The funeral business is an industry. Families spend thousands of dollars when someone dies, and are vulnerable. Realistic reviews can be helpful. I am familiar with Tulocay, pass this Cemetery every day and have met some staff. I have no financial interests or positions in the death industry.
Tulocay has positive features. It is a cemetery and memorial garden (they are different), and now a mortuary. The mausoleums are full, its grounds are popular and generally well tended and tidy. The staff is often attentive and professional, well behaved as most businesses. The director is knowledgeable about law and customs, considerate and mostly accommodating. Ownership is complex, that is, managed as a business while responsible to a trust.
Then there are the problems:
The grounds are badly managed. Some areas are embarrassing. More than 50% of the grass are weeds, unsightly Bermuda grass and clover. Some areas are bald. Few attempts are made to replace grass. While the grounds appear "grassy" and green, close inspection shows it is unkempt and barren. Large swaths are dry or never receive water. The Cemetery advertises its endowment yet very little funding is spent on replanting grass, and none on new sod. Yet the Cemetery has a well and storage tank. Water lines are deteriorating. There is no central water control; water faucets are controlled by hand, leading to erratic irrigation. Roses and other bushes that die are not replaced.
Many beautiful, mature, old oak trees have died of sudden oak death and also are not replaced. Thus, lawns gradually lose shade, further jeopardizing remaining grass. Some olive trees were planted, providing fruit for maintenance staff, not shade for visitors. Since oaks need more than twenty years to mature, there is a future problem.
There are comments about parking. Parking does not provide income. Selling expensive burial plots is profitable. The mortuary lot is inadequate for popular services. We see mourners parking in an unimproved lot or clogging narrow roadways.
Workers can always improve. Tulocay is no exception. There are disillusioned, frustrated and disenchanted workers. Some maintenance men (there are no women) can be unkind. I wonder if this results from their discouraging, depressing work. Ultimately, behaviors are the responsibility of management. I have never seen a manager tour the cemetery unless selling plots.
Cemeteries are not charities, they need cash flow to stay in business, pay wages and meet competition. We must expect the death industry to act as a "business." Unfortunately, mourning families cannot shop or negotiate. Tulocay pays wages, benefits and management perquisites.
Tulocay is a respectably conscientious cemetery. There is room to improve its community image, service and relations. That requires positive management, good direction and planning, which sometimes appears wanting. read more