On Saturday, July 18, 2020, deputies assigned to the Lake Elsinore Sheriff’s Station conducted an occupied vehicle check in the 22000 Block of Bundy Canyon Road, Wildomar.
The driver, Jonathan Leo Ruggles, a 40-year-old resident of Lake Elsinore, was contacted. Methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia was located in plain sight inside the vehicle. Deputies searched the vehicle and located stolen merchandise, personal identifying information not belonging to Ruggles and over 400 gift cards from various stores.
Jonathan Leo Ruggles, was arrested and booked into the Cois Byrd Detention Center for the above listed charges.
This is an ongoing investigation, and anyone with further information is asked to contact Deputy Jackson and Deputy Lequire at the Lake Elsinore Sheriff’s Station (951) 245-3300.
As a reminder, "Community Policing" involves partnerships between law enforcement and community members. Business owners and residents are encouraged to report suspicious activity directly to law enforcement by calling Sheriff's Dispatch at (951) 776-1099, or by calling 911 if the matter is an emergency.
You may remember that at the very end of last year I published a blog regarding 265 affordable housing units that were going to be between Hidden Springs, Catt Road and Arnett.
I'm not going to get into the history of this long proposed project at this time. I'm sure that will be gone over by the applicants when they set a community meeting regarding this development. The intent of this blog is to give an update from the first of the year, I won't be sharing any opinions. This was temporarily derailed as the county was in discussions with the city regarding the property, which has been owned by the county since Wildomar was part of the county. This land has covenants attached to it that only allows low income housing on it for at least the next 45 years. One option was for the city to purchase the land and let it sit fallow for a couple of generations until the covenants expire in the far flung future, and choose its ultimate fate then. The problem with that, even before Covid19, was there wasn't any money laying around to be invested in a piece of land that was going to just sit there. I can think of about 1000 other productive things to do with that much money in Wildomar. By declining to take control over that land, the original county plan came back to the fore. Sell the land to Palm Communities as had been previously intended. Today I met with the head of Palm Communities and we discussed the Tres Lagos development. At this point in the blog I have to tiptoe lightly because this will be coming to the city council at some point, and I need to keep my objectivity in tact. During the meeting I shared my main concerns here, and that is primarily regarding public outreach, and clear communication with the neighborhood. (I do have some logistical concerns, but, as already stated, those can be gone over another time.) I started off by telling the team that I was there, not to represent my own views, but those of the immediate community. As we were wrapping up, I reiterated that I may feel one way, but in the end I'll be representing the views of those most affected by the project. With that in mind, a rough timeline will have the property changing hands sometime in August, and a community meeting could come as early as September.
This is an outline. Things can change without notice.
A lot is up in the air at this point, and then throw in the Covid19 restrictions and it gets a little impractical to use ink on the calendar at this time.
Not sure how legible this will be, but it gives a breakdown of phase I of 88 units.
If you have thoughts or opinions about this development, please plan on attending any community meetings that the Palm Communities plans on hosting. From the 90 minute meeting I had, I believe they want to be good neighbors, and want to show you what they have in mind. They also want to hear your concerns. You can reach out to them at their website or reach out to me at jmorabito@cityofwildomar.org to ask for further information. Here is a link to the Palm Communities website www.palmcommunities.com
• • •
“I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” – Albert Einstein If Wildomar Rap was imaginative, it would encircle the world, but old knees make encircling Wildomar enough a daunting task as it is.
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Another Zoom meeting in the books. TOP NEWS FROM THE MEETING
New Resolutions From July Covid19 Update
Military Appreciation Garden at Marna O'Brien Park
Road Rehab Projects about to begin
Announcement of the coming election for two city council seats (districts 2 and 4)
Chris Pselos selected to serve on the Measure AA committee
It started off with a city proclamation, read by Mayor Pro-Tem Bridgette Moore, stating that July is "Parks Make Life Better" month.
There was much more to the proclamation, but this is the key part and if I added it all, it wouldn't be legible.
Next up was honoring local business owner, Angelo Catalano of Angelo's Brick Oven Pizzeria, for recently becoming an American citizen.
He came from Sicily, and his city was about as close as Wildomar and Murrieta from where my wife's family came from.
3.1 Monte Vista Ranch Phase II / General Plan Initiation Proposal (GPIP):
Any longtime reader of this blog knows what's about to come... my four panel cartoon with Mario and Peach demonstrating what a GPIP is.
Peach is the city of Wildomar, and Mario is playing the role of an applicant. This is where Mario is asking if he can ask. That's basically a GPIP.
Most other cities only have a GPA process (General Plan Amendment). The GPIP is a remnant of the county days. The difference is that with a GPA an applicant brings a project to the planning commission and then the council and rolls the dice that it will be accepted.
With the GPIP they get to bring a rough concept to the commission and the council to see if it would be worth spending the huge money necessary to be in the position of asking for a GPA. (Hopefully that was sort of decipherable)
Here is the official definition of the GPIP Review Process:
The purpose of the GPIP process is to allow an Applicant an opportunity to present a preliminary land use plan to the Planning Commission and City Council in order to received preliminary feedback on the proposal.
The keys here are that the current land designation on the General Plan calls for a business park. The applicant would like to change it to High Density Residential.
Project location is in front of the new KB Homes on Monte Vista.
In the end, the council gave a less than enthusiastic response to the idea for various reasons (see video to hear the entire council discussion), though I counted Mayor Nigg as fully in favor.
This still has a lot of percolating through the system to do before it would ever come back to the planning commission, much less the city council.
3.2 COVID-19 Update
The discussion was around three resolutions. Resolution 2020-25 was on the agenda, and then resolutions 2020-33 and 2020-34 were added to the agenda for discussion.
Resolution 2020-25 is an emergency resolution that was passed on March 27th in the city's early attempts to deal with the developing issues revolving around Covid19. It's several pages long and it was left unchanged.
Resolution 2020-33 was adopted on May 13th, and it basically stated that Wildomar would not be enforcing any of the state's Covid19 related orders. Please follow the link above to the resolution for the full wording.
In the end, we repealed Resolution 2020-33 by a 4-1 vote with Mayor Nigg being the only no vote.
The facts haven't changed. The city isn't going to spend resources trying to enforce the state orders regarding Covid19 for the simple reason that there aren't the funds to even consider it. This resolution may have felt right two months ago, but no longer made sense to have in writing since that could jeopardize federal or state relief funding.
Now, therefore, let it be resolved the City Council of the City of Wildomar therefore will be pursuing all avenues available and within our jurisdiction to help our residents and businesses return to a pre-COVID-19 normal lifestyle while also strongly recommending to those that are or feel they are more susceptible to COVID-19 take necessary precautions such as face masks, social distancing, and/or selfquarantining until such time they feel comfortable.
This was changed by a similar 4-1 vote. It was felt that it was counterproductive to leave in the qualifiers that are highlighted in yellow.
All the council comments were worth listening to, but I really liked what Councilman Ben Benoit said. I'm not going to transcribe the comments, it's best to hear them as they were uttered and they begin at the 1:34:30 part of the video included below.
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Taking a closer look
At one point Mayor Nigg took the libertarian stance, or at least that's how I interpreted it, when it came to wearing masks. He compared it to the seatbelt or helmet laws... that it should be a choice. I wanted to jump in, but the Zoom platform format didn't make for an opening. You can probably guess what I was going to say, that the difference between seatbelts or helmets and masks is that seatbelts/helmets are intended to protect the wearer. You can disagree with the stated reason for wearing masks if you'd like, but the intention is to protect OTHER people, not the wearer. Let's switch from helmets/seat belts for a moment to sunscreen. Wearing sunscreen isn't a law or an order, but it's highly recommended by physicians. Still, if I don't want to wear sunscreen, I'm the one that's going to end up with a sunburn, not you. That's why I didn't agree with the idea that wearing a mask to help prevent the spread of Covid19 is akin to wearing a helmet or seatbelts.
We amended the resolution to read:
Now, therefore, be it resolved the City Council of the City of Wildomar therefore will be pursuing all avenues available and within our jurisdiction to help our residents and businesses return to a pre-COVID-19 normal lifestyle while in the meantime also strongly recommending that we follow state orders and county guidelines, including wearing face coverings because we care about our residents.
We all know that the above resolution isn't going to change the Covid Karens out there, that are spoiling for a row with everyone that dares tell them they need a mask to enter a business. Check out the psycho in the video below, and then ask yourself, "Do I really need to be that guy?"
Who remembers the 4th of July, which was the most crazy night of illegal fireworks in recent memory?
Just like 'fireworks guy' is too good for community standards, so is "to hell with you if you think you can force me to wear a mask"guy. (BTW no one is forcing anyone)
We know that, they know that, and I just feel for the business owners and their employees that have to constantly put up with such obnoxious people on a day in day out basis.
3.4 Girl Scouts Gold Award Project – Military Appreciation Garden at Marna O’Brien Park
The Gold Award is the highest award regarded in the Girl Scouts Program. Gabrielle
Flannery would like to obtain this achievement by developing a Military Appreciation
Garden at Marna O’Brien Park.
She has presented the project to her Scout council and
fulfilled the needed requirements. With assistance from the VFW, as a military advisory
committee, Gabrielle has developed a memorial aimed to honor those who served in the
US Armed Services.
The location for the appreciation garden.
The placement of three large 3’ x 3’ boulders will centralize the project around the flagpole.
On two boulders the placement of full color digital emblems of the branches in the
US Armed Forces: Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, Navy, and Space Force.
Each
emblems will be a 6” round, made of medium weight 40 gauge aluminum, and sealed with
a UV protective lamination.
The remaining boulder will display two plaques; one stating a
poetic memoriam and the other stating the project with its sponsors.
Long awaited road maintenance project
You may have seen some signs around town indicating coming road work... thanks to the SB1 Gas Tax and Measure A (not to be confused with Measure AA), the 2019/20 street rehabilitation project is under way!
Streets were selected using the City Pavement Management Program, Maintenance Records and Citizen Input.
Contractor is All American Asphalt.
Contract allows for 30 working days, estimated finish by August 31st.
"This above all: to thine ownself be true. And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man." – William Shakespeare Wildomar Rap canst not then be false to any blog.
This blog was produced for viewing on a desktop or a laptop. Though it's been optimized for smartphones, the formatting can look odd on a smartphone or if you get this delivered through email (such as missing video links).Link to proper format.
At the June city council meeting Mayor Dustin Nigg stated that he'd be running for reelection in district 2. My guess is that Mayor Pro-Tem Bridgette Moore will be running, but I haven't heard one way or the other at this point.
If you're interested in the high glam job of city council member, that comes with a $400 paycheck(That's per month, not per day or even per week), then put your money where your mouth is and make an appointment with Wildomar's acting city clerk as outlined in the press release below.
A sneak peek into the future (based on that date).
Below is from the email
NOTICE OF ELECTION NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a General Municipal Election will be held in the City of Wildomar on Tuesday, November 3, 2020 for the following Officers:
One Member of the City Council for a full term of four years in District 2; One Member of the City Council for a full term of four years in District 4.
The nomination period for these offices begin at 8:00 a.m. on July 13, 2020, and closes on August 7, 2020 at 5:00 p.m.
If nomination papers for an incumbent officer of the City are not filed by August 7, 2020, the voters shall have until August 12, 2020, to nominate candidates other than the person who is the incumbent, for that incumbent’s office.
If no one or only one person is nominated for an elective office, appointment to the elective office may be made as prescribed by § 10229, Elections Code of the State of California.
Voting Centers will be open between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Meet Morgan Dulak, she is the owner operator of Barks and Rec Pet Care.
Posing for a pic at Halloween.
She's been in Wildomar for more than twenty-two years, having gone to Wildomar Elementary, David A Brown Middle School and then graduating from Elsinore High School. Interesting side note, during the conversation I found out that she had come to Wildomar by way of San Clemente like my family did... she arrived about three years sooner.
She started pet sitting about fifteen years ago. She had a good reputation among her friends and acquaintances when it came to her love of animals, and it started when one of them asked if she could keep an eye on their dogs while they were out of town.
Morgan treats me like I'm a superstar!
What started out as favors for friends grew into a real business that culminated in a fully licensed and insured business that serves Wildomar and parts of the surrounding cities of Lake Elsinore, Murrieta, Menifee, Canyon Lake and the local county areas.
Deal's a deal. I shook, now give me a treat. ☺
Here are the key services that Morgan offers: • In home pet sitting • Dog walking • In home nail trimming (where she goes to customers' homes to trim nails of cats, dogs, guinea pigs and the like). • Homemade dog treats (see image at bottom of blog for pricing) • Pooper Scooper services Morgan is trained in pet First Aid and CPR.
Proud moment.
Morgan meets with all prospective clients as she does a meet and greet, learns the needs and disposition of the animals she'll be working with.
She doesn't do boarding yet, but she's aiming to offer that service by the end of the year, and she mentioned dog training as a service that will be coming online shortly too.
Cats don't shake, but still expect treats. ☺
I asked if she'd run into situations where she had to decline a job. She let me know that, other than distance, she hasn't had to turn away a client. She added, "I'm very good with canine behavior. I have quite a few clients that no other person can really go into their house. I'm the only pet sitter for them because they got turned away by other people."
We keep hearing about these "treats" and we're ready to shake if you are! ☺
She's worked in shelter environments and has a lot of experience with fear aggressive dogs. She was telling me about an aggressive dog she works with that won't let other people walk into the house, but when he sees her he turns back into a puppy wanting to crawl up into her lap and give her kisses. She told me that she enjoys a good challenge.
Animals love Morgan almost as much as she loves them.
Being in Wildomar I asked if she pet sits for larger animals and she sat up a little straighter, flashed a smile and replied, "Oh yeah, I have experience with all pet [types]. We had a half acre property so I grew up with horses, donkeys, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens. I've actually done pet sitting for raccoons... that was really awesome.
Slow And Steady Wins The Race.
I asked if there were any other pets that hadn't been mentioned that she watches, "I've watched birds... pretty much any pet that you can think of: tortoises, snakes. I can't really think of a pet that I haven't watched before."
I asked about pricing and as you can imagine, in a unique business like this one, there can't be a set menu of prices. It depends on each individuals needs.
“Dogs love their friends and bite their enemies, quite unlike people, who are incapable of pure love and always have to mix love and hate.” – Sigmund Freud Blogs like Wildomar Rap are very doglike in this regard.
This blog was produced for viewing on a desktop or a laptop. Though it's been optimized for smartphones, the formatting can look odd on a smartphone or if you get this delivered through email (such as missing video links). Link to proper format.
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