In July 2007 the Community Foundation of Balboa Peninsula Point received a 501c3 not-for-profit status. The CFBPP tax exempt number is
75-3223098.
Fletcher “Ted” Jones Jr. and his wife, Kimberly, are new residents on Peninsula Point. Fletcher Jones is synonymous with the iconic Newport Beach motorcar dealership that bears his name. Ted and Kimberly describe their affection for Peninsula Point, their new home and more.
Fletcher Jones is the number one Mercedes dealership in the country.
Please give us a short history of the development of your successful company.
Ted: In 1946 my father started the business in Los Angeles. We had Chevrolet dealerships in Los Angeles and Encino. We went to Las Vegas with Chevrolet in the mid 1960s and in the 1970s we got our first Mercedes Benz dealership in Las Vegas. I became a Mazda dealer in 1971 and a Ford dealer in 1974. I moved to Las Vegas in the early 1980s to oversee the dealerships we had there at the time. I lived there for ten years and then in 1984 we obtained a Toyota, Hundai, Mitsubishi and other dealerships.
Then in 1991 the opportunity came up for Jim Slemons Imports. Several years before that I had told my dad that if the Mercedes Benz dealership in Newport Beach came up that it would be an unbelievable opportunity. Miraculously in 1991 the opportunity arose in a bankruptcy sale. Times weren’t that good. We were going through another recession and Mercedes wasn’t doing very well either. We got the chance to buy the Newport Beach Mercedes dealership and it has been all that I thought it could be and more. It was great timing. Mercedes Benz has evolved into a higher volume luxury brand.
In Chicago we have Mercedes Benz, Audi, Volkswagen and Honda. In Hawaii we have Mercedes Benz with Jaguar, Land Rover and Porsche. On the big island of Hawaii we have two Honda dealerships, one in Hilo and one in Kona. We have Mercedes and Porsche in Fremont, California. We also just opened two small Mercedes Benz facilities, one in Maui and one in Henderson, Nevada.
Long term we are very bullish on Mercedes and the luxury car business.
Did you grow up in this area?
Kimberly: I grew up in a small town named Green River, Wyoming. I got transferred out here with a healthcare company that I was working for. That was 17 years ago. My husband and I were set up on a blind date. We’ve been married 11 years. The first place I lived was here on the peninsula. I just loved it here. I always thought it was such a great place to live because you have the access to the beach and restaurants. I liked being involved in outdoor activities.
When we got married we moved to Linda Isle. Once we had children we thought it was not conducive for young children. I wanted a yard the way that I grew up. So we decided we would move to Newport Coast. But we really loved being close to the water. My husband loves fishing and it was something he hoped to enjoy with our children. He was riding his bicycle and saw that this house was for sale. He called the realtor. We walked through the house and fell in love with it. We liked the size of the yard and the way it was set up. Ted had always wanted to live on Peninsula Point. I was fearful of the traffic and driving the kids back and forth that traffic would be an issue. Compared to the benefits of living down here and the joy that the children receive from living here, traffic is not an issue. Before we moved to the end of the peninsula we were always driving our children somewhere to entertain them but there is so much to do here. We hunker down for the weekend. We’re able to take the kids to the beach or riding bicycles, taking walks, swimming at the house or going out on the boat to go fishing. It is amazing the amount of activities we have to do here that don’t require a car.
What attracted you to choose the Balboa Peninsula as your new residence?
Ted: I can’t say enough about how much we enjoy living here. It’s almost like we don’t want to leave the house. I can remember as far back as high school, being on friends’ boats in the harbor. I would look at the beautiful houses. I could remember the waterfront lots in this area and wondering if I could ever live there, never dreaming that I would. I moved here in 1976 and it was the same story. I would drive by and look at four or five lots and I couldn’t decide which one I liked the best. I never dreamed I would end up here.
Tell us about your boating/water sports interests.
Ted: We have a power boat here. A fishing boat that we love. Our kids love it. I wish the fishing was a little better here. I still love to go out. It’s great fun for the boys. They’re just getting to the age where they can reel it up. It’s been terrific. I do love boating and always have.
Your new residence is unique and spectacular. Are there design/architectural features that you wish to share with us?
Kimberly: It interesting because when we first purchased the house our original remodel was to change a bathroom and a closet. It was almost like pulling a thread on a sweater. The whole thing unraveled. Unfortunately it took two and one-half years so we feel very sorry for our neighbors. I particularly like the stonework. It takes the house to a new level. It has been a lot of fun. We had taken a trip to Italy to go antique shopping. What is so special to my husband and me is that the house is full of items from that first trip to Italy together. The house is special to us.
Ted: Kimberly is being a little modest. She and the designer found doors that are 100 years old. It is incredible. There are a half a dozen places in the house where you walk by and go “Wow”. Those are special because of the way they found them. What Kimberly did with the hard scaping is just incredible.
Please tell us about the annual golf tournament, the Fletcher Jones School Fund and any other charitable activities of Fletcher Jones Motorcars.
Ted: We are involved with several different charities with Fletcher Jones Motorcars. We really try to do as much as we can to support the local schools. The Fletcher Jones School Fund is a way for people who buy cars to designate funds to a local school whether they have kids or grandkids that go to the school. They can specify a school. For every ten cars that go to that school we donate $1,000. It could be a substantial amount. The program is just starting out. The more publicity we can get, the better.
The golf tournament you’re referring to is the Jones Cup, which was organized ten years ago. The Jones Cup is a one-round, best-ball format tournament between four Newport-Mesa Country Clubs — Mesa Verde, Santa Ana Country Club, Big Canyon and Newport Beach Country Club. The categories are the men’s champion, the women’s champion, and the men’s senior champion. Then the head pro and the senior pro from the four local courses compete against one another. They all play off every year. It’s been a good event. It brings a competition together on the local level. It’s a lot of fun and raises some money. The money goes back to the national Mercedes Benz charity, which recently has been affiliated with Tiger Woods Foundation.
Due to a family member who is autistic, we are involved in the Autism Foundation. We were contributors and participants in a golf tournament at Santa Ana Country Club to benefit the Autism Society of America Foundation.
What advice can you give to a fledgling charitable foundation such as the Community Foundation of Balboa Peninsula Point?
Ted: We feel like we are just getting started. We’ve always participated in and donated to other charities. We’re feeling our way in starting a charity that we can get others to help contribute.
Kimberly: It is important to keep the community involved. We saw our first Peninsula Point Fourth of July parade. It obviously gets people involved and excited about where they live. It is the backbone of a community. The people down here realize what a gem of a place this is.
Do you have any ideas on how you would like to see the Peninsula evolve in the future?
Ted: From my stand point I love the things the Community Foundation of Balboa Peninsula Point are involved in. I love the idea of the trees in downtown Balboa. Your efforts at beautification and traffic control. Beyond that I would like to see more of the same. When people are redoing their homes and remodeling that they keep the neighborhood feel. Don’t build buildings that stand out.
Kimberly: We’re pleased that the undergrounding of the overhead wires will move forward.
Can you give us your thoughts on the long-term evolution of the Newport Mesa area?
Ted: We’re not anti-development. If you look at the Irvine Company and the job that Don Bren has done through all of his developments. You follow that model. Having a master plan and sticking to the plan. It is important to retain the character of Newport. It is a beach town. I don’t want all of Newport Beach to look like Newport Coast.
Any final comments?
Ted: We really like all of the things that the associations are doing down here. We want to support them. However we can be of support we will be happy to do what we can.
Thanks to donations from many generous residents, Nordic Security Services is patrolling Peninsula Point again this summer. CFBPP raised the necessary funds and BPPA is managing this improved program which incorporates an expanded scope of work based on constructive inputs based on the summer 2008 program. Feel free to stop the Nordic patrol officers and inform them of any issues or concerns that you would want to be dealt with. Also, pass on the BPPA any comments regarding this program so that they can include them in their regular communications with the patrol service personnel. We all want the most effective program that deals best with the unique requirements for our community and we solicit all inputs from the residents to accomplish that goal.
In his June 30 letter to residents, City Manager, Homer Bludau, noted that visitors to Newport Beach during the summer months “can range from 20,000 to 100,000 per day”. Many of these visitors find their way to our neighborhood and we are all aware of the increased congestion and activity. Although NBPD reports that our crime level remains low, they are supportive of our summer security patrol program. They acknowledge that increased summer activity puts increased demands on their patrol officers, and they welcome the assistance of our patrol program during evening periods of maximum activity.
CFBPP is a now accepting donations which will be accumulated and used to support a summer 2010 program. Make contributions to CFBPP, P.O. Box 4322, Balboa, CA 92661 and put Security Patrol on the note line.
Buy a tree project for main street and balboa boulevard
Balboa Village will soon have an attractive new appearance thanks to the combined efforts of your neighbor, Cyndi Doran, BPPA, Balboa Village Business Improvement District/merchants, City of Newport Beach, residents and CFBPP. Main Street and Balboa Blvd. will eventually be populated with 57 Guadalupe Palms if donations of $85,500 can be raised. The City will match this with another $85,500 to cover the total cost of $3,000 per tree. CFBPP has bought one tree and agreed to collect tax-deductible donations for this project.
The first phase of the project includes 18 trees on Main Street and, to date, CFBPP has collected donations of $19,460 of the $27,000 required. We will continue to accept donations to CFBPP with the note, Tree Fund. A donation of $1,500 will buy one tree with an associated donor plaque and lesser donations will be accumulated for additional trees.
We still get questions about the differences between BPPA (Balboa Peninsula Point Association) and CFBPP (Community Foundation of Balboa Peninsula Point).
BPPA is your local HOA (Homeowners Association) and is recognized by the City of Newport Beach as your representative for issues where the city has jurisdiction (see the city website, Planning Department, Community Association List). They have a volunteer Board of Directors which represents over 900 Peninsula Point residences from A Street to the Wedge, have strictly voluntary membership (with lowest annual membership rates of any HOA), have no assessment authority and operate essentially as a social organization with 501(c)(7) status (donations are not tax-exempt). BPPA sponsors the annual Easter Egg Hunt, July 4th Parade/Picnic and Chili Cook off, maintains the Bay Beach/Dock facility, sponsors the Tuesday/Friday night community beach pot-lucks, publishes an annual Membership Directory and, recently, has been managing the summer security program. We encourage all residents to become BPPA members, show support for all they do and help them with their work.
Now for CFBPP. We have no authority over community affairs, but we do have a charter to “strengthen and enhance the lives of individuals living on Peninsula Point acting in partnership, and as a catalyst, with philanthropic individuals, community, civic leaders and the nonprofit sector in solving community concerns”. Our status as a 501(c)(3) organization allows us to accept tax-exempt donations for qualifying projects. With this authority, we have collected tax-exempt donations to pay for the summer security patrol program (managed by BPPA) and support the Balboa Village Reforestation Project (managed by city of Newport Beach), and we have used some discretionary funds to pay for professional traffic control studies on Peninsula Point. We are looking for other worthwhile “quality-of-life improvement projects” and will keep you informed of progress. CFBPP has a small, totally volunteer Board of Directors who rely on our own initiative as well as help from other volunteers to further our goals. We hope that you appreciate our efforts to improve things in our neighborhood and recognize that we are not competitive with, or in conflict with, BPPA. In fact, we see a future with other cooperative projects using CFBPP tax-exempt fund raising capacity to pay for qualifying community projects involving BPPA.
We hope that this helps to clarify the distinction between the two organizations. Keep CFBPP in mind for your annual charitable gift-giving and we will continue to do our best to find good qualifying projects to make this an even better place to live. CFBPP is a registered California 501(c)(3) Charitable Foundation and donations to are tax deductible for income tax purposes to the full extent allowed by law.
BPPA, CFBPP, City of Newport Beach and Peninsula Point residents are collaborating to complete plans for a small Tot Lot to be installed in a portion of the public park at Miramar Dr. and Balboa Blvd. The Tot Lot will occupy approximately 1/3 of the park area, leaving the other 2/3 available for current uses. Paul McKelvey of BPPA is working with residents and the city on construction standards, equipment selection, maintenance, safety and other necessary details. When these are resolved, CFBPP has agreed to lead fund-raising with hopes of completing the project by year-end.
Since equipment selection is still underway, the attached photo is conceptual only. Specific pieces of equipment and locations within the Tot Lot are still to be determined. However, the final design will include muted equipment colors, sizes appropriate for scale of the Tot Lot and durable enclosure fencing with surrounding colorful foliage. When completed, the Tot Lot will be an attractive and functional addition to our community and reinforce the family oriented character of Peninsula Point. Stand by for more information when design details and approvals are completed.
The following chart summarizes the CFBPP uses of the $69,863 donations received for the period June 30, 2008 to August 15, 2009. The cross-hatched area shows that 72% of funds received have been expended or earmarked for projects that have been done in collaboration with BPPA. Other areas are self-explanatory. The 2008 Patrol Service costs have been paid, the 2009 Patrol Service project is in progress and we are now collecting donations to be held for the 2010 program. Donations of $19,460 for the initial phase of the Balboa Village Reforestation project funds (Palms on Main Street) are being held pending direction from the City of Newport Beach. We will continue to accept donations toward the City’s requirement of $27,000 for completion of the initial phase.
