10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY july 6-12, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com news When HumanGood, the nonprofit corporate owner of the 200-unit Pacific Meadows apartment complex off Carmel Road for very-lowincome seniors—many are in their 70s, 80s and 90s—cut back on janitorial services, the carpets in the hallways became filthy. At a town hall meeting in June, attended by over 60 tenants, a HumanGood representative suggested a solution: Help us out, vacuum in front of your own apartment. Tenants were incredulous. A month later, the carpets are still filthy despite a promise at the June 1 meeting they’d be cleaned. That’s just one of a long list of issues residents have with HumanGood, which bills itself as the largest senior housing provider in California and the sixth-largest in the U.S. The company was a merger of sorts in 2019 between a Baptist and two Presbyterian organizations providing affordable senior housing—Pacific Meadows was part of the Baptist group. Residents say many issues arose after HumanGood took over. Last year, the situation reached a boiling point when a tenant died inside her apartment and wasn’t discovered until more than a week later. Residents’ persistent calls to local and state officials resulted in the town hall meeting on June 1, moderated by a representative from the nonprofit organization ECHO Fair Housing, and attended by representatives from the County of Monterey, California State Sen. John Laird’s office, County Supervisor Mary Adams office, as well as HumanGood. They met inside the community room, which used to be a regular gathering spot for lunches and social events until HumanGood managNot-So Golden Years Tenants wait for answers about persistent problems at their affordable senior apartments. By Pam Marino Monterey County officials are fond of boasting about the Laguna Seca Recreational Area, a unique county asset. It’s home to campgrounds, a shooting range and WeatherTech Raceway. But maintaining it all is expensive. As Randell Ishii—Monterey County’s director of public works, facilities and parks—told the county Board of Supervisors on June 27, “While Laguna Seca brings substantial revenue, it is costly to operate and maintain the property.” On July 11, the board will consider a concession agreement with Friends of Laguna Seca that is intended to solve that problem, by giving the responsibility for maintenance costs to the nonprofit. “This proposed agreement seeks to eliminate the burden on the county’s general fund,” Ishii said. Under the proposed contract, which has been in negotiation for months, Friends of Laguna Seca would start with a five-year concession agreement. If it invests at least $10 million into the track in five years, it could extend the contract by 25 years; if in that time Friends spends another $40 million, it could extend the contract again by 25 years, for a total of 55 years, lasting until 2078. “The longer the better,” says Ross Merrill, president of the Friends group. “The longer term we have, the longer we have to create partnerships with donors and sponsors. The goal is to have a financially independent Laguna Seca that can rebuild itself.” Currently, the company A&D, operated by former hotel manager John Narigi, oversees the track on a management contract. (The county maintains responsibility for upkeep.) A&D’s contract with the county expires on Dec. 31. Friends of Laguna Seca hatched its plan in partnership with Narigi, and would keep him on as manager; Merrill is a longtime motorsports aficionado, and vice president Bruce Canepa is a retired race car driver. The group approached county officials in mid-2022 with their concept. The Friends first pitched itself in 2016 when the county was seeking a new track operator; the nonprofit SCRAMP (Sports Car Racing Association of Monterey Peninsula) ran the track since 1957 before running into financial difficulties. At that time, Friends was unable to show evidence of funding needed to operate the track. The nonprofit still posts little by way of fundraising, according to publicly available documents—its IRS forms show it has raised under $50,000 each year since 2016, when it had a balance of $200,000—but Merrill says it needs a signed contract in order to transform pledges into checks. The group has been actively fundraising through the Community Foundation for Monterey County’s Laguna Seca Raceway Foundation fund. (The foundation does not disclose fund balances.) Per the proposed agreement, starting in 2028, Friends would pay the county 10 percent of its net revenue annually. Narigi told the board he estimated that could be at least $500,000, meaning he expects the group could net $5 million a year. The supervisors voted 5-0 on June 27 to move forward; they’re set to vote on the proposal Tuesday, July 11. If approved, Friends would need to deposit $6 million into operating and capital improvement funds, and the U.S. Department of Interior would have to approve the agreement before it could take effect. A ribbon-cutting on a new bridge at Laguna Seca happens July 8. The project, shown underway in April, was part of an $18.4 million county package, including repaving. On Track Monterey County considers a new, 55-year contract for management of Laguna Seca. By Sara Rubin The front desk of Pacific Meadows often sits empty with no receptionist, just one of many issues senior residents of the apartment complex have raised with owner HumanGood. “The longer the better.” Daniel Dreifuss Daniel Dreifuss years continued on pg. 12
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