LED Signs Debated In Wildomar

Wildomar City Council members say they support dark nighttime skies, but the issue of bright lights in the city continues to illuminate their agendas.

“Lighting has come back to us over and over again,” said Councilman Bob Cashman during Wednesday night’s regularly scheduled city council meeting.

According to a city staff report, the issue came before the council once again Wednesday because of recent inquiries to the city by such organizations as the Elks Lodge on Mission Trail and Cal Lutheran High School on Central Street regarding installing light-emitting diode (LED) signs.

LED signs have become increasingly present in Southwest Riverside County. Companies like Giant RV in Murrieta and the Lake Elsinore Outlets utilize flashing Las Vegas-like LED signs to attract – or distract – drivers’ attention along the 15 Freeway.

Currently, LED signs are not permitted in Wildomar. But due to recent inquiries about the signs, Planning Director Matthew Bassi sought direction on the issue from city council.

Councilwoman Bridgette Moore said she supports the dark skies movement, but did not object outright to LED signs. Instead, she said standards for their use should be adopted by the city. Hours of operation, light intensity, brightness, and sign size should all be considered, she said.

Moore, along with Mayor Pro Tem Tim Walker and Mayor Ben Benoit, supported LED signs for use on school campuses, provided there were some standards in place.

Benoit and Cashman suggested looking at the updated county ordinance on LED signs and lighting in general to see if Wildomar could adopt similar standards.

But Wildomar resident Sheryl Ade objected to the LED signs, calling some – such as the one at the Lake Elsinore Outlets – public safety hazards.

Ade said such LED signs are bright, distracting, create light pollution at night and are “very garish.”

“Ask yourself if LED signs are a fit” for Wildomar, she told the council members.

Cashman offered similar sentiment.

“I have the misfortune of driving through Lake Elsinore to Wildomar,” he said. After dark, the Outlets sign, Cashman argued, “blinds you. It obliterates the sky.”

Wildomar adopted the county’s lighting ordinances when the city incorporated in 2008. Since that time, the county has updated its ordinances, and in recent months has clamped down on However, because Wildomar has incorporated, county updates do not apply unless the city moves to adopt.

After discussion on the matter, the council members directed Bassi to study the issue and come back to council with some possible LED sign standards to consider. Bassi was also asked by the council members to work with the county to determine whether its updated lighting ordinances might be a logical fit for Wildomar.

During Wednesday night’s meeting, Councilwoman Marsha Swanson was absent.