MORE ABOUT THE COSTA MESA SENIOR CENTER
Synopsis of column that follows:
1. The Center is doing a good job.
2. The Center needs City Council oversight and has to be transparent.
3. Smears of Wendy Leece need to stop. She's doing her job.
My experience with the Senior Center
A few years ago, I was on the Costa Mesa 3R Committee (Committee). This is the committee that, among other things, makes recommendations to the City Council about which non-profits in Costa Mesa should receive some funding, and how much, from the Community Development Block Grants sent to the city by HUD.
The way it worked (and probably still does) was that the non-profits would complete a number of forms, and submit a package with these forms and (after I requested it), copies of their Federal Form 990's (tax forms for non-profits). The full Committee would study the packages and then a sub-Committee would personally interview representatives from the non-profits at meetings at City Hall. I was also on that sub-Committee.
We would then make recommendations to the City Council.
What I noticed in the grants that had been given out in prior years was that it seemed that non-profits serving senior citizens were not getting a fair or proper share of the money each year and needed more to help more senior citizens.
I remember when the Executive Director of the Senior Center appeared before the sub-Committee the first year I was on it. She sat down at the conference table with the Sub-Committee members and began reading from a prepared speech about the Senior Center.
As she did so, I felt that the prepared speech wasn't doing her cause--getting money for the Senior Center--much good, because, and with all due respect, it sounded, to my ears at least, well, like a speech that is read.
So, I suggested that she she put down the written speech and just have a conversation with the sub-Committee.
She did so, and then the good work that she and her staff had been doing at the Senior Center came through loud and clear.
And, it did so with human stories and anecdotes that told the real story about the Senior Center. Suddenly, an "institution" became human. The senior citizens served by the Center were no longer just numbers. Remember, we already had the numbers--the statistics--in the package submitted before the interview, so we didn't need to hear them again.
One thing that especially struck me during the to and fro conversation that we were having with the Executive Director was something she said almost as an aside or a toss away line.
She told how she and her staff had noticed one particular senior gentleman who had been coming to the Center for some time and who appeared to be losing weight. Apparently, the old fellow had a lot of pride and wouldn't talk much about any personal problems he had. So, the Center's staff worked obliquely and a little behind the scenes to see if he was okay.
As it turned out--and I may be off on some of the details here because this is from memory--the old guy had no money to eat and also had some medical condition that he wasn't doing anything about. Once the Center's staff knew these things, they quietly intervened so he could eat and get the medical care he needed.
What impressed me was that the staff cared enough about the seniors to actually notice that one guy in the crowd was losing weight and might need their help.
Now, I know it probably didn't happen this way, but I can almost imagine different Staff members or a series of other seniors sitting down near the guy each day--after they realized he wouldn't tell anyone he had no money to eat, and knowing that he was too proud to accept charity--and saying something like, "You know, I just got this tray of food and I haven't touched it. I had too big a breakfast. Man, I hate to throw it away, you have to help me out and eat this so I don't get in trouble for wasting it." And, every day a new Staff member or a new senior citizen who was in on the deal would show up with a full tray of untouched food and say something similar.
At any rate, we were able to give the Senior Center even more money than they had expected that year.
Transparency is still needed
Notwithstanding the above, and even with the good work that the Senior Center seems to be doing, the Center still has to be transparent. Citizens have a right to know that every penny they put into the Center and its work is used properly and that we get the most bang for our buck.
And, when any senior citizens bring gripes or complaints to the City Council, the City Council should look into those gripes and complaints.
It's sad to see some supporters of the Senior Center trying to keep Mayor Pro Tem Wendy Leece from asking legitimate questions and following up on gripes and complaints, and it's sad to see some of these supporters smearing the complaining senior citizens.
And, what is our local community newspaper--our "watchdog" the Katrina Foley Almost Daily Daily Pilot doing? It's also trying to get Wendy Leece off the case.
Hopefully, Ms. Leece and the rest of the City Council won't give in to the pressure but will keep asking questions and will demand full transparency from the Center.
What about the statement that the City Council already receives full reports?
We've been seeing comments in the Katrina Foley Almost Daily Daily Pilot from a person who signs himself "mikes" who is also trying to get Wendy off the case by saying that the Center does supply full reports to the City Council. LINK
We're not sure what mikes is referring to, but if he means the package supplied for the CDBG money that is reviewed by the 3R Committee (as discussed above), he's mistaken.
The reports in these packages do not really scratch the surface and reveal enough. They are not audits or independent reviews, and if there are complaints about spoiled food or similar things (we recall there was a complaint about cheese that was out of date) these reports wouldn't reveal this.
In all of this, there are a few things that need to be remembered: The Senior Center is in a building owned by the citizens of Costa Mesa and it receives tax money from these citizens.
The representatives of the citizens of Costa Mesa are the five members of the City Council. These five Council members can vote to cut off the money and take back the Senior Center building if anything is amiss.
The representatives of the citizens of Costa Mesa are the five members of the City Council. These five Council members can vote to cut off the money and take back the Senior Center building if anything is amiss.
Full and complete transparency is needed, and the sooner it is achieved, the better. Any appearance of stonewalling is not good for the seniors, the Center or the citizens of this city.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.
