As everyone knows by now, the County Board of Supervisors at its July 30 meeting voted to oppose Corona’s attempt to annex Temescal Valley and to ask the city to withdraw its annexation application from LAFCo.

On Monday, we delivered a letter to City Hall asking that the council place on the agenda for the next open meeting a response to the county’s opposition to the annexation and our request that the city withdraw its annexation application. Our request was too late to be placed on the agenda for the Wednesday, Aug. 7 meeting.

At the Wednesday meeting, during the time allocated for public comments, we reiterated what Monday’s letter stated. We received no response and didn’t expect one. Our request was not on the agenda for the 6 p.m. meeting, so it couldn’t be discussed by the City Council.

How surprised we were today to find a time-stamped 5:36 p.m. Wednesday posting on The Press-Enterprise website that indicated the city wasn’t dropping the application. When, how and where between Monday and its Wednesday night meeting did the council meet to discuss our request? And, since council members had already decided not to withdraw the application, why didn’t they say so Wednesday night when we asked them to put it on the agenda of the city’s Aug. 21 meeting?

Could it be they don’t want to discuss the annexation in an open meeting because another 300-plus residents will show up to protest?

We also question how the decision was made to ignore our request. Surely it must have been discussed, and did that discussion violate the Ralph M. Brown Act, the California law that governs how local legislative bodies must hold meetings in open or closed sessions.

While disappointed, again, we are not surprised. The city has already spent at least $152,000 (and possibly much more), on this takeover and could be in a little bit over its head. Plus, egos must be taken into consideration. But if the annexation attempt runs the full course, the city will end up having spent a lot more money on the process with no guarantee that it will suceed.

Read our letter HERE
Read The Press-Enterprise report on the county’s vote HERE