Councilmember Curtis Brown resigned his District 1 post due to his service on Maui following the deadly Lahaina fire.
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TEMECULA, CA — A vacancy on the Temecula City Council will not be filled by a special appointment and instead will be put to voters in the city’s District 1.
With a 3-1 vote during the Jan. 9 City Council meeting, it was decided that the vacant District 1 seat will remain unfilled until voters in the district decide during the November general election who should represent them.
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Councilmember Brenden Kalfus cast the lone no vote, saying he preferred to make a special appointment after District 1 residents had a chance to apply for the seat.
The District 1 seat was vacated effective Jan. 1. Councilmember Curtis Brown resigned the post due to his service on Maui following the deadly Lahaina fire. The Aug. 8, 2023, blaze killed more than 100 people and charred thousands of homes, businesses and facilities. Brown was deployed to Maui on Aug. 10, 2023, following a disaster declaration by President Biden. He is a FEMA coordinating officer and retired firefighter.
Councilmembers Jessica Alexander, Zak Schwank, and James “Stew” Stewart agreed that they should not speak for District 1. Instead, they promised that, between now and certification of the November election results, District 1 voters will be represented.
Temecula City Clerk Randi Johl reiterated that any District 1 concerns will be addressed by city staff.
During the public comments portion of the discussion, several residents expressed support for forgoing any application process and appointing Lanae Turley-Trejo to the open seat. Trejo has served the city in various capacities, including as a longtime planning commissioner. She ran for the District 1 seat in 2022 but trailed Brown by about 18 percentage points.
None of the councilmembers expressed a desire to make a direct appointment.
“I have issues with appointments,” Stewart said.
Schwank also said he was uncomfortable without an appointment process.
With the City Council now comprised of four, voting ties could occur on items that come to the dais though none of the councilmembers expressed concern.
