• Wildomar Rallies Around Councilman Dustin Nigg's Family Raising Over $19,000

If you were part of the fundraising dinner last Saturday evening at the Wildomar VFW (March 11, 2023) then you saw it firsthand —the display of love and concern for Desiree Nigg, wife of Councilman Dustin Nigg, and her family. 

Desiree Nigg at the fundraising dinner.

As a preface, only a few days into the new year, the Nigg family was hit with devestating news. 

Desiree, the mother of three daughters, veteran of the Marine Corps, was diagnosed with Stage IV Colorectal Cancer. The cancer has unfortunately spread to her right lung and to the lining of her intestines.

The food and the volunteers that were serving it. 

To me, this story deserved much more than a local blog covering it. The Press Enterprise, Valley News and even that thing called The Patch dropped the ball on an obvious winner human interest story to share with their readers. 

This was an awesome demonstration of people wanting to help in any way they could... and they did!

Dustin and Desiree Nigg, in the middle, flanked by friends.

Not wanting much more time to go by I asked Mayor Pro-Tem Bridgette Moore, who was the key person behind organizing it (though she had many helpers that made it possible), if she would write a few paragraphs about the fundraiser and I'd put together a Wildomar Rap blog. 

The little flyer that could. With this, the wildfire grew from an event that the organizers were hoping would bring in a couple of thousand dollars, to one that the community jumped on and pushed the totals to well over $19,000.

From Bridgette Moore...

On Saturday March 11th 2023 our community came together in a grand fashion to support councilman Dustin and his wife Desiree Nigg. 

The room was nearly as full as the food was good. 

Desiree has been diagnosed with stage 4 correctal cancer and it has spread to distant organs. On Saturday March 11th over 130 people attended a dinner at the VFW in Wildomar and over $19000 was raised.  

I would like to thank our dinner sponsors: 

• Angelo's brick oven pizzeria 

• The Hive  

• Bone Cleaner barbecue and catering Chef Kat

For the dessert table our sponsors were Albertsons, Ann White, Deb Robinet, planning commissioner Arrin Banks, Go Nutz Donuts and Robin Adkins.

Had to love Arrin Banks's Bread Pudding with hot rum buttered sauce. 😋

.

The community really supported the raffle prize and silent auction, not to mention the live auction and the 50-50. In total the event raised over the $19,000 for our local family.

Murrieta City Councilwoman Lori Stone did an outstanding job as the auctioneer.

The biggest live auction event of the night was for passes to the Magic Castle for six people. It was amazing to watch the bidding go up from a few hundred dollares to $3500. 

In a remarkably generous gesture, a second set of Magic Castle passes was awarded to the runner up bidder. In total, that brought in $6000 for the Nigg family.

The list of items grew and grew all the way up to the moment that the dinner started. Members of the Wildomar community wanted to help out any way they could. 

Some of the other items for the live auction included a suite of four tickets to the Anaheim Duck's hockey game, Teen Road to Safety donated 8 hours of driving instruction by Temecula driving school, Season Tickets to the Santa Rosa Plateau Concert Series, Colour Parlor, 100 Women Who Care, a limo ride, and Murrieta City Councilwoman Lori Stone donated a lunch with her for 2 people anywhere in Murietta. 

Some of the many donors included Montague Brothers Coffee, a comprehensive facial from Dr. Gloria, IT work from Chris Twining, Apex Plumbing, La Masters of Fine Jewelry, CR&R, and Sandie Fuenty.

There were many volunteers: The VFW, Councilwomen Ashlee DePhillippo (actually her entire family volunteered), Robert Rankin Walker played his guitar and sang songs, Robin Adkins was a volunteer that I relied heavily on, Erin and Ken Hartley from Vitality Zone Fitness were invaluable, I can't forget the Wildomar Beautification Volunteers and their tireless efforts... so many more that I don't mean to leave out also volunteered their time. 

We had so many volunteers and we want to thank them all for helping make this such a memorable and successful event. We love you Desiree, and our thoughts and prayers are with you and your entire family. 

It was a special evening and I was glad to be there. Despite the joyous atmosphere, it wasn't lost on anyone what we were there for. 

Desiree and Dustin know that they were dealt an unwinnable hand. They're trying to keep things in perspective and were obviously touched by the deluge of camaraderie directed toward them.

Desiree and her three daughters.
Sorry Dustin, but they're just cuter than you are. 😁
Or, I couldn't find a pic with all of you in it.

Dustin's mother spoke for a few minutes. She had a difficult time keeping her composure as she spoke about how important Desiree is to her. Her tears were contagious.

There are no magic words here, just that we are hurting from a distance as the Nigg family is doing its best to push through this, up close, in real time, one day after the next. Godspeed.

  

• Unity in the Community Rally

This week I had the opportunity to attend two rallies that were held in the same location, that were both focused on the same issues in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd. 

Below you'll see the stated purposes of the event.

Why We're here 

(3 points of purpose)

1. Denounce and fight against racism
2. Promote unity amongst all races
3. Lay a foundation to bridge the gap between law enforcement and citizens

I can't imagine a single person living today not being in full support of such goals. Then again, I've heard people actually say that they want to abolish the police. 

That was actually said by a man that claimed to be a representative of the Inland Empire division of Black Lives Matter at the rally last Tuesday. 

Gary L. Adams asked for the police officers and local elected officials to join him.

This rally was better organized, but only drew about a third of the crowd size of the other. I can't answer why, because all the other indicators should have pointed to the Saturday rally as having 1000 people attend instead of around 100. 

Taken during the intermission. I know two faces in that photo. In green is Ivory Spann and Captain Lujan of Riverside County Sheriff's department (also Wildomar's police chief) is near the center.

The weather was much cooler. This was scheduled to end around lunchtime, the other started at lunchtime. This rally had the backing of several well known local churchleaders, the other was organized by a couple of well intentioned, but very green and youthful people.


I don't know why this event didn't draw a large crowd, and I won't bother surmising. 

Blog covering the Stand Up For Justice rally

A new friend, Quinlan "Q" Strong. You can see in the inset in the upper right where we had been standing near each other when Pastor Willie Oliver encouraged those nearby to reach out to each other. 

Below are a series of videos that I live streamed on Facebook. These are some very inspirational messages. The image quality isn't all that great and it's somewhat out of sync, but it's the audio that's important. 

If you have the time, I suggest listening to each of them. Here is a link to the full seven video playlist. Below are the seven separate videos.

First is from Lake Elsinore Mayor Brian Tisdale. He thanked the organizers and those that attended. 

•

Pastor Willie Oliver had a very powerful message, "We need to understand what true unity is."

He timed it to last 8 minutes and 40 seconds, that's the length of time that George Floyd had a knee on his neck. 

•

Senator Melissa Melendez spoke next and she talked about the divisions that are perpetuated by the media "left, right and everything in between" making money as the divide us.

•

Wildomar Mayor Dustin Nigg told the crowd that "racism and police brutality are never ok." He also quoted one of his colleagues on the city council, "We are all one large community, made up of dozens of smaller communities. When one of is hurting, we are all hurting". 

•

Pastor Phil Valdez asked, "What really can I do? I still believe that one person can change the world." 

•

Beau Arbuthnot was easily one of the most compelling of all the speakers. His perspective is more unique than most. He is both a preacher and a police officer, "I'm not defending what happened [to George Floyd], we stand in solidarity and that's why we're here. Every cop that is here, every police officer that is here is very upset. Disappointed. Hurt. When I saw that on television I was hurt because I knew I had to go back to work the next day. I knew I had to deal with this anger, frustration. Guess what, I'm in between. I'm angry. I'm frustrated, but I gotta go back to work again."

•

Event organizer Gary L. Adams asked his family to come to the front. "This is what we look like. This is why I despise racism. Because in my family we got it all."

The family of Gary L. Adams.

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The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.

– Ida B. Wells

Wildomar Rap is all about the light of truth. As Oliver asked, "Please sir, may I have some more?"

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.

• Press Release: CHANGING BAXTER ROAD TO WILDOMAR TRAIL

CHANGING BAXTER ROAD TO WILDOMAR TRAIL: IT’S ALL ABOUT THE TIMING 

A still shot from the promotional videos that will be released soon.
If you're wondering. The series of promotional videos are being donated by Third District City Councilman, Joseph Morabito.

APPROVED FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BY: Gary Nordquist, City Manager Date: February 27, 2020 

WILDOMAR, CA – ‘Where is Wildomar?’ is a question all too familiar to its residents and businesses. Nestled in between Lake Elsinore and Murrieta and only 11 years old, this fantastic city is getting ready to let the world –or at least Interstate 15 travelers– know just where Wildomar is. 

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is in the process of updating and installing new freeway signs on the I-15 from Rainbow Valley Blvd. (just south of Temecula), heading north through Wildomar. Part of this process will include Baxter Rd changing its name in the city of Wildomar to “Wildomar Trail.” 

The idea has been a long time in the making, but the timing of its execution could not be better. Originally, replacing the freeway signs alone was going to cost Wildomar over $300,000. However, city staff worked with Caltrans’ predetermined schedule to replace aging freeway signs and was able to have the signs created and replaced at no charge. 

“Timing is everything,” said Wildomar Mayor Dustin Nigg. “This change will really help to put Wildomar on the map, literally, and at a very minimal cost to the city.” 

With the freeway signs taken care of, Wildomar still had to figure out the cost to replace street signs and applied for various grants to do so. The Public Agency Risk Sharing Authority of California (PARSAC) offered a grant to update and replace non-reflective street signs within city jurisdiction and so Wildomar took that opportunity. PARSAC will be paying $14,500 to replace the street signs throughout Wildomar, with only $19,000 coming from the city’s general fund over the past several years. 

The name change will affect five contiguous, differently named streets within Wildomar and combine them into a consistent name that will take you from one end of the city to the other uniting the east and west sections of the city. Shopping Center, George Ave, Porras Rd, Baxter Rd and Central St will all be changed to Wildomar Trail; not only adding to the consistency, but also increasing public safety by alleviating the confusion that the I-15 Baxter Rd freeway exit in Wildomar is somehow related to the “other” Baxter Rd in Murrieta, which is east of the I-215 Freeway and the location of Loma Linda University Medical Center – Murrieta.  
“Any time we can take advantage of an opportunity to increase our brand identity, create more consistency and improve public safety in the city, that is something we want to do,” Mayor Nigg said. “Council and staff are very excited about this change.” 

So, as you head out on the I-15 freeway, keep your eyes peeled for the “Baxter Rd” that was once between Clinton Keith Rd and Bundy Canyon Rd; when you see “Wildomar Trail,” you will know the answer to that all-time question, ‘Where is Wildomar?’ 

For more information regarding the City of Wildomar, visit www.cityofwildomar.org. For additional information, please call Kimberly Davidson at 951-677-7751, Extension 215, or email kdavidson@cityofwildomar.org

• City Council Meeting September 2018

The key news bits that came from tonight's meeting included: 

• The Bundy Canyon redesign is still at the 95% finished phase and now the hopeful start of construction is said to be Autumn of 2019.
• Food Trucks are a step closer to being legal in The W.
• Live Streaming of city meetings inch closer to becoming a reality.
• Wildomar is about to put a permanent ban into effect on all commercial uses for cannabis.

First let's start with the presentation honoring the US Constitution's 231st year since its drafting. 

Members of the Daughters of the Revolution were part of a brief presentation before the meeting fully got underway, then posed for a picture with the city council.

Honoring our US Constitution.

Public Comments on non agenda items
• Ken Mayes remarked about the lack of live streaming, something that was to begin with the September city council meeting, and that the city still doesn't have its own Facebook page. He also went over a list of local groups that are delinquent with their paperwork with the Registry of Charitable Trusts.

Wildomar Rap opinion time

He mentioned many local, venerable organizations. It seems that the paperwork is a chore to get through, but we have such safeguards in place because bad operators have taken advantage of good hearted people in the past, and to the point that we the people demanded the government step in. Come on local Non Profits, get that paperwork in, and that'll put a fork in it.

• Gail Taylor wanted to know how the repeal of the gas tax (Proposition 6) would affect the Bundy Canyon Road project.
• Patrick Ellis of the Murrieta/Wildomar Chamber of Commerce mentioned the scheduled Candidates Forum that will be Tuesday, October 9th, at 6pm in the Wildomar City Council Chambers.
• Ashley Casler
Spoke of her dissatisfaction with things in the city, "I bought my home recently, within the last year, I'm from the area locally, I've never lived in a city that looks like this. So my concerns are, I want to know where our tax dollars are going. I want to know who I need to talk to to cut up a tree by my house that I worry my child is going to get drug into by some transient and harmed on her way home from school. If somebody doesn't do it, I'm going to take my husband's chainsaw and do it myself. I want to know why the parks aren't cleaned up, why they're not maintained properly, and why nobody goes around picking up the trash, and this city looks like a dump." 

Wildomar Rap opinion time

Residents like Ashley should be applauded for their passion and concern. I agree with many of her sentiments and want our city to lead the way and show more pride in our town. 

When we allow trash to pile up, or weeds to get out of control (or graffiti to linger for months), what kind of top-down message does that send everyone else? 

From residents to visitors to passersby it tells people that we don't take ourselves seriously... or at least not seriously enough. 

Please watch Ashley's one minute public comment in the video below.

Mayor Benoit told her that he'd reach out to her directly.

• Rick Harris (10:10) was a late entry for public comments and his really was more suited for item 3.1 (Bundy Canyon Update). He spoke of the rude behavior of the group that is negotiating on behalf of the city when it comes to right of way issues. He said he will not talk to them anymore. 

Consent Calendar 
• Ken Mayes (11:31) asked to talk about items 1.6 and 1.7. 
1.6 was regarding the coming "Little Free Library" that will be installed by an Eagle Scout candidate in Marna O'Brien Park across from the Freedom Swing. He wanted to know who was going to be responsible for maintaining the LFL after it's part of the park.

Councilmember Bridgette Moore indicated that it was going to be maintained by the same family that is looking after the LFL in Windsong Park when asked by Mayor Ben Benoit.

Councilmember Dustin Nigg stated, "And I promise, if there are no books in there, I will buy books myself and will put them in there. It's being recorded, I'll buy them."

Gotta love Dustin Nigg's no nonsense approach!

3.1 Bundy Canyon Update 
Please watch the video starting at the (19:10 mark of the video) for the full presentation. What I got out of it is that the best case scenario start time has been moved from "Summer of 2019" to "Fall of 2019".

See this past blog where "Summer 2019" 
had been established as recently
 as a May 2018 community meeting.

Project cost estimate is $40M of which the city has secured $30M so far. Three options to close the shortfall were discussed. 

Option 1 is to stay the course, look for local sources of money, and basically rely on SB 1 funds.

Option 2 is to track other funds which could delay the project 24 months.

Option 3 is to federalize the project. That would also cause a delay and not necessarily fill the shortfall in funds. That process would cost about half a million dollars to set up. This seemed like the worst option of them all if I heard it correctly.

Link to video where the three options is discussed.

Here's how I interpret what's going to happen with Bundy Canyon and the proposed redesign. Especially considering the current $10M shortfall in the budget: 

If Proposition 6 is passed (which would overturn SB1's 12 cent a gallon tax hike of 2017) then the project would get mothballed.

The vote on Prop 6 will be your call. 

I'd be the first to agree that the way Sacramento has used the gas tax money in the past is reason enough to send them a strong message by repealing their thumb in the eye to the average commuter tax increase (which is a large portion of our region). 

Just remember, it's in the same category as "cutting off your nose to spite your face." Just understand the long term ramifications when you vote to repeal the tax.

Link to full Wiki article.

There was more to Item 3.1, and if you'd like to hear the details, please watch the video from one of the links provided.

3.2 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) (36:30 mark of the video)
Every year the city is awarded money to use in areas of need within the city. Part of the money is designated to go to Non Profit groups. Last year there was $20,677 that went to three local organizations. HOPE ($9000), Assistance League ($9000) and Rancho Domacitas ($2677).

Due to some quirk in the way things are done in the halls of government, all the allocated money that Wildomar is in line for had to go to a particular project (Sedco Hills Sidewalk Project); potentially leaving the Non Profits out of the mix this time round. 

The workaround is that this year, the usual money that will be going to the Non Profits ($17,500 this cycle) will be coming from the city's reserves. With the intention being to go back to the previous way of allocating the moneys once this year's project is done. 

Link to blog covering a recent request from the city asking you to participate in a survey that deals with the CDBG issue.

3.2 Food Truck Ordinance (55:50 mark in the video)
• Ken Mayes commented on this. He was glad to see this come about. He opined whether or not there was a way to allow the food trucks to operate in commercial districts until 2am. "Why does everything in this town have to close up at ten o'clock?" he asked.

Wildomar Rap opinion time

Come on Kenny, this is a true bedroom community if ever there was one, and I can't imagine anything good coming from food trucks operating until 2am as a regular thing. 

For special events? Perhaps, but I doubt any legit food truck vendor would even look to operate after 8pm (muchless past midnight) the other 360 days of the year.

The ordinance will allow "mobile food facilities" to operate on public and private property provided they have a city business licence and a city mobile vending permit. 

Mayor Benoit wanted to know if there was a way to make it one permit. There was a bit of jockeying over the language, but it seems reasonable that obtaining a mobile vending permit would automatically come with the business license too. If that type of permit needs to cost more, so be it, but don't make it a two step process.

City Manager's Report (1:01:35)
City Manager Gary Nordquist asked to begin the process of putting together a permanent ban on all commercial cannabis uses. 

If nothing is done by December 14th, then the lack of an ordinance would put the city behind the eight ball when it comes to shutting down illegal operations like the one recently closed in Sedco Hills.

Councilmember Nigg remarked that he'd like to have a discussion on the issue, but acknowledged that there wasn't sufficient time to properly hammer out any ordinances before the December deadline. 
"I want to have the discussion at some point. As long as we're on the same page as that (having this come back to the council) [then fine]."

Mayor Ben Benoit has been looking for the county to act on this issue first, then having the city take a look at their ordinances as a possible guide. It's just taken many months longer than he'd anticipated.

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The meeting was recorded on video, just not live streamed. The live stream is said to be about 45 seconds behind real time. Mr. Nordquist said he would share a link to the test video.

***update***

I heard from the Mayor that the video and audio didn't quite sync up and that a link should be ready to share with the community sometime next week. This is why the dry run was done before going live... working the kinks out first. ☺

*********

The company doing the video work (CBC Technical) is located in Wildomar.

A look at the snazzy new camera. I knew that pillar would come in handy one day.

Below is a video of the entire 66 minute meeting.

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"In science one tries to tell people, in such a way as to be understood by everyone, something that no one ever knew before. But in poetry, it's the exact opposite."
– Paul Dirac

In blogging Wildomar Rap tries to share stories in such a way as to be understood by everyone, yet often it ends up coming across as inscrutable as most poetry.

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.

• Better Know a Local Business: TapSnap

I love getting a chance to share local businesses with you. Today I want to share TapSnap with you (not to be confused with SnapChat... which I've heard people make that transposition before).

Owner Keith Jared operates the camera, snapping some shots of Jessie and Daisy (of Wildomar Queens fame) at the ribbon cutting for the Valley Resource Center this past May.

A sample of what the photo looks like after the TapSnap magic is applied to it.

TapSnap is an "out of the box" photobooth that livens up your events. 

It's "out of the box" for two descriptive reasons. 

First, there is no enclosed "booth" to this photobooth, and then, in the figurative sense of the phrase, it's not your run of the mill photobooth experience either.

You stand in front of a green screen, adorn yourself in a prop or two, and then you are put into a scene. 

City Councilmember Dustin Nigg and his daughters at Wildomar's 10th birthday at Marna O'Brien Park. 

This type of photobooth is generally best when aimed at events that will have at least 50 people. 

TapSnap is a great idea for weddings, trade shows or corporate parties. Non profit events are also ideal situations to have TapSnap at.

Though the service comes with a price tag (the equipment is top of the line, the high quality photos are printed quickly and aren't limited) the costs can be recouped by getting sponsors to the event (see the photo above as an example).

All participants get a physical copy of the photo, and also a link that can be used to share the photos on social media right then... or to download for other uses later.

They have a tagline of phototainment since they are more than just background photographers, they help entertain too. They engage with the attendees, and the whole process is a fun part of the event.

Keith Jared, owner of TapSnap1215 and Joseph Morabito, Wildomar Rap writer and city council candidate. A hearty thanks to the waiter that took our picture, though next time I might look for someone not quite so tall to do the honors. ☺

Keith and I chatted over breakfast at Yellow Basket, and I learned many interesting things about him. He's a 20 year Navy man, he retired as an E-6. 

AD1 E-6

NAS Miramar

VF 124 Training Squadron

Westpac USS Ranger

VFA AV25

You can tell that I didn't serve, because I don't really know what that means, but I'm guessing that the vets in the area know exactly what it means... assuming I wrote it down correctly that is. ☺

His interest in photography stems back to his days at Sylmar High School. His primary interest was architecture, but took photo as an elective in his senior year and excelled at it. 

He was hoping to get a sponsorship to study architecture once out of high school, and eventually he did get that letter of acceptance, but not until he had already signed on with the US Navy and returned from bootcamp.

Throughout his career in the Navy he continued with his love of photography. To the point that his wife was known to say on occasion, "You'd forget me before you'd forget that camera."

He'd shoot weddings for friends, and motocross that was on base in the Philippines. He'd use the photo equipment that was part of the hobby shops on the base to develop and print the film.

He reminisced about the times that celebrities would stop by and get a chance to fly. He mentioned Chuck Norris and Bo Jackson as two examples. 

He noted that Chuck Norris was rather shy, and not as tall as you might expect him to be (according to the internet, he's 5'10". I still wouldn't want to mess with that world famous beard of his... and he's 78). After his flights, which were about once a month, he'd come around and chat with the maintenance crews. 

Even with Chuck Norris's world famous beard, I'd take Bruce Lee in a fight over him every time, and he's been dead for 45 years. 

One time Bo Jackson flew a backseat mission, and managed to get the pilot to bend the rules a bit. Touch and goes weren't allowed with celebrities, on the off chance something were to go wrong, but Bo finagled it somehow, and the pilot got into some hot water over it. 

From then on when a celebrity would come in to fly in the backseat, the pilot would be reminded, "No Bo Jackson this time."

He did graphics work while at Edwards Air Force Base and was the go to guy for graphics on flight deck helmets back in the day. He made many flyers and posters for nonprofits and fundraisers, such as the Children's Center of Antelope Valley. 

A look at one of Keith's posters.
Designed for the Antelope Valley Annual Charity Gala,
called the Heartsounds Masquerade Ball 2003.

Of the various photobooth options he could have chosen from, he opted for TapSnap because of their superior quality over others that are out there. 

I asked Keith how it was that he made Wildomar his home. He had been living in San Marcos with his family and they realized they could use a bigger house. 

He has extended family in Temecula, and had been spending a fair amount of time in the area. When they went to make a home purchase, they fell in love with the North Ranch neighborhood and have lived here for nearly three years at this point.

Keith is a good guy and a great conversationalist. If you see him around town, be sure to chat him up. If you have a wedding coming up, or other event that a photobooth would be an asset to, contact him for more details.

Contact Info

TapSnap1215 Facebook page
TapSnap2015 Instagram
LinkedIn Page
Website

Phone: 951-609-3588

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If you have a suggestion for a "better know a local business" blog, let me know. No promises, but there's no harm in asking. ☺

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Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.
– Bruce Lee

Wildomar Rap splits the difference by being both useful and useless at the same time.

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.