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10 | SUN CITY CORE COURIER | NOVEMBER 2024 | By Menifee Mayor Bill Zimmerman Please allow me to start by saying this: "the credit goes to my team." The team includes my colleagues on the City Council, staff at City Hall, and all the residents who roll up their sleeves to serve as volunteers. A quick look back at the last six years reminds us of some very significant upgrades put in place to improve our lifestyle right here in our home town. We created our own Municipal Police Department, purchased a new Ladder Truck for our Fire Department, added a second Medic Squad to Fire Station 7, and have almost completed construction of a brand-new Fire Station 5 on Goetz Road to improve service and response times on the west side of the community. We saw the completion of Scott Road/I-215 Interchange project, and we're excited about the grand opening of Holland Road Overpass Bridge. I appreciate that our Public Works staff heard my encouragement and installed a traffic signal at the front entrance of the MSJC college campus making it much safer exiting onto Antelope road, especially after major events. More than ten brand new parks have been added recently, including a unique 'pump track' for BMX bikes, and we are in the design process for a 'green space' park for seniors in Sun City. There are also two new Community Centers in design and coming soon. One of them will be built by a developer as a result of my negotiation during the approval process. I've always said that developers should pay their fair share and deliver public improvements as part of the entitlement. The builders will push back, but our residents will enjoy the benefits of diligent leadership at city hall when we hold our ground and extract concessions. This year, we created a summer Aquatics Program held at Paloma Valley High School's new pool so that children can learn to swim and enjoy supervised pool recreation. If it prevents one drowning, it's worth doing. One of the City Council's strategic plan goals is to enhance our "social infrastructure." We are offering new opportunities to enjoy visual and performing arts along with promoting local history and cultural experiences. Menifee's Parks team hosts free events during the year, including Veterans and Memorial Day ceremonies, a special Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans event, Easter egg hunt, Independence Day parade and fireworks show, Fall Festival, and Holiday Tree Lighting, to name a few. Our summer Foodie Friday events at MSJC have proven to be very popular with residents. We also heard from residents that they would like to see more sit- down restaurants, so we created an incentive program where upper- scale eateries are attracted by financial benefits we offer, such as reduced permit fees and sales tax sharing during the first years of operation. These incentives proved to be successful. Today, we have new dining opportunities, such as Black Bear Diner, Olive Garden, Tacos & Tequila, Bushfire Grill, and Savage Chef, to name a few. It has been a joy to see these positive changes, and I know we are just getting started. Thank you for the privilege of serving as Mayor of this remarkable city. At the end of my monthly articles I like to share an interesting bit about our local history. Menifee's early settlers were impressive, some of them arriving on foot, horseback, or in a covered wagon. One unique traveler, 22-year- old Walter Zeiders, arrived in 1909 from Pennsylvania by motorcycle. His motorcycle looked more like a bicycle with no suspension, wide handlebars, and a tiny one-cylinder engine. He worked his way across the country, stopping at farms on the journey to work for food and some money for fuel. When he arrived here, Walter found work at William Newport's ranch. He eventually built his home on Zeiders Road in 1934, which still stands today. By Bob Karwin, City Councilman, Menifee District 1 Homelessness is a large, growing issue in all of California right now, and it is especially concerning for our residents of Sun City. On Sept. 18, City Council conducted a public workshop to discuss the current situation and develop some solutions. Here is a summary of what was discussed. Every January, the County of Riverside conducts a "point in time" count where official contact and count every unsheltered homeless person in the county. I have participated in this count that last three years. In 2024, there were 18 individuals in Menifee who were known to be here unsheltered on a long-term basis. This was compared to 28 in 2022 and 25 in 2023. In 2023, Lake Elsinore had 110; Murrieta had 165; Temecula had 73; and Wildomar had 46. The two major reasons for homelessness are drug addiction and mental health issues. Right now, each city has its own approach to data collection and outreach. We have developed a plan to coordinate with our surrounding cities to take a regional approach. This will expand our resources to assist individuals off the street and into programs that will help them reconnect with their families or begin to support themselves again. Homeless individuals tend to congregate near the Cherry Hills Plaza because our residents are generous and good hearted. They have learned that shoppers in that plaza will give them money and other supplies to make life a little easier. As hard as it may be and instead of providing handouts, we are asking everyone to call our police non-emergency line at (951) 732-1500, so they can send our Homeless Liaison Officer Rochelle Hunter, to the scene to offer services and support. City Council meetings are held at City Hall the first and third Wednesdays of each month at 6 pm and are open to the public. You can also watch online on our YouTube channel. Feel free to email me at bkarwin@cityofmenifee.us. Numerous Accomplishments, More to Come Homeless Epidemic in Menifee

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