It is against the law ….

It is against the law in Seal Beach to ride a bicycle on the sidewalk. Riding on the street can be dangerous, I agree. But cyclists who do choose to ride on sidewalks must defer to pedestrians.

Get off your bike. Ride on the grass. Don’t force pedestrians to make way for you.

Mark Bloomfield Mutual 4 Editor:

GRF has a couple of restrictions in converting the RV lot to residential property. First, its own by-laws restricts its authority for the number of residential units to the current number, 6,608 units; this language can be found in Article II of the by-laws in the last sentence of Section 3. While that can be amended to a greater number, it would take an election of the GRF certificate holders (us, not the GRF Board of Directors) to do so.

Second, Exhibit B to the Trust Agreement between GRF and the Mutuals does allow for a total of 6,752 units, so the increase would not violate the agreement between the Mutuals and GRF, but Section VII, paragraph J says GRF is “expressly prohibited from exercising any power vested in it for the primary benefit of Trustee or for the benefit of any person other than the beneficiaries of this Trust and their stockholders.” Adding more residential units would not benefit the Mutuals nor their stockholders since no “Mutual 18” would exist until after being built and only GRF would benefit by converting the RV lot to a more profitable use.

Complicated? A little, but who would want to open this expensive can of worms by trying to develop the area against the popular will of nearly 9,000 residents?

I think we are safe even if the City of Seal Beach “recognized” the RV area as a potential site for more housing. As a practical matter, it is functionally like making a minor adjustment to the city zoning plan.

It helps the city to avoid expensive penalties levied by the State of California without changing the RV lot from what it is.

Richard Winslow Mutual 8 Editor:

September’s Security Report (Oct. 26) reported 249 incidents, including six thefts. These numbers are comparable to the August report. Only one of these incidents, in my reading of them, might have been prevented by the significantly heightened security that is purported to result from instituting the RFID system, but maybe not. The family member that was arrested after a dispute might not have been on the approved list had RFID been in operation in September.

How pressing is/was our need for a state-of-the-art security system?

And I am still curious about how much of our monthly GRF assessment is due to RFID and other associated elements of the new security system.

Lee Hoyt Mutual 11

Editor:

The other morning, I was rudely awakened outside my bedroom window by a dog barking at another dog. Their owners stood talking, ignoring their barking dogs.

Unfortunately for me it was 6:30 a.m. and one of the few days that my work schedule allowed me to sleep in.

I also have a neighbor across the greenbelt in another Mutual who likely keeps her dog on the patio all day long.

Her dog barks incessantly whenever others walk past the unit. The dog barks at other dogs, mail and delivery persons, squirrels and even rabbits. The bark is loud, annoying and continual, disturbing the peace that I and most Leisure World residents desire.

I hope this letter serves as a friendly reminder for people to train their dogs to be polite and quiet. It would also do their dogs a service.

Jeanne Pontac Mutual 10 Editor:

Usually my dog Marley and I head out for our morning walk at 7:15. Today, he was very antsy. He sleeps with me and he has a ladder to get up on the bed. This morning (Oct. 24), he pushed me to get up and take him out at 6:15. Marley is 7 years old and weighs 10 pounds.

We went on our regular route through Mutual 10. As we got toward the south end, we saw this coyote that was twice Marley’s size.

Marley was on a 6-foot leash, and he pulled toward the coyote barking a very loud bark and kept moving toward the coyote that kept moving away.

Marley was being aggressive, and the coyote kept backing away and then ran south to the next Mutual. A woman came out of her home and applauded Marley for doing such a great job.

When we got home, he had a nice shower and rubdown for being a good protector.

Barry Allen Mutual 10