Lake Forest and Trellis highlight early successes of new 'Love Lake Forest' volunteer program

The Lake Forest City Planning Commission heard an update on a new volunteer program and neighborhood outreach initiatives at its March 5 meeting, where staff and nonprofit partners described early results from the 'Love Lake Forest' effort.

The presentation, introduced by Director Gail Ackerman, was delivered by Code Enforcement Supervisor Winston Kuruga and Omar Tayes of Trellis. Kuruga summarized 2025 enforcement activity and neighborhood outreach, saying the division carried 107 cases from the first half of the year, opened 289 new cases, and closed 245 cases, leaving 151 cases heading into 2026. He added that the division closed about 79% of its cases—10 percentage points higher than in 2024—crediting additional limited‑term officers for workload relief.

Trellis’s Omar Tayes described the volunteer program, saying it grew out of the city’s strategic initiative No. 30 to develop a community preservation volunteer program. Tayes said the program’s six‑month impact included seven households served, 88 volunteers and 452 volunteer hours; he also cited donations of materials and services from partners including CR&R and Pacific Coast Arborist. Tayes invited commissioners to a citywide volunteer day on May 16 and asked them to "please save the date."

Commissioners praised the program’s outreach and asked staff to circulate invitations and event details to the commission so members could attend neighborhood activities in person. Staff said neighborhood improvement task force efforts focused on Area 3 and recounted three outreach events in 2025: a May 3 pop‑up with more than 100 residents, an Oct. 11 "Southwest Sips" listening event with Mayor Robert Bocaina, and a Nov. 15 cleanup that collected about 1.5 tons of debris.

The presentation emphasized that improved case categorization helps staff target residential maintenance issues, particularly in older southern neighborhoods, and that the Trellis partnership is intended to expand volunteer capacity and cross‑sector collaboration.

Commissioners had no objections and thanked staff and Trellis for the report. The program’s website was listed as lovelakeforest.org for residents seeking information or to sign up to volunteer.