Update 8-18-08: On finding the funds
Now that Dan Stephenson is tapped out, Randon Lane will be looking to long drives and short putts to support his campaign efforts.
I'm thinking a $100 tee box sponsorship might be a good investment for the About Murrieta blog.
Update 8-16-08: On "they're off"
Paul Clay, Warnie Enochs, Nancy Knight, David Landriscina, Randon Lane and Doug McAllister have all qualified to enter the gate.
McAllister signs Enochs' paperwork; Enoch's signs McAllister's paper work. Gibbs wouldn't sign either. Go figure.
Probably the most interesting of council races with be the Temecula race where 5 candidates have qualified to fill the 2 seats currently held by incumbants Mike Naggar and former Murrieta councilman Chuck Washington. This race may go down to the wire, as the reports say Stephenson is out of cash.
Update 8-15-08: On stepping up
In the 7-24-08 update the talk was about how the City would need to be able to do more with less. No doubt a few eye brows were raised when this comment was made. At first, I too questioned how exactly this equation would work.
Code enforcement is swamped these days driving the neighborhoods looking for abandoned or unkempt properties. Code enforcement does not have the needed manpower to keep up with the growing list (over 1500 to date) of these properties. The City does not have the funds to staff more code enforcement officers. So the solution to the problem on how to do more with less is……..get the community, you, me and your neighbors, to work with the City.
It's about time we all helped out
(Californian letter to the editor)
As my son-in-law, myself and two grandchildren were working in the yard of one of the abandoned houses in our neighborhood, a woman drove by and yelled, "It's about time you did something about that yard." Well, yes it was ---- it was about time neighbors pitched in to clean up overgrown, leaf-laden yards as well as trim bushes and trees. No one else is going to do it, or at least not soon.
Recently,I decided it was time to stop complaining about how things were looking and do something about it. I weeded in one yard I walk by daily and cut palm fronds in another. Now, my whole family has pitched in to help, and last weekend we transformed a front/side yard ---- if only the water was turned on to turn the lawn green! We took a pickup truck piled high with palm fronds, tree branches and 10 bags of leaves to Agriscape on Saturday, and planned another trip for the 23 bags of tree and shrub branches we later accumulated from that yard. Oops, wait a minute, 23 bags is too many for one trip, so in order to add the tree limbs, etc., that will be two trips to Agriscape!
Yes, it was about time something was done. Maybe that woman will read the sign another grandson made for the garage door there: "This yard maintained by neighbors. If you want to help, call (951) 677-2430!"
Barbara Nugent
Murrieta
Update 8-14-08: On marathon negotiations.
As noted in the 8-9-08 update, the 2008 employee contract negotiations are surpassing past negotiation periods. Tue. Aug 19th is the next scheduled council meeting and it will include the 7th closed session meeting on the matter. And again as previously noted, one can only assume the talks are not going easy and the council members may be having to use their budget conscious whips.
4:45 PM CLOSED SESSION
CS1. Conference with Labor Negotiators City Manager Rick Dudley, Murrieta General Employees Association, Murrieta Supervisors Association, Murrieta Police Management Association and Murrieta Fire Fighters Association (G.C. 54957.6)
8-10-08: On weathering it out
Mr. Faunce, Thank you for your Saturday, August 09, 2008 10:18:00 PM comments and bringing this subject to the reader’s attention.
Your comments fall right on the heels of the 8-9-08 string update, in that our city council will have to make tuff decisions today and in coming years. Hard times for Murrieta are here, with still more to come.
Unlike the Feds, where they have continually denied the economic problems, our council needs to address problems now, even it means an across the board reduction in staff and benefits.
In researching the Alt A loans, what I found most interesting, but not surprising, was yet again ANOTHER denial by the Feds that a problem exists. In March ’07, David Berson, Fannie Mae chief economist made the following statement:
“he doesn't foresee the problems getting as bad as subprime, even if the problems in the sector do get worse. He said the changes taking place are needed, though they will raise the cost of credit.”
But in contrast to his ’07 statement, in recent days both Fannie Mae and Fannie Mac have announced they would no longer be buying the Alt A loans. I guess things have gotten worse, haven't they Berson?
While you feel a discussion centered on Edwards and Enochs is of no importance, which I agree with you on, I do feel it is of importance that Murrietans pay particular attention to the council candidates’ statements and their campaign platforms. If they don’t, and a candidate gets elected for their popularity, or based on platforms of no importance, or someone that doesn’t understand the whys and howtos of belt tightening, this City’s chances of riding out what you refer to as the perfect storm are lessened.
8-9-08: On making difficult decisions
We’ve heard it all before, “a council, with their city manager, has to be prepared to make even the most difficult of decisions, even if the decision is distasteful”. With the economic status such as it is, of the council candidates for ‘08, who of them have the fortitude, the knowledge and the expertise to make the decisions that will most likely be more difficult in the year(s) to come than in the past?
Today’s difficulty, thus far, appears to be the negotiations over employee contracts. According to available council records, to date contract negotiations with the various employee associations has taken (so far) 6 meetings, covering a time span of 3 months, and from May 6th to August 5th. In reviewing prior year council records, past negotiations have taken much less time. In 2007/6 meetings and 2 months were required to come to a close; in 2006/2 and 2; in 2005/4 and 2; in 2004/5 and 2; in 2003/4 and 2; in 2002/4 and 2; in 2001/2 and 1; and in 2000/3 and 2. For these past years, negotiations generally occurred April to June, with 2007 running into July, with none stretching into August as this 2008 has.
A governing agency cannot be economically viable without revenue. So true with Murrieta; its revenue generally relies upon property/sales tax and development fees. For general staffing needs, revenue to pay for these services comes from mostly sales tax and development fees, which we all know is a drying hole. For its Police and Fire departments, its revenue generally relies upon the property tax revenue, another drying hole. Considering the reality of these dry holes, coupled with the increased cost of doing business, will Murrieta be able to maintain its current level of service, particularly for police and fire? Because it’s common knowledge that contract negotiations usually revolve around pay and benefit increases/decreases, we the residents can only assume that what appears to be a lengthy negotiation process, things may not be going so well. Are lower than the status quo increases, cuts and layoffs eminent on the horizon? How about the decisions, will they be difficult or easy ones for the current council to make?
While reviewing the records, 2005 caught my attention. It was the same year as the Recall. The police association contract negotiation started in March, 1 month prior to the Recall and 2 months sooner than the norm. Since the police and fire fighter’s associations backed the council under recall, it can only be surmised the negotiations were held early for a reason and that the outcome was good for them. Can it be said the council at the time made difficult decisions when it came to their contract, or were their decisions easy ones?
Update 8-6-08: On 2 thumbs up
To the Murrieta City Council for the logical and sensible reasoning for recommending that the initiatives for Term Limits, Council Compensation and Salary Limits be studied for legal issues.
Proponents – Rick Reiss, Bob Kowell, Casey Evans.
Opponents – Bennett, Enochs, Gibbs, McAllister, Thomasian.
The "Man" --”I’m so sorry for my past actions towards you”;”I’m young enough to fight for my country”; “I love my country”; I want to make a change”; “People have said bad things to me”. (Evans, like getting down on bended knee was going to make a difference. Even the town idiot would have done better)
The invitation -- "Incumbents have been unseated more than once in Murrieta. I invite you Mr. Evans to run for council." (aka, bring it on Evans, bring it on)
The first blow --No blows held back when it came time to describe the "distorted facts told by the paid petition gathers" and "the destructive manuver to pit the police/fire against the city managers". (end of round 1)
The perks --Kowell’s rant over council perks when he said “look at page 1 of the City budget….$90k/year allocated to memberships.” In reply the City said “but proponents, if you look deeper into the budget you will see those memberships have nothing due with Gold's Gym; they are agency memberships, i.e. WRCOG, League of Cities, Professional organization memberships, etc., etc., etc. And pension benefits, each councilmember has an OPTION to receive up to 6 DOLLARS a month.” (Do you need ice for that eye Kowell?).
The spanking --“at $600 a month how dare you say we make too much money. For everyday I miss work my business loses $2400 a day.” (Kowell, you got your ass whipped.)
While it was all serious stuff, it was truely a KO by the Murrieta City Council. In the end, the initiatives will not be seen on the November '08 ballot.
Update 8-5-08: On a reader's view
In a Californian letter to the editor, the reader writes:
Candidates letter shows his hypocrisy
I am writing in response to Randon Lane's letter attacking Murrieta Councilman Warnie Enochs' decision to seek re-election (Letters, July 25). Mr. Lane, a self-described candidate for the Murrieta City Council and currently a member of the Murrieta Planning Commission ---- and a signatory of the Murrieta Ethics Code ---- quotes a portion of the code to support his argument that Mr. Enochs should not seek re-election for the good of the city. It is regrettable that Mr. Lane has chosen to ignore other provisions of the code, portions of which I quote: "I hold myself to high standards. ...
"His self-serving attack on Mr. Enochs can in no way be classified as "high standards." The code continues, "I treat my fellow officials, staff and the public with courtesy and civility, even when we disagree on what is best for the community." And again, the code states, "I refrain from participating in negative activity and avoid personal attacks against fellow officials, staff and the public to insure the reputation and integrity of those individuals and the city.
"In his letter, Mr. Lane has clearly demonstrated that he has little regard for the Murrieta Ethics Code, at least those provisions that apply to his own conduct. Mr. Lane's letter is woefully hypocritical, and hopefully will end his candidacy before it starts.
Update 8-1-08: On the oddities of elections
In the 2003 council election, a race of 8 candidates for 2 seats, Enochs (an incumbent) received 3,154 votes (21%), McAllister 2,955 votes (20%), Knight 2,535 votes (17%), and Landrascina 368 votes (2%).
In the 2005 recall election, 5,645 voters (46%) wanted McAllister out, 6,717 voters (54%) wanted him in. If McAllister had lost the recall election, Knight would now be running for re-election.
Enochs takes McAllister in 2003. In 2005, McAllister receives more votes to boot him then what put him in. Of the 8 candidates in the 2003 election, 4 of the same candidates will again be running against each other in 2008 for the same 2 seats.
For more reasons than just the above, won’t this upcoming election season be an interesting one.
Update 7-31-08: On Murrieta after 5 years
McAllister’s website promotes himself as the reason why Murrieta is "much better than 5 years ago". McAllister was elected (2,955 votes) in 2003 by a somewhat slim margin over Nancy Knight (2,535 votes) and a greater margin over David Landrascina (368 votes). At that time his priorities were:
“Eliminate the symptoms of leadership dysfunction: traffic, lack of police/fire, parks, etc... “
I think we could all agree with McAllister that it is 5 years later and that he may have achieved his priorities. But, would we all agree that is Murrieta really better?
**************************
WHAT IF Knight would have been elected, would Murrieta be better than 5 years ago? Looking at her priorities at that time they were:
“Urgencies: Streets and infrastructure, public safety, business development “
Ah, the key word “business development”, something that McAllister did not set as a priority.
**************************
OR WHAT IF (by a long shot) Landrascina had been elected, would Murrieta be better than 5 years ago? Looking at his priorities at that time they were:
“Balanced growth that attracts light Industrial & Commercial Jobs/Sit-down Restaurants/Revenues/One Cop per 1000 residents”
Ah again, the key words “Balanced growth that attracts light Industrial & Commercial Jobs”, something that McAllister did not set as a priority.
**************************
2003, not so long ago when the times were booming, no worries, no fears. 2008, a time when Murrieta is in hope of good jobs, a strong tax base. Murrieta 5 years later…..could things have been better if only McAllister had different priorities or he hadn’t won by any margin? 20/20 is always hindsight, isn't it?
(This is by no means a promotional for any of the individuals mentioned. It is simply a walk in time.)
Update 7-30-08: On fools and the fooled
If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem. It is true that you may fool all the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all of the time; but you can’t fool all of the people all the time.
Abraham Lincoln
Update 7-29-08: On sloppy at best
In a Californian letter to the editor, Randon Lane made a false statement when he wrote:
“If he’s innocent, why has he delayed his trial for 2 ½ years? Why does he refuse to have his day in court?”.
Randon not only made a false statement, he has also failed to do his homework. A quick Google search on “Warnie Enochs” yields the following result:
Enochs waives hearing, next step is trial -- "When the defense waives its right to a preliminary hearing, the case then proceeds to the next step of pre-trial motions and then to trial. It is unusual for defense attorneys to waive such hearings."
What this tells the reader is that Enochs is willing and ready for his day in court.
On 3-17-08, on behalf of the DA, the court issues a bench warrant for a handwriting exemplar (DA evidence). What this tells the reader is that the DA is not ready for trial.
So who is it that has delayed the trial, the DA or Enochs?
Right out the gate Randon Lane has demonstrated his ineptness to minor details and his statements are not only false, they are sloppy at best.
Update 7-28-08: On turning a blind eye
I myself have turned a blind eye to problems, both here on the blog and personally. And in each instance, that blind eye has come back to bite me. One would think that after umpteen years a few lessons would have been learned by now.
Now the question I have about Warnie Enochs is he turning a blind eye to his legal issues. While the legal issues may be divorce stemmed, they are felonies where no person is allowed to hold an elected office with this type of conviction. With the reported announcement to run for office again, it is my belief that Enochs must now come clean to his electorate before this election season goes too far. Unlike Randon Lane, I am not going to accuse Enochs of delaying judgment. Because of the known court delays in Riverside County, Lane's statement is false. What I am going to do is ask Enochs to explain why he has chosen to run and whether he is turning a blind eye on his issues. My hope is that he is truthful and honest about his future. If he isn’t, he may just send this City into a tail spin that will be difficult to get out of.
Yes, everyone deserves their day in court, but the citizens of Murrieta don’t deserve to have a blind eye turned on them.
Update 7-27-08: On slogans
Doug McAllister’s website reads “He Listens. He leads. You Win!!” Okay, it’s catchy, but what does it mean? Here are my thoughts on it all.
“He Listens” – To whom?
“He leads” – By following others.
“You Win” – Or you lose. All depends on how and if you fit into his plans.
Call this gossip if you like, but I have heard McAllister is participating in unofficial closed door meetings with an out of state firm regarding the North Triangle. This isn't gossip. I have listened to almost a 2 hour recording where McAllister entertained, in an unofficial status, the owners and brokers of the North Triangle property. So while he is working (officially) with the Domenigon’s on the Triangle he is also working (unofficially) with the North Triangle owner’s, which in my mind is an conflict of interest. This would not be the first time McAllister has participated in these same type meetings.
I’m not a fan of McAllister, but a final determination whether to vote up or down must still await a full comparison of all candidates.
Update 7-26-08: On let the games begin
A few weeks ago Randon Lane made the statement (paraphrased) "this election will be nasty". What he didn't say was that he was going to be the one to cast the first stone. As the the son of a full-time minister and an active member of the church community, I would think that Lane would behave differently. This only goes to prove you can't judge a book by its cover.
In a letter to the editor, Lane said "After years of delaying justice, it's time to do the right thing and remove the cloud from over his head and from ours."
It seems to me Lane has jumped to a conclusion that isn't exactly factual. As I interprete the court records, it looks to be the DA that has mostly set trial dates back, whereas most recently the DA is still attempting to gather evidence.
Lane also stated "Most city leaders have reserved comment". As I recall Lane, McAllister has been the only city leader to call (publically) Enochs to the carpet and has since (Feb. 2007) changed his position by saying "We didn't need (another) circus," McAllister said. "Now ... my hat is off to Warnie that he hasn't allowed it to become a circus. He deserves the respect of his seat."
So with this said, Lane wouldn't this mean that ALL city leaders have reserved comment and that you are the only city leader(questionable) to make judgement?
All in all, by launching the first attack on Enochs indicates that Lane is running scared and doubts his chances of winning a seat. Lane knows he's not at the top of the list for McAllister’s seat, so there's only one seat he has a chance at, and with the incumbent running the odds got a lot longer.
Update 7-25-08: On what do we know
In the June primary, Paul Clay, a Perris high school teacher, ran on the democratic ticket for the 45th Congressional District, a district that includes Murrieta.
According to CampaignMoney.com, Clay’s campaign appeared to be mostly self-funded, contributing $13,700 of the $16,459 total raised.
According to the July 20th publication of the Democratic Desert Political Roundup, Paul Clay (Clay45thcalif@aol.com) is in need of volunteers for his campaign for the Murrieta City Council.
So other than being a Murrieta resident seeking a spot on the City Council, a Perris high school teacher with what might be a depleted bank account, and someone that lost a bid for a seat in Congress, what do we know about Clay? I haven' a clue.
Update 7-24-08: On campaign platforms
If a candidate wishes to get the attention of their constituents, demonstrating to them they can do more with less will need to be the way to go.
No matter where you look these days, all you read about are cuts. The latest cut, the Federal Hwy. Trust Fund, is coming from the top and is going to affect to Murrieta. The Clinton Keith bridge is just over the horizon. Is it going to go down like a setting sun? What about the new Cal Oaks/I-15 interchange; the widening of the 215; the French Valley Parkway? They are all at risk. And what about our own City Hall? Will the halls need to be cleansed to balance future budgets? These are hard times, and Murrieta, like many cities, is getting hit from all directions. For sure, hard times call for hard measures. The candidates will need to be creative in their campaigning and cannot afford to stand on the old platforms.
Because Lane, so far, is the only candidate to come out with a campaign platform, I look at his and say “you will have to do much better Lane”. Platform issue “Public Safety”, where are you going to get the funds to do what you want to do? Platform issue “Traffic/Infrastructure”, old news, no funds and now it’s too late. (On a side note, since when do planning commissioners have the authority to set policy as you say you have? This is a fabrication of your imagination and no one is buying it.) Platform issue “Beautification”; and you going to get the funds from where?
Being unrealistic in today’s economy, Randon Lane's platform issues are not going to sell. What will sell is if the candidate can demonstrate to the people they can do more with less.
Update 7-23-08: On the Ballot
Again, the word regarding Kassen Klein and Casey Evans not running for council is being told by Randon Lane. Whether this is a political ploy or not, only time will tell.
Besides the 3 confirmed candidates, the following is my list of the remaining possible candidates.
Nancy Knight – If history repeats itself, Knight will follow through with what was printed in the July Bugle.
David Landrascina – Landrascina ran in the last election, and as I understand, has run a few times prior. I think this history makes him a good horse to bet on.
Paul Clay - So who is Paul Clay? I did not know until I Googled him. My result was minimal. Hope you all do better than I. Where did I hear this? Sorry, sources need to be kept close to the chest.
The deadline for filing is August 8th, meaning there are only a few short weeks until we all know what the ballot will look like. What I do know is that if the final list is a full rack of 8, the votes will be so split it is likely both incumbents will prevail. To futher the odds (against Lane), I would like to see Evans run. However, my hunch is that the Republican group made a deal to further Lane's chances of a win by eliminating Evans. Evans, twice now, has given Lane a run for his money, including giving Lane the last place position in the republican committee race.
Update 7-22-08: On pol influence
It seems that a month doesn’t go by when a change is made to the Temecula wine country. It wasn’t too long ago when the county made provisions for the development of 5-acre parcels. This upcoming Wednesday, the board of supervisions are scheduled to hear a proposed change in the policy regarding the use of the 5 acres, or rather, a change to strip away what rights were given to land owners not too long ago. Rights that allowed small gatherings for weddings and other such celebrations. The proposed change would strip those rights away and limit the uses solely for the purpose of grape harvesting and single family residents. The proposed change was introduced by Supervisor Stone.
Now the question here is what prompted this 180-degree change in the County’s position, or rather Stone's position. As I reflect back on recent reports regarding wine country, the first thing that comes to mind is Dan Stephenson, owner of the former Callaway winery. Stephenson has entitlements for 3-10 acre properties known as Europa, where these entitlements allow for those same (and more) celebrations that are proposed to be cut from the 5-acre properties. Hmm, I wonder if Stephenson may have some influence with Stone, which then would limit Europa’s competition? As we all know, this is a well-known tactic of Stephenson (for instance, eliminate the competition of Domenigoni's super housing plan in Winchester). He is also known to have great influence in local and county government (for instance, Temecula City Council and Supervisor Stone). Isn’t it time we, the voters, put an end to these types of influences by voting these influenced politicians out, least vote them in?
Again, Jeff Horseman of the PE seems to be able pick up on things that most individuals skip over. Thanks Jeff for your superior investigative reporting.
Update 7-21-08: On future favors
A.G. Kading is reported to be the developer of a planned Murrieta Education Center. A.G. Kading is a new developer in Murrieta. This developer has yet to have their project approved by staff, yet alone to have the project presented to the Planning Commission in which Lane is chairman of. So if A.G. Kading is a new player in town and has never had a project before the Planning Commission, why would this new player be offering up support to an unknown individual making a bid for city council? Yes, this is the correct question that should be asked before placing an X on the ballot next to Randon Lane.
Update 7-20-08: On the cat with 9 lives
With the decision to run for another term, Warnie Enochs apparently has the inside scoop on his divorce-stemmed criminal charges. Or, does he have 9 lives? The upcoming trial date of August 6th will be the 8th date scheduled.
Update 7-19-08: On support
Murrieta Chamber and developers high on Randon Lane
Update 7-18-08: On the Race
My list of council candidates may grow to 8, or if the rumor (being spread by Lane) that Casey Evans and Kassen Klein will not run is true, it may shrink to 6.
Update 7-18-08: On follow the money
On Saturday, July 19th, Kevin Jeffries will be a special guest at a candidate kick-off for Randon Lane. Since Dan Stephenson was a huge supporter of Jeffries, be sure to follow the money trail on this candidate, as the money is for sure to tickle down the political ladder. Lane is looking to be a career politician. Is this what Murrieta needs? Someone looking to use Murrieta as a stepping stone to further his career goal? Is this what southwest county needs is another puppet controlled by Dan Stephenson? Another puppet like the Temecula council? Ask yourself this question before you place an X on the ballot next to Randon Lane.
7-13-08:
Contrary to what Jeff Horseman at the PE is reporting on the Temecula Council election, right now my count for Murrieta says there could be at least 7 on the ballot. Can you count them all?
Because it looks like this may be a heated, and possible direction turning, Murrieta Council election, all comments within this string are requested to stay focused on the topic at hand.
Thanks and regards, HD
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