Murrieta City Council approves a Mental Health Advisory Subcommittee to look into the Mental Health Crisis in the community and region

Tony Ault Staff Writer

The Murrieta City Council, putting aside any doubts there was a “mental health crisis” in not only the city, but regionally, approved the formation of an ad hoc committee to explore ways to bring it to the attention of Riverside County and the state at their Tuesday, Jan. 17, meeting.

In previous meetings, the resolution to form a Mental Health Advisory Subcommittee made by former Council member Lori Stone, who is now mayor pro tem, and former Mayor Jonathon Ingram, who has termed out, ran into some questions that resulted in the request being tabled for further discussion.

In the Tuesday night meeting, Stone made the request again with new Council member Jon Levell to hear from citizens, a psychotherapist, a physician, community leaders and people who were experiencing difficulties obtaining needed mental health care from the county. They appeared and spoke in favor of forming the subcommittee.

Levell provided the council and those in attendance slides of a city in Kansas with a population of over 150,000 that had, with a similar committee, secured much better mental health care facilities and care for those suffering a mental health crisis and homelessness.

It was first proposed that the subcommittee, if formed, would meet at least once a month to discuss the local mental health problems and propose remedies for it to the council. The committee would include some city officials, representatives from the local hospitals and mental health treatment officials. It was noted that the forming of such an ad hoc subcommittee would be of little cost or time for city employees, but it would bring great benefits.

Mayor Lisa DeForest and Council member Cindy Warren agreed that there was a mental health crisis in the city, but they suggested it was a crisis for the entire region, not only Murrieta, and it needed wider attention. DeForest also said she was still concerned about the time it would take city officials to attend and participate in the meetings when they are already pressed

Murrieta site officially added to PSEC system

Joe Naiman

Writer

The Public Safety Enterprise Communications simulcast cell site on Pabesu Road in Murrieta is now officially part of the PSEC system. The Riverside County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 Tuesday, Jan, 10, to accept the addition of the PSEC site and to direct the clerk of the board of supervisors to record a notice of completion. The supervisors’ action also approves the notice of completion for project tasks funded by the city of Murrieta.

The Public Safety Enterprise Communications radio system began operating in January 2014. The county Sheriff’s Department and various fire departments were the original partners, and other cities subsequently joined the PSEC system. The county’s information technology department and PSEC user groups evaluated radio coverage performance across southwestern Riverside County and identified coverage deficiencies within Murrieta. The Pabesu Road location was identified as one which will enhance coverage significantly. In June 2021, the county board of supervisors approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the county and the city to add the site and approved a change order to the county’s contract with Motorola Solutions Inc. to add the six-channel site. The contract with Motorola included the design, staging, shipment and installation of the site equip- ment including backup generators, fuel tanks and radio towers. The sheriff’s department also issued a purchase order to Diversified Communications Services to move the equipment to the site. for time in their jobs.

In February 2022, the county supervisors approved a lease agreement with the Daniel and Joan Hollingsworth Trust for the site in the 26500 block of Pabesu Road. The lease is for a 10-year term and includes two options to extend the lease for five additional years.

The county will lease 312 square feet of the Hollingsworth property for the PSEC radio site. The rent amount for the construction period will be $1,000 per month. During the first year of service the rent will be $2,500 per month, which equates to $30,000 for the year. The rent will increase to $3,000 per month, or $36,000 per year, for the second year of service and an escalator clause will increase the rent by 3% annually following the second year of service. The county will be responsible for payment of electricity costs.

The total cost of the project was estimated at $659,763, which included a $38,045 contingency. The city of Murrieta provided 80% of the funding while the PSEC budget funded the other 20%. The project was completed in November 2022 and the actual cost was $658,346 which consisted of $620,301 paid to Motorola and $38,045 for Diversified Communications Services.

Joe Naiman can be reached by email at jnaiman@reedermedia. com.

A regional crisis

Stone said it was indeed a regional crisis and said a number of other surrounding area city council members told her they were also interested in forming such a committee on a regional basis.

After further discussion, the council unanimously approved setting up a Mental Health Advisory Subcommittee under the Homeless Resources Committee, which is called the Responsible Compassion Program, to bring together ideas of how to solve the local and regional mental health crisis. The subcommittee would report back to the council their findings and any possible solutions to the problem. The meetings would be held once every other month.

Fire truck purchase mainly agricultural area of the city. With some amendments to the proposal, the city determined the General Plan would still allow the limited zone change, with some restrictions on the size and types of business parks that could be established. The business park area would restrict certain types of manufacturing firms to move in, including those that would manufacture drugs, make explosives or other items dangerous to surrounding residents.

In other business, the council approved a request by the Murrieta Fire & Rescue to purchase a Tiller Truck, with a 100-foot ladder and associated safety equipment from Pierce Manufacturing for $2,115,433 that would be built and delivered in approximately three years.

The amended proposals reached the Menifee Planning Commission and gained its approval in November 2022 and were sent on to the council for their consideration.

In the evening’s Public Hearing portion, a landowner and developer said they favored the expansion noting that some 50 acres of the land would be used to house local small businesses and entrepreneurs with the remaining portion bringing in a perhaps larger retail firm that could sell sporting goods, guns and ammo like Bass Pro Shops that would be most likely welcomed by the city. Other large stores, like Walmart, have already purchased land in the Southern Economic Development Core and still are to be built as the city expands.

There were no objections, written or given, to the project during the public hearing. The council adopted the General Plan amendment and Final Environmental Impact Report and Housing Element update EIR and directed staff to file a Notice of Determination and introduce an ordinance approving the zone change.

Moratorium tabled

Prior to the Public Hearing on the General Plan Land Use amendment, the council decided to continue another public hearing on the first reading of an ordinance to amend a Public Street Excavation Moratorium until its Feb. 15 regular meeting. Committee and commission appointments were brought to the council with Councilmembers Dean Deines, Lesa Sobek and Mayor Pro Tem Bob Karwin reappointing their

Fire Chief Bernard Molloy explained the cost of the truck would be paid with $1,750,000 in reserve funds from Measure T Fire Fleet Replacement Reserve and the remaining $665,000 come from the next three years of reserve funds. He said any other engine or equipment costs were still available in the budget.

The council in its approving the purchase humorously argued who would be the first to drive the rear driving seat of the new truck, but all praised the department purchase that would enhance the city’s continuing high level of emergency services, rated third highest in the state.

A total of 10 consent items were approved without discussion.

Explore Murrieta success

Patrick Ellis, president of Explore Murrieta, gave a presentation of what the organization has done to bring more people and businesses to the city to improve its image locally, regionally and nationally. He said there were millions of hits on their Explore Murrieta websites and social media outlets that helped bring in more than $500,000 in hotel and motel districts’ appointees while District 2 Councilmember Ricky Estrada appointed Joe Long to the Planning Commission, William Payne to the Parks, Recreation and Trails Commission, L. Peterson to the Quality of Life Measure DD Oversight Committee and Debbie Manion to the Senior Advisory Committee.

Mayor Bill Zimmerman appointed Ben Diederich to the Planning Commission to fill a vacancy and kept the rest of his advisory appointments.

Veterans events studied

The request by Deines to form a Veterans Recognition Events and Advisory Committee was tabled for future study with an event to recognize Vietnam and Korean War coming on Veterans Day and a Welcome Home Veterans Day Celebration already planned.

An updated Legislative Platform and Legislative Policy was reaffirmed that keeps the council informed of current legislation that could either help or hinder the city in its decision making.

A lengthy review of the Menifee City Council Code of Ethics made by City Attorney Jeff Melching was made with the Menifee City Council moving to add new policies and procedures for the use of social media at the meeting.

The addition of a Social Media Code of Ethics to the Council’s Procedures and Policies was suggested by Melching. The growth of social media affecting public opinion in government is becoming more of an issue and should be recognized by the Council, he contended.

The Council moved to establish a social media policy and it was approved by a 4 to 1 majority vote. Councilmember Estrada cast the only nay vote. Estrada said he definitely agreed there should be a code of ethics for all members of the Council, but more discussion should take place on a separate social media policy as it is relative to part of the already existing Procedures and Policies. He said he saw it as “redundant” to the Council rules already in place.

Karwin, an attorney himself, said so much is constantly changing in social media that a separate council social media policy and procedure needs to be established so that it can be changed as the use of social media evolves in the realm of free speech rights. Melching suggested that any separate social media code of ethics could be referenced back to the already written Council Code of Ethics.

TOT collections to the city. He indicated that next year Explore Murrieta should even bring more interest to the city with the advent of the opening of the Murrieta Hot Springs Resort and increasing Wine Country tourism.

“This will play a huge part next year (in Explore Murrieta),” Ellis said.

Reality Rally change

In the public comment portion of the meeting, Gillian Larson, executive director and president of the Reality Rally board that supports Michelle’s Place Cancer Resource Center to help those suffering from cancer to the podium, thanked Murrieta City officials for supporting the organization in past rallies. She said Reality Rally would not take place next year, as she was going to be traveling with her husband, who recently retired.

The Boy Scouts of Murrieta’s Troop 384 were introduced to the council to their delight.

Tony Ault can be reached by email at tault@reedermedia.com.

The staff and city attorney were charged to create a City Council social media policy to be followed. The Council gave its approval to making several minor administrative changes to the council procedures and policies including the use of city cell phones and their own public cell phones. The Council’s policies and procedures are different for those of the city departments and must follow Robert’s Rules of Order, as all government agencies are required to do, including California’s Brown Act, established to protect the public’s interest.

Bushfire Kitchen, a Menifee restaurant, was named the Business of the Month for their efforts “above and beyond” the everyday business in helping the community nonprofits and other events over the past eight years.

Citizen of the Year

Liberty High School freshman Paige Stowe, once recognized as a Citizen of the Month, was chosen as the 2022 Citizen of the Year by the Council who awarded her many certificates of recognition from state, county and local officials. Chosen for her selfless volunteerism, Paige’s principal said she is an outstanding student who is always helpful to her classmates and many community organizations.

In a report by the Community Services Department, the new Carea-Van service in the senior community made 166 trips helping seniors reach their doctors’ appointments, shopping and special events in its first month. The department is holding more transportation workshops to aid the seniors and handicapped residents in the city to find out their greatest needs. The Menifee Park Rangers made about 400 visits to the city parks and in that time only had to write one citation.

Higher gas bills?

A representative from SoCal Gas appeared in the non-agendized comment period to warn residents who just received very high gas bills this past month that they have not seen the worst.

“Wait and see how they are really up next month,” he said. He explained that the rise in prices are approved by the state and are a reflection of cold temperatures and bad weather this past winter in the nation and the worldwide situation. He said the world price of natural gas has risen from just over a dollar a gallon last year to today’s $6.05 a gallon and is still rising.

Tony Ault can be reached at tault@reedermedia.com.