• Various and Sundry Things: Volume 9

Just a couple of photos of projects that are showing some movement to share, and a brief recap of the recent election. 

If you've driven Clinton Keith towards the 215 you've seen the first walls raised for the coming Clinton Keith Village (at the corner of Clinton Keith and the future "Wildomar Trail" intersection).

The buildings are coming together.

No updates on when it'll be open for business, but it's a reasonable guess that it'll be by mid 2019. 

Another look from another angle.

Over on Monte Vista, just north of Cornerstone Church, the first signs of a residential project can be seen. I was told that it's going be 67 homes, though the construction sign says "70 residential lots".

Part of the orange boundary line.

Heavy equipment can be seen from Monte Vista.

Election update:
The official vote counting is still ongoing, but Measure AA has 12+ point lead and is in no danger of failing. 

The next step will be to field an oversight committee. If you're interested in being on it, contact city hall and ask for an application. I'm aware of residents already inquiring about it.

The next update is said to be after 6:00pm (11-9-2018).

The three council seats that were on the ballot have been decided. Mayor Ben Benoit (District 1) and Mayor Pro-Tem Marsha Swanson (District 5) ran unopposed and have won another term.

District 3 was the only contest with more than one name on the ballot. 

Swearing in will be Monday, December 10th, 6:30pm at the City Council Chambers.

For those that may not know, Joseph Morabito (that's me) is the writer of Wildomar Rap. I look forward to working with my fellow council members and staff for the betterment of Wildomar. (I have another blog in mind that can get into more details soon)

The last of the local elections was for the EVMWD Board of Directors. District 3 covers about half of Wildomar, on the westside of the freeway.

The voters have spoken.

Although George Cambero went to many doors during his campaign, was very visible and accessible, not to mention that he's an all around good guy and pillar of Wildomar, he came up short. That's how it goes. I'm not going to whine about it being a "sad day in Wildomar" because it's not. 

We have democracy here, and the people made their choice. Just because I don't like the choice, doesn't mean I'm going to get dramatic about it. Let's hope that Jared McBride does an outstanding job for us.

Wildomar Rap opinion time

Though the totals will go up some after every last vote is tallied, it's a sad commentary that not even half the registered voters weighed in on Measure AA... just over a third at this time. (rough guess based on 15,000 registered voters in town)

I think it's fair to conclude that the absent votes indicate [at least] a tacit approval of the tax. 

You have the right to vote, and that includes abstaining, but if you're also one to complain about things, I sure hope you took the time to participate.

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What is the fate of the prophet who brings the word? Is he greeted with bread or a stone? Were they hailed because they were saviors or destroyed because they were saviors?
– E.G. Marshall (CBSRMT 1976)

Wildomar Rap has never purported to be a prophet or a savior, so that must apply elsewhere... but it's still interesting to mull over.

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.

• Campaign Signs 2018

Everyone loves political signs... right?

Like rich and fatty foods, campaign signs should be consumed in small doses.

Today's blog is about the race in EVMWD Board of Directors position (for District 3) that will be on the ballot in November. The seat was last won by Wildomar's George Cambero in 2014. 

Link to the 2014 "Better Know a Candidate" blog about George.

Before I weigh in I should tell you that I've known George for more than four years, and have been having breakfast with him (along with the other Wildomar/LE Goodfellas) on a nearly weekly basis since February.

Clockwise, Joseph Morabito, George Cambero, David Masters, Robert Garza, Billy Shawn Williams, Steve Enzio, Scott Rux and Christy.

He has also donated to my campaign for city council, so it would be fair to say that I come into this a wee bit biased.

Facts are, I would have backed George for his 2nd term on the EVMWD Board of Directors even if we hadn't been having weekly breakfasts this year, and irrespective of his contribution to my campaign. 

He has a long record of being an outstanding member of the Wildomar community, that does a good job both in town and in his elected position, and has rightly earned a second term.

Link to 2015 blog about rate increases, and how difficult it is for the public to stop them

Andy Morris is also running for another term on the EVMWD Board of Directors in Wildomar (District 5). 

He didn't donate to my campaign, and we don't have a standing breakfast date either... still I'm backing his run, because he's an outstanding member of the Wildomar community and has done a good job in his elected position too. (Hmmm... in full disclosure, we are both in the Wildomar Rotary Club, and do see each other at meetings a couple of times a month... but believe me, being members in the same Rotary Club does NOT mean the other members are obliged to back a person's run for elected office... but I digress here.)

Let's jump to the meat of this blog. 
 

***Ridiculous Campaign Signs***

When I first considered running for city council, I read a lot of information on the things to do and the things to avoid in a local election.

Words of wisdom. For the full blog, use this link.

Key things to avoid: name calling and dirty politics. 

This flyer was put on the windshields of cars parked at a
Lakeland Village Neighborhood Watch meeting last month.

Wouldn't it have made more sense for McBride to have openly attended the meeting, and then personally introduce himself to the voters? George Cambero, though a longtime resident of Wildomar, has been attending those meetings regularly for quite awhile now.

Looks like McBride failed this one.

The backside of this flyer was even more ridiculous than the front, but I have to admit, it's some pretty clever and slick marketing... not to mention some awfully pretty colors too. 

Are likely voters really that easily led by the nose? He appears to be banking on it.

Isn't there a time when substantive points (aka: PROOF) have to accompany crass accusations?

The other important part of campaign advice I got was don't put too much value into campaign signs.

Comedy Gold!!!
Ahhh... the memories of the 2016 election.

According to the article I read, “There are only two reasons why you need to put up yard signs. One is to encourage your supporters, and the other is to scare your opponents.”

Someone out there might be saying, "Yeah, but I've seen a couple of your campaign signs out there, what about that smart guy?"

I've been honored to have so many people ask if they can put one of my signs in their yard. Like I tell voters at the door, if you have questions or concerns, even as "candidate guy", I welcome your emails, and will respond promptly.

My answer is that I wanted to get my name out there so that when I showed up at a person's door to ask for their vote, they might have already seen it. The signs were step one, in a two step process. 

When it comes to McBride, I've google searched "Vote McBride EVMWD, Jared McBride EVMWD, Lakeland Village McBride Candidate", plus a few other variations and didn't get any hits leading to a campaign page. 

Maybe he just needs better SEOs.

I tried searching in Facebook for his campaign, and again, nothing came back. 

If you happen to be wondering how to find my campaign website, just click this image.

I remember seeing McBride's first banner about two weeks ago. The first time I drove by it I thought he was offering mortgage refis. Then I saw the claim of "Corrupt Water District" the next time I drove by it.

Hmmm... I guess that the next time I bump into Andy Morris I'll have to ask him his thoughts on being called corrupt. My guess is that he's not too fond of such accusations since he, like George, are the polar opposites of "corrupt".

 If you want to see "corrupt" used properly in a sentence, check this out:

The CF Card in Joseph's phone wouldn't show the backside of McBride's scandalous flyer because it had become corrupt, and needed to be replaced. (Good thing I regularly take the photos off my phone)

Corrupt? That's some pretty provocative language.

I brought it up to George at a breakfast we were having, and though he wasn't all that pleased with it (who among us would like to be libeled with banners hung all over town?) he suggested to me that if there is corruption, it needs to be reported to the DA or the FBI at once.

Then, because a banner at every intersection wasn't enough, team McBride affixed banners to more and more spots at locations already covered. 

The intersection of Cervera and Central started off with one McBride sign (where you see number 4). When I had affixed my sign the week before, I had wanted to put it where you see the number 3, but there was a handmade sign by some school age kids thanking the fire fighters, so I put mine in another spot. The next week, three more McBride banners showed up on the same corner. Seems like a high level of insecurity to me.

Since that still wasn't satisfactory, smaller signs of his started going up en masse all over the area, including utility poles. 

A look at just one example of "if one sign is good, half a dozen must spell 'easy victory'"

Here is a close up of the photo above.

But that was a bozo no-no since it's clearly stated in the candidate handbook that you may not put signs in such places.

Seems like simple enough directions that anyone should be able to comply with.

I've never been impressed with this kind of "in your face" campaigning. If it appeals to you, then you may have found the candidate of your dreams. ☺

The signs are literally all over this part of Wildomar. Since this is expressly forbidden, let's see if the signs get taken down by the proper authorities. I know that I wouldn't come within a country mile of them (other than with a camera) since it's also against campaign rules to touch other candidate's signs.

The Cambero Team's approach has been going door to door, making himself directly available to the voters. There, in person, to answer what gets thrown at him. He's always at community events, and always ready to discuss all issues related to water. (I've heard talk of at least one meet the candidate event that he has in mind, it was rumored to involve pizza. ☺)

He also said he plans on attending the Windsong Valley Neighborhood Watch meeting too. See flyer for date and time of the meeting. It's not a campaign event, but he'll be there if you have questions for him. 

Though this meeting is geared towards residents of Windsong Valley, no one is checking I.D. upon arrival. Just make sure to arrive far enough before 6pm so you can set up a chair and get comfortable. The sun will be going down by 7pm and it'll be pretty dark by 7:30pm.

I've been told that there will be Re-Elect George Cambero signs starting to go up soon, if there is any available space left in town that is! If you'd like one in your yard, contact him and he'll see to it that you get one.

Here is contact info for George Cambero.

http://www.georgecambero.com/

https://www.facebook.com/george.cambero

Wildomar Rap opinion time

(you must be thinking: Wasn't this whole thing your opinion already?)

When it comes to water in California, Jack Nicholson didn't get his nose sliced up in Chinatown for nothing. The sordid history of water rights in this state go back well more 100 years and was pushed along further by an act of the California Legislature in 1928, primarily to build and operate the Colorado River Aqueduct. 

If you want to say that the various water districts (starting with the macdaddy of them all: Metropolitan Water District) have been too buddy-buddy with elements of Sacramento (or Don Corleon'esque) since way back when, it would be hard to argue with you.

But to suggest through bold lettered banners that solid local citizens, like George Cambero and Andy Morris could be less than they appear is an intolerable smear and I hope not accepted by the voters here.

Reverse Angle Spin Time:
If we take one more look at google's definition of "corrupt" where it says, "having or showing a willingness to act dishonestly in return for [...] personal gain." I'd think that could apply to a campaign team that blithely disregards the rules that each candidate is told about when it comes to their signs.

If breaking a small rule like where signs are permitted to be placed doesn't faze a candidate, then how could he/she be trusted with your vote? 

Just pointing out the obvious.

In the past I offered candidates of all the local races a chance to sit for a "better know a candidate" blog, but if a candidate starts off on such a bad foot, as McBride has, the offer becomes null and void. Sorry, that's on you.

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To believe with certainty we must begin with doubting.
– Stanisław Leszczyński

It was common to doubt Wildomar Rap when it first showed up in 2013. It took awhile, but now it's relatively believable. 

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.

• A Rose By Any Other Name

Shakespeare's famous line from Romeo and Juliet, where Juliet discusses the family name of her true love (at 13, har har, but I digress) suggesting that a rose would smell just as sweetly even if it were called a sewage lift station... or sort of.

Now that all of you are lost in my hodgepodge thought pretzel above, let me tell you what the heck it is I'm mumbling about.

Sewage lift station on Mission Trail, about a mile north of the cityline with LE.

There is a sewage lift station on Mission Trail across from Lakeview Chapel, that can be quite odoriferous at times. 

This ten cent word is worth every penny.

Its job is to make sure all that goes down local toilets makes it to the processing station at EVMWD headquarters in Lake Elsinore. 

I'd heard that there was an issue many times, but never smelled it when driving in the area. In my lifetime I can think of three places where there would ALWAYS be a rank odor.

First was when I lived near Little Mountain in San Bernardino. 

The rest of my family lived in Riverside at that time (we're talking about the mid to late '70s) and when returning from a family visit, traveling east on the 91, crossing the 10, there was a wall of stench that greeted all comers to the area.

The second one that comes to mind was the baseball park we played at in Dana Point in the early '80s. 

It was directly next to the sewage treatment plant. Like Barry Bonds sending one out to McCovey Cove, I hit more than one left handed homer into that compound (sans fans equipped with butterfly nets). The locals called it Stinky Field, because there wasn't a moment when the place didn't smell like an outhouse after a monster truck rally.

The third such predictable smell in my lifetime was while driving north on the 15 between Norco and Ontario. 

It was cow city, and my grandmother, who grew up on a ranch in Texas, would tell us whippersnappers, "Smells like money to me."

Back to the local issue on Mission Trail. 

I got an email suggesting that I check it out up close. 

If you get a chance please drive along, with your windows down Mission Trail in the AM. Near the EVMWD lift station, across from Lakeview Chapel the air is third world. [...] Something needs to be fixed in that system, benjo ditches in Japan don't smell this bad.

Expanding your vocabulary one word at a time.

I took the challenge and headed to the area at about 7:00am. I rolled my window down as I was driving north on Mission Trail and passing the Elks Lodge. I kept sniffing and sniffing and couldn't smell anything abnormal.

At first I thought I detected a smell similar to what can be at the river (somewhat musty), but I attributed that to the very hot weather and the lake being a couple of miles to the north.

I still didn't smell anything as I got near Lakeview Chapel, but I stopped and parked in their parking lot. I started walking, but still wasn't sure that I could smell this infamous stench... but after another dozen steps I ran into the first wave.

This is a Bitmoji image, not a WR cartoon.

Without the advantage of actually having smelled a corpse flower, I'm thinking this miasmic nose-full could win a blue ribbon over said plant if county fairs had an effluvium category. 

Taking a whiff of this flower isn't on any iteration of my bucket list.

Suffice to say, I would not want to live in the path of that nose crippling funk. 

I asked George Cambero, member of the board of directors for EVMWD, about it. 

They are aware of the issue, and are working on it. Like any other government entity, they can't just act without going through all the hoops first. I was hoping for a more definitive answer, but there just isn't one at the moment.

If you have concerns about this, or any other issue that involves EVMWD, be sure to file your complaint with them. I was told that they also monitor Elsinore Eddie's facebook page, and take all feedback seriously.

link to Elsinore Eddie's facebook page

In the meantime, keep the windows up as you're driving by, and if you must walk it, consider running. ☺

•                •                •

"Being on the tightrope is living; everything else is waiting."
– Karl Wallenda

Wildomar Rap is content with waiting if "being on a tightrope" is the alternative.

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.

• Vaya con Dios Wildomar Chamber of Commerce

The Wildomar Chamber of Commerce has merged with the Murrieta Chamber of Commerce to now be known as The Murrieta/Wildomar Chamber of Commerce.

This building will still be active under the new combined chamber of commerce.

Q: Why might this matter to the average Wildomartini?
A: It really doesn't matter to the residents here. 

How do I know it? 

I've been a member of the Chamber for the better part of the last three years, and sadly, there hasn't been the type of grassroots participation that I'd expect to see if I had a brick & mortar type of business looking to expand its bottom line.

The yearly dues were reasonable, but I didn't really see any advantages from belonging to the Chamber (from a business perspective) as the years have gone by. 

Don't get me wrong, the handful of regulars that did attend the monthly breakfasts, mixers and ribbon cuttings are great people and fun to chat up.

Thing is, a high percentage of those people are the ones that are seen doing the heavy lifting in other organizations throughout the city too, and it's been quite obvious while I've been around that the load had been taking its toll.

In other words, more locals need to start stepping up into leadership positions if they want this community to thrive.

Looks like it'll be time to roll out some new promotional videos shortly.
The video below was produced in Spring of 2015.

A Chamber of Commerce is first and foremost an institution that allows for networking among local businesses. 

Second, it's part of the face of the community it serves. 

If membership isn't high enough, it's reasonable for a local business to forego joining, which only lends to the downward spiral that convinces others to not join or re-sign when their dues are up.

This baby is going to be a collectors item in 50 years.

In the short time I've been a member I've seen the monthly Wake Up Wildomar breakfasts go from Denny's to The Landing Zone over to Tacos Tijuana then to The Corporate Room and now... I don't know where they are. Last I heard, they were going to be at the VFW.

With each move that was made, the number of the usual attendees continued to diminish. At one point breakfast at Denny's would bring in more than 30 people, sometimes closer to 50 and the breakfast at that time cost $12 for members.

By the time it was being held at The Corporate Room, the usual attendance didn't even hit 20 people, even though the cost of breakfast had been reduced down to $10 for members.

How can you switch venues, arguably to a better meeting place with a lower cost, and STILL see attendance flagging?

I'm sure that there could be many opinions regarding the whys of it all, and the Chamber has long sought ways to bring back interest, but obviously to no avail.

As an example, the chamber was in charge of ticket sales to the yearly Wildomar Night at the Storm Game. 

With a chamber that was at or around 200 members, I always found it pretty lackluster that 100 tickets couldn't be sold. That includes tickets to friends, family and the general community.

It was a fundraiser, and a robust chamber would have found creative ways (strong arming if necessary) to get the totals closer to 500. 

Whereas, a large chunk of the tickets that were in the Wildomar section seemed to have as many people on the city staff present, as from local businesses that were chamber members.

When the final decision was made

The chatter about a possible merger had been swirling around for many months. In fact, I thought it had already been decided upon back in Summer, but it hadn't until the last board of directors meeting, which was Monday, October 23rd.

I was one of three non board members to attend. The other two were former city councilmember Bob Cashman, and long time resident Casey (not sure of his last name). 

We all made our opinions known during the public comments portion of the meeting. Essentially there were two prevailing points of view that I observed.

The first was from the "Wildomar is its own community" contingent. The other "Yeah, but this is about building business networks" side of things.

If the chamber were just another social/service club then I'd completely side with group A. However, the premise of a Chamber of Commerce is to find ways for its members' businesses to grow... not just have breakfast together once a month.

Had the chamber stood pat, and not done something to show its business members that they are trying to fulfill their mission, I'd have not re-signed as a member. It just didn't make business sense trying to justify the dues that didn't increase the flow of traffic.

The only real issue I had with the meeting was that it was a closed door meeting once the public comments were taken.

Not open to the public, and not open to general members either. Often times a closed session makes sense, but what was going to come of allowing the three old guys to stay and watch? 

However, since there was the threat of litigation, from more than one person, I can see why the board would seek to make that effort a little more obstacle laden.

After the meeting I was apprised that the vote was 6-2 in favor of the merge with George Cambero and Tim Underdown voting in the minority.

The merge will take place November 1st.

I started this blog by asking, "Why might this matter to the average Wildotuckian?" and the answer is still the same. It really doesn't unless you are directly connected to it.

A handout entitled EXHIBIT "A" was given to those in attendance of the board of directors meeting. I found several parts worth highlighting.
 

4) Actions shall be taken to reserve and hold the name "Wildomar Chamber of Commerce".

5) The board of directors of the [new chamber] shall consist of [at least] 20% representation from Wildomar (defined in the bylaws of a resident or business of Wildomar).

6) The [new chamber] shall maintain the offices at 33751 Mission Trail. Hours shall be Monday thru Friday 10am to 3pm [with some fluctuation of an hour earlier or later depending on circumstances]. 

An area in the lobby of the Wildomar Chamber offices shall be set aside for the history of Wildomar and the Wildomar Chamber.

7) The programs of the [new chamber] shall combine mixers and breakfasts [into one] and include the following events:

    •  Coffee with the city

    •  Lunch with Friends

    •  Power Partners

    •  New Member Orientation

    •  Walk Abouts

    •  Economic Development

I sure hope that many of those events are actually in Wildomar... I'm not sure how enthused I'll be if I'm expected to drive 20 to 30 minutes (considering traffic) for breakfast, lunch or a mixer.

The one that really gets me is being protective of the name "Wildomar Chamber of Commerce". 

Apparently there was chatter among some that were ardently opposed to this merger, proposing to start another Wildomar Chamber of Commerce. 

I get why the merged chamber wouldn't want that, but let's look at that closer for a second. The existing chamber all but failed, and was on its way to completely failing (that's the only legitimate reason to merge in my view... which happens to feel more like being swallowed up by a larger group to me... but I digress), and without intervention, it was going to go down the tubes.

Imagine the undertaking necessary to create a new Wildomar Chamber of Commerce, and without any of the existing businesses or executive board members. Who would run it? Who would join it? The answer is NO ONE.

Certainly no where close to the current number of members, which isn't all that impressive if you're expecting excellence from your business dollars.

If it had been up to me, I would have allowed the name to be used by the hangers on that wanted to dig in their heels as a realities title wave crested overhead.

What's the worst that would have happened? 

I see two eventualities. 

A) They would bomb out (100% chance) or B) they would be successful (0% chance). I guess there is room for some middle ground here, but a new chamber run by the old guard would have been about as viable an organization as the Historical Society or the group that claims leadership over the trails in this town.

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What used to be known as The Wildomar Chamber of Commerce was really just a private organization, not unlike the Elks, the VFW or Little League. 

Though the aforementioned organizations serve Wildomar in their own ways, they don't levy taxes on us, and if you're not an active part of them they could completely go away and most people wouldn't notice. 

They aren't on the same plane as the city council, the school board, the water board (or the like) that actually do affect all the people in their areas. 

It'll be interesting to see how many current members are maintained by the new super chamber and if they can grow their Wildomar based numbers beyond what they've been. I'm still on the fence about it. 

The costs to be a member of the Murrieta Chamber are more than double what they are in the old Wildomar Chamber so an increase in business would be a must to be part of it. 

Below are some links with differing POVs on the value of a Chamber of Commerce in today's world.
American Express article: Have Chambers of Commerce Jumped the Shark?
Daily Herald article: 6 reasons why businesses should join a local chamber of commerce

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A committee is a group of the unprepared, appointed by the unwilling to do the unnecessary.

– Fred Allen

Wildomar Rap is the epitome of the unnecessary, but isn't a committee and was self appointed.