Community Corner

OPINION: There Goes The Neighborhood

An inquiry into democracy in Rossmoor.

By Gilbert Doubet
Saklan Indian Drive

Rossmoor’s leadership adamantly refuses to poll residents about . This despite their claim that the “silent majority” solidly supports construction. But a markedly different picture emerges from a resident-conducted door to door canvassing of directors’ nearest neighbors. On average, by 4 to 1, the next-door neighbors of Rossmoor’s top officials would vote no if allowed.

Results of the canvassing effort were presented at last week’s public board meeting. Directors were not amused.

Details of this neighborhood canvassing are reported and explained in a March 29 YourRossmoor chatboard message.

Several months ago, Rossmoor officials abruptly announced they were moving forward with plans to destroy the Dollar Clubhouse grounds and replace that serene old growth greenery, seen in the photo, with a parking lot and new building.

Rossmoor is about to borrow millions to build an awkwardly situated event center most residents don’t seem to want there but are unable to stop. The 9,000-member retirement community is run by a nine-member resident board of directors. Technically, homeowners elect each of the nine. However, election is by district rather than community wide like city council. Many candidates run unopposed and election rules favor an entrenched status quo. In practical terms, checks and balances don’t exist. There’s little accountability once in office.

In this insulated atmosphere a handful of resident directors carry out their iron fist in iron glove decisions.

Somewhere near half of Rossmoor’s households have signed a petition against the spendthrift construction project, which will destroy one of the valley’s loveliest natural vistas, and which directors sneaked past a city that didn’t properly notify homeowners they had the right to object before municipal approval. Somewhat callously, the City of Walnut Creek now says too much time has elapsed for it to act, even if the City is largely at fault. That’s despite seniors’ entreaties to city council involving safety, environmental and traffic hazards.

Adding anti-democratic insult to injury, an intentionally eyes-wide-shut Rossmoor leadership refuses to poll its own residents, stating it’s received few constituent complaints and that the silent majority favors the plan and its big bank loan. Critics disagree, saying arrogant, out of touch officials are lurching forward into an eight-figure mortgage, much like the City of Stockton, which itself overbuilt public facilities with borrowed money and now faces bankruptcy. The Stockton comparison is striking for other reasons as well. See PBS-TV’s recent report.

Ominously, officials have discovered that because Rossmoor recently paid off its 40-year HUD loan, the senior community is free of borrowing restraints previously imposed by that federal agency.

Worse yet, some Rossmoorians believe one resident official, a major project booster, intends the proposed event center and parking lot to be his springboard to an upcoming city council seat. He’ll point to this new bricks and mortar monument as evidence he’s a can-do guy. In preparation, Rossmoor’s wannabe councilman has been hobnobbing with present municipal officials. Some wonder if that relationship explains why the City of Walnut Creek gave a cold shoulder to project opponents when they pleaded with city council to forestall the building scheme.

Crucial to the juggernaut is Rossmoor’s lead employee, CEO Warren Salmons. A development-prone former city planner, Salmons is said to have aggressively advocated a $250 million horse racetrack cum event center/resort hotel in the City of Dixon, his former employer. The controversial scheme was nixed in a voter revolt. One Dixon council member says his city had a treasury surplus before Salmons’ arrival and ran a deficit upon his departure, according to a YourRossmoor Chatboard post by Save Our Stanley founder Francesca Johnson.

Rossmoor’s opposition group, Save Our Stanley, gathered more than 3,500 community signatures objecting to the project’s graceless location. The local chatboard has posted record-setting quantities of resident messages. Rossmoor’s official, if highly edited, newspaper has seen similar heavy traffic in letters to the editor. Board meetings have hosted seemingly unending lines of speakers.

Most of these participants decry destruction of the beloved rustic expanse. Some quote the song lyric “pave paradise and put up a parking lot.”

Most board directors fall back on the silent majority defense saying Rossmoor seniors are quietly desirous of the borrow-and-build proposal. Paradoxically, those officials stand firm, denying repeated requests for a resident poll.

In that light, this writer conducted his own poll, canvassing the 11 households nearest each director’s home, their own next-door neighbors. (See PDF that accompanies this article.)

Three-quarters answered the door. They were 4 to 1 against the construction project.

Going door to door can expose some inconvenient truths.

For example, director Ken Haley thinks many petition signers did so prematurely without the facts and now regret it. My experience was the opposite: People answered their doors and eagerly offered informed opinions. Many had already signed the SOS petition.

Almost all were intelligent, thoughtful and concerned. The two most frequent comments were: Don’t destroy the scenic beauty of that spot and don’t go out on a limb borrowing millions of dollars in this economy, money that may be more wisely spent later for better purpose.

To the astonishment of many, Rossmoor board Vice President Don Peterson indelicately told the Contra Costa Times “...most [resident petition signers] ...don't know what's going on. They don't know anything....” Yet when a district resident polled Peterson’s nearest neighbors, those answering their doors were both well versed and 11 to 1 against construction. 

Another example: In the fourplex where Rossmoor’s board president lives, all three co-occupants, some in eye-rolling fashion, opposed what seven of nine directors (including the president herself) plan to build.

The president, incidentally, is up for re-election in April. Her opponent is against construction. However, even if the challenger wins, that will only make three no votes. The remaining six directors are intent on proceeding, despite Rossmoor’s governing authority, the Golden Rain Foundation, having no reserves for emergencies.

In this case, the phrase “golden years” seems to refer less to seniors than to the bank floating Rossmoor’s multi-million dollar mortgage.


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