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Temecula council holds workshop on future of advisory commissions after public pleas to preserve equity-focused panel
Summary
At an Aug. 5 workshop, residents urged Temecula's City Council not to disband the Ready (equity) and Community Services commissions; staff outlined a General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) timeline and council signaled it will use GPAC findings and the Quality of Life Master Plan to shape any new advisory body.
Temecula held a joint workshop on Aug. 5 to review the council's earlier decision to reorganize advisory bodies and to gather commissioner and resident input on what, if any, new community-facing group should replace the Community Services and Ready commissions.
Members of the public who attended urged the council to keep a standing, visible body to address diversity, equity and community concerns. Brent Burton, a retired Los Angeles County Fire captain, said the Ready Commission 'which he called 'the city's ''eyes and ears''''''''''''''' had addressed incidents of racial taunting and gave residents an outlet: "This commission doesn't cost the city any money. It's the eyes and ears for this city to look at these specific issues," he said. Toya McByrton said she loves Temecula but described seeing flags and hearing racial slurs locally, and urged the council to preserve a pathway for residents who feel marginalized to be heard.
Why it matters: the council in April directed staff to collapse the Traffic Safety Commission into the Planning Commission and to sunset the Community Services and Ready commissions effective Dec. 31, 2025; that earlier direction prompted concern from current commissioners and residents who said the city needs a sustained, accountable mechanism for outreach to underserved groups.
What staff told the workshop: the City Manager summarized the timeline for a General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) tied to the city's general plan update. Staff said recruitment for 15 GPAC members will open Aug. 15, run for 30 days, and that the council expects to appoint members by Sept. 23; the GPAC's work will run roughly 12'18 months and staff recommended using GPAC findings and the Quality of Life Master Plan (a recent community-driven document) to define any new advisory body'its tasks, metrics and structure.
Commissioners'and council members'debated form and function. Several commissioners said previous commissions lost clear, council-assigned work and that the remedy is clearer, measurable charges rather than eliminating community-facing forums. Commissioner Denise Wilson said the Ready Commission gave marginalized residents a platform: "If that question is still being asked, that is a huge purpose," she said, referring to whether newcomers feel safe.
Council members acknowledged process flaws. Councilmember Zach Schwank apologized for how the reorganization was handled, saying, "I think we screwed up," and the mayor said he regretted the optics that commissioners felt 'in effect'fired. Several council members said they favor letting GPAC produce data and recommendations before finalizing a new standing body so any design is driven by the general plan and Quality of Life Master Plan findings.
What didn't happen: no formal votes were taken at the Aug. 5 workshop. The April 22 direction to sunset the two commissions was a prior council action; the Aug. 5 session was facilitative and intended to provide direction to staff.
What comes next: staff will incorporate the workshop input into materials for the council and proceed with GPAC recruitment beginning Aug. 15; council expects GPAC's work to inform whether a new standing commission, a series of task forces, or another hybrid model best serves Temecula going forward.
