The CotoBuzz Journal, Community Journalism

July 2008 ISSUE

We do not make jokes, we simply watch the LA Times, the Orange County Register and CID/HOA board of directors and report the facts!

New Third Laguna Hills Mutual of Laguna Woods Village Board Seated

By Maxwell Bendarien

October 2, 2008

The Third Laguna Hills Mutual of Laguna Woods Village seated the new board for that housing mutual today. Officers include Carol Moore, President; Stan Feldstein, 1st Vice President; Don Lippert, 2nd Vice President; Kathryn Freshley, Secretary. The voting was done by secret ballot and the anticipation of the members present was that business would proceed without the roadblocks of the past year.

With the new board composition, it is unlikely that Stan Feldstein will be politically assassinated this time around - This was a firm and dignified vote. There was very little emotion following the votes for officers. They voted on them one at a time with Conners turning over her gavel first to Moore. There were only 2 contests. President had 2 nominations: Moore and Conners. The vote was 6-5 for Moore. The second was for 1st VP with Feldstein and Matson facing off. The vote count for that was 7-4 for Feldstein. The other positions were single nominations and so they were installed by acclamation. Conners didn't stay for the luncheon for old and new board members, staff and people who participated on various committees throughout the year in the election process. Yes, she has her mother in the hospital and wanted to go see her....but it was a really bad form to lose and run. She should have at least put in an appearance, as did others who had other commitments to get to as well.

Poor Cynthia Conners. She always finishes somewhere back in the pack. All she wants is to be a star and be first. Today watching her face as she heard that she had lost the presidency of Third Mutual after incredible machinations to achieve that office was like watching Dorian Gray's photograph dissolve.

The usual barbs and arrows that are shot at the board during the open comment period of meetings had only 2 participants this time. One woman asserted she was "of the great silent majority" who are happy with things just going the way they always have, loves the allegedly harassed (refer to restraining order on Lou Skrogen) by a 73-year old lady, Milt Johns and can't imagine how he sits through all those meetings and takes all that guff. She said she was "tired of the bitching, kvetching and grumping" and used several expletives to discuss her discontent with a new, functional and forward looking board. Sounded like the usual scripted rhetoric provided for people the General Manager drags out and dusts off once in a while when he knows he's being found out. Barbara Marsh, frequent critic of anybody who disagrees with PCM or their puppets on the board, once again launched into a long and wandering speech about how grateful she is to PCM and the wonderful job they have done making LWV a beautiful place to live. Guess she didn't read this morning's Globe letter to the editor about the woman who just spent almost $900 to repair the rat damage to her car wiring.

The restraining order debacle against Lou Skogen has not yet been mentioned by any board. She is a resident of the United Mutual and no mutual board nor GRF is mentioned anywhere on the court filing. United's election results will be in October 8 as the ballots will be counted after the 9:00 a.m. ballot return deadline that same day. The only candidate worth voting for in that race as is Mike Curtis who continues to pursue transparency and answers to all sorts of questions all boards have yet to answer. Curtis has a new shadow who goes with him anywhere he goes when he enters the Community Center; Gene Hart who is the 6'5" looming presence and head of Security.

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Dare's role in Pastures cost association $100,000
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IF You Can Keep Your Home - Apologies to Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your home when all about youAre losing theirs and blaming it on raising HOA dues,If you do not get a lien on your home for transfer feesWithout notice, and you are being hated byOthers stuck in escrow so complicated, they have to pay by...