On my travels in and around Menifee, I pass through the intersection at Menifee Road and Holland Road quite often. As a strange phenomenon, I have noticed that many motorists seem to be unaware that this is a 4-way stop, even though it is clearly marked. What I mean is, that many, many of them just glide on through without stopping.
I have been at this intersection at all different times of day to witness this. But to be certain that it wasn’t just something I see, I talked with some of the sign twirlers who work on this corner. They have conveyed to me that 1 out of every 5 cars stop, at best. And most of those “stops” are the infamous “California Rolling Stop”.
This intersection is right in between 2 elementary schools and one middle school. I see children here quite often. How is it that these motorists can be in such a hurry, and be so careless?
The day that frustrated me most was the day that I saw a school bus stopped not far from the corner, with it’s stop sign blinking and red lights flashing. I watched car after car breeze through the intersection, and then continue on to pass the school bus! The stop sign that extends out from the side of the bus was flashing, and yet one motorist after another ignored this, and went right on by.
C’mon folks. Where are you going that you cannot stop at a 4-way stop? Or better yet, for a school bus with children disembarking? There must be other intersections in Menifee where this is happening, I am certain. Now, I know you, the reader, would never do this, so please, to your neighbor, pass it on. . . STOP MEANS STOP!

An anonymous reader submitted the following letter concerning bicyclists seemingly taking over the grounds at the Albertson's shopping center on Newport & Murrieta Rds, and asks the city council to take action...

A serious accident ready to happen exists at the Albertson's shopping center on the Menifee road side where a real estate, mexican resturant, and a bicycle shop are proprieters. Evenings after school teens gather to "take over" the area with riding bicycles up, down the handicap ramp, jumping the stairs, blocking the stairs to patrons, (two, three and four riding together and behind each other.)
I have written complaints to the Riverside Sheriff, Riverside Sheriff Perris station, and have discussed this ongoing (for 4 years now) problem with the proprieters and nothing has been done.

The teens when confronted have "smart mouthy" responses, and feel they have the right to congregate there on tables belonging to the Mexican Resturant for their patrons to eat outside. There is no available table outside as these teens (10 or more) occupy them eating nothing.

They have almost run over those walking on the walk, up the ramp, or trying to get up the stairs which they continually block with their presence. The establishment has complained to the sheriff who does NOT solve this ongoing problem

Therefore, I wish to ask the Menifee City Council to put some presssure on law enforcement to enforce the ordinances in place. These teens about two years ago removed all the signs on the posts "NO BICYCLE OR SKATEBOARDS ALLOWED" AND laugh they are no longer there, and they say they are NOT prohibited from being there and riding their bicycles as there is a bicycle shop there and bikes outside.

PLEASE HELP before some gets seriously injured. My husband almost was falling at the stairs while trying to get to our vehicle parked below.

Labels: Rowdy-Teens

Here's a job opportunity for folks who like shopping...

Merchandising Company is hiring experienced merchandisers to do part-time service work in local retail stores from October 15 to December 15. Possibly up to 20 hours per week, with possibility of future employment opportunities. Area includes Menifee, CA. Interested applicants with access to a computer, printer, the Internet, and an email account should contact our company at: recruiter1@drivelineretail.com providing your name, phone number, zip code, and experience. When replying to this email please make note in subject line the following reference #828DRSD150. Please also fill out an online application at http://www.drivelineretail.com/careers/app_drs.html.

Click this link for more info...

http://www.massreps.com/?post_id=12317

Labels: Help-Wanted

Randall Freeman and Chuck Reutter, are two people who wrote to The Californian discussing anonymous commenting on websites, and I'm sure they're talking about Menifee 24/7.

Here's what was said...

(Randall Freeman, Aug 23) - My first experience in seeking to serve my community by running as a candidate for my local school board has produced somewhat unexpected consequences. As part of my efforts to inform the local community of my desire and qualifications for serving on the school board, I submitted a candidate's statement on local Web sites. When I checked in on my statement this afternoon, I was pleased to observe that there were several comments posted in response to it. Pleased that is, until I read them.

The vile and offensive diatribes were blatant and disturbing to me. Simply by virtue of stating my profession of being an elementary school teacher, I was vilified by several anonymous cowards. Statements included, "You and your ilk will be happy to bleed the public dry to support your hidden agenda. People like you sicken me ..." and "You have all let the parents and children down ... for your personal wealth and ambitions. I agree with the previous comments, we need parent representation, and you do not fit the bill."

Statements like these make me wonder why anybody would wish to serve in any public capacity. Will I have to be concerned for the safety of myself and family simply because I desire to serve my community and just happen to be a teacher? I have to wonder.

(Chuck Reutter, Aug 27) - I hope all these negative comments Mr. Randall T. Freeman wrote about in his Aug. 23 letter to The Californian will not keep him from seeking election to the Menifee Union School District, and I would not pay any attention to the cowards who do not give their name when making a comment. In addition, the Webmaster of the site to which Mr. Freeman is referring does not have the courage to publish his name either.

I strongly suggest we all ignore those who do not have the courage to give their name because I think it is not the American way.

To address Chuck's assertion that the owner of the website doesn't give his name, is wrong. I have my first and last name on the website, at the far-left, as being the publisher of this website. I also describe who I am on the "About Us" page, which is linked from the same location.

For the record, here is the article Randall Freeman is referring to...

http://www.menifee247.com/2008/08/randall-freeman-musd-candidate.htm

While there certainly are some very critical comments there, there are others that are more constructive, and others yet that defend him. But every comment on there reflects the true feelings and sentiment that exist in the community. Those sentiments are of real voters who will be marking ballots this November. What Freeman got from his candidate statement on Menifee 24/7 is a look at what he needs to address if he wants to win a seat on the school board.

Moreover, anyone who seeks to gain public office must be vetted by every voter in public. Vetting also includes examining how that candidate handles criticism, and this is perhaps a test for Freeman.

I would certainly love for everyone to disclose their names when commenting. But, my goal is to build discussion, not to discourage it. Aside from the articles I publish here, the ensuing discussion is also a big reason why people come back here to read. The community dialogue is a major part of what makes Menifee 24/7 what it is.

Also, if I forced people to provide their name, all they'd do is make up a pseudonym to get around it, and they'd still be anonymous.

I don't think Freeman needs to worry for his personal safety. Menifee is still the same community, with or without Menifee 24/7. Had he never submitted a candidate statement to me, would he have believed the community was more friendly to him?

Labels: Menifee247

The Menifee Valley Chamber of Commerce is announcing its annual Orange Ball Golf Classic, inviting the public to participate.

It's being held at Menifee Lakes Golf Course, Friday, October 24, 2008, with check-in registration at 10:00am.

The classic includes contests for the longest drive and the closest to the pin. They'll have goody bags, prizes for men and women on par 3's, and an awards banquet.

Download the application form here...

http://www.menifeevalleychamber.com/docs/Orangeball%202008.pdf

Labels: Chamber-of-Commerce, Golf

A couple of weeks ago, on Sunday August 18, the "A-Team Volunteers" from Kohl's in Menifee, joined up with Menifee Union School District staff members and family at Quail Valley Elementary School to paint the handball courts.

The soon-to-be-opened store, who says that it's committed to making a difference in the community, will also donate $1,500.00 to purchase books for the school's library.

Heidi Fanning, the District Volunteer Captain from Kohl's was quoted as saying, "Especially in these really difficult times of budget cuts I think it is important for all of us to do what we can to make a difference for children."

Photos below...

Labels: Kohls, Quail-Valley-Elementary-School

Shop Locally

Shopping locally has never been more important than now, Menifee, in light of the current circumstances surrounding our soon-to-be city. Why? Because of the slow third quarter, many of your local business people are seeing a significant drop in their revenue. OK, but what does that mean to me, the Menifee resident?

The small businessperson, who probably chose to invest their life-savings in a business in Menifee, runs on a very tight budget most times. Rent costs more than the average consumer would think, attaining product usually comes with a certain amount of difficulty, and advertising is sometimes expensive to be effective. Add all of this together, and you have more expenditures than your local business owner anticipated. Couple this with the fact that many Menifee residents don’t think twice about hopping on that freeway to shop in Murrieta/Temecula, simply because they didn’t know that the items they sought were available locally for a fair price. Many of us don’t even know all that Menifee has to offer in the way of goods and services. We simply drive to our neighboring cities because we know that we can get it there fast. But really, how much extra are we spending in gas, and how much time are we taking to drive out of our way, just to get it fast at a fair price?

Perhaps we did shop around, via Internet or phone, and found that we could save a few dollars by going to a neighboring city. What did we save ourselves, really? Those Menifee business owners made a choice to bank on you, the Menifee residents, to be their shoppers. If we all sought goods and services out of Menifee, the local businesses would cease to exist. Wouldn’t that in turn, lessen the competition for neighboring city business owners and then, in turn, drive up prices? Doesn’t every business that dies in our city decrease our options, and put money into a city that isn’t doing anything for Menifee?

Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying “Never shop out of town!” But, when available at a competitive price, why not shop here? I am just asking that we all do our homework before taking our hard-earned-dollars to another city. Invest in the businesses that chose to invest in you. Give these little guys a chance!

The fourth quarter is looking good for business valley wide. Sales are up, believe it or not, and people are shopping again. The busy holiday time is really just around the corner, and with the new center opening in Menifee, many dollars can and will be spent at home. As homeowners and residents of Menifee, you have chosen to make an investment in this small soon-to-be city; make even more of an investment by keeping your dollars local when you can.

A month ago, I reported that the Eastern Municipal Water District will begin enforcing its "Stop Water Runoff" policy, where it will send out the water police to look for homes with water running off the lawn and into the gutter...

http://www.menifee247.com/2008/07/emwd-plans-to-implement-tiered-water.htm

Today, the Press Enterprise reports on the same, but goes even further to say that the EMWD now has an e-mail address that residents can use to rat on their fellow neighbors...

At Eastern Municipal, which serves about 660,000 people, the water district has set up an e-mail account for residents to report overwatering.

To report runoff: Send an e-mail with exact street address and photo if possible to: conservation@emwd.org

Link...
http://www.pe.com/..../PE_News_Local_S_watercop28.47b28b7.html

Of course, if you're going to report your neighbors to the water district, you better make sure you're running a tight ship, because you don't want the district noticing that you've got some water running off of your property as well.

Labels: Eastern-Municipal-Water-District, Water

Menifee Union School District held its first public hearing concerning boundary changes for its middle schools today. The change in boundaries is necessitated by the new middle school, located in Sun City, off of McCall Blvd, east of the I-215.

I'd say about 20 families were in attendance, and 15-20 district faculty, including current trustees, former trustees, and prospective trustees.

Assistant Superintendent Gil Compton gave the presentation, which was largely explaining their "guiding principles", which help them decide how to create boundaries. You can download the guiding principles from the district's website here...

http://www.menifeeusd.org/fil_files/355.pdf

While the district doesn't have any idea what boundaries to adopt, Compton did name off a few ideas...

• By elementary school boundaries - Quail Valley, Ridgemoor, Freedom Crest elementaries would attend the new middle school.



• By Newport Rd - Families living north of Newport Rd would attend the new middle school. This actually creates the most balanced student bodies between the three middle schools, according to Compton.



• By Salt Creek - Families living north of Salt Creek would attend the new middle school. This provides an advantage in times when it rains really hard, and causes flooding where it crosses Newport Rd and Murrieta Rd. This boundary will prevent students from having to cross over the creek to get to school.

None of the families in attendance voiced a preference or displeasure for any of the ideas presented, nor did they present their own ideas. Much of the comments dealt with transporting their kids, and most of these comments came from Quail Valley residents. Other comments were actually questions asking if the district took into account various dynamics, such as how travel time to the new middle school might cause parents to be late on transporting their other kids to the elementary or high school. Compton basically nodded yes on everything, indicating they thought of everything.

There were also a few comments about notifying the public about this meeting. A couple of parents complained that they never got notice of this meeting, and only heard about it from some other word of mouth. Betti Cadmus, the district's public information officer, explained that it was published in all the major newspapers and published on the district's website. Compton explained that notices were sent out to parents. A counselor there also commented that he was very disappointed the meeting was so sparsely attended.

My only take on the low attendance is that most families don't care, largely because it won't matter to them.

These boundary changes really only concern the families who live close to Newport Rd. Those are the ones who still don't know which middle school their children will attend. The other families already know. That is, if you live well away from Newport Rd, the details on where the boundary lines are drawn won't be significant enough to affect you. For example, if you live along McCall Blvd, you already know that your child will attend the new middle school, and thus there's little you can say to change that. I think those families don't feel an urgency to attend this meeting.

The other thing is that there's still a second meeting, scheduled for September 2, at 5:00pm, at Bell Mountain Middle School.

The school board trustees will make a final decision on these boundary changes sometime this October.

Download the Comment Form

If you don't have time to attend the next meeting, you can download a comment form here...

http://www.menifeeusd.org/fil_files/354.pdf

You can either mail it to the district, or e-mail it.

Mail it to...

Menifee Union School District
30205 Menifee Road
Menifee, CA 92584

Or e-mail it to: ms3-comments@menifeeusd.org

You basically have the rest of this month, and all of next month, to submit your comments.

Labels: Menifee-Union-School-District

October 1, 2008 is the day when Menifee officially becomes a city.

There will be an inaugural event that day, and everyone in the city is invited.

The event comprises of two parts...

1. The official inauguration, starting at 5:30pm, which is a city council meeting, to be held at Bell Mountain Middle School. There will be all kinds of formalities. An honor guard from Riverside National Cemetery, the boy scouts, the girl scouts, the whole bit. All you have to do is show up. The Californian reported last week that a "surprise commemorative item" will be given out to attendees, so make sure you get yours. There will also be guest books so that attendees names will be stored in the city's archives as being part of this historic event.



2. The post-game party, starting at 7:30pm, to be held at Menifee Lakes Country Club. There's going to be free food for everyone, and not just cheap stuff, but some really good chow, including dessert, all free. There will be a champagne toast, and a photographer on hand to get your picture taken, which is also free. A live band will be there, and the decor is supposed to look pretty spiffy.

You MUST RSVP for the party, because they need to know how much food to provide. They'll be checking RSVPs at the door. To RSVP, call (951) 639-0239, or e-mail menifeeinauguration@yahoo.com. Provide your name, affiliation if any, phone number, and e-mail address, and the number of people in your party. Again, everyone in the city is invited.

There's no dress code noted for the party, but you might want to put on your best t-shirt and shorts.

You must RSVP before September 19, 2008 (only a few weeks away).

Bell Mountain Middle School
28525 La Piedra Road
Menifee, CA 92584
(map link)

Menifee Lakes Country Club
29875 Menifee Lakes Drive
Menifee, CA 92584
(map link)

I've attended some of the inauguration meetings, and thus far much of the services, materials and supplies are being donated. It's not like everything is being paid for by the city. One gal is hand-making all the table cloths. A local jazz band is providing background music. Nurseries are lending plants for decoration. The photographer is a local guy here in Menifee. It's all an old-fashioned community effort where the people who live in this city are pooling their talents together to make it a memorable event.

Everyone ought to attend to just make all of their efforts worthwhile.

Labels: Cityhood

The next city council meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 27, at Mt San Jacinto College, in the Learning Resource Center, Community Room #105.

• 5:00pm - 6:30pm - Public session, a study session on the roles of City Manager and City Council, Standing Committees, Advisory Commissions.



• 6:30pm - 7:00pm - Closed session, city council to continue negotiating on acquiring real property.



• 7:00pm - Public session, the main city council meeting.

Jeff Stone will make an appearance to announce upcoming community events, perhaps the Fall Festival. There's also going to be some discussion on creating a letter of intent on leasing office space. And some talk about the cityhood inauguration event.

Below is the link for the agenda, in PDF...

http://www.menifee247.com/menifee-city-council-agenda-2008-08-27.pdf

Labels: City-Council

C'mon Menifee; we've all seen it. That empty home on our street. If not your street, than the next block over. That foreclosure in your neighborhood. It has hit this area even harder than many of the rest of the nation. But what can we do?
When you purchased your home, you made an investment not just within your property lines, but an investment in your neighborhood, in Menifee itself. You said to the rest of the world, "I believe Menifee is an up and coming area. I believe it will grow! I believe it will be a wonderful place to raise my children." Now you are disappointed and disheartened to see the heartless home in your neighborhood; heartless because it's residents couldn't meet up to their end of the deal. But don't dismay.
Real estate has a certain ebb and flow, a ying and yang, that will never falter. The tide goes out, sure, and we are all upside down in our equity right now. But just as certain as the tide went out, the tide will return. You can bank on it. You already have.
What can you do? Make another investment in your home, your street, your neighborhood, in Menifee. Keep that foreclosure from looking like a foreclosure. Pick up the newspapers, flyers and handbills the solicitors drop. Keep trash out of the yard. If your hose can reach, water the lawn, maybe even mow the yard if you can. How is this your investment? Because we all want to attract the best neighbor possible. When your new neighbors move in, (and they will) don't you want them to be just like you? Someone who cares about their home, their neighborhood and Menifee? I know I do.

Labels: Foreclosures, homes, neighborhood

Borre Winckel, executive director of the Building Industry Association of Southern California's Riverside County chapter, was quoted in the Press Enterprise recently by saying that there's no evidence city council members grant favors to developers that donate money to their election campaigns...

"There's never been a correlation between campaign funding and getting more (project) approvals," he said. "There's no evidence that if one is a campaign donor, your projects get approved."

So then if developers are giving money away without expecting a return on investment, how about they give me some?

Labels: Politics

Menifee Union School District is planning to change the attendance boundaries for its middle schools.

The opening of its third middle school in August 2009 is what's driving the need to redefine boundaries.

As of this moment, the district doesn't have any proposed boundaries.

The goal of this meeting is to gather input from the public on what their wishes and concerns are. Betti Cadmus, the district's public information officer says that the school board will be taking all public comments to heart.

If your child is preparing to attend middle school next year, now is your time to speak out on which school you'd like him/her to attend, or forever hold your peace.

The new middle school will be located off of McCall Blvd, east of the I-215, by the corner of Sherman Rd and Chambers Ave.

There will be two meetings...

• August 28, 2008 (Thursday) - Menifee Valley Middle School, 5:00pm to 6:00pm



• September 2, 2008 (Tuesday) - Bell Mountain Middle School, 5:00pm to 6:00pm

It appears to me that if you live in far northern and far southern part of the district, there isn't much discussion on which school you'll attend. It's those students living in the center of district, perhaps along Newport Rd, that could swing either way into one of the three schools.

Below is a map of the existing boundaries for Menifee Valley Middle School (purple), and Bell Mountain Middle School (orange)...


Click map to enlarge

• I-215 Freeway is the boundary separating the two existing middle schools



• It almost looks as if Newport Rd could be a theoretical boundary defining the new middle school. However, much of the community north of Newport Rd, and west of I-215, is 55+, and may not provide enough to students to create a balance between the three schools.



• The new middle school could create a lot of traffic along Lindenberger Rd, and perhaps even Antelope Rd (going over the hill past Ryland Oasis).



• The new City of Menifee needs to complete Menifee Rd, at Simpson Rd, to alleviate traffic along Lindenberger, and prevent traffic from building up along Antelope.

Labels: Menifee-Union-School-District

The Eastern Municipal Water District, our local water district, today announced that they received a $4.9 million grant from the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority (SAWPA).

The grant money is actually EMWD's share of a $25 million grant awarded to SAWPA by the State Water Resources Control Board. The money is to be used for projects that fall within the Santa Ana River Watershed. The $25 million actually comes from the Proposition 50 water bond to help water district reduce their reliance on imported water.

The EMWD said it would use the money to help offset the cost of its already existing project to expand its San Jacinto Regional Water Reclamation Facility. This facility is one of five such facilities that the district operates to capture runoff water, treat it, and then deliver it to parks, golf courses, and other customers who buy reclaimed water. Reclaimed water can be used for anything but consumption.

The San Jacinto facility currently processes about 8 million gallons of reclaimed water per day, with a total capacity of 11 million. The expansion project will boost that capacity to 27 million.

The water district has plans in place to boost the capacity for all five of its reclamation facilities, including the one in Menifee (La Ladera Rd and Honey Run Rd).

Labels: Eastern-Municipal-Water-District