• Helping a Person in Need

Today, as we were running some errands, I was out taking some pictures for something I want to show
Wildomar's Planning Commission. I was at the corner of Mission Trail and Malaga at the edge of town when I noticed this older gentleman. He was moving very slowly. He told me that he was 91 years old, and asked me if I'd help him across the street. I was happy to, but was concerned for him because of how frail he was.

1: where we started; 2: our first rest; 3: we made it to the corner; 4: where we waited for what seemed like an eternity.

First he called me "grandson", then upped it to "great grandson". 

If my grandfather were still alive, he'd be 97. 

He instructed me on how to assist him, so I did the best I could. I supported him under his left shoulder and we started the arduous journey.

The first street, Malaga, wasn't so bad, because it has hardly any traffic on it. It took two light cycles to get across. The scary part came next. Crossing a much larger road, Mission Trail. I pushed the button and we just made it to the halfway spot when the lights had changed. I was so pleased, and somewhat astonished, to see how courteous the drivers were, even the young driver... willing to miss their green lights to let us go, but he waved them through, so as to not inconvenience them. I was pretty much sweating bullets since we were practically standing in the north bound lane.

Thankfully, we got the go sign and slowly made our way the rest of the way across. As we neared the sidewalk, I could feel that he was trembling from weariness. It took him a minute to get the wheels to his walker in the right place, and the people in the cars didn't seem to be in a rush and gave him the time he needed (he didn't want me to position it for him).

Once safely on the other side, I asked him his name. "Ata" he told me, then he reminded me that he was 91 years old, from Iran and in the USA for the last 35 years (I'm guessing he got out just as the Ayatollah took over).  He wished me a good life as we parted.

Ata, 91, not letting his age or infirmities prevent him from getting out... just needing some help now and then.

It was a moving experience, and not only because it was the first time I'd deliberately stood in the middle of a busy street, but because I helped a stranger that was in need. Not only that, but that he and I are come from such different backgrounds and that made the experience all the sweeter.

We are all busy, but let me suggest that if you find yourself in a similar situation... let yourself be late to whatever mundane thing it is that is next on your list and help the person.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Allow me suggest that you "like" Wildomar Rap's facebook page. That way you'll always know when a new blog gets posted.

• Neighborhood Meeting Tentative Tract Map 33840

Tonight there was a neighborhood meeting for those that live near the proposed subdivision of 15 houses on 4.07-acre site that is sandwiched between the flood channel to the east, the backyards of homes on Darby to the west, Gruwell to the north and Central to the south.

There was a short power point presentation by planner Alfredo Garcia followed by many public comments. The top concerns revolved around a few themes. 

• Loss of existing access to backyards by homeowners on Darby.
• Loss of privacy due to two story homes looking into neighbor's yards.
• Flooding issues.
• Increased traffic on Darby.
• An existing ten foot easement for utilities granted the homeowners years ago.
• Sewer hookups. 

View from ground level of Tract Map 33840 looking south from near Gruwell.

____________________________________________________________________

This is what it comes down to. Do the proposed 15 houses make sense on that tract or not? I say they don't —for many reasons, though I have to scratch my head at the comment by one of the neighbors, stating that the proposed fifteen 2,000sf to 3,000sf homes would somehow "stick out like a sore thumb". 

Calling a nice, new and modern neighborhood a "sore thumb" would be like calling the highrise, in the graphic below, a sore thumb. Sorry, but a "sore thumb" is something that subtracts from the whole. 

The 15 homes, though out of place IMO, would actually be the gem in an otherwise bent up crown. Such a development would help increase the local property values, not hurt them.

Can you imagine the view from the terrace? Not quite what Aladdin and Jazmin saw in that Disney cartoon.

Let's put our big boy pants on for a minute and call a spade a spade... the area in question is not the most desirable part of Wildomar. What is the developer thinking? Why force nice homes into an area that they don't fit into... both figuratively and literally? Who would plunk down market priced HOA homes in that location in the first place? Once built, who would line up to get a mortgage for such things? I'm thinking I might just rather live near a Sriracha sauce factory my own self... but that's just me. ☺

Oh, and the proposed perimeter block wall, that would be right on the public trail, would make a great canvass for graffiti artists.

Though I can understand why the landowner would like to collect as many dollars as he can from his personal patch of Wildomar, a development like this belongs in a different area, not shoehorned into such a mismatched area simply because he has a deed to the property. 

Rumors of a bridge being built over the concrete flood control ditch, to allow another point of entry to the proposed subdivision, traversing private land, were dispelled by Planning Director Matt Bassi.

There will be another Neighborhood Meeting on the topic in the near future, with answers to the questions and concerns that the speakers brought to the fore. If you want to be alerted to such things, you need to go over to the city's website and sign up.  

http://www.cityofwildomar.org/stay-connected.asp

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

If you are a facebookie type, let me suggest that you like the Wildomar Rap page. That way you'll be the first one on your block to read the latest.

• Kumquats... The Zucchini of Citrus!

Ok, so you're asking, what does "the zucchini of citrus" mean. Well, if you're a backyard gardener, you probably have a guess. Kumquats, for me anyway, produce far more than I could ever use, and I have to look for clever ways to use them and or give them away.

If you've never had one, I think they taste like a tart orange. 

We've had this tree for about ten years... it hasn't failed to produce yet.

Of course the basic way to eat them is to pop them in your mouth... But when a tree gives you more than 100 pounds of the little oblong jewels every year, there's no way to eat that many before they go bad. 

(even if you could... 100 pounds? Ummm, no thank you)




 
So here is what I do...

I dehydrate them. 

Here it is in a nutshell... Pencils ready?

Even my Shih Tsu will eat them... especially once dry.

• pick 'em, 
• clean 'em, 
• cut 'em, 
• spread' em, 
• dry 'em, 
• weigh 'em, 
• bag 'em and 
• eat 'em. 

They taste great. If you know me, send me a PM at FaceBook, and if it's between February and April hit me up for some... there are probably plenty still on the tree...  I've seen them going for between $2.99 and $3.99 a pound.

________________________________________

To know when another Wildomar Rap blog gets uploaded, I suggest following it from FaceBook... but if you aren't fans of FaceBook like my mother isn't... then you can simply check back periodically, or subscribe by email or even that RSS deal. 

• General Plan Update Meeting Recap

Tonight's meeting was attended by very few people and it was over in about 40 mins.

There were only a three public speakers following a 15 minute presentation by Mark Teague. For all the hand wringing done about our city needing a "Wildomar Specific" General Plan, you'd have thought that some of the usual suspects would have come to register their opinions. Instead, there were next to no people there. Not counting myself, or those connected to the city in some way, I think there were less than half a dozen average Wildomarians there.

 The power point presentation will be on the city's website this week. 

http://cityofwildomar.org/ 

My favorite exchange was between longtime resident Sheila Urlaub and Matt Bassi on the topic of lawsuits.



There will be a workshop style meeting this March 5th. This is where you're supposed to bring your photos of things you like or dislike about how you'd like Wildomar to look. 

Click for the blog about workshop number one back in December

••• •••••• •••••• •••••• •••••• •••••• •••••• •••••• •••••• •••••• •••••• •••••• •••••• •••••• •••

  
Come on, man up already and start following Wildomar Rap on FaceBook.

• Grand Opening: New Dumping Grounds

Just a quick note:

Thanks to a tip from Kenny Mayes, I found a new place to dump unwanted items. It's near the corner of Palomar and Wesley. Check out all the great stuff that's there... 

If you're looking for some slightly used goods... check out the area in the red circle for smokin' hot deals.

So many items to choose from.          [CLICK TO ENLARGE IMAGE]

Of course this is no joking matter, and I feel bad for the land owners... it sucks when human cockroaches ruin other peoples things... but that's sort of normal for a lot of people.

Still, I felt like joking around anyway... click to see "Boberta's Thrift Store" TV spot I just made.

I wonder how this place passed all the CEQA hurdles?

][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][

Remember to like the Wildomar Rap facebook page... don't be such a fraidy cat... the gubment isn't reading your thoughts because of facebook... they're reading your thoughts because it's super fun to do, and you're just that dang interesting.

• City Council Meeting 2-12-14 Windsong Park Fence — Community Services Commission

This was a long meeting with many different topics. It started 15 minutes late due to the closed session running long. I'll give you some of what went on.

The regular session started with a moment of silence for Ricky Losey.

Next was a plaque presentation to Supervisor Kevin Jeffries. The council remarked how things have gone much smoother for our city since he's taken office. That $660K was transferred from the county to the city. This is money that had been collected in the past, but never got to us.   If I heard correctly, that makes the total close to $1,000,000 that Supervisor Jeffries has gotten back for us.  It was good to meet him, and I look forward to getting a chance to talk with him soon.

Mayor Swanson and Supervisor Jeffries.

There was a presentation of Elsinore High School's FFA (Future Farmers of America). It's always nice to see the next generation in action, and they gave a nice presentation detailing their program. Their funding is being threatened by Governor Brown, and they are looking for donations to continue the program which currently has 240 students in it.

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

Then there was the report from the Fire Chief Steven Beach. He mentioned that average response times were at 4.7 mins... well below the target of 7 mins for areas like ours. That of the seven stations he's in charge of, ours (station 61) is the busiest.

One thing that was very disturbing was the report that 26 five gallon buckets of toxic waste was dumped in Wildomar. It happened February 11. Since the various 'toxic soups' were flammable, they qualified for the super fund clean up. It took three hours, with many man hours to clean up. Had the state not stepped in, the cost would have been nearly $30K out of our pockets... if you see people dumping something, please report it.

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

From there the Public Comments were opened. Dena Piraino spoke of the continued stop sign issues at The Farm. Sycamore Academy's 2nd/3rd grade class gave a short presentation. Anne Bowman, of Wildomar Pageants brought several of her young ladies to meet the council. April Vitale (sp?) spoke about her concerns with the traffic in front of David A Brown Middle School. George Taylor thanked the council for getting Bundy Canyon needed attention when he said, "Thanks again... if you can do it."

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

Council Member Bridgette Moore discussed speed limit signs that can track data. The ones in mind can be moved from one part of the city to another. They would be helpful in tracking problem areas that are plagued by speeders. Planning Commissioner Bobby Swann did a lot of digging around to get the best price, the sign's cost $4200 a piece, and though they would be useful, money is an issue... and I do wonder about vandalism of the signs. I remember a similar one in Lakeland Village getting spray painted the first month it was up.

 (I wonder if any of that money, going to defend 3 separate lawsuits, 

could have been used for these devices instead?) 

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

Wildomar will be going from 12 to 16 employees... and
that's counting five council members in that total.

The city will be hiring 4 new staffers. Currently the positions are contracted. I had to appreciate Tim Walker's conservative approach as he repeated, "I don't want any unfunded liabilities."

I find it an interesting point. Contract Employees v. City Staffers. Contract employees cost more upfront, but there are no legacy costs (retirement). City staff costs less upfront, but could possibly cost us more 20 and 30 years down the road.

I know that's the trend... no one seems to want employees anymore, but when we go looking for a job, most of us want to be an old fashioned 40 hour a week employee... but I digress.

 XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

 Community Services Commission 

Suggestions included

• 5 members
• 4 year terms, staggered 
• dissolve the current Parks Subcommittee
• Bob Cashman made a good point about wanting representative membership on the commission.  
• Discussion about if the commissioners should be appointed in a manner similar to that of the Planning Commission, or to not be selected by individual council members.

For details, watch the council discuss the Community Services Commission.

 XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

The fate of 
Windsong Park Fence

 The fence is coming down

The topic of the fence at Windsong Park has been going on for me since we passed Measure Z in 2012. Last Summer, I met council member Moore for the first time... and it was one of the first things I mentioned to her. I started going to the various city meetings, and the fence was always on my radar. 

I first met Monty Goddard at an impromptu parks meeting last year. I'd heard about him from Gil Rasmussen when he told me that "Monty Goddard was pushing hard to keep that fence up," and I'd have to ,"get around him before that fence was going to come down."

When I met him, he was nothing like had been described to me. I was told he was an old man. I joke about being an old man, but Monty isn't an old man. George Bush the dad is an old man. Anyway, I quickly found Monty to be engaging and very neighborly, but he really has been fixated with this park fence. His balcony does overlook the park, and if anyone is going to hear noises in the park, it would be someone right there.

Monty's biggest concern isn't that the park should have a fence, but that we need more policing. I can't disagree with that. The council is asking to have security patrol the parks. Something beyond the drive by stuff the previous patrols did before the parks were closed.

Before you say, "But how can we pay for that? I'd rather have more police first." There is money in the Measure Z funds for Security Patrols. That money can't be spent on anything other than the parks and the maintenance of them.

Though I'm happy that the council voted in favor of the fence coming down, and it's good news to hear about the security measures going in... I know how worried Monty and some of the other residents that live in sight of the park are, and I hope that we keep on top of park security this time round.

I am so glad this issue is over. The fence should be down by the time of the parks grand opening, which is slated for April 12, 2014. Though the grassy areas won't be ready for play, look for the play grounds and basketball courts to reopen in only a couple of weeks at most.

For details, watch the video of Monty's comments on the fence, followed by the council's discussion.

 *************************************************************************

Go on, click to go to the FaceBook page of Wildomar Rap.

Either that or subscribed by email, or do the RSS thing. Even if you hate me, there is so much to learn.

• Curb Painting Scam Alert

It's that time of year again... when you may see a notice taped to your home like this one. 

Picture courtesy of  Mindy Beckner

 **Is it a scam? 

Maybe. 

Do you have to comply? 

Absolutely not!

**from a Riverside newsletter on the topic.

•◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘•

I spoke to Council Member Bridgette Moore, and she made several good points on the matter. 

• First, you are under no obligation to have your curb painted.  
• Second, it's illegal for them to represent themselves as having a contract, or permission, with/from the city.
• Third, there are new "storm water" guidelines that would dictate the type of paints used.
• If this was a city sanctioned project, you would have proper notification and you would NOT be asked to give the workmen cash.
• This is typically an "under the table" operation when they are telling you to give them cash. (my paraphrasing)

Here is a link to a newsletter from Riverside about it.

••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••◘••

Two opinions here. 

First, these guys are pros... well, at least as pro as the stereo salesmen that work out of white vans in grocery store parking lots that is... or the guys that try and sell you a side of beef out of the same white van. It's a tough economy out there, but you have to decide who you want to do business with... even if it's just for $15. This particular set up operates out of Vista... so it's not even a local company.

Second, if you think your curb needs repainting, they've mastered the fine art of 'how to paint numbers on curbs', so if you'd like to have it done... that's your choice. 

The "contribution" is a trick... errrr, I mean it's a suggestion, and I gave them $5 a couple years back. 

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

Just know that the only requirement for addresses is that they are visible from the home near the front door or other entry.  Also, I forwarded the Riverside Newsletter on the topic, to the code enforcement department, and to Council Member Moore. 

She's looking to have a Wildomar specific version drawn up, based on our codes, and posted to the city's website so that it'll be easy for locals to find it when they search for it.

It's great to see how things can get done when people work together. 

Hey, I can still read the numbers so we know they don't use water colors. 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Think about subscribing to Wildomar Rap... there are several ways to do that. Email, RSS and FaceBook. Free is a pretty good price.