• Ortega Highway Closure: UPDATE

Anyone that uses the freeways during rush hour has seen the effects of Ortega Highway's closure. 

Commutes for daily drivers have gone from bad to worse as drivers try and navigate either the 15-91-241/55 morning nightmare or the 15-76-5 route through Oceanside.

There was press release from Cal-Trans telling us that, weather permitting, the road should be opened three weeks from today (February 21st?).

I learned about this from Riverside County Supervisor Kevin Jeffries' facebook post.

Earlier in the day I had heard on KFI radio that Riverside County was one of only 8 or 9 counties in the state not given emergency/disaster status and asked if I heard it correctly.

If you've lived in Riverside County for long, you've seen Governor Brown's hand in many things meant to tweak us for not voting for his tax hikes half a decade ago. 

To think that the news media made a big deal about "Bridge-gate" where the charge was that the New Jersey governor was said to have a hand in one bridge closing, in one area, for one weekend. 

In the meantime, the constant nose thumbing that Brown does to us goes on without any fanfare from the media. 

Noteworthy snubs include the yearly veto of vital funds for the four newest California cities, all in Riverside County.

Which leads me to wonder what Governor Brown may have up his sleeve when it comes to Riverside County's empty supervisor seat (4th district). The seat became open upon the death of John Benoit late last year.

By law, Gov. Jerry Brown has the sole authority to appoint John Benoit’s successor. 

If you remember the last time Brown was in this position, he intentionally appointed someone as supervisor (Chuck Washington) that was from the opposing party of the man that had left the post (Jeff Stone).

Leopards don't change their spots, and neither do geriatric partisans like Jerry Brown. I've learned to expect the worst when he's on the case and it involves this area. 

What did my rant about Brown have to do with Ortega Highway? Probably not much, but it was too obvious of a link to pass up noting. 

One astute Facebook user posed an interesting question on the Kevin Jeffries' thread. It was in reference to Riverside County's official request for disaster status.

That's a good question.

What good does Riverside's status have to do with getting a road that is in Orange County fixed? 

Here's to hoping that the three weeks go by quickly for all those impacted by the closure.

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"The faults of the thief are the qualities of the financier."
– George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

Wildomar Rap still is pondering over which of the two roles mentioned by Shaw, Brown most accurately fits.

• FAKE News?

I think most of us have become tired of what has become known as FAKE news.

Without touching any of the FAKE national news, let's just talk about two local cases of it.

The first is dealing with Ortega Highway.

A sinkhole developed on Wednesday January 25th on Ortega Highway. 

That part is REAL NEWS, it's closed!

The road will remain closed to through traffic for the better part of three weeks.

Graphic from Orange County Register story.

Link to Press Enterprise article

Link to Orange County Register article

The FAKE part of the story is the picture that has been floating around.

Facebook is a good way for people to share local info quickly, but all too often popular threads get taken over by bored people that try to derail a topic or just are sharing information that they don't know is false.

This FAKE image was shared by a resident on Councilmember
Bridgette Moore's thread on the topic of the Ortega Highway sinkhole.

Most people see such an image and take it as legitimate. Looks real enough at first glance.

Other than the silly over the top bottomless pit, the fact it's not in the place that has been reported, coupled with the hills not showing the signs of two weeks worth of rain (it's bone dry in that image), or that those weren't the types of clouds in the sky, it would make for a passable April Fools prank.

Our esteemed Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez was even hooked by it when she unknowingly tweeted the fake photo out.

I can't wait to ask MM about this at her next community coffee,
which happens to be tomorrow. (Friday January 27th At RJs in Murrieta)

Here is a look at the real sinkhole as captured and shared by a Facebook user.

No harm no foul here since no one was hurt, but then there is another recent local story where a person's reputation was attacked with false statements being repeated on Facebook.

In Canyon Lake a resident's dog was attacked by a bird of prey on January 14th. From there false rumors spread like wildfire.

Before they knew what had actually happened to the dog, the police were called out and the dog owners were asked, "[W]ho they thought could be responsible for harming their dog."

They'd reportedly had some run ins with a neighbor in the past, so his name was given to the officer. 

Instead of reporting the angst of losing her dog to a personal diary, Facebook was chosen instead.

Please read the Friday Flyer story detailing the incident.

Quote from the Friday Flyer article.

If being accused of shooting a neighbor's pet and being hounded on social media wasn't bad enough, the falsely accused man then had to put up with intimidation from a crowd of local residents. Not to mention many far flung places too.

The story made it's way to KTLA, then went viral. It was found at FOX 13 Salt Lake City, the U.K. website Dailymail, and Georgia Newsday.

Link to FOX 13 Salt Lake City report

He had the courage to go and and speak directly to the crowd outside his home (presumably his neighbors), something that an innocent person would think a reasonable move, but when people are driven by emotion instead of logic things don't always work out as planned.

An officer on the scene had to intervene.

Additional quote from the Friday Flyer article.

This trickled down to the local Facebook pages and someone suggested that "False accusations should be considered criminal acts."

No need for this to be a federal case when a civil case will more than make the point. That's what the courts are for, and this sure seems to be a solid case of libel if ever there was one involving neighbor v neighbor.

Facebook is the prevailing mode of societal communication these days, and just like crank/prank calls of the past were part and parcel of that world, internet trolls are part of the modern one.

With that said, if Wildomar Rap comes up with a humdinger of a silly story, and you notice it's April 1st, do the math.

Still, if and when that glorious day comes, such 'stories' will be clearly marked as a joke, just in case your senses aren't up to snuff that day. ☺

•          •          •

When I was a kid, among the other embarrassing things I would do, and there's a list of stupid things, but I would make these dumb comedy tapes. I would often make prank phone calls, but I would also do it with friends.
– J.J. Abrams

Wildomar Rap thinks that the pranks that kids did on the phone in the 1970's don't quite measure up to what happens everyday on social media. 

• New Light on Ortega Highway

Well, it's official. There's another new light on Ortega Highway that will be slowing down your commute. It's located less than half a mile east of La Pata. Oh the joys that await.  >:(

Traffic signal at the new intersection of Ortega Highway and Gateway Place.

Anyone that has commuted on Ortega Highway regularly can tell you how much longer the drive has gotten in recent years. Add to that the relatively new traffic light at Gibby Road, where the trash trucks all merge onto Ortega Highway starting at about 6:30am every weekday morning, and what used to be less than an hour can now be 90 mins... depending on where your final destination is.

Thankfully I only use Ortega once a week these days, but last week this light wasn't there in the morning, yet was up by my early afternoon return trip. Today, it was functioning and though I was passing Gateway Place at 5:45am, and those new apartments aren't occupied yet, I still had it turn yellow on me as I was entering the new intersection.

Well, good luck to those that have decades more commuting to do on that road... you'll need it as they build out that new area near La Pata.

  •      •      • 

For shame, doc. Hunting rabbits with an elephant gun. Why don't you shoot yourself an elephant? 
- Bugs Bunny

If Wildomar Rap were a kite, it would be one of those standard diamond shaped kites, with a long tail and 2 miles worth of string.

• New Light to Slow Your Ortega Commute

Hey, if you drive Ortega, get ready for another obstacle for your commute. A new light a Blackwell and Grand will be in operation this Thursday. 

As I was taking pictures, the project supervisor came up to me and asked why I was taking pics... if I had been in an accident. I told him no, then asked when it was going to be in operation... he said Thursday. I mentioned about what it will do to the morning commute, and he mentioned that there had been several fatalities there the last couple of years.

It also helps to have the county supervisor living in that area. 

I'd like to see the future stats on accidents the light ends up causing, with people either running the stale yellow or slamming on their brakes at such times... but I guess that will take several years for the data to come in.

I'm sure that if people live in Lakeland Village, they will probably appreciate the light (which is near Ly's Gas Station), but if you're from anywhere else, and only drive through that area, this is just going to be another bother to a commute that has gotten longer and longer over the years.

Some people are in mortal fear of Ortega Highway. My cousin used to forbid her husband from using it, even though it would have saved him at least a half an hour each way. When I moved here in 2001 I needed to commute 5 days a week to south OC. At that time I could get from Windsong to Shorecliffs (in San Clemente) in under an hour even if I left at 6:00AM.

As the years went on I had to back it up to leaving at 5:50AM to arrive by 7:00.

Then last year they put a signal at Gibby Road, where the trash trucks come out on Ortega Highway, and all hell broke loose. 

Before then, as long as you got past Gibby Road earlier than 6:30AM you were pretty much home free, but not since the light got put in. Now, if you aren't past Gibby Road by 6:00AM you will be backed up to Casper's Park.

If that wasn't bad enough, that fact has brought out commuters earlier than ever, and if you are at the bottom of the hill at 5:45AM you will be in bumper to bumper traffic; often having to wait 4 to 6 light cycles before you get the privilege of going at a snail's pace up the hill.

So I found the way to avoid the traffic... skip sleeping... sort of... I now leave the house at 5:15AM and get to work 45 mins early. I guess it depends on what you prefer. If you'd rather be behind the wheel for 80 to 90 mins and you enjoy stop and go traffic, leave whenever you feel like. For me, I'd rather make the trip in 50 mins and then sleep in the parking lot. Either way commuting SUCKS!!!! I'm glad I only have to do it once a week these days, and never in the eastbound afternoon rush.

Enjoy your last couple of days without this light.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wildomar Rap has always been and will always remain Gluten Free. Though most things on the internet are too.