TLMA Telegram

Quarter 1, April 2024

TLMA assisted Vienza Winery in Temecula with a successful grand opening 

A race against time to get the Vienza Winery at Europa Village in Temecula open by January 12 was underway.

Noel Humphrey, project director for Invest Europa LLC, the contractors, and the consultants were all working hard to make sure the 32,000 square-foot winery with an old-world Italian Tuscan theme was ready to open.

The opening required obtaining a certificate of occupancy and Humphrey needed help to get clearances and the signoffs he needed to pass the final inspection.

Halimah Shenghur, working as an Ombudsman for the Transportation and Land Management Agency, brought resources together from multiple County departments to get the final inspections and clearances done so the Vienza Winery could open on time.

“Halimah brought all the forces together and she took a tremendous load off of our shoulders and I was able to focus more of my efforts on project-related matters,” Humphrey said. “She absolutely understood the overall project objective and how important it was. We had numerous discussions about how important it was to open, important to our investors and important to our Wine Country community. She understood all of it.”

The Vienza Winery held its lavish grand opening on January 12 with 800 guests “smiling from ear to ear,” Humphrey said. “Wineries are fun places to go, and we created an extraordinary one. People can get away from the daily grind and forget about things. They can take themselves away to a different place.”

“I’ve been in this business for 40 years and worked with a lot of agencies and the process to get projects through is complex…I wouldn’t necessarily call it bureaucratic, but sometimes it does get to the point where it feels like you can’t move forward,” he said. “To everybody’s credit, to the County, everybody made this project move forward. Everyone at the County rallied to make this happen. I think Halimah was the quarterback for that.”

Shenghur says she understands that the process can be complex and difficult to get through, particularly with large projects and that’s what the TLMA Ombudsmen Team is for. “I want our constituents to feel that they can trust us in knowing that we as Agency and as a County truly care and value what they need from us a team,” she said. “Teamwork makes the dream work.” You may contact the Ombudsmen Team for help with your project at https://rctlma.org/quick-links/ombudsmen-team. Visit the Vineza Winery, at 41150 Via Europa in Temecula and visit their website for more information at https://www.europavillage.com/temecula-wineries/vienza/.

Rancho Ordinance topic of discussion at community meetings

Community meetings to discuss an ordinance update and County department requirements for Rancho Community Events in the Coachella Valley area were held March 8 and April 4. Staff from Planning, Code Enforcement, Building & Safety, Land Use, Transportation, TLMA, Environmental Health, the Riverside County Fire Department, the Riverside County Sheriff, and Fourth District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez's office were on hand to listen and answer questions. 

The topics most asked about included what building permits and fire access would be required under the new ordinance, and what fees may be for impact and entitlement processing. People also raised concerns about the times proposed in the upcoming amendment to the Noise Ordinance. 

The Planning Department will take the information gathered by the comments and questions received and draft an ordinance to present to the Planning Commission as early as May 15, 2024.

Phase 6 of Gilman Springs Road breaks ground later this summer

Gilman Springs Road is a vital commuter route connecting Western Riverside County to the cities of San Jacinto and Hemet. Gilman Springs Road is also the main route to the Soboba Casino Resort, Mount San Jacinto College, and Golden Era Productions, which attract many visitors to the region.

Over the past 10 years, traffic using this route has significantly increased from approximately 10,000 vehicles per day in 2012 to over 25,000 in 2020. With expansive growth in the area and increased traffic volumes, collisions have also increased over the years. in 2013, the Transportation Department created the Gilman Springs Road Safety Improvement Corridor, an eight-phased approach to improving traffic safety along Gilman Springs Road. The Safety Improvement Corridor has incrementally improved travel on Gilman Springs Road by realigning curves, installing traffic signals, placing additional signs, striping, installing edge line rumble stripes, and constructing a painted median with centerline delineators and rumble strips.

To date, the Transportation Department has completed Phases 1-5 and will be breaking ground on Phase 6 in late summer 2024. Phase 6 proposes to widen the roadway from approximately 1.7 miles south of Alessandro Boulevard to approximately one mile south of Bridge Street and covers approximately 4.3 miles. The widening will accommodate a single 12-foot lane in each direction with approximately 5-foot paved shoulders with rumble strips to help alert drivers who may stray from the travel lanes, 5-foot graded dirt shoulders to provide a safe refuge for vehicles leaving the roadway, a 4-foot-wide double yellow striped center median with reflective delineators and rumble strips, and a passing lane for the north/west direction of approximately 1.3 miles in length. Additionally, the area surrounding the project is environmentally sensitive, and construction will include several features to enhance environmental connectivity to Mystic Lake. The project will provide a 9-foot high by 26-foot wide box culvert to double as a wildlife crossing near Bridge Street.

Overall, the Phase 6 improvements will enhance traffic safety and operations by eliminating hazards associated with narrow, undivided roadways. Funding for the Phase 6 improvements comes from a variety of sources including the Riverside County Transportation Commission (Measure A), Federal Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), Gas Tax, and developer fees. Construction of the Phase 6 improvements is anticipated to take roughly six months to complete and will be phased to keep traffic flowing as much as possible.

Code Enforcement transforming properties countywide

The work of Code Enforcement shines through in a series of before and after photos officers took in the field to show how they are improving the quality of life of our communities.

Cleanups took place in several areas throughout Riverside County including Cabazon, Windy Point, Idyllwild, Sage Canyon and Corona Lakes.

Code Enforcement's Tire Team featured by CalRecycle

Our own Supervising Code Enforcement Officer Frank Mendez represented Riverside County’s Tire Team in a video produced by CalRecycle about the safe management of waste tires throughout the state.

CalRecycle chose to feature our team because of the way they successfully manage the funding for this program. Code Enforcement receives annual funding from CalRecycle to perform inspections on waste tires on behalf of the state. Last year, Code Enforcement received $600,000 with a commitment to conduct 1,539 inspections, however, the team completed a total of 1,601.

The State of California took on the safe management of waste tires due to massive tire fires that burned for months and illegal dumping creating eyesores in our communities. Code Enforcement operates throughout Riverside County, making sure tires are being properly stored and oversight of businesses or facilities that generate waste tires such as airports, mechanic shops and golf courses, just to name a few.

Mendez, who has trained other Code Enforcement officers from different municipalities, said he believes Riverside County’s Tire Team is successful with the program and how they use the funding the state provides because they have dedicated a team to do the work.

For more, please watch this video with Mendez’s interview with CalRecycle.

New Planning Commissioner sworn in

Olivia Balderrama was appointed Planning Commissioner on January 23 by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors. Balderrama has been a resident of Riverside County for 53 years. She joins the Planning Commission with 35 years of planning and administrative experience.

Balderrama attended the University of California, Riverside, earning her bachelor's degree in sociology and liberal studies and a graduate degree in business administration.

Balderrama’ s community involvement includes being a past member of various originations such as the Perris Valley Chamber of Commerce, Hispanic Association of Small Businesses, and Riverside County Commission for Women and serving as Committee Chair for the Riverside University Health Systems Foundation Festival of Trees for 2022 and 2023. One of her most rewarding efforts is chairing the Girls Conference for Middle School Girls on behalf of Soroptimist International.  

She enjoys spending time with her children and grandchildren and listening to music in her free time.

Short-Term Rental Tier 1 Application period open until May 1

The Riverside County Short-Term Rental Tier 1 application period opened on February 1 for the areas of Idyllwild and Temecula Wine Country Districts. Applicants must be registered with the County Treasurer Tax-Collector to pay Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT). Airbnb operators paying TOT and who meet the application requirements below, shall apply.

The application period is open through May 1, 2024 at 11:59 PM. The application is available on the Planning Department’s website at https://rctlma.org/short-term-rentals.

Properties are eligible if the owner or responsible operator paid transient occupancy taxes with the County or Airbnb only for the entire period of operations from September 13, 2021 to September 13, 2022.

Airbnb operators will need to submit the Airbnb Annual Earnings Summary report that shows the property was rented/operated and TOT was paid, for at least 24 days between September 13, 2021 to September 13, 2022 (one weekend per month).

TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX SUBMITTALS TO INCLUDE:

1. Tier 1 Application
2. Copy of Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) Certificate

AIRBNB SUBMITTALS TO INCLUDE:

1. Tier 1 Application
2. Airbnb Annual Earnings Summary report

Submit the application to TLMA-STR@rivco.org no later than 11:59 PM, May 1, 2024.

The Planning Department will review all Tier 1 applications to verify whether the requirements are met in accordance with Ordinance 927.2. Only qualified Tier 1 applications shall have the opportunity to be selected as eligible properties. If the number of qualified Tier 1 qualified applications received exceeds the Tier 1 cap, the County shall implement a stand-alone lottery to select eligible properties up to the Tier 1 cap. If any of the eligible properties does not meet all the application requirements, then the County shall not issue a Short-Term Rental Certificate for that property.

New website for short-term rentals now online

Visit our new short-term rentals website to apply for a new short-term rental or renewal, obtain a Transient Occupancy Tax certificate, schedule a short-term rental inspection, file a complaint and more.

The new website answers our most frequently asked questions about short-term rentals and provides information for renters and operators. 

Visit the new website at rctlma.org/short-term-rentals.

Dennis Acuna named new Director of Transportation

Dennis Acuna, our new Transportation Director, started as an intern for the Transportation Department almost 20 years ago

Acuna worked his way up through the engineering series, and in 2018 became the County's Traffic Engineer. Last year, he was promoted to Deputy Director of Transportation.

A licensed civil and traffic engineer, Acuna earned his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Cal Poly Pomona in 2005 and a master's degree in public administration from California Baptist University in 2019. 

Acuna also served on the City of Perris Planning Commission, and is involved with the Institute of Transportation Engineers and the County Engineers Association of California. He also coaches his kids' sports teams. 

Hector Davila promoted to Deputy Director of Capital Projects Hector Davila joined the Transportation Department in 2018 in the Construction Division and now he's been promoted to Deputy Director of Capital Projects. Resolving day-to-day issues and tackling challenges in delivering projects are the things he most likes about his job. "Once completed, I like looking at the difference our projects have made for the public to use and enjoy in their everyday activities," he said. Davila was born in Mexicali, Mexico and lived in Holtville in the Imperial Valley until he went to college at Cal Poly Pomona. He loves sports such as baseball, football, soccer, and collegiate and Olympic wrestling. He has played and coached all of those sports. Davila is married to his wife Patricia, and has three children - two are Cal Poly Pomona engineering graduates and one is a nurse who working in the emergency room at a local hospital. Additional Transportation Department promotions include Cesar Tolentino, Engineering Division Manager, Project Development and Susan Vombaur, Engineering Division Manager, Traffic Engineering.

Transportation Performance Measures October-December 2023

March Air Reserve Base Compatible Use Study completed

The Airport Land Use Commission received and filed the March Compatible Use Study (MCUS) project in February.

The MCUS is an important tool for enhancing communication and building partnerships between March ARB and neighboring communities. The study will provide a body of information for stakeholders to learn how military operations and local growth trends can impact each other and potentially undermine military readiness and vital economic growth. 

With the completion of the March MCUS, the ALUC has started working on the update to the March Air Reserve Base/Inland Port Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan.

In March, the ALUC adopted a new Schedule of Development Review Fees, increasing its previous fees by 15%. These new fees will be effective in May 2024.