Editor: On July 14, the Seal Beach City Council had a water and sewer rate hearing. The council voted 3-1 to continue the hearing on Aug. 11 at Councilman Ben Wong’s request. The dissenting vote was cast by Councilman Nathan Steele. Thank you to GRF Board and six Mutuals for standing up for shareholders with protest letters as allowed by Proposition 218. Interim Executive Director Dave

Letters to the Editor must be no longer than 250 words and can typed and delivered to LW Weekly by email at rutho@lwsb.com (preferred), mailed or hand-delivered. Letters must be of general interest to the community and may contain opinions, suggestions, compliments and complaints without being scurrilous, libelous, defamatory, repetitive or otherwise inappropriate. Letters related to national politics

Editor: The use of chicken wire or other netting to prevent the nesting of sparrows under the eaves of buildings in Leisure World is both unsightly and counterproductive. At best, the netting only serves to force the sparrows to move to a neighboring unit, foisting the issue on someone else. It would be ridiculous to begin netting all of Leisure World in chicken wire. Sparrows are a migratory

COMMUNITY UNITY Effective immediately, the LW Weekly will cease printing political letters about national politics. In this season of heightened tumult and division, political letters become polarizing, repetitive and difficult to fact check. Citizen advocacy is important, and the Perspectives section will remain a forum for all Leisure World voices. Our valued readers are welcome to

MEMBER COLUMN by Nick Massetti LW contributor In retirement planning, there’s constant debate over the topic of what percentage of your portfolio you can safely spend each year. Unfortunately, no one can tell you because one household’s circumstances can be very different from another household’s, in ways that meaningfully change the answer. This much can be said however. Prudent

Editor: Speak out and contact the Seal Beach City Council about the fast-tracked 104% rate hike starting this August, with annual hikes through 2029. The issue isn’t whether repairs are needed, but how we fund them. This increase is being pushed through to meet a 20% debt coverage ratio, allowing the city to qualify for loans, fund capital projects and build reserves. But after years of mismanagement

Editor: In hindsight, I regret submitting a letter to editor (June 19) indicating that the SCAN office was not staffed, when in reality it was and is. I regret my haste in submitting the letter. My apology is late but sincere. SCAN is alive and well in Leisure World. In the future, I will research circumstances prior to drawing incorrect conclusions. Thank you for understanding and