It's been months since the last public, between Rossmoor community leaders and County Supervisor .
But the took the feud out in the open again today releasing a statement condemning Moorlach for allegedly belittling one of Rossmoor's elected officials during a meeting about the proposed . According to the statement, Moorlach attempted to deny the district’s director a say in the matter.
However, in a Monday phone interview, Moorlach said he was joking when he told RCSD director Ron Casey he didn’t have a vote on the issue and that Moorlach "owned the right to vote for Rossmoor.”
According to the Rossmoor statement, at a recent meeting of the representatives from communities affected by the proposed 405 expansion project, the Mayor of Fountain Valley called for representatives to support the expansion of the 405 freeway without adding toll roads.
It was after the vote on the item, according to Casey, that “Moorlach told me I did not have a vote; that he owned the right to vote for Rossmoor.”
In the written statement released today, Casey said he responded, “Is this why I am here; only to fill a seat and listen to the proceedings and not to speak for Rossmoor?”
Moorlach said he thought the whole thing was funny.
“This is the first time that Mr. Casey came to one of the meetings,” Moorlach said. “I run a light meeting. We have a little fun. If he thought I was serious, I kind of want to laugh.”
“In fact, I will,” he said and laughed.
At the meeting, Moorlach said he and other attendees were making “light of the fun that I’m having with Rossmoor.”
Tension has been high between Moorlach and the RCSD board of directors since Moorlach began pushing to to merge with surrounding cities such as Los Alamitos. Moorlach acknowledged that relationship has been “a little strained” between him and Rossmoor and said it was because “they’ve never had supervisor that sort of encouraged that they either become a city or become annexed by and neighboring city.”
In contrast, RCSD general manager said the relationship is off because Moorlach is angry with the locals ever since he got tangled in their failed push to become a city back in 2008.
“He’s mad at us,” Tabaoda said. “He’s been mad at us ever since the failed incorporation.”
And, if Moorlach was joking in his statements to Casey, RCSD general manager Henry Taboada said that the “humor doesn’t go very well with us, if that’s what it is.”
“He always jokes,” Tabaoda said. “He uses what he calls humor to make his point, and not make it so offensive that you want to get up and take issue with it.”
“Basically what my board is saying is we’re tired of it,” Taboada said.
Taboada also took issue what he called Moorlach’s “imposing his agenda onto our community” by promoting the 405 toll road option without polling Rossmoor residents or visiting any Rossmoor homeowner’s association meetings.
“We haven’t seen him since the election in 2008,” Taboada said.
