Cars found vandalized in Menifee

I received a report from a "concerned Menifee resident"...

I've got some disturbing news to report.

While driving to church this morning along Ridgemoor Rd. I noticed a car parked in the street along the curb with it's driver side window smashed in, and a pile of glass below on the street. To my surprise a second, third and fourth car were in the same condition. I'm not sure news like this ever makes it to the Press Enterprise. I just thought some other residents would like to be aware. I know crime happens everyday; it's just a little upsetting to when it happens so close to home.

- A concerned Menifee resident.

I saw something similar to this a couple of years ago. A car had been parked for several days along La Ladera St., about where the new park is being built. One day while driving past it, I noticed it's windows were smashed. That hit home to me, because this was in my neighborhood. Actually, Ridgemoor Rd. is close to me also.

Take pride in Menifee; Tell Merit Property Management to do their job!

I am not one to complain, but it's time to rock the boat a little….

When my family and I were searching for a home in Menifee late last summer we were looking for a "move up" community. We, like most homeowners, take pride in our home and want to live in a neighborhood were others feel the same. We were looking for a place were we could feel comfortable letting our children play out front, were people actually mowed their lawns, and put their garbage cans away after trash day.
After several afternoon drives thru the local neighborhoods searching for the right home my wife and I agreed on one inexplicable fact: Purple is a great color for grape soda, NOT a house! We also agreed that the only way to guarantee we wouldn’t be living next to someone who thought their front lawn would be a great place to park their car was to move into a community maintained by a Home Owners Association.

Aaahhh! So there it was…. Tierra Shores. Build by America's Builder D.R. Horton (who by the way has done a fabulous job). It's a small oasis with a beautiful lake in the middle and a wall around it with gates to ensure the privacy and safety we were looking for. The $150+ monthly investment for the HOA seemed a small price to pay to keep my kids safe, and to live in a place were people would work to maintain the beauty of their community.

So far the investment has not paid off! My family was the first to move into this community, and since day one our association, poorly managed by Merit Property Management, as been unsuccessful in enforcing the rules clearly spelled out in the CC&R's.

It is clear that most homeowners in the community have not read their CC&R's! As you drive in thru the gates of our community you will see that nearly every other homeowner stores their garbage cans either on the curb or somewhere in front of their home. Front lawns are dead. Some have even ripped out their front yards or are putting in their back yards without association approval.

I have made several phone calls and sent countless e-mails to Suzanne Bolton, the Community Manager, asking her to start enforcing the rules. Her over all response to me was "I can't FORCE these people follow the rules." I pointed out to her that her company could FORCE me to pay my bill (i.e. put lean on my house if I didn’t). Perhaps they could do more to remind people that they live in a community with aesthetic standards and to enforce the rules that I am paying them to enforce. In other words do their job!

Sure, garbage cans out in front of someone's house or someone taking apart their car on the driveway may seem like small issues, but it's all part of a bigger picture. You don't have to live in Tierra Shores to be bothered by the lack-luster attitude portrayed by Merit Property Management. We are the early settlers here at the "New Menifee." We need to hold these companies accountable! A standard and a president must be set by us to maintain the vision for a better community we all share!

Please help me maintain Menifee's beauty and emerging character by forwarding your concerns to:

Suzanne Bolton
Merit Property Management
951-296-2272 ext. 107
sbolton@meritpm.com

Menifee is Growing

I think it is great that so many people are writing to this site.
I have lived in Menifee since 1992, when there was nothing here. Everyone wanted amenities, but I think we all forget how much traffic, trash, accidents and etc. it all brings. I recently got an email from a developer wanting to know how to use his park space. He had contacted AYSO and others. I told him we needed soccer, baseball, basketball fields and nice parks. The parks we now have do not accomodate enough people. The park on La Ladera is going to be an excellent addition. I can't wait for it do be done, since I live near it.
We not only need parks, but like it has been said, we need law enforcement. We need a boys and Girls Club. We need to start getting the amenities that Temecula has. We need to become a CITY. We need to have our own High School. Lets make Jeff Stone aware that the residents want these things.
On another note, I have heard that a new middle school will be built behind the new Park on La Ladera. In the Audie Murphy Ranch project.

Keep our Children Safe!

I want to share an event that occured Wed. July 27 near La Paloma Park, off Menifee Rd. For those who know the area, the park is located near Kirkpatrick Elementary. A third grader was walking home when a male approached him and asked him if he wanted some candy. The man, described as a slender White male driving a black SUV followed the student, who smartly ran away from the man. Apparently the car followed him a short while before driving away. Local law enforcement agents were notified.

Needless to say, it is important that we teach our children about keeping themselves safe and making sure they walk in groups. Although we live in a nice, upper scale community, we need to realize that these things can occur here. Please take some time to visit Caliornia website, Megan's Law for more information about keeping your children safe. It is sad to see that every community/city is affected by these individuals.
http://www.meganslaw.ca.gov/homepage.htm

This ironically connects with the previous listing! We need to make sure we have adequate police protection! To steal a part from Julie Johnson's post:


I think its time that the residents get mad about not having adequate public safety. Write Sheriff Bob Doyle and tell him to stop playing politics and start protecting Menifee Valley! AdministrationSheriff Bob Doyle4095 Lemon StreetRiverside, CA 92501(951) 955-2400or SHill@riversidesheriff.org

What's up with the Sheriff's Department?

I have worked at a Chamber in Menifee Valley for over 3 three years and I have been appalled by the lack of public safety.

Do you realize that Menifee Valley has 50,000 residents and yet Sun City only has 2 part-time deputies (Perris Sub-Station) with Menifee having about 4 part-time deputies (Temecula Sub Station). Every City and County strives to have 1 cop for every 1000 citizens. By that standard we should have 50 cops for Menifee Valley. The reason I'm told by the Sheriff Department is that Sheriff Bob Doyle doesn't have the funds to expend for more officers in Menifee Valley.

One of the reasons for the lack of funds is due the county building the infamous TajMahal Southwest Detention Center (French Valley) to the tune $156 million dollars (it was only suppose to cost $50 Million).

One year later, we still need more jail/prisons. Supervisor Jeff Stone had a great solution of using an vacated jail in Eagle Mountain. It would only cost $10 Million to buy and renovate the building. Call me stupid, but I have always like the idea of having prisons/jails away completely away from residents and neigborhoods.
Sheriff Bob Doyle said no, because if a deputy got hurt, medical services were an hour away. I'm sorry, the logic to that doesn't play out. Put a doctor on site and it would solve the problem.

So we will again pay for another Taj Mahal jail facility to be built, while Menifee Valley residents go without public safety. Last Thursday, Sun City had another bank robbery (across the street from the Chamber office).

I should also point out that Sun City (of all places) only has 1/2 of a paramedic in the Fire Department.

I think its time that the residents get mad about not having adequate public safety. Write Sheriff Bob Doyle and tell him to stop playing politics and start protecting Menifee Valley!
Administration
Sheriff Bob Doyle
4095 Lemon Street
Riverside, CA 92501
(951) 955-2400
or SHill@riversidesheriff.org

Menifee MAC has a position open

The Menifee Municipal Advisory Committee is looking to fill a vacant seat. The Committee reports to the Third District Supervisor of Riverside County. It's function is to conduct regular community meetings, field comments from residents, and propose solutions to the Supervisor.

Anyone interested must fill out and submit an application to:

Supervisor Jeff Stone
P.O. Box 1486
Riverside, CA 92502

To obtain an application, contact Stevie Field.

Temecula Jazz Festival- 2nd Annual

Temecula Jazz Festival-
Last night my family and I had the opportunity of attending the 2nd Annual Temecula Jazz Festival at the Duck pond park on the corner of Rancho California and Ynez. The event was publicized on Jazz radio stations. I even had a friend in LA ask me about it the other day. It was a nice event with many families. Adults and kids of all ages were blessed with the sounds of Jazz and Latin Jazz permeating the air. Many couples were dancing as the children were running around and rolling down the green grassy hill. There is a follow up event at the Temecula promenade today, Sunday July 17. It would be nice to bring some live music to Menifee in the years to come. This would bring even more character to our up and comming community.

The Menifee Gorilla; An American Dream

There is a new scary word for some folks here in Riverside County and other parts of the U.S., eminent domain. Last month the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a ruling allowing the government to conduct a land grab on private land for business development. This means that if your home or business is in the path of the raging urban sprawling bull it could end up being a parking lot for the next Costco.
One has to wonder how the long time locals of Menifee Valley feel about the thousand pound gorilla in their living rooms in the form of a bulldozer bearing down on their farms, dairy's and countryside homes. My understanding is that not long ago Menifee was a "one horse town" so-to-speak, and quite frankly some folks liked it that way. You don't have to live here long before you start hearing how the way things used to be; with the dirt roads, the clean air and that cherished (by some) countrified smell.

I watch the earth-movers excavating farm land, the paving of dirt roads, and sit back in fervent anticipation for the blasting that is sure to take place when the city punches thru the hillside behind Briggs Road to extend Newport Road out to Winchester.

The feeling of excitement for some as the area gives birth to a new era is evident. For others it's a setting sun that will only exist in the memories of the few, and may bring them to pack the wagons and head for quieter pastures.

Many of us are pining for a Starbucks off Newport Road that we can hit before work on the way out to the freeway, or a family restaurant close by that isn't a bar or a drive thru Jack-in-the-Box. My family and I, as many of you are, are used to convenience. Let's face it, I'm a city boy, from a place where a dirt road was what got you to the campground and a small town was place without a Nordstrom. My family and I are here in Menifee for the investment. We chose this area for it's monitorial potential in our home, for it's charm and existing and developing character. I'm a man with a family and a dream, just as the many who lived here before me. My family and I came here to live the American dream of owning our own home. It’s unfortunate that our dream has to be at the expense of another's.

No More Music at Madlin's Coffee House

Some bad news about a popular hang out for live music lovers. Madlin's Coffee House, located in the Adobe Plaza, on the corner of Jefferson and Overland in Temecula, was ordered by the City of Temecula to cease playing live music. At 11:00am this morning, city officials told the coffee shop that no more bands could play there effectively immediately. Hence, tonight's shows, and all future shows are cancelled.

Madlin's was the only "alcohol-free" place in Temecula where young adults could go to hear live rock music, and where parents didn't have to worry about being subjected to drunken crowds. Many local area bands relied on Madlin's to showcase their talent.

At issue is a $3,800.00 "Conditional Use Permit" that the City requires in order to play live music. Neither Madlin's nor their event promoter, Full Value Entertainment, was willing to pay the non-refundable fee, because the City would not guarantee that a permit be granted.

Bill Gould, who operates Full Value Entertainment, plans to announce a new location next week in Murrieta where the music will continue playing. The first gig, dubbed "The Big Summer Bash" is scheduled for July 30. In addition, Bill announced a location in Fullerton where his company will also book bands.

Frankly, Madlin's is going to lose business as a result of this, which means less tax revenue for the City of Temecula. And it sounds like Murrieta is going to win, because music lovers are going to there instead.

La Ladera Park - More Info

Here's more information on the La Ladera Park currently under construction, at the corner of La Ladera Road and Country Fair Drive, in the Menifee Hills development.

La Ladera park was funded by CSA 145 funds. It has 8.3 acres. The ground-breaking ceremony was held in April, 2005 and it is scheduled to open by October 2005. It has 2 tot lots for different age groups, a softball field with an inlay soccer field, a basket ball court, a tennis court, a walking trail with exercise stations, a picnic area with barbeques and shade structures.

The graphic to the right is a thumbnail image of what the park will look like. Click the image to see a larger display. You can also download the PDF file of this drawing, and expand it even more to see the intricate details.

Thanks to Julie Johnson, of the Menifee-Sun City Chamber of Commerce for getting this information to us.

New Menifee Message Board

Eric Madrid, a local resident, launched a new online message board where Menifee residents can discuss their opinions of home builders in the area.

Quotes Eric, "This area is for local residents to discuss their satisfaction or otherwise with home builders in our area. Our goal is to help maintain the high standard of housing developments in our community."

If you have something to say about the companies that build homes in Menifee, whether it's about the company that built your home, or a company currently building homes here, go visit Eric's new message board and sound off!

Eric also runs the unofficial "City of Menifee" website, and is also a writer for Menifee 24/7.

Master Planned Community Moving Earth in Menifee

For those of you peering over the green fence, as have I, to peruse at those giant earth-moving monsters on the corner of Newport Ave. and Menifee Rd. I think I've uncovered the "secret" project at work.

I say secret, as it took some serious excavating of my own to find any information on the project. After trolling the dark halls and back rooms of Google late one night I found an old news announcement written in January 2004 by the Rancon Group of Murrieta.

There is a 399 acre master-planned community in the making called "The Lakes at Menifee" being built by Centex Homes. The Rancon Group claims the community is "destined to become the Menifee area's premier lake community." Centex Homes paid a whoppin' $50 million when they managed to crawl out of a merchant builders bidding dog pile with the winning bid.

See the full article here. Lakes at Menifee.pdf

City Hood delayed one more time

Once you become a city, there is no turning back. You are stuck with the tax deficits, the repairs and maintenance, and public safety issues (to name just a few). That is why LAFCO (Land Agency Formation Commission) is the government agency responsible to guarantee that an area has enough funds and a correct plan of action to make a new city work. There must be a LAFCO approval before it can even go before the people to vote for or against City Hood.

Unfortunately, last week (and I'm pretty sure it can be attributed to the State Budget negotiations), it was decided that the bill proposing restoration of the Motor Vehicles Fees given to potential new cities, will be delayed one year. These funds make up a major part of a new city's budget. I think it is safe to say that without these funds, California will never see a formation of a new city again. So this definately puts a damper on the incorporation of Menifee Valley. Without those funds, I don't see how LAFCO can approve a formation of a new city.

Having written that, I personally think that the state budget will correct itself within a few short years. By that time, Menifee Valley should easily have the businesses necessary to generate sales tax dollars as well as high quality of jobs to purchase those goods and services.

Did you know that currently a new city should generate about $100/pp (state average) in sales tax revenue to be able to incorporate? Unfortunately, Menifee Valley only has about $20 per person (if the fiscal anaylsis is correct). This means that there is an incredible amount of leakage of tax dollars to other areas because we are lacking in so many business categories.

I predict that City Hood could very well be a reality within three to five years due to the tremendous amount of growth that will be taking place. During this 3 to 5 year time period, the Menifee-Sun City Chamber of Commerce has many plans in place to put this area on the map. It's our desire that residents will be able to live, work and play in Menifee Valley. This plan of action should very well ease the burden of traffic on the 215.

If you know of any business that is looking to relocate in Menifee Valley, have them look us up. Our business is to make business for Menifee Valley.

Menifee Valley's getting VERY Exciting

Yes, Steve, we are getting some more restaurants in Menifee and many more commercial developments as well.

Of course, everyone knows that there will be Abe's Steakhouse which will be built on the Southeast corner of Newport and Bradley. This will be a place that we can have high-power business lunches, delicious dinners and fine wines. This should be breaking ground by late September. Right next to Abe's Steakhouse will be a 2-story office building (which we are in desperate need of!).

There is also a shopping center proposed, north of Abe's Steakhouse, between Newport and Park St. There will be retail shopping, etc. and it will be very nice. I am projecting that this will groundbreak around Dec., Jan-06.

Everyone has been reading about the commercial area on Newport along with 215 cooridor.
Yep, it's going to happen. Supervisor Jeff Stone is watching this very closely because he would like to make sure that it will be a place that will bring the residents together.

There is also a new commercial development proposed on the corner of McCall and Encanto. Look for another restaurant and other retail establishments similar to the Menifee Lakes Shopping Center on Newport.

The future is definately now! If you would like more information, come visit me at the Menifee-Sun City Chamber of Commerce (between Coco's and McDonalds) or call 951-723-8511.

Murrieta Resident Sues Mayor of Baldwin Park

The law firm of Lively & Ackerman, of Temecula, CA, has issued a press release stating that Laura "Dottie" Dalton, a resident of Murrieta, filed a formal governmental claim against the City of Baldwin Park, its Mayor, and Police Department. Full details of the claim are found here.

The claim says that Dalton was in Baldwin Park on May 14, 2005, during a dedication ceremony for a controversial new monument. Dalton, and several others were there as part of a peaceful-protest, because, according to the claim, the monument "denounces white and other non-Latinos". A full accounting of the protest, including a reference to this bottle-throwing claim, can be found here.

The monument depicts statements, "It was better before they came", and "This land was Mexican once, was Indian always and will be again."

The claim goes on to say that the Mayor of Baldwin Park was present at the dedication, and charges the Mayor for encouraging violence against Dalton and her group:

"Mayor Lozano appeared to support racist comments made by protesters against Claimant, and endorsed discriminatory comments made by his fellow protesters. Other City Council members were also present at the protest, which eventually turned into an anti-white mob. [...] Furthermore, many of the attendees at the event were known to be here in the United States illegally. Instead of enforcing the law against their illicit presence, and thereby reducing the risk of a large mob mentality, the members of the City Council present at the event actively discouraged any enforcement of the law and actually incited protesters to attack those who were near Claimant. After inciting the crowd, members of the crowd did actually start throwing heavy objects toward Claimant. Claimant LAURA "DOTTIE" DALTON was hit by a full bottle of water that was intentionally hurled at a high velocity at the Claimant at about 1:00 pm." The medical records of Ms. Dalton indicate that she suffered a brain hemorrhage as a result of the foreseeable violence escalated by the Mayor of Baldwin Park.

The claim seeks one million dollars in compensation for medical bills, future medical expenses, and punitive damages. The claim also requests that the City of Baldwin Park eliminate the racist comments set forth in the challenged monument. The City must respond to the claim in a manner prescribed by the California Government Code.