• To Face Mask or Not To Face Mask... That Is The Question

After Yesterday's marathon Board of Supervisors (BoS) meeting, I'm basically spent on the topic. Seriously, I had to feel for all of them since it was really nothing more than a fool's errand from the get go.  

Reminder: 
special bos Meeting Friday

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• Here is a link to the livestream. The meeting is set to begin at 1:00pm. https://livestream.com/rivcolive/bos

How many different ways does it have to be told to you that the BoS does NOT have the power to overturn the governor and they don't even have the power to overturn the PHO? (Public Health Official, Dr. Cameron Kaiser)

All his decisions are final (until he says otherwise). You don't have to like it, few like it, I don't like it, but it's reality and you should learn it. 

I have a favor to ask

Is it ok if we demand a little more of ourselves, like knowing what we're shouting about, before the shouting commences?

Oh, and while you're at it, how about leaving the partisan nonsense out of it too? 

Sorry for sounding like a jerk here, but after what seemed like 100 people speaking way off base, demanding things that could NOT be delivered, a person can get a little testy. 

Back to the topic of masks/face coverings

Personal note: I've never believed that the serious medical concerns that my wife and I have should be shouldered by everyone else. 

A friend of mine asked if I would put some video together of the discussion of face coverings/masks that occurred during the meeting. 

The first video is of Supervisor Kevin Jeffries as he asks staff (Sorry, I don't know the person's name) about masks and Orange County not using them and having far fewer deaths from Covid. The answer from staff really had me scratching my head, but you listen and you decide.

Below is the portion of the meeting that Dr. Cameron Kaiser spoke to the BoS. I'm not going to summarize it, I invite you to invest the 13 minutes and watch it yourself. 

If you're concerned about this, you need to hear the facts straight from the horses mouth and not just from a series of banal memes posted by a frightened person on facebook.

Treasurer/Tax Collector Jon Christensen spoke over the phone. Though not as powerful as Sheriff Bianco, he made some very important points that you'll be interested in hearing. 

He reminded everyone, especially the school district personnel that called in to the meeting against the agenda item, when he said, "I'm kind of curious as to where they think this money is going to come from. They're all being paid. Money is coming into these districts... it comes from tax money."

Very sobering words to be sure.

The next part is what my friend was eager to share, but didn't know how to break down video. This is the doctor that most influenced Dr. Cameron Kaiser to add the face covering. Listen to his logic when it comes to the value of face coverings. 

You can always disagree, but doesn't it make more sense to base your disagreements on things other than emotions? 

While I was at it, I found a 60 minutes piece where Dr. Fauci talks about how masks on everyone are worthless... unless he's changed his mind since early March. In which case, doesn't inspire a lot of confidence.

Here's a bonus video... the best three minutes of the entire 11 hour meeting. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.

Wildomar Rap opinion time

Though I'm ready to remove the additional restrictions that Riverside County has added to the State's already burdensome "recommendations"/orders, as was echoed in several spots in the videos above, if it takes wearing masks to get the businesses open, give me a Miss Piggy mask and let's get on with it (and I hate Miss Piggy).

Getting all high and mighty, sticking to some strong willed ideal could very well prove correct in a court of law at some future date... but at what additional costs? How many more businesses would crash and burn in the interim? 

Just like I don't suggest fighting with cops (even when a person thinks they're wrong) I also can't imagine how foolhardy it is to fight with the Governor and lose everything in the process.

If being right is more important than staying in business, it's your prerogative to fight that windmill. For everyone else,  I suggest biding your time and following whatever orders the governor issues. 

Fight him in court another day when your business is safe from any ramifications he could throw your way.

•                •                •

"I don't bother trying to analyze things like that. Some things just are. The only thing we can control is ourselves. It's fine to give an attempt or two or ten to see if a problem can be sorted out, but it's 100% fruitless, and borderline insane, to keep trying to change the unchangeable."

– Joseph Morabito (in a recent text to his mother)

Wildomar Rap would say the same thing in a text, or a Facebook comment, to anyone that wants to ever invoke the WIN committee again... and yes, I'm mostly thinking of one friend in particular that can't let it go. ☺

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: Continue Practicing Social Distancing Through June 19

UPDATE INCLUDED FURTHER DOWN

A look at our brave new world.

Health Officer orders amended; face coverings, social distancing continues...

Governor Newsom’s stay at home executive order still in effect

Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser is extending his order requiring residents to wear face coverings when outside and to continue practicing social distancing through June 19. The county is also moving to fully align with the governor’s “stay-at-home” order until amended or rescinded.

“While we work within the governor’s plan for re-opening the state, people must be mindful that COVID-19 has not been eliminated,” said Kaiser. “The new normal in Riverside County will still require social distancing, facial coverings and other precautions. Summer will only slow the virus, and we are already thinking about what will happen in the fall.”

Riverside County residents are still required to remain in their primary residence under Governor Newsom’s existing “stay at home” order unless they are engaged in an essential business or activity, such as grocery shopping or visiting the doctor. The governor’s order does not have an expiration date.

Kaiser issued his orders as part of the county’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused more than 140 deaths and about 3,750 confirmed cases. The moves were necessary to “flatten the curve” and slow the spread of the illness, which threatened to severely impact the county’s health system. Prior orders included the closure of public and private golf courses in Riverside County, along with the prohibition of in-house and drive-up worship services.

Kaiser recently allowed golf courses to open – with various restrictions. The State of California later clarified that drive-up religious services could be permitted, although in-person services are still not allowed.

“Residents are answering the call to stay at home as much as possible, practice physical distancing and wearing a face covering to protect everyone. I thank you all for that,” said Board Chair V. Manuel Perez, Fourth District Supervisor. “It is making a difference, and this progress is a credit to everybody doing their part and using the best tools that we have right now to overcome this pandemic. As we begin to turn the corner, it is important that we also flatten the unemployment curve and work towards economic and social recovery.”

Kaiser’s orders closing Riverside County schools and limiting short-term lodging until June 19 remain in effect.

Link to PDF of the Stay At Home order.

*****UPDATE*****

Clarification of local health officer orders 

The County of Riverside issues the following clarification for today’s amended public health officer order: The County’s current health order prohibiting gatherings outside the home expires April 30. 

Beginning May 1, the county will fall solely under the governor’s stay at home order as it pertains to gatherings. The governor’s order states that all California residents must stay home unless they are engaged in an essential business or activity, such as grocery shopping or visiting the doctor. 

The governor’s order does not have an expiration date. As soon as the governor releases the stay at home order, Riverside County will be ready to move into the governor’s second phase of reopening businesses. 

The newly amended health order continues to allow for certain recreational activities in Riverside County, including the use of trails and parks for hiking, biking and equestrian uses. Golf is also permitted in Riverside County with certain limitations. 

This amended health order continues to require face coverings and a six-foot social distance through June 19. 

Link to update

https://rivcoph.org/coronavirus

Riverside County

NEWS RELEASE  

Contact:

Riverside County Joint Information Center

(951) 955-5087

Riverside County Covid19 stats as of April 29th.

Wildomar Rap opinion time

For those that haven't already heard my views on our approach to combating this virus, here's what I've posted countless times before.

If I had been consulted on how to approach this, I would have done nothing more than we've done in past virus scares. There would have been no school closures, no park closures, no business closures, no restrictions like we've seen. 

They cancelled baseball!?!? Even World War II couldn't manage that one. 
(Yes that's insignificant in the real world, but it is a strong indicator that the crazy train has lost its brakes).

Mind you, my wife is someone that is so ill that she breezed through being medically retired at the age of 50. That's because her lungs are so torn up that she'd have less than a 50% chance to survive a regular bout of pneumonia. Her pulmonologist has made it abundantly clear that she would die if she got this.

I tell you that because neither she nor I have ever thought our worries and concerns should be shouldered by the rest of the community. We should be sheltering in place, along with others that are high risk, I don't believe that should be mandated to everyone else too.

About 50 years ago we faced the Hong Kong Flu

It killed a million people around the world and 100,000 Americans... that was when the world population was half of what it is today, and there were 130,000,000 fewer people calling America home.

Please read up on that pandemic, it's very interesting and they didn't stop the world over it like it was radioactive fallout from a nuclear blast. (LINK)

I feel for those that need regular/normal life to resume, which is most people. We need to get back to normal.

At the same time, I can't abide all the conspiracy theorists that suggest this is some diabolical plot to enslave Americans in a communist gulag run by nazis. (gotta love that imagery)

Seriously, we're Americans and this is America. I've willingly agreed to comply with the recommendations and orders from the governor. I've not lost a single right, and neither has anyone else.

If you're not sure of the definition of lost, compare this: I lost all four of my grandparents in death. They are gone and never coming back. All I have are old photos and fading memories to remind me of their existence.

Are you seriously suggesting that our rights are in the grave alongside my grandparents? If so, there's no reasoning with you. 

I've never been much of a fan of our elected leaders in high office, be it governor or president. We've survived worse leaders, and America will survive these too.

I suggest that concerned people email their local elected representatives and not just post diatribes on Facebook; starting with our county supervisor, Kevin Jeffries. 

I know that he's a champion of the average person, but it would be good to let him know your views just the same. Here is a link to his contact page, or use the info below.

district1@rivco.org

(951) 955-1010

You can also consider emailing Melissa Melendez your concerns at this link.

District Office

41391 Kalmia Street

Suite #220

Murrieta, CA 92562

951-894-1232

• When The State Has You Over A Barrel or "Gas Tax Bait & Switch Coming?"

I try to keep my blog topics about Wildomar, and though this isn't exclusively about Wildomar, it certainly affects us since we're all Californians too. 

I was reading in the February Jeffries Journal E-Newsletter. 

Thanks for keeping us informed Mr. Supervisor.

If you're not signed up for it, just go over to his website and do it.

Link to online version of E-Newsletter

This is regarding proposed legislation that would tie gas taxes to low income errr, I mean "affordable" housing targets.

At the same time, if you've been paying attention to the whole SB1 fiasco from last year, when the gas tax was raised by 12 cents a gallon (which was just the low end of how high the new tax can go — that's not counting the Cap and Trade scheme that was extended in 2017), you're probably well aware of that part of it.

Link to Sacbee story on it

According to the E-Newsletter, Assembly Bill 1759 "[H]as been introduced in Sacramento that intends to punish the residents, businesses and elected officials of all those non-compliant cities and counties by withholding the revenues from the recently increased gas taxes."

The E-Newsletter goes on to state: You and I would still have to pay the increased taxes at the pump, and at DMV, but your local city or county would not be given its share to build or repair roads until your city or county is found by a state agency to be in compliance with its state-imposed housing requirements.

The newsletter had previously stated the following: If you ask the experts, California is short about 500,000 homes to meet current and near future demands. 

“Affordable” housing in Southern California is in even shorter supply. 

Now I’m not going to get into the complex and sometimes emotional issue of exactly where and how to build homes and apartments in our own  county, but I am going to ask – What In The Heck Does Building New Affordable Homes And Apartments Have To Do With Our Increased Gas Taxes?  “Nothing” you say?  Wrong.

Here is a link to the actual wording of  AB 1759

Below is the entire E-Newsletter as it was seen on my browser.

=================================

Kevin's Corner

Gas Tax Bait & Switch Coming?

Housing is an incredibly important and complex issue for our state and county. With nearly 40 million of us calling California our home, and nearly 2.4 million calling Riverside County our home - adding new housing for young families, growing families and seniors is always a challenge. And if you ask the experts, California is short about 500,000 homes to meet current and near future demands. “Affordable” housing in Southern California is in even shorter supply. Now I’m not going to get into the complex and sometimes emotional issue of exactly where and how to build homes and apartments in our own  county, but I am going to ask – What In The Heck Does Building New Affordable Homes And Apartments Have To Do With Our Increased Gas Taxes?  “Nothing” you say?  Wrong.

The passage of the increased gas tax and DMV fees (contained in Senate Bill 1) was controversial enough, but now new legislation will be working its way through the California State Legislature that would tie the gas tax to new housing. Every city  and county in our state is required to set aside properly zoned land for new affordable housing. It’s mandatory - period! For a variety of reasons, most every county and city is not able to meet the prescribed housing demands of the state. So a new bill (Assembly Bill 1759) has been introduced in Sacramento that intends to punish the residents, businesses and elected officials of all those noncompliant cities and   counties by withholding the revenues from the recently increased gas taxes.  You and I would still have to pay the increased taxes at the pump and at DMV, but your local city or county would not be given its share to build or repair roads until your city or county is found by a state agency to be in compliance with its state-imposed housing requirements.

The state has many ways to make life difficult for cities and counties, but that is mostly done by mandating certain programs and services and then just not funding or fully funding the cost of that service.  This proposal is a new low, even for Sacramento. When you lose the trust of the people to spend their hard earned tax dollars for the services originally promised to them – you can seldom recover from that kind of bait & switch.

As always, I welcome your comments, suggestions and complaints (related to county services).

=================================

Don't get me wrong, there is a legitimate housing shortage in California, and most assuredly so when it comes to "affordable housing". 

There are no quick fixes here. 

Then factor in the cottage industry of Green Mailing, and that only exacerbates the issue as projects are held up for ransom. 

That's where fraudulent environmental groups shake down developers and cities with the misuse of CEQA laws —laws designed to protect the environment, not enrich shysters in ways that they were never intended to be used.

Signed into law by Gov. Ronald Reagan in 1970, CEQA requires extensive study and mitigation of environmental impacts for both public and private development projects. This is typically a rather lengthy and costly process, which significantly increases the cost of development in the state.

“Today, CEQA is too often abused by those seeking to gain a competitive edge, to leverage concessions from a project or by neighbors who simply don’t want any new growth in their community – no matter how worthy or environmentally beneficial a project may be.” —Former Govs. George Deukmejian, Pete Wilson and Gray Davis wrote for the Sacramento Bee in February 2013.

Funny thing is, there is a serious effort to repeal SB1, though many experts don't think it has a chance to pass even if enough signatures are gathered to get it to the ballot.

This is your governor, vowing to make sure you pay the highest gas prices in the nation.

If it gets repealed then that would bring an immediate halt to many road improvement projects that have been cleverly tied to SB1. 

Which means that many [local] politicians, that would normally be against such tax hikes, don't necessarily want to see it go away.

Sorry, but I'm not going to be strong-armed into accepting a tax because some bullies up in Sacramento are threatening punishment if we the people rise up, demand better and seek to overturn bad legislation. 

If the repeal makes it to the ballot, I'll be voting for it.

Link to UT article about the repeal effort

Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez will be having a community coffee this Friday. I bet she'll bring it up (AB 1759) without prompting, but if not, I'll be there to get her thoughts on it. 

For all the people that bemoan things like Walmart coming to Wildomar, this is something that is real. Still, my prediction is that most people will be yawning as they ignore it in favor of some good old fashioned Facebook drama.

•                •                •

Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing.
– Wernher Von Braun

Aware of Herr Von Brauns thoughts on the matter, Wildomar Rap takes a minimalist's approach to research. 

• Kevin's Corner

Kevin Jeffries

Most people know that we are in Riverside County's 1st district, and that Wildomar's representative is Supervisor Kevin Jeffires... if you didn't know that, now you do. 

He was reelected to his seat last year, and he's now in his second term in that chair.

A graphic in the newsletter. The map is a bit squished, but you can still get the basic idea.

Most recent edition.

He puts out a newsletter called Jeffries Journal with highlights in a section called Kevin's Corner. This is where he alerts his constituents to various issues that he finds particularly noteworthy. 

If you aren't signed up for it, and you care about what is going on with your elected officials, visit the this webpage and do so: LINK.

You can either get the full version from the website, or just the key portions sent to your email.
 

Link to the April 2017, 8 page newsletter

I mention this newsletter to you for a couple of reasons. 

First, it's good to know that such a thing exists and how to get on the email blast list.

Second, in his latest newsletter he discusses the county budget. 

Budget Cuts. 

If you have been following the county financial picture, you know that our county budget is in pretty serious trouble.  Our criminal justice system (Sheriff, jails, District Attorney, Public Defender, Probation) are all facing increased workloads, increasing expenses, a new flux of low-level offenders NOT being sent to state prisons anymore, and of course limited tax dollars to pay for it all. Next year we will be opening a new county jail in the Coachella Valley, and that comes with a very hefty multi-million dollar price tag to staff it. Our County Fire Department (staffed by state firefighters) is also going to incur a $22 million dollar annual increase because of pay increases granted by the state.  Add to that some significant new budget threats from Sacramento, and it is pretty much the perfect financial storm.

This has been coming for awhile, but the part I really wanted to share with the people of Wildomar is his following paragraph (I'll emphasize the key parts in bold).

For those of you who live in our unincorporated communities (outside city boundaries), the county budget cuts could impact you much more severely (Sheriff, Fire, Code, Animal Services – just to name a few).  My calls to immediately start cutting non-essential unnecessary spending a year ago was dismissed as foolish and spreading panic at the time. While we would still be facing cuts today, had we actually started scaling back our spending and hirings a year ago – I believe we would be a little better off today.

It's hard to believe that there are still people in this town that pine for a chance at returning to the county's tutalege, but it's true. 

For as much as the high hopes that Wildomar cityhood promised — haven't materialized, had we stayed part of the county, our lives wouldn't have been better. According to Supervisor Jeffries, those in the county could be feeling the pinch more than the rest.

Let the pro county spin begin anew.

Contact info for Supervisor Kevin Jeffries

District 1 webpage

Personal Webpage

16275 Grand Avenue, Lake Elsinore, CA 92530 

Phone: 951-471-4500

4080 Lemon St., Riverside, CA 92502-1527 

Phone: 951-955-1010 

Also in the latest Jeffries Journal was a flyer for
the Water Safety 5K that will be at Marna O'Brien Park.

•          •          •

I like long walks, especially when they're taken by people who annoy me.

— Fred Allen, 1894-1956

Wildomar Rap hasn't stopped walking in years.

• 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.

•          •          •

"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.