• Letter Writing Campaign Urged

Ok Wildomar, we're closer to getting our VLF funds back than any of the previous near misses of the past when Governor Brown pulled the rug out from under a bill (SB 25) that was on his desk aimed at restoring the looted money. It has a street value of $1.9 Million per year.  

Our city manager Gary Nordquist is encouraging a letter writing campaign to governor Brown. 
I have a sample letter for you. 

If you care about public safety, then this should be important to you.

All you have to do is use your own letterhead (or even just standard paper), add the current date and your name and you're set. For those that use Twitter, you can send it to Brown at his link. 

@JerryBrownGov  @BenJBenoit

Might as well tag the mayor while you're tweeting (or whatever the tweeters call it).

Below is a letter that the Mayor wrote on behalf of the entire council. I left it in a large format so that it could be easily read. I hope it doesn't play havoc with the way your browser reads it.

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Link to sample letter

You can also use other forms of delivery. 

Governor Jerry Brown

c/o State Capitol, Suite 1173

Sacramento, CA 95814

If you'd rather call or fax, here is that info. 

Fax:(916)558-3160

Tel:(916)445-2841 

Link to the Governor's official contact page.

This is the site you have to go to in order to email him.

I don't know how effective such letter writing campaigns are, but if you remember Dr. Seuss's Horton Hears a Who you remember that it took the smallest voice in town to get through Governor Brown's thick skull. So please consider taking some time on behalf of your city, and speak up.

Every voice matters when a group is screaming at deaf people.

I really liked the other letter that Mayor Ben Benoit wrote, then tweeted to the Governor. It was brilliant on many levels. First, the layout, the wording and the jpeg was the same. Second, it's making light of his snide letter to Ben Carson about climate change (here's a link to the story if you missed it). All that was missing was a thumb drive.

Here are links to the blogs on this topic from last year.

Blog where we were still hopeful

Blog after it was vetoed

UPDATE

For the second year in a row, the governor vetoed this legislation despite the fact that it had unanimous support in both houses. The only "no" vote is the one that mattered... again.

Link to blog about it here.

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There are two times in a man’s life when he should not speculate:  when he can’t afford it, and when he can. ― Mark Twain

Wildomar Rap would love to have the governor's ear... there's a 50-50 chance it could be made into a silk purse.

• Paperback Writer Rocks Marna O'Brien

 Beatle tribute band Paperback Writer put on a spectacular show at Marna O'Brien Park tonight.

The crowd getting ready for the start of the show.

Wildomar Little League was manning the snack bar, and at one point they ran out of hot dogs. The crowd was easily in excess of 300 people, and families were enjoying themselves. Kids were dancing in front of the stage most of the night.

Mayor Pro-Tem Bridgette Moore holding up one of Scott Rux's "Straight Outta Wildomar" shirts.

The band started off with the original Beatles' mop-top look and played such classics as She Loves You, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, A Hard Days Night, Help, and many more for the first hour.

Getting that old Ed Sullivan groove down... poor "Ringo" was not easy to see from the front.

During the brief intermission they changed into Sargent Pepper's outfits and played many songs from that album. Songs, like With A Little Help From My Friends, When I'm Sixty-Four and A Day In The Life.

You've gotta love that "Paul" plays left handed!

They also played songs like Strawberry Fields Forever, Penny Lane, Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da, Revolution, Magical Mystery Tour, Here Comes The Sun,  and they finished with a song that the Beatles were famous for, but didn't write: Twist and Shout.

A look at the band after the costume change and under the stage lights.

The crowd hooted and hollered and the band came back with an encore, and they obliged with Day Tripper. Which has one of the all time most recognizable riffs in rock and roll history.

Speaking of the Day Tripper riff... if you have 90 seconds check out my take on when the Beatles were in studio trying to record it.

Thanks to the city for putting on such a top notch show, and the diligent efforts on the part of city staffers Terry Rhodes and Janet Morales in getting the band to Wildomar. If I had any complaints it's that they didn't play ALL of the Beatles top 200 songs... but hey, that would have taken until at least 3:00AM and then they really would have had "Blisters" on their fingers. 

Click here to visit the bands facebook page

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Sheepdog
Standing in the rain
Bullfrog
Doing it again
Some kind of happiness is measured out in miles
What makes you think you're something special when you smile?        —  McCartney and Lennon, Hey Bulldog

Wildomar Rap knows all about those old orange and yellow Capitol Records Beatles 45s, as their sounds reverberated daily throughout the house.

• Vet Expo 2015

The Elks Lodge hosted Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez's Vet Expo in Wildomar on Saturday September 12th 2015.

The Elks Lodge was full of people.

I read the flyer wrong. I thought it was more of an open house, and didn't realize there were any opening ceremonies in store. By coming at the 3/4 mark (1:00pm), I figured I'd get some stats for the day, which I did, but I also missed Melendez's opening remarks. 

Sacramento just finished with their most recent legislative session and the Assemblywoman didn't return home until the wee hours of the morning. I did get to speak with Deni Horne of her staff and learned that over 115 vets had signed in. There were 35ish (probably closer to 40) vendors, and the Elks Lodge provided all the food.

I'm sure some of you purists will say this is an overstatement, but the hamburgers that were served were very reminiscent of the ones we bought at In-N-Out... which is to say they were pretty good.

Of the vendors in the house, there were representatives of the CHP, Lion's Club, The Assistance League, Habitat for Humanity, and too many others to count, but I did find one that stood out and thought you might like to know more about them.

They're called Help Hospitalized Veterans.

Help Hospitalized Veterans had the most eye catching display.

I asked Larry "Ranger" (it was either Keane or King) to tell me about Help Hospitalized Veterans. 

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What is 'Help Hospitalized Veterans'?

We receive arts and crafts kits from different organizations, we package them up and send them out to the veterans in the mail — free of charge. 

We're also in fourteen different states where we have Community Service Buildings. [In those areas] veterans can go from their hospital to right across the street

Everything we have is a physical therapy based product. It's to help with PTSD. Through research [it's been established] that if you stay busy, that dark spot where all of our bad memories are,  doesn't come out. 

[We have] Leather products, wood products, paint... [Things like] stamping leather, biker's wallets, women's purses, leather bracelets, leather tooling.

It gives a lot of people something to get involved in, to develop a hobby.

If you're a vet, how do you be part of HHV?

Go to our website HHV.org, or you can give us a call at 951-926-4500 ext.112. It's free to enroll. Everything we do with veterans is free. 

You mentioned donations. We area a non-profit. We are supported by private donors. You can donate by going to the website as well. You can use the same number for donations to 951-926-4500. 

We have a new program where organizations that support veterans can receive some of our arts and crafts kits. Just call and get the application started. We'll send arts and crafts to your organization for you to give out. 

There's nothing like this [HHV] out there. If there's a veteran out there that needs something to do, that doesn't have the money to go out and buy his craft kits... you need to give us a call. We will hook you up.

Note to self: next year you need to make it to the earlier part of the expo, not be a straggler like this year.

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Caring for veterans shouldn't be a partisan issue. It should an American one.

—  Jennifer Granholm

If Wildomar Rap were a drink, it would either be 24 ounces of Steel Reserve or Korbel Natural with bits of fresh fruit in it, but NEVER mixed.

• City Council Meeting September 9, 2015

There were only two pieces of business on the agenda and both were continued to a meeting set for two weeks from today (Sep. 23, 2015). So it turned out to be a very truncated affair.

Still, there were things that were worthy of reporting so let's have at it.

Our fire chief Joel Vela has taken a promotion and will be transferring to Sacramento. We'll learn who our new fire chief is shortly.

From L-R: Bob Cashman, Marsha Swanson, Mayor Ben Benoit, Joel Vela, Mayor Pro-Tem Bridgette Moore, Tim Walker.

Non agenda public comments
• Brent Benson spoke about an ongoing issue with a property adjacent to his on Union St. He wanted to file a formal complaint where abandoned vehicles, junk and other trash has been accumulating since 2008. He also noted constant trespassing on his property, to get to the back of the property in question, something that occurs several times a day, and as late as 1:00am. He'd like to build an additional home on his property, but if nothing is done to clean up the mess, "it will be like living 50 feet from a landfill."

I'm not a fan of such fire and health hazards myself, so I hope that can be taken care of post haste, and then similar code enforcement happen throughout the city too.

• George Cambero, of EVMWD reminded us all that the higher bills will be hitting this month. You'll now see the higher rates and the drought surcharge added in. For those with questions, the number 951-674-3146 was given out for you to call. Also there is a first come first served low income program called the RARE program.

•Sheila Urlaub repeated her concerns about not rushing to fill the empty planning commission seat and wanting the planning commission appointed at large vs. appointed one per council member.

• Kristan Lloyd spoke on behalf of the Wildomar Historical Society. They will be having a membership drive in October, cost is $25 for single $35 family $100 business.

• Ken Mayes warned about reinstalling the wheelchair swing, that he termed "a backyard contraption" at Marna O'Brien park.

• George Taylor spoke about the need to get the already purchased emergency radios up and running as we near the promised El Niño.

Council Communications 
• Bob Cashman announced that after 40 years at his day job, he retired and will now be able to spend more time in Wildomar.

• Bridgette Moore mentioned an El Nino Prep Class that will be at city hall next Tuesday (9-15) at 6:00pm. The free concert in the park this Saturday (9-12)  at Marna O'Brien Park. The following Saturday (9-19) is Astronomy Night at Marna O'Brien Park; Saturday October 3rd will be a movie in the park (The Croods) at Marna O'Brien Park; Saturday October 24th is Trunk or Treat at Marna O'Brien Park.

• Ben Benoit mentioned the ribbon cutting at Pins 'N Pockets. The ribbon cuttings at Natalie's Rascals and Pie Nation. He also showed some pictures on the widescreen displays of his meetings at such places as SCAG (Southern California Associations of Governments), RCTC (Riverside Country Transportation Commission), WRCOG (Western Riverside Council of Governments) and the HERO program.

Other than the alphabet soup stuff, if you're a regular reader of Wildomar Rap you heard about the things on the Mayor's list as they occurred. ☺

2.1 Elm Street Residential Project
This was continued due to a glitch in the agenda packet.

This was covered at the August planning commission meeting. (Here is the write up of that meeting)
No need to go into it at this time since it'll be a topic in the special meeting in two weeks.

There were three public comments, though I expect all three of them to repeat themselves at the full public hearing in two weeks. Bob Cashman chose to add some comments here, tipping his hand in my opinion, that he will be voting against this project in two weeks.

3.1 Wildomar Master Drainage Plan Lateral C-1 Storm Drain Project
This was also postponed due to technical issues in the agenda packet. Since this will be discussed in two weeks, makes since to cover the details then. Though there are issues with a property owner that appears to be making things difficult. This project will help the entire city, but especially those that live from Windsong to past Palomar where water collects during storms and rainy months.

I liked the suggestion by Gina Castanon, to use eminent domain if the property owners in question continue the holdup of the project. She had other questions but was told by the Mayor that "It's in process, we're moving as fast as we can. Look forward to next month."

Which sounded like movement will have taken place by then on this issue. It's also going to be discussed at the special meeting already mentioned above.

City Manager's Report
Gary Nordquist mentioned SB25, which is this year's attempt to get our VLF funds back. A total of $1.9 Million per year that the city is being deprived of by Governor Brown. The bill has passed both houses up in Sacramento, with a reported 100% support from the Assembly and the Senate. Next stop is the governor's desk.

I can dovetail on the SB25 [status]. That bill actually is on the governor's desk as of 4:30 Monday night. He has the next 30 days to sign or veto the bill. I can tell you that Senator Roth has a meeting scheduled tomorrow with the governor. They know (Sacramento big wigs) that our four cities desperately need this money (Wildomar, Eastvale, Menifee and Jurupa Valley) for public safety reasons. 

— Mayor Ben Benoit

Mr. Nordquist is suggesting a letter writing campaign to urge the governor's signing of the bill.

On the VLF funds issue, I'll believe it when the check is cashed... not a moment sooner.

State of the City is Wednesday October 7th. Doors open at 6:00pm and there will be vendors with finger foods. Speech is set to start at 6:30pm. There should be an e-vite in your email shortly if you're signed up with Stay Connected through the city.

Use this link

On the vacant planning commission seat, one person has applied so far. When I heard the person's name I was very pleased that a longtime active member of the city put his name in the hat; John Lloyd. We both agreed that it would be a good dilemma to have additional qualified names in the mix. I tossed out the old baseball adage of you can never have too much pitching. Let's hope there ends up being a dozen names in the mix... but if not, I'm glad for the one that stepped up first.

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My favorite poem is the one that starts 'Thirty days hath September' because it actually tells you something.  ― Groucho Marx

Wildomar Rap can multitask, but can't juggle.

• Over $3300 Raised For Charity

Click for website

Bingo!

Today 120 people attended the bingo fundraiser at the Elks Lodge on Mission Trail. With the special games included there were about 20 rounds of bingo. 


All the proceeds went to Relay For Life which is a non profit that raises money to fight cancer. There will be a 24 hour walking marathon Saturday, October 10, 2015 at Canyon Lake Middle School.


Wildomar has a several teams participating. 

Among them is Bob and Pat's Posse, Captain Chrissy Rohlmeier; 
VFW Post 1508 Veterans for a Cure, Captain Cari Gardner; 
Scouting for a Cure, Captain Luanne Vicnaire; 
and the Wildomar Walkers, Captain Bridgette Moore which brought 22 people the the bingo fundraiser. 

It was a great afternoon that started about 12:30, with bingo beginning at 1:00pm, and finished a little after 4:00pm. After the first nine games of bingo there was an intermission where about 10 prize baskets were raffled off. 

Hands down the highlight of the day was during the final game of bingo, which had a payout of $250. Wildomar City Clerk Debbie Lee won the game, and she not only demonstrated the proper way of shouting BINGO! but then she promptly turned around and donated all $250 back to Relay For Life.

There is still time to participate by either walking or sponsoring/donating.
Click to go to the facebook page.

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Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. ― Izaak Walton

Wildomar Rap can be viewed from anywhere in the world, but I can't imagine the people from Upper Volta really wondering if the city has been sued again. It's more of a local thing.

• Pins 'N Pockets Grand Opening

Tonight was a big gala event over at Pins 'N Pockets which is pin high with The Diamond (AKA "Storm Stadium") in Lake Elsinore on Mission Trail.

I was there last November and again in January and when I entered the front doors this time, I was amazed at the difference. The previous times I was a bit overwhelmed with the busy decor (the old floor could give a person vertigo it was so intricate). They've completely modernized the place all the way down to a new floor that doesn't require a person to take Dramamine before entering.

Seriously, I didn't recognize the place. We had a tour of the new entertainment center and it's sure to be a gem for the entire area to enjoy.

They have a great arcade near the entry and also a state of the art laser tag arena that accommodates up to 30 participants. Just past the arcade you come to a very inviting bar area with tables and chairs along with a couple of pool tables on the left side.

Further down is the main bowling area which sparkles enticingly for you to put on a pair of bowling shoes and pick up a ball. 

There are several private areas that are set up for parties. I'd call them private rooms, but they are huge and have four private lanes in each of them. There is an even larger "private room" that had even more lanes in it.

There is a large banquet room that has a capacity of more than 400. 

They are still building a sports bar that will be the home of their pool tables and where they will host pay per view events. 

Tonight had many local dignitaries there to kick off a new chapter in local entertainment. This place is designed for families and their stated goal is to maintain it that way. If you have bad memories of any past bowling places that were at the same address, time to flush those out. This place stands on its own.

A side view of the crowd gathered to celebrate the grand opening.

The evening started with group led tours and a stop at the bar for refreshments and hors d'oeuvres. They didn't have Guinness so I got the stout that was suggested. Now if I could only remember what it was called... it was pretty tasty.

Around 7:00ish Welcoming Speeches were given. They didn't have a PA system, so it wasn't easy to hear many of the words, but when Lake Elsinore mayor Steve Manos got up to address the crowd, he belted out his words in a way that would have made Luciano Pavarotti proud. No, not singing ☺ and not shouting, but booming! He made it so that the person furthest away could hear him clearly.

Lake Elsinore Mayor Steve Manos welcomes Pins 'N Pockets to the area in a booming voice.

☺
Next was the ribbon cutting. 

You can see Wildomar's Mayor Ben Benoit in the back and center, our Mayor Pro-Tem Bridgette Moore on the left, and if you enlarge the image you can get a glimpse of Wildomar Council Member Marsha Swanson peeking from behind Lake Elsinore Mayor Steve Manos (who's up front and to the right of the scissors).

Smiles all around as the two ribbons were bisected.

P'NPs were showcasing their food prowess with three different tastes: Western, Mexican, and Italian. Thankfully I've learned the art of moderation and avoided a food coma from the variety and abundance on hand. The room was magnificent and one can only imagine an event with a band playing.

A look a the banquet room.

To cap off the night we had a round of laser tag. At first it seemed that only five were going to play. This is one of those games that is more fun with a large crowd. Much to our delight another 25 people were rounded up and we had a full match. That was a crazy workout and I was almost ready to tap out when the game was officially over. 

I think our team won, but it was too much fun to be worried about that. Though I can imagine there being laser tag leagues with serious competitors. I was just glad to see that I had the best percentage (34%) among my fellow blue team members.

The Grand Opening continues on Saturday. Check out the info from their website.

PINS 'N POCKETS GRAND OPENING

Pins 'N Pockets is having it's GRAND OPENING! We invite you, your family, and friends to join the party! We will be giving out 1 FREE round of Laser Tag, 1 FREE game of bowling, and 1 FREE $5 Arcade PlayCard for each guest!During the Grand Opening, we will be having 'Lights-Out' Bowling, which consists of flashing lights, loud music, and a blast for everyone! If you're interested, we encourage you and everyone to stop by and join the party! — Pins 'N Pockets Management Team

GRAND OPENING WEEKEND EVENT

  STARTS AUGUST 29TH, 9AM - NOON  

• 1 FREE GAME OF LASER TAG
• 1 FREE GAME OF BOWLING
• 1 FREE $5 ARCADE PLAYCARD
• Chance to win Luke Bryan Tickets
• Free Giveaways every hour 

Click to visit website

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Don't count your bowling balls before they're hatched, Fred.  ― Barney Rubble

Wildomar Rap has never bowled 300, not even in Wii Bowling.

• Special City Council Meeting Aug 2015

World's shortest blog for world's shortest meeting.

There was only one agenda item.

1.1 Planning Commission Vacancy 

RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the City Council:

• 1. Accept the resignation of Planning Commissioner Bobby Swann; 
• 2. Declare a vacancy on the Planning Commission; and 
• 3. Direct the City Clerk to advertise the vacancy and accept applications for the unexpired term of office (December, 2016).

There were three public comments.

Joseph Morabito suggested background checks and credit reports for new appointees.

Kenny Mayes had the shortest, and the coolest comment... so I'll transcribe it all here:

I'm here this evening to observe the process of advertising for city planning commissioner, and to see if it mimics the process used for the Measure Z Oversight committee. [If] the outreach equals that process I'm prepared to hang on for dear life as the train flies off the tracks and into the abyss, thank you.

— Kenny Mayes

Sheila Urlaub mentioned the need for vetting candidates, looking to other cities to see what they do when filling similar positions. The second half of her comment is transcribed below.

I would make a request, and I was surprised that you could be on the planning commission and not be a homeowner. I've been shocked with that from the get go. I'm sorry, if you're going to be impacting me and my properties... I was surprised. I think a renter should not be on there. I Strongly was irritated at that from the beginning.

I would also say let's not just settle on somebody. If you don't get a lot of applicants for this position let's wait, let's keep it out there, let's get it out to everywhere that you can. I'd also say I'd like to see us be a little less reactive to social media. It comes up periodically when I'm talking. Can we get more information out there so that all of a sudden we're not having all sorts of rumors and such posted and then that's when the city's responding?

I think we need to look at this. Do I think that the planning commissioner who just resigned made some outrageous decisions and behaviors? Absolutely, and I'm supportive of your decision and I am pleased that he has resigned. I'm not going to lie and say anything that I don't believe. Let's not settle, just to fill a seat.

— Sheila Urlaub

The only thing that I didn't get about Urlaub's comments was the part about social media. 

It's not as if the problems come from a website controlled by the city. 

FaceBook groups answer only to the admins of said groups. There is no way a city could control them, and to suggest that the city should monitor them for rumors, is far more onerous than simply requiring those attached to the city to stay off such sites in the first place.

There were no council comments. Just a motion, a second and it passing 4-0 with Cashman not in attendance.

Now the process of filling the 5th seat begins and the hope is to have a qualified candidate before the November council meeting. 

Press Enterprise reporter Michael Williams was there, so it'll be interesting to see his take on this meeting. Here's the link to it → click here.

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If you want to see the whole meeting, it's in the uncut video below.

The entire thing is under 9 mins starting after the flag salute.

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We are our own jailer, and the chains of slavery don't always chafe.  ― E.G. Marshall, CBSRMT

Wildomar Rap has never taken a last minute flight to China.