1. Bonnie Wright listed her house for sale 5/28/2020

2. She sold her house 6/12/2020

3. Escrow closed 7/10/2020

4. There is no evidence of where Ms. Wright was living at the time she voted for the (3-2) to pass the budget, violating the Measure U ordinance.

5. She should have resigned 7/10/2020 and did not

6. She waited until 7/28/2020 to resign (19 days after her house closed escrow)

Is that vote even valid? Eric Vail (city attorney), are you listening?

There would have been enough time for a special election if she had paid attention to the city code (city ordinance 2104), which she violated, by not resigning on 7/10/2020.

The city was in a position where they had 60 days to appoint someone to the vacant seat (it was 60 days from 7/28/20). As of this writing, there are four city councilmembers. An appointment of a councilmember would require a 3-4 vote and that wasn’t likely. After speaking with several sources, there does not appear to be a way to break any tie that takes place. We would have to wait until the November election to fill the seat vacated by Wright. The council voted to let the general election of November resolve the issue. In other words, there will be no special election and no appointment. That’s all legal and will likely eliminate chaos and confusion.

Back to Ms. Wright. According to the electronic communication read at the council meeting, Wright violated the trust of the citizens of Hemet, who elected her. It’s difficult to believe that someone in the city council wasn’t aware of what she was planning. All the above facts are public knowledge. Talk to any realtor and they will confirm the listings. The “fluff” pieces put out by various sources state Ms. Wright stepped down for health reasons. This paper incorrectly stated she “retired.” This will set the record straight. She resigned and her timing is highly suspect.

I used to think this was a quaint and lovely little town. In many ways, it still is. The corruption in Hemet runs deep, from the inside out. One way to fix that (and it will take forever if it’s ever completely done) is to change things from the outside in. I am not alone in this conviction. There are others who are just as frustrated and angry at the way decisions are made in this city.

This is in no way a reflection on other employees of the city. There are a number of hardworking, underpaid employees that give it their all. Ask them how many raises they’ve received lately? Take a good hard look at the latest budget (CAFR) Comprehensive Annual Financial Report dated 6/30/2021. If you know how to read a financial statement, your eyes will literally bug out of your head when you look at the numbers. We should all be paying attention to the Measure U funds. That is another story for another time.

The council voted on several key items. They passed the June 30, 2020 budget, but not quite unanimously. Karlee Meyer unequivocally voted no while the other 3 members opted to pass the budget. You can go online to access the CAFR report, at the City of Hemet website.

In reviewing all the 2020, 2019 and many 2018 council minutes, it appears there were and are an awful lot of lawsuits against the city. Someone may want to have a conversation with the labor union regarding lawsuits. Because conversations of a legal nature are held in closed session, there is no way to get information, unless the council releases the information and or the results to the public.

As regards the current Treasurer, who will not be running for re-election, hopefully someone with extensive investing and fund accounting experience will run for this office. One of the discussions that took place at the end of the council meeting of 08/11 was doing an audit before a new treasurer takes office. That makes perfect sense. Currently, there are two candidates, Howard Feigenbaum, who has approximately 40 years of experience in the finance industry and Sue Savage. There doesn’t appear to be a current resume detailing his experience. Sue Savage has taken steps to run for the election and has a website up. She’s rearing to go and has contributed many comments to the council at various times over the last six years. Sue has held the council’s feet to the fire on some key issues. It’s apparent there is just a handful of Hemet residents that are willing to take the time to attend the meeting and become vested in the process. It truly is incumbent on residents of Hemet to vest themselves in the solutions by sitting in meetings; live streaming is a convenient way to do that.

One of the more interesting conversations that took place was in regards to a software application called SeeClickFix, which is due to launch by the city on August 31, 2020. This is a special application that will allow citizens to notify the city of ongoing problems or to give them a high five. You will be able to use this app from your smartphone. It would likely shorten the time for the city to respond to problems and enable them to take quicker action. One of the problems addressed by Mayor Russ Brown was how to handle properties that don’t have specific addresses. There is considerable illegal dumping of trash on empty lots. There will be an ability to take a cell phone photo to send that to the city and they will be able to determine the location and address the problem. That has exciting potential.

An overview of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (known as CAFR). was given by the City of Hemet Financial Director, Lorena Rocha. Unfortunately, there were errors in the report that Ms. Rocha explained as the result of short staffing. She assured the council that those errors would not take place again. She felt sure that the COVID catastrophe had an impact on the way things at the city took place. None of the councilmembers seemed to take issue with that. Equally unfortunate was the fact that the General Fund was perilously low until Measure U funds were shifted around. There has definitely been an uptick in public safety costs to the city just prior to the utilization of Measure U funds. That made sense since the city had to prepare for the additional monies that would permit funding for the police and fire departments. The vote was taken to approve this budget but it wasn’t quite unanimous. The vote was 3 in favor of receiving and filing and one no by Karlee Meyers. The appearance of a new Treasurer to the city may help to clarify some of the persistent financial reporting problems this city has.

Hemet is going to receive some funding from a program known as the Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) Agreement? It’s a subsidy designed to help out with the housing crises Hemet faces. The county will administer the program and as often the case with new programs; this one will likely take a little time to move forward. It will primarily benefit low-income families. Look for more information on this approximate 2.4 million dollar program as it comes along. The council approved the agreement between the county and Hemet unanimously. This will help Hemet.

Concluding a major portion of the meeting was a somewhat heated discussion of future agenda items. The council has this habit of “kicking the can down the road” when it comes to new items. In a way, it can’t be helped. There are an array of operational items that must be dealt with before new items can come to the floor. Sometimes, there is not enough time or labor to handle new items. In an attempt to shorten a long list of future agenda items, there was some contention by one member stating that is was the council that makes the decision about agenda items, not the city manager. She was quite right in stating that. City Manager Lopez appeared to try to mollify the situation, as well as Mayor Russ Brown. Ultimately there was a consensus.

One of the items on the agenda was Vagrancy and Pan Handling Laws as they pertain to Hemet. District 1 councilmember Karlee Meyers expressed concern for her constituents and the need to do what they are all voted in to do, take care of the residents of Hemet. Meyers wants to be able to assure those that live in her district that they will be safe from vagrants and panhandlers. There are other communities that have faced this problem and some of them have arrived at solutions. Further action will take place so that citizens can be assured they are being heard. Happily, all councilmembers were in agreement on this vitally important issue. We can thank Karlee Meyers for insisting on action on this issue. Many of the items on the current agenda have been sitting there for at least a year. It boils down to being able to time manage the essential and basic operational items that must be addressed by the council regularly and being able to add more to the workload so that it all happens in a timely manner.

Another item long on this agenda list concerned housing investment opportunities on city-owned properties. A list of properties owned by the city will be developed and the city will move forward in putting them on the market, allowing investors to develop the properties. The reason many of the properties are currently unused is determined by state law, limiting the use of the land.

Last but not least, there has to be a discussion about having an in-house attorney as opposed to the astronomical costs of utilizing an outside law firm. That has been a contentious item for a long time and is ready for resolution.

On a happier note, several weeks ago, Matt McPherson suggested an alternate way of having a Christmas Parade this year. A lot of that will depend on state and county restrictions. That will definitely come up for discussion in the next month or so.

The city has made it pretty easy to participate in solving some of the problems it faces by having their meetings live-streamed on YouTube. You can sit in the comfort of your own air-conditioned home, happily munching away on goodies. Honestly, there are times during the meeting when you wonder what in the world this group of elected people are doing. If you have ever participated in a board meeting for an extended period of time, you get to see some of the same antics. One of the benefits of an election is seeing a rotation of city councilmembers. Be sure to vote this November.

-Ann Smith

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The post BONNIE WRIGHT’S UNTIMELY DEPARTURE appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

On Tuesday, Jul 28th, during the Hemet City Council meeting Councilwoman Bonnie Wright, who was elected to represent District 4, handed in her resignation.

With just three months short from the Nov. 3rd general election and not leaving time for the seat to be placed on the ballot, the city is left to appoint a registered voter from the 4th District to fill her position.

Some of the responsibilities of City Council are being responsible for the enactment of local laws/ordinances, the adoption of the annual City budget and capital improvement program, and the review and adoption of proposed policies, agreements, contracts, and other City business items.

Bonnie Wright has served on the Hemet City Council since 2012. Bonnie was re-elected to Council in 2016 when serving as Mayor and again since 2018. She held key positions on several non-profit boards that included Chairman of the Hemet San Jacinto Valley Chamber of Commerce, President of the Hemet Kiwanis, Valley Economic Development Corp and several other local service organizations.

Her past recognitions include, Hemet San Jacinto Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year and Kiwanis International Distinguished Presidents Award.

According to the City of Hemet, she ends her tenure on the Hemet City Council due to health issues and her retirement from Eastern Municipal Water District, where she managed the District’s grants and loans over ten years.

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An honest, open discussion with Mayor Bonnie Wright

The Hemet San Jacinto Chronicle sat down this afternoon with Mayor Bonnie Wright and discussed several issues: among them was the California Bureau of Audit assessment of Hemet and an article in Business Insider Magazine which, to put it mildly, did not put Hemet in the best light. “First of all…What is the criteria used to place cities on this Business Insider list of the country’s “most miserable” cities? There are a million ways you can assess any town or anything for that matter. The problem with studies like this is that no one takes the time to find out what criteria is used.” Here is the criteria used: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1j1L19LB3T3uldlkW8OsJ_JyFq-f8yPBYWXLj752hBHA/edit#gid=1188779382

In this, our Mayor is right on target.

First off, the study gave an unexplained 40% weight to population change. Why is it weighted at 40%? The study doesn’t say. What does this population change mean? The study doesn’t say. What’s the demographic of the population change? The article answers none of those questions. By the way, and for whatever it’s worth, which no one can tell from the study,  the demographic change was pegged at 8.50% from 2010 to 2018 (http://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/hemet-ca-population/). From the year 2000 to the year 2018, our population grew from 58,812 to 85,275: not only does the article not mention this, but it gives no idea as to what the population increase may even mean to the city.

The article also gives a 10% weight to those working in the civilian labor force. Why only 10% ? What’s the median for a city our size? Again, the study is mute. BI’s study gives 10% weight to Median Household Income, 15% weight to median commute time, 10% weight to the percentage of people in poverty and 15% of the weight of the study goes to those without health insurance. This is the sum total of the study’s criteria.

(our mayor speaks out)

Again, one must ask, “Why are these criteria used? No one knows, because the study doesn’t cite its reasoning.

Weather? Beautiful mountain scenery? Emergency personnel response times? Police response times? Response times for firefighters? Overall quality of life, as measured by the citizens actually living here? 

None of these issues were addressed.

Using our “Question of the week,” we asked our citizens what they thought of the BI article, and, on urging from the mayor, we also asked the question, “Are you better off than you were a year ago?,” the following week. While there were some understandably dour comments, the overwhelming tone of the responses was very positive. 

“Look, our demographic is what it is: we don’t have an industrial base here, so of course people have to commute to get to certain jobs. Does that make us a “miserable city?” asks Mayor Wright, continuing, “We have a bedroom community. Why? Because we have no freeway access,“ says the fired-up Wright. 

But wait, there’s more.

“Stop and think of the demographics portrayed in this supposedly in-depth article: they don’t take into account the disposable income of our senior citizens.“ Again the Mayor’s comments are prescient: A whopping 92.7% of our citizens are in what is called the, “Age Dependency Ratio” (ADR). The ADR is defined as, “…the ratio of people typically not in the labor force due to age.” With those kinds of number, of course a study using such meager and oddly-chosen statistics is going to show skewed “findings.”

(our mayor speaks out)

The Mayor continued to hammer away with facts. “We have, in our demographics now, young married couples who moved here because the economy tanked in 2008…the  younger families were looking for a more affordable place to live, but now are driving further to go to well-paying jobs. At one time we had a median age of 63. Now? Now it’s 38. When you realize that there’s no redevelopment dollars anymore, because they’ve been siphoned-off by Sacramento, and then you see how drastically our population has changed in both size and average age, I think we’re doing remarkably well for a small Southern California town that is just now coming out of the recession.”

The mayor then took aim at the recently updated California State Auditor’s report stating bluntly, “We had some significant challenges with regards to revenue and we’re making swift and honest changes. Since Chris Lopez became a Interim City Manager, we have not only met with the Bureau of audits face-to-face several months ago, but continue to be in regular communication with the bureau.”

Interim City Manager Chris Lopez echoes the mayor’s sentiments commenting, “On May 30, 2019, I flew up to Sacramento to meet with the Auditor’s Office and discuss some of the items we plan to address in fiscal year 2019/20. Since then, I have remained in communication with the Auditor’s Office and plan on submitting a formal response to the most recent letter in the near term. It is my intent to begin discussions about a budget-forecasting model in the beginning of 2020 as this is critically important to the fiscal sustainability of our community.”

With only a month or so left in her mayoralty, the Chronicle realizes that Mayor Wright did not have to afford us an interview: it is greatly appreciated.

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The post With a month to go…our mayor speaks out appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

“We cannot stride with confidence toward the future without honoring lessons learned, community leaders, and contributors that paved the path to where we are today. Many mayors and councils came before us, but they have passed the leadership of this city to us. People may not realize how valuable our town is until we, ourselves, tell the story.

Everything we are and have accomplished is because we worked for it.

Thank you for the incredible honor and privilege of presenting my second state of the city presentation.

I extend thanks to my colleagues who continue to demonstrate their passion for our community, and thanks to the Hemet City staff who work tirelessly to make sure that our residents and stakeholders get top notch service.

Most importantly, I thank the residents of Hemet.

All of you who choose to run a business here, live here, and shop here—you are what make this community great.

We are committed to collaboration, endurance, and hard work.

Just think of the businesses that have weathered tough times here in the city.

I immediately am reminded of Steer-n-Stein. Throughout the economic downturn, restaurants like Applebee’s and Sizzler opened and closed, but Steer’n’Stein remained—much like many of our city’s thriving businesses. In light of that, we recently launched the Mayor’s Business Advisory Group and had our first meeting last month. The whole idea is to work with businesses through their issues to help them toward success. A lot of challenges came to our attention in just one meeting, and I am excited to work alongside our city’s businesses to grow our economy. It isn’t always about the success for us at this point, it is more about welcoming those who need help. I am happy to report that La Michoacana Victoria recently opened after being a part of our Advisory Group; and although we didn’t have a chance to meet Tacos N Beer, at the Advisory Group, I have personally dined there, and highly recommend their restaurant. Thank you again, for choosing Hemet.

We have seen incredible growth in just one year, and our staff has worked diligently to ensure that we can sustain long-term success through budget solvency, and efficient service delivery.

This past June, the council adopted a completely balanced budget, maintaining the city’s 20% reserve for emergencies and maintaining the current service levels.

You, the community, are a vital part of this process. The Hemet City Council extends our sincere appreciation for your confidence and trust in us to steward the funds openly and honestly.

When Measure (U) was passed, the Council fully committed the funds to public safety, and with that, both the Fire and Police Departments committed to bolstering their manpower; their technology; and overall improving service to the community… I don’t know about you all, but the people that serve in these two forces make me so proud to be a part of the Hemet City Team. Thank you, Police and Fire, for all that you do to keep our community safe. We are committed to doing all that we can to maintain the safety of you all who run toward danger while we take cover.

With the inception of Measure U funding, Hemet Fire Department has been able to improve emergency response by adding 6 additional employees who encompass a full medic squad, and 3 fire captains that contribute to the fully staffed Station 5 that serves East Hemet. The Department’s response times continue to improve, with its current time for a unit to arrive on scene being 8 minutes from when the call is placed.

Our 109-year-old Fire Department responded to 16,510 calls for service in 2018! They rendered emergency medical service to 14,000 people; responded to 552 fires; dispatched to 1,818 non-emergency calls; and, were on the frontlines of EVERY MAJOR FIRE INCIDENT in California!   In the coming year, Measure U will fund modern breathing apparatus, protective equipment, a call taker, and a fire truck!

Last year Measure U funded 6 additional Police Department staff members, including 2 Dispatchers and 2 Community Service Officers. This year, three new vehicle requests, a radio system replacement, and two public safety operators will be funded. It is clear that our continued investment helps the Department, because in this past year, crime continued its downward trend, as the department focused its effort toward community engagement.” 

The mayor then went on to thank McCrometer as a staple in our community, while guests dined on the excellent breakfast prepared and served by HSJC’s own pastry chef/food connoisseur Allysun the Uhmayzing of madamconfection, and Destination Coffee Bar owner Nick Yepremian.  The mayor also went on to site other businesses:

“More than 65 years ago, the Hemet Valley Medical Center opened.

Over 90 years ago, the Ramona Bowl premiered its first season.

And almost 100 years ago, the Hemet Theatre premiered its first showing.

These iconic staples of our community have stood the test of time, served thousands of patrons, and still maintained their character, their mission and goals, and their home here in Hemet.

We are proud to be home to McCrometer and many other long-standing businesses.

Thank you for choosing Hemet.”

Ms. Wright went on to say:

“(The) City Clerk’s Office has improved both transparency and efficiency by streamlining agenda management workflow, improving Public Records Act requests, adding useful information on the City website for residents, and developing a retention schedule and records management manual.

Our Administrative and Legal staff have continued to survey outdated protocols and policies that we haven’t revisited in years, and a lot of records in multiple departments are getting transferred to digital databases for public access. 
As we adopt new processes and fine tune the current ones, it is important to acknowledge that growth and change are challenging. I want to be intentional about allowing a moment for us all to be proud of choosing to embrace change. Hemet is opening the doors to innovation, diversity in thought and opinion; it is through this collective process, that Hemet will continue to grow into a thriving Riverside County community.

It has been a long time coming, but we are definitely moving forward.

It is impossible to look behind us and not be confident in what lies ahead for our community. As your Mayor, and Council Member, I want to encourage you to use the lessons from our past to succeed in the future—that is what this team is committed to doing. We will continue to position ourselves to engage our residents, businesses, and neighbors as we grow.

I encourage you to get out into the city, visit the shops that have chosen to serve our community, and recognize that more and more businesses are finding the value in our city. I am incredibly excited for what is on the horizon for Hemet. There will be challenges but there will also be successes. Together we will work through them for positive outcomes.

Before going, I would like to thank both Madam Confection and (the) Destination Café for making the delicious meal this morning.”

The Hemet-San Jacinto Chronicle appreciates the time and transparency show by the Mayor and City Council in meeting with our staff.

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The post For those who missed the “State of the City” address and presentation last Thursday, we present mayor Bonnie Wright’s speech, with limited editing. appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.