Enochs and the DA

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"

“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!

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

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.

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

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

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?

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

Murrieta Politics

National Politics

UPSIDE-DOWN

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

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.”

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?

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

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.

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

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

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

"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

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

"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".

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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?