Long-time readers of The Valley Business Journal will note the absence of one of our favorite columnists this month as John Hunneman has announced his retirement. Again. I say ‘again’ because John has tried to retire from various enterprises over the years but, like many old-timers in the Temecula Valley, he just can’t seem to make it stick.
John’s is one of those perennial names that keeps cropping up under various guises when and where the community needs him. Whether through journalism, local events, or community initiatives, John’s dedication has made him a recognizable and indispensable part of the Temecula Valley, and we’ll miss him in these pages.
John and Voni moved to Murrieta in 1988, settling into the home they’ve occupied ever since. The home has been the center of family life for the Hunnemans—first as a place to raise their kids, and now as a place to entertain their grandkids.
If you were around in those early days, you probably remember our local radio station (yes, we had one) KRTM 88.9 FM. John served as General Manager, news director, sports play-by-play, and morning drive host. If that sounds like a lot of jobs, remember it was a small station. John also made coffee, swept the floors, and reported from the middle of Rancho California Road dodging logs in waist deep water during our annual floods.
Although the community grew, the station didn’t, and John went to work for The Californian in 1993 for $20 bucks a week as a part-time columnist. At that time The Californian was our local newspaper published three days a week, then four, and finally became our daily news source. The newspaper hired John full-time in 1998. He still wrote a column, but he was also assigned to cover the City of Lake Elsinore (wild days) and the City of Temecula (even wilder). In 2001 John was named The Californian’s first full-time columnist and went on to write more than 4,000 ‘Knee Deep in the Hoopla’ columns chronicling the life and times of our growing region.
We got to know John pretty well during this period, as my wife at the time was in advertising sales for The Californian, then later to become its Publisher. That meant that we were at every local event, tractor pull, shopping center opening, winery opening, Balloon and Wine Festival, rodeo, and everything in between. And everywhere we went, there was John, taking notes, readying his column for the next issue. During this time, John also worked part-time for a few years as the morning show host and news director for KATY/KFrog FM in conjunction with and support of The Californian. He was becoming a household name.
Following one too many acquisitions by absentee owners, The Californian stopped the presses in 2012, and John was recruited by The Press Enterprise to be the anchor of their expanded Southwest edition—a job he excelled at until 2015 when newly elected State Senator Jeff Stone offered John a job as his Communications Director. It seemed like a good time to get out of the flailing newspaper business, so off he went. When the Senator left his state gig to join the Trump administration in 2020, John decided it was time to retire. For the first time.
John still maintains a high profile across the community. He was named Temecula Citizen of the Year in 1992, recognized with John Hunneman Day in 2004, and volunteer service awards by the Southwest YMCA (2002), the American Red Cross (2003), American Legion Post 852 Veteran of the Year (2011), Murrieta Rotary Hero (2015), and Murrieta Volunteer (2022), among others. One of John’s proudest moments remains the dedication the ‘Hunneman Head’ in Old Town Temecula in 1997. IYKYN.
You’ve also heard John’s voice in a variety of MC jobs, announcing the Temecula 4th of July Parade (1999-2009), the Balloon and Wine Festival (1991-2019), as well as the Murrieta Veteran’s Day Parade (2003-2022). John was main stage MC while I did back-up honors on the second stage until my son Dane took that stage over for years before graduating to the main stage following John’s ‘retirement’ from that job.
John also filled the suit (pretty well) as Santa for the annual Murrieta Santa Stop for 14 years, usually being his jolly old self for at least a night or two every year until his jolly and/or his knees wore out from bouncing babies a few years back; he subsequently ‘retired’ from that job. John and I frequently served as dueling Santas and have both written columns on the joys and heartbreaks of being Santa to our community during good times and bad.
Thanks for the decades of memories, John. We’ll miss your wit and history on these pages, but we know that we’ll still see your smiling face around town—probably enjoying a pasta and Cab at The Mill, or wherever your community needs you next. Happy retirement! Again.
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