Editor’s note: Menifee 24/7 has been the target of defamatory statements on social media following our reporting of new facts regarding Mayor Ricky Estrada. We stand by those facts, which have been verified by public records, published comments, and research. You may view details of our reporting on menifee247com. We appreciate the support of all those who follow Menifee 24/7 for our honest reporting on the city.
Menifee Mayor Ricky Estrada has filed an appeal as an individual in opposition to the Planning Commission’s approval of a warehouse project in northeast Menifee. He is one of three parties to file an appeal of the approval on May 13 of the Trumble and Watson Warehouse project, designed to be a 328,227-square-foot speculative warehouse building (inclusive of 15,000 square feet of office space) located on a 17.19-acre site near the southeast corner of Watson Road and Trumble Road.
During the public hearing to consider that proposal, there were no requests to speak – for or against. After some discussion among commissioners, the vote was 4-1 to approve the project. The lone “no” vote was cast by Tammy Ramirez, who is Estrada’s appointee to the commission.
On May 20, Estrada filed an appeal of the decision with the City. The next day, two more appeals were filed by the Golden State Environmental Justice Alliance (GSEJA) and Supporters Alliance for Environmental Responsibility (SAFER). Appeals of all three parties will be held during a public hearing at the July 15 City Council meeting.
It is common for environmental groups such as GSEJA and SAFER to appeal such projects. What is extremely rare is an appeal filed by a sitting City Council member against the City’s own Planning Commission.
In most cases, all five members of the City Council would sit on the dais together during such a public hearing, would hear testimony from the developer and the appellant(s), and would vote for or against the appeal(s). In this case, the mayor is one of the appellants. In essence, he will be sitting in the audience, arguing against the Planning Commission’s ruling.
Instead of casting a “no” vote during the hearing, Estrada will be required by law to recuse himself from the voting process. He will, however, be allowed to remain in the room during the discussion and give testimony as an appellant from the speakers’ podium.
The Menifee Municipal Code and Fair Political Practice Commission states that although he may file such a protest as an individual, Estrada cannot:
— Sit on the dais
— Participate in deliberations
— Question staff or the applicant
— Vote on the appeal
— Influence other council members
— Use his mayoral authority in any way related to the appeal
He can:
— Attend as a member of the public
— Speak only as the appellant from the public podium
— Submit evidence like any other private party
The Menifee Municipal Code establishes a fee of $4,123.45 for a first appeal. However, the code waives the fee for appeals filed by members of the City Council and Planning Commission, so Estrada will pay no fees for his appeal.
Menifee 24/7 reached out to Estrada to ask about the reasons for his decision. His only response was on another matter, in which he sent a text to this reporter saying, “Sehremelis is ONLY A BUSINESS OWNER in Menifee, not a developer with Menifee.”
That quote addresses the fact that Estrada and his supporters are disputing published reports that Andy Sehremelis is a developer and that he is involved in development in Menifee.
Former Menifee mayor Bill Zimmerman issued a response this week following statements made by residents on social media that he did the same thing Menifee 24/7 reported that Estrada did — accept money from a developer despite signing a City Council pledge not to do so.
Zimmerman and Estrada are the only two City Council members to have signed such a pledge. In response to this accusation, Zimmerman told Menifee 24/7 the same thing he posted on a social media account – that although he did accept money from Sehremelis – the builder of the ARCO gas station/car wash and Archibald’s restaurant — he didn’t sign the pledge until he had already been elected mayor in 2020 and had decided to no longer accept future donations.
“I received campaign contributions in 2020,” Zimmerman said. “After the 2020 election, my campaign account had about $900 unspent. So I zeroed out the balance by donating to Rotary Club and Arts Council Menifee. A year or two later, I signed the pledge saying I wouldn’t solicit or accept contributions going forward.”
According to city clerk Stephanie Roseen, Zimmerman signed the pledge in October 2022. She said Estrada signed his pledge in December 2022, soon after he was elected the District 2 City Council representative.
Allegations of a broken campaign promise by Estrada began during the 2024 election season, when Estrada decided to forego the last two years of his District council seat and run for mayor against council member Lesa Sobek. His primary promise during that campaign was that he had signed a pledge not to take donations from any developers – not just developers based in Menifee, but any developers. This promise was made in a paid advertisement he wrote on Aug. 13, 2024 for Menifee 24/7, and published as seen below:
A form 460 from 2024 shows Estrada receiving a $5,500 donation from Sehremelis — the maximum allowed that year. When questioned about his earlier pledge, Estrada said Sehremelis was not a developer. However, below are screen shots from one of Sehremelis’ companies, Parkcrest Construction, Inc., showing his business promoted as a real estate development company:
The next screen shot shows a previous planned development by Parkcrest on Newport Road, where the Menifee Boardwalk project was recently approved. Sehremelis, who earlier decided not to build senior living housing there adjacent to his Archibald’s restaurant, recently appealed the Menifee Boardwalk project and lost:
Sehremelis was also described as a developer by his own attorney, Joseph Cardella, during the June 3 public hearing regarding another developer’s Menifee Boardwalk project, in which Sehremelis’ appeal was denied.
During questioning by Mayor Pro Tem Bob Karwin during that public hearing, Cardella said the official title of Sehremelis’ company is “Parkcrest Construction.” Karwin replied, “Which is a development firm?”
“Correct,” Cardella responded.
The exchange can be heard beginning at the 1:21 mark on the city’s video broadcast of that meeting, which is found on the city website.
On Oct. 21, 2024, Sehremelis was sued by developer Diamond Brothers Five in a dispute over an agreement regarding the proposed development of a parcel next to Andy’s Xpress Wash.
And on June 30, 2026, Sehremelis filed a lawsuit against the City of Menifee, opposing the City’s approval of Menifee Boardwalk where he once proposed his own project.
