Following light coverage of the agenda, former council member Matt Rahn was given an appreciative presentation for his 20-plus years of service. He was gifted with awards of recognition, proclamations, certificates, videos sent in by the countless individuals he’s worked alongside, and speeches aplenty.
Temecula’s planning commission, responsible for supervising new buildings within the city, shared that they had reviewed a developmental overlay amendment for Linfield Christian School. The purpose of this was to configure the boundaries of the school, so that they may begin with some of the projects they wanted to complete. Or in other words, to retain approximately 15 additional acres for education facility uses, but no development is proposed with the proposed amendment. However, since public speakers spoke against the project, the planning commission voted for the council to approve of an amendment.
Additionally, the planning commission reviewed a development plan application for a full-service hotel, one that will be located at the northeast corner of Old Town Front Street and First Street. A building that is 288,269 square feet, with 355 rooms, and seven stories. However, it was encouraged and agreed upon, that the project be redesigned to comply with the development standards of the Old Town specific plan.
The Temecula fire department shared that during the month of Aug, they ran 817 calls within the city. 8 of those were fires, 73 were traffic collisions, and 582 were medical emergencies. Fire prevention continues to be busy through planned reviews and checks, with 660 made during Aug. alone. The value of emergency management was reaffirmed, especially at the time of tropical storm Hillary, which caused little damage.
During public comments on non-agendized items, a student from Great Oak High School’s International Baccalaureate program took to the podium, and spoke about a community event being held on Sep. 23rd. It will be a collaboration between the students, and the community’s rose garden. They will be celebrating the cultural clubs at their school through performances, a picnic, and activities that all families can enjoy.
A city council spotlight video featuring council member Jessica Alexander, and city emergency manager Mikel Alford played shortly after. In the video, they shared that Sep. is National Emergency Preparedness Month, and there are four vital points citizens should know should they want to be prepared for disaster. Each home should have enough food, water, and supplies to last three days, potentially a week. A Go-Bag should be pre-packed in case of evacuation, and citizens should always stay informed, and even consider training. The city offers training to citizens, including CPR, first aid training, stop the bleeding, and more.
Alexander made an effort to address bills being passed by Governor Gavin Newson in Sacramento. She exclaimed that the bills “are about to make a big impact on our city’s families.” She continued, by saying that the city council’s objective is to create a community that stands for freedom, and the American way. Temecula should be a place where its residents would feel protected while raising their families.
The meeting’s consent calendar mainly pertained to the approval commissions and constructions, with the council members spending a brief amount of time in addressing them. Alexander also made mention of an item that would approve of a flag policy. It would limit the city to flying the United States, California, and the City of Temecula flags above the city’s property. It was motioned to discuss this item, as well as one that addressed a resolution for parental rights, at a time when all members of the council were present.
Ava Sarnowski can be reached by email at valleystaff@reedermedia.com.
