Entryway Monument Design Contest

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Canyon Lake residents are encouraged to submit their creative design ideas for the City’s entryway monuments, which are planned to be installed at the east and west City limits, in the center medians along Railroad Canyon Rd.

All entries received will be posted on the City’s Facebook page. The top three to five entries with the most “Likes” will be presented to City Council at the November 4 City  Council meeting. The City Council will evaluate the final entries based on overall quality, creativity and how well the monument reflects the vision of Canyon Lake.  Entries will be accepted until 5 p.m. on Thursday, October 15. For the entry form, visit cityofcanyonlake.org.

Coming up at City Hall

• City Wide Cleanup – Saturday, October 10, 10 a.m., Canyon Lake Community Church
• Water Committee Meeting – Thursday, October 15, 9 a.m., EVMWD Offices
• Emergency Preparedness Committee Meeting – Thursday, November 5, 6:30 p.m., City Council Chamber
• Administration and Finance Committee Meeting – Tuesday, November 3, 8 a.m., City Council Chamber
• Public Safety Committee Meeting – Tuesday, November 3, 9:30 a.m., City Council Chamber
• Canyon Lake City Council – Wednesday, November 4, 6:30 p.m., City Council Chamber

City Council meeting

The agenda for the November 4 City Council meeting will be available the Thursday prior to the meeting at cityofcanyonlake.org. Meetings are televised live at Time Warner Channel 29 and Verizon Channel 39.

Any person wishing to address the City Council at its monthly meeting on any matter within the jurisdiction of the City, whether or not it appears on the monthly agenda, is asked to complete a “Speaker Request Form” available on the back counter.

The completed form is to be submitted to the City Clerk prior to an individual being heard by the City Council. The City Council has adopted a time limitation of three minutes per person. If commenting on an agenda item, comments will be heard at the time that particular item is scheduled on the agenda.

Please note that, for anyone addressing the City Council on items not on the agenda, the Brown Act does not allow discussion of such items. Therefore, the City Council may only do the following; refer the matter to staff, ask for additional information or request a report back, or give a very limited factual response.

Emergency Preparedness Meeting

The Canyon Lake Emergency Preparedness Committee (CLEPC) invites residents to monthly meetings the first Thursday of each month, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the City Multi-purpose Room/Council Chamber. If they choose to join this large group of volunteers, they will earn how to make a difference during a disaster. Damage Assessors will be the focus of a drill planned in October.

Director Nancy Carroll says, “Learning what to do before, during and after a disaster will make all our lives safer and less stressful. For a small city such as ours, we need many trained volunteers. Any outside help will be very little to none for at least 72 hours or more. Since many Canyon Lake citizens work outside the community and/or travel often, we need three times more volunteers than we would use at any one time. That way, when our disaster hits, enough people will be here to do the job until the others get home. Be a part of the solution! We hope to see you there.”

For more information, call Nancy at 951-244-8230 or visit cityofcanyonlake.org and click on “Services” and “Disaster Preparedness.”

Sign Up for Code Red

The City of Canyon Lake has an emergency notification system called CodeRED, which will alert each resident by phone or e-mail in the event of an emergency. The ultra high-speed telephone communication service allows the City to telephone all or targeted areas in case of an emergency.

Sign up for the service at www.cityofcanyonlake.org. Once on the website, go to Disaster Preparedness, then to the Code Red link. The short online form asks for information about alternate phone numbers, e-mail addresses, pagers and cell phone numbers. Those who previously have signed up and haven’t made changes to their contact information don’t need to sign up again.

City Services

Building & Safety – The City of Canyon Lake contracts with Willdan for Building & Safety services. The Building and Safety Department is open for public services Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Inspections are done Monday through Friday. Appointments are available at other times.

Planning – The City of Canyon Lake contracts with a private consultant, MIG, Inc., formerly Hogle-Ireland, Inc. for its planning services. Some of these services include reviewing development site plans and conditional use permits, updating the General Plan and Zoning Code, regulating signage, and receiving business licenses. Planning representatives are available on Wednesdays by appointment.

Engineering – The City of Canyon Lake Contracts with Tri Lake Consultants for Engineering services.

For more information, visit cityofcanyonlake.org and click on “Departments.”

Unscheduled Power Outages

Southern California Edison encourages residents to call the SCE 24-hour emergency hotline at 800-611-1911 to report an unscheduled outage. It is the primary way for SCE to know there is a problem so crews can be deployed. Residents who experience outages can check the “Outage Center” at www.sce.com to learn what time they can expect power to be restored.

Only rain in the drain

Disposing of pollutants into the street, gutters, storm drains or Lake is prohibited by law and can result in stiff penalties. Storm drains are not connected to sanitary sewer systems and treatment plants. The primary purpose of storm drains is to carry rainwater away from developed areas to prevent flooding.

Pollutants discharged to the storm drains are transported directly into the Lake. Capture and dispose of wastewater and chemicals properly. Remember, storm drains are for receiving rainwater runoff only.

For more information or to report illegal discharges, call Canyon Lake Code Enforcement at 746-7978.

View Municipal Code

Canyon Lakers can go to cityofcanyonlake.org to view the Canyon Lake Code of Ordinances. On the home page, click on “Departments” and select “City Clerk.” On the far right column there is a link for “Municipal Ordinances.”

Discharge of Firearms

Canyon Lake Municipal Code Section 11.01 prohibits the discharge of firearms within all areas of the City limits and the Bureau of Land Management. This type of activity is a misdemeanor with fines up to $1,000 and/or six months in jail. This includes the use of setting up a target range and hunting of wildlife. If anyone has questions or wants to report this type of activity, we encourage them to contact City Hall at 951-244-2955.

Hiring a contractor?

City Hall encourages residents to check whether the contractor they are hiring has a Canyon Lake business license. If the job exceeds $500, also ask to see a contractor’s license. The Contractors State License Board offers the following recommendations for anyone planning to hire out for work on their property:

1. Hire only state-licensed contractors.
2. Check a contractor’s license number online at www.cslb.ca.gov or by calling 800.321.CSLB (2752).
3. Get at least three bids.
4. Get three references from each bidder and review past work in person.
5. Make sure all project expectations are in writing and only sign the contract if you completely understand the terms.
6. Confirm that the contractor has workers’ compensation insurance for employees.
7. Never pay more than 10 percent down or $1,000, whichever is less. Don’t pay in cash.
8. Don’t let payments get ahead of the work.
9. Keep a job file of all papers relating to your project, including all payments.
10. Don’t make the final payment until you’re satisfied with the job.

City Finances

The City provides a complete listing of financial claims and demands each month in the City Council agenda. There also are links to the Annual Financial Report and the Operating and Capital Improvement Budget. To see the City Council agenda and find other valuable information, visit cityofcanyonlake.org.

Call vector control

The Northwest Mosquito & Vector Control District provides vector control services (mosquitoes, flies, rats, Africanized honeybees, black flies and midges) in Canyon Lake. Residents experiencing vector control problems in the community should contact the District at 951-340-9792 or visit www.northwestmosquitovector.org.

Landscape water efficiency

City Hall encourages water efficiency. Anyone planning to rehabilitate landscaping or irrigation, and the project cumulatively exceeds 1,500 square feet in size, needs to submit plans to City Hall. A list of drought tolerant plants can be found by visiting www.cityofcanyonlake.org.

Party Permits

The City of Canyon Lake would like to remind residents that any time they plan a large party or event at either their home or one of the community’s parks and 50 people or more are expected, a Special Event Permit must be filed with the City. This is a separate requirement from any the POA may impose for the same event. Special Event Permits are $25 and must be filed no later than 30 days prior to the planned event or party. Please contact City Hall at 244-2955 for more information or to find out if your party or event qualifies for Special Event Permit filing.

Passport services

The nearest facility for passport services is Sun City Main Post Office, 26822 Cherry Hills Blvd. in Menifee. The phone number is 301-3657.

Housing-related fraud

The Friday Flyer regularly publishes market updates from Gene Wunderlich, director of government affairs for the Southwest Riverside County Association of Realtors. Mr. Wunderlich is part of a Fraud and Risk Management task force and recently provided the following reminder and e-mail address if people see something fishy or have concerns about a housing-related issue. Contact fraud@srcar.org.

Dial 211 for info

The City of Canyon Lake entered into an annual service agreement with 211 Riverside County, a nonprofit agency, to provide residents with toll-free local information and referrals to social services.

Canyon Lake residents in need of a link to social services can dial 2-1-1 free of charge, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The 211 operators provide callers with contact information and referrals to local nonprofit agencies and programs best matching the caller’s needs.