Playing Table Tennis to Enhance Brain Fitness and Mental Health

Year after year, crime statistics consistently rank Laguna Woods among the five safest cities in California.

And Laguna Woods Village, a gated community that’s home to about 18,000 people aged 55 and over, is even safer.

Suspected transgressions in the community are usually solved before police even arrive.

“We get calls from individuals who say they are missing a purse or another item,” said Orange County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Ken Burmood, chief of police services for Laguna Woods. “Security employees help them retrace their steps and almost always locate the items.”

Yet officials plan to spend millions of dollars on a high-tech security system – citing a study that labeled the village vulnerable.

“It will bring us into the 21st Century,” said John Luebbe, director of the Golden Rain Foundation, the community’s powerful homeowners association.

Three weeks ago, the Golden Rain Foundation embarked on a $1.5 million pilot program – the complete overhaul of two major entry points. New bells and whistles at Gates 5 and 6 will includebarrier arms, radio frequency identification readers, license plate recognition and high-definition cameras.

Supporters claim it will preempt misdeeds more serious than petty thefts – and, as a bonus, reduce parking issues created by visitors overstaying their welcome.

But some residents deem the whole thing overkill.

“What are we trying to be – the safest city in the world?” Al Steinberg, 84, noted. “It’s completely unnecessary, and far too expensive for what we’re going to get.”

A fix looking for a problem?

More than 20,000 vehicles a day go in and out of the community, cut into quadrants at the intersection of El Toro Road and Moulton Parkway. Each of the 13 main gates is staffed by two “ambassadors” – gregarious denizens who take the minimum-wage job largely for its social component.

Ambassadors are well suited for cheerfully greeting guests and verifying their status – be they friends dropping by or pizza deliverers. But gate guards also are charged with checking that cars a lane or two over bear residential windshield stickers – no easy task when closer vehicles block the view.

“We have gate runners who just drive right past us in the residents’ lane,” said David Houldsworth, 74, a retired Nottingham, England, police officer and self-dubbed “humble gate ambassador.”

Luebbe pointed to a survey, conducted last week at Gate 3, indicating that about one-third of drivers attempting to enter via the residential lane lacked proper credentials.

“It’s not the ambassadors’ fault they miss cars,” he said. “They can’t possibly check every car.”

In 2014, GRF paid $40,000 for an evaluation conducted by Irvine-based environmental impact consultant Urban Crossroads and Anaheim-based installer California Gate & Entry Systems. After concluding that Laguna Woods Village is “porous from a security standpoint,” the report offered a host of recommendations – most of which will be tried out in the pilot program now underway.

Those suggestions have failed to impress dissenters, who claim they received little information about specifics until after the pilot program was a done deal.

“What problem are we trying to solve?” said resident Bevan Strom, 78. “That has not been answered to my satisfaction.”

“It was an arbitrary decision,” said Bill Margolis, 74. “We weren’t included in the process.”

His wife Sue Margolis, 73, observed, “The few crimes that do occur are usually committed by people invited here – family members, caregivers, contractors.”

Burmood confirmed that “most thefts inside the gates involve people who have knowledge of and access to the property.”

Developed in the early 1960s, the secluded retirement community accounts for 90 percent of its city’s four square miles.

Laguna Woods as a whole counted 117 thefts and two robberies in 2015. But the vast majority of those crimes happened outside the gates near public shopping areas, according to Burmood.

Friendly gate ambassadors

Regardless, when it comes to fortifying their environs, many residents are all in – including ambassador Houldsworth and his Gate 1 coworker Judy Schreiber.

“I know we don’t have a high crime rate like London’s, but a better security system will prevent a lot of little problems,” Houldsworth said.

He particularly likes the introduction of mechanical arms.

“They provide a physical and psychological barrier for criminals,” Houldsworth said.

The colleagues – by coincidence, both British – chuckle about occasional encounters with rudeness.

“People honk their horns because they want us to hurry up,” Schreiber said. “If someone curses, I say, ‘We don’t use that kind of language – we’re grownups, aren’t we?’”

But such incidents are not the norm, she said.

“Most folks like us,” Schreiber said. “You should see this place at Christmas. They bring us all kinds of food and goodies.”

Ambassadors will not be replaced by computers, Luebbe said. They are still needed to process visitors.

The first stage of the security project, which also features new gate houses and landscaping, should be completed by August, Luebbe said.

If everything goes well, the rest of the program could be rolled out at the end of the year, he said.

An expansion encompassing the remaining 11 entrances, Luebbe said, would run between $50,000 and $100,000 per gate – a relative deal compared to the debut’s tab, which included the software system.

Additionally, some of the gate houses will need replacement due to termite damage, Luebbe said. The structures slated for Gates 5 and 6 tallied $764,000.

Most of the costs will be covered from GRF’s $30 million in reserves, Luebbe said. Residents pay about $600 per month in homeowners fees for street maintenance, some utilities and amenities such as the clubhouses and swimming pools.

“The improved gate system will drive up home values,” said Chuck Holland, information technology director for Laguna Woods. “Money spent is money reinvested into the community.”

Norma Benner, 84, said she appreciates not only the beefed up security but also the enhanced regulation of nonresidents who take up parking spaces and use laundry rooms, craft workshops , fitness centers and other amenities.

Benner and other citizens blame parking problems on the Saddleback College Emeritus Institute, which holds classes available to the public at Clubhouse 4.

“We open up to the outside world,” Benner said. “People come for classes and stay all day.”

Marilyn Coleman, 83, who enjoys taking Saddleback art classes, rolls her eyes about oft-stated annoyance over the college’s presence.

“That’s the real issue with some people who want this fancy security system,” she said. “But it’s an awfully expensive way to just manage parking.”

Despite the grumblings, ambassador Schreiber predicts that residents will quickly adapt to the new system and even come to prefer it. Regardless, she expects bumps along the road to Gate 1.

“It’s visitors who will be the problem,” she said. “They’ll choose the residents’ lane, get stuck at the arm and back up traffic. We’ll have to manually lift the arm and tell them to pull over so we can screen them. People don’t read signs.”

As for the naysayers, Schreiber concluded, “Old people are very stubborn and don’t like change. I can say that, because I am one. But we’ll all get into the groove.”

Mission Hospital has been serving the community for over 40 years and continues its commitment to providing our community members with the highest-quality and advanced care with compassion, dignity and respect.

Mission Hospital is a state-of-the art, 523-bed an acute care hospital in Mission Viejo, California. As a verified adult and pediatric Level II Trauma Center, Mission Hospital provides a full range of specialty health care services with highly skilled teams treating a multitude of complex conditions. Services include a full range of expertise in cardiovascular, neuroscience and spine, orthopedics, cancer care, women’s services, mental health & wellness, and a variety of other specialty services. Mission Hospital in Laguna Beach (MHLB) provides South Orange County coastal communities with 24-hour emergency and intensive care as well as medical-surgical/telemetry services, orthopedics, general and GI surgery. CHOC Children’s at Mission Hospital is a 48-bed facility that is the area’s only dedicated pediatric hospital.

Fully accredited by The Joint Commission and designated as a Magnet hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center for nursing excellence, Mission Hospital is highly recognized for its high quality of care, evidenced through various healthcare quality benchmarks. Mission Hospital is part of St. Joseph Health, a not-for-profit provider of integrated health care. Together, we work to improve the quality of life in the communities we serve in the tradition of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange.

Mission Hospital provides a comprehensive range of patient care services and are continually elevating the standards of clinical care through many Centers of Excellence:

Heart Center
Imaging Center
Mission Neuroscience Institute
Regional Trauma Center
Stroke Center
Women’s Center

Mission Hospital also enhance caring capabilities through affiliations with these fine health care organizations:

CHOC Children’s at Mission Hospital
Mission Surgery Center
Camino Health Center
Family Resource Centers
St. Joseph Home Health Network

Mission Hospital is committed to providing compassionate, reliable and safe care. That’s why we continually implement quality initiatives that ensure our patients receive the absolute best care. Our quality dashboard shows our progress on five quality measures.

At Mission Hospital strongly believe that the reason that we are able to fulfill our mission is because of the support that the community provides to us. All those who make generous donations to our programs and those who make donations of their time as volunteers, embrace the Spirit of Giving and are the backbone of our ministry. It is the spirit, generosity and hard work of these individuals and businesses that truly give us the ability to provide the high-quality of care to our community.

By having this unwavering support, we are always striving to provide compassionate care and cutting edge technology that works flawlessly together to not only increase the health of patients, but also works to promote well-being in our communities. We hope that visitors, patients and the community alike are all able to benefit from our efforts to promote health as well as a higher quality of life.

Mission Hospital Team Celebrating Life Dancing

 
Mission Hospital has been serving the community for over 40 years and continues its commitment to providing our community members with the highest-quality and advanced care with compassion, dignity and respect.

Mission Hospital is a state-of-the art, 523-bed an acute care hospital in Mission Viejo, California. As a verified adult and pediatric Level II Trauma Center, Mission Hospital provides a full range of specialty health care services with highly skilled teams treating a multitude of complex conditions. Services include a full range of expertise in cardiovascular, neuroscience and spine, orthopedics, cancer care, women’s services, mental health & wellness, and a variety of other specialty services. Mission Hospital in Laguna Beach (MHLB) provides South Orange County coastal communities with 24-hour emergency and intensive care as well as medical-surgical/telemetry services, orthopedics, general and GI surgery. CHOC Children’s at Mission Hospital is a 48-bed facility that is the area’s only dedicated pediatric hospital.

Fully accredited by The Joint Commission and designated as a Magnet hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center for nursing excellence, Mission Hospital is highly recognized for its high quality of care, evidenced through various healthcare quality benchmarks. Mission Hospital is part of St. Joseph Health, a not-for-profit provider of integrated health care. Together, we work to improve the quality of life in the communities we serve in the tradition of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange.

Mission Hospital provides a comprehensive range of patient care services and are continually elevating the standards of clinical care through many Centers of Excellence:

Heart Center
Imaging Center
Mission Neuroscience Institute
Regional Trauma Center
Stroke Center
Women’s Center

Mission Hospital also enhance caring capabilities through affiliations with these fine health care organizations:

CHOC Children’s at Mission Hospital
Mission Surgery Center
Camino Health Center
Family Resource Centers
St. Joseph Home Health Network
Mission Hospital is committed to providing compassionate, reliable and safe care. That’s why we continually implement quality initiatives that ensure our patients receive the absolute best care. Our quality dashboard shows our progress on five quality measures.

At Mission Hospital strongly believe that the reason that we are able to fulfill our mission is because of the support that the community provides to us. All those who make generous donations to our programs and those who make donations of their time as volunteers, embrace the Spirit of Giving and are the backbone of our ministry. It is the spirit, generosity and hard work of these individuals and businesses that truly give us the ability to provide the high-quality of care to our community.

By having this unwavering support, we are always striving to provide compassionate care and cutting edge technology that works flawlessly together to not only increase the health of patients, but also works to promote well-being in our communities. We hope that visitors, patients and the community alike are all able to benefit from our efforts to promote health as well as a higher quality of life.

Across the street from Laguna Woods Village is the 325-bed Saddleback Medical Center continually honored for exceptional medical expertise that offers high quality, compassionate care for patients and families at every stage of their lives. For over forty years, South Orange County residents of all ages have entrusted us with their health care needs.

Our centers of excellence are renowned for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer, heart disease, stroke, pulmonary disease, orthopedics and diabetes; and for our leadership in emergency medicine, breast health, surgery including robotic-assisted procedures, advanced imaging, women’s health and geriatric care.

The Women’s Hospital at Saddleback Medical Center is extraordinary and offers personalized obstetrics care and a highly regarded perinatal program and neonatal intensive care unit that specialize in high-risk pregnancies and caring for fragile newborns.

Saddleback Medical Center has been named a Best Regional Hospital by U.S. News & World Report and a Becker’s Healthcare Top Hospital. Additionally we’ve received the American Heart Association Get with the Guidelines highest honor – Gold Plus for cardiac and stroke care. We’ve consistently been voted by Orange County Register readers as Best Orange County hospital in the annual competition.

Click Here To See Episode 2

Many village residents are interested in working their own flower and vegetable gardens or nurturing their own tree plots. Laguna Woods Village proudly provide two beautiful Garden Centers for those who love working the soil and making beautiful plants grow. Garden Center 1 features 172 garden plots, 132 tree plots and three equipment sheds. Garden Center 2 features 596 garden plots, 118 tree plots, one shade house with 26 benches for orchids and plants and 4 equipment sheds.

Garden Center 1

23742 Moulton Parkway
Laguna Woods, CA 92637

View Map 949-268-2387

Garden Center 2

23102 Via Campo Verde
Laguna Woods, CA 92637

View Map 949-268-2387

Hours

Garden Centers 1 & 2 are open sun up to sun down every day of the year.

Fees

Yearly renewal of garden plots is done in December or January. A new garden plot may be rented at any time during the year depending on availability and the rental fee is pro-rated. Vegetable plots, which are prorated every three months – depending on when you rented the plot during the year. Tree plots and shade house plots are not prorated. Call for more information: 949-268-2387.

Plots

Garden Plot – $57/yr
Tree Plot – $57/yr
Shade House Space Rental – $11/yr

Services

Rototilling – $50/hr
Water Installation – $50/hr

 

 

Tree Walk Guide Aliso Creek 

Aliso Creek Tree Walk History Center Video

When walking along the trails in the village, have you ever wondered about the trees?

Resident Eleanor Smith and her late husband did, right from the time they moved here in November 1992. “We would take these wonderful and beautiful walks, and we noticed the Audubon Society plaques that told all the names and origins.

“The more we expanded our strolls, the more varieties we discovered. Then we started creating a personal record out of our own curiosity. At that time, we were amazed that we saw over a hundred types!”

Time went on and Smith lost her husband, but her walks and interest in the trees prevailed. “I tried to find out more about the history of the trees from the Historical Society. Recently they devoted an entire issue of their newsletter, The Historian, to the subject. Some of the most interesting facts, besides all the types, are that they have been brought in from all over the world!”

According to The Historian, since the beginning of what started out as the community known as Leisure World, the rolling hills have been replaced by more than 20,000 people and over 35,000 trees. Some of the countries represented by the trees are: Madagascar, Russia, and Japan, numerous parts of Africa, South America, Australia, the Middle East and the Caribbean.

Ismael Saenz, tree department manager who has been with VMS for 45 years and is a certified arborist with the International Society of Arborists, gave some insight on what it takes to maintain all of the 200 species of trees throughout Laguna Woods:

Q: How many tree specialists devote themselves to the care and feeding of all the varieties?

A: We have two full-time crews, one has a total of 10 people and the other has 9. One foreman is included for each group.

Q: At one time the trees all had plaques provided by the Audubon Society. Why have those been removed?

A: Most of the original tags told the species of the tree and their country of origin. But they’ve either been broken or worn out over time by the weather conditions. PCM actually had a lot of complaints about them, so once the labels wore out to the point where they couldn’t be fixed it was decided they wouldn’t be replaced. Many of the plaques had memorials devoted to late residents. There are still some left.

Q: When a tree dies, is it replaced with the same species or is it replaced by a more local variety?

A: If the tree was one that was considered to be high maintenance, then it is replaced by a local variety. That’s about 98 percent of them. Also, we never plant it in the exact same spot. But it’s a very interesting thing, very few of them die. Some have had to be removed because they were causing structural damage. The roots can cause damage to the walkways, which people could trip on or grow into piping and the sewer system. Some of the main reasons for the few that do succumb are things such as tissue swells, called gawls. Pear trees are prone to fire blight, which causes the compression to the roots or girdling.

Q: What training do the specialists have?

A: When we hire in someone new, we train them in correct practices right from the very first day. This means that before they actually do something on their own, we know they’ll be doing right for whichever species of tree they may be working on no matter where that may be in the village.

Saenz says that in the last 15 years, whenever a tree has been replaced that it has been switched out for one of 20 flowering varieties. He says the department makes sure that the trees chosen all blossom at different times of the year. This ensures that everyone will be able to enjoy different hues on all the various paths and trails no matter what the season.

Talking Laguna Woods Village Tennis

Ten Tennis Courts You’ll Love

Laguna Woods Village is a tennis players dream. Open to all residents, the ten court tennis complex includes five courts equipped with coin activated light timers for evening play. An onsite pro is available for group or private lessons. In the Village, it’s easy to put a great tennis match together!

Hours
The tennis courts are open daily from 7:00 AM until 10:00 PM.

Tennis Lessons
The Recreation Division presents Tennis Lessons with new Tennis Instructor, John Prickitt. Prickitt is a USPTA Professional with over 20 years of experience teaching and directing at Tennis Colleges in Europe and at clubs across Southern California. He will be offering Clinics, Private and Group lessons for Laguna Woods residents only. Students wishing to enroll can call the Recreation Office for more information at 597-4273.

Join The Tennis Club

To socialize with other tennis lovers, join the Tennis Club. With 350 members in this tennis club, you are sure to find a friendly opponent to get your game on.