Editor's note: This is the fourth in a series profiling 11 candidates vying for three seats on the Lake Elsinore City Council in the Nov. 4 election:

LAKE ELSINORE -- During his time on the Planning Commission, Jimmy Flores said he has worked to protect the rights of property owners and encourage responsible growth.

The restaurant owner said he has helped craft guidelines during discussions of the general plan update that are beneficial to long-term planning. And he said the next logical step in his public service career is securing a seat on the City Council, adding that it is a role for which he has worked hard to prepare.

"I've looked at the economy and there will need to be a cut in spending," Flores said, referencing dire 2009-10 budget predictions that have been offered by some city officials. "It's going to take a lot of work, but it can be done."

Providing an example of his budget plan, Flores said some of the spending that has been targeted to help process new housing developments could be used to support street paving and repairs to the city's infrastructure.

Flores is among 11 candidates competing for three council seats that are up for election in November. The other candidates are Barbara Alongi, 72, a retired veterinary technician; Amy Marie Bhutta, 39, a high school English teacher; Carole Feeney, 47, a community volunteer; Chris Hyland, 79, a former Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District director; 45-year-old incumbent City Councilman Robert Magee; Steven Manos, 32, a real estate broker; Melissa Melendez, 40, owner of a transcription company; 28-year-old Public Safety Advisory Commission Chairman Michael Norkin; 58-year-old Planning Commissioner Michael O'Neal; and Joyce Smith, 61, executive director for a custom home builder.

Flores said he will tackle the important issue of public safety by advocating the creation of a city-based dispatch center.

The dispatchers working at the center could handle lower-priority calls that, right now, are handled by dispatchers in Riverside.

"For people who hear gunshots or residents who had something stolen, it takes a little time before the dispatch goes out," he said.

Flores had to deal with that type of scenario recently when his truck was stolen and it took about an hour and a half for an officer to arrive and take a report.

He said that type of administrative duty could be handled by unarmed officers solely responsible for that kind of work.

Another key issue for Flores is the state of the city's parks.

He'd like to see unarmed park rangers employed by the city that can crack down on illegal activities in the parks, such as drug use. Corona has a similar ranger force, he said.

Also, Flores said he'd like to see the city add restrooms to some of the small pocket parks that are used by residents in a neighborhood. When a family is visiting the park, it's hard for someone to travel five or six blocks back home when a child has to go to the bathroom, he said. That can lead to some uncomfortable moments for both a child and the parents.

If his park ranger plan is supported, he says, they would be charged with keeping the new restrooms safe and secure.

Another issue Flores said he would work on, if elected, is the condition of the city's streets. He said some residents have been waiting for years for their streets to be repaved.

"People have been waiting for 15 years and I don't understand why," he said.

With the downturn in the economy and the corresponding decrease in city spending, it will be tough to find the dollars for a new paving program, but Flores said he believes money for such projects can be found in the budget.

He said money that has been set aside for big-ticket items such as the civic center could be shifted and used for street improvements.

"Before that civic center is built, people need to have their roads improved," he said.

Contact staff writer Aaron Claverie at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2624, or aclaverie@californian.com.

Jimmy Flores

- Age: 55

- Occupation: Restaurant owner

- Civic involvement:Member of the city Planning Commission