I am a frequent dog walker who has suffered numerous near misses as cars sped through a sidewalk, even with a stop sign. I appreciate the new California law and notification from the SBPD in the Sun on January 16, 2025. Parking is prohibited within 20 feet of a crosswalk. In order to spare numerous parking tickets for residents and visitors, I would ask that Seal Beach paint the 20 foot strip on either side of all crosswalks red to deter parkers from breaking the ordinance. If that job is too burdensome or expensive for the city, I am sure there would be many volunteers to do the job if the city provides the paint. If it is too expensive, I propose that the revenue from the first three months of parking ticket violations fund the project.
The loss of several hundred scarce parking spaces should be the subject of concern to the city as well.
Bruce Nickerson
Seal Beach
Thank you to city
A short time ago, I wrote to the council and the Sun regarding my fears for fire risk in Gum Grove Park. I was very pleasantly surprised to see work already underway at the park this past week. This was clearly a lot of heavy, arduous work with several large metal containers filled with both large and small dried branches and other highly flammable plant matter.
I want to thank the council for taking this risk seriously. Special thanks to Mr. Nathan Steele (District Five) for taking a lead on this at the council meeting. Thanks, of course, to all involved staff and workers. They are doing a good job of removing this material and cutting back dried, dead branches hanging down to the ground. People I meet walking in the park have taken notice and are also appreciative of efforts to mitigate fire risk in our community. While there are no guarantees, this work when completed, will hopefully create a buffer so firefighters have a fighting chance if there is a fire.
We cannot assume we have immunity because we are near the ocean.
Cathy Goldberg
Seal Beach
16 LWSB mutual boards
Have you seen the protesters in front of Leisure World? They are calling for the removal of their Executive Director, as if that would solve their problems. Wrong!
Most LW shareholders have no idea that the governance model in LWSB resembles no other! No community anywhere has a governance model that looks like this. Three other large communities built by this same developer, LW Maryland, Rossmoor Walnut Creek, and Laguna Woods have much more functional governance models. Since 2008 when a court decision freed them from GRF dominance, the 16 LWSB Mutual boards have used their power to maintain a dysfunctional, costly status quo. Apparently no one has questioned this. No one has looked into the cost of maintaining 16 housing corporations. Would it be less costly for GRF to manage the community as one in the manner it was done in the 40 years before 2008? Probably.
The 2008 GRF Board was demoralized and faded into the background as the Mutuals began to function more independently and their boards adopted new less restrictive rules and regulations.
No GRF board since 2008 has looked seriously at the dysfunction of their governance model. This, not the Executive Director is the problem needing exposure and investigation now. A new Executive Director would face the same problem this one faces: 16 Mutual boards unwilling to give up power to save money and build community cooperation in place of dissension.
Shareholders need to ask themselves: What is most important? Cost savings or maintaining the power of each individual mutual?
Anne Walshe
Leisure World
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