The highlights of the meeting include: • The approval of the proposed one additional cent sales tax increase for the November ballot. (now it's up to you to decide) • There are only four candidates (for three seats) for this year's city council elections. (unless someone shows up at the last minute) • The city was given an award by WRCOG (Western Riverside Council of Governments) and Wildomar has made the next step in buying our street lights from the power company.
Mayor Ben Benoit displays the "Gold Award" plaque presented by WRCOG.
But the big impact of the meeting came from the seven Briarwood neighbors that spoke during public comments about the effects of a nearby homeless encampment on their neighborhood. (Briarwood is east of Kaiser off of Prielipp Rd)
• Becky Frederick mentioned that the troubles began about a year and a half ago. They've since started a neighborhood watch, have an active facebook page to communicate with each other, cameras, and residents that walk their pets in the early morning hours to shew away suspicious people. She added, "but we really need help in our Briarwood community." • Kim McKinneytalked about homeless guys harassing people at the hospital waiting room and in the Albertsons shopping area as if they owned the place. • Paul Shield shared a story about a guy trying to enter his front door in the middle of the night (see edited video below). • Chelsea Bachinski shared a compelling story about encountering the man from the attempted break-in, mentioned above, then called the police. The upshot of her story is that the Wildomar Police didn't get back to her for several hours, and by that time, the issue had been [somewhat] resolved by the Murrieta Police. She added, "I don't know if it's going to take someone to be killed or to be attacked, but I'm a small individual that could possibly get hurt on my way to work (she starts very early in the morning) and I don't want that to happen." • James Juco, a 20 plus year resident, told of how his mother-in-law's car had been stolen, then later found at the homeless encampment. In the car, they found stolen goods, credit cards, purses, drugs and she still hasn't had her car returned. • Danielle Pedroso her mother was the victim of the car theft mentioned above, and she works at a dental office in the Albertsons shopping center. She talked about the homeless problem there, where they will often be sleeping in front of the office door. The account of how a homeless guy was washing himself in the flower bed near her place of business was galling, to say the least. She also related a story about some very suspicious, and dangerous looking, homeless people that had been at Denny's while she was there.
Councilmember Marsha Swanson jumped in, already apprised of the situation, and assured Danielle that Denny's management was working with Wildomar Police to prevent a recurrence.
• Colleen Wisdom told the council about the theft of tools from her husband's truck, and how the lock to the gate to her backyard was missing and the gate left open... which was worrisome since she has a pool. (the reason the padlock was not secured was to allow the pest guy access to the backyard that day)
At this point, Mayor Benoit broke with protocol and responded to the speakers. (For those that don't know, there are statewide rules that prevent discussion of matters that are NOT on the agenda commonly known as The Brown Act).
• "[Sadly] you're not the only group that has come in and complained about that particular camp, the industrial park just to the west of you, along the freeway, has also come in and explained to us that they are seeing rising theft and tracking it back to the same homeless encampment by the hospital." "That property owner has not been the most cooperative. We've had issues getting him to sign some letters to say "homeless people cannot be here" [...] he hasn't signed those letters to my understanding." "He has also not been trimming the trees like some of you've asked. He'll tell you that he's not allowed to trim the trees. There are limits to the tree trimming because it is an environmentally sensitive area, unfortunately [...] of course they (the homeless) are down there trashing the area. You can't win with some of these state laws." • "I want to come out and meet with you guys. Maybe an HOA meeting, I'd be happy to come, we'll bring Dan Anne, our police chief back there, along (pointing to where he was sitting in the audience)." "We have a Coffee with the Mayor [event] and Dan Anne [too]; we just had one a couple of weeks ago and we have another one coming up. I encourage you to come there too."
— Wildomar Mayor, Ben Benoit
Wildomar Rap opinion time
Coffees are nice, but The Bean can't accommodate very many people. There are about 15,000 registered voters in the city, and if only one or two percent show up. That would be 150 to 300 people. Even one-quarter of one percent would be about 35 people. Yes, it can be a logistics nightmare to put together and fully advertise a town hall meeting, but that is the proper forum to discuss the homeless issue if you want public input. Like it's been stated before, this issue is well beyond the scope of our city. It's a problem that has been created in the last few years by poorly thought out legislation and propositions. The kicker was Prop 47 which was allowed to be absurdly nicknamed The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act. What a joke, it should have been called,TheDestruction of Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act. That gem passed with a 59-41 margin. I don't blame our officials for a problem that other people created. I see this as a difficult situation that will (most likely) only get worse before it gets better, but they need to remain on top of this and be seen as being proactive, even if most of it will only be for show. These issues need to be headlines in a city-based newsletter, and discussed at town hall meetings, as well as be included in social media administered by the city.
I encourage you to watch the 22 minute video to get a feel for what the Briarwood community has been dealing with.
The only other meaty issue (Item 2.1) was the final approval of the additional one-cent local sales tax ballot proposal. For some reason, I thought it was going to be a long and drawn out matter, but it was over and done with... including public comments (2) and council discussion, in under 15 minutes. That item picks up at the 21:00 mark of the video below. Public Comments: • Monty Goddard discussed his tepid support for the tax increase and that even with the increase, we won't be able to address [all] the needs of the city.
• Joseph Morabito (me), candidate for city council, supported putting the measure on the ballot, and encourages the voters to approve it... but understands if the voters are sick of tax increases and choose to vote it down. That if the city needs an increase in revenue, why continue to block the commerce of a legal commodity (cannabis)? The only comment from the city council on the item came from Tim Walker. He talked about being a conservative, "I don't like taxes". That encouraging commerce and businesses in town was, "the way to do a city". Then touched on differences between the county and Wildomar. Please watch the video (starting at the 30:45 mark of the video), I'm not really sure what his point was as he seemed to touch on many things. In the end, he was for putting the question on the ballot.
"I'm not a one cent guy, never have been, never will be, but this is a fact that the city has to take on and it's got to be the voters that decide it. My personal opinion is that I don't like taxes." "I said from the get go, the only way you're going to make a city thrive, is by commerce, commercial businesses. But the people in our audience here, and people in this area sue everything. Stall everything, and cause nothing but grief in the city."
"Then everybody comes to us and says, "why can't you do this, why can't you do that?" well, there's your reason right there. If we're not fighting the lawsuit —perfect example, the Subway on Bundy Canyon. One business in a big complex. One! Because he fought that fight for a year, and still ended up paying for something that didn't even need to be done. It's over and over again in the city (the lawsuits)." "All we can do as a city is make it easy for businesses to get here and get started and produce income, that's how you raise tax money." "When it comes to the sheriff's, yeah, Riverside County has one to whatever —whatever the ratio is, of course they have that, but they have a lot of money too, besides what we have. [...] To compare us with the county, [that has] billions of dollars, and a small city with not so much, and fighting the fight, and fighting to get people to open here (businesses), to get commerce going, and collect income. That's how you do a city."
— Wildomar City Councilmember Tim Walker
Wildomar Rap opinion time
Tim, when it comes to your points about the city getting sued all the time... yes, welcome to cityhood.
Pro Tip:ALL CITIES GET SUED at least as often as Wildomar does. If defending lawsuits is enough to derail a city from fully functioning, that should be a clear indication that the long ago naysayers of cityhood may have had a point after all... but we're here now.
Allow me to suggest that we add "We always get sued"to the list of things that none of us in town EVER want to hear again. The other key comment that needs to be sent to the showers is, "Governor Brown stole $12M from us." Those statements are about as pertinent as saying "Ralph Garr hit a home run in batting practice"(something that occurred in 1977).
Councilmember Walker wasn't part of the WIN committee, so maybe he doesn't remember their claims that becoming a city wouldn't come with tax increases.
That's why Monty Goddard was discussing the dismal ratios of sworn officers to residents in the city, and then comparing them to what unincorporated areas have in 2018. I believe his numbers were:
In the county, they have 0.75 officers for every 1000 residents, and Wildomar has 0.54 officers for every 1000 residents.
Since no one on the council disputed Mr. Goddard's numbers, I take it that they are as solid as the rock of Gibraltar.
The video below is (HOPEFULLY) the last that I'll have to upload to keep my pledge of posting all the meetings until the city starts live streaming them... that's supposed to be in September... we shall see.
The other items on the agenda were things covered in previous planning commission meetings. The new sign that Inland Valley Hospital will be getting, and how the city will be dealing with EOTs (extension of time requests from developers).
During the City Manager update, three things were shared. 1) There will be an adult coloring group at the library on September 4th.
Come one, come all!
2) Astronomy Night is coming up: August 18th, at Marna O'Brien Park. 3) City Clerk Debbie Lee announced that there are only a total of four candidates that have qualified for the three city council seats (districts 1,3 and 5).
The city clerk will be available tomorrow (August 10th) to accommodate any latecomers. Just remember, you're going to need to get 20 valid signatures to qualify, and if you're still considering a run, you're cutting it very close. If there are no further candidates, that means Ben Benoit (District 1) and Marsha Swanson (District 5) will not face a challenger. That's really pathetic when you also throw in that Bridgette Moore didn't face a challenger in 2016, and for all intents and purposes, neither did Dustin Nigg in 2016. Why is there such deep apathy here? It appears that the only contest will be in District 3.
the matchup will be upstart challenger Joseph Morabito
vs
longtime incumbent Tim Walker
On your marks, get set, GO!
I have to give the smile edge to Tim, and his ability to balance his glasses on his head, but I think my beard gets the nod over his. Plus, check out my industrial strength forehead, not to mention that it's hard to go wrong with a lovebird as a sidekick.
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One last note:Wildomar Marketplace will be this Saturday, August 11th, from 9am to 2pm. There was some doubt as to whether or not this was going to happen in Wildomar (something about ordinances) but due to the efforts of city councilmember Bridgette Moore, she was able to keep it in town; nice work. Now time to get that ordinance done, so something so basic doesn't have to be fraught full of grief along the way.
UPDATE
Due to the fires, the Wildomar Marketplace had to cancel for August 11th.The next scheduledWildomar Marketplacewill be October 13th.
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"I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with typewriters." – Frank Lloyd Wright Wildomar Rapis the first to point out that blogs are written with keyboards, not typewriters.
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There was an interesting meeting at EVMWD this morning at 10:00am. I wasn't sure if I was going as blogger guy or as a candidate for city council. As it turns out, a bit of both since you're reading this now.
I added the red numbers and underline.
Number 1 indicates the current cost per house to hook up a 3/4 inch water line and sewer line. Number 2 is the current proposed rate. A difference of $2590 per new home. Larger supply lines will cost more. One inch was said to cost between 1.5 and 1.7 times what's listed above.
The meeting was more of a workshop dealing with a proposed fee increase. The EVMWD board of directors were in the audience, and not in their normal seats at the dais. It also was apparent that much of this information had already been shared with the various agencies/cities involved. Though there were several questions at the end, it seemed more like a formality to me. The proposed fee increase was NOT something that will be affecting ratepayers, just new construction. Pro Tip:If you've got a project in the works, and you want to save a few grand per, I suggest getting to it before September 1st. That's when the new fees are set to take effect.
To ensure enough water for those that already live here, and to be able to supply the anticipated growth over the next 20 years, there are several projects that need to be built. One of the reasons why the proposed increase was reissued with a smaller increase is that two additional projects have been removed from the list above. Though they are quite likely to be added back to the list in the coming years.
Most of those that attended were either part of the cities that EVMWD services (Lake Elsinore was represented by Mayor Natasha Johnson and Councilmember Steve Manos; Wildomar was represented by Mayor Ben Benoit and Assistant City Manager Dan York; and a council member from Canyon Lake was there too), or had some other vested interest.
A look at the cost of developing the new sources of water. It was stated that those costs are only for the actual water supply and that there are also other costs that go along with them. Things like pumping costs, storage costs, transmission costs that are part of the capacity fee, the above is just the water supply piece of it.
In addition to elected officials, there were representatives of the BIA (Not - Bureau of Indian Affairs, but Building Industry Association), and other developers. Groups that aren't too sanguine with proposed increases that will directly affect their industry. The BIA rep asked if this could be phased in over time, but that was basically rejected out of hand.
Many people would suggest that the above might suggest easing back on growth for the time being.
The bulk of the meeting was conducted by EVMWD's Government Relations Officer Greg Morrison. He went over issues dealing with the need to increase the fee. It was also stated that EVMWD wanted this fee increase process to be as transparent as possible. It was also noted that in the past such issues would have been addressed in closed meetings.
It was stated quite clearly that they are raising the capacity fees to prevent the surfacing of the "M" word: moratorium. If you've ever thought that we already have enough development in most of this valley, understand that the powers that be don't agree with you.
This meeting was to let the cities and developers see why the increase in Capacity Fees is necessary. Two numbers were tossed out when it came to buildout. I heard both 40% and 30%. EVMWD can promise service, delivering water to the area, through 2040. Makes me wonder what happens in 2041? (other than the 100th anniversary of the US entering WWII that is)
By delaying the implementation of the fee hikes, it'll be costing the district the difference.
Currently, according to the powerpoint slide, the district has had to supplement the costs by about $2.4M since 2017. If they delay the increase another 6 months, it'll be another $600K. They currently are making up the difference out of their share of the property taxes that we all pay. Money that is supposed to go to other needs.
A ray of sunshine to those of us that are already here.
Lake Elsinore city council member Steve Manos asked, "Have you looked at getting a piece of the water bond that voters approved recently, to help finance the infrastructure? Have you looked at local bonding to finance the infrastructure, defraying the costs over a period of time? We live in an area where the sewer rates are the highest in the region, the water rates are the highest in the region."
Greg Morrison thanked Mr. Manos for his question but basically said that bond measures don't usually go towards new growth/development type projects and that it wasn't an apples to apples comparison. He didn't address the issues of our area being charged the highest rates in the region.
We all need somewhere to live, but I'm going to have a difficult time working up any tears for the developers that are going to see their costs increased in order to add the needed infrastructure the area will need if they build.
A couple of other tidbits I gleaned from the 45 minute meeting...
The fee will be good for about three and a half to four years from what Greg Morrison said, then another increase will be considered. That doesn't include the yearly indexing that will happen as needed. My favorite line started this way, "If this fee is adopted..." Come on, we're all adults, let's don't play make believe here. Of course, it's going to be adopted. It'll happen this Thursday evening at the meeting of the EVMWD board of directors.
We all hate fees, and the only thing we hate more than fees ishigher fees.
At the same time, we don't like having our costs go up because of someone else's business needs(in this case: the developers), or newcomers entering the area. These are basically developer impact fees, but these are the ones that the water department are charging, compared to the ones that the city charges. If there were no new development, there wouldn't be the need for increased supply of water or sewer or increased Capacity Fees. If there is going to be continued development, the costs shouldn't be added to the balance of the community that doesn't need them. When our homes were built, the costs of infrastructure were added to the price of the homes at that time. If you want to avoid paying 2018 fees, buy an old house. It's clear that the countless fees that are added to every new domicile in this state are part of the reason why housing costs are in the stratosphere in California (ie, the housing shortage), but it's something that emanates from Sacramento, and I don't see any way to avoid them. As for the buildout of the area, it's only going to get more and more difficult to live here as we get near the projected top end. The freeway is already a mess most of the time, and when another 20,000 people are added to Wildomar (buildout is about 55,000), and another 150,000 people are added to Lake Elsinore, just imagine what that will look like when trying to drive somewhere, yikes!
Like I said at the top of the blog, I wasn't sure if I was going as a blogger or as a potential city council member. If elected, I would be attending many similar meetings like this every week. Meetings that don't always have a direct effect on the average resident in town. It's just part of the territory, being up to speed with things going on in the region, and it's also the type of thing that would be included in an e-newsletter that I've mentioned in my campaign. If you like this level of involvement, consider voting for me if you're in district 3.
"The backbone of surprise is fusing speed with secrecy." – Carl Philipp Gottfried von Clausewitz The backbone of Wildomar Rapis fusing speed with accuracy, and a soupçon grating humor.
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This was the fourth annual drive-in movie night in Wildomar, and it was a packed house. All the parking spaces were taken, and that counts a few instances of creative parking too. (A total of about 60)
The spots were mostly taken by 7:30.
On hand was Faith Bible Church dispensing free ice cream. This group has been very generous with the community, and they don't even have a church here... yet.
Kids love ice cream,
They do have some property on the east side of the freeway, and something in the works with it, but I'm guessing they're still years away from holding any services in town.
What better combo could there be than a free movie with free ice cream?
Finding that perfect spot.
Also on hand was Wildomar Little League, it was sort of a home game for them, being that it's the same parking lot they use; they were selling sodas and water for a dollar.
About 30 minutes before show time, from behind the screen.
With a view of the cemetery and the hills beyond.
The movie was Jumanji (2017), and though I headed back home before the 10 minute mark had been eclipsed, the vibe was well established that people were having a good time on a balmy Summer evening.
Drive-ins aren't just for cars, ask Mike Sheehan and he'll tell ya. ☺
Events like this are what memories are made of.
It was actually much darker than it appears in this photo. Taken at about 8:20pm.
UPDATE
It appears that mother nature put the kibosh on the movie sometime after 9pm... knocking down the screen.
Even with the movie being cut short, I stand by my original assessment that events like this are what memories are made of, even if they include wonky playback and then the screen collapsing. The pre-movie time with the ice cream and running around in anticipation is what kids remember most about drive-ins anyway.
• • •
"The covers of this book are too far apart." – Ambrose Bierce Wildomar Rapinvites you to notice that there are no covers on blogs to be concerned with.
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I love getting a chance to share local businesses with you. Today I want to share TapSnap with you (not to be confused with SnapChat... which I've heard people make that transposition before).
Owner Keith Jared operates the camera, snapping some shots of Jessie and Daisy (of Wildomar Queens fame) at the ribbon cutting for the Valley Resource Center this past May.
A sample of what the photo looks like after the TapSnap magic is applied to it.
TapSnap is an "out of the box" photobooth that livens up your events. It's "out of the box" for two descriptive reasons. First, there is no enclosed "booth" to this photobooth, and then, in the figurative sense of the phrase, it's not your run of the mill photobooth experience either. You stand in front of a green screen, adorn yourself in a prop or two, and then you are put into a scene.
City Councilmember Dustin Nigg and his daughters at Wildomar's 10th birthday at Marna O'Brien Park.
This type of photobooth is generally best when aimed at events that will have at least 50 people. TapSnap is a great idea for weddings, trade shows or corporate parties. Non profit events are also ideal situations to have TapSnap at. Though the service comes with a price tag (the equipment is top of the line, the high quality photos are printed quickly and aren't limited) the costs can be recouped by getting sponsors to the event (see the photo above as an example). All participants get a physical copy of the photo, and also a link that can be used to share the photos on social media right then... or to download for other uses later. They have a tagline of phototainment since they are more than just background photographers, they help entertain too. They engage with the attendees, and the whole process is a fun part of the event.
Keith Jared, owner of TapSnap1215 and Joseph Morabito, Wildomar Rap writer and city council candidate. A hearty thanks to the waiter that took our picture, though next time I might look for someone not quite so tall to do the honors. ☺
Keith and I chatted over breakfast at Yellow Basket, and I learned many interesting things about him. He's a 20 year Navy man, he retired as an E-6.
AD1 E-6
NAS Miramar
VF 124 Training Squadron
Westpac USS Ranger
VFA AV25
You can tell that I didn't serve, because I don't really know what that means, but I'm guessing that the vets in the area know exactly what it means... assuming I wrote it down correctly that is. ☺
His interest in photography stems back to his days at Sylmar High School. His primary interest was architecture, but took photo as an elective in his senior year and excelled at it. He was hoping to get a sponsorship to study architecture once out of high school, and eventually he did get that letter of acceptance, but not until he had already signed on with the US Navy and returned from bootcamp. Throughout his career in the Navy he continued with his love of photography. To the point that his wife was known to say on occasion, "You'd forget me before you'd forget that camera." He'd shoot weddings for friends, and motocross that was on base in the Philippines. He'd use the photo equipment that was part of the hobby shops on the base to develop and print the film. He reminisced about the times that celebrities would stop by and get a chance to fly. He mentioned Chuck Norris and Bo Jackson as two examples. He noted that Chuck Norris was rather shy, and not as tall as you might expect him to be (according to the internet, he's 5'10". I still wouldn't want to mess with that world famous beard of his... and he's 78). After his flights, which were about once a month, he'd come around and chat with the maintenance crews.
Even with Chuck Norris's world famous beard, I'd take Bruce Lee in a fight over him every time, and he's been dead for 45 years.
One time Bo Jackson flew a backseat mission, and managed to get the pilot to bend the rules a bit. Touch and goes weren't allowed with celebrities, on the off chance something were to go wrong, but Bo finagled it somehow, and the pilot got into some hot water over it. From then on when a celebrity would come in to fly in the backseat, the pilot would be reminded, "No Bo Jackson this time." He did graphics work while at Edwards Air Force Base and was the go to guy for graphics on flight deck helmets back in the day. He made many flyers and posters for nonprofits and fundraisers, such as the Children's Center of Antelope Valley.
A look at one of Keith's posters. Designed for the Antelope Valley Annual Charity Gala, called the Heartsounds Masquerade Ball 2003.
Of the various photobooth options he could have chosen from, he opted for TapSnap because of their superior quality over others that are out there. I asked Keith how it was that he made Wildomar his home. He had been living in San Marcos with his family and they realized they could use a bigger house. He has extended family in Temecula, and had been spending a fair amount of time in the area. When they went to make a home purchase, they fell in love with the North Ranch neighborhood and have lived here for nearly three years at this point. Keith is a good guy and a great conversationalist. If you see him around town, be sure to chat him up. If you have a wedding coming up, or other event that a photobooth would be an asset to, contact him for more details.
If you have a suggestion for a "better know a local business"blog, let me know. No promises, but there's no harm in asking. ☺
• • •
Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own. – Bruce Lee Wildomar Rapsplits the difference by being both useful and useless at the same time.
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