California voters easily approved Proposition 47, which reduces certain nonserious and nonviolent property and drug offenses from felonies to misdemeanors. The measure also allows certain offenders who have been previously convicted of such crimes to apply for reduced sentences. In general, offenders convicted of misdemeanor crimes are punished less severely than felony offenders. The anticipated…

Governor remains cautious about economy Last Friday, Gov. Jerry Brown announced his revisions to the fiscal year 2018-19 budget he proposed in January. The major change is the expectation that revenues will be $8.8 billion greater than the estimate four months ago. Despite the revenue growth, Brown remains cautious about the state’s future economy. In…

On Tuesday, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors will review proposals to raise the compensation of the county’s elected officials, e.g., sheriff and district attorney, as well as senior career management who are not represented by any labor association. Supervisors’ salaries are not part of any of these proposals. Jay Orr, the county’s new executive…