Council Members: 'Quality of Life' Plan Ignores Religion

A plan aiming to improve Temecula residents' quality of life ignores religion, members said.

The plan was approved today during a meeting at the on the condition that city staff specifically mention religious centers in the document.

To read the plan, click on the PDF file under the image.

"If I had to pick one thing that was missing, that was it," Councilmember Mike Naggar said about houses of worship.

Houses of worship of all religions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam, should be encouraged to grow in Temecula, Naggar said.

The plan should guide this growth, he said.

"In 2030, from the point of view of houses of worship, how do we see the city? "That's a question where we could have some dialogue," he said.

Trish Kelly, a principal with Applied Development Economics, told the council that encouraging and embracing the growth of religious centers in the city is implied in the quality of life document.

Places where everyone is welcome were supported in the plan, she said.

Worship centers were clearly welcomed in the plan, but they were not pointed out specifically, Mayor Pro-Tem Chuck Washington said to Naggar.

"It didn't raise to the level where it was a core value," he said.

Naggar thought they merited special mention. "It's a core value of our community," he said.