In May, the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) expressed pessimism about the state’s revenue projections for fiscal year (FY) 2023-24. And this month, Legislative Analyst Gabriel Petek confirmed that the state “faces a serious deficit” approaching $68 billion. The state’s revenue was affected by several different economic conditions and problems. As inflation grew in late 2021…
On March 5, 2024, California will hold its presidential primary. But many other offices also will be on the ballot that day. Many of these are for state or local positions such as the county’s board of education and supervisor. The most obviously local position is the vacant seat on the Idyllwild Water District Board…
At the Dec. 12, Riverside County Board of Supervisors meeting, Chair Kevin Jeffries (1st District) and Supervisor Karen Spiegel (2nd District) submitted an item on the agenda asking the county’s chief executive and CalFire to develop a strategy to alleviate the current shortage of firefighter II/paramedic vacancies in the Riverside County Fire Department. This was…
Last week, the National Weather Service (NWS) issued its monthly El Niño status report. While El Niño conditions will continue through winter, the NWS added, “Based on the latest forecasts, there is now a 54% chance of a ‘historically strong’ El Niño during the November-January season … An event of this strength would potentially be…
Michael LaFata, formerly of Orange County, is the newest Fern Valley Water District (FVWD) director who moved with his wife Alexandra to the Hill in 2020. The Hill was their choice after a careful and extended evaluation of several Southern California mountain communities. The LaFatas wanted a home in the mountains and first explored San…
At its Tuesday, Dec. 12, meeting, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved revisions to Ordinance 927.2, “Regulating Short Term Rentals” (STRs). It becomes effective Jan. 11. Once effective, the current moratorium will be eliminated and replaced by caps, as described in the ordinance, pertaining to the Idyllwild and Wine Country communities. An interim…
By JP Crumrine Correspondent Last month, Warning Coordination Meteorologist Alex Tardy of the San Diego Office of the National Weather Service (NWS), was in Idyllwild at the invitation of Mountain Disaster Preparedness. Tardy spoke in general about weather forecasting and specifically about the coming winter predictions. “We can predict well in 6 to 10 days…
By JP Crumrine Correspondent The National Weather Service’s forecast of an El Niño winter has strongly affected the prognosis of wildfires in the next few months. Fire services, state and federal, are expecting a cooler and wetter winter from December through March. The December report from the Predictive Services Unit for Cal Fire’s Southern Region…
By David Jerome Correspondent This month’s meeting of IDY Elders & Others was focused on the issues surrounding fire insurance for Hill residents. The event was called “The Ins & Outs of Home Fire Insurance,” and the featured speaker was Bob Severns of Severns Insurance Agency in Hemet. Severns has provided coverage for Idyllwilders for…
By JP Crumrine Correspondent At its special meeting last Thursday, the Fern Valley Water District’s (FVWD) Board of Directors unanimously appointed Michael LaFata to fill the board seat vacated by Gary Erb in October. LaFata and Dawn Finlayson were the only applicants seeking the appointment. During the discussion, Chair Jon Brown said the board faced…
