B
Trump, Biden and the road to 270 electoral votes | Page B1
Weather: 101o/67o | Volume II | Issue XXXVI
C
Real Estate: Property Guide| Page C2
Thursday, September 10 - 16, 2020
B POLITICS
ECONOMICS | Page D1
www.HSJChronicle.com |
In 3 big states, Biden looks to rebuild Democrats’ Blue Wall
RICH LOWRY: The Trump GOP
See more on page B1
See more on page B2
| $2.00 (Tax Incl.)
D ECONOMICS
B OPINION
AB2257: Not much better than AB5 for industries.
isn’t all that different
HEMET
D
See more on page D1
HEMET
Karlee Meyer seeks to hold Council returns her seat on the Hemet City after one month Council District 1 ANN SMITH | CONTRIBUTOR
A
RUSTY STRAIT | SENIOR WRITER
W
hatever Karlee may be accused of, she is no dumb blonde. She is a female David taking on political Goliaths and her determination is more powerful than any sling-shot ever invented. At her home, she has one of the most green of green gardens you will ever see. I recently sat with her in a bower for this interview.
Q. You really created a storm over Measure U. What was that all about? A. I discovered 5 million dollars not accounted for in the Measure U account. Q. How so? A. Two council meetings ago, we were presented with 646 pages in our agenda package due to the annual financial audit done by the PUNN Group, who have been doing that for us over a number of years. Q. Who are they? A. An outside auditing firm. For the record, Mike Percival and I voted not to reuse the group, but we were voted down 3-2.
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID HEMET, CA PERMIT NO. 69 92543-9998
Q. Why were you against the renewal of their contract with the city? A. Because every year, there seems to be a different issue not addressed and it is frustrating. At the last July meeting, we were supposed to have a work-study to go over the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. We received
CONTENDER: Karlee Meyer up for re-election Hemet - District One | Photo by Rusty Strait. our packets on Thursday evening for a council meeting the following Tuesday. 646 additional pages is a lot to digest in five days. That weekend we had a meeting at my house, to go over the package. We went over the audit, compared notes, asked questions and made a list of things to do. When we started comparing notes, the 1718 balances were not rolling into the 18-19 balances as they should have. There was money missing, which no one could account for. I called the City Manager about the errors before our meeting. His office had about an hour to look into it, so they canceled the meeting for the July work-study because of the errors. Q. What did the City Manager have to say about that? A. Two weeks later, the staff took full responsibility, and the errors were found. It was in a separate account. They called it a "mapping error." Q. What account was that? A. It is called the "Peg Fee Account, which is another line item. It is for broadcasting and something that needs to be looked in to. So I question how it got there because the money had already gone through our Finance Department, through the auditors before the council meeting. This creates downs about the system. Q. Almost 5 million dollars the public doesn't know about. A. Glad you're taking an interest in that. Q. Oh, I'm very interested and I'm sure our readers will be, too. A. I get a bad rap for speaking out and voting no on things I have doubts about. Two council members were making fun of me two meetings ago. Good thing I took the time to do the math because our job is not to trust the professionals, as I've been told by
our mayor. Our job is checks and balances. So I feel obligated to the people of Hemet to speak out when something is questionable. We should not have secrets from the people who elected us. At the next meeting, the City Manager took full responsibility for the errors and is correcting them. I would encourage people to watch our meetings. They are usually on YouTube the following day if you can't watch them live. At the August meeting, the PUNN Group said it took them 5 to 6 months to get the bank reconciliations from the city. There is no reason for those ever being delayed from being available to anyone. Q. Who knows what else is floating out there? A. Right page 11 of the CAFR report has our taxes and it states that Public Safety is receiving 48% of taxes. There are other funds like Water. The top graph shows sales tax of 37% and Measure U tax of $16. I don't believe this is correct. The 1% we get on the sales tax because of Measure U matches what we usually get on the regular tax and then there are some other taxes. When I inquired, I did not get a clear answer and still haven't. Q Because the numbers don't match? A. Right. At the meeting, it was brushed off with, "Oh, well, there are other taxes." Those kinds of answers create questions. It is part of my job, whether anybody likes it or not, to ask questions if I have them. So, why am I running for office again? Because I am 5th generation in Hemet. My kids live here, my parents live here, my sister lives here and even my 95-yearold grandfather lives here. I am just protecting the citizens of this town. This can be a thankless job and as much as I get beat up over it, I care because I have the heart
On Sept. 10, 1813
MOMENTS IN TIME
Q. You have received a lot of criticism during your first term, so why would you want to go at it for a second time? A. I thrive on criticism. If you aren't criticized once in a while, it means you're not doing anything. I value constructive criticism. The rest I ignore.
In the first unqualified defeat of a British naval squadron in history, U.S. Capt. Oliver Hazard Perry leads a fleet of nine American ships to victory over a squadron of six British warships. After the battle, Perry sent a famous dispatch to U.S. Gen. William Henry Harrison that read, "We have met the enemy, and they are ours."
On Sept. 11, 1965
The 1st Cavalry Division begins to arrive in South Vietnam, bringing U.S. troop strength to more than 125,000. The unit was the first full U.S. Army division deployed to Vietnam.
See MEYER on page A4
fter a one-month hiatus taken by the San Jacinto City Council, the meeting convened at 7:00 pm with all current council members present to review and discuss a lengthy agenda. Mayor Russ Brown called the meeting to order with the invocation by Rhonda Tvetson of the Interfaith Council. Comments from the public are encouraged, although you will never hear anything more than “thank you” once they are made. The old 3-minute rule to comment has been reduced to 2 minutes; no one has ever explained the reason for the change. Sometimes there is action, sometimes complaints go unanswered are too large to. There were a number of public comments made, the most glaring of them by Hemet resident Pat Gregory on Measure U. There was a meeting last week of the Measure U Oversight Committee and she made it her business to be present. Quoting Gregory, directly, "Through a request for documentation, I have received the city's expenditure and revenue reports for Measure U. Based on the city's numbers, there is a Measure U balance of $12,720,298.98, as of June 30, 2020. However, the proposed 20/21 budget that was approved by only three council members shows an estimate beginning
BUILDING: Hemet City Hall. | Photo: Pinterest. Measure U balance of $6,421.137 as of July 1, 2020. That's over a $6 million dollar discrepancy in one day." Ms. Gregory expressed concern over what she heard at last week's committee meeting. She went on to say, "Mr. Lopez (city manager) is repeating a misrepresentation of the city's financial health. He stated that "we have a surplus for the first time in years; this statement is inaccurate for several reasons." Here are her reasons: 1. Using Measure U funds to pay for normal General Fund expenditures is in express violation of this council's promise as identified in Resolution 4731. 2. Without Measure U money, there would be a $5 million dollar deficit. What that means is that Mr. Lopez, instead of focusing on ways to reduce the actual deficit, is using Measure U money for purposes not intended.
See CITY COUNCIL on page A2
RIVERSIDE
Riverside County reports first flu-related death of 2020-21 influenza season RIVERSIDE COUNTY CONTACT | CONTRIBUTED
A
man in his 80s from the San Jacinto Valley is being reported as Riverside County’s first flu related death of the 2020-21 flu season. The man died last week at Riverside University Health System-Medical Center in Moreno Valley. There were eight flu-related deaths in the 2019-20 flu season and nine deaths in 2018-2019 for residents under age 65, which is the required age range for reporting by California Department of Public Health. The death comes as health officials and the community cope with the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed more than 1,000 lives in Riverside County. There have been more than 53,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the county.
On Sept. 12, 1951
Former middleweight champion Sugar Ray Robinson defeats Randy Turpin to win back the belt after losing to Turpin two months prior. Robinson knocked Turpin down with a right to the jaw in the 10th round.
On Sept. 13, 1980
Country music artist Willie Nelson and his band perform at the White House with President Jimmy Carter in attendance. Later that night, unbeknownst to the president, Nelson allegedly retired to the White House roof to smoke a marijuana cigarette.
On Sept. 14, 1814
Francis Scott Key pens a poem that is later set to
Kim Saruwatari, director of Riverside County Public Health, offered condolences to the family and said the death is a reminder that residents should get their flu shot as soon as possible. “There has never been a more important time for someone to get their flu shot because we are also dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Saruwatari. “Getting the vaccine is the most effective way to prevent contracting the flu.” Dr. Cameron Kaiser, Riverside County public health officer, said residents should get their flu shot before the end of October. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend all persons 6 months of age and older receive a flu vaccination each year, and some providers have this year’s shot already in stock. Children 8 years old and under who
See INFLUENZA on page A3
music and in 1931 becomes America's national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner." The poem was written after Key witnessed Fort McHenry being bombarded by the British during the War of 1812.
On Sept. 15, 1954
The famous picture of Marilyn Monroe, laughing as her skirt is blown up by the blast from a subway vent, is shot.
On Sept. 16, 1893
The largest land run in history begins with more than 100,000 people pouring into the Cherokee Strip of Oklahoma to claim valuable land. Towns like Norman and Oklahoma City sprung up almost overnight.
We Will Never Forget S E P T E M B E R 1 1, 2 0 0 1
