• Fun With Stats Through The Lens of Wildomar City Council Elections

I asked Perplexity AI (which I've found to be one of the better ones) the following question: 

Let's test your ability to retrieve statistics in election results. 

Okay, I'm thinking of the city of Wildomar. It's not a very old city. There haven't been that many elections. So which city council member, since 2008, has received the most votes? 

Second question: which city council member received the highest percentage? 

Two different statistics.

Most votes, highest percentage. On your mark, get set, go!

I still find it entertaining to talk to these AIs as if they're a real person (yes, I'm easily amused, lol).

My guess had been that Bridgette Moore or Bob Cashman would have been the highest vote getter, as he had the most votes in the inaugural election in 2008.

I found that the single election top vote-getter is:

Bridgette Moore! 

In 2012 she got nearly 5,000 votes, a total of 4,874.

As you can see from the graphic above, there are two legitimate categories for highest percentage. 

First are the uncontested examples

You may be wondering why those uncontested seats were on the ballot, but the two uncontested seats in 2026 were not.

There is a state law that requires uncontested seats to be on the ballot if there is another item from the city. In 2018, Measure A was on the ballot, so both District 1 and 5 had to be on the ballot, too, despite there being no opponent.

That's happened this year in Lake Elsinore. 

For uncontested seats, the record is 100%. Even if the total number of votes had been 11, it still would have been 100%. 

The second category is for a contested seat

That goes to Mr. Wildomar Rap, Joseph Morabito, with a highwater mark of 71.18%.

Just edging out Bridgette Moore's 70.9%. It can't go unsaid that she had TWO opponents, and got over 700 more votes than Morabito (sorry about the third-person nonsense). 

A fair thing to note, not that it diminishes the numbers, but District 4 happens during Presidential years, and the turnout is always much greater in those years. 

Imagine if we were talking about Home Run leaders and one person played in a bandbox like Fenway Park, and the other played in the old Houston Astrodome, lol. 

As of the last count in the 2026 District 5 City Council election, incumbent Ashlee DePhillippo had a comfortable lead, and Wildomar Rap declared her the winner. 

• Planning Commission Meeting November 2026 PREVIEW Melia Homes

You've seen the signs, and now you need to know what's actually on the agenda regarding the proposed development known as Melia Homes. 

This is NOT regarding the oddly named "Mission Hills" project on Mission Trail and Como. From what the agenda says, that's being pushed to another day. 

Since this is an active item and could find its way to the City Council, I'm going to avoid any opinions about this project... other than elections have consequences, and this type of thing is 100% due to the continued Democrat stranglehold on Sacramento. 

If you voted for the blue team, you voted for these types of projects to be greenlit in Wildomar. 

Here are the facts: 

This agenda item is for a 95-home development project (PLN25-0048 / Tentative Tract Map No. 39266) located near the southwest corner of Palomar Street and Wesley Street.

What is Being Proposed?

A developer wants to build 95 single-family homes on roughly 16 acres of land at Palomar Street and Wesley Street.

Why is it Controversial?

Normally, City rules for this property (Medium Density Residential / R-1 zoning) cap development at 80 homes. However, the developer is using California’s State Density Bonus Law to add 15 extra homes, bringing the total to 95.

To qualify for these extra homes under state law, the developer only has to set aside 4 homes (5%) as low-income affordable housing.

I had Google Gemini make this graphic based on information in the agenda.

As you can see, the smallest home is 4 bedrooms. I couldn't find a distinction between the market value homes, and the low income versions in the agenda. 

I'm guessing those will be the micro sized lots mentioned below. For a comparison, my home is 2150sf, and it sits on over 10,000sf. 

I'm curious as to what the price point will be for the 4 "low income" homes.

What Else is the Developer Asking For?

Because the developer is using state housing laws, the City is required to consider several waivers and exemptions that bypass normal Wildomar rules:

• Much Smaller Lots: City rules require home lots to be at least 7,200 square feet. The developer is asking to make lots as small as 3,429 square feet so they can squeeze 95 homes onto the land.
  
  
• Narrower Streets & Yards: The developer wants waivers to allow narrower lot widths, shorter front yards (less than the standard 20-foot setback), and tighter side yards.
  
  
• Taller Walls (Up to 13 Feet): Standard City rules limit property walls and fences to 6 feet. The developer is asking for permission to build retaining walls up to 13 feet tall to handle land grading and drainage.
  
  
• Power Pole Exemption: City codes normally require developers to put power lines and utilities underground along main streets. The developer is asking for a special financial concession to avoid putting the power poles underground along Palomar Street, claiming it costs too much.
  
  
• No Detailed Environmental Impact Report (CEQA Exemption): Staff is recommending that the project be declared exempt from further environmental study under state guidelines (CEQA Section 15183).
  
  

Keep in mind

Under state laws like the Housing Accountability Act (SB 330), cities in California have very limited power to turn down housing projects that include affordable units or to force developers to reduce the number of homes, as long as basic standards are met.

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Link to Agenda

https://granicus_production_attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/cityofwildomar/ae31f80e71e6d2435636e791b0f6ba580.html

Wildomar Rap opinion time

If this is important to you, plan to attend and either speak on the item or donate your time to another speaker. 

I'd like to suggest that you keep the state laws in mind before attacking the Planning Commission. 

They, like the City Council, are regular people throughout Wildomar. They're on the Planning Commission because they care about Wildomar. 

You can also watch the livestream and give a comment by telephone. Check the agenda for how that's done.

I'll be watching through the livestream. I'd love to add more opinions here, but by law, I can't.