• Smoke Shop Isn't Blowing Smoke

***UPDATE***

Pardon the cheesy headline, but I just got word that there is no stopping the smoke shop from opening across the street from Wildomar Elementary and it's the first thing that came to me as my fingers hit the keyboard.

If you don't know what this is about, please check the blog discussing the smoke shop that is looking to open within a stone's throw of Wildomar Elementary with this link.

City staff has spoken with the State Board of Equalization, who issues tobacco licenses, and staff was told that they do not have any distance requirements from schools or other sensitive uses.   

Staff then called the County Health Department and they also do not have distance requirements.  

Knock, knock... Who's there? Your neighbor the smoke shop guy.

The bottom line is that it is up to each local agency to adopt its own distance requirements….our current Wildomar city code does not have any such standard.

Just a hop, skip and a jump away.

Also, the applicant has told the city that he already has his state license and will be providing that with his next Tenant Improvement submittal to the planning department.

One question remains, will they be fixing that bad paint job or not? 

At this point, once the shop owner complies with the requirements outlined in Section 5.64 of the Wildomar Municipal Code and addresses plan check comments, the city will issue Tenant Improvement permits and this use will be permitted. 

Opinion Time:
For those that want to spend time talking about Wildomar not updating these codes before now, go right on ahead, I won't stop you. For me, talking about the horses that left the barn (then closing the barn door) has never been high on my list of things to do.

The wheels have already been put in motion to update the city codes where this type of business is concerned.

 

You may be saying, "I thought you didn't like wasting time talking about water under the bridge?" Why bother updating the codes regarding this now?

Good point, but let's look a little further down the road. 

There is a mostly empty strip mall right across Bundy Canyon from the High School (I've been corrected... there is a barber and a new taco shop that are getting ready to open). And though it seems as if the long term business plan over there is to keep most of that center empty, eventually those vacant units will get tenants. (I'm leaving the verbal jab in there, they earned it after all the years of empty units)

We want to be ahead of the issue, not finding ourselves in a similar situation that we face today, with an adult-centric business opening right next to a school.

Which leads me to a thought on commercial cannabis in Wildomar.

The state legislature is busy with AB 1356 which will remove most of the local control in municipalities that passed Prop 64 (Hello Wildomar - 52.8%).

The language in the bill has changed a couple of times, and it still may change before it gets voted on, but the gist of the bill wants there to be one retail cannabis licence for every six liquor licenses. 

Without counting on your fingers, what's your quick guess as to how many liquor licenses are currently held in Wildomar.

If you guessed more than thirty, you were right. 

That would suggest about 5 retail cannabis licenses be issued... but there is a alternate provision that asks for one licence for every 15,000 residents... or whichever is lower.

Wildomar has 36,000 residents, so depending on where numbers get rounded up, that's a minimum of two to three retail cannabis licenses that Sacramento wants Wildomar to have... if it passes, and Governor Newsom signs it. There are a lot of moving parts to this, but if we aren't anticipating them, we could easily get caught flat footed again.

This is a key reason for the city to write municipal codes dealing with commercial cannabis now, and not scramble after the fact, while dealing with some decree from Sacramento. 

If we don't restrict where such businesses can go, they'll be able to go wherever they want... like the new smoke shop. 

Correction: It was brought to my attention that Prop 64 does restrict distances from schools to a minimum of 600 feet. Still, the point stands as we currently have no restrictions on the books regarding this industry.

Language of AB 1356   link to full bill here

The bill would require the local jurisdiction to issue those licenses as otherwise required by this bill within a specified period of time if a local jurisdiction subject to the requirements of this bill does not submit a local ordinance or other local law regarding the lower amount of licenses to the electorate, or that local ordinance or other local law fails to receive more than 50% of the approval of the electorate voting on the issue. 

The bill would provide that these provisions are prohibited from being construed to require a local jurisdiction to authorize adult-use retail cannabis commercial activity. By imposing additional requirements on local jurisdictions the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

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There are some experiences in life which should not be demanded twice from any man, and one of them is listening to the Brahms Requiem.
– George Bernard Shaw

Wildomar Rap pities those that have endured this blog more than once.

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• City Council Meeting May 2019: Commercial Cannabis

I'm not going to get deep into the weeds on this (and yes, that bad pun was intended). ☺ 

Addendum at the top

Uh oh, I think I'm may have gotten more long winded here than I'd anticipated. The worst part... there are NO pictures, cartoons or graphs... just words and two video links. If you want to click out, I wouldn't blame you at all.

I just thought it better to have this issue separate from the park plans and the commercial design standards that were also discussed at the May meeting. 

(link to that blog)

Let me begin by saying it's a shame that deeply divisive matters are part of our lives, but they are. Thankfully, in Wildomar, such matters aren't a regular occurance and I hope that after the dust settles on this, we'll be able to set aside the rhetoric, and get back to the business of being a small town community.

When it comes to the opinion piece of this blog, it's all things I would have gladly shared from the dais, but aren't we all glad that I didn't prolong the meeting by another 30-45 minutes, and am posting my thoughts here instead?

In the end, after more than 35 minutes of council discussion, the vote went 3-2 in favor of creating a subcommittee to work alongside staff and create ordinances dealing with the various prongs of commercial cannabis.

Though most people tend to picture ratty illegal dispensaries when they hear commercial cannabis, like the type that have been in Lakeland Village on Grand Ave throughout the years, there are other businesses besides store front stores, aka dispensaries. 

The subcommittee will craft ordinances using both Riverside County's and Lake Elsinore's ordinances, and tailor them to Wildomar.

Time for a little housekeeping
For those that aren't aware, my name is Joseph Morabito and I'm the recently elected city council member from District three. I spoke for about six and half minutes. Below are the notes I spoke from. 

Or, you can skip reading them and just watch the video further down.

Where to start? 

I’ve never used it. I’ve never even experimented with it. But I’ve known plenty of people that did use it, and all were average everyday types of people. My interest in seeing this moved forward stems from a couple of things. Primarily, my libertarian leanings. 

This is America, and law abiding adults shouldn’t have big brother looking over their shoulders. It’s stunning that something like cannabis was ever made illegal in the first place was based on lies and propaganda which lead to near hysteria in the decades that followed. (I’m sure that’s a key reason why I never had any interest in it)

This used to be a very easy “slam dunk, NO” issue. 

Those days are over. 

I posted this topic on social media and asked for comments in several popular facebook groups. 

There was very little input. 

I saw the post of my fellow council member that also asked for input, it had about 30 responses. I’d estimate that they were at least 60-40 in favor.

Two and half years ago California, and Wildomar, voted to legalize it for adult recreational use. There is no stopping this as it becomes less and less stigmatized.

The amount of fear mongering put out by those that prefer the black market to remain intact is staggering, and if you are against a well regulated cannabis industry, by default, you’re for the status quo: the black market.

The city council received a handful of emails on the subject. My count had them divided 3 to 3 until another 9 were delivered to me moments ago.

One resident mentioned that the cannabis consumers he knows prefer either to have their product delivered, or “purchase from the black market, which is thriving, for the simple reason of no taxes being charged by the black market.“

I make my own pizzas. That doesn’t mean a pizzeria would fail because some people make their own.

A different emailer said, “As a former resident of Wildomar, yet still a resident of Southwest Riverside County, I find I am still a frequent visitor and shopper in your city. I strongly support the regulation of retail marijuana in Wildomar. Please be a leader in SW RivCo and allow for safe, regulated access to what has already been made legal in California.”

Here is an excerpt from another resident: I am a resident of Wildomar, having lived here for 36+ years, not that it matters. I am NOT in favor of unlicensed, illegal dispensaries in our town, but I AM in favor of fully-licensed, legal facilities that benefit us tax-wise AND are certified 'clean green', with easily available/verifiable labs to prove potency and being GMO/insecticide-free. I am not as concerned with those who use recreationally as I am those who have genuine medical necessity, though both should be protected from unscrupulous dealers who might deceive their customers, providing product that is 'not-as-advertised'.

Here’s an email in opposition, “I do not want to see this type of business in Wildomar. I moved here 17 years ago so we could enjoy a new growing community. We have good businesses here and already have enough homeless people on the streets. We do not want to draw more of them to our city!”

I don’t see the correlation between well regulated cannabis businesses and homelessness. 

There was a survey done last year that asked two questions. 

Respectfully, I consider it a flawed survey on several grounds. 

(I’ll try not to get too wonky here) The survey asked if the voters would approve of an additional one penny per dollar sales tax increase. The survey came back with 68% were in favor. The measure only ended up getting 58% at the ballot. That 10 point difference equals 17% off the mark. Well outside the usual margin of error.

Then there was the second question asking about cannabis businesses in Wildomar. The survey came back with 55% opposed, 42% in favor with 4% unsure. This was asked of the same pool of people, registered voters. 

I’m sorry, but legal residents that are also non citizens and therefore ineligible to vote, or people that choose not to vote, still have a say in what goes on in our community outside of ballot box issues, but they weren’t asked. The survey was deeply flawed.

One last thought about surveys and polls. How is everyone enjoying President Hillary’s time in office? Yeah, polls and surveys. 

I am NOT in favor of unlicensed, unregulated cannabis businesses in our city. If anything, I would want stringent regulations, with serious consequences to any cannabis business owner that didn’t take their responsibilities to the city seriously. 

I’m against blight in the city, and the last thing I’d do is invite it in. If we can’t come up with demanding, yet realistic, ordinances, then I would be a no vote. I believe such ordinances can be hammered out, as they have been in many other cities in Riverside County alone, including Lake Elsinore with which we share a police department. 

There are more types of cannabis businesses than just dispensaries, but dispensaries are the only type of cannabis business that was opposed in the all the emails to the city that I read, and the various comments on social media. 

Please note: I'm not going to do pull quotes of what the other council members said like I would have when I was just blogger guy in the front row.

The next to speak was Councilmember Bridgette Moore. She picks up around the 6:50 mark of the video. She was opposed and she initially spoke for about 3 minutes.

Mayor Pro-Tem Dustin Nigg was next up (10:15 of the video) and spoke from notes he'd taken during this agenda item. Through all his fine points, "Damn Apple Store" seemed to be the most memorable line... my "How is everyone enjoying President Hillary’s time in office?" took a distant second in that department.

Councilmember Ben Benoit's part begins around the 16:30 minute mark. Followed up by Mayor Marsha Swanson's first comments that pick up the 19:00 minute mark. 

Both Mayor Swanson and Councilmember Moore reiterated that they think that no matter how much time goes by that there will always be a black market. I have to agree with them, there always will be one. 

This is where I wish I could have had a Mulligan and changed it from "the black market" to "a THRIVING black market".

There are people that still buy illegal bathtub cheese and get unlicensed dentistry done by their hairdresser, but it's not the norm, and those aren't thriving black market industries... just pathetic black market/under the table industries, and that's what I'd like to see when it comes to the old way of buying marijuana.

None of us were around during prohibition, but those bootleggers (the whiskey version of the black market) all but disappeared within a couple of decades of prohibition being repealed. 

It didn't occur with the stroke of the pen, or in a couple of hours, days, weeks, months or years... but it did eventually die, and long before any of us were born.

Please don't come back with, but I have a neighbor that brews his own beer or that you have an uncle Jed that has a still in his basement and makes the best shine around. Those stories are an indication that regulation has given that black market a forearm shiver to the jaw and it's down for the count.

The same will happen with the cannabis black market... give it a couple of decades to die out, no one has ever suggested it would be like flipping a light switch.

I've answered many comments on facebook as fairly and directly as I could. 

Let me debunk something right here and now. I must have counted at least a dozen comments suggesting that the 3 yes votes disregarded the will of the voters.

I'm sorry, but I have to think that ALL FIVE of us, which would include the two in opposition, would agree that a survey does NOT have any similarity to a certified election conducted at the ballot box. 

I'd been urging the city council to put this on the ballot since at least the March 30, 2017, special Prop 64 workshop meeting, but that window closed with the 2018 election.

link to March 30, 2017 blog

In the blog I quote then Mayor, Tim Walker, when I thought I heard him say he wanted it to go to the ballot. As it turns out, I took him more seriously than he intended.

Below is a copy and paste from the blog mentioned above.

• It doesn't say anywhere in that law that we have to allow a dispensary in our city. We have the right to stop the dispensaries. That's the issue with me. Whether 53% [voted for Prop 64 or not], we'll put it back on the ballot, and say "Ok folks, you want a dispensary? You come up and put your name on the line, if you get over 50%, then you can have a dispensary in your town.

[original Wildomar Rap commentary]

This is a good idea, and I think that such a thing should be the main focus of the council on the issue of dispensaries in Wildomar.

Wildomar Rap, March 30, 2017

Based on the record, it's fair to suggest that the opposition, in 2017, all the way through my upset election against incumbent Tim Walker, by a 57 to 42 margin, never had any intention of putting it on the ballot. 

They had ample time to get something ready for 2018, and didn't make that a priority.

What I find a bit odd is that the opposition that remains on the council appears to be indignant that the will of the people is being ignored. To the point that many people on social media are parroting that very sentiment, yet none have asked, why didn't they put it on the ballot when they had the chance?

Our city manager was asked how much it would cost to put this question on the ballot. His response was between $20K and $30K. That coincidentally is the ballpark figure of what the ordinance would cost to prepare.

Why does the opposition want to pay double? Can we afford that? The cost of putting together an ordinance is about the same as putting the measure on the ballot.

You elected the city council to make these decisions, and you trusted your elected representative to act in accordance with the will of the community. This is a lose-lose for every member of the city council whether they are in favor or opposed.

If you do not like the job your elected official has done while in office, you have the right to vote them out, and you don't have to justify your vote to anyone.

No matter how you slice it, between 35%-40% of the people were going to be displeased with the outcome of the council's vote. For everyone that is unhappy with the vote, understand that an equal number of people are happy with it, and are telling each of us so. This has been a damned if you do, damned if you don't proposition for all five of us from the get go.

Here is why I am not in favor of putting this on the ballot in 2020. 

The public showed very little interest in this issue. There were 16-17 emails (half of which were in favor), and only three public comments in opposition.

There was also very little input on social media, and two council members specifically asked for input on facebook. 

There were only six public comments in total, and though everyone's view is worthy of being heard, let's face it... there were no new faces among them... and, for some reason, Kenny Mayes didn't write an email or speak on this though he was in the front row. 

Let me give you two recent examples of what public outrage can look like.

First, back in 2017 there was a proposed townhouse project called Camelia Townhouse for the southwest end of Wildomar. We're talking about condos that people were going to purchase (or so said the developer) not another Bandini Mountain, and that brought a storm of protest.

To the point of having to have extra seating in the council chambers, and there were dozens of speakers. That held true for both the planning commission meeting and the city council meeting.

If you're interested in my takes about how the Cameila issue went down, please follow the key words at the bottom of the blog.

Secondly, in Temecula, on April 23rd of this year, at their city council meeting, a resolution was put forth that declared socialism and communism are threats to the US Constitution. That triggered a backlash from residents, over concerns of free speech, and the city council meeting lasted nearly five hours as it dealt with the fallout, and then the resolution was ultimately withdrawn.

Had there been any sort of public outcry at Wildomar's most recent city council meeting, the yes votes would have had to take that very seriously. Yet, there was no impetus to spend city money, putting something on the ballot, when clearly this was a non issue to the balance of the residents. 

Another thing to give some consideration. 

I think we all can agree that the general sentiment about cannabis has changed greatly since the '80s or the '90s.

With every year going by, and most of the younger generation not having any hang ups with it, as the old guard dies off, their replacements don't share the same angst and fears. 

In 20 years people will look back and scoff at all the wasted energy trying to prohibit cannabis... just like those in my dad's generation would have about the prohibition of alcohol. 

The above is just a hunch, and I could be wrong, but I don't think so... and this coming from someone that has no interest in it as a product and doesn't own any shares of stock in such companies.

Here are some questions put to me from a facebook user. I responded by saying those were great questions to ask at the first subcommittee meeting.

But since I doubt I'll be on that subcommittee, being that I'm the rookie on the council, I'll try to answer them here.

• If these drugs dispensaries are safe to have in Wildomar, why armed security guards? 

The opposition throughout the nation have made this the boogeyman. As a concession, to ease their fears, such measures have been added.

• Why does Councilman Dustin Niggs [sic] want camera systems that would make the US Mint jealous? 

Please see the answer above.

• What kind of activities could come with marijuana dispensaries to bring this kind of security needs, if they’re safe?

Ditto the first answer again.

• What should we expect? Should we be worried about drug cartels retaliating in Wildomar for profits lost?

Is that a thing? This is a fair item for the subcommittee to ascertain. Are other municipalities facing reprisals from drug cartels over losing much of their black market? Perhaps the FBI will share their stats on it with the subcommittee.

• What kind of crime should we expect when there is a known cash only business in our Neighborhoods? 

There will be no cannabis businesses in the neighborhoods of Wildomar. The black market is what sets up in neighborhoods. They do not care what you or I think. They are criminals. Criminals do what they please. 

• What kind of security will the city staff require when the dispensaries pay their fees and taxes in cash? What will that cost? Will the staff be safe? 

Good questions. I don't know what the protocol is in areas that already have licensed and regulated cannabis businesses. That sounds like something the subcommittee will be addressing.

• What effects will the marijuana dispensaries have on our local Emergency Rooms and Urgent cares when the customers smoke or eat too much?

Why would there be any difference depending on where the consumer obtained their product? 

• What effect will this have on the cost of Wildomar residents home owners insurances when they learn there is a dispensary nearby?

Another fair question. This should be studied by the subcommittee and be part of any reports that are shared during the public meetings.

• What research has the Wildomar City Council done on marijuana dispensaries, cultivation, and testing, other than a survey that concluded that the majority of it’s [sic] residents don’t want them, before 3 of the 5 council members decided to possibly move forward? Besides talking to a few drug users that seem “regular”. 

If any, at what cost?

I can only speak for myself, and as I've mentioned more times than I can count, the survey was deeply flawed. Even if you prefer slightly flawed, flawed is flawed.

The last half of the question looked like a jab at part of my comments during the council meeting. It's very difficult to take people seriously that speak with hyperbole in every sentence. 

If the everyday productive people I know/have known (which number in the multiple of dozens, if not hundreds), that coincidentally are marijuana consumers, are "drug users" then so are those that drink beer. Alcohol is every bit as much of a drug as cannabis.

Video live streaming of meetings is still pretty new in Wildomar, and at this point the only meetings that are streamed are city council and planning commission meetings. I think it may be wise to make an exception for any and all cannabis subcommittee meetings.


That's the update. I'm sure I could have let my occasional logorrheic impulses perpetuate this, but I bet you've had a bellyful of my opinions for a good long time, I know I sure have.

Below is the full video of the entire meeting. 

Item 3.1 begins at the 57 minute mark. It starts with a presentation by city manager Gary Nordquist, then public comments, and then council discussion leading up to the vote, but I suggest the video above when it comes to the council comments. I adjusted the audio up. The unedited video below has low volume.

•                •                •

Truly good advice is seldom welcome, and those who need it most, appreciate it least.
– EG Marshall (CBSRMT 1977)

Wildomar Rap is confident that when it comes to opposite sides of a contentious topic, BOTH are applying the above saying to the other.

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• Special City Council Meeting October 2018

The meeting lasted all of 38 minutes. It was opened with a moment of silence for the passing of Tim Walker's father.

Public comments on non agenda items
Gina Castanon spoke about there still not being live streaming (the camera that was there in September wasn't there to record the meeting either). She also spoke about Measure AA and that "it should have been done (added to the ballot) without the study" that the council paid for earlier in the year. 

Wildomar Rap opinion time

I agree with the basic sentiment. The council knew that they wanted to put the sales tax increase mesure on the ballot; spending many thousands of dollars on a limited study isn't what they are elected to do. 

If I had been on the council, I wouldn't have gone along with the study unless it was part of a multipronged fact finding expedition that included at least one well publicized town hall meeting. 

From what I've heard from the city council members of Menifee and Temecula, when they put their sales tax measures on the ballot it was after a great deal of public input, not just one survey.

Item 2.1 Prohibiting Commercial Cannabis Facilities and Regulating Cannabis Cultivation (video starts at the 6:00 mark)
There was a brief staff report followed by public comments.
• Gina Castanon discussed that becoming a city was for local control on issues like this, that the tax advantages of commercial cannabis would increase the revenues the city needs, and that a prohibition just perpetuates the black market.
• David Masters asked for clarification on the ordinance when it comes to private parties growing on their own property. 

Regulation of Cannabis Cultivation

No person or entity may cultivate cannabis at any location in the City, except that a person may cultivate no more than six living cannabis plants inside his or her private residence, or inside an accessory structure to his or her private residence located upon the grounds of that private residence that is fully enclosed and secured against unauthorized entry, provided that the owner of the property provides written consent expressly allowing the cannabis cultivation to occur.

• Greg Langworthy lauded the council for keeping commercial uses of cannabis prohibited.

After the public comments, Mayor Ben Benoit asked Planning Director Matt Bassi to clarify what the city could face if no ordinance was in place. After Mr. Bassi's comments, the city attorney Tom Jex expanded on the Mayor's questions.

Use this link to jump to that part of the video

All four council members in attendance weighed in on the topic. I suggest that you watch the entire video on this subject. 

Use this link to jump to that part of the video

Councilmember Dustin Nigg

Am I disheartened? Maybe slightly. I'm in favor of this (creating an ordinance allowing commercial cannabis in Wildomar) my district is in favor of it. But it's what's smart (the permanent ban) and [...] either December rolls around and we have nothing in place [...] which gives us no basis in court to defend ourselves, or we do this and keep pushing forward with the end state of doing something that I think is responsible. 

Councilmember Bridgette Moore

We attended the League of California Cities in September and there was a class on cannabis nine months out, it's been nine months since it's been legal in the State of California. The city of LA has over 100 permitted cannabis shops and they still have a black market. So whether we have it here in Wildomar or not have it here in Wildomar there will still be a black market. If the city of LA still has a black market, and they have over 100 [legal shops], then Wildomar will still have a black market [if we were to make commercial cannabis legal]. 

Councilmember Tim Walker

I'm against this, I'm for this ban of course. The thing I keep coming back to is the federal government is in the middle of this right now. They're actually discussing legalizing it and dropping it down from a class one to a normal everyday thing. If they do that it's going to change the whole rule anyway. I'm a law abiding citizen and I'm going to follow the rules of the land and the land right now says it's not legal so therefore I won't vote for it [to be legal in Wildomar]. [...] Sometime it's going to be legal, and I already know that. That'll be up to the federal government to figure it out, and when they figure it out then they can send all the information down to all of us and we can follow the rules that they set. [...] [When] they make it legal across the country, then I'll be ok with it. 

Mayor Ben Benoit

At this point I think it's time we go ahead and move forward, we need to bring something forward at some point and talk about it and have an honest discussion about it. I'm leaning with Dustin that it's something we need to move forward on.

Mayor Benoit asked to direct staff to look into the new ordinance (Ordinance No. 348.4898) adopted by the county and bring back findings to the council to see if they do want to move forward on a similar ordinance for Wildomar.

At this point Tim Walker and Bridgette Moore showed they weren't on board with the idea. In the end, it wasn't something that needed a vote, so staff will be looking into it as asked.

Wildomar Rap opinion time

Like Tim said, he knows it's only a matter of time until cannabis is legal throughout the nation. 

When it comes to the black market, such a thing only exists (for any commodity) when there is a ban. Or, if there are such onerous restrictions in place that it's worth the risk to circumvent the laws, by both the supply side and the consumption side. 

I watched the very long Riverside County Supervisors meeting on this issue yesterday. They have such huge restrictions in place that those that are currently growing illegally have little to no incentive to comply with the new rules proposed.

If getting rid of the black market was their aim, and all the seamy underbelly that comes with such illegal enterprises, then keeping a stranglehold on such a thing is sure to backfire.

3.1 Community Choice Aggregation Program and First Amendment to the Western Community Energy Joint Powers Agreement 
This was a relatively short item. It's purported to save rate payers up to 2% on their electric bills if they opt in. If this item interests you, please use this link to jump to the 33 minute mark of the video with this link.

•                •                •

Look not mournfully into the past, it comes not back again. Wisely improve the present, it is thine. Go forth to meet the shadowy future without fear and with a manly heart.

– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Wildomar Rap has a manly heart.

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• 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.

•                •                •

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.

•                •                •

"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.