Editor’s note: On Oct. 15, Riverside County 3rd District Supervisor Jeff Stone, a candidate for the state Senate’s 28th District, spoke to the Town Crier on a variety of issues from the campaign. This is the first of a two-part article that will continue in next week’s edition.   Education and the recent state court…

Dr. Raul Ruiz was sworn into office as a member of the 113th Congress, representing California’s 36th District, which includes Idyllwild. He has announced his principal staff members and his main office in the district. Kyle Layman will serve as his chief of staff. He was Ruiz’s 2012 campaign manager. Layman is a native of…

The state’s Fire Prevention Fee continues to be under legislative siege. Despite efforts in 2012 to repeal the legislation, Assemblyman Mike Morrell (R-Rancho Cucamonga) has submitted Assembly Bill 124 which repeals the State Responsibility Area Fire Prevention Fee. Morrell hopes to continue to push the issue that there’s enough regulation and that the fee is…

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors adopted its 2011-12 county budget, but the county’s financial problems will continue for several years, according to County Executive Bill Luna. The county’s goal to eliminate a deficit and enact a budget that is funded by current revenues without reliance on reserves was not achieved and that goal will…

The consultant hired 18 months ago to help Riverside County gain control of its spiraling budget (projected initial deficits of $40 million) reported to the Board of Supervisors last week. And while KPMG has been working with many agencies and especially the county’s internal costs, its major focus has been criminal-justice agencies, which consume nearly…