Serving on your mutual’s board of directors is a wonderful opportunity to make a positive impact on your community, help fellow residents and address Village challenges.

The Third Laguna Hills Mutual Board of Directors and the United Laguna Woods Mutual Board of Directors are calling for interested members to submit candidate applications for the 2022 annual elections.

Interested candidates may obtain an application by visiting the Laguna Woods Village Community Center, located at 24351 El Toro Road, and speaking with a corporate secretary, who will provide the application and election process instructions. Applications will not be sent via email or other digital platforms.

Member candidates for both Third Mutual and United Mutual must return completed applications and candidate video agreement forms to the Office of the CEO by 5 p.m. Friday, June 24. Candidate statements must be emailed to the inspector of elections at candidates@unilect.comby Friday, June 24, at 5 p.m. 

For more information, call 949-268-2295.

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

Join in celebration of residents 90 years of age and older for a sit-down luncheon and a performance by harpist Brian Noel on Tuesday, June 21, at 11:30 a.m. in Clubhouse 5. The luncheon is free for residents age 90 and older and $21 per guest. Tickets are on sale in the Clubhouse office. Martinez’s menu includes chicken salad, stuffed tomato, spinach quiche, fruit slices, rolls and butter, lemon meringue pie, coffee and hot tea.

For more information, call 949-597-4382 or email recreation@vmsinc.org.

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

Tickets are on sale now for SouthBound and Company, performing all your favorite and fun-filled classic rock hits! Secure your seats for the Saturday, July 9, show at the Performing Arts Center for 3 p.m. by visiting the PAC box office Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 am. to noon or by visiting tickets.lagunawoodsvillage.com.

SouthBound, four seasoned musicians from four corners of the country, born and bred on classic rock, dedicate their shows to an exciting true blend of southern rock, country rock, R&B and classic country, all performed with a rural California attitude. Band members have opened for Great White, Quiet Riot, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, Missing Persons, Ratt and Asleep at the Wheel to name a few.

For more information, call 949-597-4288 or email recreation@vmsinc.org. 

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

Village security and proper community access via its many gates are everyone’s responsibility. To gain entry to the Village, all motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists must show a valid resident ID, possess a visitor’s pass or have working RFID decals. Gate ambassadors must ensure everyone who wishes to gain access to the community can do so properly. Security personnel must enforce access policies and address suspicious entry activity. Residents whose vehicles have malfunctioning RFID decals must replace them and, in the meantime, use the visitor lane. Visitors must use the visitor lanes.

Gate Details

Laguna Woods Village has 16 gates. Gates 1, 2, 5, 7, 10, 11 and 14 are open 24/7; gates 3, 4, 6, 8, 9 and 12 close in the evening. Gate 4 is an exit-only gate for vehicles but can be entered via the gatehouse-adjacent pedestrian gate, gates 13 and 15 are locked emergency gates and gate 16 has no gatehouse but is secured at 11 p.m. Gatehouses at the remaining 12 gates are manned by gate ambassadors.

All gates also feature alarms that activate when a pedestrian or bicyclist trips wall- or fence-mounted motion sensors. Entrances and exits at gates 1 and 7 have wall-mounted intercoms and camera devices; signage instructs pedestrians and bicyclists to present their resident IDs to the camera. Gate ambassadors authenticate IDs from inside the gatehouse and, if necessary, use the intercom to communicate with the person wanting to enter.

If Someone Slips By …

Gate ambassadors sometimes are distracted while helping visitors or residents with malfunctioning RFIDs and, as a result, pedestrians and bicyclists may sometimes enter without proper clearance. In these cases, gate ambassadors notify Security, and a patrol officer contacts these individuals to properly identify them.

Attention to Gate Staffing

Adequately staffing the gates is ongoing. The Village employs approximately 134 gate ambassadors who are part-time and mostly Village residents—whose status and ability to work can change frequently and without notice. Gate ambassador supervisors are actively retraining existing personnel and establishing quarterly meetings to facilitate communications and clarify expectations. Security will continue to recruit the best possible personnel, provide extensive training in our policies and standard operating procedures, and always look for opportunities to improve our service levels.

Our Community Is Safe 

In reviewing the Village’s minimal crime statistics, as reported by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, and considering the number of vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians who enter the Village daily, the gate ambassador program, security patrol officers, residents staying vigilant and reporting suspicious activity, and Orange County Sheriff’s Department patrols keep the community relatively safe.

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

Our ever-changing climate requires Village residents to adopt permanent changes to use water more wisely and prepare for more frequent and persistent periods of limited water supply.

Your cooperation can help keep our water usage and costs in check.

The average Californian uses 196 gallons of water per day. We can work collectively to reduce water use and save money by taking some simple steps:

• Check for leaks in kitchen, bathroom and laundry areas. Look for worn toilet flappers, dripping faucets and other leaking valves (particularly toilets). Call Resident Services at 949-597-4600 if you need a plumber.
• Capture cool tap water while waiting for it to heat up to use later for cooking or watering plants.

• Rinse fruit and vegetables in a sink or a pan filled with water instead of running the water continuously for an estimated savings of 30 gallons a week.

• Use low-flow shower heads and limit showers to 5 minutes or less for an estimated savings of 75 gallons a week.
• Run only full loads of laundry and dishes; place food scraps into the garbage can or rinse them off with very short blasts of hot water for an estimated savings of 60 gallons per week.

• Use a hose with an automatic shut-off nozzle. Don’t water your plantings between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., and refrain from watering the common area landscaping altogether. 
• Do not hose or wash down hard or paved surfaces (driveways, patios and sidewalks).

If you are aware of water waste in the Village, please contact the anonymous Compliance Hotline at 949-268-2255 or email at compliance@vmsinc.org and provide specific information. 

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

Outdoor water use restrictions set by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California went into effect on Wednesday, June 1, for more than 6 million Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Ventura county residents. Households in these jurisdictions are prohibited from watering their lawns more than once a week in an effort to reduce water use by 35% amid the state’s third year of drought with no relief in sight.

The El Toro Water District (ETWD) declared a Level 2 water shortage. A Level 2 water shortage has no restrictions on when to irrigate, but ETWD continues to urge its customers to save as much water as possible and to follow its Permanent Water Conservation Requirements.

If ETWD is required to move to a Level 3 water shortage, irrigating would be restricted to three days a week from May through September and two days a week from October through April. The Laguna Woods irrigation schedule would move to Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday or Sunday. Areas irrigated by recycled water are exempt from Level 2 and Level 3 requirements. 

Current Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Ventura counties’ water restrictions do not apply to ETWD customers. The VMS Department of Landscaping Services is proactively monitoring developments with the ETWD and is prepared to implement any new mandates once they are issued. As soon as that happens, residents will be notified.

For the El Toro Water District’s Spring 2022 newsletter, click here. 

For more water-wise conversation tips, click here.     

For more information on water conservation, click here.   

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

Water leaks and moisture intrusion can be devastating to you and your neighbors. Inexpensive moisture detectors, available at most large hardware stores and online for between $10 and $80, emit an audible alarm as soon as a leak develops.

To help catch water leaks and avoid moisture intrusion events, install moisture detectors at the backs of toilets, under kitchen and bathroom sinks, near refrigerator ice makers and under hot water heaters. Also, special plates placed under hot water heaters catch leaks, and special devices shut off the water and electricity to the tank when a leak is detected.

Call Resident Services immediately at 949-597-4600 if you notice a leak. Call Security at 949-580-1400 after hours and on weekends. 

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

The VMS Employee Excellence Awards, presented in spring and fall each year, recognize employees who demonstrated excellent customer service, achieved great results on projects, exceeded service expectations and made a positive impact on Village residents.

The following employees were recognized in spring 2022:

• Jayanna Abolmoloki – Department of Security Services
• Liz Cortez – Department of General Services
• Dara Doeum – Department of Maintenance and Construction
• Maribel Flores – Department of Landscaping Services
• Erika Hernandez – Department of Financial Services
• Delia Landaeta – Department of Human Resource Services
• Tom McCray – Department of Recreation and Special Events
• Jennifer Murphy – Department of Recreation and Special Events
• Ellyce Rothrock – Department of Media and Communications
• Juan Uicab – Department of Landscaping Services
• Team Award:  Gilberto Chagolla, Filemon Flores – Department of General Services
• Team Award:  Jose Ceja, Kristopher Kubota, Julio Romero, Irma Sato – Department of Maintenance and Construction

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

On Thursday, June 9, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the Clubhouse 1 back patio, don’t miss Forever Rod—the ultimate Rod Stewart tribute, capturing the true essence of a classic live show!

Tickets are $15 at the Clubhouse 1 office. Seating is first-come, first-served. Guests are welcome but must be accompanied by a resident. Hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken and sodas will be available for purchase while supplies last. Picnics are welcome, and tables and chairs will be provided.

Residents who need transportation to and from the event must call 949-597-4659 from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday to make a reservation.

For more information, call 949-597-4281 or email recreation@vmsinc.org. 

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