Calimesa Insider

This week, Will talks about this past week's City Council meeting, what is happening with the Council meeting this coming Monday, and tells about the team building event that the City's executive team participated in this week and how that adds value for the City.

This week, we go over some of the items on the upcoming City Council agenda, including an item relating to the Senior Meal Program. We also provide a development update, including what is happening with the Summerwind Specific Plan, the Calimesa Golf Course, the Sandalwood Travel Center, and other projects.

For the full development update, visit the following link and go to page 96: https://www.cityofcalimesa.net/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09162024-243

With the continuation of the Oak Valley North public hearing coming a couple of weeks, the City has been getting a steady stream of feedback on the project. However, there is a theme that possibly speaks to the misunderstanding of the entitlement process, so the City Manager speaks to some of these examples and lays out the process for a project such as this one. He also talks about the purpose of the podcast and why it exists.

City of Calimesa Land Use Workshop: https://www.youtube.com/live/sim71rsYnA0?si=L_aZKr37Tvt-eurs

This week, City Manager Will Kolbow reviews his activity for the month of August to give you a flavor of what a city manager does on a day-to-day basis. He also provides a quick update about activity on County Line Road and a concerning development regarding the Banning DMV office.

Fire Chief Tim O'Connell is the guest on this week's episode, where we discuss the inherent fire risks associated with living in a community like Calimesa, what the City has control over when it comes to homeowners' insurance rates and policy availability (and what we don't), what the City does to reduce fire risk, and ways homeowners can help the cause. We also recap Monday's City Council meeting and provide some follow up and clarification on last week's episode.

This week, our City Manager discusses the City's successful senior meal program and the journey of Assembly Bill 2410, sponsored by Assemblyman Greg Wallis, with regard to grab-and-go senior meals. He also discusses the upcoming City Council meeting, including the reason why the hearing on Oak Valley North will be continued (meaning delayed) until September 23.

In this week's episode, the City Manager discuss City staffing levels and how they compare to neighboring cities. He talks about how lean the City's budget is and how Calimesa has to do a lot of the same things that other cities do, but with a fraction of the staff.

Links mentioned during the podcast:

City Council Public Safety Workshop (April 29, 2024): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX6wPxhGSEU&t=4s

Calimesa Fiscal Year 2024-25 Budget: https://www.cityofcalimesa.net/Archive.aspx?ADID=231

This week, City Manager Kolbow talks about a voter initiative in a Northern California city that will, if passed, likely lead to precedent-setting litigation involving state housing mandates and the voter initiatives. This includes a conversation about several other cities that are facing or have faced similar dilemmas where the will of the voters and state mandates are at odds when it comes to housing.

In the final episode of our four-part special, Will discusses what economic development is, one of the most common misperceptions about economic development, what one popular retailer looks for in a potential site, and how land use decisions and economic development influence one another. We also wrap up the series and how all of these realities come together to influence almost all decisions that the city makes.

In part three of our four-part series of the realities in which Calimesa, and California cities in general, operates, we discuss the City's General Plan and zoning ordinance, the various considerations that go into land use decisions, how staff formulates its recommendations, and how changing laws and market forces have shifted how we look at land use decisions.

Calimesa General Plan: https://www.cityofcalimesa.net/DocumentCenter/View/163/Calimesa-General-Plan-PDF?bidId=

Calimesa Land Use Workshop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sim71rsYnA0

California Housing Graph: California Housing.jpg