[3:31] Good afternoon. Good afternoon.
[3:35] There we go. Good
[3:37] afternoon, everyone. I would like to
[3:39] call the September 29, 2026 close
[3:42] session city council meeting to order.
[3:44] City clerk, may we have a roll call?
[3:46] >> Council member Howard Clark,
[3:47] >> present. Council member Lodge
[3:49] >> and accounted for.
[3:50] >> Council member Peterson
[3:51] >> here.
[3:52] >> Mayor Prom Mayos
[3:53] >> here.
[3:53] >> Mayor Koopa
[3:54] >> here.
[3:56] That is everyone accounted for. So we
[3:59] will go into the public comment period.
[4:02] City clerk, are there any registered
[4:04] speakers for today's close session?
[4:06] >> No registered speakers, mayor.
[4:07] >> All right, then with that we will
[4:09] proceed to close session. Thank you for
[4:11] joining us. The report of close session
[4:12] will be will occur after the
[4:14] deliberations.
[33:05] 29 2026 adjourned regular city council
[33:09] meeting to order. I would like to point
[33:11] out that this meeting is being hosted
[33:13] through the live stream on the city's
[33:14] website and by Zoom teleconference.
[33:17] Would also like to remind council to
[33:19] have their microphones turned on and
[33:20] position so the audience can hear. City
[33:23] clerk, may we have a roll call?
[33:25] >> Thank you, mayor. Council member Howard
[33:27] Clark
[33:27] >> present.
[33:28] >> Council member Lodge
[33:29] >> here.
[33:29] >> Council member Peterson
[33:30] >> here.
[33:30] >> Mayor Po Mayos
[33:32] >> here.
[33:32] >> Mayor Koopa
[33:33] >> here.
[33:34] >> The invocation this afternoon will be
[33:35] led by community solutions coordinator
[33:37] Christian Tikis after which I will lead
[33:40] us in the pledge of allegiance. Please
[33:42] stand.
[33:46] » Good afternoon. Please bow your heads.
[33:49] Heavenly Father, we come before you
[33:51] today with grateful hearts acknowledging
[33:52] that every good and perfect gift comes
[33:54] from you. Thank you for the blessings
[33:56] you have given us, for this community we
[33:58] have the privilege to serve and for the
[34:00] people you have called into positions of
[34:02] leadership and responsibility. Lord,
[34:05] today we especially give thanks for our
[34:07] interim city manager and for the
[34:08] dedication, leadership and service
[34:10] provided over these past five months. We
[34:13] are grateful for the willingness to step
[34:14] forward during a season of transition to
[34:17] carry the responsibilities of a of
[34:19] leadership and to help guide our city
[34:21] during this important time. We ask that
[34:23] you bless and honor that service. And
[34:26] now, as we welcome our new city manager,
[34:28] we recognize the beginning of a new
[34:30] season for our city. We ask that you
[34:33] grant our new city manager wisdom,
[34:35] discernment, courage, and humility.
[34:37] Provide clear direction and decisions
[34:39] ahead and surround our leadership and
[34:40] with people who will offer wise counsel
[34:44] and work together in a spirit of unity.
[34:47] May this transition be marked with
[34:48] cooperation, mutual respect, renewed
[34:51] hope and purpose, and a shared
[34:53] commitment to the people we serve.
[34:56] Remind us that leadership is not simply
[34:57] a position or title, but an opportunity
[35:00] to serve our faithful and and to leave
[35:02] things better than we found them. May
[35:05] your blessing rest upon our city and our
[35:07] leaders, our employees, our families,
[35:09] and every resident who calls this
[35:10] community home. Guide our words, our
[35:12] decisions, and our actions as we move
[35:14] forward together. grateful for those who
[35:16] have brought us to this moment and
[35:18] hopeful for what lies ahead. In Jesus
[35:21] name we pray. Amen.
[35:28] to the flag of the United States of
[35:31] America and to the republic.
[35:48] » We will move on to the city attorney's
[35:50] report from close session.
[35:52] >> Uh thank you, mayor and councel. Uh I am
[35:54] happy to report that the city council uh
[35:58] voted five to zero. The motion was made
[36:00] by mayor Koopa and the second was made
[36:02] by council member Clark to appoint uh
[36:05] Ernie Raina as the next city manager of
[36:07] the city of Hemet.
[36:12] » Okay, thank you very much. We will now
[36:15] move to public comments. We will take
[36:17] public comments on items not listed on
[36:19] the agenda. City clerk, are there any
[36:21] registered speakers? Yes, we do have uh
[36:24] two registered speakers. As a reminder,
[36:26] all public comments on non-public
[36:28] hearing items have a three minute per
[36:29] person time limit. All who wish to
[36:31] speak, including council members and
[36:33] staff, need to be recognized by the
[36:34] mayor before speaking. For those who
[36:36] wish to join via Zoom, you will be asked
[36:38] to raise your hand. If you would like to
[36:40] speak, please state your name and the
[36:42] item you are commenting on before
[36:43] speaking. Our first speaker is Judith
[36:46] McFersonson, followed by Bella.
[36:53] Please come to the microphone.
[37:02] » Yes, if it's green, it's on and you can,
[37:04] you know, you can adjust that. Thank you
[37:06] so much.
[37:07] >> Okay. Good afternoon, mayor and council
[37:10] members. My name is Judy McFersonen and
[37:13] my family has owned property in the down
[37:15] in downtown Helmet for many years. I'm
[37:17] here today because we finally need a
[37:19] clear answer about something that has
[37:21] affected our property for years. Parking
[37:24] requirements in the downtown village.
[37:27] For years, we have watched businesses
[37:30] open around our property while being
[37:31] told in one form or another that parking
[37:34] was not required per downtown village.
[37:37] But after reviewing the city's own
[37:38] downtown Hammet specific plan, that does
[37:41] not appear to be what the adopted plan
[37:43] actually says.
[37:45] Downtown Village is a real zoning des
[37:48] designation,
[37:49] but being located in the downtown
[37:51] village is not the same thing as being
[37:53] exempt from parking requirements. The
[37:55] specific plan establishes parking
[37:57] standards. It allows qualifying adjacent
[38:00] street parking and multiple parking
[38:02] within 300 ft to count toward those
[38:05] requirements. It also provides a process
[38:08] through which additional reductions may
[38:11] potentially be approved as part of a
[38:13] parking management plan, including
[38:16] shared parking, valet parking, on street
[38:19] parking, and proximity to transit.
[38:22] Those are parking standards, credits,
[38:24] and possible reductions. They are not a
[38:27] blanket parking exemption. That
[38:30] distinction is extremely important to
[38:32] our family because we own a private
[38:34] parking lot at 135 East Florida Avenue.
[38:37] And for years, businesses have been
[38:38] allowed to open around us and their
[38:41] customers use our privately owned
[38:42] property for parking. We have repeatedly
[38:45] questioned how those businesses
[38:46] satisfied their parking requirements. If
[38:49] the answer written on an application or
[38:51] given by city staff was simply downtown
[38:53] village, then we want to know the legal
[38:55] basis for that determination. We are not
[38:58] asking the city to treat anyone
[39:00] unfairly. We are asking for the
[39:02] opposite. We want the rules applied
[39:04] consistently, transparently, and
[39:06] according to the adopted specific plan
[39:09] for each property that received this
[39:10] treatment. The city should be able to
[39:12] show the calculation. How many parking
[39:14] spaces were required? How many
[39:16] qualifying street or municipal spaces
[39:19] were credited? Was a reduction granted?
[39:21] Who approved it? And under what
[39:23] provision of the specific plan? Our
[39:25] family's private property cannot simply
[39:27] become the solution to everybody else's
[39:29] parking requirements without our
[39:31] permission. So today, I am asking the
[39:34] council and community development
[39:35] department for a complete accounting of
[39:37] how these parking determinations have
[39:40] been made and for confirmation that our
[39:42] privately owned parking lot has never
[39:44] been counted formally or informally
[39:47] toward another property's parking
[39:48] requirement without our consent. This
[39:51] has gone on far too long. We aren't
[39:53] asking for special treatment. We're
[39:55] asking the city to follow its own
[39:56] adopted rules and respect our property
[39:58] rights. Thank you.
[40:01] >> Thank you very much, Judy. Next speaker,
[40:04] >> Bella.
[40:07] » Afternoon, everybody, and welcome to the
[40:10] city to the new city manager. Um what I
[40:13] would like to say is I attended the
[40:15] measure Q open house on Saturday and
[40:18] based on the discussion that was
[40:20] observed with city staff and questions
[40:22] that were asked by um some of the
[40:24] residents um there's an observed
[40:26] misalignment on how Measure Q funds
[40:29] would be distributed. There's clear
[40:31] confusion on if 72% of measure Q will go
[40:35] to public safety or is it that council
[40:38] will have discretion on how the
[40:39] estimated 16 million will be allocated.
[40:42] If doing the back of the envelope math,
[40:44] public safety will get 72% of the
[40:47] general fund, which apparently that's
[40:48] what it is, 100% of measure U and now
[40:51] 72% of measure Q, leaving peanuts for
[40:54] the rest of the city, which based off
[40:57] the city council meetings that I've
[40:58] observed, that was not what was the
[41:01] understanding. Um, people will soon be
[41:03] voting on this measure that not even the
[41:06] council or city staff have clarity on.
[41:09] And that was clearly observed during the
[41:10] measure Q meeting that I attended on
[41:13] Saturday and how the funds will be um
[41:16] dispersed. But we were told council
[41:20] decides and I don't know who is getting
[41:22] manipulated here. If it's the residents,
[41:24] if it's council, I'm not sure who, but
[41:28] residents are made to believe that
[41:30] without measure Q, they're going to be
[41:32] losing the boots on the ground and fire
[41:34] services. and council has been made to
[41:37] believe that they have an opportunity to
[41:40] decide on how the estimated 16 million
[41:43] of measure Q will be allocated when in
[41:45] reality if it's based off of one of the um the the sides it will only
[41:52] be around 4.5 million on which will be
[41:55] used for city other city needs. Um the
[41:58] residents deserve better. I'm asking
[42:00] that the council ask questions. I sat
[42:03] here I still have a minute. I sat here
[42:05] or watched it online, not sure, a few
[42:07] sessions ago and there was a city reper,
[42:10] city staff that talked about with the
[42:12] dispensaries that on their new software
[42:15] that it's not set up to collect 12,000
[42:19] 25 Yeah. 12,500 of fees from the
[42:22] dispensaries, but not anybody on the
[42:24] council asked them, "What are you doing
[42:28] to rectify that? What are you doing to
[42:30] set it up to collect those fees?" yet
[42:33] you all want us to pay more taxes, but
[42:36] there's not even any clarity on if it's
[42:39] really going to be used the way that you
[42:41] all have been, I guess, presented it
[42:44] with. So, I'm asking for clarity. I'm
[42:47] asking people are going to be voting on
[42:49] this very soon. And this a complete
[42:51] misrepresentation
[42:53] if it is not clearly understood amongst
[42:56] city staff. So, I'm asking that council
[42:59] ask questions to the city attorney and
[43:02] city manager and that it is very clear
[43:05] on what the expectations are here.
[43:08] Please ask questions. We need this from
[43:10] you.
[43:12] >> Thank you very much. And just a comment
[43:14] on that. Uh the measure Q allocation
[43:18] distribution will be on the next city
[43:20] council uh agenda and we will be
[43:23] discussing it at a public meeting. So,
[43:25] thank you very much.
[43:28] Moving on to discuss discussion item
[43:33] number 14.
[43:35] A did you want to say anything before I
[43:38] do?
[43:39] >> Um, mayor, I I can certainly give uh my
[43:42] required report under uh the Brown Act
[43:44] if you'd like or if you wanted to have
[43:46] staff or sorry, council and staff give
[43:48] comments. What would your preference be?
[43:50] >> Uh preference would be that we go first.
[43:52] >> Okay. So, with that, um, I'd just like
[43:56] to give a a short background on our
[43:59] search for city permanent city manager
[44:01] that has been going on for several
[44:03] months now. And, uh, we did receive over
[44:06] 30 applications for city manager. The
[44:10] full council interviewed eight
[44:13] candidates,
[44:14] called back two of them for further
[44:16] interview,
[44:18] and had a unanimous vote on appointment
[44:23] of
[44:26] Ernest Raina. I got it right that time
[44:30] because I just pronounced his name wrong
[44:32] a little bit ago. Um, and u, it's been a process. It has been uh
[44:39] challenging. We had of the 30 candidates
[44:43] we had the the eight were outstanding
[44:46] and I had made the comment uh that if we
[44:50] could roll them all into one, what would
[44:52] we have? And council member Lodge said
[44:54] we'd have a very big fat city manager.
[44:58] So, thank you for that. Uh, any other
[45:01] council members want to make a comment
[45:03] before we go through the legal mumbo
[45:06] jumbo from city attorney?
[45:09] Go ahead, Connie. Make it short.
[45:11] >> Very short. One of our uh consultants I
[45:15] told
[45:16] I want this certain type of city manager
[45:20] and he knew exactly who I was talking
[45:22] about because it was someone I had met
[45:24] at Cal Cities. and I just saw him at the
[45:27] Cal Cities and I told him, "Bingo, you
[45:30] got it. Right on." So, I'm very pleased.
[45:35] And that's all I'm going to say. Very
[45:37] good. Anyone else?
[45:40] >> Nope.
[45:43] >> Go ahead.
[45:44] >> I just want to welcome Ernie. Um, I
[45:47] think you're going to do a great job
[45:48] after interviewing you. You gave a great
[45:51] interview. Uh, you were ready, you were
[45:53] prepared, and that was good.
[45:55] um with Noah, you know, I want to thank
[45:58] you, Noah, for all you did and coming in
[46:01] at a time where you were needed and you
[46:03] did a great job. I was pleased with you.
[46:05] So, um I was ready to have you on
[46:09] full-time and hopefully you would have
[46:11] continued, but things don't always work
[46:13] the way you think they're going to work,
[46:16] but I'm I'm thankful for what you did
[46:18] and uh I thank you for giving your time
[46:21] as city manager, Ernie. you you'll be
[46:24] welcome.
[46:25] >> So, okay. If there's no other, then Mr.
[46:30] City Attorney, would you please give us
[46:32] the the legalies that we need to have?
[46:34] >> Sure. I I will happily engage in the
[46:36] mumbo jumbo. Mayor say
[46:40] >> um so I I did just uh want to give a
[46:43] little bit of public information on Mr.
[46:45] Rea. He has more than 25 years of
[46:47] progressively responsible leadership in
[46:49] city management, municipal finance, and
[46:51] regional government. uh all of it in
[46:53] service to Riverside County communities.
[46:56] Uh he joined the city of Paris in 2019
[46:58] as the director of finance and city
[47:00] treasurer and was promoted in 2021 to
[47:02] deputy city manager and later to his
[47:05] current role of assistant city manager.
[47:07] Uh in that role, he serves as the
[47:09] principal operational assistant to the
[47:11] city manager with executive oversight of
[47:14] finance, public works, information
[47:16] technology, emergency management,
[47:19] municipal enforcement services, and the
[47:21] public safety contract administration.
[47:23] Uh he's been directly involved in budget
[47:25] development, labor negotiations,
[47:27] long-term financial planning. And in
[47:29] 2026, he was primarily assigned to the
[47:32] executive effort regarding measure B,
[47:34] which is a voter-approved local sales
[47:37] tax measure that will strengthen the
[47:38] city of Paris's long-term fiscal
[47:40] position. Before joining Paris, uh, Mr.
[47:43] Rea served as the finance director and
[47:45] city treasurer for the city of Eastale.
[47:47] And before that, for more than seven
[47:48] years as the chief financial officer of
[47:51] the Western Riverside Council of
[47:52] Governments, WRCOG, a regional agency
[47:55] that serves over 17 cities in our area.
[47:58] Um, additionally, he began his career
[48:00] with the Morongo Band of Mission Indians
[48:02] where he spent 13 years in their
[48:03] accounting, audit, and financial
[48:05] administration roles. So, if you're
[48:07] wondering what kind of city manager uh
[48:10] the council member was looking for, I
[48:12] think that answers it. Um, on to the
[48:15] requirements uh that I have to provide
[48:17] under the Brown Act. Uh, the proposed
[48:19] agreement uh with Mr. arena. Uh copies
[48:22] of which are outside on the table next
[48:24] to the public um request to speak and
[48:27] the agendas. So anyone feel free to take
[48:29] a copy. They will be posted online uh
[48:32] very shortly. Um the proposed agreement
[48:34] has an initial annual salary of $330,000
[48:38] per year. Um annual creases annual
[48:40] increases of 2% subject to salary
[48:43] compaction and fiscal emergency
[48:45] provisions. uh very similar to our other
[48:48] agreements. It has salary adjustments
[48:50] tied to the next highest paid city
[48:52] classification and that's where the um
[48:55] annual salary was set at because of that
[48:57] benefits include uh city deferred
[49:00] compensation contributions. uh Kalpers's
[49:02] retirement health, dental, vision
[49:04] benefits and applicable management
[49:06] employee terms, including city paid life
[49:08] insurance and a $500 automobile
[49:11] allowance or a city provided vehicle,
[49:13] which is the same benefit that other
[49:14] management level employees at the city
[49:16] are provided. Um, he'll also be uh
[49:19] provided with uh vacation time, credit
[49:23] for his CalPOR's agency service, uh 60
[49:26] hours of administrative leave uh that is
[49:28] prrated initially, and he will be
[49:30] allowed to participate in the city's
[49:31] gym, employee assistance, and group
[49:34] health insurance programs. Uh that
[49:36] concludes the required disclosures there
[49:39] may be.
[49:39] >> All right. Thank you very much. And with
[49:42] that, um,
[49:44] would like to entertain a motion. What
[49:48] is your pleasure, council?
[49:54] » I would do a motion to accept approve.
[49:59] >> Approve.
[50:01] I use the wrong word. Approve. And it's
[50:06] someone help me with the last name
[50:07] because you've already I messed it up
[50:10] for you. already considered me.
[50:13] You'll you'll never be the same.
[50:15] >> Yes. Ernie Raina.
[50:17] >> Rea.
[50:19] >> Okay, we have a motion. Do we have a
[50:21] second?
[50:21] >> I second that.
[50:22] >> Okay, it has been moved and seconded.
[50:24] Uh,
[50:26] can we have a roll call, please? We I
[50:30] want both.
[50:31] >> Or do you want to go on board?
[50:32] >> I want vote voice and then we hit the
[50:34] button.
[50:34] >> Okay. Council member Howard Clark.
[50:37] >> Yes.
[50:38] >> Council member Lodge.
[50:39] >> Most definitely. Council member
[50:40] Peterson.
[50:41] >> Yes.
[50:41] >> Mayor Poten Males,
[50:42] >> just one question. Are you okay with a
[50:44] 1967 uh Volkswagen for your vehicle
[50:48] then? Yes.
[50:51] >> And Mayor Koopa.
[50:53] >> Yes.
[50:54] >> But it has no brakes.
[50:55] >> You push
[50:58] >> push our Okay, everybody push your
[50:59] buttons. This is going to be recorded.
[51:03] And confirm.
[51:06] There it is. It is official. Welcome,
[51:09] Mr. Raina. And with that, would you
[51:11] please
[51:16] go to the microphone and tell us a
[51:18] little bit about yourself and introduce
[51:20] your lovely wife?
[51:26] » Well, thank you, uh, Mayor Krupa and
[51:28] members of the city council. Is your
[51:30] line green?
[51:30] >> It's green. Yes. I just got to stand a
[51:32] little closer because I'm taller. So,
[51:34] the whole thing on the left side over
[51:35] there,
[51:36] >> this is the
[51:39] Wow, look at that. That's fancy. I like
[51:41] that.
[51:42] >> How's that? Is that better? Getting
[51:44] closer.
[51:44] >> Did it.
[51:45] >> Well, just a quick introduction and
[51:47] thank you for the kind words. Um, I
[51:49] think city attorney Pacificico said a
[51:51] lot of that. Uh, my name is Ernest
[51:52] Raina. I go by Ernie. Um, and so Raina
[51:55] is the last name. I'm here with my
[51:57] beautiful wife Dolores Rea as well.
[51:59] We've been married 25 years. Um, and so
[52:01] I'm looking forward to this next chapter
[52:03] of my life. but also in reviewing and
[52:05] reading the description for the job, I I
[52:07] thought it fit pretty well. Um, and so
[52:09] the skills that were once described here
[52:11] at the DEIS um are the skills and the
[52:13] traits that I bring to the city. Um, I'm
[52:15] really eager, excited to get started.
[52:17] Um, and working with the city council,
[52:19] uh, the residents of the of the city as
[52:21] well, city staff um, and I have a plan
[52:23] of what to do going forward. So, like uh, city attorney Pacificico said,
[52:27] um, I just had a voter approved measure
[52:28] passed in Paris. So, we're under the
[52:30] same type of operation that that he is.
[52:32] So, it's very familiar to me. So, I'm
[52:34] super excited to get eager and get
[52:36] started with everything and go from
[52:38] there. But, uh I will uh given my 30-day
[52:40] notice at my previous employer and I'll
[52:42] be starting here soon. So, I'm looking
[52:43] forward to all that. But I just want to
[52:44] say thank you for giving me the
[52:45] opportunity and uh we'll we'll go from
[52:47] there. But thank you.
[52:48] >> Thank you very much and welcome.
[53:00] » We'll do that after. Okay. Yes, stick
[53:03] around. We're going to take a formal
[53:04] picture afterwards. So, um, with that,
[53:08] there being no further business, there's
[53:10] a bug in here, this meeting is adjourned
[53:12] to the next city council meeting on
[53:15] October 13, 2026. Thank you so much
[53:18] everyone for joining us. We are
[53:19] adjourned.