There are three items of some interest at the City Council this week – the Lake Forest Community Foundation, Renewing the City Hall lease, and The Return of Brookfield Homes.
LAKE FOREST COMMUNITY FOUNDATION (Item #9)
Find out what's happening in Lake Forestwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Thanks to the determination of Councilman Nick, the Council is considering the Lake Forest Community Foundation (LFCF), a topic we’ve discussed several times. You will recall that the nonprofit foundation was set up in 2007 and approved in 2009 and then shelved. It’s not really clear why they set it up and then shelved it, nor why the City has resisted the call by many people to re-activate it. Almost every City in Southern California has a nonprofit foundation, and collectively they raise millions of dollars to support important activities in their communities.
Somewhere along the line, the idea of the LFCF became entangled with the idea of a Military Support Committee. It turns out that the City adopted a Marine Battalion, and then had to cancel the adoption ceremony because there was no money to bus the troops from Pendleton to Lake Forest. It was thought that if the LFCF existed, it could be the vehicle for supplying the money for this worthwhile purpose. In the interim, with the City doing nothing, a group of Lake Forest residents formed their own Military Support Committee, independent of the City, and put together the Marine adoption ceremony which will take place shortly. At the moment the Committee wishes to remain independent of the City, so the more general purposes of LFCF can be considered.
Find out what's happening in Lake Forestwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
According to the staff report a newly constituted LFCF could apply for grants which require nonprofit status, thus extending the City’s ability to obtain funds from other sources. It could also support programs that are not currently supported by the City, establish grant programs and opportunities for local residents, and provide new opportunities for community involvement. Sounds like great stuff!
The staff report warns that a successful LFCF “requires time, money, and energy to grow and sustain its efforts”. Apparently these qualities are abundantly available throughout Southern California which explains why almost every other City has a foundation. I can’t imagine why we couldn’t find those same qualities in Lake Forest. Perhaps I have a higher regard for the people of Lake Forest than staff do, or maybe spending several years on the Parade Committee have convinced me that we have the people power to get it done. I don’t see this as an obstacle.
The staff are also worried that the City would not be able to control (“manage”) the foundation and that there would be times when “the leadership of a community foundation is in conflict with City needs and desires.” In my research on community foundations in Southern California, I don’t recall any mutiny or revolt sponsored by a foundation against the City, but I suppose it’s possible. Let’s have the staff do a thorough review of how well cities have been able to avoid being overthrown by their community foundations, and this may let our staff and Council members sleep well at night.
OTOH, what’s wrong with a little conflict? Our own City Council has seen lots of conflict in the past year, and conflict was one of the bases for the high number of resignations from the Planning Commission. So with plenty of “conflict” already upon us, how much more could a nonprofit foundation add to that?
Staff is also concerned that the LFCF would have to keep “detailed records and submit annual filings to the state and the IRS.” That doesn’t seem to be a deal-breaker, and the dozens of 501 c (3) organizations that operate right now in Lake Forest all seem to be able to handle this task.
Despite the reluctance of the City staff to move forward with the idea of a foundation in the past, and despite their sardonic warnings in the current staff report, nonprofit foundations thrive throughout Southern California and they would thrive here too, maybe even outshine all the others just as our July 4th Parade is a beacon to others about what volunteers can achieve. The Council should approve moving forward with the idea and ask the staff to research how these foundation are functioning.
BTW – if you are involved with a 501 c (3) organization in Lake Forest, you might want to come to the City Council meeting Tuesday night and offer your support for the Council moving forward with this idea.
THE VOIGTS’ VOID
Hurray for Mayor Robinson. Discussing the LFCF will be the first time one of the dozen plus items left over from the disastrous reign of Scott Voigts will see the light of day during 2014. Can we hope that at the next meeting, another important issue will be discussed? We’re still waiting, for example, to hear about the dog park that couldn’t be located, or the water fowl at Village Pond Park that can’t be controlled, or the revision of the PCN process that is now more than a year old, etc.
Tomorrow we’ll discuss renewing the lease on City Hall and Brookfield’s request to build 14 foot tall retaining walls.
