More than 370 visitors to the four-hour event were greeted with music, giveaways, contests and 21 vendors that included many Soboba departments sharing their programs and projects. Noli Indian School students were invited to decorate trash cans that would give an important message about protecting the planet by recycling. Ten classes collaborated on the cans that were provided by the environmental department and displayed in the center of the booths that were set up outdoors at the Soboba Sports Complex. Environmental Specialist Micah Knox contacted the school to explain the contest criteria.

“I asked them to show something that promotes sustainability for our community using items that get recycled,” he said.

Three winners were chosen to receive either a pizza, ice cream or donut party for their class.

“They are all super creative; they did a great job,” Michelle Kaliher, Environmental Administrative Assistant, said.

“They have some really great concepts and put a lot of effort into each one.” Noli science teacher Jay D’Agostino said all science students were encouraged to participate.

“We also had classroom lessons on recycling and the reasons for conservation,” he said. “We talked about some of the damage that’s already been done and how to minimize things for the future.”

He said the students came up with their own designs and he was pleased with the detail they put into their creations. First place went to Period 5 Chemistry who did a play on Oscar the Grouch from Sesame Street, who lived in a trashcan. Second place was awarded to Noli Agriculture who made a face from recycled tires and other rubber and plastic items. Third place was a tie between the Oceanography class who created a save the beaches theme and 6th grade Science who decorated their can with lots of pictures of things that live in the sky, on land and in the water that need to be protected.

When checking in, children were asked to guess how many crushed plastic drinking water bottles were stuffed into a larger container. The correct answer was 18 and four kids that guessed closest to the total each won an Alien X Treasure Hunter toy.

Cultural Garden Specialist Eloyd Rodriguez shared freshly picked produce with visitors to the Cultural Resource Department’s booths. He had an abundance of green onions, butternut squash and other recently harvested vegetables. Cultural Resource Specialist Jessica Valdez made sure all guests received a reusable lunch bag and a potted succulent to take home as the department also shared some of its projects and programs.

Reptiles were brought and displayed by Jhonathan C of Puppies and Reptiles for Parties. He shared facts and tips about caring for these types of creatures while shouldering an 11-foot, 60-pound python. He said most people are curious as to what each of them eats.

“These are all my co-workers and it’s been fun being here,” he said as put the python in a holding box and took out a Savannah monitor reptile to show.

Soboba Tribal TANF offered guests the opportunity to create recycled paper coasters from rolled magazine pages, which provided lots of color. There were also kits for kids to make a paper mache planet earth from green and blue squares or a textured earth from green and blue yarn pieces.

Representatives from the Master Gardener program were on hand to offer safe pest control tips as well as ways to keep gardens healthy. CR&R Environmental Services offered recycling tips and explained its “Anaerobic Digestion” project that turns today’s waste into tomorrow’s energy. GRID Alternatives offered details about solar energy. The Home Depot in Hemet shared ideas about saving energy by having heating and air conditioning units serviced and provided at-home water test kits. A new vendor this year was KTUA, whose mission is to provide planning and landscape architectural services that promote the sustainable use of resources while creating inspiring and functional environments that support all human activities. They shared the importance of creating an Active Transportation Plan for Soboba that provides better options for biking, walking and transit services. Also new this year was Kay Pfeiffer, Senior Vice President at TrueLifeCare, who was on hand to talk about a new program for Soboba tribal members and employees who receive health benefits that helps with testing and coaching for diabetes. TLC works in partnership with Soboba Rx and aims to empower members to improve their health outcomes.

Jessica Southard and Serra Rea from the Morongo Band of Mission Indians Environmental Protection Department had recycling games for the youngest guests and a lot of handouts and tips for adults about food waste reduction. Some of the easiest ways to minimize waste is to use a shopping list to avoid over purchasing and know how long cold foods can be stored so they are used before they perish.

Southard, an Environmental Specialist I, said they chose to focus on food waste for this event because it is a widespread problem. Handouts included explaining the ramifications of wasting food citing that the estimated total value of food loss at the retail and consumer levels in the United States was $161.6 billion in 2010. Food waste also leads to climate consequences such as accounting for 8% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and is the single most common material landfilled in the U.S., comprising 24% of landfilled municipal solid waste. One example given is that 31% of fresh tomatoes bought by U.S. households are thrown out, which amounts to 21 tomatoes a year per person.

Southard said the newest development in recycling came with the recent passage of AB 343, which requires package producers to meet strict criteria to use the “chasing arrows” symbol on their plastic packaging in California.

“The bill is helpful because it will take the logo off things that are not widely recyclable to make it less confusing,” she said.

Emma Arres, who assists the Environmental Department in field work, had a chance to visit some of the booths. She enjoyed seeing the different activities each vendor had and found Morongo’s booth the most memorable. Avelaka Gonzales and Raven Peterson said they enjoy attending Soboba’s Earth Day events every year.

“I really liked the produce giveaway and all the things they have here for the kids is awesome,” Gonzales said, who also brought her three-year-old daughter Nehsoon Salas.

Marketing department employees from Soboba Casino Resort offered a fun beach clean-up game where participants sifted through sand to find a picture of an item and then had to determine if it should be thrown in the trash or the recycling bin. Prizes included small plush sea creatures.

Soboba Department of Public Safety’s Patrol Officer Tim Cosby and dispatcher Britanny Norris helped guests recycle CDs into sun catchers by decorating them with markers. Soboba Fire personnel offered children coloring books that explain the importance of fire safety and plastic firefighter helmets.

Antonia Briones-Venegas and Aurelia Mendoza set up their Frybread Kitchen serving regular and Indian tacos to a non-stop line of hungry guests.

Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians | Contributed

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The Invocation was given by Pastor Dale Garland of Hope in the Valley Church with the Pledge of Allegiance led by Malcolm Lilienthal.

Marianne Derouin commented publicly about the lack of information on both the website and via written communication as regards the Measure U Oversight Committee, to which she was recently appointed. Pat Gregory commented on the lack of information regarding her October Freedom of Information request made to the city. The city has been known to drag its feet on FOI requests. Nothing like a little transparency.

Councilman Lilienthal proclaimed May as “Conservation Appreciation Month and April as DMV/Donate Life Month.

Eagle Eyes Ann Smith poured over the warrant register, looking for indicators that anything was amiss. Finance Director Lorena Rocha is always quick to explain items that don’t seem to make sense. Most responsible people are careful with their money, unlike some of our elected officials (you have to spend it before you know what you’re buying. The most distressing item on the register was a $53,493 payment to former city attorneys Burke, Williams, & Sorenson. Rocha stated this bill, likely (we hope) would be the last, was due to their helping the new city attorney transition in (makes sense) as well as closing out some old business.

In going through the payments, I was curious as to how much the city spends with Gosch on an annual basis (nothing personal here, just curious). She explained that it varies from year to year. It seemed to me that the city was spending quite a bit this year; however, not all the facts are public. We want to be clear that the city does do business with many vendors, including many Amazon purchases, some local retailers (B&J Sporting Goods), to name a few. For anyone reading this summary, the warrant register is public and attached to the agenda packet at the City of Hemet website. It’s a cumbersome report but interesting. It begins to make sense as you read through it a couple of times. The Warrant Register was filed and unanimously approved.

Over the last year, there have been numerous posts on social media about water quality, so I was interested in the Water and Sewer Master Plan. Back in 1991, 27 years ago, the city commissioned a company to prepare a Water & Sewer Master Plan. In 2017, the city retained a new consultant to update the plan. The plan presented to the council is available online at the city website if you download the agenda packet. The report is extensive and provides an overview of Hemet’s population growth. The Water and Sewer Master Plan was filed and approved by all.

City government is unwieldy, full of constraints, laws, politics, etc. The city of Hemet, like many other cities, often has difficulty in finding adequate management-level staff to accomplish some of the things related to planning, permitting, inspection, and technical services.

Hemet has a city engineer, Steve Loriso, who does a pretty good job. The city does retain two outside consultants to bear the weight the city is unable to. 4Leaf is such a consulting company. In actuality, it’s less expensive to use outside contractors. You don’t have to deal with social security, workers’ compensation, and the all-consuming cost of employee benefits. In going through the warrant register, there were payments made to various temporary agencies for the use of such otherwise unavailable technical help. It’s the cost of doing business people. A Resolution Approving the 2nd Amendment for Services between the City of Hemet and 4LEAF, Inc. for a Contract Amount of $80,000.00 was unanimously approved by council.

The Community Development Department came forth with their request for a Resolution approving the first Amendment for Services between the City of Hemet and CSG Consultants, Inc., for a contract amount of $100,000. The initial estimate for service was $55,000. Why did the contract nearly double from the initial quote? Did the company underestimate the scope of work to be done or did the city underestimate? A quick call to the Community Development Director, H.P. Kang revealed the fact that there was a lot more growth during the COVID period than the city anticipated, hence the need for a lot more permitting, approvals, everything associated with new developments, housing or commercial. This is good news; however, with the increased development comes increased costs of permitting, technical expertise, all associated with the new and positive growth. I’m happy to see the growth, but I also see the potential for more taxes. Time will tell.

There was a request to adopt a Resolution of Intention (ROI) to Establish City of Hemet Community Facilities District No. 2021-01 (Saddle Point), generally located between Warren Road, Fisher Street, Mustang Way, and Poplar Street. This is a Mello-Roos tax for the new development City Engineer Steve Loriso contributed to the request. So, what is a Community Facilities District (CFC)? According to Google, “A Community Facilities District, or CFD, is a special financing district that provides a mechanism for funding specific facilities and services as granted by the Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act of 1982.

And what is a Mello-Roos tax? Remember Proposition 13? In 1978, there was a revolt against high property taxes. Lowering the tax on property made the promise of homeowner ship more attainable. It basically restricted the rate of tax increase on real property (land, housing, etc.) to 1%. On the flip side of that, there was a lot less money for “stuff.” Enter the “bond” phenomena. Every election cycle, when you receive your voter pamphlet in the mail, you see dozens of bond issues. Why is that? If California is such a liberal state, why in the world are they so insistent on hanging on to Proposition 13? Let’s go back for a moment to Mello-Roos. Another name for Mello-Roos is Community Facilities District. It’s a taxing mechanism. It’s a way to get additional public funding to pay for public works and other services. Are you getting the picture? For those of you too young to remember the contentious fight to pass Proposition 13, it was written into the California Constitution. Sadly, if council didn’t pass this, bye-bye new development, there would be no way for the kind of development we are seeing locally. Most developers won’t bear the entire burden; it’s not realistic.

So – do we build or do we not build? I say we build. Everything comes with a price. If you want a bright, clean attractive community, you need to attract people. How do you do that? You build a clean, attractive community. You’ve heard the adage, “build it and they will come.”

By the way, for those of you clamoring for big box stores and other conveniences, that will not happen unless the developments come in. Hemet is seeing considerable growth (you may not personally think it’s happening, but it is). As our population expands, the large retailers will recognize a new opportunity and you’ll begin to see evidence of more retail choices (other than gas stations and liquor stores). The city does what it can with what it has.

The recommendation to council was to adopt both a Resolution of Intention (ROI) to establish City of Hemet Community Facilities District No. 2021-01 (Saddle Point); and authorize the levy of a special tax within City of Hemet Community Facilities District No. 2021-01 (Saddle Point).

Enter a second tax…a Resolution in Connection with the Hemet Unified School District Forming a Community Facilities District within the Territorial Limits of the City of Hemet to Finance Certain Development Impact Fees, Facilities District Financing. Sorry for the legalese; there is no simple language to explain it. It’s a tax, a necessary evil in the world of development. This is how things get done.

The next item is one that came up in October, 2019 asking council to approve a Resolution Amending the Local Limitations for Campaign Contributions to Candidates for Elected Office in the City of Hemet. Here’s the back story. In October, 2019, Governor Newsome approved AB 571, establishing campaign contribution limits for candidates for elective city office, starting 01/01/2021. The amount allowed for contribution is established by the city council. Individuals, committees/PAC, other than a small contributor or political party committee, will be prohibited from making a contribution to a candidate for elective city office in an amount greater than the amount determined in the Act for limitations on contributions to candidates for State Assembly or Senate. On September 8, 2020, the City Council asked staff to present a resolution for consideration establishing campaign contributions. The City Attorney’s Office presented a draft resolution on December 8, 2020, and recommended the City Council adopt the resolution even though questions remained to ensure that the City of Hemet had a local limitation set to prevent potential State preemption. At the December 8, 2020 meeting, the City Council directed the City Attorney to return with a resolution establishing no local limitation. This resolution passed unanimously.

Another resolution was put forth asking the council to approve the City of Hemet Accounting Policies. Along with his request came the staff update to council to hear an update on the Fiscal Year 2021/2022 Annual Budget Process.

The City Manager’s Office and Finance Director have met with all operations to discuss their budgets. We are happy to report that a new budget format will make the budget easier to read and understand. There will be other changes making for better tracking of budget versus expenditure. In short, there will be more accountability. Finance Director Lorena Rocha gave an impressive overview of unfunded liabilities and how they affect Hemet and hiring. She answered many questions with City Manager Chris Lopez closing out the discussion. No vote was required on the update on Fiscal Year 2021/2022. The Accounting Policies resolution was approved.

Regarding Corona Virus updates, City Manage Lopez announced that City Hall is now open to the public and the library will open in May.

Ann Smith • CORRESPONDENT

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There are a number of people interested in participating in the oversight of Measure U funds. It’s heartwarming to see the interest of Hemet citizens and their desire to serve. That’s how things get done! There is a closed session just prior to the public meeting. The closed session involves sensitive legal issues and for the most part, are not available for public review until the matters are resolved. There was one item of interest that we have reported on previously.

You may recall that during the 2020 election, there was a particularly contentious race for Council District 4, the Seven Hills area of Hemet. Ken Graff’s candidate, Miguel “Mike” Madrid was out-voted by Mayor Pro Tem Joe Males. According to court documents filed on behalf of Madrid, Males wasn’t living in District 4 when he filed his papers and he also filed outside the time limit. The city of Hemet posted an announcement on its website, stating the city was giving some additional time to file and Males took that opportunity. He was able to verify his residency despite allegations made by Graff. You will note the attorney arguing on behalf of Graff and Madrid is Patricia Madrid! This has been an ongoing dispute on the part of Graff and it’s anyone’s guess as to why. This lawsuit is a waste of city time and resources. Mayor Pro Tem Males has stepped confidently into his new role and it appears he will be a productive council member.

The court is not disposed to revisiting this now stale event. If Hemet is to move forward, all former candidates must also move on, for the good of the city. As City Council meetings are a matter of public record, anyone wishing to do so, can make comments, with a 3-minute limit. Anyone sitting in the council chambers can hear comments. There are no secrets. There were several comments addressing items not on the agenda. Roy McDaniels spoke passionately on behalf of the Diamond Kings Baseball Team. McDaniels, a Hemet resident, is head coach of the Diamond Kings.

According to the team’s Facebook page, McDaniels has an impressive resume, including being a retired Marine, MCMAP black belt martial arts instructor, minor league/college baseball background and a BA/MBA in business administration. He is a middle school teacher. You know the Diamond Kings have to be successful with that kind of leadership. He spoke of developing the team and working with the city to correct some issues resulting from past poor management. Hemet parent Ken Prado shared with the council the problems being encountered with Hemet Unified School District and the fact that the ACLU has joined in a fight to protect the rights of parents. In addition to being in violation of what’s known as the Brown Act, HUSD has defamed some of the parents who are acting on behalf of their children. The Brown Act requires local government business to be conducted at open and public meetings, except in certain limited situations.

According to Prado, “If the ACLU is involved, then there has to be something going on (or not going on) that requires legal remedy.” Prado has been active in many areas of city affairs and Mayor Meyer thanked him for his bold efforts. Food truck owner, Matt Gordon, expressed his frustration with the city for lagging in issuing him the necessary permit to conduct his business (grilled cheese sandwiches!). He can be found Saturdays at the Hemet Farmer’s Market. Gordon has all the necessary permits for the entire county of Riverside but as has been the case for years, Hemet is dragging its feet on issuing a permit. Why is that? Over the years, there have been multiple complaints by entrepreneurs about the lengthy wait time when it comes to permitting. Are employees simply dragging their feet or is this a management issue? Gordon will be doing a monthly giveaway at Valley Restart.

Food trucks are a favorite in Hemet. As promised, when she was running for the office of City Treasurer, Sue Savage gave an impassioned report on the state of the city treasury. She stated that she felt the city council did not allow her to make an appropriate report previously and wanted to go on record in that regard. She is looking forward to working with the council in the future. From Savage’s previous reports, the city treasury is in good shape. Pat Gregory expressed her frustration and disillusion with the city as she has been unable to obtain explanations of discrepancies in Measure U money. It is significant that there are so many candidates for the Measure U Oversight Commission. Perhaps we will see more transparency with new commissioners. Fireworks! There appears to be some confusion on the part of those who are illegally shooting off fireworks.

The city is attempting to double down on these activities by imposing fines and making it very clear that continued use of illegal fireworks will not be tolerated. Most of the problems take place around July 4. In some cities, the property owner where illegal fireworks are shot off are being penalized for the activities.

There was one public comment addressing fireworks. The council unanimously voted to pass a motion clarifying the penalties. Retired police officer and councilman Russ Brown stated that holding property owners responsible is one way of addressing the problem and he supports it (even if it is a renter that is creating the problem). A resolution will be read at the next council meeting and voted on at that time. Finance Director Lorena Rocha made a public request for an adjustment to the budget (Draft Community Development Grant-Coronavirus). This draft was titled “Substantial Amendment to 2020-25 Consolidated Plan and 2020/21 Annual Action Plan.” This is a multi-faceted plan to address public safety, homelessness and generally, underserved residents in the community. Councilmember Brown commented on the fact residents will benefit greatly from the passing of this Community Development Block Grant. Councilman Lilienthal further commented on the need for additional grants.

In previous council meetings, there has been discussion on hiring a grant writer for the purpose of acquiring additional funds. Having gone through the budget (which can be viewed at the city website in the agenda), it is a welcome sight to see underserved residents having some of their needs met. Mayor Pro Tem Males commented affirmatively on the CBDG monies available. This appears to be a council that is dedicated to quality-of-life improvement for the betterment of underserved residents. A vote was taken by all present council members, passing unanimously.

One of the more tedious presentations involved a General Plan Amendment (involving the Page Ranch Specific Plan Amendment, Rancho Diamonte Phase II). Councilman Brown had a concern regarding traffic on Warren Road (part of the plan). Altering the Warren through the way may affect current traffic trends. There have been proposals in the past that would have affected Warren Road, many of which have never been seen completed. Nothing in the presentation made appeared to address traffic concerns. The city clerk read the ordinance into the public record. All voted yes on this.

A moment of congratulations came when Councilman Malcolm Lilienthal made a special presentation on behalf of Black History Month. Prior council minutes and treasurer reports were approved. There were a number of other items to be discussed; it was close to eleven before the meeting ended. Some of the other items not reported on here will be followed up on.

Ann Smith • Contributor

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Recently, deputies from the Perris Station fielded specific complaints from concerned community members about unlawful activities such as trespassing, drug usage, illegal dumping and other quality of life issues near the intersection of Bellamo Lane and 4th Street, in the city of Perris. On February 9 and 16, the Perris Station Problem Oriented Policing Team, Perris City Code Enforcement and Social Workers Action Group responded to the above location and offered targeted outreach services to several individuals staying at the location. They were offered housing assistance, substance abuse assistance and mental health services. Multiple subjects received assistance and left the location, while others refused.

On February 23, 2021, deputies assigned to the Perris Station Problem Oriented Policing Team, in collaboration with the Perris City Code Enforcement and Social Workers Action Group, conducted a homeless disruption operation. When applicable, persons contacted were referred to the Social Workers Action Group and offered resources for housing and substance abuse, including those subjects who were later arrested.

During the operation, the following individuals were arrested and booked into the Cois Byrd Detention Center:

• Austin Harris, 23-year-old for drug paraphernalia and misdemeanor warrants.
• David Minler, 41-year-old for felon in possession of ammunition and misdemeanor warrants.
• Shyla Russell, 40-year-old for trespassing.
• Wesley Mamea, 31-year-old for trespassing.
• Emily Rodriguez, 27-year-old for misdemeanor warrants.
• Santaeze Hubbard, 35-year-old for trespassing, no-bail felony warrant and obstruct, delay or resist a peace officer.
• Angela Taylor, 24-year-old for trespassing.
• Luis Ochoa, 25-year-old for trespassing, possession of drug paraphernalia and drug possession.
• John Greggins, 54-year-old for trespassing.
• Jerome Brooks, 43-year-old for trespassing and obstruct, delay or resist a peace officer.
• April Smith, 37-year-old for a misdemeanor warrant.
• Jose Rico, 40-year-old for various misdemeanor warrants.
• Gerardo Rodriguez, 39-year-old for a misdemeanor warrant.
• Gerald Jones, 50-year-old for trespassing and misdemeanor warrants.

The goal of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is to keep all of our citizens safe while also improving the quality of life for those residing within the community. “Community Policing” involves partnerships between law enforcement and community members. If you see or know anyone needing assistance, please call the Perris Station at 951-210-1000.

For media inquiries regarding this incident please contact the Media Information Bureau.

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