Surprise!

At the risk of sounding like a conspiracy theorist, I can’t help but wonder if sending Jack vanHaaster to Las Vegas without telling Gibbs might have been a little sour grapes by the chamber of commerce? I sincerely hope not, but it does seem irregular, especially the not informing Gibbs part.

The unity of leadership of the deposed and the deposer shown to the prospective businesses was a very positive spin on this occurrence, and it is to be hoped that the intended perception of a stable Murrieta government did indeed happen.

But I would like to suggest that the chamber of commerce and Mr. VanHaaster be much more careful about these little oopsies in the future, as it could be interpreted as a snub of our newly elected councilman.

An irresistable force and an immoveable object.

According to the Californian, at the same time that another 213 unit condominium is being considered at McElwain and Sierra, residents of Country Gate tract off of Washington are complaining to MCWD about low water pressure. Post-recall, the problems of insufficient infrastructure are still very alive and well, and this example shows that infrastructure is a much more intricate problem than just the heavy traffic.

The overburdened traffic, fire/police protection, and schools immediately spring to mind, but did it ever occur to anyone that eventually development will run into a barrier that cannot be surmounted by money? I refer, of course, to water. Much of Southern California is an arid desert. Local ground water supplies are finite. Where is the water to keep this suburban paradise from getting thirsty?

The Line E drain is an admirable project to keep the streets from flooding, but the down side is that rainwater that would otherwise refresh the aquifer is now being sent down Murrieta Creek to the Santa Margarita and eventually to the ocean.

Do you think that Orange County developers are concerned about this issue? My guess is no. They say that is is the type of problem that the city is responsible for. But wait a minute, How can city be responsible for infrastructure that is out of their control? The lines of communication betwen the water district and the city are almost non-existent. Communications between the school district and the city is equally bad.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't water supplies and adequate schooling an integral part of a city? Why doesn't the water board and the city council communicate on an official level? It would be well for the new city council to take note of this problem and become proactive on finding permanent solutions.

Can a built-out Murrieta supply all its citizens with adequate water, sewage, protection, and schools? I frankly doubt it.

Our new mayor

Warnie has been elected the new mayor of Murrieta by a 4 to 1 vote of the council. The dissenting vote was councilman Seyarto's. The feud goes on....

Imaginative reporting at Temecula Valley News.

"Ed Faunce did not say that RM was continuing to go after councilmen Seyarto and McAllister. That statement was reported by Nancy Fay, a cub reporter for the Temecula Valley News.

Fay has made many errors in her brief career. chief among her failings is the tendency to report her personal opinions as fact.

RM has already received numerous contacts from residents of Murrieta as well as citizen groups from other cities. RM volunteers spent over 11 months in the recall fight. a brief rest is both needed and deserved."

Ed Faunce

Thanks for the clarification. I checked back and Valley News has been the only paper to credit Ed Faunce with making this statement. This is a good example of how a careless news vehicle can unintentionally create the news rather than report it.

J.L. Kunkle

Is RM a PAC without a cause?

With the recall behind us, Ed Faunce has indicated that he will continue to go after McAllister and Seyarto. I would like to suggest that the Murrieta City Council is a closed issue at this time, and that RM's clout might be better utilized to watchdog the council and the county government and to try to help keep developers in southwest county under some form of popular control. The recall was only the first step in what promises to be a long process of infrastructural catch-up.

Warnie on the skyline.

Warnie Enochs is a bone of contention in some of the commentary on this blog. Now that RM has succeeded in ousting his arch enemy, Jack VanHaaster, his activities on the council are going to come under close scrutiny by concerned Murrietans and the local press.

Over time Warnie has come to symbolize the old town mentality; Many old-time Murrietans still consider him their voice on the city council. With this new council in place, the conflict between Kelly Seyarto and Enochs will possibly continue to be disruptive, but only if these two councilmen allow it. It is to be hoped that this friction will not cause problems, but if it does, the way they handle it will be a key indicator of their commitment to the smooth running of Murrieta, and it might also impact both of their chances of re-election.

The task can now begin

The recall was only the beginning of the arduous task of putting this town back together again.

What are our weaknesses at this point?

The ones that bother me the most are the tenement-style structures at Amberwalk that seem to be taking over the west side, the old-town project that still needs to be finished so that the city can have a REAL ribbon cutting ceremony, and the path of destruction wrought to Ivy Street between Washington and Jefferson by the line E.

Please post more problems that you think the city needs to look at.

Public Relations

Kelly Seyarto recently broached the idea of hiring a public relations specialist for the city. Kelly, if you read this, could you please comment on what this new city position would involve? Would a PR person be restricted to local matters or are they also tasked to improve relations with prospective businesses? This idea has merit if it could possibly communicate Murrieta's many amenities which would in turn attract more of the high-end businesses that have historically gone to Temecula.

Nancy Knight, State Assemblyperson

Nancy Knight is seeking the GOP nomination for the 66th district assemby position soon to be vacated by Ray Haynes. The republicans would probably rather nominate someone who is capable of winning a city government seat. Though her platforms have been well researched and she makes her position on the issues fairly clear, she apparently lacks appeal at the ballot box. Anyone care to comment on her decision?

Crowe letter

The following is a letter mailed to an old town murrietan who has forwarded it via e-mail to me. Though it was supposed to run before the election, I did not receive it in time.According to the old town Murrietan, the Californian refused to print it, that is inconsistent with Californian policy so they probably just couldn't publish it before the election. I have not verified the statements made in this letter, but I do think Murrietans should see it....

Here Is Just One Family’s Reason To Vote ….RECALL

I write this with a heavy heart and yet with a compelling desire for all Murrieta residents to fully understand the importance of the recall election on May 3, 2005.

My extended family and I purchased 40 acres in beautiful Murrieta in 1973 on Adams Avenue between Nutmeg Street and Grizzly Ridge. At that time, the property was in the County. In 1991, we became part of the City of Murrieta upon incorporation. Since 1996, there have been four sub-divisions approved by the City surrounding our properties. Twenty of our original forty acres are now within Fiesta Development “Ashby” Grizzly Ridge project and Granite Homes project.

We looked forward to being a part of a new City with new housing, streets, parks, and other infrastructure; including new neighbors. The City started with a reasonably good General Plan of Development to provide for the future wants and need of the Community.

In our situation alone, the City (encouraged by the votes of Mayor Van Haaster and Councilman Seyarto) has continually agreed with land developers, their representatives and engineers to not abide by laws and ordinances and have denied us as smaller existing land owners our personal and real property rights guaranteed by the California State Constitution, the Subdivision Map Act, California Environmental Quality Act, Riverside County Ordinance 348, Riverside County Ordinance 460, 461 and the elements of the City of Murrieta General Plan, City of Murrieta Code Title 16 and the City of Murrieta Grading Ordinance 8.12.100. This means that under the current City leadership, new high tax revenues will never buy the people of Murrieta what the General Plan should guarantee.

Although each owner in our family has been victim of Murrieta’s numerous illegal dealings, the most recent situation occurred when a portion of my father-in-laws property was taken from him without notice or purchase in order for Granite Homes to build five additional homes within their development. The Edison Company and Verizon were allowed to place underground utilities within my father-in-laws half of the easement without permission. This left him with a 12 foot wide by 750 foot long dead-end road with no way for emergency vehicles to turn around. My ninety-year old father-in-law did not have the strength to fight the system. His property did finally sell for a fraction of its value. My father-in-law passed away last August and never had resolve regarding the property that he owned for over thirty years.

I have recently been made aware that this type of unlawful activity has taken place throughout the City. Many others are continuing to step forward and voice that they to have been violated as well.

Please don’t forget exercise your right to vote on May 3, 2005. This is your chance to vote for individuals who possess integrity, honesty and truly represent the will of the people.


Fred Crowe
(In loving memory of Ralph Fiscus)

Mr. Gibbs with a tough row to hoe.

It is an interesting question from Rholmgren about whether Rick Gibbs, having got into office on RM's platform should now distance himself from it. Now that the recall is a done deal and the voter block is broken, how is Mr. Gibbs going to vote in favor of something that Seyarto and McAllister endorse, but that Ostling and Enochs do not?

Jack Van Haaster, ex-mayor

Recall Results

On Tuesday, Murrieta held its first recall election. With all precincts reporting, results are:

Recalled:

Jack van Haaster: 5,911 to 5,748

Not recalled:

Doug McAllister: 6,368 to 5,322

Kelly Seyarto: 5,923 to 5,712

Elected:

Rick Gibbs: 5,367

Source: Riverside County Registrar of Voters

Our new council is Warnie Enochs, Rick Gibbs, Doug McAllister, Dick Ostling and Kelly Seyarto. Who should our new mayor be?

Apparently the bureaucrats feel extremely threatened.

I just got an automated telephone call from someone representing themselves as assemblyman Ray Haynes. The message was warning me not to be fooled by this recall because it was actually a scam perpetrated by a "liberal Orange County attorney". No name for this attorney was mentioned. This humorous allegation was absolutely preposterous in the true tabloid sense of the word.

If Ray Haynes was behind this, I know never to vote for him as I don't think liars should hold the public's trust. If he is not, he should immediately take steps to apprehend this fraud. The Republican party apparently sponsored this last ditch telemarketing barrage.

Speaking of Republicans, I think it likely that if the anti-recall people are getting this desperate, you can probably expect to be harrassed at the polls tomorrow, so be prepared.