At the end of April, the American Lung Association (ALA) released itslatest air quality report, “State of the Air 2024.” The results analyzedata through 2022. “We have seen impressive progress in cleaning up air pollution over thelast 25 years, thanks in large part to the Clean Air Act. However, whenwe started this report, our team…
At its Dec. 12, 2023, meeting, the county board of supervisors asked thechief executive and Cal Fire to develop a strategy to alleviate theshortage of firefighter II/paramedics vacancies in the Riverside CountyFire Department (RCFD). This was approved without any discussion and the board expected a reportwith recommendations for a solution to be given to its…
Cal Fire’s Southern Operations Unit issued its latest Wildfire Outlooklast week. From now through early summer, wildfire conditions are likelyto remain lower than normal. However, as the Pacific weather conditionscontinue to shift from El Niño toward a La Niña pattern, the chances oflarge wildfires begin to increase. Both live fuel moisture and dead fuel moisture…
On Saturday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a proclamation designating May 5through May 11 as Wildfire Preparedness Week. The theme of preparednessweek is partnership. In the proclamation, Newsom said, “CAL FIRE has also made significantprogress on fuels reduction and mitigation, with more than 105,500 acresof fuels treatment last year. Fuels reduction projects are vital toslowing and…
The Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council were beneficiaries of a grant tohelp renovate their 190-acre Skyland Ranch Camp, north of Pine Covealong Highway 243. California Congressman Peter Aguilar (D-33) secured the $875,424 federalgrant this year. In his letter to the House Appropriations Committee, he wrote, “Thefunding would be used for improvements to their Skyland…
Thursday, March 28, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)issued a proposed decision on how large investor-owned utilities maybill for electricity in California. A hearing for this proposed decisionis scheduled for the CPUC’s May 9 business meeting. If approved, the newrate structure will go into effect in late 2025 and early 2026. But in the past…
Nearly 10 years ago, in November 2014, California voters easily approvedProposition 47, which reduced certain nonserious and nonviolent propertyand drug offenses from felonies to misdemeanors. The measure alsoallowed certain offenders who have been previously convicted of suchcrimes to apply for reduced sentences. In general, offenders convicted of misdemeanor crimes were to bepunished less severely than…
Following the end of California’s Covered Cal Open enrollment, whichbegan Nov. 1, 2023, and ended Jan. 31, 2024, nearly 1.8 million stateresidents have chosen a plan through Covered Cal. This surpasses therecord set in 2022. More than 300,000 are new policy holders. “The high demand for Covered California shows that the increasedfinancial help for 2024…
The April 18 meeting of the Fern Valley Water District (FVWD) Board ofDirectors focused mostly on financial issues and preparation for thenext fiscal year (FY) budget. The third quarter report for the current budget (FY 2023-24) was on theagenda. For the year, expenses exceed revenue by about $835,000, whichis about what the board expected when…
At its April 3 meeting, the Riverside County Planning Commissionunanimously (4-0) recommended a policy authorizing digital on-sitesigns. Before it is effective, the board of supervisors will have toapprove it. The change would amend Ordinance 348, “Land Use Planning and ZoningRegulations,” to allow digital signage only on a business’s site. InIdyllwild, the sign’s height would be…
