VBJ October 22 online

VOLUME 33, NUMBER 10 OCTOBER 2022 

VISIT TEMECULA VALLEY EXPANDS 

STAFF WITH NEW 

CMO, CFO, AND DIRECTOR OF PR 

by Ted Saul 

MAKE 

WORKING FROM HOME 

A BETTER EXPERIENCE 

SEE PAGE 5 

As working from a home office has become more 

of norm, there are steps that can be taken to ensure the 

most productivity. Distractions that take your mind 

off your tasks come easy when you are by yourself. 

Here are a few ideas to enhance your work environment 

and work habits. 

SEE PAGE 18 

TEMECULA CHAMBER ANNOUNCES 

THEME FOR THE 2022 LEGISLATIVE 

SUMMIT 

MURRIETA POLICE DEPARTMENT 

RECEIVES NIBRS CERTIFICATION 

The Murrieta Police Department is pleased to announce that on 

August 26, 2022, the department was officially awarded National 

Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) certification by the 

California Department of Justice. This is a major milestone for the 

department. To date, the Murrieta Police Department is one of only 

a handful of California agencies to receive certification in a state 

comprised of over 500 law enforcement agencies. 

SEE PAGE 22 

What: Focusing on building a better economic environment, 

“Local Needs vs.Government 

Realities” is the theme of this year’s Temecula Valley Chamber 

of Commerce (TVCC) 

Legislative Summit. The summit will examine the business 

climate on local, state, and national levels, as seen through an 

ever-changing political lens. 

SEE PAGE 2 

COMMUNITY 

NOW IS THE TIME 

TO DEVELOP 

YOUR SPEAKING 

SKILLS 

8 

LEGAL 

WHAT HAPPENS IF 

YOU DIE WITHOUT 

A WILL? 

10 

LEGAL 

CAL SAVERS 

RETIREMENT SAVINGS 

PROGRAM REGISTRA- 

TION DEADLINE HAS 

PASSED 

12 

AND... 

TERRY GILMORE - 

EXECUTIVE PROFILE 

PROFESSIONAL WOMEN 

TOASTMASTERS WINS 

PUBLICITY AWARD

THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL 

2 www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com 

October 2022 

TEMECULA CHAMBER ANNOUNCES 

THEME FOR 

2022 LEGISLATIVE SUMMIT 

Who: Guest Speakers are Assemblymember Kelly Seyarto, District 67, Jennings 

Imel, Executive Director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Chris 

Collier, Founder/President of Rincon Strategies 

Why: Regional Legislative Awareness & Updates on Laws that impact our 

business as well as local communities. Who should attend: All local business 

owners or professionals who desire to stay “in the know” on current bills, 

recent laws passed, and policies in place that have positive and negative 

impacts on local businesses. 

When: Thursday, October 6, 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. 

Where: South Coast Winery, 34843 Rancho California Road, Temecula Wine 

Country. Park on the North side of the property. 

Tickets: Temecula.org or click here. Pricing: $60 for TVCC Members, $80 

for Non-members. $550 for a corporate table of 10 for TVCC Members, 

and $750 for non-members. Exhibitor booths start at $200 and have limited 

availability. Tickets include a plated breakfast. Contact Amber Poncy, TVCC 

Special Events Manager, at Amber@temecula.org with questions about tickets 

and sponsorships. 

Sponsored By: Abbott, Cal State San Marcos, City of Temecula, Eastern 

Municipal Water District, Fabozzi & Miller, APC, Loma Linda University 

Medical Center Murrieta, Pechanga Resort Casino, Rady Children’s Health 

Services, Southwest Healthcare System, Southwest Riverside County Association 

of Realtors, Stonehouse Group, Temecula Valley Hospital, Valley News.



www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com 

3




In this issue: 

Visit Temecula Valley Expands Staff 1 

Make Working from Home a Better Experience 1 

Murrieta Police Department Receives NIBRS Certification 1 

Temecula Valley Hospital Nationally Recognized 1 

2022 Legislative Summit 2 

City of Temecula Closes Evacuation Centers for Fairview Fire 6 

EVMWD Celebrates Staff During Appreciation Week 7 

Haunted Studio Fundraiser Creeps Back into JDS Creative Academy 9 

What Happens If You Die Without a Will? 10 

Professional Women Toastmasters Wins Publicity Award 11 

CalSavers Retirement Savings Program Registration Deadline Has Passed 12 

EXECUTIVE PROFILE | Terry Gilmore 14 

Temecula’s Art & Street Painting Festival ‘Best of Show’ 15 

Contact Lenses 17 

Do you Qualify for the Employee Retention Credit (ERC)? 18 

EXECUTIVE PROFILE | Greg Thomas 19 

Chamber Events 21 

Prostitution and Anti-Human Trafficking Operation 22 

REALTOR® Report 23 

EDITOR/PUBLISHER/CEO 

Linda Wunderlich 

Email: publishertvbj@verizon.net 

Criteria for Submitting Articles: 

ADVERTISING SALES INFORMATION 

(951) 461-0400 

CREATIVE DIRECTOR 

Helen M. Ryan 

VP OF DISTRIBUTION 

Dane Wunderlich 


www.facebook/thevalleybusinessjournal 

For questions, comments, or story ideas, please 

e-mail publishertvbj@verizon.net or call (951) 461-0400. 

1. Since the publication of articles is an added public relations feature for our advertisers, their articles 

will be given first priority. Other articles will be published on a space available basis. 

2. Articles should be submitted as a Word document file. 

3. Articles must be business-oriented and pertain to the author’s area of expertise. A photo of the 

writer is appropriate. 

4. All submissions are subject to editing by the publisher. 

5. Send completed articles by e-mail to: publishertvbj@verizon.net 

6. Article and advertising deadlines are the 15th of each month for the next issue. 

STAFF WRITERS/ 

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS 

Gene Wunderlich 

Ted Saul 

Craig Davis 

Stefani Laszko 

James Laszko 

Nicole Albrecht 

Julie Ngo 

Tom Plant 

Esther Phahla 

Steve Amante 

Monique deGroot 

Andrea Shoup 

Gloria Wolnick 

John & Christine Hamby 

Brian Connors 

Dr. Pat Utnehmer 

Bonnie Woodrome 

Haley Munson 

Don Hitzeman 

Dione Moser 

Diane Strand 

Kim Gerrish 

Katie Cook 

The Valley Business Journal is a California Corporation. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form, in whole or in part, 

without the written permission of the Publisher is prohibited. The publication is published monthly. The opinions and 

views expressed in these pages are those of the writer or person interviewed and not necessarily those of The Valley 

Business Journal. The Valley Business Journal hereby expressly limits its liability resulting from any and all misprints, 

errors and/or inaccuracies any advertisement or editorial may contain, to the credit of the specific advertising payment 

and/or the running of a corrected advertisement or editorial correction notice.




5 

VISIT TEMECULA VALLEY EXPANDS 

STAFF WITH NEW 

CMO, CFO, AND DIRECTOR OF PR 

Visit Temecula Valley announced 

that it is adding three new positions to its 

roster in order meet the growing needs of 

the organization as tourism bounces back 

to pre-COVID 19 levels. 

Annette Brown, former Senior 

Director of Public Relations for Visit 

Temecula Valley (VTV), has been promoted 

to Chief Marketing Officer. In 

this new role, she will oversee traditional 

marketing, advertising, public relations, 

and digital marketing initiatives. With 

more than 30 years of experience, Brown 

has been with VTV for 11 of its 18 years. 

Starting as PR and marketing manager, 

she secured a wide range of high-profile 

national and global media placements, 

garnering millions of impressions. She 

also helped introduce Temecula to the 

Canadian and UK markets and attracted 

domestic visitors from as far away as 

New York, Texas, and Florida. Visitor 

spending in the Temecula Valley reached 

$1.1 billion in 2019, with 3.4 million annual 

visitors. Earlier in her career, Brown 

worked in several industries including 

entertainment, attractions, medical, and 

newspaper publishing. 

Cassidy Lozinsky has been hired as 

Chief Financial Officer (CFO). A native 

of San Diego, Lozinsky has more than 

20 years of experience as an auditor and 

controller, having previously served as 

an auditor with Chart House Corporation 

in Solana Beach. She most recently 

served as controller for Wolf Restaurant 

Group in San Diego. Early in her career, 

Lozinsky also owned and operated Deli 

204’s, a popular eatery in San Clemente. 

Communications veteran Norma 

Marlowe recently joined Visit Temecula 

Valley as the new Director of 

Public Relations. Marlowe comes to 

the organization with over 25 years of 

experience overseeing successful PR/ 

corporate communications campaigns 

for a broad range of clients in consumer 

products and services, hospitality, arts 

& entertainment, healthcare, and nonprofits. 

She has worked on high-level 

media relations campaigns for a large 

portfolio of brands including Activision, 

Ancestry.com, Disney, Fender guitars, 

and NBCUniversal. Before starting her 

career in public relations, Marlowe was a 

community news reporter/stringer for the 

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and served 

as a news production assistant at WISN- 

TV in Milwaukee, WI. 

“We’re thrilled to have talent of 

this caliber on our team to help us bring 

Temecula Valley to the next level,” said 

Scott Wilson, CEO and President of Visit 

Temecula Valley. “Currently, Temecula is 

one of the fastest-growing travel destinations 

in Southern California and we’ll 

continue expanding our markets both 

domestically and internationally.” 

VTV is a nonprofit 501 (c)(6) destination 

marketing organization dedicated 

to promoting tourism related businesses 

including wineries, restaurants, breweries, 

retail and specialty 

boutiques, hotels, short term rentals, 

and more. For more information visit 

www.visittemeculavalley.com.




City of Temecula Closes Evacuation Centers for Fairview Fire; Coffee with the Mayor 

Included Information to Protect Your Home & Family from a Wildfire 

The second City of Temecula evacuation 

center closed today as Fairview Fire 

evacuation orders were lifted. The Fairview 

Fire began on Monday, September 

5th in Hemet and spread quickly through 

dry, rural terrain towards Temecula Wine 

Country, burning 28,307 acres including 

35 structures and damaging 7 more. 

Although the Fairview Fire was 

stopped before reaching Temecula, 

the City became home to two of three 

evacuation centers providing shelter 

and comfort to a total of 173 evacuees 

and 25 pets at the Temecula Community 

Recreation Center and the gymnasium at 

Temecula Valley High School. 

The original evacuation center in 

Hemet at Tahquitz High School also 

closed today. Temecula Mayor Matt Rahn 

shared his gratitude to CAL FIRE / Riverside 

County Fire and Riverside County 

Sheriff’s Department, both contracted by 

the City of Temecula, “With erratic winds 

from Tropical Storm Kay off the coast 

pushing the fire towards Temecula, the 

Fairview Fire rose to a Level 1 Incident 

Management Team at which time close to 

3,000 fire and law enforcement personnel 

were deployed locally and from across 

the State and Country — and we thank 

them all. Mayor Rahn adds, “The rain on 

day four could not come soon enough as 

these heroes took turns working 24-hour 

shifts to slow the fire down in hot weather 

up to 106 degrees — they protected over 

13,000 houses in the fire’s path and kept 

Temecula Safe.” In addition to a few injuries 

sustained during the Fairview Fire, 

including a helicopter accident, Mayor 

Rahn extends heartfelt condolences on 

behalf of the City of Temecula to a family 

whose car was caught by the fire.” 

The tragic loss of a father and daughter 

on the first day of the fast-moving fire 

is heartbreaking, and the City’s deepest 

sympathies are with their loved ones.” 

Temecula City Manager Aaron Adams 

states, “Amid growing concerns, and 

a full-scale evacuation of Temecula Wine 

Country, the Fairview Fire inspired a 

movement of community-wide kindness 

with numerous stories of kindness and 

an others-centered citizens helping each 

other; many offering to open their homes 

to evacuees. attitude during this difficult 

time was also evident by members of the 

community taking in evacuated animals 

at their homes.” 

Local businesses such as Temecula’s 

Home Depot also stepped up donating 

needed supplies. Adams said, “Most notably, 

the City would like to recognize the 

California Ranch Company who accepted 

more than 800 evacuated animals and 

horses at their private ranch which was a 

huge undertaking and so very appreciated 

by families in need.” 

Temecula Fire Chief John Crater 

states, “We are grateful for the community’s 

outpouring of support to each 

other and to the men and women assigned 

to this fire. The rain was a blessing on 

Friday as we were dealing with wind 

gusts from 25 to 65 mph at times. Ample 

moisture and humidity with a rain shower 

on Sunday helped us roll back more 

evacuation areas to get families into their 

homes again.” 

Chief Crater adds, “Crews will continue 

work to extinguish hot and smoldering 

dense brush, tree stumps, and roots 

in the burn area over the next few days.” 

The City of Temecula’s next regularly 

scheduled Coffee with the Mayor will 

share information on how best to protect 

your home and family from a wildfire. 

Join us this Saturday, September 17, 

2022, 8-9:30am, at Bean Coffee Roasters 

/ Batter Up Bakery located at 26490 Ynez 

Road, Suite K, Temecula




EVMWD Celebrates Staff During 

California Water Professionals Appreciation Week 

7 

“ 

“We appreciate the dedication 

of our highly trained operators, 

technicians and other specialists 

who have continued to make 

sure our community has safe 

and reliable water...” 

~Greg Thomas 

As part of California’s sixth annual 

Water Professionals Appreciation 

Week, celebrated October 1 - October 

9, Elsinore Valley Municipal Water 

District (EVMWD) is proud to take a 

moment and highlight the essential role 

of water professionals and local public 

water agencies in providing water and 

wastewater services. 

“We appreciate the dedication of 

our highly trained operators, technicians 

and other specialists who have 

continued to make sure our community 

has safe and reliable water and wastewater 

services24 hours a day, seven 

days a week,” said EVMWD General 

Manager, Greg Thomas. 

Be sure to follow EVMWD on 

social media more information on our 

amazing staff, the essential role they 

play and how you might join us or 

consider a job in California’s water 

industry. 

There are so many careers in water 

that keep water flowing in the communities 

throughout California, including 

district managers, customer service representatives, 

treatment plant operators 

and engineers to name a few. EVMWD 

is proud of our local staff and water 

professionals throughout the state for 

making a difference in their community. 

If you see EVMWD workers out 

and about this week, be sure you say 

“thank you” for ensuring our community 

has safe and reliable water and 

wastewater services always. 

For more information, please visit 

www.evmwd.com. 

EVMWD provides service to more 

than 159,000 water and wastewater 

customers in a 97-square-mile area in 

Western Riverside County. The District 

is a sub-agency of the Western Municipal 

Water District and a member agency 

of the Metropolitan Water District of 

Southern California. Visit the EVMWD 

website at www.evmwd.com for additional 

information.




By Dr. Diane Piela 

Now Is the Time to Develop 

Your Speaking Skills 

Don’t procrastinate any longer. 

Now is the time to become more 

confident in public speaking! Toastmaster’s 

International has been the “GO TO” 

organization for more than 90 years. If 

you are serious about improving your 

public speaking and leadership skills, 

this is the place for you. 

The key focus of Toastmaster’s International 

is to provide a friendly and 

supportive environment, where members 

become more confident and compelling 

speakers. 

The Next Level Toastmaster’s Club 

now meets every Thursday, 12:10-1:10 

pm at 29995 Technology Drive, Suite 

203, Murrieta, 92563. Even though we 

now meet in person, our meetings are 

considered Hybrid for those guests/ 

members who want to meet with us on 

line on Zoom. The Zoom meeting ID is 

820-4926-8435. You make the choice! 

If you have always wanted to be a 

better speaker but lacked the confidence 

to do it, this is the club for you! 

Everyone begins together but progresses 

at their own pace. Toastmasters 

will help you not only be a better speaker 

and leader but also a better communicator 

with co-workers, friends and family. 

Toastmaster’s Education Pathways are 

designed and modernized to teach you 

how to create a podcast, create your own 

blog and create your own webinars and 

seminars. 

Join us at The Next Level, where 

you and your fellow Toastmasters will 

grow togetherWe invite you to our Open 

House on Thursday, October 13 from 

12:10-1:10 PM at 2995 Technology 

Drive, Suite 203, Murrieta 92563. Our 

Guest Speaker will be Ed Ettinghausen, 

Accredited Speaker! This is a great time 

to see what Toastmaster’s is all about! If 

you can’t make it in person, join us on 

Zoom with ID 820-4926-8435! 

Please RSVP before Thursdays at 

951 775 0615, John or 951 723 7691, 

Diane. 

“ 

The key focus of Toastmaster’s 

International is to provide a friendly 

and supportive environment, where 

members become more confident 

and compelling speakers.


By Yanessa Hernandez 

Fall is in the air and the spooky season 

is creeping around the corner, which 

can only mean one thing: It’s time for the 

Haunted Studio to return to JDS Creative 

Academy! The JDSCA Haunted Studio, 

an annual fundraiser hosted by the 

#JDSFamily, turns the entire studio into a 

full-scale haunted house and pairs tricks 

with treats at their yummy bake sale. The 

Haunted Studio starts as a class where 

students make this chilling experience 

possible by designing and executing their 

plans. The Temecula-based nonprofit 

raises proceeds at this event for digital, 

visual, and performing arts scholarships 

for those with financial limitations and/ 

or at-risk youth. 



Haunted Studio Fundraiser cREEPS 

Back into JDS Creative Academy 

JDS Creative Academy is known for 

being an advocate for all things art. Each 

spring and fall, they hold their digital, 

visual, and performing arts classes in 

the evenings. Courses provide a place 

for students to bring creativity into their 

lives while building self-confidence and 

leadership skills. Charter school students 

who join receive education credits due to 

the classes meeting VAPA requirements. 

One of their most popular fall classes 

is Haunted Studio, in which students get 

to collaborate, design, build and help 

implement a full-scale haunted house. 

Students gain a better understanding of 

the arts and themselves, and a boosted 

self-confidence to benefit them in their 

everyday lives. Students partake in 

the class in numerous ways, such as 

building set pieces and props and running 

a functional, safe haunted house 

for guests. Students will even have the 

chance to learn new and unique skills, 

such as special-effects makeup. With the 

creativity of the haunters, scareres, and 

mentors, Haunted Studio continues to 

get spookier each year! Class begins on 

Wednesday, September 28 from 5 p.m. to 

7 p.m. Those interested in participating 

in the chills and thrills are invited to join. 

Haunted Studio is open to the public, 

taking place on Friday, October 28, and 

Saturday, October 29, 6:30-9:30 p.m. 

This staple fundraiser in the Temecula 

9 

Valley also includes a bake sale to help 

raise scholarship funds. 

By raising money for the cause, the 

#JDSFamily can offer scholarships for 

students seeking the opportunity to learn 

the ins and outs of the visual, digital, and 

performing arts. 

Come out to support and raise money 

for the nonprofit scholarship program. 

You’ll have a “spooktacular” time and 

you’ll also be changing the lives of those 

with a passion for learning about the arts! 

To learn more about JDSCA classes 

and the #JDSFamily, visit JDSCreativeAcademy.org 

or call (951) 296- 

6715. You can keep up with all the excitement 

behind the scenes on social media.




What Happens If You Die Without a Will? 

A will is an excellent tool to make 

a plan for your assets and heirs after 

you die. Everyone needs to have an 

estate plan, but most people do not 

make a plan until they approach the 

golden years in life. 

Unfortunately, oftentimes people 

pass away unexpectedly, never having 

made arrangements for a will. Here’s 

what happens when that occurs. 

What Happens After You Die and 

There Is No Will? 

Each state has an intestacy law that 

instructs how your money and assets 

are distributed if you were to pass away 

without a will. Through a process called 

probate, the government decides who 

gets what. Most of the time, the assets 

are distributed to family members. 

Non-family loved ones or stepchildren 

are not on the list of distribution. If you 

want your assets to be split among specific 

people that may not fall in line with 

what the state would do, you’ll need to 

draw up a will. 

For example, if you pass away and 

have a surviving spouse with adult children, 

the money will be divided evenly 

among all of those family members. 

However, if you die single with no children, 

the beneficiaries start to include 

parents, siblings, and other relatives. 

Many single people without children 

have friends who become family 

throughout the years, including the 

people you spend the holidays with 

and raise kids together. These people 

will have no right to your estate if you 

do not specify so in the will. 

If you die in a domestic partnership, 

it depends on the state if your 

partner is recognized as a beneficiary. 

For those states that recognize domestic 

partnerships, the assets will be 

distributed the same as with a surviving 

spouse. 

Some Assets Have Named Beneficiaries 

You may think you are covered if 

you have named beneficiaries of some 

funds. For example, a life insurance 

policy will ask you to name a beneficiary, 

and you can ensure that your 

domestic partner is specified. Similarly, 

retirement funds will ask that you 

choose the beneficiary. 

Keep in mind that not all assets 

are covered, even if you have chosen a 

beneficiary for some sources of money. 

Creating a will is the most secure path 

toward passing down your assets to the 

people that you love the most. 

It’s time to get your estate plan 

together. Shoup Legal is here to help. 

Give us a call at (951) 455-4114 or 

email us at info@shouplegal.com to 

learn more about how we can help 

you plan today for peace of mind 

tomorrow. 

“ 

Unfortunately, oftentimes 

people pass 

away unexpectedly, 

never having made 

arrangements for a 

will. 

SHOUPLEGAL.COM 

LEGAL 

by by 

Andrea Steve Fillingim Shoup




Professional Women Toastmasters Wins Publicity Award 

11 

Join their OPEN HOUSE on October 

10, 2022 to experience this award 

winning club 

Event is free to the Public 

Professional Women Toastmasters 

(www.professionalwomen.toastmastersclubs.org, 

invites residents to its open 

house to meet members and learn about 

the importance of communication and 

leadership skills for today’s professional. 

Members and guests will enjoy a 

regular Toastmasters meeting that will 

include prepared speeches, Table Topics 

(impromptu speeches) and evaluations 

(the gift of feedback). 

Professional Women Toastmasters 

was awarded the Chuck Weck Publicity 

Award three years in a row by Toastmasters 

District 12. This is due to the efforts 

of our Vice President Public Relations, 

Mona Payan. 

“Toastmasters has given me the 

opportunity to step outside my comfort 

zone and grow into new environments. 

Impromptu speaking has allowed me to 

be intentional with every conversation 

and interaction. Giving me new meaning 

to thinking on your feet, “says Mona 

Payan, Vice President Public Relations. 

On September 8, 2022, one of our 

members, Mary O’Dwyer, had the opportunity 

to be a speaker at the Women 

in Business Conference hosted annually 

by the Temecula Valley Chamber 

of Commerce. “My experience with 

Professional Women Toastmasters has 

allowed me to clearly and concisely articulate 

my message. It has also brought 

awareness to distracting hand gestures, 

body movements and unnecessary words 

such as um, ah, so, you know, allowing 

me to eliminate these, maximizing my 

audience engagement. As a professional 

speaker I highly recommend Professional 

Women Toastmasters to anyone wanting 

to develop and fine tune their communication 

skills,” says Mary O’Dwyer, 

Founder of The Breath Of New Life and 

Professional Speaker. 

“Professional Women Toastmasters 

provides a supportive and positive 

environment where members have the 

opportunity to develop their communication 

and leadership skills. This is where 

we come to practice and get feedback to 

help us get ready for the real world. The 

skills I learned in Toastmasters helped 

me to gain the confidence to be able to 

co-emcee the Temecula Valley Chamber 

of Commerce, Women In Business 

Conference, on September 8, 2022, addressing 

over 450 attendees,” says Esther 

Phahla, Founder of Professional Women 

Toastmasters. 

Join us October 10, 2022, for our 

OPEN HOUSE. 

The Professional Women Toastmasters 

Club meets each Monday at 12:30 

pm to 1:30pm at the Temecula Valley 

Chamber of Commerce, 26790 Ynez Ct, 

Temecula, CA or via Zoom. 

For more information about this 

event and the club, please email Monique 

Payan at vppr-5077319@toastmastersclubs.org 

or visit www.professionalwomen.toastmastersclubs.org. 

About District 12 

District 12 serves approximately 

100 Clubs and 1700 members in the 

large Southern California region East 

of highway 57, South of Barstow, West 

of the Arizona border, and North of 

Temecula. District 12 includes two of 

California’s largest counties (by square 

miles) – Riverside and San Bernardino. 

To learn more about District 12, please 

visit http://www.d12toastmasters.org. 

About Toastmasters International 

Toastmasters International is a 

worldwide nonprofit educational organization 

that empowers individuals to 

become more effective communicators 

and leaders. Headquartered in Englewood, 

CO., the organization’s membership 

exceeds 352,000 in more than 

16,400 clubs in 141 countries. Since 

1924, Toastmasters International has 

helped people from diverse backgrounds 

become more confident speakers, communicators 

and leaders. For information 

about local Toastmasters clubs, please 

visit www.toastmasters.org. Follow @ 

Toastmasters on Twitter. 

FINANCIAL 

Esther Phahla, 

CPA, CTS, MST




CalSavers Retirement Savings Program Registration Deadline Has Passed 

for Employer of Five or More Employees Not Sponsoring a Retirement Plan – 

Time to Register Now! 

By Donald W. Hitzeman, Esq. 

All employers in California who 

employ five or more employees and 

who do not provide a qualified retirement 

savings program were required 

by the California Government Code 

to register for the CalSavers Retirement 

Savings Program, an automatic 

enrollment individual retirement 

account (IRA) with no employer fees 

or fiduciary liability, according to the 

Program’s website at https://www. 

treasurer.ca.gov/calsavers/. 

This offers the employees of 

small California businesses a means 

of saving for retirement short of the 

employer adopting and administering 

a 401(k) or other similar retirement 

plan themselves. 

The CalSavers Retirement Savings 

Trust Act [California Government 

Code Sections 100000 - 100050] was 

enacted in 2016, but gave employers 

of five or more employees until June 

30, 2022 to register for the plan. 

For those employers who have 

registered for the plan, be aware 

that a waiting period is not required 

for employees to participate, there are 

no employer contributions that will be 

accepted under the plan and employers 

must upload required information about 

newly participating employees within 

30 days of their hire date through the 

program’s employer portal. Otherwise, 

there is minimal employer involvement 

in the program. 

If an employer offers a qualified 

retirement plan already, the employer 

still needs to register their company on 

the CalSavers website and request an 

exemption from the state’s retirement 

program. 

If an eligible employer does not register 

its employees for the program, the 

employer will likely be receiving notification 

of a violation of the Government 

Code and will have 90 days from the 

notice date to register. Those qualified 

employers who are required to register 

and have not done so are subject to penalties 

ranging from $250.00 to $750.00 

per employee, depending on the length of 

delay in complying with the registration 

requirements. 

Finally, as of January 1, 2023, the 

requirements to register and administer 

the CalSavers plan will extend to all 

California employers with at least one 

employee who is not an owner of the 

business, with registration for those employers 

required by December 31, 2025. 

Donald W. Hitzeman is a shareholder 

with Reid & Hellyer, A Professional 

Corporation, and an experienced Business 

Law Litigator and Transactional 

Attorney. He has over 38 years of legal 

experience, including advising business 

owners and operators on employee 

issues, as well as general business 

litigation, transactional matters and 

estate planning. He may be reached at 

his Murrieta office at (951)695-8700 or 

dhitzeman@rhlaw.com. 

“ 

If an eligible employer 

does not register 

its employees for the 

program, the employer 

will likely be 

receiving notification 

of a violation of the 

Government Code... 

Don Hitzeman




13




EXECUTIVE PROFILE | TERRY GILMORE 

BIO: 

In 1966 I joined the United States 

Army and after completing my 

training, I traveled to Vietnam 

where I was a Radio Operator in 

the 25th Infantry Division as a Sargent, 

E-5. Shortly after ending my 

Army career and returning home to 

Missouri, I started working in the 

automotive industry which then 

led me to Temecula in 1992 where 

my family and I opened Paradise 

Chevrolet Cadillac. 

AFFILIATIONS: 

I’ve been involved in many organizations 

in various capacities 

over the years such as serving as 

a Board of Director for the Boys 

& Girls Club of Southwest County 

and chairing the Capital Campaign 

and “Our Kids Rock” Dinner/Auction 

for more than 15 years. I was 

fortunate to learn a great deal about 

how other businesses and organizations 

are run by being hands-on 

and was then able to bring those 

values and tips back to Paradise 

to implement them. I now find 

myself in a different role, being 

able to lend insight and expertise 

to the wonderful organizations in 

the valley. It is amazing what can 

happen if you get enough people 

together who are committed to 

fixing a problem; you can literally 

accomplish anything! 

LIFE & BUSINESS 

PHILOSOPHY: 

In the 90’s when I was opening the 

dealership, my business philosophy 

was to be successful. Right 

now, my business philosophy is to 

make a difference in other people’s 

lives. As I near retirement, my 

philosophy will once again change 

as I continue to make a difference 

in others’ lives, but in new ways. 

I plan to travel to different destinations, 

utilize my plane more 

often and spend time out on the 

golf course. Life after retirement 

certainly includes enjoying my 

beautiful family; my wife Cindy, 

my oldest daughter Tina, and my 

grandkids Sami (who is a Sophomore 

at Southern Illinois University) and 

CJ (who is a Banking Officer) along 

with my daughter Katelyn and my 

newest grandchild Sawyer. Regardless 

of my philosophy, I will always 

find joy from any opportunity I have 

to give back. I live by a great rule and 

that is to do what’s right all the time, 

don’t ask what it will cost, just make 

it happen and follow your gut. 

GOALS: 

I am currently preparing my daughter 

Katelyn to become the successor of 

the business. I want to take every step 

I can to set her up for success, so she 

is working in every department of the 

dealership to gain experience and be 

able to grow into this role. Although 

it would be easy to sell the business, 

tailoring Katelyn for this position 

ensures Paradise continues the community 

spirit and involvement in the 

valley that myself and amazing staff 

are so passionate about. 

MENTORS: 

Bob Gregory was my first business 

partner. When I first met Bob, he was 

very sarcastic with me and would say 

‘problems’ are ‘monkeys’ so “don’t 

bring your monkeys into my office.” 

Our partnership later turned into very 

intelligent conversations and mentorship. 

Dan Atwood was a great friend 

and although he was a competitor it 

never stopped us from sharing advice 

and bouncing ideas off each other. 

Mike Hurst was also a competitor but 

that didn’t matter, we found common 

ground and learned from each other. 

I discovered it was very important 

to surround myself with good businesspeople 

who I could trust and 

respect, so I did just that. Of course, 

I also want to give credit to my wife, 

Cindy Gilmore, who was a General 

Manager, very knowledgeable and 

incredibly supportive then and now. 

BIRTH PLACE: 

I was born in St. Louis, Missouri and 

lived there from 1947 to 1977. 

Terry Gilmore, 

President of Paradise Chevrolet Cadillac 

FAVORITE READING: 

I love to read famous quotes. My favorite is 

“The Bridge Builder” by Will Allen Dromgoole 

An old man going a lone highway, 

Came, at the evening cold and gray, 

To a chasm vast and deep and wide. 

Through which was flowing a sullen tide 

The old man crossed in the twilight dim, 

The sullen stream had no fear for him; 

But he turned when safe on the other side 

And built a bridge to span the tide. 

“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim near, 

“You are wasting your strength with building here; 

Your journey will end with the ending day, 

You never again will pass this way; 

You’ve crossed the chasm, deep and wide, 

Why build this bridge at evening tide?” 

The builder lifted his old gray head; 

“Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said, 

“There followed after me to-day 

A youth whose feet must pass this way. 

This chasm that has been as naught to me 

To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be; 

He, too, must cross in the twilight dim; 

Good friend, I am building this bridge for him!”




15 

City Of Menifee Notice of Insufficient 

Nominees - Notice That There Are Not More 

Candidates Than Offices to Be Elected For District 4 

Temecula’s Art & Street Painting Festival 

‘Best of Show’ Chalk Artist Announced 

November 8, 2022 General Municipal Election 

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that 

pursuant to § 10229 of the Elections Code 

of the State of California relating to the 

General Municipal Election in the City of 

Menifee to be held Tuesday, November 

8, 2022: 

As of the close of the nomination 

period on August 12, 2022, only one 

person has been nominated as a candidate 

for City Council District 4. 

The person so nominated is Dean 

Deines. Section 10229 of the Elections 

Code allows one of the following actions 

to be taken by the City Council: 

1. Appoint to the office the persons 

who have been nominated. 

2. Appoint to the office any eligible 

voter if no one has been 

nominated. 

3. Hold the election if either no 

one or only one person has been 

nominated. 

The City Council will hold a special 

meeting on or before August 25, 2022 to 

either make the appointment or direct an 

election to be held. The person appointed, 

if any, shall qualify and take office and 

serve exactly as if elected at a municipal 

election for the office. 

If, by the 75th day before the municipal 

election, no person has been 

appointed to the office pursuant to (1) 

or (2) above, the election shall be held. 

If the City Council makes an appointment 

pursuant to § 10229, Elections 

Code, the City Clerk shall not accept for 

filing any statement of write-in candidacy 

which is submitted after the appointment 

is made. 

Please call City Hall at 951-672- 

6777 or visit www.cityofmenifee.us/ 

agendas for City Council meeting dates 

and times.Stephanie Roseen, Acting City 

Clerk - Date Published: August 19, 2022 

The City of Temecula’s Community 

Services Department hosted the 2022 

Temecula Art & Street Painting Festival 

featuring the all-new Cartoon-A Paloozah! 

on Friday September 16, 2022 

& Saturday September 27, 2022. This 

classic Temecula event displayed various 

work from 31 Art Exhibitors set up 

around Town Square Park and surrounding 

event areas in Old Town Temecula. 

Throughout the two days of excitement, 

Temecula hosted 30 Registered 

Chalk Artists competing for the Best of 

Show Award for their creative and beautiful 

pieces of chalk art on Main Street just 

outside of City Hall in Old Town Temecula. 

In addition to these annual festivities, 

the City of Temecula hosted its first ever 

Cartoon-A Paloozah! This new addition 

featured, art vendors, cosplayers, trivia 

contests, and more! 

Congratulations to Inez Valencia 

(Chalk Artist Spot #27) for receiving the 

honorable title of Best of Show at this 

year’s Art & Street Painting Festival! To 

see the winning piece and all incredible 

entries, please visit the City of Temecula’s 

flickr album linked here. 

Temecula Mayor Pro Tem Zak 

Schwank said, “The City of Temecula 

celebrates and honors the creative art 

community with unique events such as 

our annual Art & Street Painting Festival 

which provide artists public exhibit spaces 

to showcase and share their talents. 

Thank you to all who participated and 

to those who supported local artists this 

past weekend.” 

Community Services Commissioner 

Chris Krstevski added, “Congratulations 

to all of the amazing artists and thank you 

for adorning our streets outside City Hall 

with these incredible works of art. I encourage 

everyone to come visit Old Town 

Temecula to experience the chalk art 

entries and to appreciate the attention to 

detail in the vivid photo stream online.” 

Stay tuned for more Community 

Service programming information and 

updates by following Temecula Parks 

and Rec on social media, and by visiting 

our website at TemeculaCA.gov/TCSD.



16 October 2022


Contact Lenses 

by Pat Utnehmer 



17 

Have you ever wanted to change 

your eye color? When it’s warm and 

you don’t want to deal with glasses 

slipping or fogging up would you like 

another option? Are there activities that 

you participate in that glasses aren’t a 

comfortable choice? Many people don’t 

realize that they may be great candidates 

for contact lenses 

Contact lenses prescribed by a licensed 

Doctor of Optometry are worn 

safely and comfortably by millions of 

people worldwide and have a long history 

of providing wearers with a safe 

and effective form of vision correction. 

While contact lenses provide many vision 

benefits, they are not risk-free. Your 

Doctor of Optometry can help you better 

understand how to get the full benefits 

of your contact lenses and reduce your 

chances of developing problems. 

Contact lens-related eye infections 

and other injuries can lead to long-lasting 

damage but often are preventable. Clean 

and safe handling of contacts is one of 

the easiest and most important measures 

patients can take to protect their vision. 

Hygiene is the most important aspect of 

successful long-term contact lens wear. 

Many common contact lenses care 

mistakes, including failing to clean and 

store lenses as directed by a Doctor of 

Optometry and sleeping while wearing 

contacts, can increase the chance of 

getting bacteria in the eyes and causing 

infection. Serious eye infections can lead 

to blindness and affect up to one out of 

every 500 contact lens users per year, and 

even minor infections can be painful and 

disrupt day-to-day life. 

All contact lenses, even purely cosmetic 

ones, are considered a medical 

device and require a prescription. If contact 

lenses are right for you, your Doctor 

of Optometry will provide you with the 

lenses, lens care kits, individual instructions 

for wear and care and follow-up 

visits over a specified time. 

What about makeup and contact 

lenses? You can wear contacts and cosmetics 

safely and comfortably together 

by following these helpful tips: 

• Put on soft contact lenses before applying 

makeup. 

• Put on rigid-gas permeable (RGP) 

lenses after applying makeup. 

• Avoid lash-extending mascara, which 

has fibers that can irritate the eyes. Also 

avoid waterproof mascara, which cannot 

be easily removed with water and 

may stain soft contact lenses. Replace 

mascara at least every three months. 

• Avoid applying eyeliner along the watermark 

of the eyelid. 

• Remove lenses before removing makeup. 

• Choose an oil-free moisturizer. 

• Don’t use hand creams or lotions before 

handling contacts. They can leave a 

film on your lenses. 

• Use hairspray before putting on your 

contacts. If you use hairspray while 

you are wearing your contacts, close 

your eyes during spraying and for a 

few seconds after. 

• Blink your eyes frequently while using 

a hair drier to keep your eyes from 

getting too dry. 

• Keep false eyelash cement, nail polish 

and remover, perfume and cologne 

away from lenses. They can damage 

the plastic. 

• Choose water-based, hypoallergenic 

liquid foundations. Cream makeup may 

leave a film on your lenses. 

Contact lens prescriptions generally 

expire on a yearly basis, unless otherwise 

determined by your Doctor of Optometry. 

Prescriptions for contact lenses and glasses 

may be similar but are not interchangeable. 

Seeing your Doctor of Optometry 

annually for an in-person, comprehensive 

eye exam will not only assess your vision 

and need for updated prescriptions, but 

it may also help identify and lead to a 

diagnosis of other health concerns such 

as hypertension and diabetes. 

Come in and see us for a comprehensive 

eye exam and discuss personalized 

options for your eyes. 

Dr. Patrick Utnehmer, Promenade Optometry 

& Lasik, (951) 296-2211. 

“ 

Many common contact lenses care mistakes, 

including failing to clean and store lenses 

as directed by a Doctor of Optometry and 

sleeping while wearing contacts, can increase 

the chance of getting bacteria in the eyes 

and causing infection. 

Visit us on Facebook: 

@ thevalleybusinessjournal




Do you Qualify for the Employee Retention 

Credit (ERC)? Did you Claim it? 

by Nicole Albrecht 

It’s not too late. You can still amend 

your 2020 and 2021 payroll tax returns. 

Remember, this can be worth up to 

$5,000 per employee in 2020 and up to 

$7,000 per employee per quarter for the 

first three quarters of 2021, for a 2021 

total of $21,000 ($26,000 per qualifying 

employee for 2020 and 2021 combined). 

Example. Let’s say you have 10 employees 

who fully qualify for the credit. 

That’s a $260,000 tax credit (think cash): 

($5,000 + $7,000 + $7,000 + $7,000) x 

10 = $260,000. 

Who Must Aggregate Businesses? 

When you own more than one entity, 

you face special rules when it comes to 

the ERC. 

And you don’t have to own the other 

entity entirely to face the special rules. 

Here are just a few examples of who 

has to aggregate businesses for purposes 

of the ERC: 

• Howard operates his dental practice 

as an S corporation, and he also owns 

three rental properties that he deems 

businesses. 

• Carla Corporation operates 11 subsidiary 

corporations located in seven 

states. 

• Jack, Jake, and Jim own one-third of 

four corporations. 

Okay, So What? 

When you aggregate the business 

entities into one for the ERC, you have 

to consider the following questions: 

• Are you now (because of the aggregation) 

a small or a large employer 

under the 100 (2020) or 500 (2021) 

large-employer test? 

• What does the aggregation of the businesses 

mean for your qualifying under 

the decline-in-gross-receipts test? 

• What is the effect of a government 

COVID-19 shutdown or modification 

order on one of the entities, and how 

does it affect the aggregated group? 

• How do you treat employees who 

work for more than one of the entities? 

A Little More 

In most cases, identifying the group 

to aggregate is going to be straightforward, 

but it can get pretty complicated 

with some entities. The bottom line is that 

it’s likely worthwhile to aggregate and 

see what’s possible for the ERC. 

When you aggregate, you look at 

gross receipts compared with 2019, and 

you also look to government shutdown 

orders. Obviously, you use the best results 

you find with either (a) the gross 

receipts drop or (b) the shutdown orders. 

There’s a pleasant surprise with the 

government shutdown order, because if 

that order affects one entity in the group, 

the IRS says it affects the entire group. 

For example, Sam owns five retail corporations. 

One was shut down by governmental 

order. That shutdown applies 

to all five corporations and can create tax 

credits with each of the five. 

If you would like to discuss the ERC, 

please don’t hesitate to call us at 951-633- 

1040. Elite Tax Partners, Inc. 

MAKE WORKING FROM HOME A BETTER EXPERIENCE 

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 

Start by organizing your workspace. 

Experts recommend that your 

desk or worktable face the door. This 

not only helps you greet visitors 

properly but also keeps them from 

coming up behind you and breaking 

your concentration. Arrange your 

office so that it is well lit making use 

of natural light whenever possible. 

Position your most used office tools 

within easy reach while keeping the 

desk clear of non-essentials. Reduce 

clutter where you can. 

Ensure you have the right tools. If 

the majority of work is on the computer 

install the highest speed internet 

possible for best up and downloads. 

Consider battery backup if a sudden 

outage would be detrimental to your 

business. Don’t forget an up-to-date 

webcam for video calls. 

Security is still critical. Even 

though you are at home, lock cabinets, 

files, and doors just as you would 

at the business office. Encrypt files 

so they aren’t readable in case they 

are stolen. Backup data and store 

in the appropriate onsite and offsite 

locations. Invest in a fireproof safe 

to protect those irreplaceable papers. 

If the business never requires you 

to leave the home office, consider 

changing your routine to stimulate 

thinking and learning. Have lunch 

where you can take time to catch up 

on reading or studying without interruption. 

For a quieter atmosphere consider 

the public library where you’ll 

find comfortable chairs and tables to 

layout work. A change of venue can 

help you solve problems and come up 

with new solutions. 

Finally, reward yourself by investing 

in the environment where 

most of the day is spent. A few well 

place plants along with photos can 

brighten the dullest of rooms. Paint 

the walls a calm color and be sure 

your table or desk is working for 

you along with a comfortable chair. 

For inspiration, write down goals 

and display them in location you see 

every day. 

There are many benefits to working 

from home including the ability to 

be your own interior decorator. Take 

advantage of it. 

Ted Saul is a business coach and writer 

that assists with Business Plans, Project 

Management and Career Management. 

He earned his MBA from Regis University 

along with a Masters in project management. 

Ted can be reached on LinkedIn 

or by emailing TedSaulbiz@gmail.com.




19 

EXECUTIVE PROFILE | Greg Thomas 

Greg Thomas serves as the General Manager of the Elsinore 

Valley Municipal Water District and has lived in the Valley for 

nearly 20 years. Thomas started his career serving in the US 

Marine Corp, which gave him an opportunity to live and work 

connect: ghassler@atwork.com 

in places across the globe. When his tenure with the military was 

complete, Greg and his wife, Carla, chose Southwest Riverside 

County as their place to raise family and start his career in the 

water industry. 

The quality of life and the people 

drew us to the area. The opportunity 

with EVMWD, which came 

just under two years ago, allowed 

me the opportunity to work and 

live in the same community and 

offered new challenges in my 

career. 

I spent 22 years with the U.S. 

Marine Corps, serving time in 

the Middle East and East Africa, 

leading several large civil and 

water related projects, ultimately 

serving as the Facility Maintenance 

Officer for Marine Corps 

Base Camp Pendleton, where I 

was responsible for all buildings, 

roads, water, sewer, gas, and electric. 

After my retirement from the 

Marines, I spent seven years in 

private engineering/construction 

consulting, then served over 6 

years as General Manager for the 

Rincon Del Diablo Municipal 

Water District. Embracing opportunity, 

I arrived at EVMWD 

in 2019 and it is here that it continues 

to be a pleasure to serve as 

general manager and be part of 

a leading-edge organization in a 

burgeoning community. 

AFFILIATIONS: 

Being part of the community and 

making a change, I belong to 

several veteran, community, and 

water industry associations. I 

am a big proponent of ‘Water for 

People’, an international charity 

which focuses on creating sustainable 

access to water and sanitation 

in nine countries. The effort has taken 

me to South America, where I have 

helped play a central role in helping 

communities create and maintain new 

water and sanitation systems. I am 

also active in fund-raising for WFP 

and other charities. 

I also serve as the architectural committee 

chair for my church and am 

proud to be part of the team who 

orchestrated a new preschool/administration 

facility, which is finished 

design and will begin construction 

this summer. 

BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY: 

A passage from Lincoln on Leadership: 

Executive Strategies for Tough 

Times speaks greatly to my philosophy: 

“It is your duty to advance the 

aims of the organization and also to 

help those who serve it. If you once 

forfeit the confidence of your fellow 

citizens you can never regain their 

respect and esteem”. 

This notion is my compass to leadership. 

It guides me in vision, mission, 

goals and ensuring teamwork 

to accomplish those goals. It also 

reminds me to be humble, respectful 

and genuinely care. 

FAVORITE SPORT: 

I love many sports- golfing, hiking, 

skiing, soccer, football. I love to 

watch and participate, though some 

I haven’t participated in since high 

school. I want to change that, though, 

as I’m interested in finding a local 

soccer league for guys my age! 

GOALS: 

Personally and professionally, my 

goal is always to be the best I can 

be, to continue to learn and grow, to 

give back, and to follow the path God 

leads me on. 

MENTORS: 

My parents were great mentors; 

they instilled good old fashioned, 

mid-Western values in me. I am also 

grateful for the many military leaders, 

community leaders and colleagues 

who have advised and mentored me 

to be the person and leader I am today. 

FAVORITE READING: 

My favorite leadership book is 

Lincoln on Leadership by Donald 

T. Phillips. Seven Habits of Highly 

Effective People by Stephen Covey 

is a great guide for personal and 

professional growth. I am also a 

fan of the Civil War epics Gods 

and Generals by Jeff Shaara and 

Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. 

The Bible is definitely the top 

favorite. 

BIRTHPLACE: 

Merrillville, Indiana




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21 

October Events 


October 5 - Chamber Business Briefing 

October 1 - Breast Cancer Awareness Kick-off 

October 4 - SBDC How To Start A Small Business 

October 4 - VYP October Leadership Committee 

October 6 - Legislative Summit (Fall 2022) 

October 7 - October Coffee Connection 

October 8 - Wines for Canines and Kitties, Cocktails & Crooners 

October 10 - Swing for SAFE Family Justice Centers Charity Golf 

October 11 - October Educational Workshop 

October 12 - October Chamber Brief 

October 6 - Wildomar State of the City 

October 8 - Open House 

October 11 - Wildomar Coffee With the City 

October 13 - Networking Breakfast 

October 13 - Thirsty Thursday Multi Chamber Mixer 

October 17 - Southwest California Legislative Council 

Octoberr 18 - Ribbon Cutting for Executive Medical 

Octoberr 25 - Murrieta Coffee With the City 

Octoberr 27 - 62nd Annual Awards Celebration at Heritage Hill 

October 13 - Shop Local Digital Directory Workshop 

October 13 - Ribbon Cutting- AJT Wealth Consultants 

https://business.murrietachamber.org/events 

October 19 - Ribbon Cutting Tem. Singer/Songwriter Association 

October 22 - Shop Local Harvest Showcase 2022 

October 26 - Ribbon Cutting- Tina M. Gottlieb Chiropractic 

October 26 - October Morning Mixer 

October 28 - Valley Young Professionals’ October Evening Mixer 

https://members.temecula.org/events 


October 4 - Wake Up Menifee 

October 4 - Menifee City Council Meeting 

October 12 - Midday Mixer 

October 19 - Menifee City Council Meeting 

https://business.menifeevalleychamber.com/events


22 www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com 


MURRIETA POLICE DEPARTMENT RECEIVES NIBRS 

CERTIFICATION 

Prostitution and Anti-Human 

Trafficking Operation 

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 

In 2016, the Federal Bureau 

of Investigation (FBI) informed 

all states they were changing how 

crime statistics were being tracked 

and gave them five years to transition 

from Uniform Crime Reporting 

(UCR) to the new NIBRS standard. 

In 2021, the Murrieta Police Department 

began submitting NIBRS 

data and after 16 months of arduous 

testing and troubleshooting, was 

finally recognized as an official 

NIBRS agency. 

The Murrieta Police Department 

was able to secure a grant to 

help fund the transition and relieve 

taxpayers of the burden in paying 

for the costly upgrade through the 

Federal Office of Justice Programs. 

Throughout this process, Murrieta 

PD has met grant benchmarks and 

once final payment is approved, 

will have received $48,807 back 

from the Federal government for 

the NIBRS implementation project. 

As one of the safest cities in the 

country, Murrieta prides itself on 

their FBI crime statistics each year. 

After publication, those statistics 

are then reviewed and tallied by 

a variety of entities, which in turn 

rank each city. Some rankings look 

at violent crime, while others consider 

the cost of crime, and some 

focus on property crime, among 

other metrics. The FBI doesn’t 

necessarily rank cities, but rather 

they supply the data that is used to 

rank cities making these ranking a 

moving target each year. 

Murrieta Police Chief Anthony 

Conrad recognizes that this new 

method of tracking crime statistics 

via NIBRS is going to look different 

than it did under the UCR 

guidelines. As of 2022, UCR data 

will no longer be recognized by the 

FBI and many cities and counties 

will not have FBI statistics in place 

to support crime rankings for their 

jurisdictions. 

To address the potential perception 

that an agency has a higher 

crime level with this new system, 

NIBRS has established a baseline 

that more precisely captures reported 

crime in a community. Other 

cities may not conform to this 

new required standard for years to 

come, yet Murrieta will continue to 

have FBI-approved crime rankings. 

“ 

As one of the safest 

cities in the country, 

Murrieta prides itself 

on their FBI crime 

statistics each year 

On Tuesday, September 13, 2022, the 

Murrieta Police Department, in partnership 

with the Riverside County Anti-Human 

Trafficking Taskforce (RCAHT), 

conducted a proactive enforcement operation 

that targeted online prostitution and 

those whose demand for these unlawful 

activities fuels an illicit underground 

economy, both locally as well as across 

the State of California. 

As a result of this enforcement effort, 

a total of twelve males were arrested for 

solicitation of prostitution. One male was 

arrested for pimping per section 266h 

of the California Penal Code. Murrieta 

PD also contacted one adult female who 

was believed to be the victim of human 

trafficking and possibly being forced to 

engage in acts of prostitution against 

her will. 

The identity of this victim will not be 

released pursuant to state confidentiality 

laws. The victim was referred to victim 

services for assistance while the investigation 

into her sex trafficking continues. 

Prostitution is not a “victimless” 

crime. Ninety-five percent of sex trafficking 

victims are women or children. 

Those victimized by commercial sexual 

exploitation frequently have long histories 

of emotional, physical, and/or sexual 

abuse or trauma. The National Center 

for Missing and Exploited Children 

estimates 1 in 6 endangered runaways 

reported are likely victims of sex trafficking. 

Sex trafficking victims are often 

subjected not only to severe forms of 

emotional, physical, and sexual abuse 

at the hands of their trafficker, but are 

also frequently physically and sexually 

assaulted by those who solicit them for 

prostitution. 

Through proactive enforcement operations, 

RCAHT and the Murrieta Police 

Department are working to reduce future 

demand for sex trafficking by identifying 

and arresting sex buyers. 

Anyone with information about sex trafficking 

or questions are encouraged to 

contact Sergeant Roy Vargas or Corporal 

James Tompkins at (951) 696-3615.




23 

Welcome to the 

REALTOR® Report 

August was a busy month in all 

areas I typically cover in this report. 

Unit sales were back up month over 

month, candidates for the General 

Election have been certified, and the 

State Legislative session came to an 

end. I also attended multiple economic 

forecast presentations, with two of 

those focused on our region specifically. 

So let’s jump right into some of 

the details. 

My mentor used to joke that if 

you listened to three economists, you 

would get four different outlooks. 

Well, in August, I attended three 

presentations from economists and 

actually heard three very similar presentations. 

Let’s kill the elephant in the 

room and remind everyone that this is 

not 2008, and we are not heading for 

a major housing crash! 

The housing market is simply 

cooling off and returning to a much 

more normal market. One of the economists, 

Steven Thomas, still called 

today’s market a slight seller’s market. 

All three economists agree that we 

are dealing with a supply vs. demand 

challenge, and we don’t have enough 

supply. Sound familiar? 

The other factor in the market is 

interest rates. As the cost of borrowing 

goes up, the demand decreases, and 

the time on market increases. You can 

see those figures later in my report. On 

the positive side, our unemployment 

rate (3.6%) has never been this low, 

and spending is up. These are both 

indicators of a strong economy. However, 

there are some things to continue 

watching moving forward. Inflation 

continues to affect the economy, and 

interest rates continue to play a major 

part in sales. 

If you are looking at rates today, 

which are right around 6% for a 30- 

year fixed mortgage, and thinking those 

are still reasonable rates, you’re not 

wrong. But you can’t compare them with 

the high rates of the past due to today’s 

pricing. While you or someone you know 

may have purchased their home with a 

10%, 12%, or even 15% rate in the past, 

there is no way they could have done 

that with today’s home prices. Dr. Chris 

Thornberg may have said it best – “We 

don’t have a housing affordability problem; 

we have a housing supply problem.” 

If we go back to the simple supply vs. 

demand concept, increasing supply not 

only helps the housing market but also 

brings many jobs and economic growth 

to the community where the housing is 

being developed. Overall, the consensus 

was that, at least for the short term, 

things are looking pretty positive here in 

Southwest Riverside County. Potential 

corrections in the market are coming, and 

as Dr. Thornberg put it, ”you don’t need 

to jump in your bunker yet, but also don’t 

stray too far from your bunker.” 

As we look at the figures for our 

region, I want to remind you that this 

report covers Single Family Homes only 

(no condos, townhomes, or multi-family) 

and only resale homes. I have often been 

asked to include data on new construction 

homes, especially with so many being 

built in our area, but unfortunately, there 

just isn’t a data source to properly track 

those sales. 

Unsold inventory continues to increase, 

up 33% from last month and 

107% from last year. While the increase 

in inventory is a good thing, we are far 

from where we need to be. Once again, 

median prices are up in all but one of 

our local cities. Once city saw a decrease 

of 3.2%, while the remaining cities all 

ranged in an increase of 2.4%-13.6% 

Year-Over-Year. The percentages have 

decreased, but median prices continue 

to increase across the region. 

The median home price in Southwest 

Riverside County was flat (0% change) 

from a month ago ($580,000/$580,000) 

but was up 5% from a year ago ($550,000) 

and up 28.9% from 2 years ago ($449,900). 

Unsold inventory increased slightly to 

just over 4 months (6 months is considered 

a healthy market), and days on 

market increased again from last month to 

19 days. This is up from 7 days last year 

and higher than 2 years ago when it was 

also 7 days. Unit sales increased by 13% 

from the previous month but are down 

21% from last year. Unsold inventory 

continues to increase, up 6% from last 

month and 77% from last year. While the 

increase in inventory is a good thing, we 

are far from where we need to be. 

Once again, median prices are up in 

all but one of our local cities. Once city 

saw a minimal decrease of 0.3%, while 

the remaining cities all ranged in an increase 

of 0.4%-15.3% Year-Over-Year. 

The percentages are reflecting slower 

increases, and I would anticipate similar 

trends for the remainder of the year. 

On the Legislative Front, the legislative 

session has ended, wrapping up 

another two-year cycle. Things moved 

very quickly in August, and those bills 

that survived are now on the Governor’s 

desk. As a reminder, he has three options: 

He can sign the bill into law, he can veto 

the bill, or he can ignore the bill, and it 

will still become law in 30 days. I will 

have a recap on the bills that we have 

been tracking next month once we know 

the final outcome. 

The Southwest California Legislative 

Council has also completed its 

review of the 7 propositions that will 

appear on the ballot, and I have included 

those recommendations at the end of my 

report. Finally, the certified list of local 

candidates is official, and campaigning 

has definitely started. 

by 

Steve Fillingim 

REAL ESTATE 

by Adam A. Ruiz 

As always, I will encourage you 

to reach out to the candidates in your 

area, ask them questions and get to 

know their stance on the issues that 

concern you. Please don’t just rely on 

who has more signs or whose ad you 

may have seen. Look for events in your 

area so you can meet the candidates 

personally. Next month I will include 

a list of candidates that our State and 

Local Association has endorsed for 

your reference. 

A lot is going on, and I hope I have 

covered everything that affects you and 

your business. Please let me know if 

I left anything out or if you need anything 

explained further. 

If you’d like a copy of my entire 

report including the mentioned slides, 

or to be added to the distribution list, 

please email me at Adam@srcar.org. 

As always, I am available if you 

have any questions about the report. 

Until next month…







YOUR LOCAL CHAMBERS 

25 

Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce 

www.temecula.org 

Murrieta/Wildomar Chamber of Commerce 

www.MWCoC.org 

Menifee Valley Chamber of Commerce 

www.menifeevalleychamber.com 

Lake Elsinore Valley Chamber 

www.lakeelsinorechamber.com 

Hemet/San Jacinto Valley 

Chamber of Commerce 

www.hsjvc.com




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