Laguna Woods Celebrates Its Youthfulness

LAGUNA WOODS — After a rocky year that saw its first mayor step down amid accusations that he hogged the microphone at council meetings, this city of mostly Leisure World retirees celebrated its first anniversary with a cake and a sense of accomplishment.

“Happy birthday, Laguna Woods,” Orange County Supervisor Thomas Wilson told a cheering audience of 150 people at the United Methodist Church, where the council had held its inaugural meeting in the nation’s first gated city for senior citizens.

Resident Ed Ciechanowski said he is proud of the city’s progress. “If we didn’t become a city, someone might have taken [Laguna Woods] as part of their city and we would abide by their laws,” Ciechanowski said. “Now we can govern ourselves.”

In the recent primary election, Laguna Woods led the county in voter turnout, with 68% of registered voters going to the polls, according to election officials.

A lot of the city’s success can be measured in what didn’t happen.

“We had a lot to deal with, including hard questions from residents about the city’s effect on Leisure World,” said City Manager Leslie Keane. “They wanted to know whether the gates or walls might come down and children might be able to move in and whether the city would run out of money.”

None of that has occurred. Keane, with the help of the City Council, has guided the transition from private community to municipality. There are three public streets and a shopping area, but 95% of Laguna Woods is within Leisure World.

The young city of 20,000 residents has struggled with growing pains.

“Yes, there were personality conflicts in the beginning,” said Bert Hack, the new mayor. “But it was a learning process.”

Councilman Jim Thorpe, who stepped down as the city’s original mayor amid criticisms of the way he ran council meetings, explained: “It’s easier to work on things you’re interested in if you’re not the mayor. In Leisure World, there are more than 200 clubs and they all want you to speak to them if you’re the mayor.”

Voters last year approved cityhood with a slim 52%-48% majority.

Incorporation was motivated by the proposed commercial airport at El Toro. Three of the five members of the Orange County Board of Supervisors--which had jurisdiction over Leisure World--supported the airport proposal, said Hack.

The first order of business for Laguna Woods was to join the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority, a coalition of eight cities opposing the airport.

One ongoing city project is finding out what residents want. The council is recruiting from the vast pool of retirees to join several advisory committees.

“Because it’s Laguna Woods, we’re not going to be building soccer fields,” said Jan Nelson McLaughlin, 74, who heads the social services advisory committee. “We need to tailor our needs to our residents.”

Residents want more public transportation to malls, markets and medical centers. One idea is a system of paths for golf carts.

“Once you’re past the point of operating a vehicle, you’re flat out of luck,” said Hack. “You have to hire taxis. We are looking at a series of paths for golf-cart transportation because the carts cannot be driven on public streets.”