About Sun City, California
Sun City was one of the first age-restricted retirement communities west of the Mississippi, and it set the template that others would follow for decades. Spanning four square miles in what is now the City of Menifee, the community was originally developed by Del Webb -- the same builder behind Sun City, Arizona. Presley Co. later contributed additional phases through the early 1980s, and the Serenade section was added by Marlborough Development Corporation in 1989-1990.
The community features two recreation centers with tennis courts, paddle ball courts, lawn bowling greens, and two swimming pools. A public golf course anchors the south end. Over 40 social clubs and interest groups keep residents active, from bridge and billiards to ceramics and jewelry-making. A commercial center along Bradley Road provides supermarkets, restaurants, and retail shops.
All of this activity happens within homes that are, by modern standards, electrically outdated. The original Del Webb homes were wired for a simpler era: a few ceiling lights, a stove, a refrigerator, perhaps a television. Today, those same circuits power air conditioning systems, multiple televisions, computers, medical devices, and kitchen appliances that did not exist when the homes were built. The gap between what the wiring was designed to do and what it is being asked to do is where electrical problems -- and hazards -- begin.