Council will stay 1 member short
Leaders decide not to appoint someone to fill empty seat, will let voters decide in November
It will be the end of 2024 before Temecula has a complete city council after members recently voted not to appoint someone to fill the vacant seat created by Curtis Brown’s departure.
Brown, whose district includes communities south of Temecula Parkway and east and west of the 15 Freeway, resigned effective Jan. 1, citing work commitments due to his Federal Emergency Management Agency job. He was deployed to Hawaii for disaster recovery after the devastating wildfires there.
The council, which normally has five members, had three options to replace Brown: appoint someone, make an appointment after an application process or wait until Brown’s District 1 seat appears on the November general election ballot.
At its Jan. 9 meeting, the council voted 3-1 — with Brenden Kalfus opposed — to keep the seat open until November.
The winner will serve the remaining two years on Brown’s term. In the meantime, the council will guide city officials “to ensure appropriate representation of District 1 residents in the interim,” a city report states.
While several public speakers asked the council to interview candidates and make an appointment, Councilmember Zak Schwank said: “I’m struggling with … appointing someone to a district with thousands of people that I don’t know.”
Schwank noted the council left James “Stew” Stewart’s seat vacant when he resigned in June 2020 after sending an email in which he wrote he didn’t “believe there’s ever been a good person of color killed by a police officer.”
Stewart, who apologized and said the word “good” was accidentally added by the voice-totext dictation service he uses to deal with his dyslexia, was reelected that November.
“I think we let the voters decide,” Schwank said. While it’s possible the council could deadlock 2-2 on some matters, “I don’t think that’s the worst thing that could happen,” he added.
Stewart and Councilmember Jessica Alexander agreed.
“I don’t … want to speak for the voters and that’s why we do have an election process in November,” Alexander said.
Stewart said: “I don’t feel the pressure as far as lack of representation (in District 1) because I believe we all represent the entire city … I have issues with appointments. I don’t think that is the best way to give the citizens their due.”
Kalfus said he was leaning toward appointing someone after an application process.
“I think that we should field the applicants to see who would be interested in the council seat for District 1,” Kalfus said.
“Like you said, Councilmember Schwank, representation matters. But I also see your point where it’s difficult — are we qualified to select the individual that should sit in that seat versus getting elected? … and I see it both ways.”