April 10, 2008
Rossmoor Cityhood -- a/k/a the best darned
uninformed opinion around
By LARRY STRAWTHER
Local Sports/Local Life Publisher
I unfortunately missed the Rossmoor LAFCO
workshop in early March. I had two kids sporting events to
attend that night so I figured I’d watch a rerun of
the meeting on TV. This didn’t happen because by the
time I finally found an up-to-date airing schedule, LATV had
stopped rerunning it.
So this brings up my first question: Why
isn’t LATV re-showing that hearing at least once a week?
That decision is far more important to this community than
the Harman report or the 19th rerun of the Los Al City Council
meeting in which the council members walk on eggshells trying
to slam one another without it looking like they’re
slamming one another (hint: it’s not working), or even
a Los Al basketball game rerun from January. (I can say that
and I’m announcing the games, or maybe I’m saying
that specifically because I’m announcing the games.)
Anyway, people who obviously don’t
know better have asked me my opinion about Rossmoor incorporation
and the workshop. Not being one to turn down a challenge,
I refuse to let a small detail like not attending the workshop
get in the way of having an opinion about it, so here goes.
First of all, before anybody says the
comments at the meeting meant anything, remember -- only 500
attended – and probably 10% of those were from Los Alamitos
city council and staff. Okay, a slight exaggeration –
make it 9% -- but the numbers there indicate very little beyond
that this issue hasn’t exactly captured the public’s
fancy, and so the true sense of the community is hard to determine.
However having now thoroughly studied all the irrelevant,
superficial aspects of the issue, I can say I am firmly in
the camp of indecision.
As for incorporation opponents, some obviously
would be against any change, including breaking away from
England, fluoride in the water supply, or moving “Lost”
from Wednesday to Thursday night. (Okay, I may be with you
on that one.)
I’m not sure exactly where I stand.
I do know this. History tells us if the residents of Rossmoor
don’t do something, something WILL be done to us. In
1961 Rossmoor was the big kahuna in this area, bigger than
Los Alamitos and Seal Beach put together (we had almost 13,000
people, they were around 11,000 combined). Now we can’t
even get our own listing in the OC Register “Our Towns”
section.
Over the past 50 years Rossmoor has turned
down incorporation at least four times. In that same time,
we have also lost all the tax revenues of not only the Rossmoor
Shopping Center but almost ALL businesses up and down Los
Al Boulevard – (including The Old Ranch/Target center,
the Vons Center and even The Boondocks.). We have also lost
a lot of clout and fees and seats at the many government tables
and planning commissions where decisions that affect Rossmoor’s
destiny are made.
On the other hand, Rossmoor has less government
trying to validate its existence by acting like a condominium
homeowners association enforcing CC&Rs. BIG PLUS.
This brings up one of the biggest questions
-- who will govern a city of Rossmoor? The current RCSD board
(as a whole) concerns me. Individually, the ones I’ve
met can be very nice, but collectively they seem to like being
legislators a little too much. I mean, when did RCSD meetings
become suit and tie affairs? Come on guys, relax, take off
the ties, roll up the sleeves -- the more you try to pretend
to be a real city council, the more you make residents fear
incorporating. Rossmoor works best when we’re NOT like
other communities.
Masochist that I am, I sat through the
entire broadcast of a recent RCSD Board meeting. It almost
cost me a marriage, and I’m sure it definitely cost
me the respect of my children. The RCSD Board spent at least
an hour talking about trees. Hey, I like trees, some of my
best friends are trees, but tree decisions can be made in
five minutes – unless board members want to hear themselves
talk, which takes me back to my “less government”
concern.
Also, when public officials talk, it’s
sometimes best to actually know what you’re talking
about. For instance, at the last meeting, a reasonable request
was made to make agendas and supporting documents available
on the RCSD website for public viewing prior to a board meeting.
the district general manager said that since the agendas were
typed on Friday, it couldn’t possibly be put on line
until the following Monday. Excuse me, but almost anyone who
has a real job – i.e., non government — knows
a PDF file of an agenda made on Microsoft Word can be posted
online in less than 30 seconds. If you don’t know how
to do that, you may not be qualified for the job.
But I digress (not the first or last time,
I’m sure). And for the record, I am not against government.
I just lean towards governments that are of the people, for
the people and for the most part without people.
Re: Rossmoor, I do know this, standing
pat has maybe saved a few bucks in taxes – let’s
say graciously $192 a year in current dollars (equivalent
to half a trip to Costco) – but we’ve paid a price.
As overstated before, Rossmoor lost the Rossmoor Shopping
Center tax revenues to Seal Beach when it turned down incorporation
in the early 1960s, in large part because of the stated fear
that residents property taxes would go up. Well, even after
they turned it down, the next year’s tax records showed
that unincorporated Rossmoor’s tax percentage had risen
to be among the highest in this area, higher than even its
surrounding incorporated neighbors.
Okay, Prop 13, etc has changed the tax
law dynamics, but the only truism is that nobody knows exactly
what will happen, so the best indicator is still what HAS
happened. Bottom line, this line of reasoning tells me nothing.
Moving on, incorporation advocates keep
bringing up the response time argument. Sorry, I don’t
buy this one. We’ve had maybe what five, at most, really
serious crimes incidents in the 10 years I’ve lived
in Rossmoor. Not one would have been prevented by a faster
response time. This sounds important, but in reality, this
is a non issue.
Cityhood proponents also bring up the
fees that would come directly to us. The DMV one is certainly
legitimate, and I know we would certainly keep a larger share
of the cable TV money that currently is kept by the county.
This additional revenue could mean even more reruns of Los
Al City Council and RCSD meetiungs. Hmmm, let me think about
this one.
Some say we should join with Seal Beach.
I’m not so sure about this. Obviously we probably have
far more in common than we have differences, but overall I
think there is a definite different mindset. Like the College
Parks, I think Rossmoor would end up feeling as outsiders
to the South-of-the-405 interests. Here in Rossmoor, we’re
happy to live in small, over-priced houses unlike those of
you in Old Town who live in really small overpriced houses.
Seriously, I’m sure the south-of-the-405ers would not
welcome Rossmoor joining with the College Parks to form what
could potentially become the dominant voting bloc in the town.
Also, Seal Beach has some MAJOR infrastructure issues and
costs, and do we really want to take on those costs?
Culturally and historically,Rossmoor is
and has always been closer to Los Alamitos – because
we both came out of the Bixby Family development of this area,
and the original marketing towards families – (Highlands,
Suburbia, Greenbrook, etc.). In a large number of ways, we
are already virtually co-dependent on each other. But again,
I doubt Los Alamitos would welcome us with open arms. Not
only have far too many Rossmoor residents been elitist jerks
when discussing Los Alamitos in the past, but like Seal Beach,
I think the entrenched current powers would be reluctant to
take us in, knowing that going by simple numbers, the balance
of voting power would inevitably shift to Rossmoor.
That may be simplistic, because trust me,
Rossmoor is not a single-minded monolith. Many of our residents
may have more in common philosophically with residents in
the Highlands, Suburbia, or even Carrier Row (yes, you heard
me, Carrier Row) than they do their Rossmoor neighbors.
But I fear the city of Los Alamitos is short-sighted and doesn’t
recognize the intangible value and potential of Rossmoor.
Rossmoor’s true asset is its people. We make up by far,
the largest number of volunteers in this community and with
the school district. It’s very easy to prove. Look at
the Board lists for all the community wide groups -- local
sports leagues, the local PTAs, the local booster clubs, etc.
I have. Using the LAUSD enrollment area as a rough boundary
(which includes a fringe of Long Beach, Cypress and Garden
Grove), Rossmoor makes up less than 20% of that population.
Yet, in almost all community wide organizations, we consistently
supply around 35% (and often more) of the volunteers and board
members. Those in Los Alamitos who look only at black and
white numbers are doing themselves and their city a major
disservice.
So do we become our own community? I think
we could do it. Villa Park has done it and we aren’t
much different. I also think an increased utility tax would
probably be not much different than the increased fees we
would inevitably pay to remain part of the county. But much
of it would depend on who is on the new city’s Board.
And some of the RCSD Board’s decisions in recent years
– especially, but not limited to, the unnecessary LAGSL/Rossmoor
Park over-reaction – gives me great concern about what
kind of community we would become.
I think my ideal would be to coalesce
with the College Parks and form a new north of the 405 community,
although I doubt this will ever happen thanks to little details
like elections and those darn people who insist on voting
in them.
Oh well, more good reasons to avoid politics,
I suppose, until I absolutely can’t avoid it.
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