October 4, 2008 by PT Rothschild.

This is part two in a series of articles written by PT Rothschild about the 3 people running against the currently seated council members in the election on November 4. - Ed.

Albert ‘Al’ Abbott, who has a mind for numbers and finance, came prepared to meet me and you could tell it by the smile on his face. At 29, he is the youngest of the ‘Wiseman’ running for the city council and, I thought, the most astute.

“I’ve lived here for 22 years, since I was 9 years old. I graduated from San Marcos and returned here to live so I know there is nothing for the kids (outside of sports, BMX, and motocross) or the next generation, the 18-33 market, to do (for entertainment). It seems that every time the kids get something (like The Vault or Java Joz) or a place to go (like Barnes & Noble), the ‘City’ finds a way to shut it down. I’ve lived here and the City has never done anything. The ‘Youth Master Plan’ is a joke. That ‘Plan’ costs a lot of money and what did we get out of it?” asked Abbott.

“It’s ridiculous. The way (they) brag about having a city surplus, and not just a few hundred thousand but millions of tax dollars, is pure political arrogance. If you have that much in surplus it means that they have over-taxed the voters, and then they brag about? (Someone on the Council) said, “Well we have all this money, it’s up to us (on the City Council) to spend it.” Look at how they want to spend it. That new (proposed) Civic Center is going to cost so much more than they say it will.” stated Al.

“You know the reasons? The numbers don’t add up for the Civic Center. The (Old Town) Theater was supposed to cost $6Million but came in at $14Million. It’s taken me years of investigation and most people voting here don’t have the time to do (all) the research. They say the new city hall won’t cost the tax-payers anything but they are going to sell bonds to finance its building and where does that bond money come from? The tax payer” explained Abbot.

“The picture is quite clear. The people deserve better, the city deserves better, and we can do better. To the young people I say, this is our city and we’re taking it back. In ’97, some 1200 kids went away to college if they wanted an education. They leave this area to go to other cities and become a part of (their landscape). (The Council) wants to (tout) about having some extension of San Marcos (Cal State) here but where does a young person go to finish? San Marcos, not here. This town could have a four year college here. That would help bring in new businesses to the area which would in turn provide new jobs. I’m not a politician, I’m a businessman and we need to do things for the people. If we can (marry) education and business, buy jobs to encourage other companies to move here…,” his voice trailed off as if a vision filled his mind.

“Work IN Temecula, and get back 2-3 hours a day to spend with your family. Right now, unless you make at least $45K or you have a couple of people living in your home with you, you can’t afford Temecula.” said Abbott.

When asked about the now defunct music ‘scene’ Al brought some scene news of his own and more insight.

“Do you know what happened out at Killarney’s? The Code Enforcement people walked in one night and said they might have to shut the place down because ‘they didn’t like the feel of the music from the band (Killarney’s) had playing. (If elected) I would support (all) the new bands playing in the (re-opened/new) venues. We need to invest in the kids. I’m not going to give up on being a part of change in this town regardless of how the (upcoming) election turns out. I live here, I work here, and I’m not going away. We, this town, deserve better. We deserve to have something interesting for the kids, a four year college, and job growth. How cool would it have been to, say, pay the rent of Ben & Jerry’s so they could stay open (maybe another 17 years), instead of $170K for overpass artwork? How cool would that have looked to other cities to see how we take care of our long standing businesses?” Albert asked.

Contact Al at gonzomurrieta@aol.com

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October 4, 2008 by PT Rothschild.

A LOOK AT THE THREE PEOPLE WANTING TO CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE ABOUT CITY HALL

Temecula, CA – Coming up quicker than I can comment is the first of ‘official’ debates for the general public in Temecula to be presented at City Hall. I urge you to be there, or if not, to at least watch it on local access cable channel, KZSW. In the event that some people might find local election stuff like this boring or uneventful, allow me to present to you the three candidates who hope to unseat the incumbents, why, and what they would do different if elected, in the order that I interviewed them. My usual humor and satire will be kept to a minimum in hopes that you, the voter, will have a clearer picture of what these three have to offer the ‘valley of the morning mist’, Temecula. The first in the series is James ‘Stew’ Stewart. My name is PT Rothschild, and I approve of the following message:

James ‘Stew’ Stewart is not only a barber, but a successful one in business, to have four shops all bearing his name scattered across the valley. Stew was here when I came to this valley back in the early 90’s so he has been around for a while. My first question to him was why he was running for office? After all, wasn’t the city ‘perfect’ with a spotless image untainted by the torrid crime found in other municipalities across the country?

“People tell me that I should run for (city council)”, he answered showing that there is a grassroots movement emanating from the fresh coiffure of his shops against the ‘decorative’ overpass Grandma Kitsch art and the planned-for new city hall to be plopped down like an official dropping dead squat in the middle of the stagecoach stop known as Old Town.

“I would push for a ‘police presence’ in the south end of town (out by Pechanga Casino). This area is more crime-ridden than is reported. My house was robbed and my car stolen when I lived just four blocks from the casino. There is a lot of personal property theft going on in this town and public safety is a main concern of mine.”

By ‘police presence’ Stew means building a police station possibly similar in design to the ‘Fort Apache’ that sits in old town Murrieta, he voiced with a gleam in his eye, “We need new blood (on the council) and a fresh perspective.”

As I sat and listened to the man who goes to Sunridge Community Church, a fellowship of 850 members, with his bright-eyed wife Lisa, who was getting ready to depart to Nepal on a Christian mission, one of several she does a year, by his side, Stew informed me that he had run for office in the past.

“I set a record for the number of votes (9255) in (Temecula) history received for a non-incumbent. I believe that this time people are ready to put in ‘a high profile businessman’ who wants to cut down crime.”

Contact Stew at: stew@temeculastew.com

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October 1, 2008 by Lance Bugle.

Temecula, Ca - In the days of people knocking down your door to steal your weed under the guise of ‘the law’ here are some tips from our friends at OC Normal.

They have some good ideas. Kinda simple things like don’t sticker your car with ‘legalize it!’ stickers and roll around town smoking fat blunts.

Also bringing weed to a high school is about as dumb a thing to do as I can imagine. If your under 18 you shouldn’t be smokin’ weed anyways. Get a clue, get out of school with a diploma before you start smoking weed. You have your whole long life to puff tuff, be a kid and enjoy school with a clear head.

Hey College Kids, here is the real deal - weed and school don’t mix! Keep your stash at home and keep your mind clear and on the studies so you don’t look like a lazy stereotype druggie. That stereotype is what kills it for the rest of us. I know lots of herb smokers who take care of business and THEN they burn one down. The same deal goes for college.

Anyways, thats my deal for the day. Take it for what it is and learn from this informative guide. In order to read the pic you need to click on the pic.

Posted in Crime, Politics, Food, Commentary, News | Print | 1 Comment »