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Archive for the 'Homeowner associations' Category

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Seal Beach man got stuck to spa drain - on new ’suction-proof’ cover

September 3rd, 2009, 6:00 am by Teri Sforza, Register staff writer

mcintyre11

(Note: The Jacuzzi people object to the name of their brand being used as a synonym for “hot tub” and “spa,” so we have removed that reference, even though the folks in this story referred to the spa as such. Jacuzzi says it did not make the hot tub pictured.)

So nearly half of the public pools and spas  in Orange County - 3,451 of 7,376, to be exact - have submitted paperwork to prove they’re in compliance with new safety rules, says Richard Sanchez, Orange County’s director of environmental health.

The overwhelming majority are simply replacing drain covers so people won’t get stuck to them.

Tim McIntyre has a cautionary tale to offer. McIntyre doesn’t usually lie under water at the bottom of hot tubs, but he did; and he wants you to know that the stuff billed as safe may not, under some circumstances, be safe at all; and he has pictures of the welts to prove it.

PAIN IN THE DRAIN

McIntyre, of Seal Beach, has two children with autism who love to swim. His teen-aged daughter is especially fond of exploring surfaces and textures, even (especially?) below the surface. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Federal government • Homeowner associations • Public health • Public safety | 30 Comments »

Dramatic finish to LWV’s first-ever recall election is Friday

August 20th, 2009, 6:00 am by Teri Sforza, Register staff writer

(Read our Q&A with recall target Marty Rubin here)

ballot-boxTomorrow is D-Day in Laguna Woods Village, where secret ballots for the recall of four directors must be returned to the Inspector of Elections by 9 a.m.

A half-hour later, those secret ballots will be opened and counted at a special meeting of the United Board  at Clubhouse 3. 

Things are a wee bit tense. 

“I was up at the ballot drop in room at Club House 1, and I have a ‘No On Recall’ button on and a man said to me, ‘Vote yes on the recall,’ said resident Heather Gerson. “I looked at him and said, ‘Apparently you can’t read. That’ says ‘vote no.‘  

“He said, ‘To be honest, I want t0 recall everybody on the board - including (recall organizer Mike) Curtis.’ And I said, ‘You’re not half bad, are you? I’ll accept that.’”

Curtis himself is ready to throw up his hands. “We’re doing what’s right and we’re vilified in the community,” he said. “I’ve just been beating my head against the wall. Was it Stalin who said ‘It doesn’t matter who votes, it matters who counts the votes?’ That’s the kind of thing we’re up against. We’re all anxious for Friday to come along.”

WHY?

The giant senior community’s first-ever, $121,000-or-so exercise in direct democracy came about after Curtis got fed up with how some fellow board members handle the community’s finances - and how they, in his opinion, kowtow to long-time property manager Professional Community Management. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Elections • Homeowner associations • Nonprofits | 32 Comments »

Recall target foresees era of greater transparency in Laguna Woods Village

August 20th, 2009, 6:00 am by Teri Sforza, Register staff writer

directorsMarty Rubin is one of the four targets of the first-ever recall election in Laguna Woods Village’s history. On Friday, the ballots will be counted. (Read our story about all that here.)

We at The Watchdog haven’t had great success engaging the officialdom at LWV, so we greatly appreciate Rubin’s willingness to answer our (sometimes indelicate) questions. Here’s our email question-and-answer session:

WATCHDOG: From a distance, it seems that the conflict at its most basic is over perceptions of how the management company does its job. Some folks feel that they’re not getting a fair shake and want to rock the boat; others seem to think things are going along swimmingly.

RUBIN: This is, I think, a fair summary.

WATCHDOG: Is there some ground for peaceful cooperation here?!

RUBIN: I sure hope so and I plan on continuing to work toward that end.

WATCHDOG: (Recall organizer Mike) Curtis feels that he’s David battling Goliath… He complains that no folks get lots more time on cable tv than yes folks- Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Elections • Homeowner associations • Nonprofits | 31 Comments »

Legal twist: Ousted LWV director returns to board - and then resigns

July 21st, 2009, 11:43 am by Teri Sforza, Register staff writer

katie Thanks, but no thanks!

The “argumentative director” who was unceremoniously booted from a homeowners association board in Laguna Woods Village  - and then took the association to court - was reinstated to her seat after a settlement conference on Monday.

So there sat Katie McDaniel, in her official seat on the official dais at Third Mutual’s meeting this morning, where she … delivered her resignation.

“The price of reinstatement has exacted an extremely high emotional and physical toll to both sides,” said McDaniel, reading from a prepared statement. “The action has been nothing but destructive. While pleased with the outcome … I am mentally and physically depleted, and I feel I shall be of far greater service on the ground, where I shall work at a grass roots level. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Elections • Homeowner associations • Justice | 11 Comments »

LWV recall ballot will remain as is

July 16th, 2009, 3:01 pm by Teri Sforza, Register staff writer

ballotThe controversial ballots for the first-ever recall in Laguna Woods Village’s 40-something-year history will remain as is.

Right now, the ballot lets recall voters choose between “yes,” no” and “abstain,” which yes folks say is not allowed by California law. The ballot also includes  capital letters saying “RECALL WITHOUT CAUSE” before each targeted director’s name.

The governing board of the United mutual - one of LWV’s homeowners associations - declined to adopt the more streamlined version favored by recall organizer Mike Curtis on Tuesday.

At right, you see the ballot as it is presently configured. Below, you’ll see the ballot as the yes camp would like it to be.

Read colleague Janet Whitcomob’s story on the meeting here. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Elections • Homeowner associations | 2 Comments »

LWV board will weigh changes to recall ballot Tuesday

July 13th, 2009, 3:29 pm by Teri Sforza, Register staff writer

ballot

That trip to court may be avoided after all.

The controversial ballots for the first-ever recall in Laguna Woods Village’s 40-something-year history  may be revised at a meeting Tuesday in the Community Center.

Right now, the official ballot lets recall voters choose between “yes,” no” and “abstain,” which yes folks say is not allowed by California law. The ballot also includes  capital letters saying “RECALL WITHOUT CAUSE” before each targeted director’s name.

The governing board of the United mutual - one of LWV’s homeowners associations - will weigh the ballots again at its at its meeting at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.

At right, you see the ballot as it is presently configured. Below, you’ll see the ballot as the yes camp would like it to be.

We’ll keep you posted on what happens. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Elections • Homeowner associations • Justice | 7 Comments »

Seniors’ recall election may end up in court - before it even happens!

July 3rd, 2009, 3:00 am by Teri Sforza, Register staff writer

i-voted1The first-ever recall in Laguna Woods Village’s 40-something-year history may head to court next week - before it’s even held, before ballots are even mailed, cast or counted.

And the company originally chosen to conduct said recall election? Gone with the wind, amid a swirl of wild rumors (though we promise to dispel them by the end of this column).

This $121,000-or-so exercise in direct democracy came about after rebellious director Mike Curtis got fed up with how some fellow board members handle the community’s finances - and how they, in his opinion, kowtow to property manager Professional Community Management.

Curtis is blazing mad about the $5.4 million of seniors’ money that PCM spent on employee incentives, which were a mystery to many for the better part of a decade. After Curtis failed to get traction with his board colleagues re: trying to recoup money from PCM (and as assessments were slated to rise another 4 percent), his troops sprang to action, gathered some 400 signatures and forced a vote on the fate of four United board members - Lloyd Foster, Linda Wilson, Marty Rubin and Gail McNutly. (United is one of LWV’s homeowners associations.)

BALLOTS STINK?

“Surreal” might be a good word to describe the meeting last week where directors facing recall helped choose the ballot for their recall. 

Curtis, and his lawyer, have problems with this ballot.  ”It is my opinion that the ballot does not comply with California law,” said Curtis’s attorney, Peter Nitschke. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Elections • Homeowner associations • Justice | 3 Comments »

Saddleback College defends senior fitness classes

June 15th, 2009, 4:00 am by Teri Sforza, Register staff writer

We asked Saddleback College to respond to the questions raised by Doug Goforth of Laguna Woods Village, who feels that state education dollars are being wasted paying for seniors who are exercising in their own fitness center.

We’re still waiting on dollar figures for the Emeritus physical education program, but here is what Saddleback spokeswoman Jennie McCue says in the meantime:

Since 1976 the Saddleback College Emeritus Institute has offered classes throughout south Orange County to provide life long learning opportunities to the older adult population. Many of those classes are held in Laguna Woods Village at the invitation of resident groups, including the exercise equipment classes, which are free and open to all interested senior citizens.The Emeritus Institute offers four classes in the Equipment Fitness Room Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Residents who wish to use the equipment room while classes are in session are asked to enroll due to liability requirements of the South Orange County Community College District. There is no charge to register and attend the classes. The classes were established in 1976 and are consistently very popular. During the spring semester, 1,525 students registered for at least one of the four classes.

These classes are supervised by two highly qualified kinesiology instructors who have master’s degrees in physical fitness and years of experience working with older adults. The instructors provide an individualized exercise program using a variety of equipment and provide information on health and exercise techniques. These classes are state-approved curriculum and are free to all students.

The petition you referenced was reviewed by Laguna Woods Village resident committees, including the Aquatics & Health Fitness Advisory Committee, the Continuing Education Advisory Committee, and the Community Activities Committee, which held a meeting in April 2009 and enabled residents to voice concerns and discuss pros and cons for continuing the classes. The vast majority of residents in attendance were very supportive of continuing the class and it was ultimately decided at the May meeting of the Community Activities Committee that the community wished to continue the classes.

The Emeritus Institute is pleased to continue to offer these equipment classes at the pleasure of the Laguna Woods Village Community.


Jennie McCue
Director, Public Information & Marketing
Saddleback College

Posted in: Homeowner associations • Justice • Money | 24 Comments »

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