In last week’s Sun, Joyce Bloom wrote another article under her “Rossmoorgate” byline entitled “Rossmoor board members represent themselves, not community.”
I won’t respond to her unwarranted, personal attacks impugning the integrity and motives of the RCSD Board, who, whether you agree with everything they do, selflessly sacrifice their personal time to serve on the RCSD for what they believe is the good of our community.
Nor will I respond to the numerous inaccuracies (apparently facts are not important to Ms. Bloom) other than her wholly inaccurate statement, “It (the RCSD passing a resolution opposing Los Al’s proposed annexation of Rossmoor Shopping Village) is meaningless because if Los Alamitos wants the annexation they will get it if they follow the correct procedures.”
But before discussing her inaccurate conclusion, I can’t help but make a few general observations on Ms. Bloom’s Rossmoorgate columns.
These columns are always overridingly negative. They are always “against,” never “for.” I am unaware of anything positive she has proposed in these columns.
Now she wants Rossmoor to adopt a defeatist attitude and just let our neighbor, Los Al, take our “Rossmoor Corner” and all the revenue it generates. It’s not the spirit or history of our community to just give up. We have no intention of letting that happen.
She is plain wrong, again, that there is nothing anyone can do to stop Los Al “if they follow the correct procedures.”
Apparently she has not researched the California Government Code provisions governing partial annexations.
Los Alamitos cannot annex the Rossmoor Corner if 25 percent of the registered voters in the Rossmoor Apartments protest or if 25 percent of the property owners owning 25 percent or more of the assessed property value protest, without it going to a general election. And if 50 percent or more of the registered voters protest, annexation is cancelled.
Personally, I do not see any advantages for either the Rossmoor Apartment residents or the Rossmoor Shopping Villages to be annexed by Los Alamitos. Annexation by Los Alamitos would mean a 6 percent Utility Users Tax and a business license fee tax for the Rossmoor Apartments, which would raise their rents.
And the businesses in the Rossmoor Shopping Village would be subject to the same 6 percent Utility Users Tax plus zoning and sign regulations that may be more onerous than those they currently enjoy plus potentially other disadvantages.
Although Rossmoor residents, other than the Rossmoor Apartment residents, do not have a vote on annexation of Rossmoor Corner, that does not mean we are powerless.
In fact, we are doing a lot. We’ve established the Rossmoor Preservation Committee (please visit our new website, www.rossmoorpreservationcommittee.com).
We have 90 Rossmoor households on our mailing list and more are joining every week.
And, we’re continuing to make substantial progress. And we have plans on doing a lot more. If you are interested in preserving Rossmoor as the great community it has been for over 50 years, including retaining the Rossmoor Apartments, The Lutheran Bethlehem Church and the Rossmoor Shopping Village businesses, please consider joining the Rossmoor Preservation Committee. There is no membership fee.
We encourage all Rossmoor residents to reject the pessimistic voices of doom and gloom and join our effort to retain Rossmoor Shopping Village and the adjacent parcels in Rossmoor where they belong. We encourage all Rossmoor residents to patronize our Rossmoor businesses in the Rossmoor Shopping Village and let them know when you visit them that you are a Rossmoor resident, that appreciate their products and services and that you want them to stay in Rossmoor.
Now is not the time for Rossmoor to be divided. I strongly believe that if Rossmoor pulls together, and rejects the specious arguments of the doom and gloom naysayers like Ms. Bloom and Supervisor John Moorlach, we will prevail and preserve our community, including retaining the Rossmoor Corner.
Eric Christensen is a long time Rossmoor resident and current co-chairman of the Rossmoor Preservation Committee.Writer information.
