Board considers solar projects; approves CH 4 bathroom

GRF BOARD HIGHLIGHTS

by Ruth Osborn

Communications Director

The Golden Rain Foundation Board met Jan. 27 to discuss solar power as a remedy for rising electric costs and to approve construction of a unisex bathroom among other business.

More than 10 people spoke during public comment time on a variety of topics, including financial oversight, political canvassers and free speech, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement policy in Leisure World. To view the meeting, go online to lwsb.com and click the livestream tab.

Why Solar?

GRF Director Michael Banfield, who represents Mutual 8 and chairs the Facilities Solar Subcommittee, gave a presentation on how installing solar could temper escalating power costs for the GRF for years to come.

The 2026 GRF budget line item for Trust property-related electricity costs is $587,600, or $7.41 per month for each residential unit in GRF assessments.

In the past four years, electricity costs have skyrocketed and are now 50% higher. Historically, increases averaged about 7%. Southern California Edison attributes the rapid rise to massive investments in wildfire mitigation (undergrounding lines), grid modernization and infrastructure upgrades. These costs are passed to customers, with the most recent hike of 13% imposed in late 2025.

To mitigate this, the board is considering installing rooftop solar panels and batteries on Clubhouses 3 and 6 and the Administration Building, which are three of the top electricity consumers in Leisure World.

The project also entails building a solar farm along Westminster Boulevard on an unused easement the GRF owns adjacent to Leisure World’s perimeter wall. Energy produced there would help power the Aquatic Center, Clubhouses 1, 2 and 4, Building 5, the LW Library, Security Office, the Amphitheater and Service Maintenance. It would also allow daytime charging of 30 GRF electric utility vehicles.

An Orange County solar energy company responded to GRF’s bid request with a proposal to build and maintain the solar panels, and charge the GRF for the electricity it uses at a much lower rate than SCE charges. The project is expected to provide about 30% of GRF’s total electricity consumption, and there would be no upfront cost to the GRF, according to the subcommittee report.

This project has a tight approval window as the company would be partially compensated for its investment through a soon-to-expire federal solar tax credit. GRF is ineligible for this rebate, which expires June 30, because it is a nonprofit Common Interest Development. If approved, solar panels would tentatively be operational by September.

Therefore, the board must vote on the plan at its Feb. 24 board meeting. Public input is ongoing. There will be a town hall on Feb. 9 in Clubhouse 4 from 2-4 p.m. People can also send comments to

Town Hall on Solar Energy: Feb. 9 from 2-4 p.m. in Clubhouse 4 GRFboard@lwsb.com or drop them off at the LW Weekly building near the Amphitheater. Hours are 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Friday.

Other Board Business

The GRF Board voted to add a handicap unisex bathroom, including an automatic door, to Clubhouse 4 at a cost not to exceed $78,790, from capital funding. The cost includes the automatic door, which the Board added to the project at a cost of $8,500.

The GRF Physical Properties Department issued a request for bids to 12 contractors, and PIP Plumbing and Construction was the only company to reply.

While the current men’s and women’s restrooms are handicap-friendly, they are not fully ADA-compliant, according to a staff report from the Facilities Committee. The original clubhouse restrooms were recently refurbished, and the existing stalls were designed to be as handicap friendly as possible without undertaking the costly plumbing reconfiguration necessary for full ADA compliance.

The bathrooms were built before 1990, when ADA laws were first passed, so there is no legal obligation to provide fully handicap accessible facilities. But the board majority agreed that the clubhouse should have one so everyone can participate in Clubhouse 4 events.

“When you know better, you do better,” said GRF Director Jeff Mulqueen, who represents Mutual 1. “Today we’d like to have all of our members have access to our facilities.”

GRF Director Janet Isom of Mutual 16, agreed: “I believe we have a moral obligation to meet the needs of our community.” The unisex bathroom will provide one completely ADA-accessible bathroom at the heavily used clubhouse.