• Earth Day 2023 Wildomar Style

Saturday, April 22, 2023 saw one of the largest gatherings of volunteers since The Great Day of Service ten years ago in 2013.

Some of the volunteers that assembled at Wildomar Elementary School.

The volunteer count topped 80 individuals, 84 to be more precise, and they stuffed over 60 bags of litter, weeds, and debris. Also, a CR&R roll-off bin that held half the debris from the cleanup on Arnold St. (It's going to take another bin to get the rest of the dead trees out of the public right of way).

Volunteers removing the suckers from the bases of the olive trees on Grand Ave.

Big thanks to the Bread of Life Church, Elsinore High Earth Club, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Leave No Women Behind, US Bank, and Wildomar Beautification Volunteers. 

Thank you to Diamond W Excavating's Wally and Paula Willette for all the work on Arnold St.

The areas cleaned included Wildomar Trail from Cervera to Grand, Palomar from Gruwell to Arnold, Arnold St, and Grand from Wildomar Trail to Sheila. 

Various sponsors that made the cleanup possible include CR&R, Pam's Donuts, Paula & Wally Willette of Diamond W Excavating, and Matthew Russell of Bemus Landscape. 

Matthew Russel of Bemus Landscape donated his time and expertise to cut down the dead trees that were in the public right of way on Arnold St. 

Individuals that donated include Daphne Meza, Debi Sutherland, Jasmine Bearden, and Bridgette Moore. 

Many Wildomar residents are familiar with the work put in by the Wildomar Beautification Volunteers and how much litter, debris, illegal signs, and graffiti they've abated since they came upon the scene. 

When you see WBV around town or at a park event, please come up and say hello... you won't be obligated to pick up any litter. 😊  Photo by Keith Jared

Here's a rundown of the 2023 WBV stats year-to-date through 4-22

130 Volunteers

979 Volunteer Hours

733 Bags

39 Trash Cans Full

27 Illegal Dumps Cleaned Up

5 Trailers full of branches and weeds

24 tires

79 Graffiti Removals

6 Shopping Carts 

...and more.

Nate from US Bank mows down some substantial weeds in the public right of way on Arnold Street. 

Wildomar Rap opinion time

In our world where it's common to hear concerns about how fragmented our society is becoming, volunteering for a common cause is a great way to tear down the silos we often find ourselves in.

Wildomar is our shared community. Community is more than just the roads we all drive on, it's partial ownership by all. Expecting others to do the work has become normal, but it doesn't get things done.

If we all do a little, then our neighborhoods, our community, our town, our city looks all the better and something that we all can be proud of.

If you have been on the sidelines, I encourage you to volunteer for the betterment of the whole community. It's a truly honorable thing to do, sets a good example for others, plus it gives a great feeling of accomplishment too. 😊

Working for the betterment of the Wildomar community.

If you would like more information about Wildomar Beautification Volunteers, please check out their Facebook page at this link. 

• Don't Get Phished In

Phishing is getting out of hand, and increasingly clever. 

So much so that you really can't click on any links either in a text, email, or personal message on social media without potentially inviting a disaster to your doorstep.

I just got an email at my city council email, on a Sunday afternoon from AJ.

That return email looks SUUUPer DOOOPer legit. 

"Who's AJ?" You ask...  ELEPHINO (the answer you get when you cross an elephant with a rhinoceros = 'ELL IF I KNOW if you're unsure). Kids love that dad joke. 😀

You see kids when a mommy elephant loves a daddy rhino a whole lot...

Seriously though, just delete texts, emails, social media messages, or phone calls that come out of left field... even if they seem to be coming from a friend. 

Better to delete something real than open something that is a scam

The downside is too great and if the IRS is really concerned about your automobile warranty expiring, make them come to your door... which I suggest that you don't answer if it's not someone you already know too. 

Below is the email from AJ... 

1. I’M AJ.
2. Text / Call @ 760-805-4834
3. To Officially Enact The “City Payroll” Policy, We Must Have A Meeting With All Of The Mayors Of:
1. Wildomar.
2. Lake Elsinore.
3. Temecula.
4. Murrieta.
4. The Major Parties iNVOLVED
1. The Federal Reserve Bank.
2. City Hall.
3. Police / Hospital / Utility Companies.
4. DMV.
5. iRS.
6. iNDiViDUAL Businesses.
7. City Residents.
5. 7 Major Parties Are iNVOLVED.
6.  
7.  
8. The Meeting Will Help Me Brief You On The “City Payroll Policy”, But Briefly …
9. All Citizens Will Be Paid Daily @ 00:00 (Their Time).
1. Pay = Age * 24 Hours * 366 Days.
10.  All Citizens Will Be Paid The Full Amount if They Are Registered With City Hall As “Working”.
11.  All Citizens “Not Working” Will Only Be Paid 10% Of Their Daily Pay.
12.  Working = 4 Hour Minimum Per Day ( Or 8 Hours Depending On How Others Feel ), Reported By The Business “Supervisor” To The City Hall Database.
13.  Tax Of 11% Added To All Sale Transactions & iS Given Back To The City Where The Purchase Was Made.
14.  
15.  
16.  Please Text Me With A Time When You Are Available To Meet, Thank You.

Sent from Mail for Windows

The interesting thing is that this phisher added specific items like "Wildomar" and other local cities to try and pull the wool over my eyes... and he even included a phone number. I'm not calling it, but you can if you're that curious. 

Now, look at the peculiar usage of random capital letters, not to mention blanks in the numbered items (facepalm goes here).

I sure hope that I'm not costing the residents all that promised money by dismissing it as fraudulent. 

To round out this topic I can share that I've had several phishing attempts through google docs regarding copyright claims on my more recent YouTube videos. 

They both looked VERY legitimate, but I could tell that something was amiss.

To the point that the first time that it happened I spent about twenty minutes trying to contact YouTube about it. 

In short, caveat emptor (buyer beware) even if you haven't even contemplated a purchase recently. 

Here is some valuable consumer advice from the Federal Trade Commission (How to Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams). 

• Tres Lagos Is STILL a Done Deal

I'm sorry that this type of blog is necessary, but it is. 

It really makes me angry when I see misleading information being pushed onto the residents. It's even more vexing when it's done by someone that claims to want to represent them on the city council (Kenny Mayes lost his election bid in 2020). 

A post made by Kenny Mayes in a private Facebook group called Save Windsong Valley.

Either he knew he was kicking the hornet's nest for his own jollies, or he can claim ignorance. I wonder which it'll be. 

We know that he didn't ask for any clarification from the city or the county. He read that Tres Lagos was back on the agenda and posted a link to it with no opinions or attempted explanations. 

Like clockwork, concerned residents took the bait and started posting on social media about an issue that was nailed shut long ago. 

Fanning the flames is his favorite pastime. 

Why are we relitigating this?

Yes, it sucks.

Tres Lagos was approved at the state level. The city had no say so in it. If that sounds preposterous, I agree. You should see the other laws that Sacramento has pushed on us, taking away local control and making our neighborhoods less safe.

The ruling party (The Democrats if you're unsure) couldn't care less about Wildomar or any other community. If you voted for the blue team, you made Tres Lagos happen. 

If you're not up to speed on this issue, follow the keywords at the bottom of the blog to see past blogs on it. 

Them is the facts.

However, when people intentionally spread misinformation, upsetting the community, I feel it's my obligation to get you answers from a higher authority than loners that thrive off of the conflict they leave in their wakes on social media.

I emailed Supervisor Kevin Jeffries. 

Here is the exchange: 

Good morning Kevin,

Looks like Tres Lagos is hitting the BoS agenda for March 28^th.

link to the agenda item in question

 A resident posted this information and is encouraging people to go down to the meeting and ask for Tres Lagos to be halted by not funding it.

Can you give me some information that I can share with my constituents on this agenda item and whether or not Tres Lagos can be stopped. I thought this was a done deal, but residents have been fed false hope and I need to address it again.

I appreciate any clarification you can share with me.

Regards,

Joseph Morabito  

Mayor

Here is his response that I received about an hour later.

Joesph - here is the details from county housing staff…..

Yes. This project was already approved, and we are simply holding the hearing. The action doesn’t obligate or approve the project as that was done at the State level. Below is a more elaborate answer that explains the process, but it might be overkill. 

It is what is called Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act (TEFRA) hearing. As a condition of securing an award of funding from the state a public hearing is required. This can be done in the City where the project is done, or we can hold the hearing at the County level. As the City of Wildomar did not want to hold the hearing we are holding the hearing. The hearing in question doesn’t obligate the County to make any loans or approve the award of funds. The County simply holds the hearing, and the bond allocation is awarded by the State to California Statewide Communities Development Authority who issues the bonds. The bonds then are purchased by a bank in this instance Chase.

You might find this interesting but Signature Bank up until last week was going to purchase the bonds, but as they failed the bonds are going to be purchased by Chase.

Hope this helps and if you have any questions or concerns let me know.

I'm truly sorry for anyone that thought they needed to write a letter, or an email, or even worse waste their morning going to a meeting in downtown Riverside that had nothing to do with approving or disapproving this godawful project. 

Please remember this when Kenny Mayes throws his hat in the ring looking to represent you on the Wildomar city council next year. I know that I'll remember it, and you can count on me to remind the voters who the real Kenny Mayes is if he actually runs in 2024.

If you still haven't figured out that the source of this misinformation isn't a trustworthy source, let's revisit the classic Aesop's Fable of the Farmer and the Snake.

On the ground lay a Snake, stiff and frozen with the cold. The Farmer knew how deadly the Snake could be, and yet he picked it up and put it in his bosom to warm it back to life. The Snake soon revived, and when it had enough strength, bit the man who had been so kind to it.

Moral: There are some who never change their nature, regardless of how well we behave with them. Always stay alert and maintain a distance from those who have a long track record of negativity. 

If there is any question, the above was written by Wildomar Mayor Joseph Morabito. 

Email is jmorabito@cityofwildomar.org

Lastly, if anyone thinks that the above opinion is out of line, you have the right to think that. As for me, I'm tired of watching good people get jerked around by the thoughtlessness of others and I'm going to call it out even if that rankles some people. 

•                •                •

when someone tells you who they are believe them.

– Maya Angelou

Wildomar Rap has been telling you who he is for nearly 10 years.

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 Rallies Around Councilman Dustin Nigg's Family Raising Over $19,000

If you were part of the fundraising dinner last Saturday evening at the Wildomar VFW (March 11, 2023) then you saw it firsthand —the display of love and concern for Desiree Nigg, wife of Councilman Dustin Nigg, and her family. 

Desiree Nigg at the fundraising dinner.

As a preface, only a few days into the new year, the Nigg family was hit with devestating news. 

Desiree, the mother of three daughters, veteran of the Marine Corps, was diagnosed with Stage IV Colorectal Cancer. The cancer has unfortunately spread to her right lung and to the lining of her intestines.

The food and the volunteers that were serving it. 

To me, this story deserved much more than a local blog covering it. The Press Enterprise, Valley News and even that thing called The Patch dropped the ball on an obvious winner human interest story to share with their readers. 

This was an awesome demonstration of people wanting to help in any way they could... and they did!

Dustin and Desiree Nigg, in the middle, flanked by friends.

Not wanting much more time to go by I asked Mayor Pro-Tem Bridgette Moore, who was the key person behind organizing it (though she had many helpers that made it possible), if she would write a few paragraphs about the fundraiser and I'd put together a Wildomar Rap blog. 

The little flyer that could. With this, the wildfire grew from an event that the organizers were hoping would bring in a couple of thousand dollars, to one that the community jumped on and pushed the totals to well over $19,000.

From Bridgette Moore...

On Saturday March 11th 2023 our community came together in a grand fashion to support councilman Dustin and his wife Desiree Nigg. 

The room was nearly as full as the food was good. 

Desiree has been diagnosed with stage 4 correctal cancer and it has spread to distant organs. On Saturday March 11th over 130 people attended a dinner at the VFW in Wildomar and over $19000 was raised.  

I would like to thank our dinner sponsors: 

• Angelo's brick oven pizzeria 

• The Hive  

• Bone Cleaner barbecue and catering Chef Kat

For the dessert table our sponsors were Albertsons, Ann White, Deb Robinet, planning commissioner Arrin Banks, Go Nutz Donuts and Robin Adkins.

Had to love Arrin Banks's Bread Pudding with hot rum buttered sauce. 😋

.

The community really supported the raffle prize and silent auction, not to mention the live auction and the 50-50. In total the event raised over the $19,000 for our local family.

Murrieta City Councilwoman Lori Stone did an outstanding job as the auctioneer.

The biggest live auction event of the night was for passes to the Magic Castle for six people. It was amazing to watch the bidding go up from a few hundred dollares to $3500. 

In a remarkably generous gesture, a second set of Magic Castle passes was awarded to the runner up bidder. In total, that brought in $6000 for the Nigg family.

The list of items grew and grew all the way up to the moment that the dinner started. Members of the Wildomar community wanted to help out any way they could. 

Some of the other items for the live auction included a suite of four tickets to the Anaheim Duck's hockey game, Teen Road to Safety donated 8 hours of driving instruction by Temecula driving school, Season Tickets to the Santa Rosa Plateau Concert Series, Colour Parlor, 100 Women Who Care, a limo ride, and Murrieta City Councilwoman Lori Stone donated a lunch with her for 2 people anywhere in Murietta. 

Some of the many donors included Montague Brothers Coffee, a comprehensive facial from Dr. Gloria, IT work from Chris Twining, Apex Plumbing, La Masters of Fine Jewelry, CR&R, and Sandie Fuenty.

There were many volunteers: The VFW, Councilwomen Ashlee DePhillippo (actually her entire family volunteered), Robert Rankin Walker played his guitar and sang songs, Robin Adkins was a volunteer that I relied heavily on, Erin and Ken Hartley from Vitality Zone Fitness were invaluable, I can't forget the Wildomar Beautification Volunteers and their tireless efforts... so many more that I don't mean to leave out also volunteered their time. 

We had so many volunteers and we want to thank them all for helping make this such a memorable and successful event. We love you Desiree, and our thoughts and prayers are with you and your entire family. 

It was a special evening and I was glad to be there. Despite the joyous atmosphere, it wasn't lost on anyone what we were there for. 

Desiree and Dustin know that they were dealt an unwinnable hand. They're trying to keep things in perspective and were obviously touched by the deluge of camaraderie directed toward them.

Desiree and her three daughters.
Sorry Dustin, but they're just cuter than you are. 😁
Or, I couldn't find a pic with all of you in it.

Dustin's mother spoke for a few minutes. She had a difficult time keeping her composure as she spoke about how important Desiree is to her. Her tears were contagious.

There are no magic words here, just that we are hurting from a distance as the Nigg family is doing its best to push through this, up close, in real time, one day after the next. Godspeed.

  

• City Council Meeting March 2023

At the most recent city council meeting we chose the final designs for the mast arm blades at signalized intersections (otherwise known as the street signs).

There are two designs

The first is for all the signalized intersections except for the name Wildomar Trail, and the second is for Wildomar Trail. Both will sport an encircled Edwardian W on the left-hand side.

Years ago it was adopted to give Wildomar Trail a distinctive look, and that's why the signs are a different color and with a faux western font.

Economic Development Director Kimberly Davidson snaps a couple of shots as the city council poses with the new street sign designs. 

There is still the old green style at many intersections. The green is what is in the unincorporated areas of the county.

There are still several of the old green signs hanging at various intersections. 

It was decided that there was no need to add "City of Wildomar" under Wildomar Trail for a couple of reasons.

First, it already says "Wildomar" on the sign, and second, if someone is stopped at the intersection and looking around, the signs for the other streets will say "City of Wildomar".

As you'll see from the photos where there are faded signs, some of the signs need immediate attention. Others don't. This was only about "choosing designs" so that when the time comes to replace the old, there will be guidance on hand.

I've been watching this sign get more and more illegible as the years have rolled by. 

Other things from the city council meeting

• As part of the Palomar and Clinton Keith road widening projects a new crosswalk will be installed connecting Renaissance Plaza with The Barn.

• Items 2.1 and 2.2 (Zoning ordinance amendments) were a formality where the city had to adopt recent state guidelines when it comes to group homes and density bonuses for developers.

3.1 Wildomar Beautification - Freeway Enhancements and Community Identification

This caused unnecessary concern among those that read the Patch and then post on social media. The Patch chose to cherry-pick from the agenda and strongly suggest that the city was about to spend seven figures to add signage to the freeway. I hope they enjoyed their ill-gotten clicks with that garbage.

What a disservice to the community!

This item was an update on the costs and procedures to "beautify" any of the on or offramps in the city. Without an item being on the agenda, the council can't legally even talk about it as a group.

I compared the city council being interested in these types of freeway projects, including community identification, to a family that saw their neighbors with nice shiny swimming pools and wanted to know what it would take to get one of their own.

Then, the pool contractor pays them a visit and lets them know the true costs of such a project.

That's when the crests fall, and the idea is put back on the shelf. Both for the pool and expensive freeway enhancements or community identification projects. Getting information is a good thing. We learned that it's not feasible.

However, if there were grants for such things, I'd be foursquare behind both beautifying the on and offramps plus community identification (city signage).

Here is a link to the video of the meeting.

Here is a link to the 663 page agenda.

• Selecting The Next Mayor, A Slam Dunk, Right?

To answer the question in the title of the blog, it was a lay-up and a slam dunk all in one for Wildomar. 😁

Though the changing of the Mayor is a newsworthy event, it shouldn't be a "remarkable" event. It happens every year in most of the cities in California. 

The council enjoyed an unexpected laugh when Councilman Dustin Nigg said, "Aye" after the city clerk asked for Councilwoman Bridgette Moore's vote. 

In the Southwest Riverside County area, only Menifee directly elects their mayor. All the other cities rotate the position. 

So this should only be newsworthy in that Wildomar has a new Mayor and Mayor Pro-tem (Joseph Morabito and Bridgette Moore respectively). Not-newsworthy that it went very smoothly... laugh moment mentioned in the photo caption above notwithstanding. 

I mention this because such an ability to work with each other isn't as common as you might think. The internet is littered with videos where city councils across the nation can't get basic agenda items passed without a lot of mindless bickering. 

I was going to leave a couple of YouTube links, but there are too many to choose from. Just search city council meeting gone bad, gone wrong, funny, or fights. You'll spend hours going through them.

When it comes to something as simple as choosing a mayor, just last week the city of San Mateo made news for reasons I will work to keep Wildomar from repeating, contentiousness for contentiousness' sake, seen in the headline and story below.

HIGH DRAMA ENVELOPES SAN MATEO POLITICS

San Mateo City Councilmember Amourence Lee was appointed mayor Monday night after a week of infighting and uncertainty. 

Under the city’s rotational system, the most senior council member serves as mayor. As the senior-most member, Lee was supposed to assume the position on Dec. 5. But the move was blocked by two new council members, Lisa Diaz Nash and Robert Newsom.

The delay left San Mateo without a mayor for over a week and set a ‘sad’ and ‘scary’ precedent, according to their new Mayor.

The above was from California City News (dot) Org, use this link to see the story.

In short, though they have a fairly specific rotational system in their city, they still found a way to screw it up and were without a mayor for a week. In my estimation because the new council members that hijacked the process didn't/don't understand their role in the bigger picture of things. 

There can be very strong disagreements among council colleagues. That should be expected at times, but in my book, that should be reserved for controversial agenda items, not routine rubber stamp items. Imagine the mayhem in that city when they're looking for someone to lead the Pledge of Allegiance (that's well-placed sarcasm folks). 😁

Wildomar has been of a different mold

For as long as I've been watching Wildomar city council meetings (since late 2013) the various members I've observed have always gotten along and worked together. Even when it was an item that brought a lot of uncomfortable debate.

This has been true since I've been on the council starting back in December of 2018 too, and I see it continuing with the five of us that are currently serving Wildomar.

I'm still working on a theme for the year, but you know it'll be baseball based... keep your eye on the ball, and teamwork are possibilities. Here is your starting line-up: District 1, Carlos Marquez. District 2, Dustin Nigg. District 3, Joseph Morabito. District 4, Bridgette Moore. District 5, Ashlee DePhillippo. 

Though I campaigned for new councilman Carlos Marquez, and am glad that the voters chose him to be on the city council, there is no quid pro quo attached. 

He's his own man and has already shown the hallmarks of a superb leader. I'm confident that we'll work together well, even if it happens that we routinely wind up on opposite sides of votes in the future. 

We are, all-five, separate-voices, with ideas that come from different perspectives, and the common goal of bettering Wildomar as a whole. Districts are nice, but they're simply an artificial construct foisted on Wildomar by Sacramento. 

All five of us serve the entire city

Though to make the workload more evenly spread out, if you live in a particular council member's district, and you have an issue that needs attention, it's best to contact them instead of just tagging Bridgette Moore on Facebook. 😁

Let me encourage you to follow the city on Facebook, and sign up for the city emails. That way you'll know things that are happening in town in real-time, rather than long after the fact. 

If you'd like to follow my social media, in addition to Wildomar Rap, search Joseph Morabito Wildomar. That'll get you to both Facebook and Instagram. 

The video below is how easy it should be to select a mayor for the coming year. Had to love how Councilman Nigg got right down to business. Use this link if the video isn't visible for you.

 

Below is the video of the entire meeting.

•                •                •

  

Husbands and wives, if you can't get what you'd like, you better like what you get.

– EG Marshall (CBSRMT)

Wildomar Rap is fine if you prefer a different blog, it does 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.

• City Council Meeting November 2022

A lot of interesting information from the November 2022 city council meeting.

TOP NEWS FROM THE MEETING

---

• Sedco Septic to Sewer At No Cost to Residents
• City Hall Closed From Christmas to New Year's
• Staff Instructed to Purchase 20 Acre Ann Sullivan Property for a Passive Park
• Future City Hall Discussion

Meeting Recap

28:50 in the video below

Septic to Sewer, if you watch the part of the meeting where this is discussed, you'll see that the entire Sedco area, which was said to include 750 homes, is included in this grant. The grant will pay 100% of the costs to convert to sewer.

It was stated that the dollar amount is about $125,000 per conversion. That includes EVMWD's costs to run the lines to the homes, and then the hookups from the homes to the lines.

An amazing offer to be sure, one that hasn't ever been offered before and one that will most likely not come around in our lifetimes again: if you miss it, you miss it forever.

Link to EVMWD septic to sewer webpage

Word of caution to those that get their info from social media

Please don't listen to any self-appointed watchdogs that always get things wrong. This isn't some covert plan to gentrify Sedco. The whacky things that willfully-ignorant people spread on social media are as bizarre as they are disheartening. But some people simply thrive on creating needless facebook drama. Caveat emptor and c'est la vie at the same time.

If you live in this area please reach out to EVMWD. Even if you choose not to get thousands of dollars worth of paid-for upgrades, makes sense to know what the offer is before rejecting it out of hand.

Item 3.1 Compensation & Classification Study - Position Descriptions Acceptance, Position Classification Placements, and Employee Benefit Revisions

53:30 in the video below

There hasn't been such a study in Wildomar until now. The point of such a study is to see where we are in relation to other nearby cities to learn if we are in step or out of step with compensation packages in the region.

Though we are a small-budget city, we can't expect quality employees to work for outdated wages and benefits. If we offer a substandard compensation package, we'll end up with substandard work.

With that said, my concern was where we went from 12 holidays to 15 per year. The increase in the raw numbers was to make closing city hall during the holidays possible. There is no actual increase in days off and it's cost neutral. 

"It's cost neutral, it doesn't cost us anything, it actually saves us money by removing the banked holidays and the floating holiday." 

—Robert Howell, Administrative Services Director

Originally I read it to be in conjunction with opening city hall back up to the public on Fridays, even if for only half a day... but that got nixed before the meeting started. 

The discussion of opening city hall on Fridays has been going on for many years. One of the points was that the city is getting all of its work done in the current four-day format.

Ok, cool, in that case, let's see if we can get all the work done in three 12-hour days? (Just being devil's advocate here) 

Some businesses, such as a city, in my opinion, need to be open every day of the work week. If there is a large enough staff to accommodate a 4/10 schedule, super! If not, then it doesn't seem reasonable to me.

This will be revisited at the end of the fiscal year. 

To get the full information please watch this portion of the meeting.

Future City Hall Discussion

1:12:00 in the video below

Brief background. Wildomar does NOT own the building that city hall is located in. The current costs are very high per year and the lease is up in just over two years. 

It's been the goal to stop being renters for a long time, but we are a small-budget city and money has been an object every step of the way.

This is where the city council directed staff to enter into negotiations with Anne Sullivan Preschool to purchase twenty acres and convert them to a passive park.

Red is the land in question, and green is where Anne Sullivan Preschool is.

The Anne Sullivan site quickly became untenable once the full costs were projected; my brain melted after hearing a number that rhymed with $40M.

The next option was a 10-acre property that is just south of the oak grove that is behind The Habit at Wildomar Square.

If you want the details, check out the video. For me, the margins were razor-thin and the timelines didn't seem doable either for what works best for us. 

I appreciate the efforts of developer David Horenstein, but I wasn't comfortable with that option... especially after City Manager Dan York revealed that he'd spoken with the owner of the current building we're in and it looks as if a purchase is now a possibility. 

After hearing that I made it clear that there should be no further discussion until that was fully fleshed out. Though there was more discussion, that was basically what staff was instructed to do.

I don't know the current asking price, but it would be far better than any of the other options, for a myriad of reasons.

A short list of why the current building is better than the other options includes:

• We're already up and running which means no costs in moving or refurnishing a new building. We have done several remodels over the past seven years, and what a waste since we couldn't take it with us (and wouldn't want to even if we could).
• We would still need to rent this building for many years and the costs would be going straight into the toilet, errr... I mean into the landlord's bank account and not building equity for the taxpayers.
• Once the current city hall is purchased, it could be used for other city needs in the future if a new city hall is considered necessary at that time.
• Renting the current building will cost $488K per year in 23-24; $580K after 2024 and is estimated to cost $660K in 25-26.
• The lion's share of the money for this, and the park, will come from ARPA funds, and not the general fund. 

•                •                •

“You can tell a bully from a leader by how they treat people who disagree with them.”

- Miles K. Davis, President of Linfield College

Wildomar Rap has been inured to blowhards disagreeing with emotion-driven rants, rather than reason and/or logic, for more years than the Beatles were making sweet music back in the day. 

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.