MURRIETA OPEN FORUM - Get it said, get it read, communications for the community.

Enochs and the DA

2006-02-09T12:35:00.000-08:00

There is a good article on the front page of this month's Insider about whether Councilman Warnie Enochs should step down in the face of the criminal charges against him. I decided to boil it down a bit and get the gist.

The first of his infractions, based on a timeline in the article indicate that Enochs might have had problems with expired boat registration at Big Bear Lake, and that he had forged a Murrieta police officer's signature to sign off on the fix-it ticket. The kicker here is that the expired registration that was signed off was supposedly completed two months later.

Forgery?

He also seems to have problems stemming from a contract that he (A to Z Lighting) and Dan Williams (Dans roofing) entered into to roof Enochs' house. They both had agreements with Lamb's Fellowship for electrical and roofing, respectively. The church under construction was burned in a range fire, and it is implied that Enochs threatened to implicate Williams in the fire if he did not sign a mechanic's lien for $48,000. Whether this lien applied to Lamb's Fellowship or Enochs' house was not indicated.

Extortion?

He refused to pay an $18,000 bill from George Osmond for tile work on his house, accusing one of Osmond's employees of sleeping with his wife. He allegedly tried to get Osmond to sign a statement outlining the affair, and Osmond, who might not be inclined to intrude on his employee's peccadillos, refused. Enoch's is said to have threatened him with bodily injury, and when that tactic didn't work, he wrote his own statement and forged Osmond's signature to it.

Forgery again and assault?

In a meeting with Williams and his attorney, Enochs was asked to sign a statement claiming that Dan's roofing had left the church site long before the fire. Enochs then reportedly told the two men that he would sign only if paid to do so. No amount was specified, and with no payment forthcoming, he left without signing.

Soliciting bribery?

This was apparently all the Couty DA needed to obtain a warrant, this after an earlier meeting with the DA where Enochs denied all charges. Looking at the nature of these charges and the amount of hearsay involved, It appears to me that the DA might have an uphill fight. It'll be hard to deny that fix-it ticket, though. The DA is reported to have 14 felony charges aimed at Enochs; is expired boat registration a felony?

"Making the Deal Happen"

2006-01-26T20:01:00.000-08:00

“Making the Deal Happen,” Councilman McAllister Closes the Circle of Dots.

by Edward Faunce

Funny how things get discovered. If ex-Councilman van Haaster hadn’t abused his public office, we would not have had a recall; we would not have uncovered the out-of-the-area developer financial engine driving our City’s development; we would not have discovered that the Murrieta’s Chamber of Commerce isn’t really run by Murrieta businesses; we would not have exposed the County GOP party as a partner to the business interests profiting from the rapid development of Murrieta; and we would not have seen so clearly that the local media, the City Police and Fire Unions, the career politicians, the Chamber, and the developers are all allied in one common goal -- develop Murrieta, get a slice of the profits and do it NOW.

Seemingly innocuous events - when seen in a larger context - tell a completely different story than perhaps intended. In 2003, Doug McAllister threw his hat into the Murrieta City Council ring. He had already served on the City Planning and Steering Commissions thereby enabling developers to assess his desirability. Although he received their support, he still needed to get elected. McAllister ran a populist campaign in two areas of the City which historically are the controlling voting areas, the seniors. So, his campaign was aimed at the Colony and the newly annexed Murrieta Hot Springs area of Murrieta.

McAllister’s goals, according to the League of Women Voters:
• Protect Murrieta's History while Building Murrieta's Future Vision.
• Identify what Murrieta wants to be when we grow up, and getting us there.
• Eliminate the symptoms of leadership dysfunction: traffic, lack of police/fire, parks, etc.

On November 3, 2003, McAllister was elected to the City Council. But rather than eliminating the symptoms of leadership dysfunction, he became a third vote on a 3 to 2 voting block which continued Murrieta’s headlong rush to build out. The recall movement swept McAllister up beginning in June of 2004 because he was seen as merely an extension of van Haaster and Seyarto.

In August 2004, McAllister came out of the small businessman closet and announced a career change. He said he was selling his glass etching business, and armed with a new real estate license, he was going into the development consulting business. He also announced that he was thinking of starting a new monthly newspaper (The Murrieta Insider) by partnering with Planning commissioner Steve Rawlings. (See “Councilman switches careers” by Laura Mitchell, Californian, August 28, 2004)

Immediately, McAllister was challenged about the wisdom of a City Council member partnering with a Planning Commissioner because appeals from the Planning Commission’s decisions were heard by the City Council. On August 29, 2004, the Californian printed a letter from me pointing out the conflict of interest and asking:

“I thought that the City Council was supposed to sit in judgment on appealed decisions from the Planning Commission. So how is Councilman McAllister going to exercise neutral and independent judgment over his business partner's decisions? Who's going to resign, McAllister or Rawlings? One, or both, have to give up their official positions to avoid this obvious conflict of interest.” (Letter by Ed Faunce, printed in the Californian, August 29, 2004)

Shortly thereafter, McAllister purportedly withdrew from the newspaper venture and his announced career change fell off the radar screen. In an earlier posting on this Blog, I asked Councilman Seyarto if he knew what Councilman
McAllister was doing about his new career. Councilman Seyarto wrote:

“Ed, why ask me what Doug does for a living? Go ask him. Last I knew he was working with a real estate firm. But whatever he's doing it is certainly more noble than helping the Howdy's of the world get a free ride on all us taxpayers. Well, the gutter is always fun to visit, as long as I don't have to take up residence there. I am ready to go back to the constructive dialogue when everyone else is. Good night. By Kelly Seyarto, at Tuesday, October 04, 2005 11:53:10 PM”

I haven’t asked Mr. McAllister, but I did discover at least one business where he has landed. If you go to the website link embedded in this post's title and you will find a Temecula business that advertises itself as “Golden Real Estate & Investments, specializes in working with investors, land developers and builders to find property that suits their needs. . . .”

The Golden Eagle Real Estate company also lists its employees and describes what each contributes to their business purpose. Here is what is published about Doug McAllister:

“Strategic Resource – DOUG McALLISTER’s record of positive impact on the valley’s business environment is well known. Currently a member of Murrieta’s City Council, Doug has also served on many boards including the Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Executive Board. Doug brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to every deal. And making the deal happen is his specialty.

Doug made his mark in the Valley early on by starting and growing a local business that won the Business of the Year award on two separate occasions. Feeling his talents and strengths could be put to better use; he sold that business and moved into Commercial Real Estate. He began looking for a firm that had the kind of strengths that would compliment his.

Golden Real Estate & Investments fit that bill perfectly. As a result, the talented Golden Real Estate Team can make wonderful things happen for buyers, sellers, entrepreneurs , investors…you. . . .”

A check of the State Real Estate Licenses does not reveal that McAllister has a real estate license. We know that his education and experience has not been in real estate, much less commercial real estate, so, we ask: “Just what does McAllister bring to the commercial real estate development table?”

The quoted blurb from Golden Real Estate lays it right on the line. McAllister is on the Murrieta City Council, he has connections and his specialty is GETTING THE DEAL DONE.Translated into ordinary language, the intended message is that Golden Real Estate has hired a Murrieta City Councilman with inside connections and if you bring your development business here, you’ve got a leg up on other developers because we’ve got political connections.

So, McAllister has finished connecting the dots. He has shown us that we really did get the picture. The place to make money is to be on the inside helping to push the development of Murrieta and Southwest Riverside County. If you have no particular real estate development skills, it’s OK to sell your political position. (Actually Kevin Jeffries’s sell-out shows that this process has expanded to the entire County.)

The dots are connected and the circle is complete. The developers will support residents for Council membership who demonstrate a willingness to vote approval for their projects. Further, even if you have no particular background or skills in development consulting, as a Council member, you can still be a “strategic resource” valuable enough to be part of a consulting team.

Now, before Rholmgren and others get all bent out of shape claiming that RM’ers are trying to deflect attention away from “their boy, Warnie,” this article was prepared before WE’s arrest occurred. The article was not submitted to Mr. Kunkle while the discussion of WE’s situation was “hot and heavy.” That discussion has petered out, so now is the time to consider our entire City Council dilemma.

Oh, and to those bloggers who say “I’m sick and tired of all this negativity and you’re just giving Murrieta a bad name” – you are so wrong. A recent book “Attention Deficit Democracy” has chronicled the demise of “real democracy” in America. Inattention to what is really happening is destroying democracy in America. The message is that we must notice the negative. If we don’t know what’s wrong, we will not be able to fix it.

Sorry, but in my judgment, Doug McAllister has demonstrated poor judgment over and over. We all know about his personal problems, but I refer to his collusion with Seyarto to try to cover up for van Haaster on the day-care center; his ill-advised decision to enter into partnership with a sitting Planning Commissioner, Rawlings, the hocus-pocus political campaign in 2003 claiming to be a small businessman who understood the need to cure a dysfunctional City leadership which then morphed into a full-blown development consultant touting his Council office as his strategic resource. How could McAllister allow the Golden Real Estate company to advertise his Council membership on its website? Or, even worse, maybe he doesn’t see how mentioning his Council Office looks like he’s selling his City Office?

And finally, to all of you who say that all this turmoil is giving Murrieta a bad name, cheer up. We are actually rescuing Murrieta’s name. Many, many people stopped me while collecting signatures on the recall petitions and asked “Can you tell me how we can do the same thing in my City?” Many of those asking were from other states, even one, I remember, from Hawaii.

Rholmgren is fond of calling RM’ers whining do-nothing people. How wrong he is. It is the spirit of the Boston Tea Party, the Declaration of Independence and the desire to really participate in a government “of , by and for the people” that drives the attempt to clean out our City Council.

We need developers, but we need developers who will stop trying to buy easy access and special favors from our representatives. We need City Council members who are absolutely committed to doing what is right for the long-range benefit of Murrietans. That is not possible when those on the Council are the recipients of developer monies.

- Ed Faunce

Election 2006, Let's all get involved!

2006-01-26T20:00:00.000-08:00

Good morning, Everyone.

Hope you had a Merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday season! Now it is time to get to work and prepare for the November 2006 City Council Election. This will be a crucial election as there will be three seats to be decided: Kelly Seyarto's, Dick Ostling's, and Rick Gibb's (he was elected to fill the incomplete term caused by the recall of Jack vanHaaster). We are definitely backing Rick Gibbs for re-election, but we must identify viable candidates to run for the other two seats to prevent developers again gaining control of our City through the 3-2 vote syndrome. We are hoping all of you will join in to help us during the candidate selection process and the vote-getting process.

There will be an organizational meeting at the Faunce's home on January 25th, at 7 pm. to begin the campaign. At that time we will discuss candidates, issues, the process necessary to collect the necessary votes for endorsed candidates, etc. Rescue Murrieta is asking all of you to come to the meeting, as a group we cannot do this alone, this needs to be a community effort. We have members throughout the City, but this time, we need a broader base. We appreciate all the support given during the Recall election, now let's join together to make sure another "rescue" will not be needed.

One problem with our local Council elections has been the number of candidates that run - so many that the vote is split and the candidates with developer backing end up winning. This time we need to identify three candidates as a slate and give them our full backing and support so that we can overcome this problem. The developer group has already identified their candidates and will work to dilute the voting pool. We cannot let this happen.

Mark your calenders for the 25th. If you are interested in becoming a candidate, let me know and be sure to attend the meeting - we want everyone to hear your views, etc. so that a choice of candidates can be made. Currently, we are concentrating on convincing Ed Faunce to be one of the candidates, why don't you help us do that? We need people who have been involved in the community and have name recognition, and who do not have money-backed developer ties to ensure they listen to the people and make informed and good decisions for our City.

This meeting will also be the time to focus on the issues and the "platform" for candidates. Growth and traffic are still primary concerns, but we also need to identify solutions for these and other issues.

What do you think are issues for the coming election? What are your concerns for our City? We need candidates and we need issues to support. Make your voice heard and come to the meeting on January 25th, Wednesday at 42077 Sante Fe Trail at 7 p.m.

It was at this location that citizens from all over Murrieta came together in the summer of 2004 to voice their concerns about our local government, and it was there that Rescue Murrieta was born and the recall started. This time around let us come together to make sure that a rescue will not be needed again, let's all look carefully at candidates and the issues and work together to keep Murrieta a great place to live.

Let's make 2006 another great year for Murrieta so that the headlines next year will reflect another year of citizen participation, efforts and successes. See you on the 25th!
Let me know if you can make the meeting, but come even if you are unable to RSVP.

Sincerely,

Barbara Nugent
677-2430

If you cannot attend, please e-mail me your thoughts and concerns - we want any directions taken to reflect as many voices in Murrieta as possible. Thank you.

Happy New Year

2006-01-14T13:23:00.000-08:00

I've been busy as a one-armed paper-hanger lately, but the local issues keep coming up. During the upcoming year, I'll continue to do my best to maintain as much conversational currency on this site as I can.

My thanks to the many contributers to this forum over the past year, and though it might be difficult to prove, I think that the existence of this completely open forum for Murrietans has helped make a difference in our town.

Scroll down and let us know what you think about Warnie Enoch's run in with John Law. Does a criminal indictment mean he should step down as councilman, or is this a ploy to discredit and remove an annoying burr in the developer's behinds?

Scroll down further and read a critique of Jeff Stone's service as County Supervisor. There are indications that criticisms directed at Supervisor Stone might have increased the amount of attention paid by the county to our local traffic problems, let us know if you approve or disapprove of his first year in office.

I will also post occasional unresearched topics to solicit your opinions on matters of concern on national and global issues that might impact back on Murrieta like the Iraq War and the activities of the Supreme Court regarding individual property rights, among others.

Thanks a bunch,
J.L. Kunkle

Topic post: The liberty quarry.

2006-01-14T13:01:00.000-08:00

A new mailer from the Liberty Quarry people makes certain assertions and half-truths that I would like to mention here.

HOW CAN LIBERTY QUARRY BENEFIT YOU?

1. SAVES YOUR TAX DOLLARS - there is no guarantee that the opening of this new quarry will lower raw materials costs, and any benefit in transportation costs will be mitigated by increased damage to surface streets by passage of very heavy gravel trucks. Try again:

2. REDUCES TRUCK TRAFFIC - Where? Try again:

3. MAKES SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES MORE AFFORDABLE - You can almost be certain that the quarry is a bad idea when they have to use the "for our schools and libraries" card. This is an obvious non-sequitor, what the heck does a gravel quarry have to do with schools and libraries?

You will no doubt receive one of these mailers if you have not already done so. Be your own judge, but I would like to suggest that any benefits promised by this quarry will accrue here in the valley, but will be paid out elsewhere.

Cheese it, boys, the jig is up

2006-01-14T12:44:00.000-08:00

It looks like councilman Enochs has been doing some bad things, and I'm pretty sure that mayor Seyarto will find it hard not to gloat about it. I prefer to look at Enoch's legal troubles as a warning to all politicians who think that rule-bending comes as a perk when you take office. Ex-mayor vanHaaster had already discovered this unpleasant but relentless fact.

The lesson here to Enochs, and indeed to all of us, is that you must keep your nose squeaky clean or have an over-abundant bankroll if you want to be a successful criminal (you know, the ones who don't get caught.

It’s Kevin Jeffries’ Pay Off Time. by Edward Faunce

2005-12-28T14:00:00.000-08:00

Monday, December 26, 2005
2:55 PM

Kevin Jeffries has passed his “Training Day” initiation rite by showing that he would support private developers opposition to Murrieta City residents. Now, the private developer donors are lining up to show their appreciation to Murrieta’s "Benedict Arnold."

Below is reproduced a December 14, 2006 letter from Dan Stephenson which explains why he, his friends and business associates are funding Jeffries’s State Assembly candidacy. Oh, Dan goes through the usual eyewash saying:

“We need State Assemblymen who represent our Community, and Kevin Jeffries is this type of individual.” (See letter below)

But what did Jeffries do for Murrieta that ordinary Murrietans should support his run for the Assembly? Dan explains:

“[H]e did something that no one else has ever done - he got the Republican Party to endorse our local campaign on the 'No On Recall' in Murrieta. That was a gutsy stance for a politician to take, but it's the kind of individual we as a community need.” (See letter below)

But Jeffries got called on the carpet during the anti-recall campaign, because there were many republican Murrietans who supported and worked long hours in favor of the recall.

In the April 2, 2005 Californian, Wyatt Haup wrote an Article entitled “County GOP flip-flops on recall issue." Jeffries was quoted saying to the newspaper inquiry:

“The [recall] issue is up for discussion at a meeting of the group's executive board Tuesday." Jeffries also said the e-mail was delivered to constituents while he was in Sacramento, suggesting he would have tried to steer a different course. "We are going to examine, as to any public position we want to take or public statement we want to make,” said Jeffries.

However, according to Dan Stephenson, it was Jeffries who took the "gutsy stance" and arranged for the County GOP opposition. Perhaps Jeffries lied, to the Californian, about his role in getting the County Republican organization to back the anti-recall movement.

But Dan wants Jeffries elected to the State Assembly because of his "community service." Well, Mr. Dan Stephenson, you have a warped idea of community service. You see, Dan, the Murrieta City Council is a non-partisan office. The reason why no one, in Jeffries’s position, has ever officially involved the County Republican Party in a Murrieta City Council election, is that it is against the rules!

But, the rules don’t apply to Stephenson and his business friends, they’ve got the money - $600,000 just for the recall. Nor do the rules apply to politicians like Jeffries, he needs the Stephenson group’s monies.

Donors, like the Stephenson group, and politicians, like Jeffries, are both on the same page. Stephenson-group type donors are looking for politicians that can be bought and political wannabees, like Jeffries, are looking for well-heeled donors to sponsor them.

Perfect, a match made in political heaven! Jeffries is for sale and the Stephenson group bought the right of first refusal.

But what about the real Murrietans? You know, the ones who are working hard to pay for their homes, probably commuting hours to a job, raising a family, struggling with the traffic, worried about the crowded schools, hoping that their City is being managed with their best interests as the raison d'etre for Council decisions? Well, Jeffries has already demonstrated that he does not represent their interests. Jeffries represents the Stephenson group who are ready, willing and able to shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars to insure that they have our elected officials on their donation payroll.

The Murrieta Recall of 2005 was a watershed event. No longer can it be denied that Murrieta was being run by a biased and conflicted City Council. No longer can it be denied that the Murrieta City Chamber of Commerce is merely a front organization for non-Murrieta businesses seeking to pad their bottom lines. No longer can the County Republican Party claim to “represent” ordinary Murrietans.

No Murrietan, whether republican, democrat, independent, green, peace and freedom, libertarian, etc., has any reason to vote for Jeffries. He’s already sold Murrieta out once. He will do it again if Stephenson’s group so commands.

Come next November, Jeffries should receive NO VOTES from Murrietans. Come next November, every person supported by the Stephenson Group and the complicit Murrieta Chamber should receive NO VOTES for City Council membership.

The recall helped Murrietans identify those City Council candidates who should be avoided at all costs. It’s a litmus test now! Any Murrietan desiring to serve on the City Council should avoid the usual support requests to the Stephenson Group, the Chamber, and all the lifer politicians who ignored the residents.

One Anonymous poster to this Blog counseled "Give it up, the Stephenson Group, the Chamber and the GOP are fully in control. The recall of van Haaster was just a fluke."

Maybe, but the residents' recall battle-cry was "The ballot box is mightier than the bank account." We will have to prove that fact again in November '06. Our collective eyes are opened. That’s my take on what the Recall did for us.

Edward Faunce

Here is the December 14, 2005 Stephenson letter:

Is Jeff Stone dropping the ball?

2005-12-16T16:14:00.000-08:00

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.

Party Politics

2005-12-11T18:10:00.001-08:00

Murrieta Politics

2005-12-11T18:10:00.000-08:00

National Politics

2005-12-11T18:09:00.000-08:00

UPSIDE-DOWN

2005-12-05T13:07:00.000-08:00

The inflation of housing prices has been a major cash cow for many of those with the same business ethics as Dan Stephenson. Remember the brain fever? People who stood in lines for hours just to sign?

The old work-around was called the 'balloon payment' and this little financial loophole led to much indebted misery in the past. It is not unreasonable that the new loophole, the 'interest-only' loan, will have much the same effect to the new homeowners who are beginning to understand how short two or five years can be.

To believe that real-estate can only continue up, up, up; is this naive? People who come up short on their mortgages sometimes use credit cards to keep up until things improve, but even if they can somehow manage to make it, then they will get the property tax bill on $350-500,000, combined with CFD special assessments. This is the straw that will break the camel's back, providing that extra little push to send homeowners into bankruptcy.

So a smart-minded conservative would do well to hoard their credit, because there will soon be plenty of short-sells to go around.

Flip Flopping

2005-12-01T16:22:00.000-08:00

During the '04 election, John Kerry was consistently accused by the Republican buzzword machine of flip-flopping on issues.

Though I do not support Kerry or Bush, the phrase just struck me as strange somehow. It implies that he is changing his mind all the time, I guess. But how did they manage to indicate that he "flip-flopped" due to partisanship?

Let's say My Pet Goat decides to launch some nuclear warheads at... say, North Korea. If a sudden peace agreement were negotiated in time to stop a global nuclear conflict, would he be "flip-flopping" if he decided to call off the attack?

I just mention this as a reminder to expect similar pointless, groundless assertions that will likely be used by the Repubs during the upcoming '06 congressional election. Ray Haynes, Dennis Hollingsworth and all those young and old Republicans out there would rather drink Draino than lose their control over congress. I expect it'll get fairly dirty.

The Murrieta Chamber of Commerce, a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

2005-12-01T16:15:00.000-08:00

Here is another submission from Ed Faunce concerning our illustrious C of C. I would post more of my own commentary, but I've been real busy lately. No one has contacted me with a counter to Mr. Faunce's argument, but don't think that Ed Faunce is taking over this blog. It is still an unbiased forum. (Though I do give preferential treatment to submitters who write well).

The Murrieta Chamber of Commerce,
a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
Submitted by Ed Faunce

During the recall process, there were several organizations which spearheaded the recall opposition. We have already looked at the Southwest County Taxpayers for Responsible Government (SWCTRG) and discovered that it was really a shill organization for non-Murrieta real estate developers. We also saw that the guiding force behind SWCTRG is Dan Stephenson, President of Rancon Realty of Murrieta.

But there was another organization which played a large role in the recall, the Murrieta Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber joined hands with the SWCTRG in opposing the recall. And no doubt many Murrietans were fooled into voting against the recall thinking that the Chamber has only Murrieta and its resident’s best interests at heart.

But, as it turns out, the Murrieta Chamber of Commerce is no more a Murrieta City organization than Dan Stephenson’s Southwest County Taxpayers etc. is a local organization of ordinary taxpayers seeking only to support “responsible government.”

The Murrieta Chamber is composed primarily of Temecula businesses. Surprise! It is also obvious that Dan Stephenson exerts inordinate control over the Chamber, in fact his wife is the Chamber’s president-elect for next year and, of course, the Chamber just toadied up a “citizen of the year” award for Dan.

So, who are the guiding lights of the Murrieta Chamber? According to the Chamber’s website they are:

The Board of Directors, Executive Board:

1. Chairman of the Board, O.B. Johnson
Westmar Commercial Brokerage, Temecula

2. Chair-Elect, Nancy Stephenson
NLS Insurance Services, (Married to Dan Stephenson)

3. First Vice Chair, Scott Crane
Southwest Healthcare Services, Las Vegas

4. Treasurer, Ron Holliday
LPL Financial, Temecula

5. Secretary , Shane Lesovsky
Temecula Valley Communications, Murrieta

6. Past Chairman of the Board, Tim Freese
Mission Oaks National Bank, Temecula
(Note Freese spoke frequently against the recall as the Chamber’s President)
Board Members:

1. Vickie Ashmore
Wells Fargo Bank (formerly)
(Now) Mission Oaks National Bank, Temecula

2. Alex Braicovich
Waste Management, Director of Governmental Affairs
Headquartered in Houston, Tx

3. John Campbell
Coyote Rentals & Equipment, Wildomar

4. Pat Kemball
The SCGA Golf Course, Murrieta

5. Timothy C. Kuzelka
Law Offices of Timothy C Kuzelka, Temecula

6. Rick Schoenfeld
KIA World of Temecula, Temecula

7. Joan Sparkman
Temecula Valley Bank, Temecula

8. Jack van Haaster, Murrieta
(Now he’s on the Board!)

9. Roger Ziemer
Southern California Gas Company, Anaheim

10. Lori Moss
City Manager, City of Murrieta
(So why is our City Manager on the Board of an organization who took a partisan position in the election of the City Council which is her employer??)

The Chamber also lists a “Chairman's Circle” which it describes as: “. . . a select group of businesses and community leaders who believe in the important mission of the chamber as an invaluable business resource and marketing conduit as well as an agent of economic development and business advocacy.”

The Chairman’s Circle consists of the following businesses:

1. Temecula Valley Bank (Temecula)
2. The City of Murrieta (Murrieta)
3. Southwest Healthcare System (Murrieta)
4. Guidant (Temecula)
5. Waste Management (Houston)
6. Paradise Chevrolet Cadillac (Temecula)
7. Rancho Ford Lincoln Mercury (Temecula)
8. Community Little Book (Temecula)
9. Quality Nissan of Temecula (Temecula)
10. K4 Incorporated (Vista)
11. The Californian (Temecula)
12. The Valley Business Journal (Temecula)
13. 103.3 KTMQ - Classic Rock (Temecula)
14. Smooth Jazz KMYT 94.5 (Temecula)
15. Froggy 92.9 (Santa Rosa)

If you take the time to look up the Chambers of Commerce, for other Riverside County cities, it is readily seen that local businesses really do make up the bulk of the chamber membership. But Murrieta is unlike any other Chamber in that it is really a Temecula Business run Chamber masquerading as Murrieta’s godfather.

Murrieta’s Chamber of Commerce does not represent businesses which are local to this City. Maybe that’s why the M. Chamber allowed Old Town businesses to languish during the year-long disruption due to delayed construction. The M Chamber only got involved with the Old Town businesses after Councilman Gibbs essentially ordered them to do so.

According to the Chamber’s website, it is “. . . an active professional organization, committed to the economic stability, growth and development of the Valley.”

As it says, the Chamber is dedicated to the development of the Valley. Well they have certainly succeeded in developing Murrieta - making it the fastest growing city in California.

The Murrieta Chamber is akin to the proverbial “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” Just like the Dan Stephenson PAC’s attempt to hide its nature behind a bogus name, the Murrieta Chamber should be more appropriately called “Another Temecula Chamber of Commerce in absentia for our little sister Murrieta.”

Now we understand more clearly why City development decisions do not favor ordinary Murrietans.

* The developers provide the money,
* The bogus Murrieta Chamber provides the cover
* The City, by its Chamber membership, provides legitimacy.

And behind the scene - guiding the entire process - is Murrieta’s number one developer rich guy - Dan Stephenson.

A good first start in reducing the Chamber’s unwarranted City influence, would be for the City of Murrieta to cancel its membership in the bogus Murrieta Chamber and also immediately cancel the $60K gift to the Chamber. After all, the Chamber does not need the money if their friends can raise $600K to control local city elections.

Furthermore, now that the M Chamber has participated in a partisan challenge to Murrietans’ attempt to elect their own City Council representatives, the City SHOULD IMMEDIATELY CANCEL ITS MEMBERSHIP IN THE CHAMBER. The City Manager, Lori Moss, should resign from the M Chamber Board of Directors.

This cannot be emphasized too strongly. The recall opposition was funded by SWCTRG but rode on the back of the County Republican Committee. City Council elections are suppose to be non-partisan. Therefore, once the M Chamber joined the partisan effort to control Murrietans’ council choices, the City should have cancelled at that time. Thousands of Murrietans were deeply offended by the actions of the Chamber. The City, by retaining membership, has given its blessings to such odious behavior.

But if the City is going to fund the partisan M Chamber, maybe the City should fund a Murrieta Chamber of residents and give it $60K so that ordinary Murrietans would have an organized voice to counter the barrage from the developers and Temecula business that want Murrieta developed for their special interests?

Ed Faunce

Who Really Controls Murrieta’s Development?

2005-11-17T16:07:00.000-08:00

By Ed Faunce (posted by request)

Now that the Recall Election dust has settled and the campaign contribution statements have been filed, it is informative to see who and what really financed the recall election.

In one corner of the recall ring was Rescue Murrieta (RM), a grassroots Murrieta City residents’ organization. In the other corner was the Southwest County Taxpayers for Responsible Government (SWCTRG). At first glance, it might appear that this was a recall contest between two groups of citizens with differing views regarding Murrieta's development.

The recall petitions and election occurred during 2004 and 2005. RM charged that the City Council was run by a voting block consisting of van Haaster, Seyarto and McAllister. That voting block seemed always to side with business and developer interests over that of ordinary Murrieta residents. When the voting block tried to cover for van Haaster's secret meetings with
the Planning Commissioners to ram through a multi-million dollar day-care center, the recall movement exploded.

Rescue Murrieta's recall contribution statements showed that it raised $12,412 all of it from local Murrieta residents.

The SWCTRG reported total contributions of $593,585 from 180 separate persons and business entities.

But who are these Southwest Riverside County taxpayers who were $600,000 concerned about insuring responsible government for the City of Murrieta? As it turns out, SWCTRG is not a "Taxpayers" group, in the traditional sense of the word, nor is it a Southwest Riverside County group, much less a Murrieta City group.

On close inspection, it is revealed that the recall was actually a contest between Murrieta residents and a cabal of powerful business interests mostly from outside of Riverside County. The money contribution numbers tell the story.

A. How many SWCTRG contributors were individual Murrieta City residents?

Only eleven, who gave $2,400. But even then, it is clear that these individual contributors were actually representing their business interests.
Those individuals are:
Delzompo, Francis A.
Diago, Jodi (Real Estate Rancon)
Johnson, O. (Realtor Westmar)
Newman, David A., MD
O'Donnell, Michael (Rancon Real Estate)
Piper-Mutz, Mary (Real Estate Lee & Associates)
Powers, Sheila M. (Planning Consultant)
Rose, Patrick (Loan Officer Preferred Lenders)
Shoemaker, Sheri L. (Real Estate Lee & Associates)
Sparkman, Joan F. (VP Temecula Valley Bank)
Wikert, Karen C., (Bank Representative Arrowhead Credit Union)
Unlike SWCTRG, RM was supported by hundreds of individual Murrietans. In truth, the only money raised from residents in the recall was that raised by RM.

B. How many SWCTRG contributors were Murrieta City Businesses?

Fifteen, reporting contributions of $50,870, of which those associated with Dan Stephenson (Rancon) gave $37,500.
They are:
Stephenson, Dan (Rancon Realty)
AA Photography
Bob and Gary's field Fresh Berries
Craig Advertising specialties
Doyle, Robert G. (Riverside Co. Sheriff)
Jefferson 38 LLC (Rawlings)
McKinnon Family Trust
NUEVO DRK 370 LLC (Dan Stephenson)
O'Donnell, Donna J. (Rancon Real Estate)
Southwest Realty
Temecula Vineyard Estates, LLC (Dan Stephenson)
Transportable Case Supply Center
Village Walk, L.P. (Dan Stepheson)
Villiage Walk, LLC (Dan Stepheson)
Wood Realty Group, Inc.

C. Where did the remaining, over $500,000 non-Murrieta contributions, originate?

Riverside County - Outside of Murrieta - contributions were $209,565. (Temecula businesses gave $86,534) Orange County contributions were $176,550. San Diego County contributions were $80,600. Los Angeles County contributions were $50,300, out of State contributions were $16,250.

Irvine, Dionne R. (Ashland, Oregon) $5,000
Oak Valley Partners, LP (Dallas, Texas) $2,000
D. R. Horton, Inc. (Fort Worth, Texas) $5,000
Sunland Development Co., Inc (Henderson, Nevada) $4,250
San Bernardino County contributions were $2,700.
Sacramento County contributions were $1,000.
Alameda County contributions were $250

All of this non-Murrieta money came from businesses with an interest in the unfettered development of Murrieta land. Clearly, they had no interest in “responsible” Murrieta City Government.

D. These dollar figures allow the following observations:

1. The political group entitled "Southwest County Taxpayers for Responsible Government" is NOT a southwest Riverside County group. Nor is it a Taxpayors’ group equivalent to ordinary residents. Its primary goal is to secure a favorable business environment rather than responsible local government. In short, the SWCTRG name is a cynical attempt to mislead ordinary citizens and, as such, is a lie.

2. The business community identified van Haaster, Seyarto and McAllister as essential to their continued business interests.

3. Seyarto and McAllister owe their continued presence on the City Council to the business interests which funded the opposition to their recalls.

4. All of Seyarto and McAllister's City Council statements and votes since the recall election must be examined carefully to see whether they represent "pay back" to the business community.

5. If Murrieta City residents want a City Council that represents residents, then, at the next election, they should remove any
council member supported by SWCTRG and should be very skeptical of any person running for the Council supported by the Murrieta Chamber of Commerce.

E. A personal observation.
I would say that the Murrieta City Chamber of Commerce needs to re-invent itself. In my opinion, the existing Chamber has behaved shamefully. Of course, the fact that the Chamber is dominated by the Dan Stephenson business interests, along with many Temecula businesses, explains why the Chamber joined the political opposition to the recall. Is this really the proper role of a Chamber of Commerce? I think not.

The Chamber, following the retention of Seyarto and McAllister, voted Dan Stephenson as "Citizen of the Year." That is simply a finger-in-the-eye to the thousands of City residents who worked for the recall.

The Chamber’s“Citizen of the Year” vote proves that it joins in the lie that the recall opposition was ordinary taxpayers from this Riverside County area. In effect, the Chamber lied to Murrietans as well. That's why I believe that any future Council candidates, who are either members of the Chamber or supported by the Chamber, must be carefully screened before any
resident votes to add such individual to our City Council.

A postscript.
For those who are interested, here are the SWCTRG contributors from outside Murrieta:

Orange County:
Frost, Sean (Pres. Frost Communities)
Cohen, Alan H.
Lennar Homes
Alexander Communities, Inc.
Elsinore Home, Inc.
Silverhawk Land and Acquisitions, LLC
Pacific Soils Engineering, Inc.
Helgar, Larry, W. (Pulte Homes)
Civic Partners Inc.
Granite Homes, Inc. ($5K)
Including Granite Equities LLC ($2K)
Hall & Foreman, Inc
Hunsaker & Associates
MDS Consulting
Meritage Homes
RBF Consulting
Springbrook Investments, LP
SSC/Murrieta Valley, LLC
The Makena Great American Vermont Company, LLC
TSG Cherry Valley, LP
TSG Little Valley, LP
Wasson Canyon Investments, LP
White Rock Aquistion Co., LP
Stonegate Development I, LLC
Brown, Ian H. (Real Estate Grubb & Ellis)
Home Center Murrieta, LLC
Wynfield LLC
Cameo Homes
Fieldstone Communities Inc.
Frye Family Partnership
Laing/Sequoia Partners, LLC
Murrieta 144 LP
Murrieta 180, LP
Murrieta 492, LLC
Murrieta Brook LLC
Murrieta Village Walk, LP
Sheldon Group
Mesa Contracting Company
Woodside Home of California, Inc.
NAIOP PAC
Kadakia, Rajesh J., MD
The Batavia Land Company
Emerson, Ralph E. (Real Estate Developer
J.P. Rhoades Development
JL Hare Associates, Inc.
T&B Planning Consultants
Davis, Allan L. (Real Estate Developer)
Retail Development Advisors

San Diego County:
Votapka, Gary M. (CEO Mission Oaks Bank)
Engel, Richard C., M.D.
Williams, Thomas G. (Williams Investments)
Baratt American Incorporated
Benchmark Pacific Management, Inc.
BREHM Communities
Carltas Development co.
D. R. Horton
GMS Realty, LLc
NORCO II, LLC
Brookfield California Land Holdings, LLC
Avis, Douglas M.
Meadow Vista Holdings LLC
Sierra Linda Development, LLC
Crisell Commercial Advisors, Inc.
Lopardo, Stephen V. (attorney)
McMillin Mangement Services, LP
Lotzof, P., MD, Inc
Alhadeff & Solar, LLP
Cornerstone Communities Corporation
KB Home Coastal, Inc.
Ross, Dixon & Bell, LLP
Starck Architecture & Planning
Stonewood, Inc.
Temecula Creek Inn (DL)
Whitaker Facilities Corp.
William Lyon Homes, Inc.
Lynch, Gilbert G. (Construction K.I.P. Inc.)

Los Angeles County:
Womble, Albert B. (The Womble Group)
Buchalter, Barton L.
Crescent heights Development, LP
B.I.A. of Southern California Political Action Committee
Western Pacific Housing
Global Investment & Development, LLC
Marquis Property Company, LTD
Triple M Development

San Bernardino County:
Landmark Fence Co., Inc.
Tanamera Residential, LLC
Sacramento County:
Apartment Association Greater Inland Empire
California Business Properties Association Issues PAC
Alameda County:
Murrieta Medical Company, LLC

And here are the Riverside County contributors outside of Murrieta:
AJR Investment LLC
All American Asphalt All American Aggregates
American Contracting, Inc.
Austin, Nancy (Real Estate Grubb & Ellis)
Calloway 220 LLC
Capitol Pacific Homes, Inc.
CDM Group, Inc.
Chicago title Company
Clinton Keith Real Estate Partners, LLC
Committee to Elect Greg Morrison
D.L. Phares & Associates
Domenigoni-Barton Properties
Edwards, Maryann P. (Temecula City Council)
Entrepreneurial Properties Corporation
Fairway Landscape & Irrigation, Inc.
First American Title Company
Francis Domenigoni Trust
Giese, Richard J. (Supt. Mt. S.J. College)
Grasberger, Jeffrey W.
Green, William L. (Engineer RMF Associates)
Hall & Bailey
Hancock Properties, LLC
HK&A Harley Knox and Associates, Inc.
JAFCO Accounting & Administration
Johson, John J. (VP Rancon Group)
Jones, Kelli M. (Realtor Dendy Real Estate)
Kuebler, Joseph J. (Kuebler, Prudhomme & Co.)
Larson, Robert L.
Lytle Team Real Estate
Markham Development Management Group, Inc. (Larry Markham)
MLA Partners C/O Westmar Property Mgmt, Inc.
Moramarco, Sr., John A.
Morrison, Michelle s.
Murrieta Spectrum, LP
Murrieta Village Partners, LLC
Oak Grove Equities
O'Neal, Paul L.
O'Reilly Public Relations
Pacific Century Home, Inc.
Perea, Ernest (Pres. EPC Land Consultants)
Prudhomme, Gregory J. (Owner Kuebler, Prudhomme & Co.)
Rancon Opportunity Fund, LLC (Dan Stephenson)
Riverside County Region Building Industry Association
Rodriguez, Adriana (Transaction coordinator Park Place GMAC)
RSD, LLC
Santa Rosa Developers Limited
Schierberl, Michelle D. (Real Estate Grubb & Ellis)
SHEA Homes Inland Empire Div.
Standard Pacific of Inland Empire
Stone-Rubin, Laurene
Swenson Advisors, LLP
The Garrett Group, Inc.
Thompson, David (Pool Design and Construction)
Trans-Pacific Consultants
Westmar Commercial Brokerage, Inc.
Yoo, Insook (Trans-Pacific Consultants)
Yoo,Won S. (Trans-Pacific Consultants)
Ziemer, Roger C.

The Great American Debate

2005-11-13T10:19:00.000-08:00

Scanning through the plethora of posts by RHolmgren and Jeff, I have realized that both of their fundamental positions, being very similar to fundamentalist positions elsewhere on the globe, have every appearance of being irreconcilable. However, having read through these sometimes heated exchanges, certain common threads have emerged that I won't mention in this post.

That said, what I have seen in these exchanges, sometimes abusive, sometimes profound, are two very different viewpoints regarding the same set of criterion, i.e., who is responsible for the apparently sorry state of the U.S., the liberals, or the conservatives, the democratic party philosophy, or the republican?

I believe this question to be important, and I would like to see a debate between these two titans of polarity.

I feel such a debate could possibly do two things:

1. It could define the fundamental differences between the conservative thought process and the liberal thought process. (Is it different than the media representation, or as has been indicated elsewhere on this blog, are these polarized positions an actual result of social engineering by the media?)

2. Through focused debate, these two polar opposites might come to realize certain common grounds and hence to open up a meaningful dialog, devoid of personal attacks and sound-bite rhetoric?

I invite these two contestants to pull out all the stops, and tackle this issue head on. I, for one, am very interested in the outcome, whatever it may be.

Appeals of Planning Commission decisions.

2005-11-12T12:34:00.000-08:00

An article by L. Mitchell on the front page of the Californian today, "Murrieta Appeals Process Challenged" (12 Nov), has got me a little concerned. Apparently, Seyarto and McAllister are trying to make it so that council members are required to pay a fee when appealing a Planning Commission decision. They (or their real employers) are upset that some council members are willing to do this on behalf of Murrieta citizens in order to spare them from paying the $885 fee required for a private party to file an appeal.

Seyarto and McAllister's power base has always depended on hard cash to forward their objectives, and this is clearly a case where the council is attempting to insulate themselves from public oversight through economic segregation.

And with regards to the Planning Commission, if they are looking at all facets of the impact of their decisions, they would likely not experience the high amount of appeals they have had to address, and because they can't seem to do their job right is no reason to try and pin responsibility for it on the council.

This right for the city council to appeal possibly flawed Planning Commission actions without being charged should not be changed. I think that our duly elected councilmembers, including Mayor Enochs, are competent to decide whether to investigate the choices made by the (unelected) Planning Commission, and that this attempt to remove a check on the already underregulated development process in Murrieta is the latest volley in an ongoing war between the City of Murrieta, and the citizens of Murrieta.

So the question I ask is, who's working for who here?

Proposition 80

2005-10-14T17:57:00.000-07:00

It's time to start looking seriously at these initiatives that are coming up for the November 8 ballot. It's risky business having the people create the laws, but I wouldn't have it any other way...

Prop 80 "The Repeal of Electricity Deregulation and Blackout Prevention Act"

This initiative will give the PUC (public utilities commission) increased authority over electric service providers.

Electric Service Providers' rates and terms will become subject to PUC oversight, but there is no specific terms about what degree of control this will actually be.

It will also solidify certain PUC guidelines regarding Investor Owned Utilities and Electric Service Providers and the priority order with which cost effective renewable source electricity will hold preference for purchase over energy requiring fossil fuels.

These providers will be required to prove that they can handle all demands for power with some left over, and the initiative will accelerate the timing on a current requirement that 20 percent of electricity supplies must come from renewable sources from the year 2017 to 2010.

Proposition 78 and 79

2005-10-14T17:48:00.000-07:00

Two competing drug discount initiatives that promise to make prescription drugs much cheaper for seniors and the impoverished and they will use drug discount cards that will be handled by a private vendor. They both rely on rebates from the drug companies for major amounts of thier funding, and the general fund will absorb the cost until the rebate check arrives. There is no specific time limit on how long that will take.

Proposition 77

2005-10-14T17:42:00.000-07:00

"The Voter Empowerment Act." -sounds catchy.

This one's a doozy. It will take the ability to redistrict away from the State Assembly (which is good), and instead give this power to three "bipartisan" retired judges (not good). It proposes making a messed up situation even worse.

Proposition 76

2005-10-14T17:36:00.000-07:00

The "California Live Within Our Means Act." This one over time will gradually reduce the amount of money that the state is required to provide for schools. This measure will also divert certain school funds to transportation, and will give Arnie the powers to make the state assembly his personal B _ _ _ _.

Proposition 75

2005-10-14T17:31:00.000-07:00

"The Public Employees' Right to Approve Use of Union Dues for Political Campaign Purposes Act"

This one, if passed, will likely diffuse a union's ability to lobby as a special interest group.

Proposition 74 - the "Put the Kids First Act".

2005-10-14T17:18:00.000-07:00

This initiative is another one of the Govenator's pet projects, and while it does seem to be reasonable to make teachers wait five years before granting them any hint of job security (Tenure is NOT a job for life), I believe instead that the true intent of this initiative is to bust the state employee's union. Judging from the wording, any benefit to "the kids" will likely only be collateral.

Proposition 73

2005-10-14T17:04:00.000-07:00

This initiative: "The Parents' Right to Know and and Child protection Initiative") will require physicians who are to perform an abortion on a minor to notify said minor's parents at least 48 hours in advance or risk fines and civil actions.

Language in the initiative contains the phrase: "The termination with those means will, with reasonable likelihood, cause the death of the unborn child, a child conceived but not yet born" not fetus, unborn child.

My lawyer's bigger than your lawyer...

2005-10-13T07:51:00.000-07:00

Alexander homes has apparently succeeded in intimidating the planning commission with legal threats, and yet another condo might be built in already condo-rich Murrieta. The neighboring property owners, lacking the cash that Alexander is apparently able to field, will just have to suck it up.

Critisism of the Sonrisa tract, and referring to it as an "eyesore", has made the neighboring estate-property owner's position quite clear, but it is now up to the council to either call their bluff, or sit back and watch the developers railroad anything they want past the city government.

It is interesting to note that the lawsuit is with regards to "retaliation" for political contributions made to the anti-recall effort by Alexander; in essence a retaliation to a retaliation.

Political signage

2005-10-09T09:06:00.000-07:00

I have noticed that political signs advertising for the school board election have sprouted like ugly weeds among the landscaping in Old Town Murrieta.

I saw a code enforcement officer removing signs for garage sales yesterday, but she must have missed the ones in Old Town (that is unless they sprouted last night). To help her in her cause of protecting Murrieta from looking trashy, I am going to vote AGAINST anyone who's political signage is junking-up our fair town.

In Old Town I saw signs for CRIST and HANNY, but I didn't notice any signs from Thomasian. This is not a veiled endorsement of Thomasian for school board, because I have seens signage elsewhere. I am only going to not vote for people who trash up Old Town.

Old towners went through a lot to get that place fixed up, and any candidate who lacks the ability to appreciate that, must by inference also lack the ability to serve the public as a school board member, or any other position of public responsibility.

OPEN TOPIC

2005-09-25T13:03:00.000-07:00

Tom Suttle had the idea that some of you would like a string opened that was a little less topic-oriented, so I've posted this open topic blog for anyone who has items they would like to address in open forum. If this works, I'll post more of them. Enjoy!

Public transportation

2005-09-23T07:16:00.000-07:00

The population of Riverside at the time of the 2000 census was around 255,000, The projected population for Murrieta is 110-140,000. The Riverside Transit Authority was started in 1975 and began operation in 1977. That being said, are there any plans for public transportation here in the land of the monster SUV? Perhaps more bus lines than the twice daily commuter link to Riverside would spare many parents from having to drive their kids to and from school each day or around town, which would in turn relax the traffic load on many of the worst intersections on Washington, the Clinton Keith overpasses at the 15 and 215, and surface streets in general. If Murrieta contracted a public transportation system or created their own, would anybody use it?

Space Shuttle revisited

2005-09-23T06:36:00.000-07:00

Now this is more like it (follow link), Nasa has decided to return to the Apollo-type space capsule and an eventual scrapping of the space shuttle, banishing it to the lemon-lot, as it were. The astronauts will be launched atop a single solid fuel shuttle booster, with ejection seats in the capsule in case there are any problems. The solid booster seal is what let go and took out Challenger.

ETHICS

2005-09-20T08:02:00.000-07:00

The city council is to discuss a code of ethics for Murrieta tonight a half hour before the council meeting. You mean they didn't have one already?

A few points...

2005-09-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

(1.) The Valley Funeral Home has had its license suspended due to complaints about their service. Old man Sykes was buried in Laurel Cemetery yesterday Sept. 14. Connection? none. I just wanted to mention it.

(2.) My pet goat will be distributing large wads of cash to the great unwashed along the gulf coast to try to salvage his near to fatally wounded ratings. It's going to take a lot of bread and circuses to buy himself out of this one, but, like the credit card commercial says, "It's not as if I'M paying for it."

(3.) With Dubya's low ratings at the moment, it is not surprising that the insurgent elements in Iraq have turned up the heat. Al Qaeda has begun to make their involvement in these attacks less discrete. Houston, we have a problem.

(4.) After reading about the difficulty that Julian Charter Schools is having providing a safe place to load and offload children at some additional classroom space they require, it seems that privatization of education is still subject to some of the restrictions that public schools are. This makes me ask the question: with privatization of schools, will the money saved thereby involve curtailment of certain government protections that kids in the public school system currently enjoy, like governmental overwatch?

(5.) Apparently the Murrieta library is going to have to consider making some compromises regarding the amenities offered due to budgetary constraints. Perhaps we'll get a better library if we find some way to privatize the library system.Unfortunately, there is likely no profit in running a place for storage of knowledge, freely accessible to all.

Supreme Court Chief Justice

2005-09-10T08:14:00.000-07:00

As the attacks on FEMA, cronyism in the Bush administration, and fears of inadequate disaster response in America continue to monopolize headlines, I think it is important to note that the Supreme Court nomination process to confirm John G. Roberts as the new Chief Justice is still very much a relevant issue. Roberts is a conservative jurist and I think that his appointment should be delayed until the hurricane Katrina furor, like the south coastal flood waters, has subsided.

I was unaware that the newest appointee to the court would automatically assume the Chief Justice post. It would seem seniority on the bench would be a more effective way of guaranteeing experience at the top job in the Supreme Court.

Frivolous eminent domains

2005-09-09T22:38:00.000-07:00

The Rancho Water District wants to build some water tanks in DeLuz and they have already acquired a 20-acre parcel to build it on, yet the district still wants to place an eminent domain on 5 additional acres of avocados belonging to Bill Burmeister of Temecula. They have already admitted that they don't really need his property unless they build a seven million gallon facility, but they just want to grab his land just in case and "sell one (of the two parcels) if it's not needed" prudent advice, but if they are unsure of whether they will even need his land, what right do they have to arbitrarily confiscate it from the rightful owner?

Old Town association?

2005-09-06T14:48:00.000-07:00

Maybe Old Town Murrieta should form an association, but Rex and the CofC should not be a part of it, not even in formation. These Old Town business owners are finally recovering from a lean year, so naturally we should sock them with association dues. It's just our way of saying Danke.

Another question: Why must Murrieta always exactly copy Temecula? As I've said in other posts, Murrieta as a unique town with its own personality. So what comes next, are we going to pretend we have wineries?

Garage sales

2005-09-06T14:29:00.000-07:00

Would someone please explain to me why it is important to regulate garage sales? A new regulation up for vote of the council would limit people's freedom to post garage sale signs and it would confine garage sales to only certain months of the year. Does Murrieta REALLY need more regulation of garage sales? It would seem like the City Government and the CofC is so worried about Murrieta's image that pretty soon this place will be so squeaky clean and wholesome that real people won't be able to live here.

If Murrieta is going to write tickets for posting garage sale signs, then political and real estate signage must also be subject to citation. Whats fair is fair. And in case anyone didn't notice, the weather is very dry and sunny here, so why would garage sales be limited to certain months? If you have a perpetual garage sale like the one on Ivy between Washington and Jefferson, you have tha ability to cite for urban blight, so why do you need another regulation?

I would like to suggest that revenues from citations be earmarked for charity, so that the City couldn't be accused of creating new regulations and writing tickets solely for the benefit of the City's coffers.

When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout

2005-09-02T20:47:00.000-07:00

The federal government took five days to respond to the crisis in New Orleans, NOAA knew in advance the vulnerabilities of the levees and deforestation around the city. What happened was predicted in detail, yet the federal emergency response took five days. The damage is so severe that Dubya cut short his vacation and took advantage of some good photo ops in the aftermath zone, sleeves rolled up, ready to get to work, to take charge. He avoided visiting the refugee camps, however. There was complete lawlessness in New Orleans that forced the unprotected rescue workers and hospitals to limit their response to the emergency. Why did it take "my pet goat" so long to protect American citizens? Was he too hurt and bewildered over Cindy?

The Bush administration has really dropped the ball on this one. His people have failed to place a ceiling on gasoline prices and they have failed to respond to a disaster on par with the Malaysian tsunami, but on continental U.S. soil. In this day of supposed homeland security, Katrina has given this country a serious wake-up call. Can we expect any quicker a response here on the west coast in the event of a natural or man-made disaster?

New Orleans

2005-09-01T14:03:00.000-07:00

Is there anything on the shelves in a Wal-Mart that is worth more than a human life?

The descent of New Orleans into barbarism after the storm surge of Katrina took a surprisingly short period of time. There are still people injured, trapped, or starving amongst the remains of the town and gunfire has hampered rescue attempts and made relief and evacuation unsafe for both rescuers and evacuees.

So why would troops be mobilized to protect property that due to storm damage, is useless? There are still people in the superdome and throughout New Orleans that need to be rescued. Because of looting, rescue workers have been re-assigned to protect the people from violent looters.

This is clearly a situation that requires harsh measures towards anyone caught looting, but the priority should not be merchandise, the priority should be to rescue and protect survivors.

Darwin who?

2005-09-01T05:59:00.000-07:00

The DNA evidence that is used so much on television to catch criminals might also be able to dis-prove creationism. Easily denied by fundamentalists, the monkey wrench thrown into the gears here is that the chimpanzee has natural immunity to many diseases like malaria and diabetes. As in the suppression of stem cell research, will the choice between science and "God's will" continue to retard futher advances in healthcare?

Unscrupulous People

2005-08-31T06:10:00.000-07:00

Police Chief Mark Wright has proposed ordinances intended to regulate certain "unscrupulous" elements wishing to do business in Murrieta; specifically, astrologists and massage therapists.

In certain areas, these professions have degraded to fraudulent fortune tellers and prostitutes, and Chief Wright would like to make it known from the beginning that these people are not welcome here. Fair enough.

Singling out massage therapists and astrologists for special regulation of unscrupulous behavior might be warranted, but then the next logical step is to pass ordinances regulating sober houses. But the City Attorney assures us that any attempt to do this will be illegal.

How is it that we have difficulty regulating proven offenders but independent citizens are more subject to control? Again, the conflict between individual rights and public necessity raises it's ugly head. I do know this much, a private citizen usually lacks the bottomless legal defense fund that corporations enjoy, which would apparently make them less of a threat to Murrieta City. Corporations that take a stipend from the state in order to do business, like the sober houses depend on the Dept. of Corrections, for instance,

If anyone knows Chief Wright, it would be good to hear some examples of difficulties other communities have had with astrologists and massage therapists. His proposed controls might be warranted, but if possibility of unscrupulous behavior is the reason cited, then car dealers and developers might also be subject to City regulation.

The Cindy Sheehan question

2005-08-29T22:12:00.000-07:00

Cindy Sheehan, mother of Army Sp. Casey Sheehan who was killed in action on April 4, 2004 in Sadr City, Baghdad, has become a rallying point for both anti-war and pro-war sentiments. Many feel that her vigil in Crawford, Texas (Camp Casey) is bringing the war to George Bush’s front yard, confronting him with the real effect of his administration’s policy. Since the time he arrogantly called an end to the war one month after it started, he has been comfortable making threats from the side lines (bring ‘em on), protected from exposure to the consequences of his decisions regarding Iraq.

Many others feel that her vigil shows total disregard for her son’s ultimate sacrifice and that she dishonors both him and America. Casey Sheehan died defending his country and that his mother should shut up and let Bush alone. By becoming a focal point for the growing anti-war movement in America, she is being disloyal to her country and she is dragging her son’s death into the spotlight just to attract attention.

She is frequently reviled on conservative talk radio and by that fair and balanced bastion of right-wing propaganda, Fox news, but beyond all the right-wing rhetoric, does anyone who has not suffered such a loss have the right to call her a traitor? I have a son and daughter who are of conscription age, and if George Bush keeps throwing his weight around the world, I believe that it is only a matter of time before volunteer forces will become insufficient to maintain his apparently insatiable appetite for conflict.

In World War II, it was readily apparent that stopping the axis powers was a just cause, and after that time, the only justification required for a war was to stop the spread of communism. This excuse began to show some wear and tear by the time Vietnam rolled around, and now that the Berlin Wall is ancient history, the war on terror is the justification for invasions abroad. But what does Iraq have to do with terrorists? I mean pre-invasion Iraq. No link has been proven, and the prolonged occupation of Iraq has taken money that would have been better spent eradicating terrorism where it is actually found, i.e. The Philippines, Indonesia, and possible terror cells in every American city.

It is hard to portray the Iraq invasion as a just war when the reasons for the invasion (weapons of mass desrtruction) were later proved to be lies. Does an American citizen have the duty to support a government that has used deceit to summon support when it is suspect that part of the underlying purpose was personal gain for a few prominent among the power elites? (Dick Cheney, Halliburton)

No doubt, these questions crop up in the minds of many Americans with children or spouses fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. If war is good for American business, should I invest my son or daughter? Cindy Sheehan has sadly realized that to her, her son was killed in an unjust war and that George W. Bush is partly to blame for it. She feels that her loss has given her the right to question Bush’s motives in getting the U.S. involved in a war in Iraq.

It is difficult to imagine Bush investing his children.

There's another gas protest on Sept. 9

2005-08-28T07:52:00.000-07:00

This one supposedly started in Ohio, I probably won't need any gas on September 9th anyway, so why not? It'll no doubt hurt the small gas-station owner in the short term, but if enough people do it, it might send a signal to Washington (not the oil refining and energy companies).

Question du jour: Do Americans who drive gas-guzzling SUV's have American servicemen's blood on their hands?

Hidden Cameras...

2005-08-27T12:42:00.000-07:00

I offer this post to those who would like to continue the camera debate, the original string being hijacked early on by a debate about Mayor Enoch's license plates, the legality and inherent character flaws thereof.

BLOG SPAM

2005-08-27T11:06:00.000-07:00

This blog spamming is pissing me off. It just goes to show that whenever something good is created, the sleaze quadrant will rise en masse to insert their own little self-interested and incredibly irrelevant commentary. The guys at blogspot have created a word verification option to ensure that each post is original and not machine-generated. So if you don't mind the extra step, this should hopefully keep the tweakers at bay.

Another political storm is brewing.

2005-08-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

I just received a direct-mail piece from Granite Construction Materials about the proposed "Liberty Quarry" project. This Quarry is to occupy a 311 acre site adjacent to Riverside County's southern border at I-15 and Rainbow Valley Boulevard, near to Temeku Golf Course.

My first impulse was to think: "Temecula, not my problem." but a question nagged in the back of my mind, "Why did I receive a mailer in Murrieta?" Those closest to the site of the proposed quarry are naturally going to be infected with a bad case of the NIMBY's, so why are they hitting Murrieta?

Murrieta where housing tracts sprout like weeds?

I think I am beginning to see a connection.

On Granite Corporation's side, much of the construction materials (concrete and gravel) are traveling through Temecula and Murrieta on the I-15 from Corona and Lake Elsinore. With the cost of diesel fuel topping $3 a gallon in some places, the ability to economically transport their merchandise around Riverside and North San Diego Counties is quickly becoming a catastrophe for suppliers to the development industry, especially the low profit to weight concrete industry. The Granite Corporation expect to remove five million tons of material per year from this new quarry, and their mailer neatly summarizes why this quarry is necessary for the continued well-being of southwest Riverside County; (1) No quarry threatens dwindling construction material resources (or Granite financial resources?), (2) It endangers transportation improvements, (3) Delays school construction (with Murrieta Unified, who could tell?), (4) Increases Freeway Congestion, and there is also the nebulous, catch-all, miscellaneous category: (5) "Lack of suitable alternatives".

On the other hand, the things that this dusty, loud, and permanent quarry will bring to the area are: (1) Decreased truck traffic, (are they going to get rid of their 2000+ trucks?), (2) Jobs and economic benefits, [the flyer claims that a quarryperson will make $94,000 a year, other estimates put that amount at $53,795 (2003)], (3) Local resources for our schools and roads (It's for the children!), (4) Long-term supply of resources, (digging a giant hole in the ground will "conserve our natural resources"), and finally, that the area located immediately adjacent to the I-15 and the Riverside/San Diego county line is the (5) "Ideal Location".

On the Environmental side, San Diego State has an ecological reserve immediately downstream from the quarry site. Along this unspoiled five mile stretch of the Santa Margarita River, there are approx. $42 million in ongoing experiments that will be compromised or destroyed. The hole that this quarry will eventually occupy, say, in 30 years time, is to be a mile long and 1,000 feet deep (155 acres). The Granite Corporation has promised that noise and diesel emissions from the heavy equipment required to blast, scrape, and process hard rock into tract home foundations will be minimal. So I would like to know, how stupid do they think we are? Dennis Hollingsworth and Ray Haynes (don't forget to vote for whoever runs against him) have both heartily endorsed this project, that should tell you something.

So how stupid are we? Well, Bush is in the White House for another four, so perhaps that well hasn't run dry just yet.

The Space Shuttle

2005-07-20T19:40:00.000-07:00

Would anyone care to comment on the space shuttle? The thing is, it's a lemon. Verner Von Braun screamed when he first heard about the concept. It costs way more than a Saturn V, is far less than what I would call reliable, and all this for the illusion of re-use.

Yes, it has made contributios to research and building the space-station, fixing Hubble, etc., but if you have private individuals building space planes that work, it seems to me that NASA has lost their edge, and they should start looking for a better flagship.

It wasn't the space shuttle that put a man on the moon.

Cameras

2005-07-20T19:33:00.000-07:00

Murrieta is considering cameras at certain intersections for law enforcement. I'm on the fence on this one, because I don't believe that Murrieta's stop lights are calibrated yet, and I can picture myself waiting at empty intersections for minutes waiting for a light to change. It might generate revenue for the city though, depending on who they contract with to process the citations.

World news

2005-07-18T11:44:00.000-07:00

I read in the comments that at least one of you guys out there would like to debate world issues here, if so, let me know and I will do just that.

In the meantime, Pres. Bush had stated that he would fire anyone in his administration found to have leaked the identity of a covert CIA agent's name. He has since qualified that statement by saying that he would fire any member of his cabinet found in the investigation of the leak who has commited a crime. Carl Rove, his faithful sidekick, has been implicated by Matthew Cooper of Time magazine.

Two interpretations,
1. Bush is confident in his ability to suppress any findings of a federal investigation (see 9-11 commission).
2. The investigation will eventually determine that there is insufficient evidence to charge anyone due to the Bush administration's willingness to exercise the executive privelege whenever the hound get too close.

A Bush without a Rove would be a shadow of his former self.

Eminent domain revisited

2005-07-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

At JLM's request, this post is intended to continue discussion about the eminent domain issue. The term "just compensation" is so relative that it can span from "full market value" all the way to "for the good of the community, zero monetary compensation) - the logic here being that the property holder thus victimized, as a citizen for whom losing his/her land was of benefit to the whole, being a member of the whole benefits in turn. — Complicated.

I guess you can chock up those taxes you have paid and the payments you and your families have made over the years to just another form of public service.

Megan's Law

2005-07-18T10:13:00.000-07:00

The megan's law website (link in title) shows registered sex offenders in Murrieta, but there is no mention of sober houses. The County Sherriff's Bureau of Corrections —could— be placing violent offenders in these homes to conserve jail space, but the accepted method for relieving overcrowded jails thus far has been early release. I can only assume that the supposed benefit here is to broadcast these offenders, wrists smarting from their small slap, over a wider area as opposed to concentrating them in one house in an upscale residential neighborhood. The logic here escapes me, seemingly the result not of a logical attempt at dealing with the problem, so much as trying to navigate through loopholes in a mound of red tape.

Though Bob Doyle disapproves, Jeff Stone's advocation of reopening old jails and augmenting them with portable units might be the only solution left in our current bureaucracy. After all, substandard buildings with portable trailers are good enough for our children, why aren't they good enough for our criminals?

Murrieta Chamber website

2005-07-18T09:53:00.000-07:00

The chamber's new website looks okay, but a click on the weblink logo in the lower right-hand corner replaces the chamber site with the site of weblink international. It would be better for the weblink intl site and any other external links to open in a new window. Rex might want to talk to weblink about that.

Sober Houses

2005-07-13T11:25:00.000-07:00

Another e-mail from Barbara Nugent, this one's a little disturbing:

Good Morning Everyone,

This is to let you know that Rescue Murrieta is alive and well, and that we are continuing to be active in the community. We will soon have a new website and I will let you know when that is up and running. Several issues have come up during the past few weeks, and I will be going over these today.

First let me say that the item on the Planning Commission meeting tonight regarding a change to alcohol sales near schools, etc. has been postponed.

Also, the sober house issue will not be an agenda item at the July 19th Council meeting due to an error in public noticing, but concerned citizens will speak during the Public Comments section if you would like to join in that or be present to show your support. More on that follows.

Sober Homes in local neighborhoods.
First of all, those of you who live near the Nutmeg and Jackson corner need to be aware that there is a sober living home in that area.
This home was purchased last October ($519,000) by an owner who lives in Orange County. This sober living home is located on Via Diamante and is 2/10 of a mile from E. H. Curren Elementery School (on Jackson); 2/10 of a mile from a city park (corner of Nutmeg and Jackson) and within 1 mile of Tovashal Elementery School on St. Raphael as well as within 500 ft of homes in The Colony, a senior living community. The proximity to these locations and the nature of the residents that could be living in that sober home makes it imperative that citizens voice their concerns.

On June 22 I attended a meeting in Antelope Run, and the purpose of the meeting was to discuss that sober home. The residents had called Code Enforcement due to the large number of cars parked on the street, unregistered vehicles, a man sleeping in a parked vehicle in front of that house, and the number of people seeming to live in the home. They found out that a sober home could house a variety of individuals, from recovering alcoholics and drug users to parolees, sex offenders and convicted felons. It seems the courts use such homes to house individuals who have drug/alcohol related offenses, often because the jails are overcrowded.

Code Enforcement did go to the home, verified multiple residents, and cited the non-resident owner for violation of local codes regarding operating a group home of this nature with over 6 residents without the proper permit. Such use requires a Conditional Use permit from the city that must be approved, and this process includes a hearing before the Planning Commission which is open to public discussion. It also requires that people living within a 500 foot radius of this type of home must be notified, and that would include many Colony residents.

At the first meeting it was decided that residents would write our Councilmen, City Manger, District Supervisor Jeff Stone and Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth. This was the first notice that our City government and City Council members had that such a home was operating in that area. Those contacts were made and were successful to the extent that our City Manager and councilmen have now been researching these types of homes in communities and seeing what can be done about them. Through research we have learned many other cities across the country have been fighting these homes popping up in residential neighborhoods, some with more success than others. We have also identified city ordinances, etc. that are not being enforced to close down this sober living home as the owners have not been in compliance with any of these, and to date, have not filed the proper paperwork for a business license in a single-family neighborhood or the request for a conditional use permit.

At the second meeting, guests were Tom Rogers from Senator Hollingsworth's office, Councilmen Rick Gibbs and Doug McAllister and Gary Thomasian from the Planning Commission. Each spoke briefly at the meeting and assured residents they had the support of the city in their efforts to rid their neighborhood of the sober house. However, we learned that the owner had notified the city that they were reducing the number of residents to 6 (the city verified there are still over 8 living there), and that would put them in a safe zone, they could operate without applying for a conditional use permit, but they would still need a business permit. The City is now addressing that issue and the residents are continuing their efforts to gather information to support the removal of that use in their neighborhood and are working with Richard Ackerman, a local attorney.

We also learned that incidents of crime have risen sharply in the area. There have been 3 burglaries, a large pumpkin was thrown through the window of a residence, a dog of one of the nearby residents was found dead and skinned in the roadway; obscenities have been shouted to residents when cautioning residents of that home to slow down on the street; and the residents have endured threatening behavior from a few of the residents of the home. Residents of the home have knocked on the doors of homeowners, one at 1 a.m. in the morning where he was told to leave, and that is the home where the pumpkin was tossed through a window the next day. Homeowners are now becoming intimidated and worry about who they will find outside their home when and if they answer a knock or a doorbell.

The residents of Antelope Run are activating their Homeowner Association and officers have been selected that represent all sections of this small neighborhood. Visit their website at http://www.safemurrieta.org/. An interesting note is that the basic Homeowner Association CCRs cover that area, all of the Colony, and other areas along California Oaks.

Our City Council met in an emergency meeting and adopted a resolution putting a moratorium on all sober living homes in our area with over 6 residents, but this meeting and a second such meeting have not resolved the problems with the sober home on Via Diamante. A parole officer who spoke at one of the meetings told us that the courts are using these homes rather than jails more and more. He has visited such homes and stated they do include felons, parolees, and recovering alcohol and drug addicts. For the most part, the homes may operate without incidence, however, recently a resident of a group home in Riverside was convicted of raping a murdering a young pregnant mother in Riverside. You never know when something like this can happen. We do not want it to happen in Murrieta and we must work together to see what options we have to close this one down and prevent others from popping up. By the way, there is another such home in Murrieta, but the address was not published on the site where I found the name.

Look around your neighborhoods. If you see many cars being parked in an area, several residents living in one home, etc. you could have the same situation. These homes are popping up in expensive neighborhoods in Malibu, Pasadena, etc. No neighborhood is immune from the quiet invasion, this is a very profitable business and when parolees and felons are placed in these homes the state and county may pay fees from $1400 a month or more for each resident to live in a very nice neighborhood, have three meals a day, have their rooms taken care of, enjoy backyard pools, etc. This lucrative business can result in monthly incomes of $20,000 or more, at the expense of citizens who are sacrificing to buy homes in safe neighborhoods for their families and then are shocked to find out something like this can happen so easily to disrupt that safe environment.

Please support the citizens living in Antelope Run on this issue. We will be handing out flyers at supermarkets to make people aware that this is happening in Murrieta, we will be speaking at Council meetings, etc. We need everyone to help, so please call to volunteer. If you can help this weekend, let me know as I will be doing the scheduling.

Equestrian Trails in Murrieta area
On a more positive note, we are also working on ensuring that the rural equestrian aura of this area is protected. The City has an ordinance that states the goal of protecting our equestrian and agricultural heritage, and we are working to make sure that happens. The County Board of Supervisors is working to ensure that is happening throughout Riverside County, but right now, the person handling the Trails issue for our district does not have the background or the passion to make sure that the trails that have been identified are kept intact, that the development community is aware of the areas and protects them when building new tracts, etc. We have several people in the Murrieta area who are passionate and knowledgeable on this issue, one is Lyn Mattox who is working on GPS plotting of all our local trails including those in Menifee, Wildomar, etc. I have written Jeff Stone to ask that Lyn be appointed to represent our area and work with our City management team to protect the equestrian trails in this area, and it would be wonderful if all of you joined in this effort. Raising horses in this area has long been a tradition in Murrieta, along with preserving historic buildings, etc., we also need to preserve the industries that have been part of our local history. You do not need to be a horse owner to become involved - we need to work on many different areas to make Murrieta the true gem of the valley, and by keeping part of our rural heritage alive we can do that. If you have any questions or want to volunteer your help and support for this issue, call me.

Upcoming events......
School Board election this year
City Council election 2006
Perhaps ....... an effort to preserve the rural area along Los Alamos (east side of the 215), the hogbacks and other historic aspects there.

Questions? Call me. Barbara Nugent 677-2430

Goal Setting Session

2005-07-12T18:33:00.000-07:00

Here is what is going to be discussed this Friday at Council goal setting session. Several interesting items - horse trails I - item 5; II - items 8 and 9; several under Planning, etc.

Barbara Nugent

FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2005

9:00 AM

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Mayor of the City of Murrieta called a Special Meeting of the Murrieta City Council at the time and place listed above to consider the following matters:

ROLL CALL: Gibbs, McAllister, Ostling, Seyarto, and Enochs

I. PARKS & RECREATION/CSD (1 hour)

1. Youth and Senior Activities (Gibbs/Holston)

2. Permanent Boys and Girls Club Facility in Murrieta (Seyarto)

3. Los Alamos Sports Park Phase 2 - potential uses, funding and timing (Holston)

4. Creation of Murrieta Museum (McAllister/Holston)

5. Parks, Open Space and Trail development and compliance with General Plan (Gibbs/Holston)

6. Designation of site and funding for Veteran's Memorial at Town Square (McAllister/Holston)

7. Maintenance of Gateways into Murrieta (Seyarto/Holston)

ii. PUBLIC SAFETY (45 minutes)

8. Code Enforcement Division staffing and response (Wright)

9. Adoption of Sex Offender Location Ordinance similar to County proposal (Gibbs)

10. Update on zero tolerance for gangs and how to address enforcement with existing resources (McAllister/Wright)

iii. PLANNING I (1 hour)

11. Development Services Case Processing; and improve exhibits for public hearings (McGee)

12. Managed growth rate for residential build-out (Gibbs/McGee)

13. Long Range Planning Projects (McGee)

· Golden Triangle Specific Plan

· Los Alamos District

· Land use study for area bordered by Kalmia, Washington, Magnolia and Jefferson

· Freeway Enhancement Overlay Zones

LUNCH (30 minutes)

PLANNING II (45 minutes)

14. Require up-front infrastructure improvements for residential construction and analysis of adequacy of improvements and mitigation (Enochs)

15. Study of Multiple Use Zones in Murrieta and impacts of elimination (Gibbs/McGee)

16. Presentation on Multi-Family housing locations, numbers and ultimate amount required to meet Housing Element (Gibbs/McGee)

17. Requirement of four vote majority on General Plan amendments (Gibbs)

IV. ADMINISTRATION (1 hour)

18. Expansion of Steering Committee to include district representatives and process for direction to Committee (Gibbs/Ferro)

19. Revised Code of Ethics and process (Gibbs/Vinson)

20. Audit of the City of Murrieta (Gibbs)

21. Address need for enhanced services (Ferro)

22. Analysis of funding of City retirement plan in the future and impacts on the City budget (Gibbs)

23. Recent Supreme Court action on eminent domain and impact on Murrieta; and eminent domain compensation policy options (Gibbs/Seyarto)

24. Potential for Flat Business License Fee (Gibbs/Ferro)

V. PUBLIC WORKS (30 minutes)

25. 2005-2006 Capital Improvement Plan processing and timing (Holston)

26. Analyze ways to improve Traffic Level of Service goal (Gibbs/Holston)

27. Development Impact Fee Revision and update (Gibbs/Holston)

VI. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (1 hour)

28. Restaurant development in the City and incentives for attraction (Gibbs/Moss)

29. Historic Murrieta Downtown Marketing Plan (Vollbrecht)

30. Plan for Industrial/Office attraction of large industries for job creation; and the potential for preserving large parcels for development (Gibbs/Moss)

VII. COMMUNICATIONS (1 hour)

31. Improve Relations with the Murrieta Valley Unified School District (Gibbs/Moss)

32. Expansion of Public Relations and Website updates and interaction capabilities (Vollbrecht)

33. Plan for Council to improve citizen communication (McAllister/Moss)

34. Establish Good Neighbor Policy with Wildomar (Gibbs)

35. Creation of Valley's own television channel/station affiliate (McAllister)

36. Increased participation outside of Murrieta with County, State and Federal representatives (Gibbs/McAllister)

DIRECTION ON OTHER ITEMS

GOVERNING BODY ACTIONS/COMMENTS

ADJOURNMENT

The Murrieta Insider - July 2005...

2005-07-06T11:51:00.000-07:00

... is turning out to be a useful monthly, but I'm not sure what is meant by the slogan "Fair and balanced". Perhaps they ascribe to the same definition of the term that Fox News does for their special brand of neo-conservative twaddle.

But seriously, I do appreciate the P.D. Spotlight, and the community news is nicely done, but the pro-chamber-of-commerce leanings of this paper are sometimes a little hard to swallow. The persistent attempt to rebuild J. VanHaaster's tainted image I cite as an example. At least they used larger type for the "A Paid Advertisement" line in his full page ad.

The most entertaining article this month was an editorial by our illustrious assemblyman Ray Haynes about "The Myth of Global Warming." I asked myself, 'What's this, global issues in a community rag?'

It gradually grew on me while reading his editorial that in the field of science, the esteemed Assemblyman was full of hogwash. At first I became nervous about someone of this intellectual stature holding public office in Sacramento, but as I continued reading I gradually got into the spirit of the spoof, reading on in growing hilarity until I laughed out loud at his punchline “…no matter how you drive your SUV. [sic] So happy motoring...!” What a gas!

The joke is over though, and if Assemblyman Haynes is unwilling to take the time to research the issue of global warming before introducing public commentary on it, then I think the 66th Assembly seat would better be filled by someone of more understanding of global issues.

Happy Birthday Murrieta

2005-07-02T08:23:00.000-07:00

Third High School

2005-06-30T19:14:00.000-07:00

Someone mentioned the difficulties the school district is having with building more schools. Would someone please comment?

A point to ponder...

2005-06-30T18:00:00.000-07:00

"Buy land, they don't make it anymore." - Will Rogers

Displacement

2005-06-26T23:59:00.000-07:00

I'm back from vacation and have been catching up on the shenanigans taking place in our government. The recent ruling by the Supreme Court in Kelo vs. City of New London especially caught my attention. Though simplifying the eminent domain process for city governments, I think this decision has special ramifications for the state of California.

Soon many Americans could get an opportunity to live like native Americans, circa 1838-39. Thanks to the Supreme Court and extensive lobbying by developer interests, small land owners in this country will soon face having their land taken away and given to those rich enough to get richer. In other states this could be bad, in California this could be worse.

As far as California is concerned, the Supreme Court has managed an end run around proposition 13. Californians have relied on prop 13 for decades to protect them from government piracy. Now if a city is dissatisfied with Ma and Pa Kettle’s relatively unprofitable fixed-income property taxes, they need only use the new relaxed iminent domain laws to steal their land for the so-called good of the many (city governments and developers).

Don’t get me wrong, there are still real cases of urban blight that require imminent domain, but the laws were already in place for these hard cases. So why did the Supreme Court find it neccessary to rule the way they did in (Kelo v. City of New London)?

If you look at the fifth amendment below, it looks to me like the Supreme Court is really pushing the envelope when it comes to opinions regarding constitutionality. When the Bush administration chooses the next Justice, and the Republican-controlled Congress confirm him/her, I'm relatively certain that constitutional opinions will get even more creative.

FIFTH AMENDMENT [U.S. Constitution] - 'No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb, nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation.'

Laura Brandt

2005-06-08T10:21:00.000-07:00

Laura Brandt's little house on Jefferson is to be purchased by Murrieta city for $360,000. Congratulations, Laura, and good luck on finding a replacement house.

Embezzler gets second chance.

2005-06-08T10:10:00.000-07:00

I was reading about John Blundell being given 1 year to pay back the $265,000 he embezzled from Murrieta. The judge, James T. Warren, supposedly went out on a limb to allow Blundell the opportunity to repay. It seems Blundell has a bit of a gambling problem. Since the city was reimbursed by insurance, why is a judge taking it upon himself to grant lenience to a perpetrator? Do you think that a thief should be treated like one and that the judge overstepped his authority?

Traffic gets an F-

2005-06-02T12:57:00.000-07:00

Click on the title, here's an interesting article from Laura Mitchell regarding the traffic around here. Though things are apparently at an impasse regarding highway improvements, permits for large developments can continue to be issued. A developer can build and cash in, and then after the fact upgrade infrastructure. Does this not seem a little backward?

And remember, traffic is only the tip of the infrastructural iceberg.

The open door policy

2005-06-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

This from the Californian:

MURRIETA ---- Mayor Warnie Enochs has scheduled open office hours at City Hall to give residents an opportunity for personal contact and one-on-one exchanges.

Enochs, who was selected as mayor in May, will be available starting June 7 from 9 a.m. until noon on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at City Hall, 26442 Beckman Court.

The mayor said he believes the office hours will lead to better contact with the community and provide new ideas for the council.

To schedule an appointment, residents may call the city manager's office at 461-6010. Unscheduled walk-ins are welcome, but may have to wait, officials said.

Surprise!

2005-05-29T20:33:00.000-07:00

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.

2005-05-25T07:58:00.000-07:00

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

2005-05-18T08:51:00.000-07:00

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.

2005-05-18T05:51:00.000-07:00

"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?

2005-05-17T10:53:00.000-07:00

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.

2005-05-17T10:32:00.000-07:00

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

2005-05-16T08:28:00.000-07:00

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

2005-05-16T08:18:00.000-07:00

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

2005-05-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

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

2005-05-13T08:51:00.000-07:00

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.

2005-05-06T13:26:00.000-07:00

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

2005-05-04T12:14:00.000-07:00

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.

2005-05-02T15:18:00.000-07:00

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.

Its about zero value imminent domain!

2005-04-28T22:13:00.000-07:00

I've been reading through many of the posts and I have realized that both sides of the recall are off the mark as to the original intention of the recall. The influence accredited to RM is a good focal point for divisive politics, but their complaints were only the small sound to make all the other offences of this council avalanche back on them.

For many Murrietans, new or old timers, the threat of zero value iminent domain was an issue that could not be ignored. The people who had to pay for thier legal defense against the city to protect thier property was why this recall has happened.

Not everyone who owns property in this town owns a tract home or land soon to become a housing tract.

Desperate Criminals

2005-04-28T22:00:00.000-07:00

It occurs to me that though the police are willing to allow either side of the recall initiative to prosecute the sign vandals, aren't the people who poached the signs in the first place guilty of trespassing?

A hefty cash injection.

2005-04-25T18:58:00.000-07:00

With the disproportionate amounts of currency spent by the anti-recall groups, it is not too hard to see the developer's special interests are at risk should the recall succeed. Why would anti-recall bring in over $300,000 compared to RM's paltry sum under $6,000? They are trying to protect there interests with a cash injection; would they do this if there wasn't a much bigger payoff later?

This recall is a good opportunity to show special interests that sometimes they can't just buy American votes.

"Election Letters -

2005-04-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

"Election Letters - to assure that all letters about the May 3 Murrieta recall election can be published before the election, The Californianwill not accept any letters on this topic after midnight April 21. We will attempt to publish all letters about the recall election received by that deadline no later than April 29."

Many of you who sent in letters last week to the Press Enterprise, do not be discouraged if yours has not been published yet, they are still including letters on the recall daily and did tell us there would be a special edition with letters included on both sides of the issue.

The recall an abuse of power? You're joking, right?

2005-04-11T14:38:00.000-07:00

I noticed a quote by Jerry Allen on the anti-recall site indicating that the recall was "An outrageous abuse of power." Being a former mayor, I would suspect that Mr. Allen is quite familiar with abuses of power.

What's in a sign, anyway?

2005-04-11T14:18:00.000-07:00

The signs are up, and someone has been going around tearing down the pro-recall signage. This is the American politial system incarnate, but as a result of this cheap behavior, and though I was originally not going to do it, I have allowed RM to post a 2’x4’ sign on my property. To be fair, I will also allow an anti recall sign, but it has to be much smaller, to punish the anti-recall element for stealing opposition signage.
Being posted on private property, if someone takes either one of these signs, I can have them arrested for trespassing, or for vandalism, or even better, I can just stop them and find out who they are. I’m sure we’re all eager to know. The Murrieta PD and Fire Dept. are too busy for this sort of shenanigans, so whoever it is will have to tone down their activism.

Verizon has been naughty to Murrieta.

2005-04-11T14:05:00.000-07:00

The delays involved in the old town project, regardless of who was at fault could have been handled better with more community participation. In the future, if Verizon or any other utility causes a delay in construction in Murrieta, the city should let the people know about it. We’re politically active now, and Verizon would probably up the pace if enough local citizens called to complain or cancel service.

Agrarian roots of Murrieta

2005-04-11T14:03:00.000-07:00

The appearance of old town begins to resemble the agrarian roots on which Murrieta is based (Temecula can have their cowboys), and this leads me to suggest that a farmer’s market of some sort could be an annual or semi-annual old town event. Is a similar road treatment going to be done to Ivy?

Old Town Clean-up '05

2005-04-11T13:58:00.000-07:00

The old town clean up was a great way to unite the west-side community in taking care of the heritage center of Murrieta. Click on the title of this post for photos. My section was sent to clean up between Kalmia and Ivy on Hayes, an area that is already patrolled by the old ladies of Murrieta (they pick up garbage along Murrieta streets almost every morning). We finished the section by somewhere around 9:30 so I went to take pictures and help offload at a collection site.
The only commentary that I wish to make is regarding the ribbon-cutting ceremony. I didn’t see Kelly Seyarto, he was probably on duty with the OC fire dept., but McAllister, VanHaaster, Enochs, and Ostling were there for the ceremony. I noted that out of all the council-members, only Enochs wore an orange safety vest, which implied that he was the only one who was actually prepared to work. McAllister, though he didn’t wear a vest, was working very hard at the event. Jeff Stone, who was also at the ceremony wore blindingly bright white pants. He was not there to work, but then again, I guess he doesn’t have to, it’s not his town.
The amount of junk pulled out of old town was impressive, but I think that this was only a good start. It is a good thing that the city is conducting these community clean-ups, and it behooves the old towners to make good use of these events. The citizens of Murrieta have done their best to help stop urban blight in old town, and especially by RMers, and now the responsibility for avoidance of an urban blight designation is back on the shoulders of the property owners.
I am starting to see the completion of the old town project on the horizon, and though it did seem awkward to have a ribbon-cutting when the work is still unfinished, I can understand the need for the council members subject to possible recall to do something tangible prior to the May third election.

McAllister withdraws

2005-04-07T06:21:00.000-07:00

Doug McAllister withdrew from the vote on Bill Dendy's project. I think he did the right thing, though the odds were in favor of the original decision going through as voted. A deadlock would have caused the original approval to stand.

I got an e-mail from RM about a poll being conducted by SWTFG opposing the recall. If the claims made by this poll are true, then it is up to citizens to make up their own minds about the recall.

If they are untrue, then SWTFG is pulling the same tactics that RM has been accused, but never convicted, of using. Here is the text of the pollster instructions sent to me by RM; I would welcome commentary regarding the misleading slant, if any, reflected in this poll. I am ambivalent on the matter, but I am still suspicious of the amount of money that has been poneyed up for resistance to the recall.

Here is the poll as sent to murrietablog:

No on the Recall: Stand Up for Murrieta

website: www.nomurrietarecall.com (I checked the link and at the time of this posting there is was yet no site, just a "to come" page, I've embedded the link in this post title. - JLK)

40119 Murrieta Hot Springs Rd, Murrieta CA 92563

Tel. (951)696-4040

Instructions:

1. Please only speak to the person listed.

2. Please code on your sheet only the voters you speak to.

3. Leave literature only with Supporters and UND voters.

4. Shake gates to ensure that there are no dogs in the yard.

5. Never go inside the house even if the owner invites you in.

6. After ringing the doorbell, step away from the door so that the voter can clearly see you.

7. If you run into any problems please don't hesitate to call the office at (951) 696-4040

CODES:

No Recall = Supporting No on the Recall or Voting No on the Recall

AV = Supporting No on the Recall w/ a completed VBM application that you bring back to the office.

U= Undecided - Voter is uncertain as to how they will vote.

Yes Recall = Supporting Yes on the Recall or Voting for the Recall

MV= MOVED - Voter is permanently unavailable (moved, dead, in prison, etc...)

Gated = House is inaccessible and can't get in.

Script:

Hi, is (Name listed) home? Hi, my name is (Your Name) and I'm walking in your neighborhood today with Stand Up for Murrieta. We wanted to inform you that Murrieta police and firefighters oppose the Recall. If this recall is successful it will make our traffic problem much worse by blocking the plan that is in place. (Voters will be mailed the traffic plan for Murrieta)

Can we count on you to vote NO on the Recall?

If Supporting NO on the Recall: (Circle "No Recall")

Thank You!! We are encouraging everyone to vote from home this election. There is nothing else on the ballot. It is the best way to guarantee your vote counts. Would you like to vote by mail?

If yes (Circle AV): Great (Show the voter the application and get the clip board in the voters hand) All you have to do sign here. (Point to the application). Your ballot will be sent to you shortly by the county registrar's office.

If Not voting by mail: (Circle "No Recall") Thank you and don't forget to vote on May 3rd.

If UNDECIDED:

Did you know the City council has a plan to deal with traffic and improve our quality of life? They're working hard to protect your safety and guard your tax dollars. The people behind the recall oppose traffic improvements. That is not what Murrieta needs; before we put our city in Jeopardy please take a serious look at what is happening. Thank you

If Supporting Yes on the Recall: (Circle "Yes Recall")

You should know that Fire Chief Phil Armentrout, Assemblyman Ray Haynes, Supervisor Jeff Stone and every former Murrieta Mayor and Councilmember oppose the recall because they know it will delay needed road improvements.

(It is to be noted that no disparaging remarks against recall proponents were made - JLK.)

Should MacAllister abstain from voting?

2005-04-04T19:53:00.000-07:00

The anti-recall campaign for Councilman McAllister accepted a $10,000 donation from Bill Dendy, the developer who wants to build a shopping center at the corner of Nutmeg and Jackson. Approval of this project is coming before the council for a vote tomorrow. I see a clear conflict of interest here; John Harper and Doug MacAllister, because of a semantics loophole, do not. What do you think; should he abstain from voting?

Lighten Up

2005-03-31T08:35:00.000-08:00

I’ve had some feedback from posters to this blog who say I’m getting too negative. As a result, I looked back through my postings and Whoa, their right, I’ve been letting this recall nonsense affect my attitude. This is a bad thing. Murrieta old town does look great, but there is still a long way to go to cleanup this town. I will be helping with the clean-up on April 9, but from now on I will only be posting stuff sans opinion. I will, however, post topics to begin dialog strings, and if there is some subject that you would like to see discussed here, I’m open to suggestions.

I saw a sign...

2005-03-30T08:14:00.000-08:00

The election day is looming and apparently it is time for the block boys (or those who appreciate them)to start turning up the anti-recall heat. The signs I have seen are very patriotic looking with their red, white and blue color scheme, but I was surprised to learn that "cops and firefighters" oppose the recall. Seyarto is a firefighter, but who is this cop they are talking about?

Old Towners to clean up their act

2005-03-22T14:18:00.000-08:00

The old town area along Washington in Murrieta is looking much better these days. Traffic is again flowing in two directions (intermittently) and some of the landscaping has been installed. As the dust finally begins to settle, I wonder if it was worth it. The old town project cost taxpayers $4.5 million, and for this princely sum, Murrieta got some sidewalks, some lamp posts, much congestion and wasted time, major potholes in surrounding streets, and corresponding damage to the vehicles falling into them. All this and it only cost 4.5 million, what a bargain. To ease the congestion that his tax clients must endure, Vanhaaster thinks it might be a good idea to hire sign dancers to direct traffic around the still delayed construction. This might help, but then the mildly effective Juan Murrieta signs would be out of a job.
When asked about the light posts in old town and an explanation of why they weren’t aligned, Jack reportedly mentioned something about buried utility lines. I can live with that excuse, but I notice that old town nights are darker than they used to be; why aren’t the new lights working?
Now that the project is finishing up, is the city going to do the same thing to Ivy? It would be nice to know so I can put up a "for sale" sign now and avoid the rush. Early next month, the city of Murrieta is sponsoring a citizen clean-up of old town. This is to give the people likely to experience loss of their old town property to the Murrieta RDA a chance to clean up their act. Large items will be taken away at city expense. The clean up will take place from 7:30 until 12:30. Old towners would do well to take heed of this and be there, at 7:30 a.m. in front of the Mill (restaurant) on the ninth.
The old town clean-up drive is another instance where Mayor Vanhaaster, while mired in a dung heap of allegations of corrupt politics, comes out smelling like a rose. He actually managed to get his arch enemies in Rescue Murrieta to participate in a clean up of his own backyard, for free. Again, what a deal. Hats off, Jack.

The Brown Act

2005-03-20T15:58:00.000-08:00

I'm a big fan of the first amendment. This link will take you to a site where the Brown Act is explained more fully.

Old Town Clean-up

2005-03-20T14:50:00.000-08:00

on APRIL 9, at 7:30 am at THE OLD MILL RESTAURANT in OLD TOWN

Cathy Forkey and Barbara Nugent have been working with City staff on the Old Town clean-up. It is in the Redevelopment Area and there is a lot to do. Many older residents in the area, lots of abandoned cars, overgrown properties, etc. It is going to be a worthwhile project - and we need to make a showing. Prove that we are not a one-area group, but citizens coming together from all parts of the city to help make it a better place. Please make it a family affair and join us on April 9, at 7:30 am at The Mill restaurant in Old Town. This is a good time for students to do thier community services, it only involves 3-1/3 hours of thier time.

Here are more details:

"Meet at the Mill Restaurant at Washington/Kalmia in the parking lot area at 7:30 a.m. for registration. At 8:00 a.m. the Mayor will be speaking and talking on the celebration of rebuilding downtown etc., 8:30 a.m. workers will be breaking up into groups and heading out. At approx. 12:00 pm the clean-up will end. At 2:00 pm, for those interested, the City will have an information fair and volunteer barbeque at the fire station. Each person/family is asked to bring with them an ice chest, shovel, rake, wheel barrow, garden gloves or whatever they can bring with them. (Gasoline weed whackers would be great). Everyone needs to check in and register to sign a form to be covered under the City of Murrieta's insurance." Thanks for volunteering: We hope to see many families attend and participate in this community event.

Please pass on this message to anyone you think may be able to help.

Barbara & Cathy

GPAC Meeting

2005-03-08T15:12:00.000-08:00

The General Plan Advisory Committee meeting is planned for the 14th of March at 6:00 p.m. at city hall. Some items that will be discussed will be the Bear Creek airport property, Gary Thomasian has requested a review of the city council’s decision to rezone from ER-2 to commercial.

Next in line...

2005-03-08T14:50:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, due to health reasons, Mr. Jon Sparks has withdrawn from the race for Doug McAllister’s council seat. Dr. “Doc” Larry N. Francis has stepped up to the Rescue Murrieta plate and will run the RM ticket instead. Dr. Francis was narrowly beaten by Sparks for the original endorsement.

Why Rescue Murrieta? By Ed Faunce

2005-02-27T11:51:00.000-08:00

Recalls happen when citizens become so fed up over an issue that they explode into action. When Rescue Murrieta (RM) exploded into existence, it was because Murrietans sensed that they had lost any meaningful control over our City’s massive development. But just taking a whack at the current City Council members will not bring permanent change unless RM stays involved beyond this recall effort.
RM members realize that it’s not enough for residents to restrict their involvement to voting for the City Council candidates. Murrietans have been there, done that. It doesn’t work! City Council election results show that incumbents are often returned to office even though the total number of votes for their opposition candidates exceeds the vote for the incumbent. But with so many candidates splitting the opposition vote, the incumbents are reelected without a mandate.
In fast developing areas, like Southwest Riverside County, residents’ predominant complaint is that developer interests always seem to get the upper-hand over residents’ concerns. And why not? The developers are constantly vigilant identifying acceptable candidates and supporting them financially. Ordinary residents, who are trying to cope with busy schedules, raising families, commuting to work, and paying the bills, cannot individually devote their time and effort to supporting candidates.
So what’s the answer? Are we Murrietans forever condemned to just complain about how we - the ordinary residents - aren’t heard? Isn’t there something we can do that will ensure that our interests are paramount with our elected representatives?
RM believes that there is a new idea in town. RM asks, what if the residents actually organized? You know, businesses have their Chamber of Commerce why not a Chamber of Residents? What if Murrieta residents formed a Political Action Committee, a PAC? What if Murrietans formed a nonpartisan PAC whose mission is to identify those residents among us willing to be our representatives? What if Murrietans were involved in the grooming, selection and financial support of their future elected leaders? And then, what if thousands, even tens of thousands, of Murrietans voted for their endorsed candidates? It would be a 10.0 quake on the political landscape.
Murrietans would be organized, on a long-term basis, for selecting and running our own representatives for the City Council, the School Board, the Water District Board, etc. Murrietans could plan initiatives to cover such issues as term limits, campaign contributions, rate of growth, quality of businesses developed and the like. But wouldn’t the developers simply outspend Murrietans? Wouldn’t the developers defeat our efforts by running their own candidates and pouring in their financial contributions? Wouldn’t the developers go outside the City, even outside the County, to get the finances to whip us?
In fact, the developers are already doing exactly that. The Southwest County Taxpayers for Responsible Government (we call it "Developers’ Inc.") has raised 40% of its reported $111,000 from outside of Riverside County. Developers’ Inc. But Developers’ Inc. has raised only $320 from individual Murrietans.
RM has raised $5,000, nearly all of that from individual Murrietans. When RM’s $5,000 contributions are compared to the Developers’ Inc.'s miserly $320, isn’t it clear that RM is the overwhelming choice of individual Murrietans?
But the Developers’ Inc. still has a financial advantage of $106,000. Why does RM still believe it can prevail over such financial excess? Because there is one thing individual Murrietans control that the Developers cannot touch. That one thing is the BALLOT BOX.
If Murrietans join RM, support this new kid in town in its efforts to find and endorse suitable candidates and then vote for those RM endorsed candidates, the Developers Inc. can spend all the money they have - THEY WILL NOT WIN.
When that happens, it will be the "shot heard round California." You will be sending the message that pay-to-play development is over in Murrieta! Those Murrietans are "Mad as Heck," and they aren’t taking it any more! Murrieta is no longer for sale!
If you agree with these ideas, then join RM and register to vote, vote a permanent absentee ballot and vote for the RM endorsed candidates. We live here! We will defend our City!
Edward Faunce, Rescue Murrieta Spokesman

Cash is a weird thing.

2005-02-25T18:39:00.000-08:00

$80,000 for a recall election is supposedly bad, but racking up another $12 million in bond debt is good.

The city council has granted themselves permission through the Murrieta Redevelopment Agency (of which they are members) to issue $12 million dollars in bonds to pay for infrastructure improvements.

Great! You say, we’ll finally get some things fixed around here. It would be nice!

One snag, The MRDA has control of Murrieta acreage to the tune of 1100 acres that could be declared urban blight areas (more info in other posts to this blog and the purple title link). The MRDA is empowered to condemn these properties and take them away from the current owners with the use of eminent domain. They are also allowed to give the land to other businesses along with rebates, free improvements, and outright cash grants. Increases in property taxes in these areas are used at the sole discretion of the MRDA and are supposedly used to pay back the bonds, almost $25 million worth of them.

Having a friend on the MRDA will be like owning a piece of the rock.

Another snag, if the MRDA loses access to these funds, the bonds will have to be paid back with city general funds that would otherwise go to the Murrieta police and fire departments.

Our kids are going to be stuck with horrendous property taxes because us parents let this happen. If Seyarto really cared about affordable housing in Murrieta, why would he help to put such an enormous tax burden on young home buyers?

- To “Actively market available sites in Town Square” – this is one of the stated 2004-05 goals of the Murrieta economic development department. My question is, who defines what “available” means? I think we already know the answer to that.

These sound very much like facts...

2005-02-25T18:24:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure that if Nancy Knight posted a comment on this blog, she would use her real name. Follow the purple link for more info.

ALERT !!

2005-02-25T17:56:00.000-08:00

Another post on behalf of Ms. Nugent:

A notice for alcohol sales at the Rite Aid located at the corner of Cal Oaks and Jackson was posted on Feb. 11.   It is immediately adjacent to Cal Oaks sports park and a short distance from Shivela Middle School. If you are not aware or don't remember, in October 1999 the City Council denied an application by Rite Aid for the sale of alcohol at this location. Due to the proximity with the park and school, the denial was based on the City Ordinance in place at the time of the application. During the public hearing, numerous residents, including members of the PTSA, spoke against the application for alcohol sales.

In the past, the City of Murrieta Development code was actually stricter than the State of California Business and Professions code with regard to alcohol sales near homes, schools, parks, churches, etc. This past April, the planning commission and city council changed the city development code to allow alcohol sales near schools, parks, etc., as long as the building was over a certain size.   The city does not issue a liquor license, only the Department of Alcoholic Beverages (ABC) issues or denies the license application. Below is the section from the California Business and Professions Code that applies to this situation. Once protests are filed and verified, the application may be denied, or there may be a hearing by the ABC.

Since the denial of the application, other then the City Ordinance, the only thing that has changed since 1999 is the usage of the park is higher due. Due to the exploding population of Murrieta, and since it is the largest park in the City, many more youth leagues and civic organizations use the park these days. The park is also used as a host location for many youth sports tournaments, bringing in people from outside of Murrieta. In addition, the adjacent and un-developed parking lot located at the rear of store provides for perfect and concealed consumption area, especially during night hours.

Our City's low crime rate can be attributed to the restrictions such as the current non-sale of alcohol at this Rite Aid store. If Murrieta's distinction for low crime rate is to continue, then restrictions in place today must continue to be in place tomorrow. And the only way to do this is to write a letter to the ABC in protest of the application.

Letters must be received by the ABC within 30 days of the notice of posting. This means all letters must be received by no later then March 11th. Attached is a form letter you can you use to file the protest. Fill in your name and address where indicated and mail it today.

If you have questions you may contact the ABC in Riverside at 782-4400.   Also, cc the letter to the Riverside office at 3737 Main Street, Suite 900, Riverside 92501 (the original letter goes to Sacramento).

Business Code:

23789. (a) The department is specifically authorized to refuse the
issuance, other than renewal or ownership transfer, of any retail
license for premises located within the immediate vicinity of
churches and hospitals.
   (b) The department is specifically authorized to refuse the
issuance, other than renewal or ownership transfer, of any retail
license for premises located within at least 600 feet of schools and
public playgrounds or nonprofit youth facilities, including, but not
limited to, facilities serving Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, or Campfire
Girls. This distance shall be measured pursuant to rules of the
department.

Bon Voyage to Kelly's Coward.

2005-02-16T17:30:00.000-08:00

Mr. Seyarto has managed to intimidate a person who disagrees with him into no longer contributing to this blog. Kelly's Coward posted many interesting counter views to Mr. Seyarto, but Mr. Seyarto has built an impenetrable wall around himself and his actions that Kelly's Coward gave up trying to breach. An exchange of ideas to this man is a one-way process, all outward. However, Mr. Seyartro has posted enough commentary onto this blog that any Murrieta citizen who wants to know the true Kelly Seyarto, need only read them to form a pretty definite opinion of what kind of man he is. Bon Voyage, Kelly's Coward.

Mr. Seyarto says...

2005-02-16T17:00:00.000-08:00

Mr. Seyarto has posted many challenges to reveal real names on this blog. I feel he has done this in an attempt to intimidate people and disrupt communication between citizens of Murrieta. In one comment he mentions slander, but I think an examination of many of Mr. Seyarto's letters, forums and posts on this blog will suffice to reveal a man in a glass house preparing to throw stones. He obviously feels that he has vastly improved the lifestyle for citizens of Murrieta, and any challenge to this image he has built of himself is taken very VERY personally. So continue to post anonymously. It is better to voice an opinion than to be bullied into silence.

A message from Ms. Nugent

2005-02-14T18:15:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone,

Two important meetings this week - the GPAC on Monday at 6 pm City Hall, and then the City Council meeting on Tuesday, 7 pm, City Hall.

Mark your calendars and make the time to attend. The GPAC should have an interesting agenda and you will see two of our candidates there as Rick Gibbs is Vice Chair and Gary Thomasian is a voting member on the committee.

Word is that the Chamber of Commerce is going to continue speaking out against the Recall at Council meetings and making efforts to derail attention from the trio to Warnie, etc. We need to be there to speak about staying focused, our issues and concerns....... and the Public Forum 3 minutes is a wonderful way to keep pounding away. I am speaking on a consent item - the Redevelopment Agency second series bond issue for over $12 million dollars! Review the agenda, make the time to come and learn what is going on currently in our city and see the process in action. One visit to a meeting and you will understand why we are so involved and so adamant that changes must occur in our Council.

Also check out the www.rescuemurrieta.com to read new comments, take the Wildomar Annexation poll, learn about the candidates Rescue Murrieta is backing for City Council. We need your help, your active participation, and appreciate your willingness to answer the calls we make on your time. Hope to see you this week at City Hall.

No intimidation allowed.

2005-02-09T16:41:00.000-08:00

Could everyone who posts anonymously please put a distinct number at the end of the "anonymous" or get handles so others can follow thought chains more effectively? Thanks.