• 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. 

• City Council Meeting September 2021

To avoid turning this into one of my endless screeds that don't move the needle a blip, allow me to truncate an otherwise long and laborious blog into something more manageable (you're thinking... yeah, I've heard that promise before 🙄). 

I have a couple of points that I hope to get across with this blog

Before I begin, for those that may not be sure, Wildomar Rap is written by Wildomar Third District City Councilman, Joseph Morabito.

The first is that I wasn't elected to lie to you. I campaigned on getting you the answers, even if the answers aren't to your liking.

The empty field on the southwest corner of Wildomar Trail and the freeway was ALWAYS going to be developed. 

It was only a matter of time

It was always going to come with changes in what we'd experienced. Especially those of us that live closest to it. It was always going to come with different sights, sounds and traffic patterns.

If you want the details on the project, please follow the keywords at the bottom of the blog.

A different kind of map of the project that basically shows the buildings over a google earth image. 

Of all the realistic things that could have been heading to that plot of that land, what was approved on September 8th is very acceptable. 

Is it ideal or perfect? Far from it. 

But if you were listening to the meeting you heard the bottom line that if this deal didn't go in, it would then open it up to SB35 and that nightmare. 

Instead of 109 FOR SALE attached homes, known as condos or townhomes, there could have been over 400 low income apartments there. Think about that.

This is the time that I'll bring in Jody Reed again. 

For those of you that don't know, Jody Reed was a baseball player that spent a season with the Dodgers in 1993. He was a decent player, but also one that could easily be replaced. 

He was offered a pretty good deal from the Dodgers, but he thought he was worth more, and turned his nose up at the deal. 

I bet a day doesn't go by that he doesn't rue that decision.

In the end, like the dog that saw his own reflection in one of Aesop's fables where it ended up with nothing after it let go of what it had, in vain attempts at getting something that he thought was better... Jody Reed nearly lost it all on his gamble.

As much as I would have liked to have pressed the developer, and staff, for more complete answers on some questions, in the end, Wildomar avoided being set up for a real chance at another bite of the poisoned apple known as SB35 —and the hundreds of more units in that same area. Let's count our blessings as we curse Sacramento's overreach into every aspect of our lives. Or, be mad at the planning commission and the city council for allowing another bit of freeway frontage to developed by its owner. You choose.

The only other point(s) I want to make is that I wear it as a badge of honor that the developer said, "I take offense to several people including Councilman Morabito saying 'oh, it will never be built.'" 

I wasn't allowed to be part of the discussion because of living so close to the property. I'd love to talk about how that's a stupid state law, but that is something that our state is good at: stupid laws. 

However, I did have a chance to speak before the council, and I made a few graphics that were used while I was speaking too.

I wasn't able to get to all my points, I ran out of time. 

What can I say about that? 

Let me put it this way. I would have done things differently if I had been running the meeting... but I'm sort of an outlier to begin with. I know that I take a different approach.

Still, all five of us care about Wildomar, and have its best interests as our focus. It just manifests itself differently from member to member. 

That said, I would have turned up the heat when the applicant started... how shall we say it politely... misremembering many key facts?

I was glad to see Wildomar's Planning Director finally get fed up and call him out on some of it. 

Had I been at the dais, he would have had a helluva lot more to be "offended" by since fair questions and reasonable skepticism appear to find its way under his skin with such deftness and aplomb. 

I would have pushed on the parking issue where he said "the project is over-parked". 

I'm not sure what that term means, but for that to sound correct, it seems like it would need to be more cars than spaces to accommodate them... right?

What I believe he was stating was that there are MORE spaces than required.

Hold on a sec

As it happens, the council will be looking at revising the parking standards for such developments in the coming months.

Ask yourself, do you think the council will be looking to LOWER the minimum number of parking spaces, or to be raising the number? 

If you said "raising"? Give yourself a gold foil star.

The facts are, city standards call for a minimum number of spaces as 294 at that site (of which 218 of those are from counting two spots from each two car garage), and only 76 "open air" spaces that are also termed as "guest spots".

The lack of adequate parking will affect this portion of Windsong Valley. It's math. Don't be mad at math.

Speaking of Math, let's do some

The project documents asked for 294 parking spaces in total.

The minimum (dare I say bare minimum?) is 294, and you offer to put in 294... explain again how that's "overparked"? 

Sorry little dude, but that's about the worst Jedi Mind Trick ever attempted outside of the time I got over on my little brother for 75 cents when he took a rigged bet on a Rams game that was tape delayed back in 1980. I bet I owe him at least five bucks after all the interest that has accrued. 

"There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, 'Fool me once, shame on... shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again." George W. Bush

I asked the council, "How many of you park a car in your driveway?"

Knowing full well that it is common practice for homeowners to park in their driveway and make the garage into another room or for storage. 

Uh oh, there are no driveways in the condo complex.

There will be issues with parking, and the man selling the project was offended because the public pointed it out. 

"You don't know me" was his retort.

True, I don't know you. My sincerest and most heartfelt apologies if I mistakenly indicated otherwise, but I do know the project on Bundy Canyon that didn't move forward. Last I checked that was yours. 

I was basing my disbelief that four phases will be done in under ten years based on things I've seen, and statements at the planning commission meeting. 

Maybe I'm like a blind man describing an elephant, suggesting that it is like a snake because I could only feel the trunk? (I only know of him for the stunted development on Bundy Canyon)

I'm more than happy to be proven wrong. Start with fixing your beat up perimeter fence to demonstrate good will, that would be a welcomed gesture that the entire city, and your future customers, would appreciate.

In other words, if you don't want to be taken for a duck, stop quacking.

If he's on the fast track, there won't be any visible movement there until early 2023. These things unwind slowly, then all at once. 

That's it, end of blog. 

Wait, false alarm... I'm pretty tired of people saying that they had no idea something was happening in town. If you're reading this, you have the internet. If you have the internet, then you can easily sign up for the city's emails. 

This isn't like when we were growing up and maybe you might read something in the local paper long after it happened. There are multiple sources, FREE SOURCES, where you can stay up to date on nearly everything going on here.

And that's before tapping into one of the council members for a one on one conversation... which I know that all five of us would be happy to have with you.

If you care enough to kvetch about things on Facebook, then please also care enough to sign up for city emails.

Now I'm done. 

Click this link to sign up for city emails

Watch the video below for the whole meeting, which did include a few other items.

•                •                •

Judge of a man by his questions rather than by his answers.

– Voltaire

Wildomar Rap reserves the right to judge answers too, as should you, but the first point is pretty solid too. 

This blog was produced for viewing on a desktop or a laptop. Though it's been optimized for smartphones, the formatting can look odd on a smartphone or if you get this delivered through email (such as missing video links). Link to proper format.

• Wildomar Conversations: 3 Ayva Palos

Meet Ayva Palos...

she's a 14-year-old, Wildomar born and raised girl, that is also a champion horse rider. 

Ayva Palos

Her mother, Stephanie, was putting young Ayva on the back of a horse as soon as she was able to sit up. 

That later turned into leadline classes, leading young Ayva around in an arena as she grew comfortable on the back of a horse.

Young Ayva already at home on the back of a horse.

Though her daughter was raised around horses, once she hit about eight years old Stephanie knew that private lessons were necessary if Ayva was going to progress to the next level.

Once Ayva got a taste for winning, it got into her blood and she wanted more.

She has become a mentor for the younger riders that also train at Wallen West Farms. They look to her for inspiration to someday do great things themselves. 

Already winning ribbons while in elementary school.

That's where Robb and Betsy Wallen come in, and their spread is known as Wallen West Farms. Both are long time horse people that operate a very beautiful farm in Temecula.

Robb Wallen and Ayva in front of their awards.

It takes a lot of dedication to be a champion. Training that consists of three to four days a week all year long. It also takes a lot of dedication on the part of her parents.

Be sure to watch the video for details

Championships are the products of unwavering steadfastness and devotedness. 

Ayva strikes a definite pose of confidence.

Ayva has competed in the Morgan Grand Nationals in Oklahoma City and the American Royal in Kansas City, winning world championships.

She's an A student that has aspirations of competing in the World Cup and later becoming a vet.  

Bridgette Moore and Ayva Palos. Two great Wildomar role models. 

We invite you to watch the video of the conversation between Bridgette Moore, Ayva, Stephanie and Robb & Betsy Wallen.

If the video is missing, use this link instead.

• City Council Special Meeting August 2021 Tres Lagos

There's no point in completely rehashing this matter. If you would like more backstory, please click the keyword Tres Lagos at the bottom of the blog.

It's just a hastily cobbled-together mock-up to give a rough idea of what it might look like. I have no idea if the "French Style" will look anything like this or not, and the windows aren't the same. It's just to give you an idea of what three-story buildings on those ten acres might look like. 

I want to thank the residents that came in person (and those that watched on zoom or live stream). It was a full house considering the lingering covid restrictions, and despite the fact that this was a foregone conclusion since day one.

To sum up the meeting without getting into the weeds, it started with Wildomar's city attorney explaining a series of laws that Sacramento has passed over the years. 

Capped off by the odious SB35 that threatens elected officials to not say things that could even "chill" the project. I'm sure that they weren't using the modern slang version of "chill" which is the super hip way of saying "cool".

Even though there is scant similarity between classic "cool" and modern day hipsters and their "chill" neither is anything remotely like the "chill" mentioned in reference to SB35 and what Scott Wiener intended when he wrote the bill. 

After the attorney was finished speaking, the planning director gave an overview of the project. Followed by another presentation by the developer.

Next was public comments, and I counted nine residents that spoke in the chamber and another five online. They were all good comments, but the two that were stellar in my view came from Janice Hare and then over zoom, Kory Stare. 

This isn't the academy awards where I'm going to thank everyone involved, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention Mari Bacon by name, and acknowledge her tireless efforts in getting the word out to the community through her group Save Windsong Valley.

Like I mentioned at the top, I don't want to give an exhaustive postmortem on this meeting. The link to the complete video is below and I encourage you to watch it if you have a spare three hours lying around. 

As a quadruple reminder, this meeting didn't legally even need to happen 

SB35 allowed for all the paperwork to be done by the planning department and the city council could have thrown up our hands and said, "Aw shucks folks, the power was taken away from us."

I'm so appreciative that when I was going over Tres Lagos in a one-on-one meeting with staff, and I said that we had an obligation to go in front of the community, no matter how uncomfortable it may be, they agreed without hesitation.

Believe me, lesser city councils would have gladly dodged this bullet. Remember, Wildomar didn't. 

The way that city councils work in California is that a voting majority cannot work on an issue together (the vaunted Brown Act). That means only two members can discuss any one item. I worked on this item with Bridgette Moore for at least this entire calendar year.

She was very helpful and carried my Dragon A-- more than once as she arranged many Zoom meetings with countless concerned residents. 

For all the things already on her plate, she added this monster to it. Even though the project is well outside of her district, and it would have been completely understandable had she not been able to find the necessary time. I think she actually gets 36 hours in a day and just hasn't told anyone else about it. 

She and I were both contacted by the developer in the final weeks before the August 26th meeting. I inquired with staff whether Palm Communities had been willing to change the things that the Save Windsong Valley group had asked for.

When I'd heard that there were no changes made, I couldn't imagine the point of meeting with them. However, Bridgette did opt to meet with them, and afterward thought she might have a deal in the works to at least move the buildings off the property line.

I don't want to speak for Bridgette, but I know that she wouldn't have brought the subject up at the meeting if she wasn't fairly certain that it would be accepted based on the meeting she had had. 

It was in hopes of moving the buildings further back from the property line and having the parking closer to the street. If you want to see how that part went down, go to this part of the meeting video: 2:27:30 

Remember, with SB35, this type of project gets to dictate the process. They are the ones that can demand conditions and waivers, the city cannot.

When given the chance to prove that they were indeed, good neighbors (as they'd been proclaiming), they balked and said, "We've met the city's guidelines." 

They also said how they'd already spent tens of thousands of dollars as part of the reason why they weren't interested in making this concession. 

Imagine what they could buy with that kind of largess... probably a corrugated patio cover with a disco ball, maybe one of those rusty metal T-Rexs for their front yard, and a couple of cases of Coors Light for their yearly Christmas party.

There are soooo many more important things to use those funds on than the neighborhood they're in the process of wrecking... and since the state said they could run roughshod over anyone they damn well please, they did. 

Congrats, time to contact the humanitarian of the year organizers and get to nominating them. (What, I poured it on too thick there? Fine, strike that part about humanitarian of the year from the record)

Then it was my turn to speak

I had some prepared remarks that pointed the blame to myself first, then to staff, followed by the developer of course, but then reminded everyone that it was the one-party rule that has been in Sacramento for decades... and those that keep voting them in that owns the root cause of this whole fiasco.

The thing is, all levity aside for a moment, that area was failed by the very people put in place to keep a watch out for them. Sad and pathetic!

"But now that they have the power of SB35 behind them —they're in charge. Not too dissimilar to when a preschooler is in possession of a loaded Glock wanting a cookie. It's their show and their demands must be met." 

The above was part of my comments... check out the video.

Being in love with the camera, I actually set up my phone to take some reverse-angle footage of when I was speaking. If you think my blogs can get convoluted, take a look at my nearly eight-minute verbal diatribe below. 

Note to self: next time don't use the water bottle as a tripod, you might get thirsty and have no way to wet your whistle. 

That was it, we voted on it and the final vote was 4-1 to approve the waivers and conditions. 

I'm not some hero here

The others knew that we had no choice but to approve it or face a losing lawsuit from the developer, not even attaining a Pyrrhic victory... (is a Pyrrhic defeat a thing?)

Which could have cost the city hundreds of thousands of dollars to defend, or to put this back on the next agenda to then switch the vote... and I would have switched mine before costing the city money on a no-win situation.

If this would have been allowed to go through the standard review process I have relative confidence that it would have been a 4-1 or a 5-0 vote to deny it.

It was a long meeting, with just one topic, and if you choose to watch the video you'll get the complete picture of what transpired. 

The only other thing that I'll address, and here I'll go back to glossing over something that is actually rather serious, but it doesn't directly affect the residents... so if you can read between the lines, cool. 

Towards the end, staff seemed to forget the pecking order of things and who works for who. Let this be a friendly reminder, that such actions won't go unanswered in future meetings.

You do not attempt to throw your employer under the bus, much less all five of them —especially not on a moot point that has nothing to do with what's being voted on, and delude yourself into believing that is acceptable.

If you have a difference of opinion and you want to clear the air, that's what backrooms and woodsheds are for, not an open meeting. I'm not here to kiss anyone's hindquarters.

But Joseph, isn't a blog just as inappropriate a place for such a thing? 

Hmmm.... you may have a point there. 

Use this link to get the the three hour video

PostScript. After the meeting, as I was making my way out of the council chambers I met up with one of the developers and remarked, "Well, you survived. You absorbed the arrows well."

Despite my palpable dislike for Tres Lagos, I don't carry that over to the people involved. He seemed to understand our positions, even if not to the point of changing anything. Sort of the difference between empathy and compassion. I wished him a good evening and a safe trip back home. It is possible to disagree and still be civil.