• City Council Meeting: Special Meeting; Resignation of Marsha Swanson

Long-Time City Council Member Marsha Swanson to Retire From Wildomar City Council

From the press release

WILDOMAR, CA – Marsha Swanson, who has been on Wildomar City Council since incorporation in 2008, submitted a letter of resignation on Thursday, February 10, 2022. 

The City held a Special Council Meeting on Wednesday, February 16, 2022 where it decided to appoint a new Council Member in Swanson’s place. 

The Council formed an ad hoc committee, consisting of Mayor Pro Tem Joseph Morabito and Council Member Dustin Nigg, which intends to hold interviews and provide a recommendation for the appointment. 

“Councilmember Swanson has been a tireless leader for our community since incorporation,” said Mayor Ben J. Benoit. “We will genuinely miss her calming influence on our Council and wish her the best with the upcoming free time she’ll have with her husband John Swanson, the kids, grandkids, and seven great-grandkids.”

Link to online version of the press release

Recap of meeting

The meeting had only one topic; how to deal with the empty seat created by Councilwoman Marsha Swanson's resignation.

There isn't time for a special election. 

In 2022, the only months available by law are April, June or November.

You may be thinking that June isn't too soon, but you'd be wrong. The election date can't be sooner than 114 days. If that sounds odd, take it up with the rule makers in Sacramento.

Initially, I was against filling the seat with either a special election or an appointment.

My reasoning was that the general election wasn't too far away, and that the voters of District 5 should be making the choice.

Outgoing Councilwoman Marsha Swanson made a point that I hadn't yet thought about. That District 5 would be without representation for the rest of the year. 

That is a good point, and even though we would make due, that doesn't make sense since there's a provision where a replacement can be appointed.

Whoever gets the nod will still have to run for election in November. The candidates that do not get selected will also be able to ask the voters of District 5 to choose them on election day.

That's really all to report now, but the idea is to get the word out to interested persons right away so that they can apply. 

Wildomar Rap opinion time

Here's something that I'll say, that I basically already said at the special meeting. I will not vote to approve a candidate that is an unknown. The voters can do that, but I won't.

If you are interested in applying, but have to be told to sign up for city emails so that you're up on things, that's a little too disengaged for me. 

I encourage newcomers to apply for a position on the Measure Z or Measure AA committees as an introduction to working within the Wildomar city government apparatus. LINK TO APPLICATIONS

If you want my vote, you need to be involved in the community on some level. I think that's a fair baseline to begin from. 

Here is my "list of things" that I expect all candidates to address in their applications... this can be seen in the video below. 

1. Why do they believe they are the best candidate for the position?

2. What is their motivation for seeking the position?

3. Do they have an agenda, and what is it?

4. What do they believe will be their roll once appointed?

5. Are they a team player?

6. What is their history in Wildomar?

7. What is their history with community involvement?

8. Do they understand that this position is far more than the monthly city council meetings (which includes a lot of homework to prepare for)?

9. Are they aware that this position is about being an ambassador for the city in many regional events, and as many city events as is feasibly possible? That they will be one of the key faces representing the city, even on their off time and on social media?

10. Is the new appointee willing to put in the time on various county boards and commissions where needed, not representing themselves, but representing the council?

I don't want District 5 to be without representation for the rest of the year, but I won't vote for someone just because they have a pulse.

• Look For Higher Trash Rates

Before you say that you didn't see this coming...

I recognize that many people have more pressing things to do than keep up with the issues regarding what happens with their trash after it's been picked up, I was the same way until about 10 years ago.

Then something would hit me in the wallet (a rate hike due to an unfunded mandate) and I'd perk up.

Our garbage has to go somewhere.

Playing the blame game doesn't help anyone, but if you're looking for the root cause of the increases please direct your gaze northward to Sacramento. 

For a VERY long time Sacramento has been putting the squeeze on how we can throw out our trash, whether you care about it or not. After years of revving up for this, the start date finally came.

I'm not here to argue the merits of the intentions (which we all know that the road to hell is paved with good ones), I'm just letting you know that your trash rates will be going up at some point in the not too distant future.

Trash Getting Expensive –

 The State (via Senate Bill 1383, passed in 2016) is mandating that cities and counties implement new trash collection standards specifically for food/organic waste. Once fully implemented, many of us could have yet another trash bin at the curb for discarded food and other non-recyclable organic waste. 

The local trash haulers are under the gun to put together their food pick up plan and to tell the cities and counties exactly how much more they want (or need) to increase our monthly rates in order to accomplish this statewide mandate. 

Any city or county that fails to implement the new plan will receive substantial fines from the State. Details are all pending but stayed tuned!

Link to Supervisor Kevin Jeffries Newsletter.

This was discussed at the December city council meeting, and I was a little taken aback when CR&R's Alex Braicovich said that there would be no rate increases since several years ago, to accommodate SB 1383, there was said to be a minimum $2 increase if the city had signed a deal several years ago.

It was asked, "With this adjustment in service is there a price increase to cover it? For commercial or residential?" 

"In this particular instance we're proposing no increase on the residential rate payer. There will be a rate adjustment later on in the year to address the 1383 requirements, as mentioned by Mr. Riley (Wildomar's City Treasurer). There are a number of requirements that 1383 is bringing on board. Those will be addressed at that time. There will be no increase to the residential customers."

I followed up with, "No increase as of the first of the year, but probably at the fiscal year."

Mr. Braicovich responded, "At the fiscal year what we're contemplating is the regular CPI adjustment." 

The exchange can be found at the 2:03:00 mark in this video link.

My goal is to get accurate information to the public, not play gotcha. So, before publishing this blog I reached out to CR&R's Alex Braicovich again. 

Below is the email exchange.

 WR  Before publishing the blog, I just want to run it by you first to confirm that there will be no residential rate increases beyond the normal CPI adjustment. or if the above needs a clarification.

 AB  Our plan is to only pass through our regular annual CPI for residential effective July 1, 2022. 

CPI will be higher this year due to higher inflation which is reflected in our increase costs. 

Our goal has always been to minimize residential cost increase even with all these new requirements brought on by SB 1383. 

We will be asking for CPI plus an additional amount on commercial and industrial. We communicated this plan to staff months ago and we plan to honor that commitment.

Wildomar Rap opinion time

I was happy to hear that the plan is to not ask for more than the CPI (Consumer Price Index) adjustment for residential customers even with the added burden of SB 1383. 

We'll have to see how significant that ends up being considering how steep inflation has been over the last year.

Also, this is where it's time to take a page from President Reagan's playbook, "Trust, but verify". 

I had an email into Waste Management's counterpart, but I didn't get a response before publishing this blog.

Link to 2016 blog where this first surfaced.

• Bundy Canyon Construction Update

Here is the most recent official update from the city regarding construction on Bundy Canyon. 

Construction Updates

Updated: 2/3/2022

• General Notices:
• Sellers Road at Bundy Canyon Road is still currently closed due to pending construction activities. Work in this area is currently scheduled from 2/14/22-3/4/22. The intersection is expected to be reopened to traffic once completed. Detour signs have been placed to direct drivers around the closure.
• Please use caution when driving through the construction area, and please follow all traffic control signs and direction from project traffic control personnel.
• Please expect delays when driving through the construction area. Construction Zone speed limits are strictly enforced.
• Monthly project updates are also being provided via the City's Newsletter and presentations provided at regularly scheduled City Council Meetings.

 



February '22 field activity
Continuing installation of soundwall throughout eastern project limits



• Current Project Activities:
• Construction of the project's perimeter soundwalls on south side of Bundy Canyon Rd., from Oak Canyon Drive to Autumn Sage Court. Soundwall installation on the north side of Bundy Canyon Rd., from Canyon Ranch Road to Elbow Creek Trail, will follow after south side completion.
• Finishing the installation of all storm drain facilities throughout the project limits.

 



February '22 field activity
Continuing installation of soundwall throughout eastern project limits



• February 2022 Look Ahead:
• Construction is expected to continue on the perimeter walls and storm drain facilities, which must be completed before road work  and other project improvements can begin.
• Suspended activities at Sellers Road for the LINE F storm drain improvements are to resume within this month and be completed by the end of month/early March, which will reopen the intersection to traffic.

Questions or Concerns

Please contact Cameron Luna, Project Manager, regarding any questions or concerns related to this project.

• Email: cluna@cityofwildomar.org
• Phone: 951-677-7751 x245

 

Project Summary

The Bundy Canyon Rd. Improvement Project, Segment 1, includes the widening of Bundy Canyon Rd. from Cherry St. to approximately 1600' east of Oak Canyon Dr. The existing road will be widened from two lanes to four lanes, with turn lanes. Bike lanes will be included from the I-15 freeway northbound ramps to Monte Vista Dr., where the bike lanes will connect to a future Class 1 pedestrian and bicycle trail, planned for construction in the next few years. Improvements will also include new sidewalks, new storm drains, and other related roadway improvements. Two new traffic signals will also be installed at the intersections of Sellers Rd. and at Monte Vista Dr.

 

Project Schedule & Contractor Info

• Construction originally began in April 2021 and is expected to be complete in the second half of 2022.
• Contractor for Phase I of the Bundy Canyon project is James Mcminn Inc. (JMI)

Project Funding

The total estimated construction cost is approximately $7,774,445.00.

Project Funding Sources include:

• Measure AA
• RCTC (Riverside County Transportation Commission)
• TUMF (Transportation Uniform Mitigation Fee)
• Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (RCFC&WCD)
• Local Grants (RCTC SB 821 funds)
• EVMWD Cooperative Agreement (Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District)
• Development Impact Fees
• Developer Cash-in-Lieu Contributions

Link to official city webpage regarding Bundy Canyon

• Kaiser Is Coming To Wildomar

Ok, that title is misleading since Kaiser is already in Wildomar, but now they'll be the masters of their own destiny in a new building off of Wildomar Trail.

Artist rendering of the coming Wildomar Kaiser.

From the Press Release: 

Kaiser Permanente to Build Medical Office Building in Baxter Village Mixed-Use Project

Wildomar, Calif. – January 26, 2022 – 

Kaiser Permanente announced today plans to build a medical office building on approximately 7 acres within the Baxter Village Mixed-Use Project located at the Northwest Corner of Wildomar Trail and Interstate 15 in the City of Wildomar. 

The property is entitled for a future 84,000 square-foot outpatient medical office building. While the land developer for the Baxter Village Project has begun site work, including street and sidewalk improvements, construction is anticipated to begin mid-2022 on the medical office building.

“Kaiser Permanente is proud to serve more than 160,000 members from within the growing City of Wildomar and neighboring communities in Riverside County,” said Vita Willett, Kaiser Permanente Senior Vice President and Riverside Area Manager. 

The building will be about fifty feet tall.

“Our new Wildomar Medical Office Building will give us the room we need to expand, ultimately bringing more health care services closer to home for many.” 

“If the past two years have taught us anything, it’s the importance of health care,” said Wildomar Mayor Ben J. Benoit. “We are excited that Kaiser Permanente is building in Wildomar and investing in the health care infrastructure for our community.” 

Construction on the new medical office building is scheduled to be complete in late 2023 and will have nearly double the capacity of the current leased 34-provider office building. The new medical office building is planned to include imaging services, a pharmacy, and will house approximately 61 provider offices, including primary care, pediatrics, optometry, allergy, dermatology and other specialties. 

--------------------------

Wildomar Rap opinion time

It's been cloak and dagger for about two years, when it's come to the tenant of the medical office building, in the retro-throwback named Baxter Village development (they do know that the road's name has been changed, right?).

Actually, it's been one of the worst kept secrets since Israel became a nuclear power (have they admitted to that one yet?) but I digress. 

Even before this hit the planning commission in 2020 this was the chatter when checking in at the existing Kaiser location... but that is all in the past now and I can't wait to be at the groundbreaking ceremony and eventually the ribbon cutting as they treat their first patient.

Link to 2020 blog about the revised plot plan change.

https://wildomarrap.blogspot.com/2020/10/baxter-village-revised-plot-plan-hotel.html

• City Council Meeting November 2021

The longest day in Wildomar City Council history... or at least I'm using this as the new benchmark. It started at 3pm and didn't let out until Nearly 8pm. 

Ok, in there was a recess of about an hour, but never the less, it was a marathon in terms of being there. (Oh Joseph, stop whining)

At 3pm there was a workshop dealing with the widening of Palomar from Wildomar Trail to the cemetery and around the corner, east on Gruwell St. 

I suggest that you watch the video below if you'd like to hear the details. Come on, you can spend the 15 minutes watching the video and getting all the details yourself, or you can spend hours going down the various social media rabbit holes and end up with tons of misinformation instead. 

I've always loved drawing these silly cartoons, but I'm really the only safe target to lampoon anymore. 😁 

This should be coming to Wildomar in not all that long a period of time since the funds are needed to be used within a narrow window before they're no longer available.

Very exciting look that will be stretching from the corner of Palomar and Wildomar Trail north to Gruwell and along the cemetery.

The second part of the workshop dealt with DIF Fees (Developer Impact Fees). 

In short, when new development comes in there are fees that are paid. 

Ideas behind the fee increase proposal.

Though the fees are enormous in my estimation... welcome to California. They are a fact of life, and a reason why our housing costs are so much larger than in the middle of the country. 

The various items that DIF covers.

Presently the fees were last adjusted in 2015. The workshop was to get this ball rolling. There is recent legislation that will make it rather cumbersome to have such fees keep up with inflation if the process isn't started before the first of the year.

Details will be finalized at subsequent meetings after much wrangling I'm sure. 

I apologize if this isn't very legible. The limitations of copy and past from a video and then someone reviewing it on a smartphone. 

Below is a link to the workshop portion of the meeting.

Key pieces of business in the regular meeting included the second of four discussions of redrawing the city council district maps. 

There were no sample maps for this public hearing. 

I'll give you three guesses as to why, and they should all begin with the ripple effect of Covid and how it interrupted everything last year, including the census.

There will be sample maps at the December city council meeting. There will also be opportunities for you to draw a map yourself and submit it before the December meeting... and even for those that insist on procrastinating, ways to submit maps after the (suggested) deadline.

The link to the map tool isn't active yet. If this is something that you'd like to participate in, be sure to sign up for city emails.

The deadline to adopt new maps is April 17, 2022. I heard mention that we have all sorts of time and that we shouldn't have had the second public hearing without sample maps. 

That may be the MO of some people, but understanding the process and what goes into it, there was no reason to push this off and then (potentially) run out of time when some unforeseen occurrence were to visit us.

Other highlights of the meeting including the SWAG permanent housing improvements. 

This is a key to keeping a lid on homeless issues in the city of Wildomar. Without beds available, and no trespassing letters on file, the law does not allow to the approaches of the past to be used in the present. 

I had a chance to tour the facility and things look good there. There were two sums listed in the agenda for this. $217,600 for "to provide permanent supportive housing (PSH) services for six (6) chronically homeless individuals in the City of Wildomar for the fiscal year 2021-22"

The other sum was one-time $262,700 of the ARPA funds to be budgeted for the conversion of the garage at the property into a livable Accessory Dwelling Unit.

In non ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act of 2021) times this could have been a tense/contentious item to deal with. However, this is ARPA time and those moneys have a lot of strings attached to them. I find that this is a very acceptable way to use part of them.

Future City Hall

This is one of those topics that I am very interested in, but can imagine that most residents are somewhat less concerned about. 

Since the city's inception we have been renters of our city hall facilities. That was fine in the beginning as we were learning to crawl, but now it's time for us to walk on our own.

Though it would be great to be in what was referred to as a "class A building", that is still years into the future. However, a good temporary solution was shared at the meeting that will take us off the rental rolls and start building up city assets that will benefit residents for years to come. 

This is still in the concept phase, but one real option is to put a building up at the (yet to be named) park near Ronald Reagan Elementary.

Many details need to be worked out, and if this site can't be used, the city has another possible location at the undeveloped park near David A Brown Middle School that this could work at. 

From there, the city could be looking for a forever home, waiting for more favorable land prices (this market is crazy to be purchasing in) without the pressures of needing to renew a leasing agreement in the interim. 

The longer we wait to push forward with a new city hall, the longer we are renters making the building owners rich while not building assets for the residents of the city. This is a great move and I look forward to hearing more information as it becomes available. 

Concept of what the building could look like.

In the future, most likely after the current council is long gone, the "temporary" city hall could become a community center at the park.

Holiday Lights Contest

The Mayor and his family will be doing the judging, and I encourage as many families to participate as we can muster.

Make him put a lot of miles on his car as they tour the city looking at Christmas displays. 😃

From the agenda: 

The Holiday Lights Contest is an annual event that recognizes the efforts of the community who have decorated their homes with consideration to the holidays. 

The contest will be judged based on two categories: “Traditional” and “Clark Griswold”. 

Within each category, entries will be judged on such criteria as: 

•First Impression 

•Design 

•Originality 

•Suitability to Site 

•Environmental Elements (environmental elements including recycling, energy conservation, etc.)

The city will provide an online application for easy entry to the contest. 

Entries will be accepted from Monday, November 15th through Thursday, December 9th at 5:00 p.m. 

Judging will take place from Friday December 10, 2021, through Sunday December 12, 2021, from 6:00 - 9:00 pm. Recognition and awarding of the contest will be announced on the City’s Social Media outlets and a presentation with the contest results will be held on the following scheduled City Council meeting on December 15, 2021.

• Veteran's Day 2021

A beautiful Wildomar sunset at Marna O'Brien park was the backdrop for the City's inaugural Veteran's Day event. It mixed music with stories that reminded us what the point of our great nation is about; liberty and freedom.

It's hard to beat a Wildomar sunset on this side of Ortega Highway.

It started with Mayor Dustin Nigg introducing Jasmine Oliver as she sang our National Anthem and then he recounted some of his service in the Marines. 

He paused at one point when he mentioned the emotional toll that combat can bring... I was glad that I couldn't peek into his head at that time, I'm sure that some lesser cherished memories might have been swirling around at that point. 

One quote that stood out was that each veteran signs a blank check with Uncle Sam that is payable up to one's life. 

I'd never really paused to consider the commitment that young recruits make in those terms. To paraphrase the Mayor, that is heroic in and of itself. I know that I've never made such a commitment.

He mentioned the passing of David Masters

A long time resident of Wildomar and a Navy Vet too. For years David Masters had been trying to get the city to have such an event as this (his vision included a barbecue too, but baby steps 😊). 

It's a bittersweet twist of fate that the inaugural event occurred just weeks after his untimely passing. 

A montage with Grace and George in the upper left, Mayor Dustin Nigg, Jasmine Oliver, VFW Post Commander Charles Golden, Anthony Freire and Hector Pereyra.

The program included songs from Grace and George Hagar (nee Grace Richardson), and speaking parts by VFW Post Commander Charles Golden, Anthony Freire and Hector Pereyra. 

I enjoyed the entire program, but I had to love the stories that Hector shared with how he enlisted and a brief overview of his military career. 

In attendance was our Assemblyman Kelly Seyarto. The attendance was modest, but for a first time event coming off the year we've all endured, it was a big success.

I don't know how I got in the middle of the original shot, but I do know how the Mayor and the Assemblyman got into the middle in the second shot. Can you say Photoshop? 😃

Looking forward to next year's event. Put it on your calendar now, especially if you or a loved one is a veteran.

If you weren't aware of this event, it seems like you don't check your email. The city sent emails multiple times. If you're not signed up for city emails, use this link to remedy that oversight. 

• City Council Meeting October 2021: New Code Enforcement Team

There was a full agenda and the meeting lasted over two and a half hours. Still, the real take away was the newly beefed up code enforcement team. The full video will be available at the bottom of the blog. 

The new insignias as seen on code enforcement officer's uniforms.

For a very long time Wildomar had one code enforcement officer, and he was well known and well liked by most people that encountered him. He had a somewhat laid back approach to the job, but those days are in the history books.

Meet Wildomar's new code enforcement team 

All with many years of service before coming to our small slice of heaven. Please watch the video(s) to get the specifics of where they cut their teeth in law enforcement. They all have pretty impressive pedigrees. 

Code Enforcement Supervisor Raul Berroteran, Senior Code Enforcement Officer John Parker, Code Enforcement Administrative Analyst Yvette Magdaleno and Code Enforcement Technician Tina Baggio.

There are links to two videos segments in this blog. The first is the ten minute presentation at the October city council meeting, the second is for facebook users that can be accessed by this link.

Every taxpaying resident of Wildomar should invest the few minutes it takes to watch one, or both, of the videos. This is your town... right? And you should be up to speed on what's happening where you live.

Instead of taking a lot of time breaking down the entire segment, allow me to quote Senior Code Enforcement Officer John Parker from his closing remarks at the city council meeting. 

"Our department wants compliance without enforcement. We want the citizens of Wildomar to work with us because we will work with you."

 

-Senior Wildomar Code Enforcement Officer John Parker

Back to opinion: Since the recession of 2008 a small number of people have stopped caring what their property looks like, and after years of being allowed to slide, think that's the new normal.

The rest of us do not agree, and we are eager to see you "comply without enforcement" but we all know that you'll need some serious prodding before you'll clean up your act (literally).

Along with the new code enforcement team there is a new and much simpler and easy way to report issues that need attention at the Wildomar Code Enforcement page on the city's website.

(for those that don't want to click, below is from the website)

What we do!

 

Consistent with the City’s mission statement of making Wildomar a safe and active community with responsible growth and quality infrastructure while keeping a hometown feel. 

Code Enforcement strives to promote that mission by maintaining a safe and desirable living and working environments for all throughout the city. 

Our goal is to help maintain and improve the quality of our community by administering fair and unbiased enforcement of State laws and local ordinances to correct violations and reduce hazards that create blight and adversely affect the quality of life of our residents.

Do your part to make Wildomar a better place!

You can easily improve the quality of life in your neighborhood, and improve our community and reduce your risk of a code violation by simply eliminating the following common violations:

 

• Maintain your vehicles in proper operating condition with current registration tags 
• Do not store junk, trash, or debris in or around your property or vehicles
• Do not let weeds grow in or around your property or under or around your vehicles 
• Non-operable vehicles must be fully enclosed on private property and out of public view
• Before you build or start any construction, always check with City staff for building permit requirements
• Maintain good relationships with your neighbors and work together to solve problems before conflicts arise

What we don’t do!

 

While code enforcement is dedicated to make Wildomar a better place, please keep in mind there are some things we cannot resolve, such as:

 

• Violations of Homeowner Association rules or violation of deed Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions 
• Determine the location of property lines or resolve property line disputes between neighbors
• Mediate or regulate blocked private views
• Tree roots/branches encroaching onto your property or that are causing damage to your fence or structure
• Short-term vacation rental disputes 

I saw the four brand new city vehicles yesterday, they look sharp and if they pull up to your house, better get that broom out and start cleaning up voluntarily. 

I tested out the new and easier way to report issues and for those that were used to the cumbersome way that was previously online, there is a night and day difference with the new way.

No user name and password. You can be anonymous, or you can put your contact info in for updates. You choose.

Your first stop will be this easy to see link.

Step two, describe the issue and attach a photo if you'd like.

As you can see, step two is pretty self explanatory.

Add the location. Exact addresses work best, but if you can't find the address, and you've filled out the description with plenty of detail, the code enforcement officers will find what you're talking about if you get them to the general area.

I have no problem giving my name, but you may not be concerned with follow up. You can choose whether or not you leave your name and contact info. 

Now click the submit button and you're done.

For those that hate this new direction Wildomar is heading in, call me Karen all day if you need to.

I'm proud that I'm among those that still have standards and care what my community looks like, and I'm certain the the vast majority feel the same way, they just don't want to put up with the loudmouthed naysayers that haunt social media comment sections when this topic comes up.

One of dozens of small victories that have occurred since the new team came online. For those that can't quite place where this is, it almost feels like Lake Elsinore, but it's solidly within Wildomar's boundaries. It's on the east side of the freeway, off of Grape Street, about half a mile south of the Railroad Canyon off ramp. 

The video to entire meeting is below or if you can't see the video, use this highlighted link instead.