By Andrew Hoover Corona – The Corona City Council voted to move forward on a decision to annex unincorporated Temescal Valley, according to the city website. On Wed. Feb. 6, Corona City Council members met with residents of Temescal Valley to discuss its Annexation. A decision was ultimately passed to move forward with the annexation by submitting an application to the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) for Riverside County. Close to 300 citizens showed up at the council chambers on the Feb. 6 meeting, most of whom opposed the annexation of Temescal Valley. The concerns were focused on having adequate police and fire safety from Corona, no raised taxes, no decrease in services, fear of losing control over local development, and losing their rural lifestyle. The vote to annex Temescal Valley was almost unanimous with a 4-1 vote. The only member dissenting was Councilman Stan Skipworth, who said at the council meeting, “I have to respect what the prevailing feeling is.” He added, “When 30 out of 32 people tell me they don’t want to be a part of a municipality, that tells me something.” The area that would be annexed is about 15.5 square miles and stretches from Weirick Road and extends east and west along Interstate 15 to just south of the Sycamore Creek Shopping Center, according to a document released by Corona. The document also states that a new police zone named Zone 5 will be created to solely cover the Temescal Valley area. Also, the document states that a new fire station would be required to maintain adequate fire protection. However, Corona fire officials have approached the Riverside County Fire Department to try and create an alternative cooperative aid program for Temescal Valley, as well.