Ramona’s leaders have plans to tackle new projects, expand Ramona’s influence and address economic challenges in 2025.
Robin Joy Maxson, a member and former chair of the Ramona Community Planning Group, says the unincorporated area, including Ramona, has already made strides from being overlooked in regional planning and funding to becoming an area of focus.
As an example, Maxson said the San Diego Association of Governments’ (SANDAG) first meeting of 2025 is expected to include an update on state Route 67.
SANDAG’s role is to address regional planning, transportation and fire evacuation issues with the help of a board of directors comprised of elected officials representing the region’s 18 cities and the county.
The Planning Group has pushed for widening SR-67 to four lanes to improve evacuation safety for years, said Maxson, who is also chairwoman of the Association of Planning Groups, San Diego County.
The Ramona resident, who was elected by the Association of Planning Groups, San Diego County as the first advisory member of the SANDAG Board of Directors for unincorporated areas, has several goals in mind.
“I plan to increase safety for our unincorporated area through improved evacuation conditions on our state highways and securing our fair share of the highway tax dollars paid by our residents; especially through the TransNet tax,” Maxson said in an email, referring to the half-cent sales tax istered by SANDAG to fund local transportation projects.
She aims to accomplish her goals in part through her role with SANDAG and through connections with elected officials, including county Supervisor Joel Anderson, Assembly member Carl DeMaio, Congressman Darrell Issa and state Sen. Brian Jones, she said.
“The plan for 2025 is to address transportation funding and safety in the unincorporated area,” said Maxson, who was named a “Distinguished Woman” in Senate District 40 in 2024.
Another leader taking an optimistic view of the town in 2025 is Ramona Design Review Board Chairman Scott Ensign.
“When looking at 2024 and forward to 2025, Ramona has many opportunities for change and growth that are happening,” Ensign said in an email.
The Design Review Board, which reviews development proposals in Ramona and advises San Diego County on signage, lighting and construction changes, recently gave input on several large projects in the community. These include the Ramona Intergenerational Community Campus (RICC), Rachel’s Cafe and Eatery, Dollar Tree and Del Taco.
“As a local advisory to the county of San Diego we are here to all businesses on Main Street and some of the side streets, too,” Ensign said. “All new businesses need approval to obtain sign-off from the county and that’s where we come in.”
One of the biggest challenges Ensign foresees in 2025 is making businesses aware of the Design Review Board’s role before they proceed with their projects.
“Our committee must rely on the new business owners to connect with us,” he said. “We remain open to suggestions on getting the word out to the public. We work hard to provide the knowledge needed to have a unity of design for our town.”
Ensign said the Design Review team, along with county staff, are in the process of updating the town’s development planning guidelines — the Ramona Form Based Code — to establish more clarity for the future of Ramona regarding issues such as signs, lighting, colors and landscaping.
“The Design Review Board is excited about 2025 with new projects coming to our town like Children’s Paradise Day Care, a new Starbucks, a new Ramona Sheriff’s substation, and the completion of the Ramona Station where the former Kmart was located,” Ensign said.
Ramona Chamber of Commerce President Bob Krysak said he plans to continue guiding the Chamber in 2025 in its efforts to assist local businesses in achieving the success and prosperity they strive for, as well as working toward a better community for all residents.
The Chamber, its staff and board of directors will continue to promote and provide assistance to local businesses, Krysak said.
“This is a time of economic challenges which can only be overcome by teamwork and a singular focus on promoting and providing marketing, networking opportunities and assistance with governmental agencies to our businesses,” Krysak said in an email.
In 2025, Krysak said the Chamber will continue promoting the town regionally through networking with other Chambers in the Backcountry Coalition, conducting social media outreach, and advertising Ramona “down the hill.”
“All of this is designed to put Ramona on the map,” Krysak said. “We will do this by highlighting and promoting our best assets, including our wineries, our burgeoning music scene and our local arts. The success of these industries will rise the tide for all Ramona businesses.”
Additionally, Krysak said the Chamber will continue to collaborate with other local and government agencies through the Ramona Leadership Council. The council is comprised of representatives of the Ramona Municipal Water District, the Ramona Unified School District, the Ramona Community Planning Group, the Ramona Valley Vineyard Association, the Ramona Design Review Board, the Ramona Real Estate Association, the San Diego Country Estates Association and the Ramona H.E.A.R.T. Mural Project, in addition to representatives of county Supervisor Joel Anderson’s office and Congressman Darrell Issa’s office.
“The group meets monthly to discuss and brainstorm community issues of common concern and seek solutions through mutual cohesive and singular approach, thereby avoiding duplication and cross purposes as well as presenting a united front to those governmental agencies on which we rely,” said Krysak, an attorney with Krysak & Associates in Ramona.
“We are proud to be a part of Ramona’s future, which I predict will be ever a shining example of a small community’s positive attitude and resulting good fortune,” he said.
Ramona Unified School District Superintendent Brian Thurman said the district’s goals for the new year are related to instructional leadership, fiscal responsibility, and interpersonal relationships with the community, staff and school board .
“These goals all center around continuous improvement, building on past successes, and improving the environment within Ramona Unified School District for all students, staff, families and the greater community,” Thurman said in an email. “Our leaders and staff within each division work extremely hard towards continuous improvement and meeting the needs of our students, staff, families and community.”
Thurman says challenges and opportunities for the school district will become apparent when the governor’s 2025-26 state budget proposal is presented in early January.
“RUSD continues to have a positive outlook for the future, regardless of the state’s budget woes, due to having dynamic leaders throughout the district who work very hard to use available resources to meet student, staff and family needs,” he said.
“RUSD is strategically planning to repair additional leaking roofs and install additional safety fencing this coming year. Of course, this comes with all the urgent projects and priorities that pop up on a regular basis as well.”
Ramona Unified’s incoming school board President Daryn Drum said the school district will be focused in 2025 on fiscal ability, improving student test scores, and ing students and staff to create the best learning environment possible.
Drum said the school board aims to work with the superintendent to make sure each dollar spent is evaluated to ensure the district is getting the best value for its money and continues to act with the students’ best interests in mind.
Projects that could be prioritized in the new year include safety fencing installment/improvement, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning upgrades, and roof replacements, he said.
“Additionally, we must continue to evaluate each vacancy with a critical point of view and take every opportunity to decrease the annual budget,” Drum said.
Schools in California will continue to be challenged financially, he added.
“This state is ranked 18th nationally on spending per pupil and has the highest Gross Domestic Product of all 50 states,” Drum said in an email. “California residents are burdened with one of the highest overall tax rates in the nation, yet it does not the needs of the students and schools as well as other states.”
At the Ramona Senior Center, the primary goal for 2025 will be to continue feeding seniors in the town and the surrounding backcountry areas, said the center’s Executive Director Lora Yule.
“We are receiving a rising number of calls every day from seniors in need and wanting to know how they can sign up for our services,” Yule said. “Extra funding is going to be crucial to keep up with the demand, so we plan to achieve these goals by seeking out grants, individual donors and continue to hold fundraisers.”
But Yule also foresees challenges to the Senior Center’s nutrition program due to the rising cost of food.
“Most people are feeling the economy’s struggles, so my concern is that donations may not be able to be given as freely as usual,” she said. “Although these challenges are big concerns of ours, we are still looking forward to the opportunity to seek out funding needed to ensure we can serve a nutritious meal to all seniors in need.
“We are positive that we will reach and serve as many seniors as we possibly can until we reach full capacity.”
Here are some goals for 2025 from others in Ramona:
Ashley E. Norton and Jon Hasz, musicians and founders of the Ramona Music Alliance, said they hope to continue to build stronger relationships with local businesses and new parts of the community.
“We’d love to see our group as the number one go-to resource for hiring music at events,” they said, “as well as promote what Ramona has to offer all over the county. There is already a great buzz about our wonderful music scene, which we hope brings more people up the hill to our amazing local businesses.”
Pat Donovan, president of the Guy B. Woodward Museum, said he has several goals for 2025.
“Just a few include opening the Ramona Research Center, allowing community to work with museum volunteers to use original texts and rare books to learn about our past; to to provide community events to help visitors experience and learn local history; to grow our volunteer group; to expand our field trip program and to continue to upgrade the facilities to make the property more usable,” Donovan said.
New and expanded exhibits at the museum will include an agricultural exhibit, expanding the historic textiles exhibit and a special exhibit on Ramona during World War II, he said.
Golden Eagle Farm in Ramona was recently awarded a two-year Farm to School Incubator grant from the California Department of Food and Agriculture in partnership with the San Diego County Office of Education, said Essence Oyos, secretary of the farm’s Business Development Corp.
“The farm hopes to work with other local schools to elevate awareness and access to CCOF Certified Organic, locally grown produce,” Oyos said. “Our team also hopes to activate two more ranch house vacation rentals, and to host events (both private and open to the public) on the farm in 2025.”
In 2025, the Ramona Rodeo Foundation aims to grow its hip and engage even more deeply with the community, said Jess Koehler, secretary of the foundation and chair of the 2025 pageant.
“We hope to exceed our current contributions through event sponsorships, charitable donations, and scholarships, further ing our community here in Ramona,” Koehler said. “While the rodeo remains our primary fundraiser, we also look forward to exploring new opportunities to bring the community together and strengthen our impact.”
Carissa Ultsch, owner of Farmstand TV, said she hopes to strengthen the relationships among the farm stands in Ramona.
Ultsch said she would like to see them “broadening the reach of our local Food Network and educating our community about eating healthy, or being inspired to grow their own food or create a business out of their hobby farms or homesteads.”
The Mini Barn Market will be expanding in 2025 to include another farm stand, she said.
“In 2025 we expect to see the continued growth of agritourism in our area due to the growth of hobby farms, homesteads and farm stands,” Ultsch said. “I think it will have a positive impact on our wineries, local shops, and continue to increase awareness about all of the amazing things Ramona has to offer.”
The Ramona Valley Vineyard Association has a number of hopes and plans for 2025, said President Sue Robinson.
“We will be moving the Cheers to the Valley event to earlier in the year,” Robinson said. “It is too hot to do wine tastings in July. We hope to make it an afternoon event with vendors and food as well as wine tastings.”
The group will continue to apply for grants to help with marketing efforts, she said.
“We have to continue to get the word out that Ramona and San Diego County have wine and beautiful wineries,” Robinson said. “We will be working closely with the San Diego County Vintners Association to participate in the San Diego Wine Week in May.”
The group will also continue to work with the county on the rewrite of its Wine Ordinance to allow music at the wineries.
“(San Diego County Supervisor) Joel Anderson has been instrumental in keeping this on track,” Robinson said.
In January the group has its strategic planning meeting to finalize event dates, she added.
Sweet Heart Farms is set to expand its operations to meet the growing demands of Ramona and neighboring communities, said owner Jennifer Cole.
“The farm plans to significantly increase its vegetable and produce cultivation, ensuring a steady supply of fresh, local goods,” Cole said.
“A notable collaboration with Rogue Farms’ farmstand will further bolster our efforts to cater to the high demand for farm-fresh produce,” she said. “This partnership aims to enhance distribution and accessibility of our products throughout the region.”
With this new collaboration, the two farms will take their goods on the road and will have a drop-off location in Poway starting in mid-January, Cole said.
To this growth, Sweet Heart Farms is in the process of hiring a baking assistant and a farm hand, she said.
“These new positions are crucial for scaling up production, particularly of our much-loved sourdough bread, which has seen a spike in demand,” she said.
“The farm is focusing on improving efficiency. This involves adopting new farming techniques, optimizing resource use, and streamlining operations to ensure that the farm can produce more with less, maintaining quality and sustainability.”
