Menifee 24/7

City Adopts New Police & Fire Contracts

2009-07-15T20:52:00.001-07:00

The city council today held a special session to adopt new contracts for police and fire.

The existing contracts expired June 30, 2009, but the city was able to continue on a one-month "memorandum of understanding" that extended the service to July 31, 2009.

The new police contract goes into effect immediately, costing the city nearly $8.7 million, for the 2009/2010 fiscal year.

The contract also include a provision whereby the city and the Riverside County Sheriff will meet in the first quarter of 2011 to discuss the possibility of moving Menifee's police headquarters from the Perris Substation to the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta. Currently, Temecula's police department operates out of there, but there's an expectation they'll be moving close to the new city hall building.

The new fire contract runs through the same period of time, but at a cost of nearly $6.9 million.

Riverside County's fire services is provided by the California Department of Forestry.

Councilman Denver asked if the fire department will adopt the city's name and city seal on their trucks and uniforms, similar to the police department. City Manager Wentz replied that he's had discussions on that. However, a representative from the California Department of Forestry happened to be on hand, and said that their department has a policy against putting any city's name and insignia on their property or uniforms.

California Close to Seizing Property Taxes

After the contracts were adopted, the Mayor called for council member comments. No else spoke up, so the Mayor asked the City's financial consultant, Gary Thompson to provide a status on the State of California's attempt to seize local property taxes, as well as gas taxes.

Thompson said the State Legislature is trying hard to get the required the 2/3 majority vote to seize city property taxes, however if such an attempt passes, Menifee will not be affected because the city has no historical property tax data by which the State can determine how much to take.

However, nearby cities like Temecula, Murrieta, Perris, Hemet, could be hit really hard if the State takes all of their property taxes.

But Thompson thinks there's a good chance it won't happen, because the Governor is already against seizing such monies, and because Democrats are going to need several Republican votes to pass the measure, which is very unlikely.

MENIFEE JUNIOR ALL AMERICAN FOOTBALL

2009-07-15T08:49:00.000-07:00

Menifee JAAF has room for players aged 10,11 and 12, up to 140lbs. If interested call 951-639-0238. Practice starts July 27th.

REGISTRATION FEES

TACKLE (AGES 7-14) $250

FLAG (AGES 5 & 6) $60

CHEER(AGES 4-14) NO REG. FEE

YOU CAN PURCHASE THE CHEER UNIFORM OR REPLACEMENT PIECES FOR RETURNING CHEER LEADERS (APPROXIMATE COST FOR FULL UNIFORM IS $320)

SIBLING DISCOUNT:SECOND CHILD 10%, THIRD CHILD 15%, FOURTH OR MORE 20%
*THERE WILL BE A MANDATORY FUNDRAISER

Equipment Handout Saturday July 18th 2009

Menifee Self Storage Facility
27887 Holland Rd.
Menifee, California 92584
Teams we play!

JR- ALL-AMERICAN FOOTBALL
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CONFERENCE

Corona Chargers
Desert Hot Springs
Elsinore Valley Thunder
Fontana Trojans
High Desert Storm
Indio Heat
Orangecrest Wolves
Murrieta Broncos
Norco Teams
Palm Springs / Cathedral City Warriors
Palm Desert/La Quinta Roadrunners
Pass Redskins
Perris Patriots
Yucaipa Thunderbirds
Valley Titans (San Jacinto)

Go to their website http://menifeewildcatsjaaf.com/

Breakfast Club of Menifee Now Open

2009-07-12T12:09:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday, Breakfast Club of Menifee opened its doors.

This morning my wife and I ate there.

As expected, there was a lot of people there. We managed to get in around 8:30am, and by that time folks were waiting in line. By the time we got out, the waiting list was longer, with folks standing outside, and other folks sitting at the firepit and patio, all waiting to get in.

Overall, we were quite happy with the food and the service, and the prices are very reasonable. In fact, breakfast for two seems to be about the same price we usually end up paying for IHOP or Coco's.

The tables are all covered with cloth, and then covered again with paper, which is nice because they just lay a clean sheet of paper when cleaning off a table instead of wiping it down with a mucky rag.

They had three wide screen televisions that I could see, but I don't think anyone was watching. The noise level inside the dining room was quite high, which could be a positive or a negative depending on how you look at it. The atmosphere was quite lively.

Service was excellent. The servers kept us well attended, very well courteous, kept my coffee filled. Breakfast came out promptly.

The tables are grouped rather tightly together, allowing just barely enough room for servers and customers to get around. As of right now, they still have rented, collapsable chairs, as their permanent chairs have yet to come in. A little girl seated at a table next to us, fell through her chair somehow and hit the floor.

The morning sun tends to shine through the windows, and even with the blinds drawn close, the dining room manages stay rather warm.

Food was very good I thought. I ordered the Southwest Taco Omelette, which had ground beef, lettuce and onions, topped with tomatoes and guacamole. It came with the breakfast potatoes, which I was told was Tracy's own recipe, which has a very fresh taste to it, with very little (or perhaps no), seasoning.

My wife had the apple cinnamon pancakes, which came with the pancakes in small bite sized pieces, and slices of apples. She ordered a side of breakfast sausage, which came in a three count, in the larger size.

They have a patio on the side if you'd like to eat outdoors.

The parking lot in that part of the shopping center has a lot of cars pulling in and out and navigating around now that Breakfast Club of Menifee is open. Once that Hana Sushi opens up, there's going to be a lot of activity.

The side patio has service, however folks seated there were waiting to get in. The restaurant needs a wrought iron gate to around the patio.

Every table was taken inside, and the place was hoppin'

Biscuits and jelly is served while you wait for your meal.

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

Southwest Taco Omelette, with breakfast potatoes, and sourdough toast. The sausages were a side item my wife ordered.

Still priced in the same ballpark as IHOP, Coco's, or Denny's. The omelette is priced $2.00 less than IHOP.

Menifee 9-10 year olds take Championship

2009-07-11T08:40:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the Menifee 9-10 year old Allstars for winning the District 28 Allstars Tournament. They go on to Sectionals, which will be played in Lake Elsinore.

9-10 Team
Nicholas Andrade
TJ Cassell
Daniel Daggett
Michael Galvan
Jace Gerome
Rylie Ibison
Chandler Magni
Blake Matrone
Kevin Moscoso
Aaron Moser
Angelo Palazzolo
Kiel Palm
Manny Robalino
Manager- Keith Aguon
*************************************************************************************

9-10 Baseball
Section 9 - 2009 9/10 Year Old All-Star Tournament
Host - Lake Elsinore LL
At Swick Matich Park

July 18 - July 23, 2009

1st Game Sat. 7/18 @ 3:00pm
Swick Matich Park
402 West Limited Street
Lake Elsinore, CA 92530

Menifee came home with 2 titles this Tournament season. Junior Padres won District 28 TOC's and now the 9-10 team with the District 28 Allstar win.

MVLL ALSTAR UPDATE

2009-07-09T08:47:00.001-07:00

We still have 2 teams going strong in the District 28 Allstar tournament. The 9-10 team is undefeated and will play again on Friday.
Championship Series (two teams remain)
G18 - MVLL vs. Winner G17 - Friday July 10, 2009 5:00pm Field #1
G19 - Winner G18 vs. Loser G18 - Saturday July 11, 2009 9:30am Field #1 (if loser of G18 first loss)

The 10-11 team is playing again tonight in the Elimination Bracket Final (three teams remain)
G17 - CLLL vs. MVLL - Thursday July 9, 2009 6:00pm

The Juniors and 11-12 teams are done, but played awesome. They had some tough competition.

Congratulations to all the boys!! Menifee was represented by some awesome kids..
Way to go coaches!!!

Menifee Real Estate in the News

2009-07-08T20:42:00.001-07:00

MSNBC ran an article today about one family in Menifee whose property is deep in the tank (link)...

Daniel Arevalo would love to sell his home in southern California, so he could move closer to his three young children. They live 45 minutes to the north, with his ex-wife.

But Arevalo can't sell his house. The real estate market in Menifee, about 65 miles north of San Diego, is in the tank. Home values "are dropping like a rock," said Arevalo. And even if he could sell the home that he bought five years ago for about $250,000, Arevalo doubts he would get the $175,000 needed to pay off his mortgage.

"I'm stuck," he said.

Well, considering home values in the greater Riverside County area are expected to fall even further going into 2011, Arevalo might as well get comfortable with Menifee.

EMWD Launches Restaurant Campaign

2009-07-08T14:43:00.001-07:00

The Eastern Municipal Water District today announced that they're going to local restaurants and asking them to stop serving water, unless specifically requested by a customer.

The campaign is focused on cards placed on tables which state, "Thirsty?", and lists water saving tips and ideas. The thinking is that if folks start thinking about saving water at restaurants, they'll think about how they can use water more wisely in their homes.

Interestingly, the EMWD cited a statistic that it takes 4 glasses of water to wash one restaurant glass...

Research has shown that it takes four glasses of water to clean just one glass. By refusing water you are potentially saving thousands of gallons each year.

Which makes me think that if restaurants used tall-sized paper cups instead, which can be thrown away, they'll save even more water. So I'm thinking the EMWD will get more mileage with a "glass for paper" exchange program, where they supply free paper cups if a restaurant turns in their glass.

So far, only two restaurants, both located in Moreno Valley have opted to display these "Thirsty" cards on their tables. If you have a restaurant, and you want these cards, contact the EMWD at...

Roxanne M. Rountree
rountrer@emwd.org
(951) 928-3777 x4391

Menifee Mailing Address Still Unclear

2009-07-07T16:40:00.001-07:00

A Heritage Lake resident wants to know what it's going to take to get the US Postal Service to recognize his/her address as being "Menifee" instead of "Romoland"...

We moved here (Heritage Lake) just before the cityhood election. We are so glad to be Menifee residents now. We'd just like to have the busineses we deal with, recognize our address as being in Menifee!

Our mail (bills too) consistantly is addressed to our street in Sun City or Romoland! We live in Menifee! Why can't the Postal Service include us in the Menifee zip code? We'd be happy to include the 4 digit extension just to be able to use the Menifee city name!

Who do we petition to get this accomplished?

We've discussed this issue on Menifee 24/7 before.

The US Postal Service is not going to issue an official explanation on this, simply because as far as they're concerned, nothing has changed here. That is, they see areas of land in terms of zip codes, not as place names. They're still operating just as they've always have.

The answer is that you've always been able to tell your friends and family to change your mailing address to "Menifee". In fact, you've been able to do this prior to Menifee becoming a city.

For example, I live in the 92584 zip code, and even though I use "Menifee" as my mailing address, I still get mail delivered to me with "Sun City" on it. That's been happening before and after Menifee became a city. Obviously, the Post Office is still capable of getting the mail to my house, no matter what place name is on there.

Another case in point. Quail Valley and Canyon Lake share the same zip code (92587), and each have their own post offices. Yet, the US Postal Service is still capable of figuring out which post office to route mail to, despite both having the same zip codes.

Another case in point. Temecula has several zip codes, and yet everyone in Temecula still gets their mail, even though they all use "Temecula" as their mailing address.

So, it's pretty obvious that people in Romoland, Sun City, and Quail Valley, can use "Menifee" as their mailing address, despite having different zip codes, and you'll all get your mail.

If you want the Post Office to guarantee delivery with "Menifee" as your place name, even though you live in Heritage Lake, you'll never get a guarantee from them. And that's because the Post Office is not perfect.

So, if you want all of your incoming mail to say "Menifee" on it, then simply tell your friends, family, and anyone else sending you mail, to use that name.

But if you're going to wait for the Post Office to issue a public statement, you're going to be waiting for a long time.

Building Homes versus Building Jobs

2009-07-07T14:48:00.001-07:00

Councilman Scott Mann wrote an op-ed piece for PublicCEO.com, explaining the City of Menifee's strategy to build revenues through offering low home building fees, and waving "Menifee Money" to families looking for a cheaper place to live (link)...

In May, we unanimously passed a comprehensive plan that slashes homebuilder fees by 65% and lowers the cost of the permitting process by 20% to incentivize development in Menifee. ...But we didn't stop just on the supply side, we also needed to look for new ways to attract new residents and stimulate sales tax revenues. The answer: "Menifee Money".

Considering it is we taxpayers of Menifee who are fronting the "Menifee Money" that will be given freely to newcomers, I'd like to ask councilman Mann what we're going to get back in return for such investment?

The obvious answer is additional property taxes. But getting additional property taxes is not a 100% profit gain. Adding more bodies to Menifee only increases the traffic, adds more burden to schools, demands more police and fire, and makes us wait even longer to get a table at a restaurant.

I tend to like the size of Menifee as it is. I don't really want more people here.

I think the better solution is to incentivize the growth of industry. Establish a business park, more industrial. Create a tourist center, like get that aquatic center going, find a place for an "Old Town Menifee".

Building more jobs here means employees will be patronizing the local eateries and stores for lunch, and buying gas. Instead of relying of Menifee residents to put up the tax base, Menifee can increase its take from people who live outside of town.

I've yet to hear a councilmember explain to me the strategy behind building more homes. Simply telling me that it will increase tax base just doesn't explain enough to me. Why should the city rely on taxing its own residents, instead of attracting outside dollars?

At this point, I'm withholding my vote for any councilmember who continues to show favoritism to homebuilders, until he or she can explain the advantages of building more homes, instead of more industry.

MVLL ALLSTAR UPDATE

2009-07-01T10:32:00.000-07:00

All Menifee teams have advanced to the next bracket. The Major(11-12) Team won 6-2 and the Juniors won 20-0, on Monday Night. All 4 teams play again on Monday July 6th.
Juniors play Murrieta at 6pm
Majors play Temecula American at 7:30pm
10-11 play Canyon Lake at 5pm
9-10 play Wildomar at 5pm
Check out the leagues website for locations.

Fallball sign-ups are now going on. Check websites for dates and times. You can also print out a registration form and mail it in.
Prices are: 1 Player $60.00~ 2 Players $100.00~ 3 Players $150.00

The little League is now able to except players League Age 4 (as of April 30th 2010) for the T-Ball Division.

Aberdovey School Offers Free Educational Workshops

2009-06-28T20:53:00.000-07:00

Robyn Rogers, Executive Director of Aberdovey Charter School, a new charter school in the works for Menifee, says things are progressing quite well with their petition. They're almost finished and are starting their community outreach in full force.

The school will be holding free hands-on childrens workshops on Tuesday and Saturday mornings in a couple of local parks during the month of July.

The workshops will be a free opportunity for school-age kids, ages 4-11, to try out project-based learning and for parents to learn more about the new charter school's endeavor. Schwans has also offered to be at most of the workshops to offer free ice cream sandwiches (along with their sales pitch). Any way you look at it, it's a free event for kids.

For more information, contact Robyn Rogers at 951-246-9410 or
rrogers@aberdoveyschool.org.

Tuesdays at La Ladera Park in Menifee from 9am-11am:
July 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th.

Directions:
http://parks.menifee247.com/la-ladera-park.htm

Saturdays at La Paloma Park in Menifee from 9am-11am:
July 11th, 18th, and 25th.

Directions:
http://parks.menifee247.com/la-paloma-park.htm

EMWD Shifts to Mandatory Water Restrictions

2009-06-26T23:34:00.001-07:00

The Eastern Municipal Water District sent us a press release earlier this week announcing that the water conservation efforts it had once suggested to residents and businesses are now mandatory.

The EMWD board of directors at it's June 17 meeting declared Stage 2 conservation measures in its water shortage contingency plan effective immediately.

As examples, hosing down hard surfaces, daytime lawn watering, allowing runoff and leaks will now be prohibited, rather than requested.

In the case of allowing water to runoff into the street, for example, penalties will start at $25 after one warning for excessive water runoff at single-family homes. Penalties can be increased to $50 or $100 for subsequent violations within a year of the first violation warning.

The same types of comparable waste at multi-family, commercial, industrial, institutional and landscape accounts are subject to penalties of $100, $200 and $300.

But the EMWD doesn't expect shifting to mandatory conservation efforts will make much of an impact, because they said the vast majority of their customers are already making efforts to monitor how they use water and eliminate waste. For the most part, EMWD customers are doing what the district has asked of them and are staying within their first two billing tiers.

The district is also keeping it's four-tiered rates where they are. They had once considered doubling the highest tier-4 rate for flagrant waste.

The complete list of mandatory water efficiency requirements are:

Refrain from hosing down driveways and other hard surfaces, except for health or sanitary reasons, and then only by use of a hand-held bucket or similar container, a handheld hose equipped with a positive self-closing water shut-off device, or a low volume, high-pressure cleaning machine equipped to recycle any water used.

Repair faucets, toilets, pipes, and other potential sources of water leaks.

Irrigate landscape only between 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. This provision does not apply when:
- Manually watering during the establishment period of a new landscape;
- Temperatures are predicted to fall below freezing;
- For very short periods of time for the express purpose of adjusting or repairing an irrigation system.

Refrain from watering or irrigating of any lawn, landscape, or other vegetated area with potable water using a landscape irrigation system or watering device that is not continuously attended unless it is limited to no more than 15 minutes watering per day per station. This 15-minute limitation can be extended for:
- Landscape irrigation systems that exclusively use very low-flow drip irrigation systems when no emitter produces more than two (2) gallons of water per hour.
- Weather-based controllers or stream rotor sprinklers that meet a 70% efficiency. But runoff or over watering is not permitted in any case.

Adjust and operate all landscape irrigation systems in a manner which will maximize irrigation efficiency and avoid over-watering or watering of hardscape and the resulting runoff.

Refrain from watering or irrigating any lawn, landscape, or other vegetated area that causes or allows excessive water flow or runoff onto an adjoining sidewalk, driveway, street, alley, gutter, or ditch.

Do not use decorative fountains unless they are equipped with a recycling system.

Do not allow water to run while washing vehicles. Use a bucket or similar container and/or a handheld hose equipped with a positive self-closing water shut-off device to avoid runoff into gutters, streets, or alleys.

When installing new landscaping, plant low-water demand trees and plants. Do not incorporate non-functional turf areas.

Refrain from watering during rain.

EMWD depends on The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) for 70 to 80 percent of the water served for 135,000 customers in Riverside County.

Beginning July 1, MWD sets mandatory reductions to its 26 member agencies. Although these upcoming reductions affect regional and local water agencies differently, the net result is an about 10 percent cut in water supply, with a nearly 20 percent rate hike beginning Sept. 1, 2009. In addition, hefty penalties will be levied against water agencies that exceed their allocations.

Since water sales peaked for EMWD in 2006-07, the demands by domestic water customers�meaning residents, businesses, and institutions�have declined by 17 percent.

EMWD's board believes continuing reduced customer demands will keep EMWD within MWD's allocations. They have also made a commitment to leave rates alone at least until January 2010 through additional internal budget cuts and project deferrals.

MWD's allocations on regional water agencies were agreed to last April as a way to address state-wide water shortages caused by record dry conditions in Southern California and court-ordered water pumping cutbacks from Northern California's Bay-Delta into the California Aqueduct.

You can read the EMWD's water shortage contingency plan at...
http://www.emwd.org/news/ordinances/Ord117.2.pdf.

You can also learn about the tiered rate structure at...
http://www.emwd.org/water_service/UnderstandingTieredRates.html#Tiers

Districting Forums Scheduled

2009-06-26T23:23:00.001-07:00

Yesterday the City of Menifee held a workshop forum on creating city council district lines. I wasn't able to attend.

But there are two more workshops scheduled...

Saturday, June 27, 2009 at 10:30 a.m. � Menifee City Hall, 29714 Haun Road, Menifee, CA

Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at 7 p.m. � Heritage High School Theater 26001 Briggs Road, Menifee, CA

I won't be able to attend tommorrow's either. But I'll shoot for the last one.

The forum will include an informational presentation by Douglas Johnson of NDC, on the process of drawing districts. It'll then shift to audience participation, where listeners will be given forms to show their possibilities for districts, and definitions of their own community's identity.

The City also plans to announce a webinar with the consultant that will allow those who wish to hear the information presentation online. The date and sign in information for that webinar will be released later in the week.

Movies in the Park for 2009

2009-06-26T23:02:00.000-07:00

Movies in the Park continues on this Summer at La Ladera Park with the following movies...

Thursday, June 25th, "Hotel for Dogs"
Thursday, July 9th, "Madagascar 2"
Thursday, July 23rd, "Kung Fu Panda"
Thursday, August 13th, "Star Wars, Clone Wars"
Thursday, August 27th, "Bolt"

Looks like I got the word out too late for June 25th.

Click on the flyer to see the full size.

Hemet Valley Dolphins Invites Menifee Kids

2009-06-26T22:54:00.001-07:00

Jay Glasser, president of the Hemet Valley Dolphins swim team writes to us wanting to let Menifee families know that they're welcome to enroll their kids into their swim team program.

He has some Menifee kids on his team right now, and their parents mentioned to him that there's no public swimming pool in Menifee.

Hemet Valley Dolphins is a year round, non-profit, competitive swim club, as opposed to a "learn to swim program".

They currently use the pool at West Valley High School, on the corner of Domenigoni and Sanderson Ave.

Visit them online at:
http://www.hvdaswim.com/

Jesse Lee Peterson to Speak in Perris

2009-06-26T22:31:00.000-07:00

Ted Wegener, who leads a group called "Conservative Activists" based here in Menifee, sends us the following announcement about an upcoming appearance by Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson...

Click on the flyer to see the full size.

Peterson is a conservative speaker, radio personality, and author, and will be speaking on the subject of President Obama.

The meeting is open to the public and is free.

Saturday, July 25th, 2009
3:00pm to 5:00pm
Ce'sar Chavez Library
163 East San Jacinto Avenue
Perris, CA 92570

Sun City Model Railroad Club Meets Next Month

2009-06-26T22:19:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, July 7 2009 at 10 AM, Members of the Sun City Model Railroad Club will meet to draw up plans to create tables/modules for the purpose of promoting model railroading and will be using these plans for demonstration at schools, senior living centers, fairs and the like.

The club has been invited to visit other model railroad clubs in Southern California, and will have their layouts ready to present to local youth.

The Sun City Model Railroad Club meets on the first Tuesday of the month at 10 A.M. in the Provident Bank Community Room located at 27010 Sun City Blvd. in Sun City, at the intersection of Sun City Blvd. and Cherry Hills Blvd.

The club adopted this location as it new meeting site in hopes of attracting model railroading enthusiasts from all over Southwest Riverside County.

Contact: Chuck Reutter, 951.679.3752 or greenchuckr@hotmail.com

Menifee Pop Warner Signups

2009-06-26T22:15:00.000-07:00

Mike Adams of Menifee Pop Warner football sent in this flyer for signups tomorrow, Saturday, June 27, at Heritage High School, 8:00 am - 12:00 pm...

Click on the flyer to see the full size.

Robbery Prevention Tips for Businesses

2009-06-26T22:01:00.000-07:00

Deputy Chris Varela of the Menifee Police Department sent us this list of robbery prevention tips for local business owners...

As the economy continues to decline more and more people may turn to supplementing their income through illegal means. A problem for most businesses has and always will be robbery. In the city of Menifee there have been approximately five incidents of robbery occurring at local business since the beginning of 2009.

Below is a list of simple prevention tips every business owner and employee should implement.

Greet every person who enters the business in a friendly manner. Personal contact can discourage a would-be criminal.

Keep windows clear of displays or signs and make sure your business is well-lighted. Check the layout of your store, eliminating any blind spots that may hide a robbery in progress.

Provide information about your security systems to employees only on a "need-to-know" basis. Instruct your employees to report any suspicious activity or person immediately and write down the information for future reference.

If it all possible install security cameras that can store video footage for more than one week. If cameras are installed have them view the entrance and exits of the location as well as the cash registers.

Place cash registers in the front section of the store. This increases the chances of someone spotting a robbery in progress and reporting it to the police.

Keep small amounts of cash in the register to reduce losses. Use a drop safe into which large bills and excess cash are dropped by employees and cannot be retrieved by them. Post signs alerting would-be robbers of this procedure.

Make bank deposits often and during business hours. Don't establish a pattern, take different routes at different times during the day. Ask a police officer to escort you to the bank whenever possible.

Ask local law enforcement what to do in case you are robbed. Make sure your address is visible so emergency vehicles can easily find your business.

If you or your employees are confronted by a robber, cooperate. Merchandise and cash can always be replaced�people can't!

Most robbers have already inspected the business they intend to rob. Keep a vigilant eye for returning customers who appear to be looking for security cameras, security guards or who ask a number of questions regarding common practices of employees and security.

In the event that a robbery does occur remember a good witness is the best tool Law Enforcement can use to apprehend the suspect. Do not get confrontational with the robbers. Try to remember the best description possible of the suspects: race, sex, clothing worn, any facial hair or tattoos.

How many there were, what direction they took when leaving the location, whether they left on foot or used a vehicle and if they had any weapons.
If you are a victim of a robbery or a witness dial 911 as soon as possible.

The tips provided may not completely prevent a robbery from occurring but will help in deterring criminals from attempting to rob a business.

Submitted by:
Deputy Chris Varela of the Menifee Police Department

MENIFEE JAAF SIGN-UPS

2009-06-24T10:48:00.000-07:00

Menifee Junior All American Football is looking for players age 11, 12 and 13, 140lbs. maximum weight.
If interested call 951-639-0238 or 951-246-0536

MENIFEE VALLEY LITTLE LEAGUES 2009 ALLSTAR SCHEDULE

2009-06-20T15:20:00.001-07:00

Majors, 10-11 and the 9-10 team all won their games on Saturday June 27th to advance to the next round. Majors play Monday night at 7:30pm and the Juniors play Monday night their first game at 7:15pm. 10-11 and the 9-10 teams don't play again until Monday July 6th at 5:00pm.

CLICK ON IMAGE FOR A LARGER VERSION

Menifee Wildcats Win the Purestats Sports Group Tournament

2009-06-19T13:34:00.001-07:00

Doug Otterson of the Menifee Wildcats Baseball Club reports that the team won the Purestats Sports Group baseball tournament last Sunday, June 14.

They are in the 11 and under division.

Congrats to Brett Virgil, Andy Otterson, Ryan Hudkins, Trevor Forster, Nate Raia, Joey Lively, Noah Rosa, Connor Gillette, Brandon Castaneda, Andrew Ramos, Mario Arroyo.

Mario Arroyo was the team MVP with 3 base hits, 2 doubles and a home run. Mario's batting average for the tournament was .750.

Menifee Democratic Club Announces Formation

2009-06-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

There's a group in Menifee forming a new Democratic Club to represent like-minded voters in the City of Menifee.

They are calling on Democrats throughout town to assemble and help the club get going.

A meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 2, 2009 from 6:00 to 9:00pm in the Provident Bank's Community Room located at 27010 Sun City Blvd.

Leaders of other Democratic Clubs throughout the area will be in attendance, along with Brady McCarron, candidate for the Perris Union High School District.

Contact Chuck Reutter (951) 679-3752 for details.

Aldergate Dog Park Fundraiser

2009-06-19T13:00:00.000-07:00

Jeff Ortiz, who's leading an effort to put in some improvements at Aldergate Dog Park, says he and his group have enlisted the help of Friends of Valley-Wide Foundation to get a fundraiser going.

Last May I published a report on what improvements they're seeking, and that while Valley-Wide has agreed to pay for half, Jeff and his group will have to kick in the other half.

He says they've been busy working behind the scenes with Valley-Wide to get a fresh water line and safety-gate entry area to be added to the dog park.

The safety gate is a double gate entry, that allows for dogs to enter without the risk of other dogs escaping. This gate will replace the existing gate, and will include a concrete path from the parking lot.

Below is a donation form if you'd like to help out...

Click the form to see the full size, and print out.

Jeff notes that this fundraiser is authorized by Valley-Wide.

Menifee Independence Day Parade 2009

2009-06-19T12:46:00.000-07:00

Marcy Riehm of Lake Menifee Women's Club wants to remind everyone of the Independence Day Parade coming up Saturday, June 27...

Click the flyer to see the full size.