Editorial: Estrada should work with council, not for himself
By Doug Spoon, Editor We might have just seen a preview of what the tension level will be like at Menifee City Council meetings for the ne...
http://www.menifee247.com/2024/11/editorial-estrada-should-work-with-council-not-for-himself.html
By Doug Spoon, Editor
We might have just seen a preview of what the tension level will be like at Menifee City Council meetings for the next few years. If this is true, residents who are interested in the future of the city had better buckle up for the ride.
On Wednesday – the day Ricky Estrada took the lead in the Mayoral race for the first time – the District 2 council representative decided, in his most extreme terms yet, to set himself apart from the rest of the council. And we’re not talking about promoting a healthy debate and casting a lone dissenting vote, as he has done so many times.
We’re talking about outright defiance of his colleagues – refusing to acknowledge the possibility that anyone else could be right, while providing little or no basis for his own arguments other than to promote himself as “the people’s candidate.”
This has become a pattern in Estrada’s campaign for the Mayor’s seat, but it was never more obvious than at Wednesday night’s council meeting. During the discussion of two warehouse projects that were up for approval, Estrada did more than simply oppose the projects (both were approved, 4-1). He tried to turn the discussion into his own personal portrayal as some sort of symbol for those who oppose industrial growth in Menifee.
Never mind that these projects deserved to be considered on their own merits and fall within the guidelines for the city’s General Plan. Never mind that the General Plan was carefully developed and monitored over the city’s 16-year history to foster the growth of mixed land uses, designating areas such as the Northern Gateway industrial development zone to help create jobs and fund infrastructure.
No, Estrada wants to ignore these factors, which have been successful in the growth of Murrieta, Temecula, and many other local cities. He wants to win support by convincing residents he has the answers to “slow growth”, even though he provides no plan for accomplishing it. He would rather tear up zoning laws that date back prior to Menifee’s incorporation, when Riverside County officials designated areas for the kind of projects that pay for new roads, drainage systems and other necessary infrastructure.
The formula that has worked for decades in the development of cities is simple. Set aside areas for residential units, so the people moving here have somewhere to live. Allow major developers to come in and build those communities, because in paying for the right to build here, they pay for the roads the people will need to travel around.
Set aside other areas for industrial development, because those projects create large numbers of local jobs for residents. They also pay millions for the right to build here, giving even more money to the city to build roads and further improve infrastructure. Once this starts to happen, smaller businesses such as restaurants and shops arrive to serve the growing population.
The warehouse projects approved Wednesday night are near Ethanac Road, where there remains lots of open land. Estrada points to the Winco shopping center north of Ethanac in Perris and says a similar project should be built south of Ethanac in Menifee, rather than warehouses. But who’s going to pay for the infrastructure for such commercial and retail projects? Not a couple of restaurants and convenience stores. Major industrial projects will fund infrastructure that then allow smaller commercial and retail businesses to come into adjacent areas.
Estrada rejects this idea, saying, “I think someone will be willing to come.” Who? Find some commercial and retail outlets that can afford to build there and then talk about rezoning. Don’t talk about “a fresh perspective” simply to score points with constituents who want Menifee to be “the way it used to be.”
No one wants warehouses all over the place. But Menifee needs some warehouses in the proper place. And using that entire issue to create dissension during the discussion of a particular project does nothing more than boost Estrada’s ego. He could ask for a separate discussion about the practicality of warehouses in Menifee, but he won’t because he knows he would once again be outvoted. He would rather continue as the lone dissenting voice because he thinks that will win him more supporters.
Perhaps it will, but to what end? It might ultimately get him the Mayor’s seat, but he will still be only one of five votes on the council. Meanwhile, the Mayor’s position will get only a fraction of the public exposure it gets now, because Estrada’s job as a teacher prevents him from attending many public functions and serving on regional committees. Furthermore, taxpayers could end up paying thousands of dollars for a special election to fill what would then be a vacant District 2 council seat.
During the Sept. 25 Menifee 24/7 Candidates Forum, Estrada admitted that his goal is to get elected Mayor, pursue putting in a candidate of his choice as the new District 2 representative, and move toward “a new majority” on the council. Not sure how he would legally influence the election (or appointment by council vote) of a new District 2 rep. Also not sure how he would get that third vote he would need to gain his “new majority.”
Neither am I sure that a “new majority” is what residents want. At least on social media, there’s a lot more criticism of Estrada than support.
Then there’s the very real possibility that a developer whose project is denied will sue the city. Such a lawsuit was filed by AT&T against the City of Menifee in 2020 when the City denied an application for a cell phone tower in Wheatfield Park. Faced with an expensive lawsuit that appeared unlikely to go in the City’s favor, the council voted to allow the tower.
At Wednesday’s council meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Dean Deines raised this point and asked City Attorney Jeffrey Melching what the City’s liability would be if Menifee started denying such warehouse projects. Apparently not wanting to open that can of worms in public, Melching said the issue should be discussed in closed session.
It is suggested that residents who care about their local government watch the video of Wednesday night’s council meeting, which can be viewed here. Afterward, your feedback is welcomed.
It appears that we won’t know for a couple weeks who the Mayor or Menifee will be. Either Estrada wins the election and gets four years as Mayor or he loses and stays as the District 2 representative for two more years. Either way, it would make for a more productive city government moving forward if he began working together with his colleagues and not simply for himself.
We might have just seen a preview of what the tension level will be like at Menifee City Council meetings for the next few years. If this is true, residents who are interested in the future of the city had better buckle up for the ride.
On Wednesday – the day Ricky Estrada took the lead in the Mayoral race for the first time – the District 2 council representative decided, in his most extreme terms yet, to set himself apart from the rest of the council. And we’re not talking about promoting a healthy debate and casting a lone dissenting vote, as he has done so many times.
We’re talking about outright defiance of his colleagues – refusing to acknowledge the possibility that anyone else could be right, while providing little or no basis for his own arguments other than to promote himself as “the people’s candidate.”
Never mind that these projects deserved to be considered on their own merits and fall within the guidelines for the city’s General Plan. Never mind that the General Plan was carefully developed and monitored over the city’s 16-year history to foster the growth of mixed land uses, designating areas such as the Northern Gateway industrial development zone to help create jobs and fund infrastructure.
No, Estrada wants to ignore these factors, which have been successful in the growth of Murrieta, Temecula, and many other local cities. He wants to win support by convincing residents he has the answers to “slow growth”, even though he provides no plan for accomplishing it. He would rather tear up zoning laws that date back prior to Menifee’s incorporation, when Riverside County officials designated areas for the kind of projects that pay for new roads, drainage systems and other necessary infrastructure.
The formula that has worked for decades in the development of cities is simple. Set aside areas for residential units, so the people moving here have somewhere to live. Allow major developers to come in and build those communities, because in paying for the right to build here, they pay for the roads the people will need to travel around.
Set aside other areas for industrial development, because those projects create large numbers of local jobs for residents. They also pay millions for the right to build here, giving even more money to the city to build roads and further improve infrastructure. Once this starts to happen, smaller businesses such as restaurants and shops arrive to serve the growing population.
The warehouse projects approved Wednesday night are near Ethanac Road, where there remains lots of open land. Estrada points to the Winco shopping center north of Ethanac in Perris and says a similar project should be built south of Ethanac in Menifee, rather than warehouses. But who’s going to pay for the infrastructure for such commercial and retail projects? Not a couple of restaurants and convenience stores. Major industrial projects will fund infrastructure that then allow smaller commercial and retail businesses to come into adjacent areas.
Estrada rejects this idea, saying, “I think someone will be willing to come.” Who? Find some commercial and retail outlets that can afford to build there and then talk about rezoning. Don’t talk about “a fresh perspective” simply to score points with constituents who want Menifee to be “the way it used to be.”
No one wants warehouses all over the place. But Menifee needs some warehouses in the proper place. And using that entire issue to create dissension during the discussion of a particular project does nothing more than boost Estrada’s ego. He could ask for a separate discussion about the practicality of warehouses in Menifee, but he won’t because he knows he would once again be outvoted. He would rather continue as the lone dissenting voice because he thinks that will win him more supporters.
Perhaps it will, but to what end? It might ultimately get him the Mayor’s seat, but he will still be only one of five votes on the council. Meanwhile, the Mayor’s position will get only a fraction of the public exposure it gets now, because Estrada’s job as a teacher prevents him from attending many public functions and serving on regional committees. Furthermore, taxpayers could end up paying thousands of dollars for a special election to fill what would then be a vacant District 2 council seat.
During the Sept. 25 Menifee 24/7 Candidates Forum, Estrada admitted that his goal is to get elected Mayor, pursue putting in a candidate of his choice as the new District 2 representative, and move toward “a new majority” on the council. Not sure how he would legally influence the election (or appointment by council vote) of a new District 2 rep. Also not sure how he would get that third vote he would need to gain his “new majority.”
Neither am I sure that a “new majority” is what residents want. At least on social media, there’s a lot more criticism of Estrada than support.
Then there’s the very real possibility that a developer whose project is denied will sue the city. Such a lawsuit was filed by AT&T against the City of Menifee in 2020 when the City denied an application for a cell phone tower in Wheatfield Park. Faced with an expensive lawsuit that appeared unlikely to go in the City’s favor, the council voted to allow the tower.
At Wednesday’s council meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Dean Deines raised this point and asked City Attorney Jeffrey Melching what the City’s liability would be if Menifee started denying such warehouse projects. Apparently not wanting to open that can of worms in public, Melching said the issue should be discussed in closed session.
It is suggested that residents who care about their local government watch the video of Wednesday night’s council meeting, which can be viewed here. Afterward, your feedback is welcomed.
It appears that we won’t know for a couple weeks who the Mayor or Menifee will be. Either Estrada wins the election and gets four years as Mayor or he loses and stays as the District 2 representative for two more years. Either way, it would make for a more productive city government moving forward if he began working together with his colleagues and not simply for himself.
