• City Council Meeting: Special Meeting; Resignation of Marsha Swanson

Long-Time City Council Member Marsha Swanson to Retire From Wildomar City Council

From the press release

WILDOMAR, CA – Marsha Swanson, who has been on Wildomar City Council since incorporation in 2008, submitted a letter of resignation on Thursday, February 10, 2022. 

The City held a Special Council Meeting on Wednesday, February 16, 2022 where it decided to appoint a new Council Member in Swanson’s place. 

The Council formed an ad hoc committee, consisting of Mayor Pro Tem Joseph Morabito and Council Member Dustin Nigg, which intends to hold interviews and provide a recommendation for the appointment. 

“Councilmember Swanson has been a tireless leader for our community since incorporation,” said Mayor Ben J. Benoit. “We will genuinely miss her calming influence on our Council and wish her the best with the upcoming free time she’ll have with her husband John Swanson, the kids, grandkids, and seven great-grandkids.”

Link to online version of the press release

Recap of meeting

The meeting had only one topic; how to deal with the empty seat created by Councilwoman Marsha Swanson's resignation.

There isn't time for a special election. 

In 2022, the only months available by law are April, June or November.

You may be thinking that June isn't too soon, but you'd be wrong. The election date can't be sooner than 114 days. If that sounds odd, take it up with the rule makers in Sacramento.

Initially, I was against filling the seat with either a special election or an appointment.

My reasoning was that the general election wasn't too far away, and that the voters of District 5 should be making the choice.

Outgoing Councilwoman Marsha Swanson made a point that I hadn't yet thought about. That District 5 would be without representation for the rest of the year. 

That is a good point, and even though we would make due, that doesn't make sense since there's a provision where a replacement can be appointed.

Whoever gets the nod will still have to run for election in November. The candidates that do not get selected will also be able to ask the voters of District 5 to choose them on election day.

That's really all to report now, but the idea is to get the word out to interested persons right away so that they can apply. 

Wildomar Rap opinion time

Here's something that I'll say, that I basically already said at the special meeting. I will not vote to approve a candidate that is an unknown. The voters can do that, but I won't.

If you are interested in applying, but have to be told to sign up for city emails so that you're up on things, that's a little too disengaged for me. 

I encourage newcomers to apply for a position on the Measure Z or Measure AA committees as an introduction to working within the Wildomar city government apparatus. LINK TO APPLICATIONS

If you want my vote, you need to be involved in the community on some level. I think that's a fair baseline to begin from. 

Here is my "list of things" that I expect all candidates to address in their applications... this can be seen in the video below. 

1. Why do they believe they are the best candidate for the position?

2. What is their motivation for seeking the position?

3. Do they have an agenda, and what is it?

4. What do they believe will be their roll once appointed?

5. Are they a team player?

6. What is their history in Wildomar?

7. What is their history with community involvement?

8. Do they understand that this position is far more than the monthly city council meetings (which includes a lot of homework to prepare for)?

9. Are they aware that this position is about being an ambassador for the city in many regional events, and as many city events as is feasibly possible? That they will be one of the key faces representing the city, even on their off time and on social media?

10. Is the new appointee willing to put in the time on various county boards and commissions where needed, not representing themselves, but representing the council?

I don't want District 5 to be without representation for the rest of the year, but I won't vote for someone just because they have a pulse.

• Twin Wildomar Press Releases

If you're signed up for city emails you probably already saw these press releases... if not... keep on reading. 

If not, sign up at this link

Press Release #1

WILDOMAR, CA – The City of Wildomar has been awarded the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA).

You know you're jelly!

“The Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management,” the GFOA stated in a press release regarding the award.

The award specifically recognized Wildomar’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the fiscal year ended 2018, which was judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program.

Mayor Marsha Swanson

“This is a big deal to us because it shows transparency and readability of our financial report,” said Mayor Marsha Swanson. “Staff works diligently on our reports to ensure full, clear disclosure and we are proud to be recognized for this exemplary award.” 

Press Release #2

The Future is Bright: Wildomar’s Street Lights Getting an Upgrade


WILDOMAR, CA - Wildomar’s street lights are in the process of being upgraded to LED lights, which will provide a longer lifespan, lower maintenance, minimize light pollution and provide better visibility for our streets. The retrofit program is projected to save the City of Wildomar more than $2 million in reduced energy and maintenance costs over the next 20 years.

A look at the old LPS style lights.

The street light retrofit project began in Wildomar on July 19, 2019 at the east end of the city on Clinton Keith Road and will be moving west and then north throughout July and August (please see attached map).

The work will be completed in about a month.

Street closures will be minimal, with most work being performed in the shoulder.

Once retrofitted, each pole will have a unique pole identifier that will allow both city staff and residents to identify a light that requires service in the future.

This project is part of the Western Riverside Council of Government’s (WRCOG) Regional Street Light Program that will ultimately retrofit 55,000 streetlights across Western Riverside County.

Mayor Marsha Swanson

“This project was the right thing to do for Wildomar and for all of Western Riverside as part of WRCOG’s regional program,” said Mayor Marsha Swanson. “The cost savings for the reduced energy, reduced maintenance plus clearer visibility and less light pollution; it was just the right thing to do for our residents.”

Any questions, please contact Dan York, Assistant City Manager at 951-677-7751 x 216  or email him at dyork@cityofwildomar.org. Posting questions on facebook will NOT get you answers... jus' sayin'.

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The lunatic, the lover and the poet are of imagination all compact, and in the night imagining some fear how easy is a bush supposed a bear.
– Bill of the Shakespeare
A Midsummer Night's Dream

Wildomar Rap has often been confused with a bear... usually Boo Boo Bear.

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.

• Various and Sundry Things: Volume 9

Just a couple of photos of projects that are showing some movement to share, and a brief recap of the recent election. 

If you've driven Clinton Keith towards the 215 you've seen the first walls raised for the coming Clinton Keith Village (at the corner of Clinton Keith and the future "Wildomar Trail" intersection).

The buildings are coming together.

No updates on when it'll be open for business, but it's a reasonable guess that it'll be by mid 2019. 

Another look from another angle.

Over on Monte Vista, just north of Cornerstone Church, the first signs of a residential project can be seen. I was told that it's going be 67 homes, though the construction sign says "70 residential lots".

Part of the orange boundary line.

Heavy equipment can be seen from Monte Vista.

Election update:
The official vote counting is still ongoing, but Measure AA has 12+ point lead and is in no danger of failing. 

The next step will be to field an oversight committee. If you're interested in being on it, contact city hall and ask for an application. I'm aware of residents already inquiring about it.

The next update is said to be after 6:00pm (11-9-2018).

The three council seats that were on the ballot have been decided. Mayor Ben Benoit (District 1) and Mayor Pro-Tem Marsha Swanson (District 5) ran unopposed and have won another term.

District 3 was the only contest with more than one name on the ballot. 

Swearing in will be Monday, December 10th, 6:30pm at the City Council Chambers.

For those that may not know, Joseph Morabito (that's me) is the writer of Wildomar Rap. I look forward to working with my fellow council members and staff for the betterment of Wildomar. (I have another blog in mind that can get into more details soon)

The last of the local elections was for the EVMWD Board of Directors. District 3 covers about half of Wildomar, on the westside of the freeway.

The voters have spoken.

Although George Cambero went to many doors during his campaign, was very visible and accessible, not to mention that he's an all around good guy and pillar of Wildomar, he came up short. That's how it goes. I'm not going to whine about it being a "sad day in Wildomar" because it's not. 

We have democracy here, and the people made their choice. Just because I don't like the choice, doesn't mean I'm going to get dramatic about it. Let's hope that Jared McBride does an outstanding job for us.

Wildomar Rap opinion time

Though the totals will go up some after every last vote is tallied, it's a sad commentary that not even half the registered voters weighed in on Measure AA... just over a third at this time. (rough guess based on 15,000 registered voters in town)

I think it's fair to conclude that the absent votes indicate [at least] a tacit approval of the tax. 

You have the right to vote, and that includes abstaining, but if you're also one to complain about things, I sure hope you took the time to participate.

•                •                •

What is the fate of the prophet who brings the word? Is he greeted with bread or a stone? Were they hailed because they were saviors or destroyed because they were saviors?
– E.G. Marshall (CBSRMT 1976)

Wildomar Rap has never purported to be a prophet or a savior, so that must apply elsewhere... but it's still interesting to mull over.

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.

• City Council Meeting August 2018

The highlights of the meeting include: 

• The approval of the proposed one additional cent sales tax increase for the November ballot. (now it's up to you to decide)

• There are only four candidates (for three seats) for this year's city council elections. (unless someone shows up at the last minute)

• The city was given an award by WRCOG (Western Riverside Council of Governments) and Wildomar has made the next step in buying our street lights from the power company.

Mayor Ben Benoit displays the "Gold Award" plaque presented by WRCOG.

But the big impact of the meeting came from the seven Briarwood neighbors that spoke during public comments about the effects of a nearby homeless encampment on their neighborhood. (Briarwood is east of Kaiser off of Prielipp Rd)


• Becky Frederick mentioned that the troubles began about a year and a half ago. They've since started a neighborhood watch, have an active facebook page to communicate with each other, cameras, and residents that walk their pets in the early morning hours to shew away suspicious people. She added, "but we really need help in our Briarwood community."
• Kim McKinney talked about homeless guys harassing people at the hospital waiting room and in the Albertsons shopping area as if they owned the place.
• Paul Shield shared a story about a guy trying to enter his front door in the middle of the night (see edited video below).
• Chelsea Bachinski shared a compelling story about encountering the man from the attempted break-in, mentioned above, then called the police. The upshot of her story is that the Wildomar Police didn't get back to her for several hours, and by that time, the issue had been [somewhat] resolved by the Murrieta Police.

She added, "I don't know if it's going to take someone to be killed or to be attacked, but I'm a small individual that could possibly get hurt on my way to work (she starts very early in the morning) and I don't want that to happen."
• James Juco, a 20 plus year resident, told of how his mother-in-law's car had been stolen, then later found at the homeless encampment. In the car, they found stolen goods, credit cards, purses, drugs and she still hasn't had her car returned.
• Danielle Pedroso her mother was the victim of the car theft mentioned above, and she works at a dental office in the Albertsons shopping center. She talked about the homeless problem there, where they will often be sleeping in front of the office door. The account of how a homeless guy was washing himself in the flower bed near her place of business was galling, to say the least. 

She also related a story about some very suspicious, and dangerous looking, homeless people that had 
been at Denny's while she was there.

Councilmember Marsha Swanson jumped in, already apprised of the situation, and assured Danielle that Denny's management was working with Wildomar Police to prevent a recurrence.

• Colleen Wisdom told the council about the theft of tools from her husband's truck, and how the lock to the gate to her backyard was missing and the gate left open... which was worrisome since she has a pool. (the reason the padlock was not secured was to allow the pest guy access to the backyard that day)

At this point, Mayor Benoit broke with protocol and responded to the speakers. (For those that don't know, there are statewide rules that prevent discussion of matters that are NOT on the agenda commonly known as The Brown Act).

• "[Sadly] you're not the only group that has come in and complained about that particular camp, the industrial park just to the west of you, along the freeway, has also come in and explained to us that they are seeing rising theft and tracking it back to the same homeless encampment by the hospital." 

"That property owner has not been the most cooperative. We've had issues getting him to sign some letters to say "homeless people cannot be here" [...] he hasn't signed those letters to my understanding."

"He has also not been trimming the trees like some of you've asked. He'll tell you that he's not allowed to trim the trees. There are limits to the tree trimming because it is an environmentally sensitive area, unfortunately [...] of course they (the homeless) are down there trashing the area. You can't win with some of these state laws."

• "I want to come out and meet with you guys. Maybe an HOA meeting, I'd be happy to come, we'll bring Dan Anne, our police chief back there, along (pointing to where he was sitting in the audience)."

"We have a Coffee with the Mayor [event] and Dan Anne [too]; we just had one a couple of weeks ago and we have another one coming up. I encourage you to come there too."

— Wildomar Mayor, Ben Benoit

Wildomar Rap opinion time

Coffees are nice, but The Bean can't accommodate very many people. There are about 15,000 registered voters in the city, and if only one or two percent show up. That would be 150 to 300 people. Even one-quarter of one percent would be about 35 people. 

Yes, it can be a logistics nightmare to put together and fully advertise a town hall meeting, but that is the proper forum to discuss the homeless issue if you want public input.

Like it's been stated before, this issue is well beyond the scope of our city. It's a problem that has been created in the last few years by poorly thought out legislation and propositions. 

The kicker was Prop 47 which was allowed to be absurdly nicknamed The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act. What a joke, it should have been called, The Destruction of Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act. That gem passed with a 59-41 margin. 

I don't blame our officials for a problem that other people created. I see this as a difficult situation that will (most likely) only get worse before it gets better, but they need to remain on top of this and be seen as being proactive, even if most of it will only be for show.

These issues need to be headlines in a city-based newsletter, and discussed at town hall meetings, as well as be included in social media administered by the city.

I encourage you to watch the 22 minute video to get a feel for what the Briarwood community has been dealing with.

The only other meaty issue (Item 2.1) was the final approval of the additional one-cent local sales tax ballot proposal. 

For some reason, I thought it was going to be a long and drawn out matter, but it was over and done with... including public comments (2) and council discussion, in under 15 minutes. That item picks up at the 21:00 mark of the video below.

Public Comments: 
• Monty Goddard discussed his tepid support for the tax increase and that even with the increase, we won't be able to address [all] the needs of the city.

• Joseph Morabito (me), candidate for city council, supported putting the measure on the ballot, and encourages the voters to approve it... but understands if the voters are sick of tax increases and choose to vote it down. That if the city needs an increase in revenue, why continue to block the commerce of a legal commodity (cannabis)?

The only comment from the city council on the item came from Tim Walker. He talked about being a conservative, "I don't like taxes". That encouraging commerce and businesses in town was, "the way to do a city".  Then touched on differences between the county and Wildomar. 

Please watch the video (starting at the 30:45 mark of the video), I'm not really sure what his point was as he seemed to touch on many things. In the end, he was for putting the question on the ballot.

"I'm not a one cent guy, never have been, never will be, but this is a fact that the city has to take on and it's got to be the voters that decide it. My personal opinion is that I don't like taxes."

"I said from the get go, the only way you're going to make a city thrive, is by commerce, commercial businesses. But the people in our audience here, and people in this area sue everything. Stall everything, and cause nothing but grief in the city."

"Then everybody comes to us and says, "why can't you do this, why can't you do that?" well, there's your reason right there. If we're not fighting the lawsuit —perfect example, the Subway on Bundy Canyon. One business in a big complex. One! Because he fought that fight for a year, and still ended up paying for something that didn't even need to be done. It's over and over again in the city (the lawsuits)."

"All we can do as a city is make it easy for businesses to get here and get started and produce income, that's how you raise tax money."

"When it comes to the sheriff's, yeah, Riverside County has one to whatever —whatever the ratio is, of course they have that, but they have a lot of money too, besides what we have. [...] To compare us with the county, [that has] billions of dollars, and a small city with not so much, and fighting the fight, and fighting to get people to open here (businesses), to get commerce going, and collect income. That's how you do a city."

— Wildomar City Councilmember Tim Walker

Wildomar Rap opinion time

Tim, when it comes to your points about the city getting sued all the time... yes, welcome to cityhood. 

Pro Tip: ALL CITIES GET SUED at least as often as Wildomar does. If defending lawsuits is enough to derail a city from fully functioning, that should be a clear indication that the long ago naysayers of cityhood may have had a point after all... but we're here now.

Allow me to suggest that we add "We always get sued" to the list of things that none of us in town EVER want to hear again. The other key comment that needs to be sent to the showers is, "Governor Brown stole $12M from us." Those statements are about as pertinent as saying "Ralph Garr hit a home run in batting practice" (something that occurred in 1977).

Councilmember Walker wasn't part of the WIN committee, so maybe he doesn't remember their claims that becoming a city wouldn't come with tax increases.

That's why Monty Goddard was discussing the dismal ratios of sworn officers to residents in the city, and then comparing them to what unincorporated areas have in 2018. 

I believe his numbers were: 

In the county, they have 0.75 officers for every 1000 residents, and Wildomar has 0.54 officers for every 1000 residents.

Since no one on the council disputed Mr. Goddard's numbers, I take it that they are as solid as the rock of Gibraltar.

The video below is (HOPEFULLY) the last that I'll have to upload to keep my pledge of posting all the meetings until the city starts live streaming them... that's supposed to be in September... we shall see.

The other items on the agenda were things covered in previous planning commission meetings. The new sign that Inland Valley Hospital will be getting, and how the city will be dealing with EOTs (extension of time requests from developers). 

Both of those topics can be found at this link.

During the City Manager update, three things were shared. 
1) There will be an adult coloring group at the library on September 4th.

Come one, come all!

2) Astronomy Night is coming up: August 18th, at Marna O'Brien Park.
3) City Clerk Debbie Lee announced that there are only a total of four candidates that have qualified for the three city council seats (districts 1,3 and 5). 

The city clerk will be available tomorrow (August 10th) to accommodate any latecomers. Just remember, you're going to need to get 20 valid signatures to qualify, and if you're still considering a run, you're cutting it very close.

If there are no further candidates, that means Ben Benoit (District 1) and Marsha Swanson (District 5) will not face a challenger. That's really pathetic when you also throw in that Bridgette Moore didn't face a challenger in 2016, and for all intents and purposes, neither did Dustin Nigg in 2016. Why is there such deep apathy here?

It appears that the only contest will be in District 3.

 the matchup will be 
upstart challenger
Joseph Morabito

vs

longtime incumbent
Tim Walker

On your marks, get set, GO!

I have to give the smile edge to Tim, and his ability to balance his glasses on his head, but I think my beard gets the nod over his. Plus, check out my industrial strength forehead, not to mention that it's hard to go wrong with a lovebird as a sidekick.

•                •                •

One last note: Wildomar Marketplace will be this Saturday, August 11th, from 9am to 2pm. There was some doubt as to whether or not this was going to happen in Wildomar (something about ordinances) but due to the efforts of city councilmember Bridgette Moore, she was able to keep it in town; nice work. 

Now time to get that ordinance done, so something so basic doesn't have to be fraught full of grief along the way. 

UPDATE

Due to the fires, the Wildomar Marketplace had to cancel for August 11th. The next scheduled Wildomar Marketplace will be October 13th.

•                •                •

"I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with typewriters."
– Frank Lloyd Wright

Wildomar Rap is the first to point out that blogs are written with keyboards, not typewriters.

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.

• City Council Meeting July 2018

A very long meeting translates into a relatively short blog. 

There were only two key agenda items here, and only one of those came with any hint of controversy: the additional penny sales tax coming to the November ballot.

The meeting started with State Senator Richard Roth leading the packed house in the Pledge of Allegiance, and then went into a presentation where the city thank the Senator for his work in getting the long missing VLF funds restored to the city.

State Senator Richard Roth holds up the plaque honoring his efforts on behalf of the city. 

Three Eagle Scouts were recognized by the council, one project involved repainting the water tower at Marna O'Brien park. Please see the video for more details.

back row: Tim Walker, Bridgette Moore, Dustin Nigg, Marsha Swanson. Front Row: Brenda Denstadt of Congressman Calvert's office, Mayor Ben Benoit, Eagle Scouts Monty Donovan, Grant Manley, Noah Hendley.

The next presentation was a proclamation of Parks Make Life Better Month, and key city staff that make the parks hum took some time to pose for a picture.

Back Row: Tim Walker, Bridgette Moore, Dustin Nigg, Marsha Swanson.
Front Row: Janet Morales, Ben Benoit, Daniel Torres and Cameron Luna.

The Chief of Wildomar Police, Captain Dan Anne, along with city building inspector Martin Haeberle, gave a homeless update. 

In short, they were discussing the difficulties involved in tackling the issues involving homeless encampments and what the city is doing about it.

Wildomar Rap opinion time

It's real easy for those of us in the general community to get loud about the homeless encampments, and the degradation to the quality of life that comes along with them. I've been very vocal about it, and I've not met a single person that isn't upset about them.

The tricky thing is, what can actually be done in the State of California about it? Nearly nothing, considering the various laws and propositions that have been past since 2010.

So it's fine to be angry, and to remind the local officials about it as often as you'd like, but it's good to also remember that there is next to nothing that can CURE the problem. Bandaids, one after another, are about the only current remedy out there.

As it was pointed out by Captain Dan Anne, being homeless isn't a crime, and solicitation is a protected form of speech that can be controlled to a degree (where and when) but cannot have a blanket ban applied.

For the full (22 min) presentation, please watch the video below.

At this point, the city council meeting was put on pause while those in attendance were invited to get a slice of cake to celebrate the city's 10th birthday.

City Clerk Debbie Lee cuts the cake. You can also see some 10 year pins on the table too.

After the cake break, it was time for Public Comments on non agenda items. This was a long meeting, and it was determined that to save some time, all public comments were going to be reduced from 3 to 2 minutes (26 speaker slips had been turned in). That put a crimp in many people's well honed comments, but everyone rolled with it.

There were seven comments, though the seventh one came more than an hour later since the speaker slip got lost in the rest of the stack.
1. I missed the name of the first speaker; it sounded like Arleen Crossinelli, but the topic was homelessness in town and the negative effects on her business.
2. Eric Dye spoke about the impacts of homelessness on his business.
3. George Taylor thanked the council for the repairs on Bundy Canyon, and invited them to The Farm's 4th of July parade.
4. Miss Miller vowed to save the oak trees on Bundy Canyon, even if she had to tether herself to one of them.
5. Monty Goddard spoke about CSA 103 and the Cervera greenbelt and his dissatisfaction with how it was handled and the lack of communication from the city on it.
6. Ken Mayes mentioned several items including food truck ordinances, Malaga Park and the new multi-use trail on Grand asking about their maintenance. He asked about CSA 103, and when will it be determined that it will either be on the tax bill or not. PV Maintenance invoices for streets that don't exist and when will Coffee With a Cop return.
7. Joseph Morabito spoke about his candidacy for city council, and that he wants to see better communication from the city to the residents.

2.1 One Cent Sales Tax on the November Ballot
This item took up a lot of time between presentations, public comments, council discussion and the vote. 

I'll give the highlights, but all that you need to know is that if you're a registered voter in Wildomar, you'll be asked to decide if you're willing to pay an additional penny sales tax on goods purchased in town, or not, this November.

Public Comments
Of the seven that spoke, no one was cheering for a tax increase, but two were opposed, and the other five were good with putting the measure on the ballot. 
  •  Gina Castanon  
  •  Ken Mayes
  •  Monty Goddard
  •  Joseph Morabito
  •  Patrick Ellis
  •  Andy Morris
  •  Brad Nee
The police and fire departments each had a presentation illustrating the response times over the years, various resources and what it would take to provide better coverage.

It's stunning how much things cost in the world where public employee unions run the show.

I'll add the basic comments from each of the council members from their discussion time just before the vote to approve. Most were just about a minute long. Watch the video for the full discussion.

Of course no one likes taxes. [...] Andy Morris said it perfectly [as to] why we became a city, [it] was [for] local control. When we became a city, and point-blank [...] they said we could become a viable city, and no one knew that the next year we were going to go into a downturn (the Great Recession) that would totally affect us. no one knew that we'd have all those lawsuits, constantly. One lawsuit would be done on a Thursday and the next lawsuit comes in a Monday. Then no one knew the governor was going to steal $12M from us. So, in ten years we sure have overcome a lot of challenges. Like I said, "No one likes taxes" but this is something we need, and we need this going forward. We need this revenue, every year, going forward for the safety and the quality of life for all the residents.

— Bridgette Moore

To me it's kind of cut and dry. The people, the voters that live here will have the opportunity to decide if they want [the additional tax]. If they don't want it, cool, we'll figure it out another way. If it passes, I like the idea that it being a general tax [...] if the money's not spent correctly, then guess what, I won't get re-elected. That's the way it's supposed to work. 

If the citizens decide they don't want it, they don't want it. But I think it's prudent of us to spend the money [to put it on the ballot], have some kind of confidence that this will pass. 

— Dustin Nigg

I tend to agree with my other council members, nobody wants more tax, but it's going to be necessary for the voters to make that decision. 

— Marsha Swanson

Wildomar Rap opinion time

There are a couple of ways I can handle trying to transcribe the comments from Tim Walker below. The problem I run into is that he meandered on for almost five minutes, and seemed to be directing a portion of is comments at me.

Since I'm running for his seat on the council, it would be completely in bounds to highlight the things he said here, but at the same time, it could be seen as self serving and a cheapshot by some. So I'm going to refrain from exploiting them in this blog by NOT transcribing them. I'll just add a couple of his comments that pertain to the tax.

If you are interested in the rest of it, which if you're a voter in District 3 you should be, they begin at the 51:40 mark of the video and end at the 56:10 mark.

You watch it, and you decide if his comments speak to you or not.

I would never make a decision to put a tax on people —ever! So, my thinking is, that's why we put it on the ballot. 

I'm not for a tax, but I will put it on the ballot because if everybody wants it, then I'll be willing to pay the one cent, it doesn't bother me at all.  

— Tim Walker

Coming into this eight years ago, when I first got on this council, even then I knew we might have rocky roads ahead. When the state took the VLF out from underneath us, it put us on a really difficult path. We've just finally got that back, but we're $12.5M short, that we'll never get back any other way. 

I feel very strongly that this is a way for us to move that pendulum back the other way, and we've got to. 

— Ben Benoit

3.3 Ordinance regarding aggressive solicitation
This was the other key agenda item of the night. To get more details, please read the previous blog that previewed the agenda item. LINK

I don't know why I thought it would take more time than it did, it's not like it could be controversial on any level, but I thought bringing in a much needed ordinance that aims to address the homeless issues would take more time. 

Wildomar Rap opinion time

I want to thank the city for getting this step accomplished. Like it was mentioned above, we need to know that there is very little that can be done to actually solve the homeless situation in our area. Especially based on the rules of engagement put into motion by elected officials many levels higher than our local leaders.

I didn't render out a specific video for this item, it's in the "everything else" video at about the 1:04:00 mark.

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Love is friendship set on fire.
– Jeremy Taylor

Wildomar Rap is confused as to why setting friendship on fire equates to love. I've seen such up close, and wouldn't concur.

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