Board votes to extend gate hours beginning Sept. 1

GRF BOARD RECAP

by Ruth Osborn

Communications Director

The GRF Board of Directors held its first meeting since the election in June with a new president at the helm and a full agenda to consider.

Three residents took the podium during the public comment period. The first spoke on his plot at the Community Garden; the second, on transparency regarding financial documents; and the last, requesting that ICE be barred from Leisure World. This represents a quiet departure from recent parades of people protesting various GRF policies and staffers every month.

In her opening comments, GRF President Linda Herman shared the board’s progress over the last six weeks, pledging renewed efforts to promote transparency, and foster trust and inclusion among residents.

In one of her first acts, she directed staff to post a redacted monthly general ledger on the Leisure World website ( see GRF President’s Column, page 1).

The general ledger—a comprehensive record of all financial transactions within the GRF—is now available at no charge to Leisure World residents, thanks to the work of the GRF Finance team led by Interim Executive Director Dave Potter. The ledger provides a detailed view of the association’s financial activity and enables sound financial management. Redacted means that sensitive information— such as names and account numbers—has been blacked out to protect privacy.

Among other accomplishments President Herman cited are the implementation of director training sessions, committee and subcommittee single-topic work studies to include shareholder participation and more frequent GRF columns and contributions on a variety of educational topics. They include columns from Treasurer Sandy Geffner and President Herman, as well as safety-first reminders and tips, and more town halls.

The first town hall is already scheduled. It will be held from 1-4 p.m. in Clubhouse 4 on Thursday, Aug. 28. The topic will be GRF funds—operating, capital, reserve and operating contingency— and how they work. Interim Executive Director Potter will give a presentation and update on the 2026 GRF budget process. All residents are welcome, and there will be time for questions at the end.

President Herman also announced that the GRF has officially begun a formal search for a permanent executive director to ensure long-term stable leadership. She emphasized that the board has full confidence in the interim leadership of Potter, who stepped into the role in June.

In other business, the board considered a variety of topics.

The North Gate and St. Andrews Gate (pictured) will operate from 5:45 a.m.-10:45 p.m. beginning Sept. 1.

Paul Kryczko The following is a partial list. For the full story, visit lwsb.com and click “livestream.”

Gate Hours

Upon the recommendation of the Operations Committee and in answer to residents’ complaints, the board voted 13-4 to reinstate longer hours of operation at the North and St. Andrews gates. The gates will be open from 5:45 a.m.-10:45 p.m., starting in September. The Main Gate is always open 24 hours a day.

Gate hours were reduced to help control staffing budgets, according to a staff report.

The Main Gate has only one lane open starting at 8 p.m.

With the early shuttering of the side gates, traffic would sometimes back up at the Main gate and onto Seal Beach Boulevard.

2024 Audit of GRF Financials

Upon the recommendation of the Finance Committee, the board voted to approve the third-party audit of the GRF’s 2024 Financial Statements. The audit was performed by the accounting firm CliftonLarsonAllen LLP (CLA), the eighth largest in the United States, according to Wikipedia.

The Finance Committee reviewed CLA’s report, which found that the GRF’s financial statements were accurate and compliant with relevant standards. GRF’s clean audit indicates that the company has robust internal controls to prevent errors and fraud in its financial processes. GRF members will receive a copy of the approved audit in the mail. Basketball Court Landscape

Upon the recommendation of the Facilities Committee, the board voted to remove the stones behind the basketball hoop and replace them with artificial turf for a cost not to exceed $2,860.

In its only split vote, the board voted 9-8. The minority cited a fiduciary duty to not spend money for what some would characterize as a cosmetic improvement since there have been no reported injuries related to tripping on stones there.

But the slim majority agreed that ball retrieval over stones could be unsafe and increase the GRF’s liability, and thus, it would be prudent to remove them. Oil Storage Container Upgrade

Upon the recommendation of the Facilities Committee, the board unanimously voted to spend no more than $36,901 to upgrade piping to the waste oil underground storage tank at the GRF Maintenance Yard.

The upgrade is required to comply with new state regulations. There are two underground storage tanks at the yard, one for unleaded gasoline and the other for waste oil.

Both tanks meet all regulations and permits for legal operation.

The California State Water Resources Control Board recently required vent piping on tanks to have a secondary containment system.

Vent piping on the waste oil tank does not meet this new mandate and must be upgraded.