Is Jeff Stone dropping the ball?
I think it about time to evaluate the job that Jeff Stone, County Supervisor is doing. Aside from the fact that the 15 freeway between Murrieta and South Corona has been turned into an extension of the 91 freeway parking lot, what other things have gone awry on Jeff's watch?
How about inadequate handling of traffic conditions in Riverside County, or more importantly, in Murrieta? I've included an example in this post:
After hearing about the Antelope overpass on comments to this blog, I went over to see for myself what is going on with the traffic and pedestrian situation there. These photos were taken at 11:00 a.m. on a weekday
There is not much space seperating pedestrians from cement trucks here. The new High School is on the East side of this overpass, meaning there will be students walking back and forth over this bridge, especially with strip malls going in on both sides of Antelope on the immediate West side of this overpass.
On the West side of the overpass, there is still a LOT of building going on. This is the narrow walkway set aside for pedestrians by the developer. At least pedestrians are a bit safer behind the concrete barricade, but you've probably noticed that the barricade is not very long and that in the background, pedestrian and traffic will be sharing the same space.
I just included this because I could easily picture a kid or adult getting squashed this way.
How about inadequate handling of traffic conditions in Riverside County, or more importantly, in Murrieta? I've included an example in this post:
After hearing about the Antelope overpass on comments to this blog, I went over to see for myself what is going on with the traffic and pedestrian situation there. These photos were taken at 11:00 a.m. on a weekday
There is not much space seperating pedestrians from cement trucks here. The new High School is on the East side of this overpass, meaning there will be students walking back and forth over this bridge, especially with strip malls going in on both sides of Antelope on the immediate West side of this overpass.
On the West side of the overpass, there is still a LOT of building going on. This is the narrow walkway set aside for pedestrians by the developer. At least pedestrians are a bit safer behind the concrete barricade, but you've probably noticed that the barricade is not very long and that in the background, pedestrian and traffic will be sharing the same space.
I just included this because I could easily picture a kid or adult getting squashed this way.
posted by J. L. Kunkle at
Friday, December 16, 2005
19 Comments:
Hey JL,
This is just another area that didn't have the proper infrastructure before the area was built out. I see more homes being built along the 215 from Mapleton to Clinton Keith, add the strip malls and this becomes a true nightmare with the school right there. If we are lucky no one will get killed. Thanks for keeping up the strings on this blog and going out of your way to identify problems like this. Good job!!!
Jeff
By
Anonymous, at Saturday, December 17, 2005 11:03:00 AM
Hey Jeff who do you blame? I think this project is being held up by Caltrans and not the county and definitely nit the city. It's too bad because this project has been funded for a while and construction costs have escalated while Caltrans engineers have been play ping pong with the approvals. If wasn't for Caltrans this would have been done already.
By
Anonymous, at Saturday, December 17, 2005 6:29:00 PM
Well I see Stone trying to get something done on the 215 impass. If Caltrans has been holding this up then Murrieta should be screaming. I would think that the risk to one of our kids lifes should be a higher priority then voting for apartment developments. I would think that we should be reading where the new Mayor would be shouting to the world at Caltrans??
Jeff
By
Anonymous, at Sunday, December 18, 2005 9:23:00 AM
The Caltrans you see today is the same as 10 years ago. Bureaucracy at it’s best. And if someone doesn’t know this, then one has had his or her head in the sand for that same amount of years. Another fine mess we have, thanks to those that approved the multi-housing on both sides of the interchange AND the Orchards, just months away from opening. Oh, would that be JvH, Seyarto, and McAllister? And for someone that boasts being with WYRCOG for how many years, shouldn’t have Seyarto known that Caltrans schedules are ones NOT to be relied upon? And the concrete barriers we see, these are supposed to be the conciliatory fix to the pedestrian hazards for another what, 3-4 years? Or, would they be the optimistic solution by our former Traffic consultant, Mr. Kenny, who’s optimistic view of the Caltrans schedule allowed the Trio to say yeh to the Orchards? What’s that old saying? Two wrongs don’t make a right? This is about the most outrageous wrong seen to date in this City so far. And people want to blame Stone for this mess. Come on people, I’m no supported of Stone, but put the blame in the right court.
Just Curious
By
Anonymous, at Sunday, December 18, 2005 7:46:00 PM
Does anyone remember the Northridge earthquakes? It was amazing how quickly those damaged freeway bridges got reconstructed. If projects can be fast tracked after a disaster it proves that much of the slowness at Caltrans is a charade of pushing paper. I read somewhere that there are 3000 Caltrans engineers. (Correct me if I am wrong)They should all be fired for the way they drag and stretch out a project's approval. I might be wrong but I think it took fewer engineers to design the entire California freeway system and that was before the age of computers. I have witnessed High School kids walking across that bridge. If I were their parent I would be screaming at someone. There should be NO pedestrian traffic across that bridge as it is configured now.
By
Anonymous, at Sunday, December 18, 2005 9:09:00 PM
Again I ask, why are the residents the ones screaming. Why aren't the people we pay to protect us screaming at the Council Meetings? That's where the challenges should be coming from. Come on. We can complain and talk and give specs but it doesn't have any weight or does it.
Jeff
By
Anonymous, at Sunday, December 18, 2005 9:26:00 PM
So ME should we slow projects down and build things at the same pace as Caltrans or should we do something to speed up Caltrans?
By
Anonymous, at Sunday, December 18, 2005 9:44:00 PM
There are some people in this town who think that by blitzing the public with an overwhelming combined attack of senseless projects they can create legally binding approvals that are then legally fait accompli - too late to do anything about it. Those people are creating traffic insanity and permanent financial damage to this town just so they can feather their own political and public payroll nests. Some, most or even the great majority of this may be legal, but all of it is darkly obscene. The fact that anyone can be fooled by these big developer people and their (yes "their") public servants is hard to understand. They are doing it all falsely under the cover of a political party label because this town is predominantly of that party, but they are messing with the lives of every single citizen of Murrieta. With the massive buildout of ultra density residential apartments, Kelly Seyarto and his friends on the public payroll at City Hall are selling us out to a never ending doom of traffic bindups and the negative dollar flow that always comes with thickly concentrated residential jungles of bottom rung housing. Wake up, Murrieta, before it is too late! Once this insane breed of build out has occurred, good luck with your property values!
By
Anonymous, at Monday, December 19, 2005 10:44:00 AM
Rholmgren’s memory is correct in how Caltrans reacted in getting the path cleared quickly for the cleanup and rebuilding of the freeways. This was an emergency situation and emergency actions were taken. In the case of Murrieta interchanges (both CK and Los Alamos), aside from the fact that too much has been built too quickly and we are in dire straights to get our problems alleviated, Murrieta is not an emergency to Caltrans. They also cannot be blamed for our planning, or lack thereof, problems. Rhomgren, at least once accept the fact that JvH, Seyarto and McAllister are the cause for the Clinton Keith interchange debacko. They approve a project where the traffic cannot be mitigated (per the traffic report), and an “optimistic schedule” projected by the City's Traffic consultant. Either the trio were bamboozled by our Traffic consultant, as the residents have been so many times in the past, or they are just greedy for tax dollars without thinking of the consequences to the residents. Again, put the blame where it rightfully goes.
Just Curious
By
Anonymous, at Monday, December 19, 2005 10:55:00 AM
Mr. Rholmgren,
Since you are the selfappointed ambassador of what is now being called the "dark side" in this webblog, maybe you could explain something. How is it that any politician can have the support of someone like you just by throwing a few sweet goodies to the pulic? You're not really sucked in by the PR of this wagon-circled city government are you? Do you like the permanent traffic problems that are being created? Do you like the negative public cash flow which is part and parcel of low rung mass housing? Wouldn't you rather have the choice of donating to a charity instead of having value drained out of your home to support bottom rung housing? Do you like supporting an expensive city government with multiple assistant city managers? (Having more than one assistant city manager is about as useful as having more than one nose on your face.) Do you like paying an extra year's full salary to a former city manager who was given his sweet, very expensive kiss goodby just so he'd be quietly pacified? Did you know your hero Kelly did not want to say bye-bye to the former city manager, and that the only reason he compromised his stand on this matter was because van H, who was still running things at that time, felt uncomfortable having the old city manager around? Steve had seen a lot. Maybe you could say he had seen too much. La Moss knows a lot too, but she's been on the fringe of some loops that Steve was really caught up in. By the way, Steve was not a bad guy. Just got caught up in a bad situation. van H could have canned Steve without Kelly's help, (because Enochs and Ostling also wanted him gone, for very different reasons, but that's another story), but van H wanted to maintain the solid front so Kelly went along with the canning. You can ask your hero about this if you'd like. Please do. And don't forget Kelly is a guy who says he never compromises. At least, unless it becomes more politically convenient to compromise. Please ask Kelly about this before responding, just so you know what you're talking about.
By
Anonymous, at Monday, December 19, 2005 11:59:00 AM
Let's see, slow down the building or speed up Caltrans? Now that's a no brainer. Manage the growth to what the bureaucracy can afford to handle. As we'll never see Caltrans change in our lifetimes, that is as long as you are at least old enough to vote.
By
Anonymous, at Monday, December 19, 2005 12:38:00 PM
No lets just keep building and building. Who benefits from that? Developers.....not the residents.
Oh and I forgot...Kelly and Doug and all the fellows at the C of C including our ex unethical Mayor. Great Job boys. How much money does the development community put in your pockets?
Jeff
By
Anonymous, at Monday, December 19, 2005 2:22:00 PM
Private Message, please excuse us... Murrieta Coffee Pols: No more get togethers until after the 27th. The equipment will be available if anyone needs to borrow it.
By
Anonymous, at Monday, December 19, 2005 2:37:00 PM
You know Roy isn't the dark side. He really isn't. He's got an agenda in his head and the leaders of the agenda pull his head whichever way they want and know he'll die fighting to defend that agenda. He's just a follower.....not the dark side. He has the right to his opinion. The dark side in our town is the two City Councilmen who arrogently thumb their noses at us and hold their hands out to the development community. They are not the ultimate brains here though, they too are just the bullies of it. There is another group that sits high above us and up until this point has planned this community to development hell and profitted greatly from it. The Murrieta Chamber of Commerce is the dark side and it has placed in command the City Council, until the recall, the City Management where Moss sits with them, and the City Planning department. This is the dark side of our town. Jack VanHaaster is one of the leaders and Stephenson the developers puppet. Kelly Seyarto is one of the bullies, McAlister is just a yes man. These are your "Goodfellas". So don't blame Roy, he doesn't know any better. Put the blame where it should go....on the C of C and all of us for letting it happen. We let them get off at the recall. First time shame of them the second time shame on us. We have probably our last chance in November but if we let it go .....shame on all of us, for we will be the enablers of the dark side and will have to live forever with it's rules.
Jeff
By
Anonymous, at Monday, December 19, 2005 2:52:00 PM
I do not commute ME. I drive around this town locally at all different times of the day. The only times I encounter bad traffic conditions are during the morning rush hour and between the times that the schools get out in the afternoon and the evening rush hour. I use that Clinton Keith overpass at least 4 time a day. I posed my previous question to illustrate the difference in efficiencies between private enterprise and government beauracracies. So would it be fair to follow the same logic that the rest of you have and apply it to other areas. Should other private businesses slow down until government can catch up? Boy that would have a great effect on the economy! Jeff I am not on the dark side. I just believe in assigning blame where it belongs. I think the knee jerk emotionalism that is dispayed on this site leads to poor decision making. The big question to me is: How many millions of dollars of revenue would the city of Murrieta have lost if the approval or the Orchards waited for Caltrans? It seems to me that the extra few million that will be made by opening the Orchards early will pay for a large chunk of that new overpass. It is worth a little inconvenience. I look at the long term financial sense of it all while the rest of you whine during the process. Your glasses are half empty.
By
Anonymous, at Monday, December 19, 2005 8:01:00 PM
Roy, if you read above I stated that I didn't believe you were on the dark side.
Where do you get this information at how many millions we have already received for approval at the Orchards? Did that go into the KS/DM pot??
I think this has been the fault of rushing to build this community out before infrastructure is complete. Development is in such a panick to hit quick while they have very few issues challanging our City government. Strike, make a fortune and get the hell out of town to plunder elsewhere before they are asked to include perks for the cities. Why is this City government in such a hurry.
Is it all the additional salaries that have burdened us? Can I be an Assistant City Manager at $100K a year. What does an Assistant City Mananger do? The more I find out, the more it really looks like some judicial body needs to investigate the City government. Who regulates City Government? Are there watchdog groups? I think instead of recalls in the future if we just brought in an investigator or two we would lose some heads far quicker and much cheaper then waiting for voters. I believe corruption runs deep if we are to believe some of the insider posts found on here. Can someone tell me, who watches who here?
Jeff
By
Anonymous, at Monday, December 19, 2005 8:24:00 PM
A little inconvenience? Quantify that, would you please Rholmgren.
Just Curious.
PS...still awaiting your reply about KS's decision to side with JvH in the firing of Steve.
PSS...still awaiting your reply in who you would be screaming at.
By
Anonymous, at Monday, December 19, 2005 9:50:00 PM
Sept 2004: City (JvH, KS, DM) approve the Orchard Center. DM asks for a City Traffic Management (TMP) plan be prepared to overlap with the Orchard TMP. Feb. 2005: DM asks staff to look into the pedestrian crossing at CK/215. Fast forward 9 months: Council reports Orchards Development will take the lead in installing safety devices for pedestrians. The City of Murrieta is looking more like Caltrans everyday, all the while school kids are using the unprotected roadways.
By
Anonymous, at Tuesday, December 20, 2005 7:13:00 AM
I feel Rhomgren is on the right track when he talks of speeding up CalTrans.
Why do we treat the inefficiency of CalTrans as a given, akin to death and taxes? During the recovery from the Northridge quake, was CalTrans not "fast-tracked" as much as fired? A private contractor was offered a bonus to finish earlier than scheduled, and the construction company completed the rebuilding pronto and collected their bonus money.
I assume that they were required to rebuild existing structures, but engineering still was required due to the magnitude of the quake. How much engineering is required to widen an already existing overpass?
The caveat here is that the city must be temporarily suspended from the lowest bidder requirement lest we spend years in thrall to Yeager Construction again. The right contract should have heavy penalties for completion behind schedule as part of the bidding process going in, and if CalTrans can't meet these deadlines, then CalTrans doesn't get the job.
The fact that Riverside County roads are so bad to my mind indicates that the one who should be screaming the loudest at CalTrans to hurry up is our County Supervisor, Jeff Stone.
By
J. L. Kunkle, at Friday, December 30, 2005 2:02:00 PM
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