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Public commenters press council on tenant protections and raise questions about ballot reconciliation
Summary
During public comment speakers described tenant hardships in redevelopment-era affordable housing and urged council representation for tenants; another commenter said election audits show vote totals exceeding ballots cast and urged reconciliations and further counting by the sheriff.
Several residents used the May 12 public-comment period to press the council on housing and election-integrity matters. Laurel Lamott (speaker 21) criticized what she called legacy redevelopment-era contract language that allows property managers to raise rents in an affordable-housing complex, saying tenants pay over $2,000 for units with limited amenities and lack contractual protections she believes the city wrote. “We work here. We serve this community... yet we pay well over $2,000 in rent,” Lamott said, asking the council to represent tenants’ interests.
Separately, Greg Langworthy (speaker 24) updated the council on audits and a sheriff’s investigation into voter reconciliation. Langworthy said that in multiple recent elections the number of votes recorded exceeded ballots delivered to the registrar, and that the sheriff obtained physical ballots for a count that a court has since prohibited. “When he counts them, it’s either going to be 611,000 or 657,000... If it’s 611,000, there’s a problem,” Langworthy said, arguing reconciliations should occur before certification.
Drew Davis (speaker 22) and Jeff Kingsburg (speaker 23) also spoke. Davis thanked the council for interfaith outreach and noted Transgender History Week; Kingsburg, a Bike Temecula Valley board member, praised sheriff bike-safety outreach and urged emphasis on riding with traffic and helmet use.
These remarks were delivered during the public-comment period; none were the subject of formal council action at the May 12 meeting. The council did not announce an immediate policy response but staff and city leaders noted the comments for follow up and future agenda considerations, including an upcoming SDG&E presentation scheduled for May 26.
