the bat-signal went up.
JW, who displays a suspiciously professional level of political-campaign muscle memory, has dusted off the classic wrap-up smear technique. You know the formula: accuse someone of something ridiculous, then cite your own accusation as evidence in your own newsletter, conveniently titled Truth in the Ranch, because satire is dead. Whether it’s true or not is irrelevant; the only qualification is that someone, somewhere, panic-reading their email, might believe it.
Sound familiar? Of course it does.
Whether it’s true or not is irrelevant; the only qualification is that someone, somewhere, panic-reading their email, might believe it.
First up on JW’s hit list was Dick Clotfelter. Dick, fifth-generation Rancho Santa Fe descendant, but apparently not Rancho Santa Fe enough for JW, was rebranded as a Clintonesque carpetbagger because he also owned a home in Washington state. The horror. Rumors blossomed that he secretly hated Golf Club projects, and JW dutifully merchandised those whispers in their “Truth” bulletin. The Golf Club, terrified Dick might vote against a new tee box or refuse to genuflect before a restaurant re-do, dutifully blocked him.
Then came the turn of Steve Games. His crime? Being friendly with longtime Ranch residents who, brace yourself, wanted ethical governance instead of “mystery meat” executive sessions. Former Board member Bill Strong actually sued over the secretive behavior, and won, but that was supposed to stay hush-hush, so pretend you didn’t read this. Steve’s other great sin was being lumped in with the anti-Silvergate people. JW didn’t care for that vibe, so Truth in the Ranch rebooted itself like a bad sequel, and once again the Golf Club marched in lockstep. They dutifully voted in three GC-approved candidates so nothing, not ethics, not common sense, not history — delayed the dream of a new restaurant. Even if it requires selling off parts of Osuna Ranch. (Don’t worry, the sale will only come when cost overruns give the bankers heartburn and the RSFA’s unsecured loan starts looking more like a punchline than a financial instrument. Yes, it’s unsecured. Yes, they hunted for a bank bold, or distracted enough to approve it. And yes, they sidestepped that pesky member vote.)
So why is JW suddenly fanning themselves over Silvergate? Maybe because they almost lost it. The Art Jury came this close to denying Petree in October. Art Jury President Kelli Hillard made a motion to deny after two years of politely begging the Petree boys to scale down, only for them to answer by scaling up. Her motion got a second, the room held its breath… and then Tom Walper and Stephanie Kilkenny swooped in like guardian angels for oversized development. Ray Rippy, apparently startled to be in someone else’s sequel, withdrew his second. Janet McVeigh bravely reinstated it, but the motion still failed 3–2. So Silvergate limps forward, undead but not yet buried.
But the real question remains: who is JW? Or better yet, who are JW?
Someone with past (or current) Board experience? Someone who knows their way around political opposition research? Someone who gets a thrill from online polls? Someone with skin in the game, or a project in the pipeline, or a restaurant fantasy to protect?
Sound like anyone you’ve met?
We see you, JW & Friends. Even if you prefer operating under the cloak of BCC.
Marston Hale is the pen name of a long-time Covenant member who has spent years observing the undercurrents of Rancho Santa Fe governance from the quiet edges of community life. Hale writes under a pseudonym to protect both personal privacy and professional relationships in a village where opinions travel faster than a horse at full gallop.