The process to determine the 2025 business plan (budgets) for GRF, Third and United begins Wednesday, March 13, with a review of existing (2024) scope of services, which includes a review of each VMS department. On March 25 and 27, United and Third will have mutual-specific scope of service reviews of the landscaping, maintenance and general services departments.

Additionally, a GRF capital review is scheduled for Wednesday, May 15, at 1:30 p.m. in the Community Center board room (24351 El Toro Road). 

Other key milestones in the budgetary process include the third-iteration business plan review in August (televised) and the business plan adoption, which is planned to occur at each of the three September board meetings.

View the entire 2025 business budget calendar here.

For more Village news, click on the tag “What’s Up in the Village” below. 

Third Mutual has hired an outside consultant, Cardoso & Associates, to conduct inspections mandated by Senate Bill 326 (SB 326)of all building exterior elevated elements, which include balconies, decks, landings, stairways, walkways, guardrails and handrails. Inspections began in January.

The consultant may require access to some balconies from inside certain units between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on the corresponding day in the following schedules:

• March 2024
• April 2024
• May 2024
• June 2024

If you are not available on your unit’s scheduled day and/or if you are unsure there is a current unit key on file with Resident Services, please contact the department at residentservices@vmsinc.org or 949-597-4600.

If repairs are required, members will be notified by mail 15 days in advance. Click here to view a sample letter.

Important Details About the Inspections

Please note:

• Only scheduled units will be inspected, not all units.
• The units are selected randomly by the consultant.
• The Maintenance and Construction Department receives only three months’ advance schedule notice from the consultant.
• Inspections cannot be rescheduled.

How the Resident Services Key File Program Works

Resident Services maintains keys to manors within the community for resident convenience. The program is completely voluntary; however, members are encouraged to file manor keys or keyless manor entry codes with Resident Services to ensure the following:

• Authorized personnel may gain access to a manor to perform necessary maintenance repairs in the event of an emergency.
• Residing members can obtain their manor keys or keyless manor entry codes to gain manor access if/when the need arises.

Keyless entry codes are stored with physical keys. For security, codes are never written or entered into the system. If a resident needs assistance getting into their manor, Security Services “checks out” the code, aids the resident and returns the code to Resident Services for safekeeping.

To submit keys or keyless manor entry codes to the key file program, please visit Resident Services in the Laguna Woods Village Community Center (24351 El Toro Road) Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 949-597-4600 or email residentservices@vmsinc.org. 

For more Village Maintenance news, click on the tag “Maintenance” below.

GRF

Clubhouse  1 – Daily
Clubhouse  2 – Daily
Clubhouse  3 – Daily
Clubhouse  4 – Daily
Clubhouse  5 – Daily
Clubhouse  6 – Daily
Clubhouse  7 – Daily

Gatehouses (1-14) – Daily

Community Center – Mon-Fri

Tennis Complex  Courts 1-5 – Tues
Tennis Complex Courts  6-10 – Thurs

Par 3 Golf Course Building – Daily
Golf Course Restrooms – Daily
Golf Starter Building/Pro Shop – Daily

Paddle Tennis Courts – Mon-Fri (bi-weekly) Trash removed daily

Maintenance Complex – Mon-Fri

Equestrian Center – Mon-Fri

Library/ Historical Building – Mon-Fri

Broadband Services Building – Mon-Fri

Garden Centers 1& 2 – Mon, Wed, Fri

RV Lots A & B – Mon, Wed, Fri

Third Mutual

Garden Villas & LH21 – Once weekly

2-story Breezeways – Per request
Third Mutual Free Standing Laundries – Mon-Fri (every 3 weeks)

United Mutual

United Laundries – Mon-Fri (every 3 weeks)
United 2-story Breezeways – Mon-Fri (every 10 weeks)

During the upcoming El Toro Water District (ETWD) Northline Lift Station improvement project, access to the City of Laguna Woods Dog Park will be limited. Pet owners and their pooches may enter the dog park via a designated path close to Ridge Route Drive.

Construction hours:

• Now through Friday, March 8, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday

During the project, residents near the area can expect:

• Increased construction noise during the day
• Increased construction traffic in and around the site, including the area of Ridge Route Drive and Peralta Drive, and the accessway between the Dog Park and its parking lot
• Larger vehicles entering/exiting the property

If you have any questions regarding the project or park access, call ETWD at 949-837-0660.

For more Village news, click on the tag “What’s Up in the Village” below.

Southern California Edison (SCE) invites utility customers to public forums in March regarding its application to raise electricity rates. View the remote forums via webcast or listen to them via telephone using the information below.

Remote forums via telephone or webcast:

• Tuesday, March 5, and Wednesday, March 20, at 2 and 6 p.m.
• Phone: 1-800-857-1917
• Passcode: 6032788#
• To comment: Using the phone number and passcode above, enter the passcode, press *1, unmute your phone and record your name. When it is your turn to speak, the operator will call your name.
• Webcast: adminmonitor.com/ca/cpuc/

In person forums:

• Wednesday, March 20, at 2 and 6 p.m.
• Recreation Park Community Center, 4900 E. 7th St., Long Beach, CA 90804

Click here to view the official notice of public participation hearings for SCE’s 2025 general rate case.

Contact SCE and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) directly for more information on the proposed use rate increase (the City of Laguna Woods does not set electricity rates):

• SCE: Email case.admin@sce.com; call 626-302-0449; or mail Southern California Edison Company, Attn: Case Administrator A.23-05-010 – 2025 GRC, P.O. Box 800, Rosemead, CA 91770. Review a copy of the application and any related documents at sce.com/applications.
• CPUC: Visit cpuc.ca.gov/pph.

For more Village news, click on the tag “What’s Up in the Village” below.

At the Optimal Aging Lecture Series’ latest event, Wednesday, March 6, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center, Dining Room 1, learn best strategies to promote mobility and stability, and how to keep safely active and energetic. Join this education session to learn the latest research and evidence-based best practices, and how to advance (or restart) your exercise routine. Learn risk factors for falls and interventions to help keep you safe and moving. No registration is required.

Speaker Valerie George, PA-C, who has more than 20 years’ experience as a physician assistant, practices in the UC Irvine Department of Family Medicine and Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology. She holds a bachelor’s in kinesiology at Cal State University, Long Beach, and a PA certification at Western University in Pomona, California, and completed a post-graduate fellowship in geriatrics through the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine.

Call Social Services at 949-597-4267 for more information.

For more Village news, click on the tag “What’s Up in the Village” below.

The Disaster Preparedness Task Force presents a sheltering-in-place event on March 15 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the PAC (23822 Avenida Sevilla) for all Village residents. Learn how to not only prepare yourself but also assist your neighbors in the event of a disaster. This event will feature special guests from VMS, Laguna Woods Amateur Radio Club and MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center.

Attendees will have access to a handout containing a list of necessary supplies, tips for safeguarding documents and contact information for retailers that sell survival supplies. Attendees will also have the chance to win fabulous door prizes, including survival kits, supplies and even entertainment tickets.

RSVP at bit.ly/42ML3WY by Friday, March 8, or text/leave a voicemail for Grace Stencel at 714-421-9019 with your name, phone and manor number.

For more Village news, click on the tag “What’s Up in the Village” below.

Be a Good Neighbor Building Captain with the Disaster Preparedness Task Force. Download the PDF Volunteer Registration Form.

There is just one week left to vote for your single favorite artwork in the 2024 Laguna Woods Art Association exhibit.

Ballots are located on a table adjacent to the Community Center concierge desk. Artworks on the first and third floors have placards with information about each piece, including a number in the bottom left corner. On the ballot, in the blank box, simply write down the number of the single piece of art that speaks most to you and drop it in the ballot box on the ballot table. The winner will be announced in “What’s Up in the Village” on Friday, March 8.

Please take your time to enjoy this wonderful exhibit during regular hours (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) at the Laguna Woods Village Community Center at 24351 El Toro Road.

For more Village news, click on the tag “What’s Up in the Village” below.