“For the 20th anniversary, our goal was to make the event feel truly rooted in the community,” Aceves said. “We focused on bringing in as many local vendors as possible to showcase the talent, culture, and spirit we have right here at home. More than anything, we wanted people to come together, enjoy a beautiful day, and celebrate what Earth Day is all about. In the end, we really did love the Earth together—and that sense of unity made the milestone feel extra special.”

Birdsingers from Torres Martinez started off the morning in traditional fashion while students from the Soboba Tribal Preschool performed “We Love the Earth” a little later to a very enthusiastic audience.

“We were thrilled to welcome community favorites like Gil’s Critters and the Living Desert Zoo & Gardens, who always draw big smiles while teaching families about our native wildlife,” Aceves said. “Our food vendors included Native-owned gems like Frybread Kitchen and Papa Langos, who kept everyone happy with delicious handmade tortillas and Indian tacos.” The Soboba Youth Council provided root beer floats throughout the day.

The Green Coalition’s Wiggs and Ginger Mendoza were making their 20th appearance at the Earth Day event, providing free take-home succulents such as aloe vera to help promote the growth of native and sustainable plants.

“Giving away plants is part of our mission and part of what this day should be about,” Wiggs said. He explained to those at their stand that the aloe plant can be used as a moisturizer or hair treatment and explained how it can have medicinal properties for cuts and burns.

“The Green Coalition has been our longest-standing partner, and we’re incredibly grateful for their continued presence and support at Soboba Earth Day,” Aceves said. “Their commitment has really helped shape the event into what it is today.” For more information, https://greensanjacinto.org.

EMWD Public Affairs Specialist Allan Freetage shared the importance of not letting certain items go down household drains and offered sink strainers to visitors to help with that. “Our Hydration Station van is a great educational tool to show that tap water can be good,” he said as he offered free cups for guests to fill with cold water.

Climate Science Alliance made a strong showing with informative handouts for adults and fun activities for children at their booth. The organization’s goal is to work with communities to help Native lands survive. “We have trainings with different community partners to help share knowledge,” Grants and Partnership Manager Edgar Carrillo said. Education Program Manager Sarah Morgan said the most important thing is to stay connected as community-based solutions are best.

“There was also strong representation from neighboring Tribal Environmental Departments of Santa Rosa, Morongo, Pechanga, Augustine, and 29 Palms, highlighting the unity and collaboration across our Tribes,” Aceves said.

 Pechanga’s Director of Environmental Helen Waguiu was passionate about explaining the damage being incurred to local oak trees due to the invasive Goldspotted Oak Borer (GSOB). She shared details of how to look for them so they can be reported and dealt with before causing further harm. She readily explained how the impact of this pest is far reaching. A reduction in oak tree population threatens cultural practices; Coast Live Oak, which is one the GSOB targets, is known as a keystone species and plays a vital role in the local ecosystem; oaks provide food and habitat to thousands of species; and dead and dying oak trees contribute to dangerous levels of wildfire fuel.

Local universities such as CSUSB, UCR, and University of Redlands showcased their environmental programs, inspiring the next generation of environmental leaders.

“Alongside them were essential partnerships with local utilities, nonprofits, and agencies,” Aceves said. “It truly was a vibrant mix of organizations, creating a space where our community could learn, connect, and get inspired. Having such a wide variety of vendors made the day feel full, energized, and incredibly meaningful.”

Soboba Cultural Resource Department representatives Renee Rhodes, Jessica Valdez, and Lily Brandt shared how their Cultural Garden at The Oaks is rooted in tradition and why it’s important to protect the earth.

“Tribal culture is land based,” Valdez said. “Once depleted, we cannot practice our traditional way of life.”

Aceves spent much of his time at the STED check-in area to greet guests and make sure they got their tickets for a free meal, a raffle prize chance and a vote for the best student poster. He also visited each vendor to personally thank them for their participation.

Silvas interacted with guests, vendors and others throughout the four-hour event. She said she received a lot of positive feedback about the food, the 39 raffle prizes and all of the different activities for children to do, especially the bird walk that was provided by Robin Roberts. She enjoyed seeing community members interact with all the different vendors and seeing how large the event has grown.

“Another highlight for me was all of the community members, employees, and different departments that volunteered to help us put this all together,” Silvas said. “I’m very appreciative to have their support and we couldn’t have done it without them.”

The standout moment for Aceves was the sheer number of people who showed up.

“Every year our event grows, and with it, Soboba’s commitment to environmental stewardship shines even brighter,” he said. “Seeing the community arrive in droves—families, students, elders, everyone—really exemplifies their dedication to learning, caring for the land, and celebrating the earth together. That kind of turnout is the best reminder of why we put so much heart into this event.”

Activities leading up to the celebration included the invitation to have Soboba departments design creative displays using all recyclable materials and Noli Indian School science students collaborating on posters that depicted the theme of this year’s event.

One of Sabrina Smith’s classes won first place scoring a fun pizza party while all other classes were treated to an ice cream party. The winner is chosen by attendees who each receive a ticket to be placed in the bucket set up next to their favorite poster.

Soboba Housekeeping won first place once again this year with their “McLovin’ the Earth” McDonald’s restaurant theme.

Aceves said that as the event has grown, so has the planning timeline.

“These days, we’re preparing earlier and earlier to make sure everything comes together seamlessly,” he said. “For this year’s celebration, we started more than six months in advance. At this point, half of our department’s calendar revolves around Earth Day, but we love it. It’s a huge lift but seeing the community show up the way they did makes every bit of preparation worth it.”

He said the most important thing people can do to make every day Earth Day is to love it.

“This year I selected the theme ‘Love the Earth’ (‘Éxla ‘Omá’ma) so that people could reflect on why they love the earth,” Aceves said. “In the opening remarks I asked participants to reflect on why they love the earth, be it the mountains that ground you, the rivers that bring life, or just the feeling of fresh air after a long day. Whatever it is, hold onto it because what we love is what we protect.”

For information on upcoming STED events, please visit https://epa.soboba-nsn.gov.

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Through an insightful discussion and hands-on tour of regenerative farming in action, you will learn how to apply regenerative principles across industries as we explore the interconnectedness of health, community, and economy. We will introduce our upcoming fall course series, the eagerly anticipated start to regenerative systems education at MSJC, a cutting-edge, cross-disciplinary transformation in learning, earning, and living in our wonderful community.

The information session will be held 4 – 6 p.m. on Monday, April 22 in celebration of Earth Day. The session is free and open to the public. Seats are limited to 100. To save your seat for this exciting opportunity, RSVP today.

During this one-of-a-kind educational experience, participants will receive a guided tour from innovative local industry experts to learn more about the concepts of regenerative farming practices and whole systems thinking, an approach to understanding how systems are related and influence each other. 

Paul Greive, a former Marine Corps intelligence officer and UCLA alumnus, will welcome guests and share information about Primal Pastures, the family farm that uses regenerative practices. 

Participants in this session will have the opportunity to be the first to sign up for a new Regenerative Systems class scheduled this fall offered by MSJC Contract & Community Education at MSJC’s Temecula Valley Campus. 

The six-week course will take students on a journey to:

• Explore regenerative agriculture and its role in building a sustainable future
• Elevate their understanding of regenerative practices with a specialized class that fuses theory from MIT’s Otto Scharmer with practical on-farm techniques
• Expand students’ network by building a community of like-minded individuals and professionals

If you are seeking purpose-driven learning to make a tangible difference in your community, want insider insights from innovative industry leaders at the forefront of sustainable agriculture, have a desire to understand the environmental, social, and economic benefits of regenerative practices and how they contribute to a healthier ecosystem and community, and want to become part of a community passionate about driving positive change, then join us. Register today before seats fill!

TIME: 4 – 6 p.m.

DATE:  Earth Day, Monday, April 22, 2024

PLACE:  Primal Pastures, 25391 Washington Ave, Murrieta, CA 92562

For more information:  communityeducation@msjc.edu

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Some of the youngest earth dwellers, students from the Soboba Tribal Preschool, made musical instruments from recycled materials and paraded through the Sports Complex outdoor area where the event was set up.

Teacher Ponie Mojado said the children fashioned tambourines from two paper plates sealed with pinto beans inside and then colored. Some of the students, who range in age from two through kindergarten, cleverly filled plastic eggs with pinto beans and then placed the eggs between two plastic spoons. After taping the handles together, it formed a rattle. Still others made rattles from empty toilet paper tubes filled with beans and taped up on both ends.

Shaking their instruments to “I Love My Planet (The Earth Song)” they learned, proud parents videotaped and photographed the budding musicians who learned an important lesson about recycling. Aceves said this was definitely his favorite part of the whole event.

“Getting the youth involved is always an achievement because they are the next generation that will play a pivotal part in environmental stewardship,” he said.

Students at Noli Indian School, which serves sixth through twelfth grades, used their science class time to create posters that matched this year’s Earth Day theme of “Invest in Our Planet.” Each visitor at the event was given a voting dot upon check-in to place in front of their choice for favorite poster.

 Noli science teachers Jay Dagostino and Sabrina Sobel tied the project into their lesson plans on Ecology. “I liked the creative art mixed with science and community involvement,” Dagostino said. Aceves said the class that created the winning poster will be treated to a pizza party, courtesy of STED. The second-place class will receive an ice-cream party.

Junior Nataly Lemus worked with two other classmates to create the “Help Save the Earth” poster that stresses reduce, reuse and recycle. “We collaborated on the whole design and then I put it together,” she said. Nataly made tree “leaves” out of pieces of green plastic soda bottles.

Seniors Sienna Goff and Bella Resvaloso, along with sophomore Jacklyn Ramirez, created their poster during chemistry class. Their artfully crafted message offered ways to help save the earth – use less water, plant more trees and stop pollution. The earth was shown as green and vital on one side where nature was key and the other half as brown and polluted where factories and poor air quality prevailed.

Sixth-grade students pointed out that if we don’t invest in our planet now, we might not have one to live on 20 years from now. They wrote, “If we don’t protect our environment and animals, future generations won’t be able to enjoy it.” A list of possible solutions included carpooling, planting more plants, turning off lights when not in a room and using cooling and heating systems less.

Another poster read, “Investing in our planet is important for our future because without our planet, there is no future. A healthy planet isn’t an option, it’s a necessity.”

Members of the Soboba Foundation, Tribal Council and Tribal Executive Offices are looking ahead to summer’s outdoor activities and provided water pool toys and kites to guests. Marketing team associates from Soboba Casino Resort had a fun watercolor craft for all ages. The younger artists were impressed with the “magic” that took place when Cheyanna Perez sprayed water on the paper plate they colored with blue and green markers to create a muted “earthy” masterpiece.

There was information on electric cars and solar energy. GRID Alternatives and ONYX Power shared details about the current solar back-up project they have at Soboba. Current Home focuses on residential solar projects and offered games for the children who attended.

Jonathan Reinig, the Western Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority Reserve Manager, and Jonathan Marin with Riverside County Transportation Commission tag teamed discussions about land and wildlife habitat conservation. “We have 146 species in Western Riverside County and 34 are considered threatened or endangered,” Reinig said.

Climate Science Alliance and Inland Empire Waterkeeper nonprofits have programs geared towards youth and showed them how they could get involved. River KATS (Kids Activism Through Science) is a program that offers workshops and field trips to teach children firsthand about watershed.

The Soboba Fire Department had a booth where they shared the importance of signing up for wildfire alerts and things that can be done to mitigate damage to homes and other property as fire season approaches. There were also plastic firefighter helmets in pink or black for the young children as well as crayons, a coloring puzzle and more.

The Santa Rosa Band of Cahuilla Indians gave a demonstration of a do-it-yourself water filter and representatives from the Sierra Club, Master Gardeners, the Forest Service Volunteer Association and other agencies shared hints on protecting wildlife, preserving resources and investing in our planet.

Southern California Edison Community Crew members Torrie Brandon and Jose Soto, who work with vegetation management, were passing out potted plant starters for those that wanted them while also sharing the important job SCE does in making sure trees are kept trimmed away from power lines. To learn which tree species are utility friendly, contact safetrees@sce.com before planting.

Trequitta Jennings and other members of the SCE Community Outreach Team gave away resiliency kits, explained ways to be energy efficient and how to sign up for the service that sends out alerts regarding power outages and other informative messages. To sign up, visit sce.com/outagealerts.

Hosea Jones and Taylor Hart with CalFresh talked to guests about eating healthy by growing fruits and vegetables, such as celery.

The Cultural Resource Department’s cultural garden is going strong and members shared fresh produce from the Soboba Indian Reservation garden. Other department representatives shared the importance of pollinators to help bees. They offered seeded pots of the types of flowers enjoyed by bees, bee-shaped bookmarks and a list of the native plants at the reservation that bees like: black sage, brittlebush, buckwheat, chia, cottonwood, elderberry, sagebrush, sycamore, white sage and yerba santa.

They shared that we should invest in our planet with native plants, those that occur naturally in a region in which they evolved. They are the ecological basis upon which all life depends. To learn more about the native plant species in your region, visit https://calscape.org. They further explained the benefits of native plants, such as promoting biodiversity by providing shelter and food for wildlife, supporting pollinators, reducing the carbon footprint while minimizing pollution as they require little to no maintenance, saving water since native plants are able to sustain themselves and controlling erosion due to their strong, deep and varying root lengths.

Mike Perez with the Riverside County Department of Waste Resources shared the many ways people can learn how to recycle and be more eco-friendly. Free in-person and virtual classes about composting, sustainable landscaping and zero waste are just a few that are available through www.rcwaste.org.

“We teach people how to keep things out of the trash that don’t belong there,” Perez said. He started out as a volunteer in 2017 and is now Volunteer Services Coordinator. “We also offer the longest-running composting class (since 1996) and the biggest one is the state.”

With the help of more than 10 volunteers, although they are always recruiting more, Perez said they work with schools and attend many community events, such as this one, to help educate others on the importance of recycling and how to do it properly.

Guests were also treated to a raffle ticket for some great prizes, a free cup of Kona Ice and a meal ticket for the In-n-Out food truck.

Aceves said the most beneficial thing the average person can do today to make a great impact in the future is to adopt sustainable practices. This can include carpooling, recycling, limiting single use plastic, reducing water use and many more.

“Adopting sustainable practices into your everyday life may not seem like a great impact but over time these practices really add up,” he said. “The environment rarely changes overnight; it’s the small changes over time that often make the biggest impact.”

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Following the usual opening invocation and flag salute came roll call. The Council approved Karlee Meyer’s absence, then came communications from the public which were mild.

PRESENTATIONS:

1. April proclaimed Autism Awareness Month.

2. April proclaimed Earth Day Month.

RECEIVE AND FILE:

1. Received and filed the City of Hemet Warrant Registers Dated March 09, 2023, for $2,789,242.37 and the Payroll Period of February 20, 2023 – March 05, 2023, in the amount of $836,174.50.

CONSENT CALENDAR:

Approved as follows:

A. The Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of March 28, 2023.

B. Waived further reading and adopt Ordinance 2010, an Ordinance of the City of Hemet, California, amending Section 2-44 of the Hemet Municipal Code related to City Council member residency requirements.

C. Adopted a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Hemet, California, accepting the 2021-22 State Citizen’s Option for Public Safety (COPS) and Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act (JJCPA) Enhancing Law Enforcement Activities Subaccount and Growth Special Account Allocation for $214,008.06 and authorizing the Finance Department to establish an Expenditure Account and Budget for the Grant Activity Period.

D. Adopted a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Hemet, California, approving the service agreement with the Institute of Ecological Civilization (EcoCiv) for technical assistance on the California Violence Intervention and Prevention Funds from the Board of State and Community Corrections in the amount not to exceed $254,800.00 and authorize the City Manager to execute all documents; and waive the procurement procedure and contract with EcoCiv for services of Mr. Stewart Wakeling for technical assistance.

E. Adopted a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Hemet, California, to Process the Refund Request for Development Impact Fees (Water and Sewer) for property known as TR29129-9 Lots 1-22, TR 29129-7 Lot 8, TR29129-8 Lots 1-7, 26-29 and TR29129-1 Lot 29 for a total amount of $25,655 to Jeffery MDM Partners VII, LLC.

F. A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Hemet, California, authorizing the City Manager to enter Settlement Agreements with Entities Within the Opioid Pharmaceutical Supply Chain.

DISCUSSION – ACTION ITEMS:

A. Approved receiving and filing the update on the pooled cash of all City Funds, including general funds from Public Trust Advisors.

B. Approved adopting a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Hemet, California, establishing an Investment Policy and Rescinding Resolution No. 2021-135.

C. This was the discussion as to whether the City Council would discuss the Riverside University Health system Recovery/Wellness Village Project and consider authorizing the Mayor to send the proposed letter addressed to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors expressing the City of Hemet’s opposition to the project, which the Council has been against from day one.

Representatives from Riverside University Health System’s Recovery/Wellness Village gave an excellent 20-minute Dissertation on the advantages of the project.

The Council has repeatedly said the citizens are opposed to it. Imagine the bombshell when more than two dozen Hemet Citizens showed up in support of the Village and in no uncertain terms, accused the City of being snobbish with a NOT IN MY BACKYARD attitude.

One lady who lives in the proposed area said, “The Village would be a big improvement over a lot of weeds,” which is the current condition of the location.

Both women and men, citizens of Hemet, declared that the matter of mental illness is already filling the streets of Hemet because they have no local place for treatment in this area. Some detractors claimed it would bring the mentally ill to Hemet for treatment. Still, the majority reminded the Council that it was our mental people who were going to other communities miles away for treatment, often out of state. Others stated a fact that most of us in Hemet already know, it starts with drugs in high school and ends up with mentally ill addicts with no place to go but the streets,

Others who were victims of mental illness or had mental illness in their families pointed out that the streets are crawling with mentally ill young people. The problem is here, they declared, but the treatment is not.

One after another, they paraded to the podium to beg the Council to change its mind but to no avail. Ultimately, the Council voted 3 to 1 to send the refusal letter. Only Mayor Pro Tem Lilienthal voted no. As a counselor, he would probably be the only one on the Council who deals with the problem on a daily basis.

With everyone worn to a frazzle, the remaining reports were continued until the next Council meeting—the wisest decision of the evening.

Time for the citizens to come out in force, either for or against the Village. If the demand is anything like tonight, we can guess the public’s attitude. Just sayin’

rustystrait@gmail.com

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