The meeting began with a statement from Mayor Carlos Marquez discussing the social media dust up regarding items in last month's Planning Commission agenda.
City Leadership Addresses Planning Commission Process and Rural Animal Setbacks
In the most recent city council meeting, Mayor Carlos Marquez and the City Manager took time during the opening remarks to address community concerns regarding a recent Planning Commission item.
Clarifying the Legislative Process
Mayor Marquez emphasized that the item in question... which sparked significant public debate, was initiated by city staff for a Planning Commission meeting, not by the City Council or the Planning Commissioners themselves. He clarified that the Commission serves an advisory role, and any final policy changes would require a full public hearing and City Council action before being implemented.
Acknowledging Communication Gaps
The city leadership acknowledged that the item was scheduled for a "special" meeting, which legally allowed for a shorter notice period than a regularly scheduled meeting.
The Issue: The shorter notice period did not provide residents with adequate time to review the proposal and participate meaningfully.
The Fix: Moving forward, the City Manager is implementing internal changes to avoid using special meetings for major community-impacting items. The goal is to ensure earlier and clearer communication with residents.
Focus on Rural Character and Large Animals
A major point of concern for residents involved setbacks for large animals in rural zones. The Mayor announced that the Community Development Director will be bringing back the setbacks previously adopted during the general plan update. The administration’s stated goal is to avoid overly restrictive rules for large animals while maintaining the community's compatibility.
Commitment to Transparency
The City Manager apologized for the "scare" caused by the proposal's appearance on the staff report and reiterated that there is no desire to change the equestrian or rural nature of the area. He noted that the community's quick response is a sign that the public is engaged and watching, which helps keep local government accountable.
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I didn't know if the matter was going to be addressed or not, but I have to say that was a great example of leadership in a contentious time. No running from it. No excuse making. Just ownership, contrition, and remedy.
Watch the short video and judge for yourself.
The tale of two public comments
There were two public comments on the issues the Mayor addressed. I loved the first and shook my head at the second.
"Why?" You may ask...
The first speaker, from her own words, "I was prepared to come with 'guns ablazin', but I will not do that, I accept your apology."
The second speaker started off pretty much the same way, but then decided to give her prepared speech anyway. Essentially accusing the city of "silently ripping away" her property rights.
We all have the right to say whatever we'd like, but maybe reach out to the people you're about to lambast first, and learn how to edit on the fly when your prepared speech is obviously off the mark to the point that the dart didn't even hit the wall the board is hanging on.
Your rights were never in jeopardy
There was no way the items in the April planning commission agenda were going to be passed by the planning commission in the first place.
Please stop insulting the members of our planning commission.
The commission is made up of five people who are homeowners in Wildomar and take their charge very seriously. Behind them is the city council, who also would never have let such setbacks be adopted, EVER!
I've heard the same rationale as to how the setbacks got to the planning commission agenda from our city manager, and though I accept it, I think it's a blemish that will take a very long time to fully fade away. Let's move on.
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Presentations: Shelly and Michael Wiggs.
Actually, this part of the meeting was to honor retiring LEUSD teachers from Wildomar, but I'm keying in on Michael and Shelly because I have known them (we're family friends) for twenty years.
They both started at Donald Graham Elementary when it opened back in the 1990s. They've each put in 36 years and are truly great people. Exactly the type we'd all want teaching our children.
We also said goodbye to Officer Baca
She has been part of the RSO Lake Elsinore Station as long as I've been paying attention. Happy retirement.
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| Officer Baca is in the middle. |
Other Public Comments
It's so inspirational to see the youth participating, not an easy feat even for adults. Annabelle spoke about the historic bell at Wildomar Elementary, and Stella spoke about her idea of a Wildomar museum.
Here is a link to the video where her comments begin
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| Annabelle (behind the microphone) and Stella to her right. |
Consent Calendar
Item 1.19 $459K for a Specific Plan of "Old Town".
For me, this was the most interesting part of the agenda.
I want to say that I was pleased with the way this item was handled by the council. I didn't count any of us who were sanguine with it being on the consent calendar.
In the end, this was tabled for the next meeting, where there will be a proper presentation, and the public will have more notice so they can weigh in.
This item should have been a general business item with a full presentation, not a "routine matter" found on the consent calendar.
Though I'd love to see a specific plan as described, I'm not going to vote to approve any (serious) money for the endeavor.
I, too, was prepared to come with 'guns ablazin' on this item, but once I saw the direction the council was heading, I recognized it was better to 'keep my powder dry' and save my A-game for when it comes back to the dais (which is said to be next month).
Stay tuned and please be ready to weigh in on this, be it in person at the next meeting, or by sending in an email with your thoughts.
View the item on video with this link
The full meeting video is below.































