Assemblywoman Meets With Hemet Constituents

Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez, R-Lake Elsinore, met with constituents Friday morning in Hemet at the C&L Coffee and Deli.

Since being elected to the State Assembly last November, Melendez has hosted about a dozen town hall-type meetings in communities throughout the 67th Assembly district she represents.

“I started meeting with constituents on a regular basis when I was first elected to the Lake Elsinore city council in 2008,” Melendez said. “I’ve found that sipping a cup of coffee, and sharing ideas and accomplishments in an informal setting is much more enjoyable for residents. I truly enjoy hearing directly from those I represent.”

With about 30 in attendance, Melendez provided an update on legislation coming out of Sacramento, “the good, the bad and the ugly,” Melendez said. 

As has become the custom, Melendez spent most of the time taking questions. 

Doris Mixon, the mother of C&L Coffee and Deli owners Christina and Leah Mixon, joined her daughters at the event and said she is impressed Melendez “came all the way” to Hemet and spent so much time answering questions. She enthusiastically said, “It was so informative, I’d love to do it again!”

Questions ranged from the declining condition of State Highway 79 to the effects the overall business climate in California is having on their town. Sheila Diggs, a Hemet Unified School District campus supervisor and owner of Fantastic Dream Team Puppets told Assemblywoman Melendez that she likes the “balance” Hemet offers. Diggs said she wishes there was more to entice students to stay in the area after graduating from college.

One constituent who works for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department pointed out Hemet is not a place people have to go through to get where they are going which makes it hard to entice businesses to locate there.

Assemblywoman Melendez, a former Mayor of Lake Elsinore, suggested the citizens of Hemet should be active in letting their City Council know what they’d like. She suggested they should ask their Council members what their plan is to bring business to Hemet.

Hemet/San Jacinto Valley Chamber of Commerce CEO, Andy Anderson expressed concern about the overall business climate in California.

Anderson requested Assemblywoman Melendez hold a business town hall in the area to which Melendez replied, “I think that’s a great idea, let’s try to do it before the end of the year!”

Assemblywoman Melendez’s next event will be a Healthcare Forum on Nov. 7 in Menifee where experts will discuss how the new Federal Health Care laws will affect employees and employers. For more information on this event or to sign up for regular updates from Assemblywoman Melendez’s office, you can go to www.asm.ca.gov/melendez.

—Contributed content

Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez represents the 67th Assembly District, which includes the communities of Lake Elsinore, Canyon Lake, Murrieta, Menifee, Wildomar and a portion of Hemet. It also includes the Riverside County unincorporated areas of Lake Mathews, Good Hope, Nuevo and Winchester.