Did you know the Laguna Woods Village website can be translated into nine languages other than English? All you have to do is visit the homepage and choose your language from the Google Translate dropdown list located in the upper left corner of the page, above the CodeRED logo. If you know of friends and neighbors whose primary language is Arabic, Chinese, Korean or others, spread the word about this handy feature.

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

Horses, like their human partners and our other pets, start to have health issues when they age. Teeth get old, muscles and ligaments get tired, and their hearts may not be as strong as they once were. 

Here at Laguna Woods Village Equestrian Center, we cherish the horses who serve our community (your horses), and we believe in ensuring they have everything they need to be healthy and happy in their work at the center and into retirement. 

Right now, two horses, older and unable to be ridden, who tirelessly served our residents and brought joy to so many, must retire due to their health and at the recommendation of our veterinarians.

Murphy

Thanks to the generosity of our residents, Murphy, an appendix quarter horse who developed a degenerative ligament disease, was moved to Hoofs and Woofs rescue and is sponsored for his care. He is thriving and loving his life, but we are in need of donations to the rescue to continue to support his feeding, shoeing and medical needs.

Belle

Our sweet Belle, a 26-year-old draft cross, taught most of the beginners at the Equestrian Center for several years. With patience and devotion to her students, many learned how to ride and then moved on to more advanced horses. Beginner lessons, with unbalanced riders who put a strain on horses physically, are the hardest on horses. Belle has done so much; now, with an acute lameness, the vet has requested that she stay retired and move to a more open space to live out her remaining years. Donations to sponsor our beloved Belle will ensure that we are able to provide this for her and give her the joy of being with other horse friends in a no-pressure pasture life.

You can help these retirees through sponsorship for their care. Any small amount will help; yearly donations are available, too. Sponsorship can be made through the GRF Sponsor a Horse program and through donations to the Saddle Club, made specifically for the care of these horses. Click the orange Download button below for more information.

We thank you, the residents, for all the love and support you show for our special “equine staff members” and hope to see you soon for a tour or event at the Equestrian Center. 

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

It seems scammers never sleep—they certainly never tire of looking for ways to liberate you from your identity and/or cash. 

Below are links to common scams. Be vigilant, stay safe and don’t let the criminals scam you! Then, read on for more ways to avoid becoming a scam victim.

• Read AARP’s “14 Top Scams to Watch Out for in 2023” at bit.ly/3PmAJRn.
• USA Today shares 4 tricks phone scammers are using—and how to stop them at bit.ly/3BExQ5C
• Experian shares the latest scams you need to be aware of at bit.ly/3SnZ4UD
• The Federal Trade Commission shares scam alerts, common scams and reporting scams at bit.ly/3dxKUS8
• Usa.gov shares common scams and frauds at bit.ly/3xKOQ8X

• Nbcnews.com shares that when you receive an odd text from a wrong number, it’s probably a scam at nbcnews.to/3SqR1GQ

Safe Mail Practices

Postal inspectors in Laguna Woods and across the country work hard to protect your mail. But with deliveries to more than 100 million addresses, the Postal Inspection Service can’t do the job alone. Here’s how you can help keep your mail safe from potential theft: 

• Enroll online in the United States Postal Service’s free Informed Delivery program, which lets patrons preview grayscale images of incoming mail, track packages, leave delivery instructions, reschedule delivery and more.
• Use the letter slots at your post office to mail letters, or hand them to a letter carrier.
• Deposit mail in USPS blue collection boxes before the last pickup time that appears on the schedule posted on each box.
• Remove mail from your mailbox promptly after delivery, especially if you’re expecting checks, credit cards or other sensitive items. If you won’t be home when the items are expected, ask a trusted friend or neighbor to pick up your mail. Don’t leave it in your mailbox overnight.
• Don’t send cash in the mail.
• Ask your bank for “secure” checks that can’t be altered.
• Request the post office hold your mail if you plan to be away from home for more than three days. You can initiate a mail hold at the post office or online at USPS.com. 
• Call the Sheriffs Department immediately at 949-770-6011 if you see a mail thief at work; then call postal inspectors at 877-876-2455 (press 3).
• If you believe your mail was stolen, report it immediately to Laguna Woods Village Security at 949-580-1400. Personnel also will direct you to file a report with the Sherriff’s Department and postmaster/postal inspector. Postal inspectors may determine whether your incident is isolated or part of a larger mail-theft problem. Your report may help them locate and apprehend the thieves. 
• File a mail-theft report by calling postal inspectors at 877-876-2455 or complete the report online at the United States Postal Inspection Service website.

Just Hang Up 

• Don’t answer calls from phone numbers you don’t recognize or from calls you’re not expecting. If you answer and discover it’s a robocall, just hang up. You don’t need to say anything and you don’t owe any explanation.
• Never give personal information to unknown callers or allow them access to your computer over the internet. Instead, hang up and call the organization directly to find out if the call was legitimate.
• If someone calls and claims to be with a government agency, no matter how official or serious the situation sounds—hang up. The longer you stay on the line, the more likely you are to become a victim.
• Don’t trust callers just because they know some of your personal information. Due to numerous data breaches, many fraudsters are providing victims with their SSN to build trust.
• Contact the agency that supposedly called you. Look up the number on your own—don’t trust your caller ID or the number the caller may have given you.

Don’t Get Hooked by Email Phishing Schemes

Phishing is one of the most popular email scams. Hackers use “bait”—a seemingly legitimate file or link—to “phish” for victims and gain personal information. Email security threats come in many forms. Here’s how to recognize fake emails.

• Don’t trust the display name. Often, a phishing email will come from an address that appears to be genuine; if you only glance at these details they can look legitimate. However, if you examine them, you may find that it’s a bogus variation intended to appear authentic—for example, customerservice@mail.macys.work rather than customerservice@macys.com.
• Look but don’t click. Hover your mouse over any links embedded in the body of the email. If the link address looks suspicious, don’t click on it.
• Check for spelling mistakes. Legitimate messages usually do not have major spelling mistakes or poor grammar. Read your emails carefully and report anything that seems suspicious.
• Analyze the salutation. Beware any email addressed to a vague “Valued Customer.” Legitimate businesses often use a personal salutation with your first and last name.
• Don’t provide personal information. Legitimate banks and most other companies will never ask for personal credentials via email.
• Beware of urgency and drama. Invoking a sense of urgency or fear is a common phishing tactic. Beware of subject lines that claim your “account has been suspended” or your account had an “unauthorized login attempt.”
• Review the signature. Lack of details about the signer or how you can contact a company strongly suggests a phish. Legitimate businesses always provide contact details.
• Don’t click on attachments, don’t open any email attachments you weren’t expecting and don’t open email that looks even remotely suspicious.

Protect Identity, Monitor Credit

• Install antivirus software on your computer and keep it up to date.
• Invest in identity theft protection (bit.ly/2Z1H75V). 
• Monitor your credit for free (bit.ly/2Wsk3LO).

First-Line Defenses for General Scams

• AARP Fraud Watch Network (aarp.org/money/scams-fraud): Call 877-908-3360 to talk to a trained volunteer on the Fraud Watch Helpline. 
• California Attorney General’s Office (oag.ca.gov/consumers#topics): Learn about common scams and other consumer issues. 
• FBI (ic3.gov/default.aspx): File a report with the Federal Bureau of Investigations Internet Crime Complaint Center. 
• Federal Trade Commission (ftc.gov): File a consumer complaint, report identity theft and register for the Do Not Call list. Report suspicious emails to the Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov. If you believe you have been taken advantage of by a spam scam, file a complaint with the FTC online at ftc.gov/complaint. 

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

Although the wet winter and cool spring has kept our irrigation costs low, it has taken a toll on the general appearance of the landscaping. Weeds love rain! The turf grasses in the Village thrive in warm seasons and, because damp and cool conditions have continued, the grass has remained dormant while the weeds have flourished. 

The Landscaping Services Department is aware of these issues and is continuing to take additional steps to catch up on all the work necessary to make the Village look beautiful again. The department has contracted additional workers to help staff crews cover more area at a quicker pace. 

To date, crews have treated 11 acres of turf (479,160 square feet) for broadleaf weeds and completed 172 lawn reseeding requests in addition to reseeding areas as the regular maintenance scheduled work is completed. 

Please keep in mind, even with additional crews, staff has over 650 acres to cover, and it will take time to catch up. Please be patient and thank the crews as they work extra hard to make the Village landscaping beautiful again. 

United Mutual members are welcome to attend the upcoming United Landscape Committee meeting, scheduled for Monday, June 26, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Community Center board room (24351 El Toro Road).   

Third Mutual members are welcome to attend the upcoming Third Landscape Committee meeting, scheduled for Thursday, July 6, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the Community Center board room.   

Members also are invited to submit comments by emailing meeting@vmsinc.org any time before or during the meeting. Include your name, unit number and the meeting on which you’re commenting in the email subject field.  

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

The City of Laguna Woods is discontinuing its personal medication drop-off program and will no longer be available after June 30. 

New legislation states that drug companies are now responsible for the proper disposal of the medications they produce or distribute and must supply safe disposal for medication at certain sites (free of charge).

Certain local pharmacies accept personal medication for disposal. For more information, please visit www.med-project.org. In Laguna Woods, personal medication drop-off is now available at Rite Aid (24330 El Toro Road, in the plaza with Home Depot and Stater Bros.) and at CVS (24167 Paseo De Valencia, next to Mother’s Market). Benefits of pharmacy-hosted medication drop-off include longer operating hours and more drop-off location options. 

Click the orange Download PDF button below for updated City of Laguna Woods information on door-to-door collections of household hazardous waste, including batteries, sharps and more. For more information, please call Laguna Woods City Hall at 949-639-0500. City Hall is located at 24264 El Toro Road.

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

Safety is a shared responsibility and here are a few reminders for those behind the wheel. 

• Watch out for pedestrians at all times.
• Use extra caution when driving in hard-to-see conditions, such as nighttime or bad weather.
• Slow down and be prepared to stop when turning or entering a crosswalk.
• Yield to pedestrians in crosswalks and stop well back from the crosswalk to give other vehicles an opportunity to see the crossing pedestrians so they can stop, too.
• Never pass vehicles stopped at a crosswalk—pedestrians you cannot see may be crossing.
• Never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• Always be aware of posted speed limits.
• Always be aware of modified speed limits in school zones and in neighborhoods where children are present.
• Be extra cautious when backing up—pedestrians can move into your path.

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

Crews will close the southbound I-5 El Toro Road straight on-ramp for excavation, paving and restriping from Friday, June 16 at 11 p.m. to Monday, June 26 at 5 a.m. Motorists should use instead the southbound I-5 El Toro Road on-ramp at Paseo de Valencia. Signs will be posted to assist motorists with detours.

This work may be loud and additional nightly ramp closures may be required. Plan for additional travel time through the area.

The schedule is subject to change due to inclement weather or unforeseen operational issues. Click here for the latest information. For a detour map, click the orange “Download PDF” button below.

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

Join a panel of neurosurgeons from MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center on Monday, June 19, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in Clubhouse 5 and via Zoom. Learn about stroke prevention and detection, back and neck pain treatment options, skull base tumor procedures and more. A Q&A segment will follow the seminar.

Refreshments will be available from 5:30 to 6 p.m. Two $25 Trader Joe’s gift cards will be raffled for those in attendance.

Register by scanning the QR code in the flyer that can be downloaded below (orange Download PDF button), visiting memorialcare.org/events/laguna-woods-neurology-event or calling Jessica Sanders at 949-452-3791. 

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