Terms and Conditions

These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the Protect Rural Escondido website at protectruralescondido.com, including its forms, content, event information, mailing-list features, and related services (collectively, the “Site”).

In these Terms, “Protect Rural Escondido,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to the grassroots community campaign operating this Site.

By accessing or using the Site, you acknowledge these Terms. If you do not agree with them, please do not use the Site or submit information through it.

1. About Protect Rural Escondido

Protect Rural Escondido is a grassroots campaign organized by local residents concerned with land-use, annexation, development, infrastructure, public safety, environmental, and community-character issues affecting rural and unincorporated communities surrounding Escondido, California.

Protect Rural Escondido has not been formed or recognized as a nonprofit organization, registered charity, or tax-exempt organization. Unless expressly stated otherwise, payments or contributions made in support of the campaign are not represented as tax-deductible, and Protect Rural Escondido does not issue charitable tax receipts.

Protect Rural Escondido is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or acting on behalf of the City of Escondido, the County of San Diego, the San Diego Local Agency Formation Commission (“LAFCO”), any other government agency, or any developer or project applicant.

2. Informational and Advocacy Purposes

The Site provides general information and advocacy content concerning rural Escondido, proposed developments and annexations, government proceedings, public meetings, community events, and opportunities for public participation.

The Site does not provide legal, land-use, planning, engineering, environmental, emergency, financial, accounting, or tax advice. Nothing on the Site creates an attorney-client, adviser-client, fiduciary, agency, employment, membership, or similar professional relationship.

Project descriptions, maps, public records, hearing dates, deadlines, meeting locations, agendas, public-comment procedures, and other information may change. Although we try to provide accurate and useful information, you should confirm important details directly with the City of Escondido, the County of San Diego, LAFCO, or the other public agency responsible for the matter.

Information on this Site should not be your only source for determining whether, when, or how to participate in a government proceeding.

3. Permitted Use

You may access and use the Site for lawful, personal, informational, and noncommercial community-participation purposes.

You may share links to publicly available Site pages. You may also download or print reasonable portions of Site content for personal reference, public-comment preparation, or noncommercial community education, provided that you preserve any attribution and ownership notices and do not present the material in a misleading manner.

Unless we give prior permission, you may not:

• Use the Protect Rural Escondido name, logo, branding, or materials for commercial purposes.
• Misrepresent yourself as speaking for or being officially authorized by Protect Rural Escondido.
• Copy or republish substantial portions of the Site in a misleading or deceptive context.
• Alter Site materials in a way that misrepresents their meaning or source.
• Remove copyright, credit, source, or ownership notices.
• Interfere with the Site, its forms, security measures, hosting, or normal operation.
• Submit spam, malicious code, fraudulent information, or abusive messages.
• Use automated tools in a manner that places an unreasonable burden on the Site or attempts to bypass its security or rate limits.
• Use the Site for conduct that violates applicable law or another person’s rights.

We may block abusive activity, reject inappropriate submissions, or restrict access to Site features when reasonably necessary to protect the Site, its organizers, or other users.

4. Contact and Volunteer Submissions

The Site allows visitors to send messages, express interest in volunteering, request yard signs, ask questions, and contact the campaign about other matters.

You are responsible for ensuring that the information you submit is accurate and that you have the right to provide it. Please do not submit:

• Information you know is false or misleading.
• Threatening, harassing, defamatory, or unlawful material.
• Malicious files, code, or links.
• Confidential information that you are not authorized to disclose.
• Another person’s private information without permission.
• Material that infringes another person’s copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, or other rights.

We may use submitted information to respond to you, coordinate volunteer activities, arrange yard-sign pickup, maintain campaign records, provide requested information, and perform the other activities described in our Privacy Policy.

We are an all-volunteer campaign. Any estimated response time shown on the Site is a goal, not a guaranteed service level. Submitting a message does not guarantee a response, representation, publication, volunteer assignment, or particular advocacy outcome.

5. Stories, Photographs, and Other Submitted Material

You retain ownership of stories, photographs, videos, testimonials, and other original material you submit to us (“Submitted Material”).

Sending Submitted Material privately does not, by itself, authorize us to publish it. We will request your express approval before publishing your story, photograph, name, likeness, quotation, or other Submitted Material.

If you approve publication, you grant Protect Rural Escondido a nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to reproduce, display, distribute, and publish the approved material through the Site, campaign emails, social-media accounts, presentations, printed campaign materials, and other noncommercial campaign communications.

This permission allows us to make reasonable, non-substantive edits for spelling, grammar, length, formatting, accessibility, image sizing, or technical presentation. We will request additional approval before making an edit that materially changes the meaning of your submission.

By approving material for publication, you confirm that:

• You created the material or have authority to permit its use.
• Its publication will not violate another person’s intellectual-property, privacy, publicity, or contractual rights.
• You have obtained appropriate permission from identifiable people shown or discussed in the material when reasonably necessary.
• If the material prominently identifies or depicts a minor, an authorized parent or guardian has approved publication.

You may withdraw permission for future use by contacting us at info@protectruralescondido.com. We will make reasonable efforts to stop future publication and remove the material from channels under our control. However, we may not be able to recall printed materials, delivered emails, archived copies, previously shared social-media posts, or copies made by third parties.

No payment or royalty is owed for approved Submitted Material unless we separately agree otherwise in writing.

6. Email Communications

If you join our mailing list, you may receive campaign updates, public-hearing notices, event information, volunteer opportunities, fundraising announcements, and calls to action.

We use Brevo to deliver campaign emails. Brevo processes information associated with email delivery under its own terms and privacy practices.

Campaign emails include an unsubscribe method. You may unsubscribe at any time by using the link in a campaign email or by contacting us at info@protectruralescondido.com. Brevo may retain limited information needed to maintain an unsubscribe or suppression record.

Unsubscribing from campaign emails does not prevent us from responding to a message you independently send, completing a yard-sign arrangement, or sending another communication reasonably necessary to address a request you initiated.

We do not guarantee that every email will be delivered, arrive before a hearing or deadline, or avoid filtering by an email provider.

7. Optional Text Alerts

If you affirmatively request text alerts and provide a telephone number, an organizer may manually send you campaign alerts from a privately maintained telephone number.

Text alerts are optional. Agreeing to receive them is not required to access the Site, join the email list, volunteer, request a yard sign, contact the campaign, or make a future contribution.

Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply according to your mobile-service plan. Mobile carriers are not responsible for delayed or undelivered messages.

Because texts are sent from an organizer’s telephone, your number and message history may appear on that device and in records maintained by the applicable mobile carriers.

You may withdraw consent at any time by replying STOP or directly asking the organizer to stop. You may reply HELP or email info@protectruralescondido.com for assistance. We will honor opt-out requests and stop sending campaign texts to that number.

You are responsible for providing a telephone number that you control or are authorized to enroll.

8. Yard Signs

Protect Rural Escondido may make campaign yard signs available to community members.

The current $10 amount associated with a yard sign is reimbursement for printing or production costs. It is not a charitable donation, is not tax-deductible, and does not result in a charitable receipt.

No yard-sign payment is processed through this Site. Payment is made in cash when the sign is collected. Sign requests are subject to available inventory and confirmation of a pickup arrangement. Submitting a request does not guarantee that a sign will be available.

Unless we expressly agree otherwise, signs are not shipped or delivered. Questions about a particular sign, pickup, replacement, or reimbursement should be directed to info@protectruralescondido.com.

9. Pledges and Future GoFundMe Contributions

The current pledge form does not accept or process money. Submitting a pledge:

• Does not charge you.
• Is not a completed contribution.
• Is not a binding promise to contribute.
• Does not create a debt or payment obligation.
• Does not produce a receipt.
• Only allows us to record your interest and contact you if fundraising becomes available.

If Protect Rural Escondido later establishes a GoFundMe campaign, contributions will be made through GoFundMe rather than this Site. GoFundMe will control payment processing and will apply its own terms, privacy policy, refund procedures, fees, and platform rules.

Protect Rural Escondido will not receive your complete payment-card or bank-account information through this Site.

Protect Rural Escondido is not currently a tax-exempt organization. Contributions to a future personal or community GoFundMe campaign are not represented as tax-deductible, and Protect Rural Escondido will not issue charitable tax receipts. Contributors should consult their own tax adviser if they have questions about a contribution.

GoFundMe may separately offer donors an optional platform contribution, tip, or other charge for GoFundMe’s benefit. Such amounts are paid to GoFundMe and are not contributions to Protect Rural Escondido.

Before contributing, verify that you are using the official campaign link published by Protect Rural Escondido and review the fundraiser description carefully.

10. Petitions and Change.org

The petition linked from this Site is hosted by Change.org or a related Change.org address. Signing the petition is governed by Change.org’s own terms and privacy practices.

Protect Rural Escondido does not control Change.org’s platform, account requirements, communications, payment requests, or data practices.

Any donation, contribution, or tip made to Change.org through the petition platform goes to Change.org or the recipient identified by that platform. It does not go to Protect Rural Escondido unless the platform clearly and expressly identifies Protect Rural Escondido as the recipient.

11. Events, Public Meetings, and Recordings

The Site may list government meetings, public hearings, community events, markets, outreach activities, agendas, participation instructions, and meeting recordings.

Event and meeting information is subject to change. A meeting may be rescheduled, cancelled, relocated, continued, or conducted under procedures different from those summarized on the Site. Official agency notices and venue rules control.

Protect Rural Escondido does not guarantee:

• Admission to an event or meeting.
• An opportunity to speak or submit comments.
• The length of a public-comment period.
• Availability or accuracy of a recording.
• The availability of an agenda, livestream, registration form, or external link.
• That a calendar reminder will reflect later schedule changes.
• Any governmental, political, or project outcome.

You are responsible for your own transportation, personal property, conduct, safety, and compliance with venue and public-agency rules when attending an event.

12. Third-Party Websites and Services

The Site may link to or use services operated by third parties, including Brevo, GoFundMe, Change.org, Cloudflare, YouTube, social-media platforms, calendar providers, public agencies, and government-comment portals.

Third-party services are governed by their own terms, privacy policies, accessibility practices, and security measures. We do not control and cannot guarantee their content, availability, accuracy, privacy, accessibility, or continued operation.

A link to a third-party resource is provided for convenience or reference. Unless expressly stated, it does not mean that Protect Rural Escondido endorses, sponsors, controls, or is affiliated with that third party.

You should review the applicable third-party terms and privacy notices before submitting information, making a payment, creating an account, or relying on information provided through an external service.

13. Intellectual Property

Except for public records, government materials, submitted material, and content credited to another owner, the original text, design, graphics, logos, photographs, organization, and other content on the Site belong to Protect Rural Escondido or are used with permission.

“Protect Rural Escondido,” its logo, and related campaign branding may not be used in a way that falsely suggests sponsorship, endorsement, affiliation, or official authorization.

Government names, agency seals, third-party marks, event flyers, maps, plans, recordings, photographs, and other credited materials remain the property of their respective owners. Their appearance on the Site does not transfer ownership to Protect Rural Escondido or to Site visitors.

If you believe material on the Site infringes your copyright or another intellectual-property right, contact info@protectruralescondido.com with:

• Your name and contact information.
• Identification of the protected work.
• Identification and location of the material at issue.
• An explanation of your ownership or authority.
• A statement describing the requested action.

We will review good-faith concerns and take appropriate action.

14. Privacy and Security

Our handling of personal information is described in our Privacy Policy.

Website form submissions are currently delivered by email to info@protectruralescondido.com. They are not currently entered into a Google Sheet or public database. Submitted information may remain in the campaign mailbox and in systems used to provide email delivery, hosting, security, or related services.

We use reasonable measures intended to protect the Site and submitted information. However, no website, email account, mobile device, transmission method, or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure.

Please do not use a general Site form to send Social Security numbers, financial-account information, payment-card details, medical records, government identification numbers, passwords, or other highly sensitive information.

15. Children

The Site is intended for a general community audience and is not directed to children under 13.

Children under 13 should not submit personal information through the Site. If you believe a child under 13 has submitted personal information, please contact info@protectruralescondido.com so we can review and, where appropriate, delete it.

A parent or guardian must approve the publication of a story, photograph, video, or other material that prominently identifies or depicts a minor.

16. Accessibility

Protect Rural Escondido is committed to making the Site’s information available to community members with disabilities.

If you encounter an accessibility barrier or need information in an alternative format, contact info@protectruralescondido.com and describe the page, content, or feature involved. We will make reasonable efforts to provide assistance.

Some third-party websites, forms, recordings, and embedded services are outside our control and may follow different accessibility practices.

17. Site Availability and Changes

The Site and its content are provided on an “as available” basis. We may correct, update, reorganize, suspend, or remove Site content or features without prior notice.

We do not guarantee that the Site will always be available, secure, uninterrupted, complete, current, or free of technical errors. Maintenance, hosting problems, security events, service-provider failures, network conditions, and circumstances outside our control may affect operation of the Site.

18. Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Protect Rural Escondido does not make warranties regarding the completeness, accuracy, availability, or fitness for a particular purpose of the Site or its content.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Protect Rural Escondido and its organizers and volunteers will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, exemplary, or consequential losses arising from:

• Reliance on Site content.
• Changes to meeting, hearing, project, or event information.
• Delayed or undelivered email or text alerts.
• Site interruptions or technical errors.
• Conduct or content of third-party websites or services.
• Loss or unauthorized interception of a submission despite reasonable safeguards.
• Decisions made by public agencies, event organizers, platform operators, or other third parties.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, including responsibility for fraud, willful injury, or violations of law.

19. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms when Site features, communication practices, fundraising methods, legal requirements, or campaign operations change.

The effective date at the top of the page will be revised when the Terms are updated. If a change materially affects a feature requiring affirmative consent, such as publication permission or text-message enrollment, we may request new consent through that feature rather than relying only on continued Site use.

20. Governing Law and General Provisions

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

Any dispute that may properly be brought in court will be subject to the jurisdiction of the state or federal courts serving San Diego County, California, unless applicable law requires otherwise.

If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, it will be limited or removed only to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions will continue in effect.

A failure to enforce a provision on one occasion does not waive the right to enforce it later.

These Terms and the Privacy Policy constitute the general policies governing use of the Site. Feature-specific approvals or third-party terms may also apply to activities such as publishing submitted material, receiving text alerts, or contributing through GoFundMe.

21. Contact Us

Questions, accessibility requests, publication-permission withdrawals, copyright concerns, and other notices relating to these Terms may be sent to:

Protect Rural Escondido
Email: info@protectruralescondido.com
Location: Rural Escondido, San Diego County, California