Great Day Of Waste-2013…

… OCTOBER 26, 2013

As the old saying goes, “Beggars can’t be choosy.”

 It appears that the City Council of Wildomar is once again bowing to the ecclesiastical calendar set by Tom Pilkington, representative for the United Methodist Church/Great Day of Service 2013 (“GDOS”).

After the initial  date of June 01, 2013 was rendered moot by the illegal actions of the Parks &  Recreation Subcommittee, Pilkington apparently set the next date of October 12, 2013 for his GDOS. However, for some unknown reason, that date was supplanted by  an even later date,October 26, 2013.

The  primary problem with October 26, 2013, over and above the fact that it is Halloween weekend for a lot of families,  is that the ideal time for planting a new lawn is from August 15 through September 30.

As a result, planting new grass in  Wildomar’s three parks on October 26, 2013 may turn out to be too late in the planting season to prevent all of the volunteer effort from being a heartbreaking waste.

Comments can be made to zakturango@excite.com.

It would appear that the City of Wildomar would be better served by retaining  a landscape professional through appropriate bidding process before successfully spending $75,000-$100,000, rather than wasting $200,000, as estimated by Wildomar City Manager Gary Nordquist.

See the recent Californian article on the subject, for confirmation of the $200,000 estimate :

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/may/10/wildomar-parks-methodists-volunteers-cleanup/

The Methodist Sisters Of Charity Authorized To….

….”SAVE” WILDOMAR’S PARKS

In what is, in my opinion, the bizarre joining  of two emotionally deficient public organizations, the Wildomar City Council has authorized the United Methodist Church (“UMC”) to take over the facilitation of a refurbishment of its three parks on October 26, 2013, although there is little in UMC/Great Day of Service representative Tom Pilkington’s resume to suggest expertise in park refurbishment.

“Congregational development,” absolutely.

Park refurbishment, not so much.

Wildomar’s emotional deficiency is evidenced by the fact that, despite projected property tax revenues in excess of $350,000 from Measure Z in the next calendar year , the Wildomar City Council cannot stop themselves from taking advantage of “free stuff.”

What’s next? Will the next Mayor’s Breakfast be provisioned by the local food bank , H.O.P.E?

The UMC’s emotional deficiency is evidenced by the fact that, despite numerous, if not endless, opportunities to serve the truly needy in Southwest Riverside County, they apparently feel that their parochial interests will find greater media  exposure for their Great Day of Service 2013 by unnecessarily refurbishing Wildomar’s parks.

What’s next?   Will the next Breakfast with Santa be held at the Methodist Church in Murrieta?

To be fair to Pilkington, I just found this newly posted article on the Lake Elsinore/Wildomar Patch:

http://lakeelsinore-wildomar.patch.com/articles/people-deported-back-to-mexico-receive-acts-of-kindness-from-local-churches

 Nice job Pilkington. This is certainly more “Christian”  than unnecessarily refurbishing Wildomar’s parks.

If you need, dear reader, additional background on the subject, please take the time to read the following ”news”articles:

http://lakeelsinore-wildomar.patch.com/articles/wildomar-parks-baseball-fields-being-brought-back-from-the-abyss

http://www.pe.com/local-news/southwest/southwest-government-headlines/20130508-wildomar-volunteers-to-help-clean-parks.ece

Comments can be made to zakturango@excite.com.

 The ” news” reportage in the PE article declares that ” Now that the Little League organizations are ready to play  in Wildomar, ” despite the notation in the immediate, previous paragraph that ” The league…  reorganized and  let it’s city permit expire,” is an embarrassing demonstration of journalistic deficiency.  

 If you let your  contract with the Cemetery District expire, which provides access to your baseball field,  how ready can Little League be to play?

If This Is What It Takes….

…TO END THE “TIM UNDERDOWN” MONOPOLY ON THE WILDOMAR LITTLE LEAGUE..

…Then I won’t protest the City of Wildomar’s move to expand the temporary use of the baseball fields  located on the grounds of the Wildomar Cemetery District.

The Californian reports the demise of the Wildomar Little League and resultant efforts by the Bridgette Moore-led Wildomar City Council to prop up the failed youth sport entity, as follows:

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/may/06/wildomar-cemetery-little-league-ballfield/

One of the reasons for the failure of the Tim Underdown version of the Wildomar Little League, according to my sources, was the alleged favoritism displayed by Underdown and his cronies for teams with players connected to Cornerstone Community Church. 

Whatever the reason for the failure of the Wildomar Little League, when it attempts to restart itself in Wildomar, hopefully it will have leaders whose  primary interest is facilitating  the ability of young people  to enjoy our national pastime, without regard for church membership.

I’m not convinced that opening  baseball fields on  Wildomar Cemetery District as a temporary substitute for Marna O’Brien Park to the  children of Wildomar is legal, given that the boundaries of the Wildomar Cemetery District do not include all of Wildomar, but does include some taxpayers from Lakeland Village. ( If you wish to be buried in the Wildomar Cemetery, you must  have proof that you owned property in, and paid a portion of your property taxes to, the Wildomar Cemetery Special District.)

 Comments can be made to zakturango@excite.com.

Tim Underdown,  who is currently a  member of the Board of Trustees of the Lake Elsinore Cemetery Special District would not be eligible for burial in the Wildomar Cemetery District, based on where he lives in Wildomar.

Wildomar Council Doubles Down On…

… A FLAT-*SSED FAILURE

 It’s official, according to the Wildomar City Council agenda packet for next Wednesday’s City Council meeting. The Wildomar Little League cannot live up to its obligations to maintain the two baseball fields generously permitted by the taxpayers of the Wildomar Cemetery District since 2005.

Quoting the Staff Report, “This past year, Wildomar Little League did not renew its license with the Cemetery District…. due to a re-organization of the League with plans to resume baseball in Wildomar in the near future.”

The   inexplicable failure of a popular youth sports league format triggers an automatic obligation on the part of the Wildomar Little League to remove it’s fences and backstops from the taxpayer-supported property , and restore the cemetery property to its original condition. I don’t believe there is a legitimate option to do anything else.

However, in  a blatant display of conflict of interest between the City of Wildomar and the Wildomar Cemetery District, City Staff is recommending a “licensing” agreement between the City of Wildomar  and a non-City of Wildomar organization, known as Little League Baseball,, Incorporated, operating out of San Bernardino, in an attempt to suspend the obligation of the Wildomar Little League to live up to its contractual agreement with the taxpayers of the Wildomar Cemetery District.

 By taking over the facilities, the City of Wildomar will be using  tax dollars from the General Fund to perpetuate a failed sports organization, whose former leader, Tim Underdown ( a long time Bridgette Moore crony), publicly stated, on March 12 , 2013,  that the Wildomar Little League cannot function without a ”full ride” subsidy by the City of Wildomar.

In the same public meeting, Underdown is, at the same time, lobbying for a baseball field dedicated to the Little League at Marna O’Brien Park, “just in case.”

Unfortunately for the rest of Wildomar’s citizens who are not involved in the Little League, the Wildomar City Council will  function next Wednesday evening like politicians who fear  the existence of embarrassing photographs.

I doubt that the little boys playing Little League baseball in Lake Elsinore , Canyon Lake and Murrieta will jump from those teams “in the near future” to return to the disorganized and obviously dysfunctional Wildomar Little League.

Comments can be made to zakturango@excite.com.

The Board of Trustees of the Wildomar Cemetery District cannot rationalize, justify or describe any benefit inuring to the Wildomar Cemetery District as a result of this artifice. 

 Stalling the enforcement of the contractual agreement is not a viable option in the face of the failure of the Wildomar Little League.

A Question Of Civic…

…IMMORALITY

Or, vice versa?

Given that the City of Wildomar will be receiving in excess of $350,000  in tax increment from Measure  Z over the next year, monies which should be more than adequate to reinvigorate and regenerate the grass areas of the parks,  does it not constitute civic immorality on the part of the Parks  Subcommittee to embrace a plan to secure  unnecessary and undeserved charity through the United Methodist Church /Great Day of Service 2013?

This enterprise is the municipal and moral equivalent of driving to the local food pantry in your late model Mercedes-Benz to game the system for free groceries which should be reserved for  the truly needy.

I can understand the moral insensitivity of Bridgette Moore and Marsha Swanson as they have the keenest of instincts  for turning any tragic human event into a self-aggrandizing political opportunity.   But that is what the emotional sickness of narcissism is all about.

To get a sense of the depravity and desperation of Bridgette Moore and John Lloyd, please read her comments to the Californian, as well as Lloyd’s comments after the article, as follows:

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/may/02/wildomar-parks-subcommittee-methodists-cleanup/

I cannot understand, without attributing sectarian motivations,  how the United Methodist Church has lost its way seeking to serve its “missions” compulsion by diverting its efforts from more worthwhile causes, such as volunteering to clean up individual senior citizen’s  homes.

Please click on the following link for comparison and  context:

http://www.milehighmamas.com/blog/2013/03/20/family-volunteer-opportunity-spring-clean-up-for-seniors/

It would be far preferable, and moral, for the Wildomar City Council to thank the United Methodist Church for their offer of service and suggest that they find a wiser and more humanitarian outlet for their efforts.

Comments can be made to zakturango@excite.com

For the record, since the Californian  mis-reports the  park tax increment as $325,000, even though City Manager Gary  Nordquist predicted  Measure Z revenue of $361,000, but proposes a 10% budget reserve as well as a depreciation schedule for the playground equipment.

(Note to Nordquist: For the first refurbishing year, it would be okay to delay the 10% reserve until the second year).

In addition, the Californian continues to minimize an illegal Brown Act violation as a mere ”procedural” violation.

It’s readers deserve better.

The Once Proud City Of Wildomar Is Reduced To Being A…

…PATHETIC CHARITY CASE

I attended yesterday afternoon’s Wildomar City Council Parks & Recreation Subcommittee meeting  conducted by Council members Bridgette Moore and Marsha Swanson  in the forced “restart” of their much-desired participation, as the charity beggar, in the United Methodist Church (“UMC”) Great Day of Service 2013.

UMC representative Tom Pilkington was on hand  to unabashedly declare that the UMC churches have a universal missionary “intention,” and that the City of Wildomar is the latest recipient of their missionary endeavors, putting Wildomar in the same category as the  Caribbean island of Haiti, or the deepest, darkest  regions of Equatorial Africa.

The Great Day of Service is now set for October 26, 2013, pushing the previous, and now obviously tentative date of October 12, 2013 back by  two weeks. 

Unfortunately, the UMC quest for 500 volunteers  is going to conflict with the family preparations, including church families, for Halloween 2013 festivities , probably suppressing the volunteer response.

I am amazed, after the successful passage of measure Z, which will bring in $361,000 per year, according to City Manager Gary Nordquist,  that Moore and Swanson would have so little municipal self-respect for the City of Wildomar they are rushing to the front of the UMC food line.

it is my guess, that once you swallowed your pride as a city,  embracing your embarrassing municipal  status as a charity case isn’t so difficult.

Comments can be made to zakturango@excite.com.

 $361,000 should be sufficient to retain local landscapers to rehabilitate our parks.

Disturbing News From The…..

….GENE POOL

My son Tim, stopped by the house last evening, permitting me to enjoy my grandson Kent in person, rather than on Skype. He was driving a new car, probably as a reward for his current Disney project, a sequel to the Three Men and a Baby comedy, getting much closer to actual filming. Reportedly, all three male stars have signed on to the project.

It’s always good to have good reports from your children of their latest successes.

Unfortunately, one of the darker sides of success in Hollywood is having the time and money to explore your personal gene pool, something I’ve never thought important beyond the typical family interest in one’s predecessors. In my case, having each one of my grandparents be happy and legal immigrants from Norway during the years 1880-1905 , I was always comfortable with my genetic consistency. 

No personal ”Heinz 57″ issues to deal with.

Until now.

According to Tim, after providing the appropriate blood sample for testing, his genetic bloodlines  are identifiable as 100% European, perhaps a slight step down from being 100%  Norwegian. Since his mother was generally French and German in in origin, a 100% European identification remains within the bounds of expectation.

However, Tim was further advised that 3% of his bloodline (which puts him in the 99th percentile of Homo sapiens) comes from the Neanderthal line.

 For more information, please click on the following:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neanderthal

Sometimes, it’s not good to ask questions.

Comments can be made to  zakturango@excite.com.

I have to admit I always worried that his mother’s eyebrows were a little prominent.