Hemet for that. We’re going to Temecula.’ ”

In many areas, Hemet, which incorporated in 1910, lags in several ways behind Menifee, Murrieta, Temecula and Wildomar, which all became cities between 1989 and 2008.

For example, Hemet’s median household income of $52,824 is less than half of Temecula’s. About 40% of residents in Temecula have a bachelor’s degree or higher compared to 16.2% of Hemet residents.

This isn’t the first time Hemet has eyed an annexation. A previous effort was led by Keith Garrison, who died in January.

Founded this year, Hemet Rising plans to pick up where that effort left off and borrow studies and other work done by the previous annexation try.

“If you want to cross a river and a bridge is half built, do you build a new bridge, or do you finish building the bridge that’s already built?” Kotyuk said.

Hemet Rising’s plan would incorporate most of Hemet’s sphere of influence, a legal term describing land that could become part of a city. This includes land in East Hemet, Valle Vista, Diamond Valley and Sprague Heights, along with the Ramona Bowl Amphitheatre, site of the iconic “Ramona” outdoor play.

Expanding Hemet would make it more attractive to the businesses people want, Green said.

“Every time you look at social media and you see everybody complain ‘Hemet doesn’t have this, Hemet doesn’t have that,’ ” she said. “Well, Hemet’s never going to get those things if we don’t improve our demographics.”

Annexation would not raise property taxes, but redirect tax dollars to the city, Kotyuk said.

“Every new house in Menifee, Murrieta, Temecula, Wildomar, they pay toward public safety,” he said. “They pay toward landscaping on their property taxes.”

While Hemet isn’t spearheading the annexation, it must respond to information requests for those seeking to annex land into the city, Hemet Mayor Jackie Peterson said via email.

According to a Hemet city report from March, annexation would generate $14.2 million for the city while costing $11.1 million in new services, including:

Forty new employees in the city clerk’s office and other departments.

Ten new police officers.

Fifteen fire department hires.

Two code enforcement officers.

Maintaining 124 miles of roads.

Many in the proposed annexation zone already “think that they’re in the city,” said Lori VanArdsale, a Hemet Rising member and former Hemet city council member and mayor. “They call city hall for potholes and everything else.”

Annexation means local control over growth, said Green, who opposed annexation before but supports it now because of development she said is on the horizon.

“What (annexation critics) don’t understand is what is going to come at them if there isn’t annexation because we don’t have control,” she said.

Hess, who opposes annexation, moved to an unincorporated area near Hemet in 2023 after looking at homes in Temecula and Murrieta.

City living is “not the same as unincorporated,” she said.

“We knew that we could have our RV on our property,” Hess said, referring to her family’s home outside the city limits. “It tends to feel like the residents are all there for the same reason. … It’s quiet. We don’t have noise pollution. We don’t have light pollution.”

She fears annexation would bring unwanted rules.

“It’s losing the ability to have our properties look the way we want to,” Hess said. “I know my neighbor might paint their house pink or they might have nine cars or whatever. But I signed up for that. I don’t need a city ordinance to say that’s not allowed.”

Hess also doubts that a larger Hemet would lure shops and restaurants.

“Costco and Trader Joe’s are still not going to come to town even with our East Hemet and some other demographics pulled in,” she said.

Annexation-wary speakers filled the audience at the Hemet City Council’s March 25 meeting.

Some wanted no part of the city, saying Hemet can’t handle what it has now. Others questioned whether the 1,500 signatures on Hemet Rising’s petition to LAFCO were valid and lamented what they called a lack of transparency.

Annexation foes are circulating an online petition. They’ve also set up a website, hemetregioninformed.org.

Riverside County has its own questions about a plan that would siphon tax income from its coffers.

In a March letter to Hemet City Manager Mark Prestwich, county Chief Operating Officer Juan Perez questioned the city’s cost projections for serving a bigger Hemet and the extent of Hemet Rising’s public outreach.

There’s “a lot of false information” about annexation, Kotyuk said.

The city’s projections are from the same consulting firm used by Riverside County, he said, adding that annexation wouldn’t change zoning or where residents send their kids to school.

An earlier Hemet annexation northwest of the city saw “very little change for those folks,” VanArdsdale said. “Their taxes did not go up when it came to property taxes. They didn’t have to hook onto sewer when it came to septic tanks.”

Annexation, if it happens, won’t redraw Hemet’s map overnight.

Technically, Hemet Rising hasn’t submitted a formal application, LAFCO Executive Officer Gary Thompson said. Kotyuk said his group hopes to do so before September.

A public hearing would be scheduled and announced “once the proposal (has) basically been flushed out and we think it can be taken to a hearing,” Thompson said.

It’s not clear how long that might take.

LAFCO’s panel consists of elected officials from cities, special districts like water agencies, Riverside County and members of the public. It decides whether annexations are approved in a process that involves open meetings and hearing from the public.

Kotyuk said Hemet Rising has scheduled meetings July 29 and 31 at the Historic Hemet Theatre, 216 E. Florida Ave., for the public to learn more about the potential annexation. Meetings will take place at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. both days.

Green said annexation backers and critics want the same thing.

“The negativity about Hemet, we’ve been our own worst enemy,” she said. “What we need to do is pull together as a community. And instead of hating on each other, we need to be loving on each other to make this a better future”