More snow last week, a foot or more in most locations. The National Weather Service was forecasting up to two feet near the top of Mt. San Jacinto. According to the NWS, the southern California Sierra mountains’ snowpack is about 84% of normal for the middle of March. Since the beginning of the month the…
On Friday, March 14 State Insurance Commission Ricardo Lara provisionally approved several emergency rate requests sought by State Farm Insurance. These interim increases must be justified and approved at a public hearing on April 8. The pending provisional rate increases are 21.8 % for non-tenant homeowners, 15 % for tenants (renters), 15 % for tenants…
Editor’s note: In early February, State Farm Insurance requested a significant emergency increase for its fire insurance policies. California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara did not immediately approve the request. He scheduled a meeting on Feb. 26 to discuss the request and to learn more about State Farm’s financial situation. This a summary of that discussion…
On Wednesday, March 12, Lee Zeldin, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, took major steps to deregulate environmental protection rules. In 31 separate actions, Zeldin announced proposed changes or modifications to how EPA will address future major environmental issues such as coal plants, electric vehicles and clean water. “Today is the greatest day of deregulation…
At its Wednesday, March 19 meeting, the Riverside County Planning Commission will consider a rezoning request of a five-acre parcel in Idyllwild. This is located south of Marian View Drive, north of Saunders Meadow Road, east of Highway 243, and west of Crestview Drive. The applicant proposes to change the current designation from Rural: Rural…
While drought conditions still overlay most of Riverside County, the past four weeks have taken a toll on the dry weather. This weekend more than a foot of snow fell on the Hill and some more is expected this week. This is in contrast with the warm weather at the end of February, when Idyllwild…
On March 1, President Donald Trump signed two more Executive Orders. One is intended to increase timber production on the forested lands of the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Its purposes are to increase timber production and to improve land management. The EO specifies a schedule of actions, with which both…
Six months, after Planning Director John Hildebrand gave the Board of Supervisors a six-month report on the implementation of revised Ordinance 927.2, “Regulating Short-Term Rentals,” he is now asking for an urgent interim ordinance. This time neither the Hill communities nor the Wine Country are responsible or involved. Hildebrand requested a 45-day temporary moratorium on…
Editor’s Note: in our Feb. 27 edition, we reported on the status of Raymond Lee Oyler’s appeals of his March 2009 arson and murder convictions. He was found guilty of arson, igniting the Esperanza Fire in October 2006. The jury also found him guilty of the murder of five U,S. Forest Service firefighters who died…
On Feb. 24, local Assemblyman Greg Wallis introduced Assembly Concurrent Resolution 37 to honor three Cal Fire firefighters, Cal Fire Assistant Chief Josh Bischof, Cal Fire Captain Tim Rodriguez and helicopter pilot Tony Sousa, who all died in a 2023 helicopter crash. Bischof was an Idyllwild native. Joining Wallis in developing and introducing ACR 37…