At the Nov. 24 meeting of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, the board agreed to appoint District 5 Supervisor Marion Ashley to provide oversight for District 3 until Gov. Jerry Brown appoints a replacement for Supervisor Jeff Stone.

In the Nov. 4 General Election, Stone was elected to represent the new state Senate District 28. The governor appoints the replacement, but has no time limit to make that decision. Stone’s term will expire in December 2016, so a new supervisor will be elected in 2016.

Stone made the recommendation. “Supervisor Ashley stepped up and is helping out. I care about my constituents until the governor makes an appointment.”

“I know that the governor will appoint a very qualified person, but I hope he does it very quickly,” Ashley acknowledged.

In making the motion, 4th District Supervisor John Benoit, who was originally appointed to replace former Supervisor Roy Wilson in 2009, said, “I’ve learned it is critically important to get a timely replacement … These are long days to keep up with our district, let alone caring the burden of a second district.”

Idyllwild, Pine Cove, Mountain Center and all the other Hill communities reside in both District 3 and State Senate District 28.