• City Council Meeting April 2026

The meeting began with a couple of proclamations (an Eagle Scout and Donate Life), an introduction of the new Fire Chief, Robert Fish, and Wildomar Battalion Chief, Shawn Burris, followed by a League of California Cities (Cal Cities) update from the Riverside County division Public Affairs Manager, Jesse Ramirez. (See meeting video at bottom of blog for full details)

There were three big takeaways from the meeting.

1) Wildomar Elementary's Stella's public comment

She spoke about the things she likes about Wildomar and Wildomar Elementary School, and then spoke about the desire to see a Wildomar Museum come to town.

Hey Historical Society, I think she's speaking your language. 

2) Community Development Update

I highlighted many of the slides from this presentation in a preview blog for this meeting. It was a somewhat shorter part of the meeting than I'd anticipated.

The presentation was about 6 minutes, and the question and answer portion was about another 6 minutes. 

I had questions regarding Walmart, Tres Lagos, and Camelia Townhomes. 

Let's Go Down The List
1) Walmart

Community Development Director Robert Flores went over entitlements (see video below for full exchange. Q&A begins at the 6:10 mark).

 "Entitlements are usually issued by the city and the property owner... through the entitlement that they receive, they have the ability, if the entitlement has not expired or if they meet all the conditions of approval, and they build the project in accordance with what was approved... they have the ability to build the project as approved. Unless the city revokes the permit for some reason" [04:46]

Q: On Revoking Entitlements

• Joseph Morabito: "You had said... 'unless the city revokes for some reason'... I'm assuming that those must be extraordinary reasons?"

• CDD: "There are particular findings we have to make... in order to revoke an entitlement; it's either that they're not complying with it, or they're not meeting the conditions of approval, or they're just not operating or using the permit as envisioned and as approved." 

• Joseph Morabito:  "So, a preponderance of comments on a Facebook post is not enough to stop it." 

Everyone at City Hall has been watching the responses on Facebook. Personally, I've answered many different comments on Facebook, and some through email or in person meetings.

The facts since 2015 have always been that the project is a done deal. 

One that I supported then and that I support now

When I announced that Walmart was going to finally get off its derriere and use its entitlements, I was somewhat taken aback by the comments.

To keep things in perspective: The approval vote was done back when today's high school seniors were still preschoolers. 

The video below is from February 2015. This is the council discussion before the Walmart vote. It has 32 views over all that time. 

I'm one who always gives the residents the straight answers as I know them. That seems to rankle some. They think I'm not nice enough (or something). 

I'm very nice, but I'm not going to lie to you, and I have very little patience with grown adults who push misinformation, needlessly upsetting the community on social media.

It's an election year and I could play it safe, or I could be the type of elected official you want representing you. 

The one who asks questions, gets answers, and tells it to you straight... even when the answers aren't what you want to hear.

2) Camelia Townhomes (163 attached condos)

The key for the community here is when the road work will be done. When it's complete, Palomar will connect to Jefferson and Washington will T into Palomar at a traffic signal. 

No dates as to when that will occur, but it will be before Camelia is granted rights of occupancy. 

This is an image I used back in 2017. The orange circle is the location of the future T intersection. Most of the homes on the left side of the image have been built as of 2026.

3) Tres Lagos phase 3

I asked if there was going to be any further road improvements (to Catt) and though the answer was 'no', the road is already being fixed.

Though I'd have liked to have seen that done by the developer, we all know about the special status of these types of SB35 projects that can, essentially, do anything they want with no requirements for approval that every other development would face. The bad part of Catt Rd is being redone as I'm typing. 

Ok, I mean the "really bad part" from where Tres Lagos ends and the stop sign at Hidden Springs.

Rough grading has occurred, and they're looking for permit for precise grading at this point. It sounds as if the developers are still looking for funding before they can start building phase 3. 

I inquired about their perimeter wall and if they'll get it in before the next rainy season. The usual order of things starts with perimeter walls going up before the rest of the construction, but there are no timetables at this point. 

3) Wildomar Cemetery Master Plan Update: Veterans and First Responders Memorial Stakeholder Engagement Workshop

This took up the lion's share of the three-hour meeting. 

It began with a brief presentation and then the original idea was to leave the dais for the workshop before getting into deeper opinions. 

Here is the location of all the cemetery land. Pay no attention to one of those street names. 

I try to stay away from quoting my colleagues for obvious reasons, so I'll just sum up what I got from this part of the meeting and suggest that you watch this item on the video if you'd like details.

In short, all five members of the city council are interested in having an official Veterans Memorial, but the level of enthusiasm for it being part of the cemetery (currently in the gravel parking lot of the ball fields to the east), varied greatly.

Cities can have more than one such memorial in town, and though one at the cemetery isn't a bad idea, I'd rather have "The Veterans Memorial" in a high traffic area. 

I'm not sanguine about either option.

I've been to these workshops many times in the past. Both as a general member of the public and a city councilman, and I can say with a high degree of confidence after participating in the workshop that NOTHING is going to happen anytime soon.

I'd be stunned if something demonstrative happened in less than five years... even ten, for that matter.

(For the record, I left my Cheerios at home. Inside joke you'll understand if you watch the video)

If you're going to watch the complete video, the item begins at the 1:35:00 mark of the video below.

• City Council Meeting Preview April 2026

If you're interested in hearing the facts about various development projects wending their way through the Wildomar city machine, I strongly urge you to make it a point to watch the coming Community Development Department & Development Update staff presentation that will be coming in the first half of the meeting.

Your other option, one I'd suggest avoiding, is to get misinformation from people on Facebook.

Slides from the coming presentation are already available to review. Here are a few that I pulled to share. 

Use this link to access the full slide presentation

Phases 1 and 2 are basically complete at this point, and phase 3 isn't far behind. 

This project has caused a lot of recent consternation due to incorrect information being circulated on Facebook though it was a done deal back when Obama was still in the White House. If you'd like to hear some facts, tune in.

You can see the rooftops from the freeway as you're leaving Lake Elsinore. This is another SB 35 Low-Income housing special, where they were allowed to cram a crazy number of units into an entirely unfit spot, and the city was barred by Sacramento from having any discretionary opinions on it. 

This is going to turn into a living hell for those who live near it. 

Camelia Townhomes caused a big ruckus back in 2017. The council chambers were jammed with people (mostly from Murrieta) for both the planning commission and city council meetings. 

Link to one of many 2017 blogs covering this.
https://wildomarrap.blogspot.com/2017/08/camelia-townhouse-project-slated-for.html
Remember, these are For Sale units, not apartments of any type. 

Unless you've driven past this, it's not easy to see much movement from Wildomar Trail to this point.

This is the final slide in the deck, but this is a department update, so it won't come with public comments attached to it. If you have questions you'd like addressed by staff during this item, you can email them to the city clerk, asking her to forward them to the Community Development Department. 

jmorales@wildomar.gov

You can also send any questions to the city council members, too. My email is jmorabito@wildomar.gov.

I won't be looking for questions on Facebook, so to ensure that your questions get addressed, please use email.

There is also a consent calendar item of interest, but I imagine it'll be brought up during the Community Development Department & Development Update already mentioned.

 1.11 Parcel Map No. 36612 (Westpark Promenade) Subdivision Improvement Agreement

191 housing units that were approved well before Wildomar Rap was even a twinkle in my eye... but it's finally starting to move forward. 

Located just north of Clinton Keith on the east side of the freeway. 

Here is a link I found online that goes into more details from the developer's POV. 

https://www.wdland.com/westpark-promenade

 

• Ever Wanted To Report An Abandoned Car?

Unless it's you with the piece of crap car that you've been storing on a neighborhood street, the answer is a resounding: YES, there is an eyesore on my street that I'd like gone, how do I get the city to look at it?

If you're really lucky, you may have more than one classic like this on your street.

The city is currently transitioning to a See-Click-Fix type of phone app that will work for any type of issue/concern in town that you may have... illegally parked cars are but one of many options. 

►What is See-Click-Fix? 

It is a non-emergency communication platform that connects residents directly with city departments. 

Instead of calling a general line and hoping you get the right person, the app uses your phone’s GPS and camera to route the issue exactly where it needs to go.

We've been hearing about this since Fall of last year, and the city is getting close to rolling it out (before the end of the fiscal year, which ends June 30th). 

I'm just taking a wild guess at the possible name and artwork that will be attached. I can only hope it would be something awesome and memorable, like the Wildomar Wonder Button, fingers crossed! 

►What They Typically Cover:

• Public Works: Potholes, broken streetlights, sidewalk cracks, and fallen tree limbs.

• Code Enforcement: Illegal dumping, overgrown weeds/tall grass, and graffiti.

• Animal Control: Deceased animals on the road or stray reports.

• Parking & Vehicles:  It’s used for abandoned vehicles or cars illegally parked (blocking sidewalks, parked on lawns, or blocking fire hydrants).

Key Features of the App:

• Photo Evidence: You can snap a photo of the offending car or pothole, which is automatically timestamped and geotagged.

• Transparency: You can see a map of other reports in Wildomar. If your neighbor already reported that old truck on the corner, you’ll see it on the map and can "follow" the fix.

• Status Updates: The app notifies you when a city staffer acknowledges the report and when the "ticket" is closed/resolved.

Many cities in our region use See-Click-Fix. I can't tell if San Clemente is just a new client of theirs, or if Lake Elsinore happens to have a lot of engaged residents. 

I'm sure there will be a grand rollout when it's ready, complete with a unique name that suits Wildomar. 

In the meantime, you still have the city website that you can use to report that old jalopy. I keep a shortcut to the exact page on my phone. 

https://wildomar.gov/323/Report-a-Complaint-Request-a-Service

Both the computer and phone versions are similar enough. The following screenshots are from my phone.

From the city's website you hit:

There is then a warning that you're about to leave the warm embrace of the city's website. Not sure why that's necessary, but it's there. 

When you see the red button, you know that you're nearly there.

There are several category options under "description" including: construction, graffiti, health & safety, homeless, other, trash & debris, vacant buildings, vehicles, and weeds.

Just to keep things anonymous and fun, let's use the future Walmart as the location. 

Once you've selected the location, you can either add your contact info or hit "yes" to have it be an anonymous submission (that's what I do). 

I'm looking forward to the Wildomar Wonder Button, or whatever moniker it's given. Which reminds me, I'll be asking how the name was chosen when the rollout occurs, whenever that happens to be. 

• City Council Meeting March 2026

Four key points from the meeting.

TOP NEWS FROM THE MEETING

---

• Walmart
• Palomar Road Widening
• Bundy Canyon West 
• Wildomat Trail/I-15

The Walmart Buzz

Though it's a done deal on paper, and it would be a real head scratcher if Walmart actually were playing some form of a Jedi Mind Trick here, there was still more hedging than I would have imagined. 

Go check out that part of the video; it was fun. lol

"Is Walmart really coming?" videolink here

The Director noted that the city is working closely with the developer to ensure that if the project moves forward, once the wobbling stops, and the earth begins being moved, it's said to take about 18 months before they'd be open for business. 

That will include Monte Vista being upgraded, including a signal on Monte Vista for one of their entrances. 

Intersection Update: Palomar & Gruwell

There is light at the end of the tunnel for the Palomar Street and Gruwell Street intersection. Final paving is said to be in April, while Wildomar Elementary is on school break.

While utility hurdles have been a headache, the Public Works Director gave a firm update that construction is in the home stretch. 

The goal is to have the intersection open to traffic this April. For those of you currently navigating the Como Street detour, hang in there just a little longer.

I asked that the city please water Como St during the detour. For those of you who aren't familiar with Como St (that section of it anyway), it's a dirt road that more resembles a motocross track, complete with whoopdeedoos (at least, that's what it feels like when driving a Honda Fit). 

I also suggested that we consider applying some TLC (intentionally vague because I don't know the scope involved) for the "private" roads nearest the construction area once it's done.

My comments start at the 33:47 mark of the video

There was some caution suggested that we don't want to set a precedent. 

My reply was for us to count how many times we've inconvenienced a private street (which are nearly all substandard to begin with), and if it's something that happens infrequently (which "infrequently" is still an overstatement when juxtaposed with the facts), let's keep that in mind, and not leave the areas in question high and dry.

Roadwork: Bundy Canyon

Don't forget that the section of Bundy Canyon west of the freeway is also slated for a much-needed resurfacing. 

This project is separate from the widening further east and is strictly aimed at fixing the deteriorating pavement to give us a smoother ride through that corridor.

Initially, it'll go from Angels Lane to Mission Trail. The part to the east of Angels Lane, to the freeway, will be the second part of the project. The portion nearest the overpass may need to be done at night to comply with Caltrans guidelines. 

Some of the roughest surfaces out there, but soon it'll be a thing of the past.

This was originally slated to be completed by the end of the fiscal year (July 1), but we were told to anticipate the first part being complete before May. 

Wildomar Trail Road Widening Saga

The Public Works team is currently in the "hopeful" stage regarding the potential widening of Wildomar Trail at the freeway.  The city is actively lobbying for a collaborative widening project that would improve the flow of traffic near the I-15 interchange.

We've been asking about this since Kaiser opened its doors. Now you know why the Bundy west resurfacing isn't waiting around for Caltrans's approvals before doing the parts we have complete control over. 

A rare daytime view when no cars are backed up at the stop sign heading east.

I asked the Public Works Director to let us know when he hears back from Caltrans, whether it's a thumbs up or a thumbs down. It's a state agency, and often, there is no rhyme or reason when it comes to their actions. 

Link to YouTube video

Link to agenda and video through the city

• City Council Meeting February 2026

Walmart and Bundy Canyon Rehab

The big takeaways from the February city council meeting are: Walmart is coming and Bundy Canyon is slated for rehab from Mission Trail to the Freeway, and then parts east of the previous Phase I road realignment. 

Walmart

This has been one of the longest, most interminable courtships since Ross and Rachel—complete with breakups, reconciliations, and extension after extension... and like Rachel, who almost left for Paris, Walmart is finally getting off the plane and staying in Wildomar.

At the 28-minute mark of the video, Councilwoman Bridgette Moore asked Community Development Director Robert Flores if there was an update on Walmart.

The answer was that Walmart is actively pursuing its permits and that, "We just received the final version of their grading plans [...] they're looking to begin grading in the next few weeks."

It's looking like those two will finally be tying the knot.

Based on Walmart's normal construction models, the doors will open a year after you see grading. Which prompted me to say that, based on my math, if they begin grading in the next few months, they'll be open by Summer of 2027, and we'll finally be able to buy underwear in town.

But even more important than that is the anticipated tax revenues that will be coming to the city. The original guestimate back in 2008 was that a Walmart would bring in $600K per year.

Now, let's add in all the inflation over the last 20 years, and the additional penny sales tax that the residents voted in favor of back in 2018 (Measure AA), and I think it would be safe to guess the total will be somewhere around $2,000,000 per year.

Bundy Canyon Road Rehab

Councilwoman Moore, sitting in the leadoff spot for comments, asked, "When will Bundy Canyon, from the freeway to Mission Trail, start?"

It was a very long answer, but the takeaway is that the project is anticipated to be done before the end of this fiscal year.

Which, if that's accurate, means before July 1st. 

The meeting ran for a bit more than two hours. There are other things too, of course, but that's the end of this blog. 

Cue up the meeting and take a look at the full meeting experience.

(link to YouTube video of the meeting)

• City Council Meeting January 2026

This blog is going to be highlights from my notes of the meeting... if you ever want to chat about what transpired at a city council meeting, let's set something up. jmorabito@wildomar.gov

TOP NEWS FROM THE MEETING

---

• Public Works Update
• Permitting Software 
• Historic Downtown
• Raising Taxes

Meeting Recap

Public Comments of note:

Andy Morris of EVMWD spoke about the bids for the Septic to Sewer project in Sedco, which came in lower than expected, and that frees up some funding for additional participants who may now be interested. 

If you're in the area of the project and didn't opt in already, please contact EVMWD as soon as possible to see if you can be included. 

 

This was a longish and somewhat dry presentation, but one that I appreciated, being that it was in the open part of the council meeting. 

In years past, this was usually part of the city manager review process, which is a closed session thing. To get the full information on the seven bullet points above, please check out the video of the meeting. 

I had a couple of comments on the list above.

Historic Downtown

Call me old fashioned, but I like using real terms for things. If you're building something new, it's not historic... unless, maybe, it's supposed to be a replica of something that's being updated, not being created out of whole cloth. 

If you're not certain, item 2 (historic old town specific plan) is the general area where Wildomar Elementary School is. 

Though I like the idea of having a themed commercial development in that area, I suggested we consider different terminology than "historic" since it's counterintuitive.

Reminds me of the "Miracle Mile" designation that a past city manager used to describe Clinton Keith from Albertsons to The Hive. Something that was grating to most people who actually live in Wildomar.

Permitting Software was mentioned as a goal

I seemed to be the only council member who was even curious about the costs associated with new software. 

The cost to buy in was ballparked at "between $200k and $300K" with a yearly licensing fee that wasn't guessed at. 

If you watch the video of the meeting, you'll see that my concern was about any additional costs being passed onto the person pulling a permit. 

Raising Taxes?

The idea of revenue increases through tax increases was touched on at the 51:00 mark of the meeting the high costs of public safety were brought up by the city manager.

"We have to grow economically. We can do that by raising taxes, we can also do that by bringing in responsible business growth."

My response to the suggestion went this way, "I know that you were just mentioning as ways that cities can get revenue, but my 'Spidey senses' went up at even the suggestion of raising taxes. It's always good to bring in additional revenues by bringing in additional businesses, but changing the [tax] rate to bring in additional taxes would be a hard sell for me, much less the residents."

No other members of the council commented on the issue. 

Walmart Update

The city manager mentioned that Walmart was moving forward (their final EOT expires before the end of March), but still wasn't ready to say they're going to build yet.

I'm not in the inner circle of Walmart's expansion team, nor part of the furthest outer circle either, but I can't see why they would be monkeying around with the city, at this eleventh hour, if they weren't intent on using their approved plans

Notes On Business Registration

We're moving in the direction of less regulation and less burden on businesses. Our "registration" was already a lesser burden than cities that use the "business license" method.

The goal will be to make this more of a voluntary arrangement. If you want (need) a business license (many businesses need them for their landlords, banks, or insurance companies), then come down and get one. Check with the city if you're unclear where your business may stand when it comes to city business registration.

Public Works Updates

Bundy Canyon road improvement has been on the books since before cityhood in 2008. In short, once we became a city, the county said, "Here, this is now your problem... good luck!"

I've been on city council for seven years now, and I'm glad that phase one is in the books, but I predict that it'll be a very long time before Segment 3 is funded. 

Back to Segment 2 (begins where Phase 1 ends (about 1,400-1,600 feet east of Oak Canyon Drive) and extends eastward to just before Harvest Way), I anticipate it beginning before the end of the year, and the construction window for that will be two years. 

The good news is that the major Clinton Keith road widening will not be going on concurrently with the Bundy Canyon, which had long been anticipated.   

Also, there are plans to keep rehab the road surface on Bundy Canyon, all the way from Mission Trail to Menifee. Menifee is said to be looking at Scott Road, which is in their city. 

Additional Lane Wildomar Trail/I15

No word from Caltrans about the Wildomar Trail widening at the freeway. Councilwoman Bridgette Moore and I are always asking staff about this. 

Future Agenda Items

Though it's a drop in the bucket, I suggested we discuss the idea of crediting the businesses in the Palomar Road work zone for their cost for business registration. 

•

There were lots of other things in this meeting. It lasted nearly three hours. Below is a link to the YouTube video if you'd like to take a look.

Here is a link to the video at the city's website. This will allow you to quickly access each agenda item without having to fish around for it.

• Did Someone Say "Walmart"?

The on-again off-again courtship of Walmart and Wildomar is now to the point of sh** or get off the pot.

Walmart got approvals back in 2015, and each time that their time limit was being reached, they applied for an EOT (Extension of Time). 

These guys make cats jealous.

EOTs can't go on indefinitely, and Walmart is just a few months from the last EOT expiring, March '26, I believe it is. 

A brief history of Walmart and Wildomar

Had Walmart not been on the books back when cityhood was put on the ballot, and the anticipated sales tax revenue it would bring in, LAFCO (Local Agency Formation COmission) wouldn't have approved the petitions of WIN (Wildomar Incorporate Now) and it would never have made it to the ballot back in 2008.

Back in 2015 I reported on Walmart's official approvals from the planning commission and then the city council. 

VIDEO TO 2015 MEETING BELOW

Then the project was hit with a lawsuit, and amazingly enough, it wasn't brought by any of that era's Wildomar haters. Instead, it was by someone who would follow Walmart around and look to slow their roll whenever possible.

Eventually, that gambit ran out of legal steam, and Walmart got the green light from the courts to move forward with its approved project on Bundy, east of the freeway. 

However (there always seems to be a 'however'), by the time the legal hurdles had been cleared, as it was shared with me, their business model had morphed due to Amazon's increase in market share.

So, the project was put into mothballs. Which has long been regarded as a linchpin for development in that part of town. It's been suggested that once Walmart goes in, other development will follow in behind it. 

Through the years, as each deadline for their project approached, they would file for an EOT. Makes sense considering that they'd invested a fair amount of time and money to get it approved, and it's only a pittance to get an extension.

But as stated at the top of this blog, EOTs can't go on forever and we're now in the final few months before action must begin.

I was looking for a graphic from the recent State of the City event where Walmart was mentioned as part of future development, albeit not carved in stone.

I couldn't find the city-made graphic I had in mind, so I'll make one that is an incredible simulation (lol). 

Mickey Dee's and Starbucks are already built, waiting to be finalized on the inside. Will Walmart finally make its long anticipated groundbreaking before its project deadline comes and goes?

In addition to the legal hurdles that Walmart had to get past, they had also been conditioned to do considerable amounts of infrastructure improvements on Bundy Canyon. 

Lo and behold, those are all complete now, so that burden has been lifted off their bank account's shoulders —assuming they proceed, that is... lucky them. 

Hey, look, I found the city image I mentioned before. This was part of the 2025 Wildomar State of the City video. 

Wildomar Rap opinion time

Walmart has been a hot button issue for many, for a very long time, when the topic arises. 

Several Wildomar longtimers have never wanted any growth in Wildomar, I've heard them loud and clear over the years. 

REMINDER
This project, if they actually follow through, is ALREADY approved. 

A Walmart in town will make shopping convenient for all the Wildomar residents who shop at Walmart. Then there are the projected tax revenues that will come to the city. 

If memory serves, I recall hearing that a sum of about $600,000 would have come to the city in 2008 from Walmart.

On the cusp of 2026, that doesn't sound like much, but now factor in inflation, and the additional Measure A sales tax, and that figure can't be lower than $2M today.  

For those who dislike development, I don't know what to tell you, that's always been the way of the world, especially in the USA. 

For those who understand the benefits to the community that come with commercial development, this could be the tipping point in watching Wildomar's historically woeful budget issues recede further back into history. 

From my standpoint, as a member of the City Council, I will be watching any new revenues that come in like a hawk. 

The new revenues will need to be used for the benefit of the community, not the benefit of staffing at City Hall... which I'm confident that is a shared consensus by the council, and the city manager.

If Walmart doesn't come, at least this endless danse macabre will finally be over (I think).

Below is a video I made after the January 2015 Planning Commission meeting. It's the full presentation.

Here's a link to more of the same meeting; this one is regarding public comments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6GkjJYmM0s

Here's the third video from that meeting, the commission comments portion. 

If you jump down to the 10:30 mark, you'll see Commissioner Stan Smith's wise words when it comes to the sales tax that would be generated by Walmart. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHjc3fZ_Z9E

Last of the links... here's one to the 2019 blog covering a press release from the City of Wildomar stating that Walmart had chosen to sell their property.
https://wildomarrap.blogspot.com/2019/03/adios-walmart.html