Lake Forest — Dozens of residents, parents and Boys & Girls Club representatives pressed the Lake Forest City Council on May 20 to restore Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding that council members reduced at a prior meeting.

The most direct appeals came from Terry Anderson, who identified himself as an El Toro resident since 1982 and a Boys & Girls Club board member and treasurer. Anderson apologized for earlier communication gaps and described the club’s operations and staffing needs, saying the program “spends 75% of its money, give or take, on staff” and relies on community support because it provides programs at no charge to families.

Pam Estes, chief executive officer of the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach, said the club served about 150 Lake Forest young people in the last 12 months through out‑of‑school programs and that operating Mountain View cost the organization “over $150,000 a year.” She said enrollment at the Mountain View site was 32 children and that the program depends on community support: “We never turn anyone away because of financial circumstances.”

Several residents described childcare gaps that they said the local club helps fill. Morgan Sibley, a Lake Forest parent, said both she and her husband work full time and face a limited supply of affordable after‑school care; without community programs like the Boys & Girls Club, she said, families may be driven to expensive private preschool alternatives.

Other public speakers—including Reid Buck, Lindsay Buck, Andrea Alexandra and Joyce Ardo—expressed disappointment that the council reduced the club’s allocation. Reid Buck, a teacher who said he represents students in primarily Asian American schools, praised the council for recent heritage month proclamations but criticized the process used to change CDBG allocations without public input. “No last minute changes should ever be made without an open hearing for the public to voice their support or opposition,” Buck said.

Multiple speakers linked the club’s finances to the council’s May 6 budget actions. Commenters said the council cut the Boys & Girls Club allocation from a staff recommendation of $12,000 to $7,000 at that meeting; Mayor Pro Tem (name not specified) told the speakers on May 20 that the grant amount approved would be $7,568 after a HUD adjustment. Speakers asked the council to restore the $12,000 allocation or to reopen the discussion.

Council members acknowledged the comments and the challenges of distributing limited CDBG funds. Council Member Serbo and Council Member Yu urged improved communication between the city and nonprofit partners; several council members said staff and the Boys & Girls Club have been in conversation since the May 6 decision and expressed appreciation for the nonprofit’s community work. No motion to revise the prior CDBG allocation was made at the May 20 meeting.

Why it matters: CDBG allocations fund local social services that provide affordable child care and youth programming; speakers warned that cuts to a single program can reduce options for working families and for low‑income households.

What’s next: Commenters asked the council to contact the Boys & Girls Club and to consider restoring funding at a future meeting. City staff and some council members said they will continue coordination with the nonprofit; no formal action to change the May 6 allocation was taken on May 20.