• City Council Meeting June 2019

The big news that came from the June 2019 city council meeting came with item 3.1 (smoke shop zoning) look for that further down in the blog. 

Presentations: 
• Craft Brew Fest Update
Ginger Greaves, of the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve, gave a recap of the Rooted In Nature Craft Brew Fest. There were over 900 tickets sold, with an estimated total attendance of 1556 (that includes volunteers, staff, reps, brewers, etc.)

Proclamation 
• Parks Make Life Better
Councilmember Bridgette Moore accepted on behalf of Daniel Torres, Janet Morales, Cameron Luna and Christy Bowen.

Thanking all that make Wildomar Parks a spectacular place.

Other Presentations included one to Former Fire Division Chief Geoff Pemberton, 5 Year Employee Pin- Dan York, New City Employee Introduction- Travis Solorio, and a Library Update. 

Mayor Marsha Swanson praises Daniel Torres (left) for how nice the cemetery always is, as new Wildomar employee Travis Solorio looks on.

1.10 Declare a Vacancy on the Planning Commission 

This is the third planning commission seat that's become available in the last six months. If you're interested in applying for this position, you have about a month to get your application in. 

All applications must be returned to the City Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m., on Monday, July 15, 2019.

LINK TO APPLICATION

Item 3.1 
interim urgency ordinance adopting a 45-day moratorium on the establishment of Tobacco Retailing Businesses or Hookah or Vapor Lounges within the City of Wildomar. (1:12:00 in the video)

Long story short, the city heard the community's outrage over the apparent new tenant at the former Jolie Day Spa, and acted. 

It was suggested during public comments on this item that the city "should have never let them start the process". 

I know that the city didn't "allow" this despite the activity at the location. No permits have ever been issued for a new business in the old Jolie Day Spa building.

City Manager Gary Nordquist confirmed that "[T]here were no permits issued. They began the process [with] unpermitted construction."

Just like some people disregard safe driving laws and drive recklessly, others disregard city zoning ordinances when they feel like it and act as if they've completed the permit process.

Blaming the city for the actions someone else took when no one was looking, resonates about as well as an old, scratched, Singing Nun 45, with a bent needle.

(I bet that most people under 50 have no clue about most of that reference... lol)

The moratorium is for 45 days so that staff can study potential options to the zoning code. That way, in the future, if a landlord thinks it's fine to lease to such a business (that is a scant 150 feet away from an elementary school) the codes will prevent it.

Though the moratorium can be extended twice, for up to a two year period, I don't anticipate that happening.

Speaking for myself, I'm fine with such businesses coming to town, but they shouldn't be near sensitive use areas like schools, daycare, churches and parks.

3.4 Planning Commission Appointment (Councilmember Benoit)

Brianna "Bri" Bernard, seven year resident of Wildomar, will join John Lloyd, Kim Strong, and Eric Filar as Wildomar's current crop of Planning Commissioners. As noted above, another vacancy came about when Michele Thomas stepped down.

Brianna "Bri" Bernard as she was glancing over at City Planner Matt Bassi from the podium.

3.5 Measure AA Citizen’s Oversight Advisory Committee Appointments
Five Wildomar citizens were appointed to the new oversight committee to ensure that the new revenues from the recently levied sales tax increase goes to four basic needs (Police, Fire, Homeless Issues and Roads).

This had a bit of a hiccup, or a wrinkle, in it before it was voted on. Mayor Pro-Tem Dustin Nigg suggested a slate of five candidates where four of them are already empaneled on the Measure Z (parks tax) oversight committee. I wasn't a fan of that idea.

My thinking was different on this issue

Historically speaking, Wildomar has NOT been blessed with an overabundance of volunteers when it comes to the Measure Z Committee. In my time of watching (since 2013) there have been many times that open seats would get ZERO applications turned in.

Often times the open seats were filled because a city council member would make a special request of friends. 

Don't misunderstand me here, that's a legitimate method of finding interested persons for the job when traditional methods yield no candidates, but I bring that up to remind everyone how few people have been interested in such a post without a bit of coaxing/cajoling along the way.

I wanted the first iteration of the new Measure AA Committee to be comprised with as many new, qualified applicants as we could get. 

Because my suspicion is that, in relatively short order, interest in the Measure AA Committee —five years out, will barely be measurable... even with a nuclear stethoscope.

My idea was to bring in fresh blood while there was an ample supply willingly knocking on the door.

I made a motion to have Monty Goddard on the committee, but the motion died due to a lack of a second. 

It would be unfairly speculative for me to get into why I think he wasn't voted in, he certainly has the bulldog tenacity to do the job better than any of the other candidates, but in the end, that wasn't the key factor for the balance of the voting members.

Let's just hope that there isn't a membership drop off from either Measure AA or Z which will then see us asking for more community volunteers when we just turned four away.

Seeing that the Planning Commission will have seen a 60% changeover in under half a year, a position with more prestige and importance, I wouldn't be holding my breath on the Z-AA rosters staying unchanged over the next 24 months.

3.6 Establishment of Cannabis Subcommittee

Mayor Pro-Tem Dustin Nigg and Councilmember Bridgette Moore will comprise the Cannabis Subcommittee. They will work with staff to then later bring back ideas on matters relating to commercial cannabis in Wildomar to the full council.

This is what is known as an Ad Hoc Committee.

Link to web definition.

With ad hoc committees, they aren't held to the same type of open meeting regulations that a standing committee must abided by (1:56:40 of the video). They don't have to have any public meetings.

Much, if not most, of the work will take place in informal settings. Much of it will involve leg work as they gather various facts from various sources in various locales... not at the dais like a standing subcommittee meeting (such as parks, trails and franchise subcommittees).

After hearing City Attorney Tom Jex explain it, I don't anticipate any public meetings for this committee. 

Before thinking that the public is being left out of the loop, the subcommittee will not be making any decisions on its own. That will be left to the full council, at a fully agendized and open meeting, in accordance with The Brown Act.

•                •                •

No matter how much cats fight, there always seems to be plenty of kittens.
– President Abraham Lincoln

Wildomar Rap welcomes new planning commissioner Bri Bernard to the Wildomar family. She's a fan of Lincoln quotes, so if she ever bumps into this blog, that could be the commonality that turns her into a fan. At that point we can then ponder over what Abe's fascination with felines could've been.

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