October 8, 2008 by Bill Gould, Publisher.

Below is the interview I did with Mayor Mike Naggar of Temecula. I asked him many of the same questions as I asked Councilperson Chuck Washington. Mike is a sharp man with a boisterous personality who has done some great things for Temecula in the last 9 years. You can read the interview and make your own informed choice as a registered voter for the future of Temecula.

Bill: What have you done to secure more high paying jobs in Temecula?

Mike: Over the past nine years as council member I have presided over one of the greatest job and economic development expansions in Riverside county. Job growth has been a whopping 93% increase. We have done this in a number of ways. First we built a quality of life that makes people want to come here. We have done that in a number of ways from our park and trails system to our community theater to all the family activities we are known for. Next you want to make sure you can move traffic. We have spent over 100 million on road improvements the past 5 years and have another 250 million ready to go including the new French Valley Parkway interchange breaking ground in 2009 fully funded. Of course, Abbot is expanding, the mall is expanding, PHS is expanding and a hospital is coming to town. Today, right now, over a half of billion dollars is being invested in Temecula and creating over 1500 permanent jobs. This does not even count the construction jobs that are created by this activity. Lastly, linking economic development to higher education is also the key. We have brought 3 colleges to town, Mt San Jacinto, Concordia and Cal-State San Marcos! We formed a foundation to begin raising money for a permanent 50 acre college campus site.

Bill: What are your goals for the future in getting high paying jobs to Temecula to reduce commuting?

Mike: We keep doing what we have been doing. Job creation is regional. Temecula has been the economic engine in this region the past 9 years. However, there is no guaranty that a job we create in Temecula will go to a Temecula resident. Therefore the regions success is our success. I have already put together a coalition of council members from Perris, Canyon Lake, Elsinore, Hemet, Murrieta and the county supervisors office to study the future medical needs for the region and coordinate this need together. This cooperation will result in regional job growth. A rising tide floats all ships

Bill: Teens and Jobs - any ideas, things you have done to help?

Mike: Water Park= 300 jobs on the way. We held 2 youth expos this year attend by over 3000 students. We are putting the youth in touch with the employers

Bill: What is the Youth Master Plan and what is being done to make a difference? Was someone hired to help?

Mike: The youth master plan was an effort of over 500 community stakeholders to evaluate all things youth. Many of the participants were youth. We have also brought on a Harvard Grad to facilitate the plan and all youth activities in the city. His name is Charles Walker.

Bill: There is a lot of discussion about Old Town and the City Hall. What are the plans for old town, the City Hall and parking?

Mike: Old Town is our future downtown. A plan was put together about 15 years ago, with the community participating, as to what OT would become. That plan is coming to fruition with the construction of the civic center complex. Downtown Temecula is becoming a place where you can live, relax, enjoy the park or one of two museums, see a show, have a great meal at a number of restaurants and attend a myriad of special events.

Bill: I know a ton of people are concerned about the proposed quarry, what is going on with that?

Mike: No Quarry!. The city is annexing the land. The city, since 1992 has always planned to annex the land. We have started to commence this process and will be conducting hearings in this November and December.

Bill: What is the deal with ‘Art in Public Places’, how is it funded and where can it be used?

Mike:The city charges developers many fees for developing in our community. One of those fees is a “Public Art Fee”. This money, can only be used for art. Our community is at a stage in its evolution where the arts have become important to people this includes, musical, literary, performing and others.

Bill: How does the city work with the wine country area to preserve the rural feel?

Mike: The wine country is under the jurisdiction of the county. The plans for the wince country have been in place for a number of years and for councilman and now County Supervisor Jeff Stone is doing a nice job seeing that the development adheres to the approved standard. That said, the wine country is zoned and intended to be built with estate homes, wineries, bed and breakfasts, as well as restaurants. There is a requirement that a certain portion stay agricultural.

Bill: What was your role in the almost complete Promenade Mall expansion?

Mike: I worked very closely with the developers on the plan that you see. We are also doing the entire traffic circulation element around the mall to cure some problems. Please keep in mind that as a Planning Commissioner, the mall was approved on part of my watch and as a council member the past nine years everything that sprang up around it a had a hand in in one way or another.

Bill: OK, this one is for the kids, what is the status of the proposed Waterpark?

Mike: An environmental Impact report is being done. I expect them to break ground mid next year to open in summer of 2010!

Bill: What is your biggest accomplishment as a councilperson?

Mike: In 9 year you get a lot done. Its hard to point to just one thing. I, as a campaign promise took the county to task by suing them more then four times and winning, to prevent uncontrolled growth on our borders. As a result impacts from outside the city can no longer affect the city. They have to put in roads along with the development or they can’t build. We have literally change the way business is done in the county and citizens will never realize how bad it would have gotten if we did not do so. Also, the French valley parkway, the hospital, the children’s museum, as well as singlehanded acquiring over 200 acres of open space from a developer.

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October 8, 2008 by Bill Gould, Publisher.

Below is a few pieces of information from Manolito V. Vitug, who is running for Menifee School Board. I think he has some interesting ideas, if you have any comments, feel free to share them. As well if you are a candidate running for a local office, please contact us so we can make voters aware of your ideas.

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MANOLITO V. VITUG, Candidate
Governing Board, Menifee School District
Election date: November 4, 2008

A retired banker. Former Vice President & Branch Manager of Bank of America, Vice President of a bank in Northern California, President/CEO of a Los Angeles bank.

In retirement, I teach financial management, part time, at Mt San Jacinto College. I am also a member of the school’s Advisory Committee and a volunteer teacher in the G.R.E.A.T. program of the Menifee School District.

My objectives in the school board:

1. To promote better education through formation of the children’s human qualities, alongside development of their academic and technical competence.

2. To develop financial programs that will make schools less dependent on government funding and avoid issuing bonds that result in increased property taxes.

Lane (my wife of 47 years) and I have 9 children, 8 children-in-law and 20 grandchildren all residing, working and going to school in California.
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Brief on generating funds
for the Menifee School District

Background. Whenever the school budget is cut, the effect is always disastrous to the community. The consequences range from the laying off teachers and/or administrative staff to cutting back of classrooms, school supplies, etc. Or issuing bonds to raise money which, in turn, results in increased property taxes.

Objective. To develop a program of generating funds for the School District in order to enable it to continue with its normal operations in the event of budget cuts.

There are several ways of generating funds.

Strategy. One such project is the establishment of a Federal Credit Union.

First of all, the Credit Union’s creation shall provide a service to the members in terms of savings and checking accounts, time deposits, secured credit cards, car loans, and residential loans. Its profits will be distributed, as required by law, to the credit union members who are the teachers, parents and residents of the community.

Secondly, the Credit Union shall generate additional income through business brokering and consulting. Its consulting function will include assisting certain companies in the Inland Empire to obtain Federal grants for their operations. These will be those companies which can qualify for Federal grants, businesses whose operations are or can be geared towards export of their products to other countries. The school district shall be the beneficiary of a major portion of the fees that the Credit Union will generate from this business activity.
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Concept: on enhancing
The Education of Children

Our love for the youth is measured by our response to their needs. Their real needs are those things that are necessary for their moral, intellectual and social formation. Development in these areas must start in their homes. Among the qualities that need to have their foundation at home include order, honesty, sincerity and generosity.

The schools participate in the continued nurturing of these qualities and, in addition, they have the task of developing the social qualities of the students. Such other qualities include friendliness, cooperation, responsibility, sportsmanship, among other social qualities. These should be developed alongside the formation in the sciences and the arts.

In the real world, one can always hire and pay for the services of technically competent individuals. But one cannot pay somebody to possess good human qualities. Such qualities cannot be bought. They have to belong to the person who, over time, has acquired them. Therefore, a person who has a good balance of the human qualities and technical competence is the more complete person, a truly educated person. This should be the objective of especially early education. To achieve this objective, education should involve a close cooperation and partnership between parents/guardians and teachers, a partnership that will place alongside the formation of academic and technical competence, the development of the human qualities in children. It shall be the responsibility of the school district to develop a program that will put this objective into effect.

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October 8, 2008 by PT Rothschild.

‘MAVERICK’ JOHN McCAIN BLINKED, JUST LIKE NEW ‘COKE’

Temecula, CA – I find myself in a position much like a Clint Eastwood western character, caught in the middle of a fray, disliked by both sides, with nothing to gain from either one. Some people may be surprised by this next statement, but I really don’t care who wins the upcoming election in Temecula, and the same can be said for the one in Murrieta, but for different reasons. Now that isn’t to say that I don’t have an opinion on who I would like to see win. But I don’t care because whoever wins, they will not see the music world I reside in, the creative thinking ‘out of the box’ youth I know that greet me everywhere or see me at their shows, they don’t know the synergy I experience by ‘hanging’ with the youth who just want a few places to chill and see a $5 show, so the band can make some gas money to the next gig.

Neither the incumbents nor the challengers inhabit the world of live new original music and feel the passion you get from seeing young talent ‘leave it all’ on stage, whether it be to 5 people, a mom, sister, and three school friends, or a packed coffee house, where a group of six female teens sing the chorus, off key, as two musicians play acoustically three tunes, in between loading up their van for their next gig somewhere after a sold-out show. No matter what ‘new’ youth programs come from whoever gets in, my ‘world’ will be untouched and no roof-top concert will change that or be thought of as ‘cool’; sorry Charlie, it’s already been done by the Beatles, back when Hack was a pup. My world will remain untouched because all the ‘kids’ in it, like me, are not ‘ready for prime time’ or the main stream.

We have full sleeve tats, piercings, wild hair styles, thrift store kitsch, in your face T-shirts, and an attitude. And that’s just part of the equation. So, you may be asking, why am I sticking ‘my two cents’ into this election fray? I love a good game, just like that Clint Eastwood character. Am I an adrenaline junkie, well, yes and no. You see, the world I inhabit is not normal; a creative world can never be. So last night, candidate Mike Naggar, in delivering his reasons for staying in office, gave me the catch phrase that I could deliver to a friend today who faces a climax on whether he will lose his business.

Nagger will probably never know it, as I don’t plan to tell him and we don’t hit the same parties. So there you have it, but everything happens in my world for a purpose, whether I know what that purpose is at the time or not. That’s why I’m stuck in the middle with you, for this election, and yeah, also for the adrenaline rush from the blow-back.

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