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…
By JP Crumrine Correspondent The Riverside County Board of Supervisors has directed the county’s chief executive officer to examine the ramifications of separating the Coroner’s Office from the Sheriff’s Department. The vote was unanimous on the proposal Chair Kevin Jeffries (1st District) and Supervisor V. Manuel Perez (4th District), who joined with Jeffries on the…
By JP Crumrine Correspondent Last Thursday, the Fern Valley Water District’s (FVWD) Board of Directors held both a special meeting to choose a new director and a special regular meeting. The board had to cancel its November regular meeting because of the lack of a quorum. It also planned to cancel its next regular meeting,…
Editor’s note: See the separate and accompanying story with comments from Idyllwild residents or short-term rental (STR) owners during and after the bboard’s meeting. At its Tuesday, Nov. 28, meeting, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors reviewed another revision of Ordinance 927.2, “Regulating Short Term Rentals” and moved it forward. The board still must vote…
At the Dec. 5 Riverside County Board of Supervisors meeting, an item on the agenda asks for the county’s chief executive to examine the ramifications of separating the coroner’s office from the sheriff’s department. The recommendation came from Chair Kevin Jeffries (1st District) and Supervisor V. Manuel Perez (4th District), who joined with Jeffries on…
“As of the FY 2023/24 First Quarter Adjustments Report, the county continues to maintain a strong fiscal standing,” was the Executive Office’s summary of Riverside County’s current budget as of Sept. 30, the end of the first quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2023-24, which ends June 30, 2024. Not only are revenues expected to grow…
Tuesday, Nov. 28, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors reviewed another revision of Ordinance 927.2, “Regulating Short Term Rentals” (STRs). The board held a hearing on the initial proposed changes Nov. 7. After the hearing and discussion among the supervisors, they asked staff to consider several more changes and bring the new revision back to…
Last week, President Joe Biden declared that a major disaster exists in parts of California affected by Tropical Storm Hilary that passed over the Hill during the middle of August. In Riverside County, the storm caused major flooding, mudflows, road closures and damage to critical infrastructures. The declaration also ordered federal aid to supplement state,…
By JP Crumrine Correspondent Thursday, Nov. 16, Mountain Disaster Preparedness (MDP) asked Alex Tardy of the National Weather Service’s San Diego office to discuss the forecast for the coming winter. Tardy has been a frequent guest of MDP. Before Tardy began, MDP President Mike Feyder briefly discussed the role of MDP that has been serving…
By JP Crumrine Correspondent Warning Coordination Meteorologist Alex Tardy at the San Diego office of the National Weather Service (NWS) was in Idyllwild last week. As Mike Feyder, Mountain Disaster Preparedness (MDP) president, said Tardy is a friend of MDP and has spoken in Idyllwild several times beginning in 2015 and last appearing here a…
