• City Council Meeting August 2026

Two big items were pulled from the agenda (*2.3 and 3.2) and are said to be slated for next month's agenda. That, in my estimation, reduced the number of newsworthy items to one, 3.1 (see below). 

The meeting started with a presentation to two local Eagle Scouts, Canyon Dannenberger and AJ Acosta of Troop 332.

  

A twist with one of the Public Comments on non-agenda items in that a proclamation was given to the Council (it's usually the other way around). 

It was recognizing the 250th year of the United States of America from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and for the service the council does for the community. 

The presenters were Malia Olsingh and Susan Lovett. Also in the photo are Malia's mother, Carrie, and little brother (I didn't get his name). 

Top News From The Meeting

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• Still unnamed 20 acre park opening is delayed again

Before getting to the key news story, let me add highlights from the Community Development Department update first.

Several projects that are in the process of being built were mentioned. 

Wildomar Crossroads (Sprouts)

The construction of the apartments has begun, but there is a delay with the commercial side of the project. 

Marriot (Townplace Suites, 102 Rooms)

This is immediately to the west of the new Kaiser medical office building. They are still in the grading part of construction and no dates were given as to when it would open, or even when we will see "vertical" construction. 

Stable Lanes (Carwash on Clinton Keith)

This is located between Barons and Starbucks. It's about 13,000sf of commercial that, at one time, was said to be the future home of an auto parts store and A Better Buzz coffee dispensary.

I asked staff if they knew which tenants were going in alongside the carwash, and there wasn't a definitive answer, but there was a drive-thru pad mentioned.

Camelia Townhomes (Palomar and Washington)

This development caused a lot of commotion back in 2017, but that was before all the low-income apartments that Sacramento started forcing into every community up and down the state. Now I'm sure people are happy to see market-rate, for-sale condos (about 163 units in a gated community). 

Reminder, these are FOR SALE units, with a price point of half a million dollars. 

The original price points, if memory serves well, were around $200K, but I asked last night, and the number being batted around at this point is closer to half a mil. 

There is serious road realignment going on there. Historically, Palomar curved into Washington around the city line with Murrieta, but that's changing.

Palomar will now be going straight into Jefferson with Washington being a T intersection. Before there is a certificate of occupancy, all the roadwork will need to be buttoned up. No timetable for that at this point. 

Tres Lagos (Phase 3)

They've done work on their drainage mitigation measures, but they don't have any other permits pending at this time.

Walmart

Building permits have not been issued. There wasn't a guesstimate of when they'd be open, but based on past statements, we can anticipate before Christmas 2027. 

Unnamed 20 Acre Park

Brief background.

In 2023 I helped spearhead the acquisition (without using general fund dollars) of twenty acres adjacent to the Windsong Valley community. The other option was for the previous owners to sell it to a developer who could have built about 80 homes (that's not taking into account "density bonuses" the state encourages). 

The twenty acres are already a quasi natural park with a loop trail, and converting it to public use would be a relatively easy lift compared to other undeveloped parkland in Wildomar. 

In short, the dollar amount necessary to open this park is far smaller than to open the 27 acre park next to Ronald Reagan Elementary School or the 11 acre park next to David A Brown Middle School. 

Ok, with that established, we've been eagerly awaiting this park's opening for well over a year, and the date keeps getting pushed back.

I don't know who to throw under the bus, so I'll lay it at the feet of the previous Wildomar city manager. A lot was going on in 2025, and dealing with the opening of this park in the promised amount of time, obviously slid off the important things to attend to list. 

I will slot myself as the key proponent of this park, even, dare I say, ahead of Bridgette Moore (who loves parks more than Spiderman loves shooting webs and traveling from building to building down city blocks. lol), but in this case, I asked my council colleagues to NOT go ahead with a temporary entrance off Gierson Ave. 

Let me back up again

The original plan was to put the entrance off of Palomar, with a secondary entrance off of an extended Gierson. That's the part that fell by the wayside. 

This is the location of the entrance and parking lot off of Palomar St.

There was an artificial urgency to get the park opened, though there weren't any contractual obligations to do so, as most of us shared the same misapprehension that there were. 

Once it was clearly established that we don't need to do a rush job trying to open this new park before it's ready, we stopped rushing.

The denouement (yes, I love 10¢ words 😁), the city will not be opening the new natural park with a temporary entrance on Gierson Ave. 

This is the dead end street of Gierson Avenue. When it's time to create this entrance to the park, it needs to be done according to the approved plans, not any temporary measures.

The original plan of the primary entrance off Palomar is back in place. There was no estimated opening date, but based on previous estimates to open that entrance, it could be September 2027, but let's wait for the official words from the Public Works department. 

Remember, when money becomes available, there are plans for a full extension of Gierson and a proper parking lot and entry point. 

When this happens, I hope that whoever is on Wildomar's city council will demand that the entrance to the newly extended Gierson be where the gate to close the park is set, and not allow for the new cul-de-sac to be an after hours hang out. 

Also in the mix was an alternate entrance off of South Pasadena St, which looks like a good spot for on street parking and another way into the park. 

Thank you to staff for coming up with this suggestion. Now, let's work to make it happen.

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There are two ways to watch this city council meeting. One is on YouTube, the other is through the city's website. Both have their own advantages. The YouTube option comes with its standard player and the ability to jump throughout the video. 

The option on the city's website lets you go into the agenda and click the exact item you're looking for (no guesswork involved). 

Video on the city's webpage

Link to the full agenda

*2.3

Municipal Code Amendment No. 2026-03 - 2026 Spring Bi-Annual Code Update

*3.2

Approval of the City's First Memorandums of Understanding with Teamsters

Local 986 for the General Employees, Supervisors, and Managers Bargaining

Units Effective August 13, 2026, Updated Personnel Rules and Regulations,

and Revised City Pay Plan

• City Council Meeting July 2026

We began with a proclamation by the Daughters of the Revolution: America 250

Daughters of the American Revolution

TOP NEWS FROM THE MEETING

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• Wildomar Trail Restriping Inches Closer To Completion
• New Shopping Cart Ordinance Passed
• Future Recreation Programs Discussion
• Townhall in September at Wildomar Elementary
• Future Agenda Item: Data Center Discussion

Meeting Recap

Before getting into the agenda as presented, let me touch on several public comments that we received. 

Darla Dunn, the driving force behind Wild-O-Market Space. She would like to see more backing by the city.

Wildomar Rap opinion time

I've lived in Wildomar for twenty-five years and I can't remember how many times I've heard people opine for an open air market like this in town (it's a lot).

Wild-O-Market Space still trying to find its bearings, it's got a lot of room to grow, but it won't be able to develop into an institution if it doesn't get supported by either the city apparatus or the city residents. 

Below is Darla's public comment.

In addition to that, there was a theme among several public speakers, indicating to me that many haven't been keeping up with new state housing laws over the past ten or so years.

I don't blame them. Most people have better things to do than chase down all the lesser publicized laws that Sacramento has enacted, but they still exist, they apply to Wildomar, and many of them defy logic. 

Proposed Melia Homes, Wildomar (95 units).

There are two developments that are wending their way through the planning department. Melia Homes on Wesley and Palomar (95 market rate homes and 4 low income homes), and "Mission Hills" with a total of 51 units on 12 acres. 

I can't imagine actually calling that area "Mission Hills." It's right up there for worst name of an area since "The Miracle Mile" that was foisted on the Clinton Keith Business corridor in the past. Thankfully, that nonsense is in the past. 

Several well-meaning residents essentially implored the council to "Keep Wildomar Wild." 

To a member, your Wildomar City Council wholeheartedly agrees

We've been the ones leading the charge to fight back against the state. I'm sorry if you've been looking in a different direction, but that's the fact. We're already on your side.

Respectfully, where have you been before now?

The problem is the state laws that go over our heads by a mile. 

There simply are no options to derail such developments.

Elections have consequences, and when you vote for the same party in Sacramento, over and over and over again, they really become deaf to the concerns of places like Wildomar, as they continue to strip away at "local control".

Also, let me say, these are FOR SALE developments. Have you seen the price points of new homes in Wildomar? 

These are NOT "Section 8" by any stretch of the imagination... they just aren't

These developers are in it for profit (who isn't in business for "profit"?), and one person worried that they could change all the proposed units to "low income". 

There is less money, less profit, in low income units. People are still going to have to qualify for a mortgage, and I'd be stunned if there are any units under half a million dollars based on the current market.

Below is a parody video I made of this exact location well more than ten years ago. Remember folks, this isn't open space, it's not a park, it's someone's unfenced land that has a long history of being a dumping ground. 

Back to the agenda

There were several nuggets in the Public Works presentation to share. 

Wildomar Trail restriping near the freeway

To be on the safe side, I'm going to say it's supposed to be upgraded, including opening the u-turn at Margaret Lane, before the end of Summer. It could be done before the middle of August, but I'm tired of giving out dates that don't materialize.

It'll be done around the same time that Bundy Canyon, under the overpass, is completed.

City Maintained Roads v Non Maintained Roads

A key part of the presentation was going over the differences between dedicated city roads, and private roads. 

If this is an issue that you're curious about, please watch the video of the presentation. It explains the differences between the road designations.

Wildomar doesn't use money from property taxes to do road work.

As you can see from the estimated costs to bring all of Wildomar's roadways to top level would cost generations worth of road budget money. 

My comment was, this is part of keeping Wildomar "wild," dirt roads, and other 'careworn' roads that are never going to come close to matching areas like Temecula or Murrieta. 

This recent acquisition has started making recurring potholes a thing of the past. Long may it live. 

Shopping Cart Ordinance

A smattering of people have always pushed carts away from stores, into neighborhoods, but this ordinance is coming about as natural fallout from Tres Lagos. 

For those of us who live near the epicenter, we see carts abandoned there more times than we don't. 

Unfortunately, the owners of the carts in question haven't been cooperative with the carrot approach, so now it's time for the stick. 

The goal is for the owners of the shopping carts to find a way to keep them on their property, or at very minimum, cooperate in retrieving them when one of their customers dumps them in the right of way.

•

Discussion Regarding Recreation Programming Opportunities and Potential Future Recreation Service Models

The council was unanimous in wanting to explore this further. We'll never have a robust parks department like other cities, but that doesn't mean we should stay satisfied with the same meager level of amenities as Wildomar had decades before the glory of cityhood commenced. 

As more information comes out, I'll be sure to get it out to the public.

Future agenda item: Data Center Discussion

Councilwoman DePhillippo and I both had the same future agenda item to suggest. 

We don't envision Wildomar being sought after by such types, but under our current codes they're already not an allowed usage, and our maximum warehouse size is said to be 50,000sf. 

Still, we know this is an issue that the community has been following as its gone around the country, so we asked to bring the topic to the city council so that the residents can't weigh in on it... even though there is no desire to bring them here as it is.  

•

Though it wasn't formally announced, a townhall Townhall in September at Wildomar Elementary was casually mentioned by Councilwoman Bridgette Moore during one of her comments.

I'm sure they'll start getting out information as the date gets closer.

•

Just as the meeting was minutes from concluding the HVAC system decided to take a leak on the City Manager and City Attorney. After a ten minute break, we were able to conclude the meeting. 

Drip, drip, drip goes the water. 

Here is a link to the youtube video of the meeting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Yt1i04Nrn0&t

• Wildomar Who?

It's a running joke among the city council members, one that I suppose has gone back 18 years worth of cityhood, that we are ALWAYS overlooked when we get together regionally. 

Today I attended the Southwest Regional Economic Forecast and though we did have a speaking role as the other cities in the area did, I couldn't help but get a laugh out of the slide with the map of the area. 

Lakeland Village, Romoland, Homeland, Winchester, and Rainbow made the cut, but Wildomar, one of the five participating cities, didn't.

But we're used to it. To quote Elwood Blues when asked by his brother, Jake, how often the train goes by his apartment, "So often that you won't even notice it," and that's basically the case for Wildomar when we're playing in the subregional sandbox of SWRivCo.

Reminds me of the time, while I was Mayor in 2023, at a Murrieta/Wildomar Chamber of Commerce event to welcome new members, when a new Wildomar business in the Stater Bros shopping center called itself North Murrieta.

I welcomed them and introduced myself as the Mayor of North Murrieta. Bridgette Moore was there and her mouth nearly dropped to the floor. 🤣🤣🤣

•

Wildomar's Economic Development Manager, Ryan Miller, did a great job in his five minutes, highlighting various projects that are in the works. Finishing with the recently passed study for a historic downtown specific plan.

Ryan's been on the job in Wildomar for about 2 months now.

A shout out to Menifee Economic Development Director Kayla Charters, she's a product of Wildomar, and I believe that her parents still live in town.

Kayla Charters shares what's happening in Menifee.

To sum up the vibes from the event, depending on your POV on growth, it is very positive as there are a lot of things going on in our region and a lot to track as it comes online. 

Speaking of track

I remember hearing several years ago about a Formula 2 track heading to Lake Elsinore, and today it was touted in their presentation. I didn't hear any dates for when it's expected to open. 

• City Council Meeting June 2026

A lot of action from the June 2026 meeting, but at the top of it all was a public comment from young Olivia Gregory, who shared her school project, which included her goal of becoming a paleontologist when she grows up. 

Seven year old Olivia Gregory addresses the council. 

TOP NEWS FROM THE MEETING

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• Brown Act Update
• 20 Acre Park Opening Delay
• Council Approves $459,000 For Study (4-1)

Meeting Recap

I'm just going to highlight three items though there were many important items on the agenda.

Brown Act Update, and how it affects you. 

In short, you will now be able to give public comments from your own home (or wherever you happen to be). The city will undertake a public outreach to get the word out. 

Link to three page staff report

20 Acre Park Update

If you aren't sure, the city purchased property from the fine ladies at the Anne Sullivan Preschool. The intent was to open the 20 acres as a natural/passive park, it's a beautiful place.

This happened in 2023 and though I'm glad the land was secured away from developers, I'm discouraged that this park is already a year late in opening and it'll still be another year, at least. 

The city has contractual obligations to open the park to the public. Originally, that was in 2025, and now it's looking more like 2027 (fingers crossed).

The item in question was just to extend parts of the contract, but I anticipate the item coming back to city council next month so we can speak more about it.

Link to three page staff report, which includes a link to the 13 slide presentation

That's Allotta Notta For Nearly Half A Mil or Yay For The Historic Downtown Study

Is that a prejudiced headline? Of course it is. I was the lone dissenting vote when it came to approving a $459,225 study that I believe is a complete waste of money.

As I stated during the council discussion, it's very likely that even with this "specific plan" the corner across from Montague Brothers Coffee will still be vacant after your kindergartner graduates high school.

No developer has shown serious interest to date.

Here were my points

1.  I like the concept.
2.  It's way too much money.
3.  Where are the landowners of the most impacted areas? Are they here tonight? If not, why not? What type of outreach to them was done? Did they respond? If they didn't respond, how many times was contact attempted before we gave up? Did we post the notice on their properties? Did we post the item anywhere near the general area, like other items coming to a city meeting? 
4. There's currently a specific plan being developed for The Bluffs. My understanding is that it's being pushed by the landowners, and isn't being paid for by the city. I approve that model when it comes to specific plans. They pay, we don't.

  —Joseph Morabito, June 10, 2026

I'm glad that it took us over 40 minutes before the vote to approve happened, but I just can't understand the mindset that approves this amount of money for something that doesn't even have a 50-50 chance of coming to fruition.

This is how clear the map was in the proposal from the winning bidder (Albert A. Webb & Associates (WEBB)), but it'll give you an idea of where the "downtown overlay" is.

Let's break down my points.

1) I like the concept of having a specific plan for that area, but that should have been an overlay in the recently adopted General Plan update. Which cost the city $1.5M. 

That was for the entire city, this is going to cost 1/3 of that price and for what boils down to a few open fields. It was touted that back in 2013 there was a "Visioning Project" that discussed this very concept.

Pointing to the fact that there is nothing built there... if the 2013 city council had found hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop a "specific plan" then it would have been a waste of effort if, at the end of it, they were hoping for a development there.

It was later offered that the 2013 "Visioning Project" gave design guidelines to the area, which brought in the new faux split rail fencing at the post office area. 

I didn't want to be argumentative with staff. I like the people who make up our staff, but I restrained myself from replying, "We know that the struggling city of Wildomar 2013 wouldn't have spent any real amounts of city money on such a thing, and even if they had spent a comparable amount as the $450k, no one would hang a star on the design guidelines over an actual regional destination retail area."

2) It's a ridiculously large amount of money.

3) This was the biggest rub for me. If you watch the video, I get pretty animated about how the city didn't reach out to any of the landowners in question to get their views. 

"If you're planning on 'community engagement' on my property without telling me ahead of time, you're going to have a problem."

How is that not universally understood and a dealbreaker (or at least a deal postponer) for everyone? 

4) At the south end of town, there is about 160 acres of prime freeway frontage land that is going through a specific plan of its own. 

As I pointed out, the key differences are that the land owners are pushing for it and paying for it. I'm in favor of that type of specific plan, not what we passed last night, where we're paying for something that the landowners aren't even aware of yet.

Where is the funding coming from?

Currently, the city has amassed more than $4M from Cannabis retailers, and it was highly touted that "no general fund money will be going to this specific plan study."

Frequently, projects get funded by grants, and the city will mention how the money isn't coming from the General Fund, sometimes euphemistically called OPM (Other People's Money).

But I reminded those in the chamber that the cannabis money is Wildomar money —money that could be spent on something far more tangible than a study destined to win a meaningless award, gather dust on a shelf, and leave the undeveloped areas unchanged long past their consume-by dates.

I guess I'm a tad more pessimistic than my colleagues.

I suggest watching the video if this is of interest to you. Who knows, since the vote went 4-1 with me the only naysayer, it could be me who is completely out of touch with the community's needs. 

Here is a link to the entire city council meeting YouTube video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5kujmqACvo

• Scott Road Update

I got an email from Menifee Mayor, Ricky Estrada, discussing his city's plans when it comes to Scott Road (for those who may not know, that's what Bundy Canyon's name changes to after you cross the city line with Menifee). 

I'll copy and paste, plus leave a screenshot of the email at the bottom of the blog. 

Dear Wildomar City Council,

I wanted to take a personal moment to thank the entire City Council on the Bundy Canyon/ Scott Road project. 

It is a great display of teamwork and regional partnership, to help both of our cities. 

The Menifee City Council approved, at our last council meeting, the resurfacing of this major roadway. 

Thank you for letting us join the city of Wildomar. Improving this roadway in both of our cities will help residence in both cities. Many residents in both of our cities, use  both the 15 and 215 freeway often.

Have a nice weekend.

Thank You,

Ricky Estrada | Menifee Mayor

  

I haven't heard about any timelines yet, but I wasn't informed before the work was done on Bundy Canyon in our own city. It sure was nice to take that road and see what a difference it makes after being resurfaced. 

You may have a question about the continued widening project of Bundy Canyon. That is still on pace to begin visible work sometime in the first quarter of 2027. I happened to meet a member of the construction management team at an RCTC event just yesterday.

Telling it to you straight, there are two more segments

As you remember, segment one went from the I-15 about a mile to the east. Segment two will pick up where that left off and stop somewhere between The Farm Road and Harvest Way. 

Funding hasn't been secured for segment three as of yet

 

The rosiest of time estimates is between 18 to 24 months.

I don't know why rosy predictions are ever repeated (have they ever come to pass anywhere in the world?). 

We can remember how long the first segment took, and it was a fairly straightforward job. Segment two is far, FAR, more complicated. 

Some utilities have to be relocated, such as water and power. There are road elevation changes, and a fair amount of low hillside has to be excavated so that the curve of the road can be modified. 

I looked to see if this project is on the city's website yet, and it isn't (it still hasn't even been sent out to bid yet). This is the side of the road that is slated to have some of the hillside removed. Not the entire red line by any means, it's just there to show you the general area in question, and which side of the street. 

I'd be ever so delighted to have it finished by mid 2028, but it's far better to be prepared for a lot of unforeseen occurrences, and be happy if it gets buttoned up by the end of 2029. That's my approach to it anyway. 

Once construction begins, especially the heaviest parts, plan on delays in your commute or errand running. I'm sure that it'll try the patience of the most serene individuals in town, much less those who get perturbed at relatively mundane things. 

The good news is that it shouldn't be happening before Christmas.

If you're wondering about the recent road surface upgrade, it's not part of the widening. At a recent Transportation Now (T-Now) meeting, we learned that there are two different materials used for the two different segments. 

The area in segment two, as I recall, has a material that will keep the road in a good state of repair while it's being improved.

Segment three has a more durable material that is rated for more than ten years, though we'd love to see the entire route from interstate to interstate completed long before then.