We cried, we laughed, we were all kinds of frustrated in 2023. But still, there was a sense of community in Laguna Woods last year.
On Oct. 9, residents of all religions and ethnicities came together to mourn the victims of the brutal Hamas attack on Israel just two days before. As the shock reverberated through the community, nearly 300 residents gathered for a prayer vigil outside Clubhouse 1 hastily arranged by Rabbi Joe Mendelsohn of the Reform Temple of Laguna Woods.
Resident Paula Kruger expressed what no doubt many at the vigil thought: “I felt anger. I kept asking myself, ‘For what purpose was this done? Why? What did they hope to accomplish?’”
Vigil speaker Rebeca Gilad offered a prayer for peace and God’s compassion not only for Israel, but throughout the world.
“May we see the day when war and bloodshed cease … when the human family will not know war,” she said, tears filling her voice. “Enough is enough. What is happening to the world?”
The sense of community was evident, too, at year-end celebrations. A diverse crowd of residents gathered for the tree lighting ceremony at Clubhouse 1 to hear Christmas carols and Hanukkah songs.
Same with the menorah lighting, which came exactly two months after the attack on Israel. Marking the start of Hanukkah, the ceremony brought pride, hope and traditions to Clubhouse 1.
“The holiday involves God’s intervention – a miracle, so we must be proud and hopeful,” said resident Margot Gilison.
The African American Heritage Club saw its biggest and most diverse crowd yet at its annual Kwanzaa celebration at Clubhouse 5, with more than 80 people in attendance, said club President Annie McCary, adding she was amazed by the turnout.
Esther Wright, a member of the Reform Temple who was celebrating Kwanzaa, perhaps said it best: “This event sums up the diversity of this community and the beautiful relationship people have with each other and the fact that so many here are sharing a joyous experience with people of other cultures.”
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Some residents jumped on the trends that took America by storm last year.
As 4 million older women nationwide fell under the spell of the “Golden Bachelor” – a 72-year-old widower and grandfather from Indiana looking for love among his contemporaries – a group of women from the Boomers Club held weekly watch parties and even tried to predict who would be the lucky one to catch the fellow’s heart.
“The show mirrors our lives here in Laguna Woods,” Susan Schneider reasoned. “Women (here) are single, divorced, widowed. They have experienced separations and grief and are looking for that significant other for the rest of their lives.”
But all in all, the watch parties served as an escape from reality for the women.
“It is a great way to get away from all the terrible things happening today,” said Monica Berg. “We have an evening full of giggles, nothing political, nothing really disturbing … a little harmless fun.”
One resident jumped on the Barbie bandwagon last year.
As “Barbie” the movie took the box office by storm, earning more than $1.4 billion worldwide to become the highest-grossing film last year, Robert Reyes took advantage of the red-hot Barbie market to sell some of the dolls and accouterments he had been collecting for seven years – all for at least double what he had paid. And we’re talking five figures.
Knowing it was a “tremendous opportunity” to sell, Reyes said that ultimately, he would like for his pieces to go to museums, to preserve what he calls “part of American culture and history.”
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Frustrated residents flocked to board and committee meetings last year to voice their concerns over directors’ proposals that would affect their lives.
Chief among the concerns was the proposal to raise clubhouse room rental fees. Club presidents were shocked to hear at a meeting in March that rate increases could go as high as 400%. Among the reasons given for the fee hikes were that landscaping and maintenance expenses at each clubhouse would be tacked on to the rates.
The issue drew a packed house of residents to the Golden Rain Foundation’s board meeting in April. Their message: “Don’t mess with the clubs.” Residents feared that with such high rates, many clubs would have to disband.
Not to worry, said Jim Hopkins, then the treasurer of the GRF board: “It has not even gone to committee yet.”
More heated discussions on the issue followed at GRF committee meetings.
“The community has clearly shown how they feel about room rates,” said Jules Zalon, a Third Mutual board director. “We really should listen to them.”
The proposal went back before the GRF board in December, which approved a 28-day period for member review and comment. At a final vote on Jan. 2, the board approved a per hour rate “calculated using a consistent $0.2130 per 100 square foot for each of the reserved rooms.”
Frustration also erupted over the new Gate 12 entry process, whereby residents need to dig out their Village IDs to show to the gate ambassador, thereby occasionally causing long lines of cars on Moulton Parkway. The reason was a Village crackdown on nonresidents gaining entry and using the pickleball and golf facilities and buying alcohol at the 19 Restaurant, jeopardizing the restaurant’s liquor license. Suggestions to address entry include updated technology at the gate and a designated residents lane with an RFID reader, both measures still waiting to happen.
Residents of three-story buildings in Third Mutual scored a couple victories last year. After months of discussions and objections by residents, the Third board voted in November to drop a proposal to allow washers and dryers in individual units in the buildings. Residents repeatedly voiced their concerns over aging pipes that are already prone to leaking without the additional water from washers, and the additional noise from dryers in buildings where residents already can hear the noise of neighbors’ showers and toilets.
Directors also discarded the notion of reducing cleaning services in the buildings’ common areas from every week to every other week.
And they put new barbecue rules on a 28-day notice for member comment. The rules firm up a ban on charcoal grills on three-story building patios. The rules will go back before the Third directors for a vote at their meeting this month.
The biggest issue coming down the pike is the estimated six-month closure of Clubhouse 1 for renovations set to begin in early March. Only the Village Library and History Center in the Clubhouse 1 complex will remain open. The Recreation and Special Events Department has relocated most of the activities and classes that take place in Clubhouse 1 to the Performing Arts Center, Clubhouse 6 and the Community Center, recreation chief Alison Giglio said at the GRF meeting.
