HOW MANY TEMECULA COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE CONFLICTS OF INTEREST? YOU DECIDE

Council member Comerchero – President of Rancon Group (though not listed in his city bio). Good one, Jeff!

•Council member Naggar- Owner of Mike Naggar & Associates Inc. His primary client is Rancon, providing consultation for entitlements and purchase negotiations.

•Mayor Roberts- Sitting on just about every transportation board in California. Real estate is no good if we don’t have a road to it.

•Council member Chuck Washington- Management Analyst for City of San Jacinto. Curious how a Navy then airline pilot becomes a Management Analyst for a city, having never done that type of work previously. And, he just so happens to have investments in Rancon real estate projects, like Europa in Temecula Wine Country, less than 2 miles from Butterfield Stage Rd.

•Council member Maryann Edwards- Previous VP of Mission Oaks Bank. Curious that Rancon would pick this bank to hold many of its escrow accounts and trust deeds. Edwards was appointed by the City Council to fill Jeff Stone’s vacated council seat, not elected for her first term, giving her the critical incumbent advantage in subsequent elections. Edwards is currently employed as CEO of the SW Riverside County Boys & girls Club, an organization that regularly receives grant money through the Temecula City council. Since her hiring, funding to her employer’s organization has increased by twelve fold.

City business was recently derailed on the proposal to buy the Welty Hotel property, an historic building in Old Town. Comerchero, Naggar and Washington were all counseled to recuse themselves from voting due to their association with the listing agency, Rancon Real Estate Corp, resulting in lack of quorum.  Acting upon counsel from the City Attorney, their names were placed in a fish bowl with one to be drawn, thereby neutralizing any such conflict through the absolution of odds probability. One by one they found a way to keep their name out of that bowl. The drawing was never held, and the property is still on the market.

http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/temecula/article_42df3227-ff35-5b58-a812-eaf2144f0582.html

http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/temecula/article_9f5a1022-865e-5a90-a63c-3c869b5c2743.html

http://www.rancongroup.com/pages/jeff-comerchero

http://www.cityoftemecula.org/Temecula/Government/CouncilCommissions/CityCouncil/

http://www.pe.com/localnews/temecula/stories/PE_News_Local_H_temecula02.324c067.html