Joy Silver, of Palm Springs, is the Democratic candidate for the 28th state Senate District seat. She is challenging incumbent Jeff Stone. Born in Pennsylvania, Silver spent much of her early career on the East Coast. She moved to New Mexico, was involved in healthcare and in 2007, and settled in the Palm Springs area,…

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…

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors has expressed its concern about the impending county budget deficit (nearly $100 million) and how the Sheriff’s Department’s budget and other criminal justice agencies’ budgets contribute to this fiscal problem. The causes of the impending deficit are more costs to meet the terms of a settlement from a prisoner…

Last week, the Riverside County Department of Environmental Health started accepting applications for home-based food business permits. These are formally called Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations.   An MHKO is a food facility a resident operates in a private home. Food is stored, handled, and prepared for and may be served to consumers either directly or…

Temecula Mayor Mike Naggar has already announced that he would like to succeed 3rd District Supervisor Jeff Stone, whose third term ends in December 2016. Naggar has been on the Temecula City Council since 1999 and his current term also ends in 2016. But his involvement in several regional task forces has whet his appetite…