Rossmoorgate: Latent Powers and Animal Care

Joyce Bloom

As you all must realize, I am not for the Rossmoor Community Services District obtaining latent powers. On June 14, 2011 the RCSD went forward with their “strategy” and predictably approved the first resolution needed to apply for latent powers. The four directors who voted for this did not even know how much money Orange County spends providing services to Rossmoor.

To rectify this small omission, they provided a few details they wanted included in the resolution and had it “incorporated by reference.”

How come they never considered that Orange County might spend a lot more money on Rossmoor than is actually known by Orange County? The RCSD doesn’t know the answer to this problem and at this point in time neither does Orange County. The answer may come back to haunt us!

What is known and stated in the Govenment Code is that latent powers is a back door to the cityhood that Rossmoorians intelligently voted down in 2008.

On the morning of July 4, 2011 on a walk around Rush Park, I met Dave Lara of the Rossmoor Predator Management Team. Mr. Lara had all three dogs on leash and was carrying the poop that he scooped up—a shining example for people who own pets.

Mr. Lara was forthcoming about answering my questions about coyotes. He told me that the four coyotes that had been captured, were captured in the territory behind Martha Ann. Although coyotes have visited Rossmoor and have done some damage here we do know that coyotes do not live in Rossmoor per se. Of course not! They can’t afford the rent! They live in untended areas like the one behind Martha Ann.

Although the RCSD has no jurisdiction in animal affairs, they listened at meetings to the complaints of the Predator Management Team regarding the coyotes and used those complaints as a vehicle for asking for another latent power.

Without bothering to ascertain what city has jurisdiction over the property behind Martha Ann, Mr. Taboada, manager of the RCSD, steamrolled the directors to include animal care as another latent power. Mr. Lara informed me that he had met with Mr. Stewart (Los Alamitos city manager) and CalTrans and that both agencies acknowledged their responsibility for the property behind Martha Ann. The property has been cleared and looks great. I saw it the other day and it looked like a park.

I suggested that Orange County give our animal services contract to Los Alamitos, and I think that Mr. Lara agreed. That would give Rossmoor pet owners the Long Beach animal control that the Predator Management Team would like.

The animal shelter in Long Beach is a better location for Rossmoorians who have lost pets and the service response time will be quicker. Best of all, RCSD would not have a latent power that would be sure to cost us more money and which we do not need. Mr. Lara and I also spoke about enforcement of the leash law, but more of that in another installment of Rossmoorgate.

Joyce Bloom is a longtime Rossmoor resident and a former member of the Rossmoor Community Services District’s Board of Directors.

As you all must realize, I am not for the Rossmoor Community Services District obtaining latent powers. On June 14, 2011 the RCSD went forward with their “strategy” and predictably approved the first resolution needed to apply for latent powers. The four directors who voted for this did not even know how much money Orange County spends providing services to Rossmoor.
To rectify this small omission, they provided a few details they wanted included in the resolution and had it “incorporated by reference.”
How come they never considered that Orange County might spend a lot more money on Rossmoor than is actually known by Orange County? The RCSD doesn’t know the answer to this problem and at this point in time neither does Orange County. The answer may come back to haunt us!
What is known and stated in the Govenment Code is that latent powers is a back door to the cityhood that Rossmoorians intelligently voted down in 2008.
On the morning of July 4, 2011 on a walk around Rush Park, I met Dave Lara of the Rossmoor Predator Management Team. Mr. Lara had all three dogs on leash and was carrying the poop that he scooped up—a shining example for people who own pets.
Mr. Lara was forthcoming about answering my questions about coyotes. He told me that the four coyotes that had been captured, were captured in the territory behind Martha Ann. Although coyotes have visited Rossmoor and have done some damage here we do know that coyotes do not live in Rossmoor per se. Of course not! They can’t afford the rent! They live in untended areas like the one behind Martha Ann.
Although the RCSD has no jurisdiction in animal affairs, they listened at meetings to the complaints of the Predator Management Team regarding the coyotes and used those complaints as a vehicle for asking for another latent power.
Without bothering to ascertain what city has jurisdiction over the property behind Martha Ann, Mr. Taboada, manager of the RCSD, steamrolled the directors to include animal care as another latent power. Mr. Lara informed me that he had met with Mr. Stewart (Los Alamitos city manager) and CalTrans and that both agencies acknowledged their responsibility for the property behind Martha Ann. The property has been cleared and looks great. I saw it the other day and it looked like a park.
I suggested that Orange County give our animal services contract to Los Alamitos, and I think that Mr. Lara agreed. That would give Rossmoor pet owners the Long Beach animal control that the Predator Management Team would like.
The animal shelter in Long Beach is a better location for Rossmoorians who have lost pets and the service response time will be quicker. Best of all, RCSD would not have a latent power that would be sure to cost us more money and which we do not need. Mr. Lara and I also spoke about enforcement of the leash law, but more of that in another installment of Rossmoorgate.

Joyce Bloom is a longtime Rossmoor resident and a former member of the Rossmoor Community Services District’s Board of Directors.