Wildomar Rap: August 2020

Friday, August 28, 2020

• City Council Meeting August Special 2

The second special city council meeting of the month came with several interesting bits of news.

A lot of good news, and it started with weed abatement that will be coming to delinquent property owners; most of which are not residents of Wilodmar.

Property owners have been notified by mail, and if they don't remove the weeds, the city will and bill them.

My comment was that we aren't looking to hammer the property owners.

That in a perfect world people would naturally know to take care of their property without having to be told, but we don't live in a perfect world and since some people only respond to threats of legal action and fines, "so there we are."

If you're one of the people listed on page 11 of the agenda packet, why not do the noble thing and whack those weeds?

Market Research Study in Wildomar

From the staff report

BACKGROUND:

Wildomar has several areas of prime, raw real estate along the I-15 freeway corridor that can be and will be developed.

Additionally, the areas along the Clinton Keith Road corridor, which is an important commercial corridor spanning from the Santa Rosa Plateau (Tenaja), east to French Valley.

A market research study is necessary to ensure we are marketing the vision of Wildomar’s growth to the ideal businesses and developers.

DISCUSSION:

This market research study will provide data to show areas of opportunity for Wildomar’s growth, allowing the City and business interests to have a clear, data-driven vision of the development opportunities (hotel, retail, office, restaurant) in the City of Wildomar.

The City has never had such a report to share with the business community, that would present a comprehensive marketing tool for future development businesses and job opportunities.

The data from this report will be an essential step to having meaningful conversations about Wildomar with targeted developers.

FISCAL IMPACT:

The cost of the study is $25,000 and was approved as part of the FY 2020-21 Budget process.

No one voiced opposition to this item. There was a good discussion that included all five members of the council. If you'd like to hear the details, please aim for the 8:00 mark of the video.

I look at it this way (Yes, a baseball analogy 🙄), we've entered the league of Economic Development by hiring a very sought after professional to be our Director of Economic Development.

Let's think of her (Kimberly Davidson) as our clean up hitter. It's kind of nonsensical to bring her onto the team and not furnish her with the tools to succeed; a bat, a glove and some cleats. (Hold back little league dad... I know you want to talk about how much money each parent spends equipping their future hall of famer - not the team, but let's try to catch a basic point, instead of having it bounce of our heads, Jose Canseco style, and over the fence for a homer, deal? 😅)

Here's a key quote from EDD Davidson

You want to think of this (study) kind of like a Consumer Reports. Canon might tell you that they have the best camera on the market, but before you're going to go spend the money on that camera, you're probably going to look at Consumer Reports, because you're going to want a third party, unbiased research firm that backs up the data that the company is saying. That's exactly what this research study is.
- Wildomar EDD, Kimberly Davidson

Yes, $25,000 is real money. Yes, we need to spend our resident's money wisely. In the estimation of the council, this is a wise use of the resident's money. The goal is to bring quality businesses to our city which will me that pay back that amount.

In line with our city's visioning statement of responsible growth.

Crafted and adopted in December 2017.

Other than a temporary adjustment to the city council meeting start times, the last thing that was gone over was an updated special events line up. It looks to be Covid proof, so take a look and start planning on attending one or more of these events.

Details are still being hashed out, but it's good to see there will be some Covid-safe events for people to attend.

Let’s Talk Astronomy

• September 12, 2020

• Pre-recorded Interview

• John Garrett from the Temecula Valley Astronomers

• Major themes

• Encourage Astronomy in Wildomar

• Recourses and Equipment

• Recent Astronomical Events

• Q & A segment

• Video will be posted on the City of Wildomar Facebook Page

Halloween Laser Drive-In Show

• October 24, 2020

• Held at Marna O’Brien Park

• Car will be required to Pre-Register online

• Limited to 70 – 100 vehicles

• Park on Grass

• FM Transmitter

• Multiple Screens

• Halloween Themed

• Two (2) 45 min showings

Military and Veterans Appreciation

• November 11, 2020

• Filmed at Marna O’Brien Park

• Pre-Recorded

• Released on City of Wildomar Facebook Page

• Include Completed Girl Scout Military Appreciation Garden Project

• Residents can submit photos of Wildomar Veterans

Santa’s Coming to Town

• December 12, 2020

• Santa will travel to multiple communities with Wildomar

• Locations and Time frame will be pre-leased

• 5 Districts

• Attempt to include as many of “Santa’s Helpers” Included

• • •

History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives.

– Abba Eban

Wildomar Rap has been exhausted for all of 2020.

This blog was produced for viewing on a desktop or a laptop. Though it's been optimized for smartphones, the formatting can look odd on a smartphone or if you get this delivered through email (such as missing video links). Link to proper format.

Oh, and thanks google for jacking around with the format... the fonts are all wrong.

• Gov Newsom Shares "Blueprint for a Safer California"

Today, California's Governor Gavin Newsom shared a retooled process for loosening and tightening COVID-19 restrictions.

The new plan requires 21 days before a county can move to a less-restrictive tier in order to know what may be adversely affecting public health. And it features a new process for tightening up if and when conditions worsen.

The tiers are color-coded:

Purple for Widespread (more than 7 daily new cases per 100,000; more than 8% positive tests; most non-essential indoor businesses closed)
Red for Substantial (4-7 daily new cases per 100,000; 5-8% positive tests; some non- essential indoor businesses closed
Orange for Moderate (1-3.9 daily new cases per 100,000; 2-4.9% positive tests; some business operations open with modifications)
Yellow for Minimal (fewer than one daily new case per 100,000; less than 2% positive tests; most business operations open with modifications).

“We don’t put up green because we don’t believe that there is a green light that says go back to the way things were, or back to a pre-pandemic mindset,” the governor said.

Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties are all in the purple (widespread) tier.

According to the website, that means, "Counties in the Widespread tier (purple, which includes Riverside) may open some businesses and activities with modifications, including all retail, shopping centers at maximum 25% capacity, and hair salons and barbershops indoors."

Santa Barbara and San Diego are in the slightly less restrictive red tier.

COVID-19 website

Blueprint for a Safer Economy

Will this help our economy?

It's certainly better than nothing...

Still, at this point, there's such a large portion of our economy that is simply waiting to exhale... to continue the metaphor, but I don't see this as assisting the free flow of oxygen they way coming up for air in a pool would.

I see it more like handing someone a straw to breathe through. Better than nothing, but not life sustaining for many.

The one thing I'd continue to implore among the community is to do your best to maintain your dignity. There is nothing good that is served by being hostile with each other on social media or in public. By all means, if you have a different POV, then share it if you must, but in reality haven't you figured it out yet that NO ONE IS GOING TO CHANGE THEIR MIND BECAUSE YOU POST A HATEFUL MEME?

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

• Special City Council Meeting: August 2020

Very quick city council meeting, just over 10 minutes with one item on the agenda. Whether or not to have an election in District 2, which would only have one name on the ballot: Incumbent Dustin Nigg.

Come on, let's have a vote anyway... who cares if it costs $15,000 or not?😵

Since the item involved the Mayor, he recused himself and handed the reins of the meeting over to Mayor Pro-Tem Bridgette Moore.

There was one public comment, Kenny Mayes, who happens to be on the ballot in the District 4 contest. He mentioned it on Facebook earlier and I suggested he could bring it up as a public comment.

I'm not really sure of any controversies, but he sort of addressed it in his comment.

Programming note: his comment came before the staff report. Would he have changed his comment had it been delivered after instead of before? I doubt it, but we'll never know.

Below is a transcript of his comment.

"Okay, I think that Dustin should have to run for election because of all the controversy with the cannabis decision and then some of the decisions that he made during the covid situation with marchers downtown and 'wear a mask, don't wear a mask' and I think that he needs to run for that seat to show [...] how many citizens still support him and if he gets less than 50% then I think he should have to make a choice is to whether to stay or leave, but I think the citizens in that district should [...] be able to make that decision.”
—Kenny Mayes

The original estimate of how much the Registrar of Voters would charge Wildomar to conduct that election was between $8,000 and $10,000. That's what was in the agenda packet.

As it turns out, after more digging, the price tag to hold a worthless election was estimated to be $15,000.

After learning the cost of the election, Councilman Ben Benoit basically replied, "To not have the election will save us $15,000? Okay, that makes it an easy choice for me."

My comment was that maybe big cities can afford to spend $15,000 on a symbolic vote, but I don't see the point in wasting money in what's a foregone conclusion.

I then said how I thought it was odd that in his public comment Kenny thought we should spend the money for it. At the same time he's made a public records request to find out the cost difference on trash bags with and without a city logo... because that's a "want" in his book.

As seen on facebook.

Sorry Kenny, though I agree with you that sun shades at the park are more of a want than a need, $15,000 on a glorified straw poll that has no meaning is a bad option to make, and is a want.

In addition to the poll not having meaning, based on his comment it seems that he didn't understand how such a poll would work.

The only option was to have ONE name on the ballot, and that means if only five people out of 2000 vote, it's still considered 100% of the vote. There is no "none of the above" option on the ballot.

But, out of a sense of fairness, I've constructed a poll that pits incumbent Dustin Nigg against SMOD (Sweet Meteor of Death).

Technically you should be in District 2 to participate, but I'm not requiring ID, so have at it even if you're in one of the other four districts.

Choose wisely.

Yes, I know you already saw this graphic, but it's cool and I wanted it to show up as the graphic when the blog is shared... so here we are.

Wildomar City Council Dist 2

Create a Poll with PollMaker

While we're at it, let's do a poll for District 4 too...

What say you?

Wildomar City Council Dist 4

Created with PollMaker

...and out of fairness, I'll make an option with SMOD too.

The match of the century.

Wildomar City Council Dist. 4

Created with PollMaker

Below is the short video of the short meeting.

Thursday, August 13, 2020

• City Council Meeting August 2020

Though there were a few spots where technical difficulties slowed the meeting's progress, everyone that wanted to participate had their opportunity.

Brianna Hayward, Wildomar's new Community Service Officer. Mayor Dustin Nigg looks on from his seat on the dais.

Meeting Recap

Item 2.1, regarding ADUs (accessory dwelling units) was tabled because of a last moment email. I don't really get it. I saw the email and would love to ask the people behind it something. Hey, are you new to the concept of calendars or something?

Seriously, they seemed to want a minor change added to the language (in my view anyway) so why not deliver the email in a more timely manor?

This will be coming back to a future city council meeting.

2.2 Covid Update

Here's my recap... Covid is still a thing, and there's no end in sight to the "new normal". For details, please watch the video below.

I remember stating back in March, when we thought that all we had to do was hunker down for two weeks and it would all be over, something like: "Two weeks will go by quickly, just get with the program. By Christmas it'll be a distant memory."

3.2 Right of Way Enhancement Program

This is an entailed program, and I admitted during the meeting that it would have still been difficult to fully grasp if it would have been a 2 hour seminar.

I invite you to watch the video for all the details that were presented. In the meantime, I'll give it a go of how this will work in theory... at least one arm of it.

Just a sampling of the graphics included in this item.

Let's say you live on a dirt road, but would like more maintenance than your property taxes are currently able to afford, or even a state of the art paved road.

This program will allow you to go to your neighbors, convince 67% to join in a CFD (Community Facilities District... aka Mello-Roos) which increases your property taxes, and then get your dirt road paved.

Yes, that was over simplified, but that's how I took it.

The same would apply if you live in a subdivision that would like street sweeping, streetlights, a fancy new greenbelt that your old CSA tax no longer supports.

In the end keep this simple formula in mind when considering upgrades to your street or other amenities. You can have anything that you're willing to pay for. What you can't do is expect people from other parts of the city to pay for something that benefits a handful of people in your area.

Bundy Canyon Update

The bids are out and it's anticipated that Bundy Canyon will see construction beginning sometime in the 4th quarter. That's good news. What was a little startling to me was that the construction will be from Cherry Street to Oak Canyon.

I knew it wasn't going any further east than that mark, but since the part between Cherry and the freeway is under the domain of Caltrans it will be part of a future project.

I must have been sleep walking during the last dozen meetings where this project was mentioned, because this was the first time that I remember hearing that the project didn't go all the way to the on and off ramps.

City Manager Report

It was during this segment of the meeting that a new start time for city council meetings was discussed. Starting at the September city council meeting, the new (temporary) time will be 5:00pm (17:00 to those of us that use the 24 hour clock).

Orange Trash bags are being ordered so that goodhearted residents can collect litter from the roadsides and then leave the easily identifiable bags on the side of the road for collection that week.

Orange Bags, why that color?

Well, though it may make no difference to you, the bright orange bag is high visibility and easily distinguished from bags that might be illegally dumped on the side of the road.

BREAKING NEWS: Trash Bag Gate

You know all things are swell in River City when the some of the more strident locals take to grumbling about a new city sponsored trash bag program on social media..

Wildomar Rap opinion time

Look, I can grouse as dismally as the next guy, but it takes someone with Olympian level kvetching skills to find fault in the new orange bag program.

The program was going to come online last Spring and can you take a wild guess as to what got in the way? I'll give you five guesses and the first four don't count.

Now that it's obvious that Sir Covidalot refuses to stand down, things that were "on hold" are being put back online... like the orange bag program.

Though I understand that you could have accomplished it much sooner, we were busy proof reading a form letter email that was never going to be opened in the first place (that's a super inside joke, but I know it's being enjoyed by the three people that get it... LOL).

Then the "Hey, if I still have any street cred left, let me dip it in the boiling acid" coup de grâce that was delivered on social media.

The bags were referred to as "Gucci" bags because there will be a logo on the side.

That officially displaces the highly revered George Taylor from Wildomar's King of Hyperbole. Let's go down memory lane and watch how he referred to Wildomar as The Fast Food Capital of the World, which he did on many occasions.

It's takes the same thought process to be against the extra pennies per bag to add a city logo (very common practice in 2020) as it took to be against Wildomar hiring an economic development director.

We get it, you want Wildomar to return to the halcyon days of the 1980s. When all roads were pristine and all greenbelts were actually, well, um... green.

Thing is, Stewie Griffin's time machine is only found in cartoons and we're here now.... in 2020.

The logo for trash bags distributed by the city.

Here's a nickel's worth of free advice, when you find fault in everything, people begin to tune out. Something I'd consider an unorthodox campaign strategy for someone looking to dethrone an amazingly popular person in an election that is less than three months out.

Non agenda item

For the record, with only one candidate filing to run in District 2 this year, that means you will NOT be seeing any vote for Dustin signs around town.

I wonder if that link still works?

Congrats on your flawless victory, Mr. Mayor. 😀

An in action photo of Wildomar CSO Brianna Hayward.

• • •

A series of minor coincidences, mounting to a minor climax; the process of life. Yet, which one of us knows, or can suspect, how the smallest happenstance may shape the pattern of our fate?

– EG Marshall (CBSRMT)

Wildomar Rap is a rather minor series of coincidences and certainly the smallest happenstance recorded in at least the last decade, if not longer.

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

• RSO Press Release

	RIVERSIDE COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT
	Sheriff Chad Bianco
	Station Lake Elsinore Station Agency Riverside County Sheriff’s Department
	Press Release:

Type of Incident:	Possession of Cannabis for sale, Possession of a controlled substance while armed with a loaded firearm, resisting arrest, and driving under the influence.
Date Written:	8/12/20	Time Written:	8:00 AM
Date of Incident:	8/12/20	Time of Incident:	4:28 AM
Location of Incident:	Clinton Keith Road and Inland Valley Drive
Reporting Deputy:	Sergeant Joe Narciso
File Number:	WI202250003

Details:

On August 12, 2020, at 4:28 AM, Wildomar deputies conducted a vehicle stop in the area of Clinton Keith Road and Inland Valley Drive. The stop was regarding suspicious activity in a residential neighborhood. The driver, a 17 year-old juvenile, was arrested for driving under the influence and resisting arrest. A passenger, Michael Dooty, 20 years old of Murrieta, was arrested for Possession of Cannabis for sale and Possession of a controlled substance while armed with a loaded handgun.

Charges will be filed on the juvenile with Juvenile Probation. Dooty was booked into custody at the Cois Byrd Detention Center.

Anybody with information pertaining to this investigation is encouraged to contact Deputy Stokes at the Lake Elsinore Sheriff Station, at (951) 245-3300 or the Riverside County Sheriff Dispatch, at (951) 776-1099.

As a reminder, "Community Policing" involves partnerships between law enforcement and community members. Business owners and residents are encouraged to report criminal activity directly to law enforcement by calling Sheriff’s Dispatch at (951) 776-1099, or by calling 911 if the matter is an emergency.

Friday, August 28, 2020

• City Council Meeting August Special 2

• Gov Newsom Shares "Blueprint for a Safer California"

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

• Special City Council Meeting: August 2020

Thursday, August 13, 2020

• City Council Meeting August 2020

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

• RSO Press Release

Sergeant Joe Narciso

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Friday, August 28, 2020

• City Council Meeting August Special 2

• Gov Newsom Shares "Blueprint for a Safer California"

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

• Special City Council Meeting: August 2020

Thursday, August 13, 2020

• City Council Meeting August 2020

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

• RSO Press Release

Sergeant Joe Narciso

Blog Archive

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