The Nixon Fire, the latest Riverside County Fire, was located inAguanga. It started on July 29 and was fully contained 10 days later, onAug. 7. While burning more than 5,200 acres, twenty-three structureswere destroyed and three more damaged. During the first days of the fire, evacuation notices were issued, andthe County Emergency Management Department had…
Last week, End Citizens United, a pro-active group in favor ofoverturning the Supreme Court decision in “Citizens United’ and favoringDemocratic candidates, filed a formal complaint with the Office ofCongressional Ethics over Rep. Ken Calvert’s disclosures regardingrental properties and potential conflicts with congressional earmarks. In the complaint, Tiffany Muller, president of End Citizens United,requested an investigation…
Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom and his State Fire Chief and emergencydirector gave a briefing on the State’s preparation and readiness forthe current fire season. The setting was Cal Fire’s McClellan Air TankerBase in Sacramento. “The last couple years brought welcome relief for California as we sawhistorically low levels of wildfire,” Newsom began. “This season…
The June 20 meeting of the Fern Valley Water District Board of Directorswas dominated by financial actions, such as approving the fiscal year2024-25 budget, a presentation from the district’s auditor, and a visitfrom Curt Sauer, Interim general manager at Idyllwild Water District andtwo of his staff. Sauer has been with IWD since February. In his…
A week ago, it was July 4^(th.) The holiday was celebrated throughoutthe nation despite a heatwave from coast to coast. And on the Hill, the celebration set a record – a temperature record. OnJuly 4, the high temperature in Idyllwild was 98 degrees, exceeding theprevious high of 97 set in 2007. On Monday, July 8,…
Last week, Insurance Commissioner Richardo Lara released his plan toexpand homeowner fire insurance to areas threatened by high or very highrisk of wildfires. “Californians in every corner of our state are frustrated with outdatedregulations and desperate for change,” said Lara in his June 12statement. “Whether you live in the Sierra or the foothills, along thecoast…
On July 1, Senate Bill 478, the “Honest Pricing Law” or “Hidden FeesStatute,” law goes into effect. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill inOctober. The law applies to the sale or lease of most goods and services that arefor a consumer’s personal use. The law does not apply to the purchase orlease of goods or…
During the first two weeks of June, both the U.S. Forest Service and CALFIRE Riverside County Fire Department will be conducting prescribedburns. The Forest Service will be burning on Thomas Mountain, the site of thefirst prescribed burn in the San Jacinto Ranger District this year. Theburning will begin June 10 and will last a week…
Several areas within Riverside County have been closed to public accessbecause of high potential fire danger. This is one of several steps theRiverside County Fire Department is taking to reduce wildfire threatsand prepare residents in case of an emergency, even earthquakes orfloods. At its May 21 meeting, the County Board of Supervisors approved CountyFire Chief…
Reform of wildfire insurance has been a high priority for stateofficials – both executive and legislative – for more than a year.Although the Legislature could not reach any compromises last fall, bothGov. Gavin Newsom and Insurance Commissioner Richardo Lara moved forwardwith administrative and regulatory actions. Lara’s goal for completing the changes necessary to improve the…
