Mayor Estrada defends position on regional commissions

Ricky Estrada, former District 2 City Council representative, is sworn in as Mayor in December. (File photo)

By Doug Spoon, Editor

Wednesday’s Menifee City Council actions in filling the representative roles on regional agencies and boards indicated a shift in philosophy – at least from the Mayor’s perspective.

Like all other cities, Menifee sends a City Council representative to a variety of regional commission meetings throughout the year. These assignments give Menifee an opportunity to monitor regional projects and make requests for funding through agencies such as the Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC), Western Riverside Council of Governments (WRCOG), and Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG).

Traditionally, all five council members share responsibility in filling these roles. The Mayor takes the lead in making these assignments and filling some of the most important ones himself. Last term, Mayor Bill Zimmerman served as Menifee’s representative on eight of the commissions or committees that are on the current list. That included positions on three regional boards – RCTC, Higher Education Coalition, and Southwest Elected Collaborative Group – in addition to being the council’s Chamber of Commerce representative and a member of four of the council’s two-member ad hoc committees on city issues.

This year, for the first time since the city was incorporated in 2008, a Menifee Mayor did not assign himself to any of the regional commissions. Mayor Ricky Estrada agreed to sit on five of the standing or ad hoc local committees, but he will not represent the city on a regional basis. The council finished making adjustments to the assignments on Wednesday with the arrival of fifth council member Ben Diederich. Estrada gave up the one regional assignment he had – SCAG rep – and urged newcomers Diederich and Dan Temple to fill many of the other spots on the list, which also includes Mayor Pro Tem Bob Karwin and council member Dean Deines.

Estrada did agree to serve as alternate on two regional boards – WRCOG and the Transportation Uniform Mitigation Fee (TUMF) zone committee.

Former Mayor Zimmerman spoke recently about the importance of the Mayor in representing the city on a regional basis.

“Those regional positions offer an opportunity to work alongside County Supervisors, who also have a seat on the boards,” Zimmerman said. “State level officials (and their staff representatives) also attend. It’s an opportunity for local cities to voice needs for funding of infrastructure projects.

“That’s why it’s best to have a mayor or council member that is respected, knowledgeable and has the ability to articulate their city’s project needs. It’s a very important seat at the table, and a successful city will have their best representative there for the sake of their residents.”

Having a seat on RCTC as a Mayor gave Zimmerman the opportunity to lobby for the Garbani Road 215 Freeway Interchange, which was approved by the board and is now in the funding and design stages.

When asked for his rationale in not taking any regional assignments, Estrada indicated in a text message that he didn’t like the question.

“Hey Doug, everyone sees your divisive and biased platform as just that,” Estrada wrote. “At this time, I have a commitment to our youth and students in Menifee. I am a teacher. We have a team of five at the council whom I have recommended and delegated to these tasks.”

Two of the most important regional board positions – RCTC and WRCOG – will be filled by Karwin. He will also serve as the TUMF Committee rep. Temple, who was sworn in as a council member in December, will serve as the representative to the Western Riverside Conservation Authority, Riverside County Habitat Conservation Agency, and SCAG. Deines will serve on the Riverside Transit Agency (RTA) and the Financing Authority for Animal Friends of the Valley. Diederich will serve as representative to the Menifee Chamber of Commerce, Southwest Elected Collaborative Group, and Southwest Higher Education Coalition.

For the complete list of representatives and alternates to the regional boards and a list of the two-member standing committees and ad hoc city committees, visit the city’s website.