Hi Lori ...
Most of my information about 'New Dawn' came from several rose friends that live in Socal and along the central coast. The consensus when ND was discussed was that it was prone to mildew and rust and that there are better climbers for your climate. Note: per the plantmaps zone 10a
http://www.plantmaps.com/93401
You list your cold hardiness zone as 7a which would have average winter cold temps of 0 to 5F. Do you live in an area where there is a micro-climate that gets that cold ? If so, that could make a difference.
