• Better Know a Candidate Bridgette Moore

I've been doing "Better Know a Candidate" blogs since 2014 and this year there will be a total of three blogs for District 4.

If you're already familiar with my style, you know that I'm not here to "fact-check" the candidates. This is a conversation, and I let the candidates speak, including a few "fun" questions.

First up was challenger Karen Ellison, now time for the incumbent Bridgette Moore. The third blog will be opinions about the race as there will be no opinions in this blog.

There is a third candidate on the ballot, but she declined the chance to be in a blog. I'll touch on her candidacy in the opinion blog. 

With that out of the way, let's chat with Bridgette Moore.

Bridgette Moore

1) What made you choose Wildomar as your hometown?

Back in 1998 we were living in Orange County, we had a condo, we had a one-year-old boy and we wanted a house with a front yard and a backyard. We looked in Temecula, we looked in Murrieta, and the last house the realtor showed us was in Wildomar. 

 

She told us it was an unincorporated community, we did not know what that meant as we were coming from Huntington Beach, but we loved the house. We checked out the police and fire station and then put in an offer and we got it.

 

2) What got you interested in running for city council?

Back in 1998 our parks were open, which was one of the reasons we bought the house, along with the elementary school being nearby in the same tract. I took my son to the park for the first year that we lived here and then the parks closed. I started volunteering to bring the parks back to Wildomar and at that same time the question of incorporating Wildomar into a city was happening, and I started volunteering for the Wildomar Incorporation Now committee. 

 

When that got to the ballot, and after all the time and effort involved, I put my name in for city council. There were fourteen people running and I was the second top vote-getter. 

 

3) Tell me about your family.

I'm married to my husband, Stewart, and we will be married for thirty years come October. We have one son, Jake.

Bridgette and Stewart Moore.

 

4) It takes a certain desire to serve the community as an elected official, what is your past community involvement?

I was involved in our community even before cityhood. I volunteered to bring our parks back to Wildomar which successfully happened. I volunteered for the Lake Elsinore/Wildomar Elks Lodge. 

I, also, volunteer for the VFW, my grandfather served during WWII and earned a Purple Heart and bronze medal, so I'm a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars auxiliary. Our son was in Scouts and both my husband and I volunteered for Scouts.

Bridgette in the blue blouse with members of RSO and the VFW.

5) How long have you considered running for this seat?

Actually, it took me the first few months of this year, it took me a while to decide if I'd run for reelection. People were asking me and I would respond, "I don't know, I haven't decided".  I've been volunteering [for the community] for twenty-four years.  But then I knew I wasn't done and I want to run again.

 

6) You're at the dentist's office with ten minutes to kill, and your smartphone is NOT getting a signal (gasp!). Which magazine do you reach for: The New Yorker, Sports Illustrated, Vanity Faire, People, Newsweek, Popular Mechanics, or Highlights?

I'd say, Vanity Faire

Bridgette at a reading event at Wildomar Elementary School.

7) What is your day job? 

The entire time I've been on city council I've worked full-time. The last twelve years I've been in the mortgage industry. With the interest rates being high right now, a lot of the mortgage industry has been laid off, and that includes me. I'd never been laid off in my life and worked forty years straight until April 5th, that was my last day of work at that company. 

I have recently started a position with Pacific Estate Planning. Right now with being Mayor, running my own nonprofit [Wildomar Community & Parks Foundation], and running for reelection, my days are pretty full. Then, we'll see where it goes from there. 

 

8) What's your understanding of the job of city council members and/or what your job would be after you're elected?

As council members we make policy decisions for the city, and we create the budget. We decide how the budget is going to be [and] then the city manager is tasked with [carrying out the policy]. 

 

For example, if 'we're going to hire two new code enforcement officers' and include those positions into the budget, then the city manager goes out and handles that task. 

 

We also represent the city at different meetings and different regional events.

With the 2023 award for Woman of the Year from Senator Kelly Seyarto. 

9) What’s a nice relaxing afternoon for your family?

Stewart and I like live entertainment. We go to concerts or to plays and then get dinner afterwards. 

 

10) Being on city council can be very time-consuming. When elected will your schedule allow for you to be "all in"?

Yes! Even when I was working full-time I still was "all in" in the job [of city council]. Whatever task I'm going to do I'm all in on it. Be it city council or whatever other job I'm doing.

Mayor Bridgette Moore emceeing the 2024 Memorial Day observance.

 

11) When you get a break in the action, how do you unwind/hobbies?

I like to garden. Pre-pandemic we didn't own a houseplant. We didn't have one plant that was alive, and during the pandemic, we changed our backyard to grow watermelons, strawberries, and tomatoes. 

I no longer have time for growing fruits but I do have many succulents, so many plants, hundreds of plants now. I love to go [into the backyard] and tend to the plants.

Bridgette and her longtime friend Janna Vicario donating time to decorate the Rotary Club's Rose Bowl Parade float.

12) What are your top three concerns for Wildomar?

Parks and Rec. We're on the cusp of providing more parks and recreation for our community. I want to be a part of that, it's my passion, and we're right there, right there to get that done. Bring more parks and recreation. We hear it all the time that we need a community center, we need opportunities for our families to get together and stay right here in Wildomar. 

 

Our unhoused is also a concern. Doesn't seem that there's an easy answer. I don't know the answer to solve it. Right now the partners that we (Wildomar) are working with seem to be doing a good job. 

 

Then of course we always need road maintenance. 

Bridgette at a park event. 

13) Currently each council member appoints a planning commissioner. What's your approach to future growth and how heavily would that factor in when choosing a commissioner?

When I've chosen planning commissioners before I meet with the [applicants] that have submitted, but I want them to have their own ideas. They're not going to be what I say, I want them to have ideas and I want them to be thorough in their research and how they vote. 

 

Growth is coming whether they're pro-growth or for non-growth, growth is coming, and it's just how we're going to manage that and what's the right fit for Wildomar. I'd really just want to hear their views and what they think is right for Wildomar.

 

14) How do you envision your community outreach if elected? 

I'm out in the community all the time. I regularly hear from people about the energy I have and I'm still committed to bringing that kind of energy. 

Even though I've had two surgeries this year and I'm still out there. I love being in the community and where [the people] are. If I'm at the gym people will ask me questions and though I may be out of breath I'm still answering questions. So wherever I'm at, the community knows I'm available.

With members of the Girl Scouts at city hall.

15) SoCal is close to many areas, would you say you're more of a beach, mountain, or desert person?

I grew up in Costa Mesa, so we were close to the beach. I'd say the beach.

 

16) Why are you the best candidate for the job?

I love serving our community and I feel I'm a good representative for the community. Giving back to the community, I'm involved in every facet of our community; from making high dollar decisions down to picking up litter. 

Bridgette Moore (with the broom) working a clean-up with the Wildomar Beautification Volunteers.

17) If you could speak directly to the Wildomar voters, and tell them why they should vote for you, what would you tell them?

Since I've been serving in our community for twenty-four years I love giving back to the community, love connecting, love those partnerships, and networking. When someone needs help, say from the VFW, then I know with one phone call I can get that help for them. I love bringing our community together. 

https://www.facebook.com/bridgette.moore.180/

https://www.facebook.com/MooreforWildomarCityCouncil

www.BridgetteMoore2024.com

From Bridgette's campaign website at the time of publishing.

Wildomar Rap notes

Both candidates were given a copy of the unpublished blog more than a week before publication so that we could smooth out any wording in the answers above, or transcription errors. 

Bridgette made a few edits to the original transcription that I'd made of the conversation.

Link to blog of challenger Karen Ellison

• Wildomar Ranked #6 in the State and #249 Nationally, Really?

I was doing some research on where California cities rank in relation to each other and this popped up. 

Please don't shoot the messenger as you fall on the floor laughing your derriere off. 

Seriously, for those of us who love our hometown of Wildomar, we aren't such homers as to think we're ranked number 6 in the state.

Read below to see what I'm going on about. I'll add some of my own photos of The W in between the words of bestplaces dot net.

Wildomar does have many beautiful settings.

Wildomar, CA is a small city located in Riverside County, California. 

So Far, So Good!

It has a population of 33,120 people according to the most recent census and is a great place to live. Wildomar is ranked highly in terms of livability amongst US cities, coming in at #6 in the state and #249 nationally according to BestPlaces.net.

The city also has a low crime rate and good air quality for its residents. 

No real arguments yet... other than the population number being off by 12%

I'm not even sure where this was located. 

This is where Pinocchio's nose sprouted a bird's nest

Based on their rankings, Wildomar has excellent amenities such as quality healthcare facilities, good schools, plenty of jobs and career opportunities, an abundant supply of housing options, and plenty of entertainment activities and outdoor recreation areas nearby. 

Beautiful skies in Wildomar happen in an endless variety of ways.

Overall, Wildomar is an excellent place to settle down with a high quality of life that makes it an attractive option for potential new residents or visitors alike.

I'm fine with the previous sentence.

Best Places ranks thousands of places to live based on analysis, data, and key statistics from the U.S. Census and our Best Places To Live Expert Insights.

https://www.bestplaces.net/rankings/city/california/wildomar

I'm guessing that this was written by AI, especially if you look at the other rankings where they have Wildomar listed.

The same goes for nearly everything else on the internet too. 

• Better Know a Candidate Karen Ellison

I've been doing "Better Know a Candidate" blogs since 2014 and this year there will be a total of three blogs for District 4. 

If you're already familiar with my style you know that I'm not here to "fact-check" the candidates. This is a conversation and I let the candidates speak, and I also throw in several "fun" questions.

First up will be challenger Karen Ellison, then incumbent Bridgette Moore. The third blog will be opinions about the race as there will be no opinions in this blog.

There is a third candidate on the ballot, but she declined the chance to be in a blog. I'll touch on her candidacy in the opinion blog. 

With that out of the way, let me introduce you to Karen Ellison.

Karen Ellison, candidate for Wildomar City Council, D4.

1) What made you choose Wildomar as your hometown?

I recently got married, I met my husband online, and he's from Temecula. He's lived here since 1976 and he knows all the [local] areas very well, and he knows Wildomar, he went to Elsinore High School. When we got married, we decided we wanted a new place to live and he suggested that we go look in Wildomar. 

Karen and husband Shawn.

It's the greatest city around because there's no traffic, it's really quiet, it has beautiful land, and the neighbors are all really nice. We have a lot of friends that live in the area. We decided to come out and just start looking [for a house] and we found our place. We put an offer in right away and we moved in. We love it. 

How long have you lived in Wildomar?

Almost three years. 

Karen's 17-year-old dog Charlie.

2) What got you interested in running for city council?

Back in the '90s I was a reporter and I covered the Los Angeles city beat and I covered the Mayor's office, the Sheriff's office, and I worked with many of the city council members, the Supervisors, and did a lot of the elections throughout Los Angeles County. I've always been interested in politics and the [various] offices, learning a lot about it. 

When I lived in Orange County I got really involved in our city (Lake Forest). There were a lot of things happening, the city was growing as well. I got involved in helping maintain the city and make some changes for the better of residents. 

One of the examples is there were no red curbs painted in neighborhoods [at corners] when turning and there were no stop signs. The amount of accidents around certain areas were high. I helped 

I helped improve traffic safety in Lake Forest where in some neighborhoods people would park all the way to the corner, making it difficult to see oncoming traffic. I helped get stop signs installed and curbs painted red near the corners. [I] also helped Lake Forest tackle Short Term Rental (Airbnb) issues.

I like the design and the QR code sends you to her website.

3) Tell me about your family.

Pretty much all of my family is from New York. However, many of them reside in the area. Today my parents live in Terramor (55 and older community, in Corona), my brother lives in Murrieta, my uncle and some cousins live in Valley Center, some of my husband's cousins live in Windsong community here in Wildomar, and the rest of my family lives in Nevada. 

I have a stepdaughter and a stepson. My stepdaughter just moved to Miramar with her fiancé, they're getting married later this month —He's in the Marines. 

Karen's family.

4) It takes a certain desire to serve the community as an elected official, what is your past community involvement?

As I said, I've been very involved in covering city councils, and the Mayor's office [...] other political offices as a reporter. I was also involved in my own community when I lived in Lake Forest. 

I was able to get a good education on understanding how things work and what the city council has say in and what they don't. I became really involved in learning and asking questions so I could help our neighbors. That's how I got involved in the community and I want to do more.

5) How long have you considered running for this seat?

I think I considered running for this seat for almost a year now. I am new to Wildomar. Like I said, I've only been here almost three years and coming in as somebody who is looking at things really fresh I see a lot of things that are just being neglected around the city. That haven't been paid attention to. And I just don't know why it's not getting attention. 

One of the examples is the roads here. I want to call out specifically Bundy, from the 15 freeway to Mission Trail. It's the most disastrous street I've ever seen in my life, and for it to be a main thoroughfare into Wildomar it's very upsetting and frustrating that it hasn't been addressed. 

Karen went on to specify Mission Trail and Corydon as unsafe roads at night "You cannot even see the road". 

I want to help to get roads updated and improved so we have a safer way to travel [...] as well as bikers (cyclists) and walkers. 

6) You're at the dentist's office with ten minutes to kill, and your smartphone is NOT getting a signal (gasp!). Which magazine do you reach for: The New Yorker, Sports Illustrated, Vanity Faire, People, Newsweek, Popular Mechanics, or Highlights?

With only 10 mins, I think I'm going to reach for People. 

7) What is your day job? 

My day job is a communications consultant. I help a lot of tech companies, as well as a lot of startup companies, build their communication, marketing and media plans to grow their business. Whether it's product launches or it's helping executives with their thought leadership. 

I've worked with Amazon, Johnson & Johnson Vision, and other leading tech companies as well as construction businesses and design businesses. 

Currently, I'm working with a consumer product that's just getting launched called BunzzUp and I've been taking a lot of AI courses as well. I'm leveraging AI technology to build content such as logos and social media posts. 

8) What's your understanding of the job of city council members and/or what your job would be after you're elected?

I believe the job of a city council member should be is an advocate for the residents that they support. They should be listening to the residents, hearing their concerns, as well as hearing the things they love about the city. 

City Council Members should be the people that are helping

residents resolve issues. 

I believe City Council members should be helping setting up meetings for residents,  helping find other key stakeholders to help, and attending meetings to resolve issues. They should be involved throughout the process since they are representatives of the residents. Council members should be the ones helping to resolve the issues of the residents. 

Point blank, that's the main goal of a city council member. That's what I believe, being an advocate for the residents.

9) What’s a nice relaxing afternoon for your family?

It's probably heading to a friend's house and enjoying the pool in the summertime. During the wintertime, we love playing games. We have a shuffleboard table at our house, and we love playing cornhole. We love any activity where we're not in front of a screen. We are also big football fans and we do have a lot of football parties. We play fantasy football with our whole family and it gets very competitive. We all have different teams that we love so it [makes for] a really fun season. 

10) Being on city council can be very time-consuming. When elected will your schedule allow for you to be "all in"?

Absolutely. I would not be running if I wasn't going to be all in. Like I said, my main role is to be an advocate for the residents and I will do whatever needs to happen to get our residents to a point where they're happy with —solving their problems or finding a resolution. I'm all in —whatever needs to happen I'm going to be there. 

11) When you get a break in the action, how do you unwind/hobbies?

We love going to the lake. We usually head out to the river in Laughlin and Havasu. We have a boat so we enjoy —just really unwinding, disconnecting, getting out on the lake. We try to go almost every other weekend in the summertime.

During the fall and the winter seasons, we enjoy football with our family and enjoying lots of party games. Anything to really disconnect. I think that you need to have balance in your life and if you can get away from the everyday stresses it makes you a more balanced person. 

12) What are your top three concerns for Wildomar?

We talked about road improvements. Obviously, that's a big passionate one, that's the one I noticed the very first time I ever drove into Wildomar. 

Two, is the low and no-income housing, slash "the homeless shelter" going in right smack in the middle of our communities. I feel that they're really great ideas, I just think that they're in the wrong locations and not set up for success for the residents that live there. 

I also have a plan I’m currently seeking input on to consider a homeless center that would support Wildomar, Elsinore, Murrieta, Menifee, and Temecula that would include services such as food bank, clothes, health and mental services, living conditions, employee services that would help make these residents more successful and get out of the situation they are in.

And then another one of my concerns or "things that I'm going to be fighting for" are more resident rights to things that are happening in the community like the shelters and the low/no income [projects]. 

I believe that we should be able to have a say when there are businesses like homeless shelters going in our community that's actually physically going to affect our life. I want to work on writing bills with our Senator and State Assembly (which I have requests out to) to help ensure these properties are run efficiently, safely, and legally.

13) Currently each council member appoints a planning commissioner. What's your approach to future growth and how heavily would that factor in when choosing a commissioner?

I think that a planning commissioner needs to be really involved in the city. I think that they need to

have the best interest for the residents and to be able to talk to the residents on what they want and, what they don't want. 

I think a planning commissioner should agree to aligning to our mission statement to bring the right businesses into our community with managed growth in mind and being an advocate as well. That's what is important to me.

14) How do you envision your community outreach if elected? 

Communications is one of the most important things. I think that you need to be present and you need to be available at all times. You need to be available to the residents and attending as many city meetings as possible. You need to continue to be advocating. I do what I call "Wildomar Walks" where every weekend I go to a different community within our district and I let people know where I'm going to be and I invite them to walk and get out in fresh air and be healthy, have conversations. That's something I'm going to continue to do so that people know where I'm going to be and find out what's going on in their neighborhood. 

We also need to have a better communication outreach program and start promoting a newsletter, or an email [because] people don't even know where to go to sign up for a [city] email. I think we need to do an overhaul of the website and have a community bulletin area where we can post stuff and our community can also post things that are happening or what they're doing in the community. 

15) SoCal is close to many areas, are you more of a beach, mountain, or desert person?

I'm a water girl, so anything to do with water, whether it's the lake or the ocean, that's where I'm at. 

16) Why are you the best candidate for the job?

Well, I feel like I'm the best candidate for the job because I have a lot of skillsets that would enable me to step into the position and start advocating for people right away. 

I understand what the issues are in the communities in District 4, I have them all listed out on my website, and I'm learning more every day that I need to add. I feel that my communications background, working with CEOs of leading tech companies —building strategies, talking to the media, asking questions as a reporter, answering difficult questions.

Being a public relations professional as I've been for the last thirty years, I have a lot of skillsets that would enable me to step into the role and start advocating right away. I also have the skills to compromise and negotiate so that both parties are happy and walk away [feeling] that they got what they really needed. 

17) If you could speak directly to the Wildomar voters, and tell them why they should vote for you, what would you tell them?

I think they should consider voting for me because when I say that I want to be an advocate for them I truly believe that. I believe that if you're on city council you need to be advocating for your residents every day. 

I need to be talking to you, finding out what is bothering you, what are you loving about the district, so I can continue to help resolve or continue doing what is loved. I think that is the number one —NUMBER ONE thing over anything else that is done on city council is being there for the residents.

Below are links to Karen's campaign cites. 

https://www.instagram.com/ellison4wildomarcitycouncil/

https://www.facebook.com/EllisonforWildomarCityCouncil

https://ellisonforwildomarcitycouncil.com/

List of Karen's endorsements as of September 13, 2024.

Wildomar Rap notes

Both candidates were given a copy of the unpublished blog more than a week before publication so that we could smooth out any wording in the answers above, or transcription errors. 

Karen helped with several edits to the original, but none of the answers changed during the process, they were just made more succinct and clear.

Link to blog of incumbent Bridgette Moore

• California City News Run Amok: 002 When A City Fights The State

I'm dialed into city-level news from all over the state, and sometimes the nation. I'm reprinting parts of a recent story here.

I'm sharing this story from Elk Grove as a reminder of what happens when a city tries to go toe to toe with the state. Even if they are a well-off city with a population nearing 200,000.

According to the story, Elk Grove is only paying $150,000 of the state's legal expenses. I can guarantee that their own legal fees are going to be at least double that. 

In the last six years, there have been several projects in Wildomar where the state has completely removed local control. Where the city had no say whatsoever in approval or denial... or even to have such projects meet similar conditions of approval that other projects must fulfill. 

California announces settlement resolving Elk Grove’s housing project denial

• By Tom Joyce | The Center Square contributor
 
• Sep 9, 2024

“We can’t solve California’s homelessness crisis without creating new housing and supportive services," Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement. "Elk Grove is not immune to this challenge, and the city’s decision to block these efforts — wasting valuable time and resources — is especially shameful. We expect Elk Grove to follow the law — continued refusal will not be tolerated.”

The state filed the lawsuit when Elk Grove denied a 67-unit supportive housing project for failing to meet the city's zoning standards, even though the city previously approved a similar project for market-rate housing.

"The project would have been located in Elk Grove’s historic district, a high-resource area critical to the state’s goal of providing communities of opportunity for people of all incomes," a release said. "The project would have provided off-site and on-site services to assist residents in maintaining housing and maximizing their ability to live and work in the community."

California sued Elk Grove in May 2023 for violating state laws, including Senate Bill 35 and the Housing Accountability Act, along with fair housing laws like the Nondiscrimination in Land Use Law and the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing statute.

Elk Grove eventually reached a separate settlement agreement with the development to move the project to a different area of the city. However, the city's reason for denying the project was still illegal, created needless delays for people seeking housing, and caused a preventable year-long legal battle, the release said.

Elk Grove agreed to be subjected to reporting requirements that monitor its future compliance with California housing law as a part of this settlement. It must also identify more locations for low-income housing development and pay the state $150,000 in legal costs.

“This settlement reflects what I’ve said all along: California’s housing laws are not optional. Local governments that violate our laws to deny affordable housing opportunities to Californians will be held accountable,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said. “While I am pleased that this is now behind us and that Elk Grove ultimately approved even more homes for those most in need, the city’s refusal to do the right thing over and over again cannot be swept under the rug. These are not ordinary times. Millions of Californians are struggling to keep a roof over their heads or lack housing altogether. Every local government therefore has both a legal and moral responsibility to help us meet the moment. If other cities believe they are exempt from that task, Governor Newsom, HCD Director Velasquez, and I will continue reminding those cities that they are in the wrong.”

Gustavo Velasquez, Director of HCD, said the settlement will help the state provide its people with more sufficient housing.

“This is a victory in the state’s efforts to expand the availability of much-needed supportive housing, consistent with California’s strong legacy upholding fair housing rights for people with disabilities and for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness,” Velasquez said. “We are resolute to see that every community in our state affirmatively furthers fair housing and expands integrative communities of opportunities. Our team will work with the City of Elk Grove to ensure this settlement is the first step in a lasting commitment to housing residents in need.”

Before the lawsuit was filed, HCD issued a Notice of Violation in October 2022. It warned the city that denying the Oak Rose Apartments would violate state law.

Attorney General Bonta sent the city letter on March 16, 2023, urging it to reverse its unlawful denial of the Oak Rose Apartments to avoid legal consequences.

One can view the settlement agreement here.

Originally published on thecentersquare.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.

• City Council Meeting September 2024 Preview

While reading the agenda for the September 11, 2024 City Council Meeting I thought I'd draw your attention to one of the Department Reports.

Code Enforcement Homeless Outreach update followed by The Regional Homeless Alliance/Baker Tilly Presentation given by Susan Price Presented By: Raul Berroteran, Code Enforcement Department 

Due to legal restrictions, I won't add any commentary. I'm just trying to get information out to the public so they (you) can stay informed. Below are the slides for the coming meeting, there are more than twenty. 

If you have questions after looking over the slides, please email them to your city council member, or you can email me at my city council address jmorabito@cityofwildomar.org.

Wildomar's Code Enforcement and Homeless Outreach Team

My apologies for this one. I can see that it's difficult to read.

The city council meeting for this agenda item will be September 11, 2024. Here's a link to the full agenda. 

https://granicus_production_attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/cityofwildomar/fd56826f2f310ef38ba5cac64f73b59f0.pdf