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HomeMy Public PortalAboutA 2007-11-07 SENIOR CITIZENS ADVISORY BOARDCITY OF LYNWOOD SENIOR CITIZENS ADVISORY BOARD GENERAL MEETING LYNWOOD SENIOR CITIZENS CENTER 11329 ERNESTINE AVENUE LYNWOOD, CA 90262 -(,4 PAAX&zt ECEiVLb CITY OF LYNWOOD CITYCLERKQ ncFICE NOV 0 1 2007 AM ;3 _ PM '7;8;5;10;11;12;1 ;24 AGENDA Wednesday, November 7, 2007 2:30 p.m. — 3:30 p.m. 12:30 p.m. Call to Order President Lorene Reed Pledge of Allegiance Invocation Roll Call Certification of Agenda Posting Approval of Minutes 10103/07 12:40 p.m. New Business President's Report Bylaws Committee Report — Final Reading of Articles 16 & 17 Bet Tzedek Legal Services — Velinda Mackey Parking Plan — JD Whitaker Senior Center Membership Fees Senior Volunteer Group Senior Center — Rules & Regulations Discussion December and January Meetings 1 p.m. Public Comments (2 minutes) 1 15 p.m. Board Orals (2 minutes) 1 30 p.m. Adjournment Next General Meeting on Wednesday, December 5, 2007 The Recreation Department, Senior Services Division does not discriminate on the basis of disability Persons with disabilities may request accommodation services by calling (310) 886 -0425 two -weeks in advance of the meeting. The facility providing this service is wheelchair accessible Senior Citizens Advisory Board Meeting Minutes October 03, 2007 The meeting was called to order at 12:36 p.m. by President Lorene Reed. The agenda was duly posted as prescribed by the Brown Act. Pledge of Allegiance: Member Margaret Araujo Invocation: Member D Joyce Edner Roll Call: Cecilia Amezquita — Minutes Clerk Present: Absent: Willie McGill Irene Garcia Melziner H. Pierce Marie Lindsey Alfred Kilts Julio Mendoza Cecelia Dove Lien Stringfield Lorene Reed Margaret Araujo D Joyce Edner President Report: President Lorene Reed — We had an election last week and four of the Council Members were unseated. We have four new Council Members. We as a Senior Advisory Board should support whoever is in council. Elected we have Ram6n Rodriguez, Alfredo Flores, J Antonio Martinez and Jim Morton to replace the outgoing Council Members. We still work under the City Council as a board so we will be making our recommendations through staff to the new Council Members. We received a question from the Veterans Administration regarding the role that the Area Agency on Aging plays with City Organizations. They are solely there to bring information. I was advised to make a public announcement to each of you as opposed to sending each of you a letter informing you all that I am having great difficulty with two previous members of this Board. I have been personally harassed since their removal from the Board up until last night in the Council Meeting; I was intimidated by one of them. I spoke with someone in regards to pursuing it legally and this is my first step. Pictures are taken of me from the bushes across the way and that is direct stalking. People need to be aware of this and take notes. When you see unusual things taking place or hear negative things, you need to report to staff. The seniors in the lunchroom have a misunderstanding, they think that in order to accomplish anything they have to go through one person. That person is telling those seniors that they have connections and they can get things done for them. We need to communicate better with the seniors on a regular basis. We have staff, Senior Advisory Board and a suggestion box. There is no need to fill out a petition for anything that they want. All they have to do is communicate it. We will check into it and take care of the matter Member Cecelia Dove — Can City staff have badges to identify them and their title? President Lorene Reed — I believe they already have badges, they just do not wear them. Jose Trejo — I want to say that it has now been four years. There is a Human Resource policy for City Employees to have pocket identification and they were issued. However, the pattern has been too long without practice but we can definitely issue name badges to the employees. That is not a problem. President Lorene Reed — That is a great idea Mrs. Dove. I also had the opportunity to meet with Wayne Mack who was the Deputy District Attorney that came to our meeting. He covers various subjects such as Elder Abuse and others that pertain to senior issues. He would be glad to come and talk to us on any topic that we would like to have covered. Member Margaret Araujo — Seniors a lot of the time do not know who to turn to. 1 informed them that Mrs. Edner and Mrs. Lindsey eat in the lunchroom sometimes. 1 tell the seniors that they are on the Advisory Board if you have any questions or concerns you need to take it to them and they will bring your concerns to the board. I had the opportunity to go to the Pomona Fair 1 met vendors who are willing to come and have presentations for our seniors. I informed them when they come to do the presentations they need to bring goodies because seniors like these things. Can we have someone come and talk to us on living wills and trusts? They try to charge you an arm and a leg. President Lorene Reed — We will look into this matter The newly elected Council will be sworn in October 16, 2007 at the next Council Meeting. Bylaws Committee Report — Second Reading of Articles: President Lorene Reed — We have the second reading of Article 16 & 17 Vice President Irene Garcia — Second Reading of Article 16 & 17 Amendment. Member Margaret Araujo — What are the general rules regarding safety and conduct as outlined in item A and C of Article 15? Should you have Article 15 in here too? President Lorene Reed — We probably should have so you can refer to it. That is another reason why I would like for you to carry your notebooks. (Mrs. Reed reads Article 15 A and C) Secretary Julio Mendoza motioned, 2 " Vice President Irene Garcia, by unanimous consent motion passed. Fashion Show Update: Paulette Bradley — We are currently working on our Fall Fashion Fling Fest. We are printing the tickets. We had a discussion with Gwyn Thomas and Clyde Mahoney they will be coming to the center with instructions on how to walk. I might have two of our sewing students do some modeling. A couple of sewing students have taken off into making dresses so I hope one or two of them might be complete. Things are coming together and we might have some postings in the next few days of a nice eye- catching flier for our fashion show Tickets will be on sale shortly We will be promoting our fashion show at Dollarhide. I do hope to see some of the Board Members as models. Tickets are five dollars and the proceeds will go to the Senior Building Fund. The central location for all ticket sales will be at the Senior Center front desk. Gatsby Ball: Phyllis Lyons — I would like to invite you to attend the third Great Gatsby Ball the last night to wear white. You can be casual, formal, dressy or elegant. The tickets are ten dollars and we have them available today We are soliciting sponsors to buy tables to support the seniors. All proceeds go to the Senior Building Fund. We will have the Classic Car Show, Lionel, Seville and local talent. The Gatsby Ball is Thursday, October 25, 2007 from 6:00 p.m. to 1 1 p.m. at Bateman Hall. The ticket includes the dinner, dancing and entertainment. Paulette Bradley — Will there be a professional photographer as usual? Phyllis Lyons — We are looking into doing the Glamour Shots. Jan Robinson — Can you please explain to the people that they do not have to wear white. We would prefer them to wear white but you are welcome even if you do not wear white. Phyllis Lyons — You are right. We want people to come participate and have fun. The car show held on July 19, 2007 had an agreement that they would give a small token of their donation back to the City and they wanted that donation to go to the Senior Building Fund so the check was deposited into the Senior Account for $220 Floral arrangement: President Lorene Reed — The floral arrangement you see at the end of the desk is being donated by the Senior Advisory Board. Until today I have been paying it on a monthly basis. At this point I am going to ask for anyone that would like to assist me in paying for the monthly Floral Arrangement the cost is $40 per month. I figured there are eleven Board Members, if we can give two dollars each, it is open for discussion. Would you like to continue the flowers or discontinue? Member D Joyce Edner — We get many compliments when the Senior Citizens come in and see the flower arrangement. My suggestion is that we should keep the flowers coming each month if we donate two or three dollars each per month. Margaret Araujo — I was under the impression that the City was providing the flowers because they provide flowers for the Front, City Managers and the Reception Desk. President Lorene Reed —No they do not, they are being donated by different employees. The City is not paying for floral arrangements and that is why I was paying for these. Jose Trejo - A good suggestion Mrs. Bradley just brought up is to consider implementing a membership program for the center so these things can be purchased on a regular basis. It is a good opportunity to start planning what the membership would entail and the fee. I think it is a good idea to put it on the table for discussion so you can start the process. President Lorene Reed — It is an excellent idea once implemented that would take care of things such as the floral arrangement but the immediate need is payment of the bill. Member D Joyce Edner — We have not received the ones for October These flowers are from September President Lorene Reed — I have to go pay the bill. Those who want to donate can. It is not a requirement. We will make up the difference. We collected $24, we are a little short but will make up the difference. I will go today and pay the bill. Public Orals: Jan Robinson — I went ahead and did a living will and reverse mortgage. They also have the setup where you can pay so much money for attorney services. When you need the service, you have an attorney right at hand and it is not very expensive. After 1 finished I checked around with attorneys. The initial fee is $750 for the living trust. If the next year you need to make changes you will be charged $750 more. With the program I got you can change your living will once a year free of charge. We got the information through the Silver Fox Retirees Club. Blaine Milliorn — I had to go to the Compton Blue Line Station. Nowhere on the coupons does it state that it is only for medical purposes. The trolley runs once an hour where I live. The rules should be placed on the identification card. There are two sites, Wilshire and Long Beach Veterans Hospital. President Lorene Reed — Thanks for your input. We are currently working on the issue and we have established a committee to work on these matters. Member Margaret Araujo — I would like to be on the committee since I have had things happen in my household. Paulette Bradley — I think a membership fee is great. We need to contact the community regarding membership. We need to inform everyone that we find it necessary to implement a fee. The City has done its part by providing the building for us. As we go along, we need more equipment. We have to come up with the money and a membership fee is just a source besides having fundraisers. I have not heard or seen any notifications after the City contract ratified with the trolleys. Correct me if I am wrong there is no stop yet. Jose Trejo — The stop will be installed right in front of Bateman Hall. I do not have a date. They informed us it would be some time this month. However, it is not going to be a shelter It was not one of the locations but it will be a stop. President Lorene Reed — It was supposed to be this week. I am not certain of when it will be but we will check into it and get the information out to everyone. Paulette Bradley — I thought the Senior Center was a no hassle zone that people can come here and would not be pursued by anybody's personal agenda. I do not have to accept my lunch being interrupted or my classes. Apparently, I need to be corrected. President Lorene Reed — That is the importance of having a suggestion box. Staff would be the ones taking care of the issues in the suggestion box. Zelda Hutcherson — The County Senior Advisory Board is looking for members. It is an opportunity to represent the Lynwood area. Jan Robinson — Are we getting vending machines for the center? Jose Trejo — We are currently working with a couple of vendors for all our facilities. It is a project currently in progress. We apologize for the delay We currently have Coca Cola Company We are exploring some options with Pepsi. We are still reviewing the contract. We are looking at other vendors that provide nutritious multi- variety items. We are currently working on the cable for the center It is not that we are delaying it but we have some issues with the building. A couple of companies that provide cable services came out and looked at the building to find the best way for installation without creating too much destruction to the building. The board requested to have a letter sent to the Lynwood Chamber of Commerce in appreciation of their donation and that is complete. In addition, the announcement for the Senior Advisory Board vacancies is complete. It should go out in the November issue. The bingo machine, we are looking at options of how much it costs to get a flashboard. You are looking at anywhere between four to five thousand dollars. The unit we currently have is not compatible with the flashboard. I am working with a vendor Maybe we can get some kind of compensation to upgrade the unit. Board Orals: Member Margaret Araujo — My husband got a poker table donated before he passed. I need to know when l can notify them that you will be picking it up. With your permission, I would like to see if I could get the monthly flowers donated. In addition, I would like to ask Trejo if there is something that the seniors need such as equipment, patio furniture and things like that, if he will let me know I do have friends that would be willing to donate or sell at cost to the Senior Center Jose Trejo — We have two requests - the bingo machine and portable dance floor Those are the rivo main items that are on the list of things to do that are a budget issue. If you can get vendors that can give us the manufacturer price that would be great. Member Willie McGill — Many bus stops do not have benches. Member Cecelia Dove — I wanted to ask about the identification badge. Jose Trejo — Mrs. Edner is wearing an example of the badge. Member Alfred Kilts — 1 have forty five to fifty library books that I want to donate to the Senior Center They are all hardback books l" edition. The authors go back thousands of years. Jose Trejo — We want to make sure that the material we put on the library shelves are quality books. President Lorene Reed — I would like to pick up these valuable books and take some of the paper back books out. We need to find some volunteers to go through the books. Jose Trejo — Perhaps a couple of the members here would like to take on the task of looking through the shelves and determine what is good. President Lorene Reed — We have volunteer Members Cecelia Dove, Margaret Araujo and Paulette Bradley Secretary Julio Mendoza — I would like to make a suggestion to get rid of all the paperbacks; give them away or sell them. The old Council members gave us the job to rectify or find an answer to problems with Fiesta Taxi. (President Lorene Reed — yes) I believe it is their job not ours to take care of the problem. They created it, they can correct the problem. President Lorene Reed — The purpose of the committee on the Fiesta Taxi is for the committee to come back with recommendations to the board. We determine what the problem is, we are not looking for complaints. We are looking to improve contact and ability to provide more coupons. What have we done wrong with Fiesta Taxi? The one thing we can immediately identify is to offer the coupons at fifty -five as other cities do. One of the immediate problems we realized is that people are using the service but they do not need it. They are abusing the system. We need to get all the participants in one room and start work from there and then we make a recommendation to staff. Vice President Irene Garcia — Regarding the bus shelters we have requested that for the last ten years to be approximate. 1 have taken it to Council. It is on record and on tape. Another thing is believe a letter should be posted in big bold letters in the senior center that no one can harass any senior They come to eat their lunch not to be bothered by somebody else that is petitioning for the bingo flashboard. That is something that already took place. Anything related to the Senior Center ought to be conveyed through the Senior Advisory Board for approval. In regards to Fiesta Taxi, there has never been any paper trail to the higher ups. It is always under the rocks and that needs to stop. Member Marie Lindsey —No comment. D Joyce Edner — I was informed by Mr Trejo to get Mr Kilts address to have someone go over and pick up the books. Someone brought it to my attention that seniors that have been coming to lunch on a consistent basis all of a sudden do not show and we do not know anything about them because the) have become ill. If we can get a committee to keep up with the seniors and find out it they are doing we] I. Lien Stringfield — When are we having the flu shots for seniors? (Jose Trejo — November, I will give you the date.) President Lorene Reed — Mr Kilts said the books would be ready tomorrow for pick -up after lunch. 1 am happy to have Mrs. Araujo back. A very good question came out today and things we need to learn. Communication is the key We need to thank Mrs. Bradley We formed a senior leadership group. It was the President of each organization that got together Mrs. Bradley volunteered to handle the excursion and she is doing an outstanding job, not only is she handling the excursion she is volunteering for everything else. Before we adjourn, I want her to tell us about the Los Angeles Opera. Paulette Bradley — We have the opportunity this year to see a live Dress Rehearsal Opera Don Giovanni and it is a program provided for all State and Federal Funded Facilities like ours. They try to make a sweep of the Los Angeles Basin so you do not get to go every year We lucked out, we got our paperwork in two weeks ago. 1 went down to the orientation at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. It is a requirement. We will have forty tickets. We will have another orientation in a couple of weeks. They will have someone come out and speak to us. This is our opportunity to go see a live opera performance for free. You must come to the orientation to get a ticket. President Lorene Reed — We will have to set -up a sunshine club to send cards and flowers to seniors that are ill. Adjournment: Secretary Julio Mendoza made a motion to adjourn. By unanimous consent the meeting adjourned at 2:11 p.m. Date: LYNWOOD, CALIFORNIA 90262 (310) 603 -0220 To. Subject: City of LYNWOOD �.1 City vUeefittg NaQQettges 11330 BULLIS ROAD October 23, 2007 Senior Citizen Advisory Board Amendment to Senior Citizen Advisory Board By -Laws Article 16. Board Member and Citizen Input —Third Reading Per Article 14 (Amendments) to the Senior Citizen Advisory Board By -Laws the following Amendments is being submitted as Article 16 Article 16 Board Member and Citizen Input 1 All meetings of the Senior Citizen Advisory Board are to be open to the public. 2. Provisions will be made for both citizen as well as Board Member input on agenda items of either written or verbal input or both. Date: LYNWOOD, CALIFORNIA 90262 (310) 6030220 go Subject: City of LYNWOOD A City Jleeting C OW11ges 11330 BULLIS ROAD October 23, 2007 Senior Citizen Advisory Board Amendment to Senior Citizen Advisory Board By -Laws Article 17 Conflict of Interest - Third Reading .«m IIIIII Per Article 14 (Amendments) to the Senior Citizen Advisory Board By -Laws the following Amendments is being submitted as Article 17 Article 17 Conflict of Interest Relationship with other organizations. 1 Holding office or membership in another organization whose objectives and purposes are similar to those of the Senior Citizens Advisory Board may lead to conflict with responsibilities to the Board. To avoid such conflict, the President of the Board shall follow the General Rules regarding safety and conduct as outlined in items A —C of Article 15 of the Senior Advisory Board By -Laws.