ISSUE #3

A LITTLE ASSISTANCE
For years we have been overwhelmed by the noise that comes up from the Verizon Center when there is a concert going on. Last year a number was published in the Glob which is the number of the center itself. We were supposed to be able to call and indicate we could hear the concerts and they were supposed to be sensitive to our needs. Such was not the case. More often than not we were treated rather like we were dissidents. We finally write the Mayor of the City of Irvine because our own City wasn’t helping, GRF/PCM wasn’t helping…. What we got was a few numbers after some helpful conversations. So, in the future, if you have a problem with noise coming from the Verizon Center here are the numbers to call.
Irvine Dispatch Center 949/724-7200. Say the noise is too loud. Indicate you live in LWV. Tell them that Jennifer Kaiser, Dispatch Supervisor said the dispatch center would get in touch with the compliance officer on site and help out. There IS a compliance officer at the venue. His name is Sgt. Anderson and he is Special Enforcement. If the dispatch center doesn’t help you out let me know and I’ll give him a little ring myself or I’ll call the head compliance officer and ask her to help out. I have been promised we would get relief.
Irvine Code Enforcement 949/724-6326. This is only functional Monday thru Friday during business hours but they do have a machine where you can leave a message. It won’t help that moment but you can put your voice on record.
THE GRF PUBLICITY MACHINE FOR WHICH YOU PAY
How many of you realize that you are paying over $700 for each and every full page advertisement GRF is putting into the Globe? To quote George the less than eloquent Portlock, it seems they “got caught with their pants down” and now they are pedaling as fast as they can to cover everything they can including their own backsides. The IRS makes it pretty clear who is responsible when the funds of non-profits are misused, and who will be held responsible personally. (I wonder if personal responsibility extends to estates and if the IRS can reach into the estates of the directors no longer with us to recover funds, fines, penalties.) Yes, Virginia, if you cover up or participate even inactively (meaning you know but don’t say or do anything about it) in unlawful behavior you become personally responsible and no E&O or D&O insurance will cover you. For instance, when a water bottle was hurled at a director by another director that was a PERSONAL assault and the person RESPONSIBLE is still being held accountable but any involvement by the board or managing agent could result in their being held responsible as well. Were board funds used for personal legal issues in that case? The question is who knew about things like the incentive plan and WHEN did they know it? It’s interesting to hear former directors like Richard Moos suddenly changing their stories and saying they “knew from the inception” about the program. But what about the people who didn’t know? If the (full) boards didn’t know and were not informed so they could give their permission for the funds to be spent then the money was not PCM’s to use. It wasn’t GRF’s decision alone to give permission for its use. Could this have been approved of and authorized in a “closed” session? Even if that were true it is still not lawful to expend the funds without informing the people whose money is being spent. Whose money is that? YOURS MINE AND OURS.
FRIENDS OF THE VILLAGE VOL. 1, ISSUE 1
Let’s talk a moment about the Friends of the Village Newsletter. In the first column it talks about the organization, how it came about and a quasi-mission statement. The one statement I’m curious about is the “non-profit” status. Which of the 501©s would that be under? Has it been granted non-profit status? When? Mike Curtis asked for a treasurer’s report and was practically shouted down for asking. I wonder if Treasurer Nancy O’Dell knows she has to keep very careful books and there are tax returns to be filed which become public when an organization has non-profit status. One of the things Resident’s Voice has been squinted at is their ability to raise money. Interestingly enough their books are open to inspection. The treasurer gives a report at every meeting. The basket is passed at every meeting in order to raise funds. It’s all out in the open. Residents get up and speak their minds. They may start a dialogue or even an argument but they are never told their question won’t be answered because somebody doesn’t want to answer it or that no controversial issues will be raised. (Don’t ask what that awful smell is or where all those trains are going.) I wonder if Sarah Hall Ingram, Commissioner Tax Exempt Government Entities, Internal Revenue Service would like to see the books of this little non-profit.
Beyond that there isn’t anything in the NEWSletter that is actually news.
In case you didn’t get your copy of the newsletter the club officers are:
President, Barbara Marsh; Vice President, Lynne Dvorak; 2nd Vice President, Programs, Betty Williams and Naomi McCabe; Treasurer, Nancy O’Dell; Secretary, Joan Milliman; Membership, Myra Norman; Publicity, Carol Cartwright; Newsletter, Mary Robertson; Refreshments, Mary Melgun, Aloha Saxon; Hospitality, Jan MacKenzie. These are the leaders of those who act rather than react according to their statements.
RESIDENTS VOICE
As an aside, yes, I’ve been to RV meetings. Yes, I’ve participated. I believe it’s a free country (well, maybe not so free in some gated communities.) So have too many board members to mention (but a few who were supported as candidates include Souza, Matson, Conners, Moore, Paulus) as well as the president of Friends of the Village, her sister, Virginia Templeton and thousands of others including many if not most of the signatories to the Positive Solutions flyer from the last election. You’ll remember that list, they needed so badly to make it look longer than it was so they printed it twice thinking nobody would notice. So has the Sheriff. So have several officers of other management companies, composting companies, political candidates and just about everybody you can imagine. It’s high bloody time for the people in this community who can find no other “goat” than Resident’s Voice to kick when something is done they don’t like or somebody says something they don’t like to get a grip and place the blame where it belongs. RV is just too convenient an excuse to do nothing to find the truth themselves. It’s a pretty well known understanding that when somebody is raging about something that they cannot control they choose the largest, most impervious entity to shoot with slings and arrows. In many cases it can be quite flattering. Frankly, I think Pam Grundke should hold her head high and smile at the fact that the organization she has led for its entire existence is chosen by those who can’t be bothered to find the real answers to things. I’m not saying everybody has to either agree with RV or Pamela and I’m not saying anybody has to like anybody else (in fact it’s obvious that there are some here who will never like anybody including themselves!) but they really should get over the concept that one organization could possibly be responsible for all the ills and ugliness they ascribe to RV. The one thing that unifies the people who go to RV meetings is their LOVE of the Village and their desire to be able to continue to live a life they love without harm or harassment. Believe me, it’s not the village with which they have issues. I wonder if the president of Friends is as prepared to accept the horrific things that have been said to and about RV as RV has. She should be ready to accept whatever comes her way because she has entered the public arena. I’m certain that she will also make both friends and enemies along the way. Mostly, if she can stick it out for any length of time, she’ll learn that she will both make friends and followers and lose them as well. It’s really too bad that all the critics of RV don’t come to meetings more than once and don’t sit and listen instead of think only in terms of personalities. People who participate in RV are also members of Friends and are also your neighbors……….lots and lots and lots of them.
A LETTER FROM YOU WITH QUESTIONS
This came from a person on my list. Thought you might like to see it, too. It starts out with a url: http://www.lagunawoodsvillage.com/article.cfm?id=2325
I’m not an accountant and I’m not a property manager. But as I look at the list generated by PCM of the “Extra-ordinary savings” which merited bonuses; I have to wonder what the actual expectations and job descriptions of employees are.
How has In-house cable TV saved us so much money still costing us so much money?
Where and how has hi-speed internet saved money?
$935,000 savings as a result of grant money? Even I was expected to apply for grants (occupation edited out to preserve anonyminity.)
Finding legitimate tax savings is a basic responsibility of any accountant-not extra-ordinary—expected.
The URL with the Table was taken from the GRF website.
KEEPING A CAREFUL EYE
Kathryn Freshley has often said she wants to hear all sides of an issue. Very recently she stated that it’s not what you discuss but how you vote. Watch how she votes. Don’t be fooled by “sleight of tongue.”
QUESTIONS
When will the lumber trellis that is supporting a rotted beam at 2403 going to be removed and the beam repaired/replaced. How long do the people in that building have to live like this? Is too much money being spent on landscaping to maintain this building? Drop by and take a look. The beam that is being supported by the 2x4s with “caution” tape all over them is visible and the rot is obvious. This didn’t happen last week. It has been like this for months. Do you suppose Larry Souza, M&C chair on Third is even aware of it? Does he even care? He’s off the board this next election and appears to be running hard for GRF. Can we afford that? Oh, that’s right…Larry says we should all fix our own faucets. Maybe a few residents should get out there with their saws, ladders and levels and just replace that beam themselves. He can go on to do gate beautification.
Why does Paul Vogel, Treasurer of United (Well, sort of. He has, after all, according to his own statement never looked at the bills and PCM takes care of all that”) think that hearing about transparency is inappropriate? What doesn’t he get about required transparency? Oh, that’s right…he’s just an appointee and he’s finished after this term so why should he care?
Why is security allowed to run stop signs? As we were driving out toward Gate 10 recently at 1:45pm we watched a security truck with the license plate number 8K03357 and truck markings P2861 and 40010 run both the sign at Algorrobo and Bahia Blanca (he was on Algorrobo turning onto Bahia Blanca) and again the sign at Cabildo and Sosiega. Had it been you or I………..Are there special rules for special people?
Maxine McIntosh of the United board said “We’re not a homeowner’s association , but we’re like landlords for the mutual. Maxine! Wake up! Another departing but not soon enough director. See http://www.ocregister.com/articles/mutual-wilson-dalis-2504416-resident-committee Would she care to explain herself over that last one? By the way, Maxine is one of those who blocks e-mail if she doesn’t want to hear from you. I call it the ostrich syndrome. It causes you to only hear what you want to hear and lets you think you live in paradise.
Here are some very informative pages you may wish to read:
http://www.rvoice.org/RVoice/Documents/Non-profit/GRF%20non-profit%20documentation.pdf This is the full documentation of the 50l©4 for GRF, who applied for it (KPMG), who got credit and “incentivized” (Price)
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-tege/ingram__gtown__governance_062309.pdf Perhaps she should hear about how our funds are spent and see if she disagrees with any of their stellar accounting methods.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6-uSGxP4Bs This was an expensive, professionally produced video. WHO PAID FOR IT? Rush speaks of being free to speak. Yet she doesn’t talk about the questions being asked by the people she doesn’t want to hear. I guess she is one with enough money for the rest of her life and can afford to have GRF just spend it at will without her consent. Again, I say…WHO PAID FOR THIS?
http://www.recallno..com/RecallNo/Urgent.html This is one of the no on recall pages. Please look at the bottom of the “article” they are using to defend themselves. It says VERY CLEARLY that the “article” is A PAID ADVERTISEMENT! There is a lot on the recallno site that is linked directly to the LWV website. That raises a couple questions, doesn’t it?