The Pine Cove Water District (PCWD) Board of Directors met WednesdayApril 10 where General Manager Jeremy Potter’s report showed an area ofconcern: water losses of 26%. The target is below 10%. He called theloss “really high” and attributed it to leaks, two of which had beendiscovered Monday. Those two could account for most of the…
This is not news: Southern California Edison (SCE) provides electricityto Hill residents, (except for those off the grid or customers of AnzaElectric Cooperative). Tired of confusing and utility-favoring decisionsfrom the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)? This is news: For residents and small-business owners, your April SCEelectricity bill will have an $86 credit. This will be…
The Idyllwild Help Center has been included in Riverside County’sDepartment of Housing and Workforce Solutions (HWS) proposed recipients for funding in fiscal year 2024-25. The county is considering providing $20,000 to the Help Center. Juan Garcia, deputy director at HWS, presented a 47-page list ofprojects to the supervisors, who held a public hearing April 2…
At its April 2 meeting, the Riverside County Board of Supervisorsapproved new contract extensions with two county unions — ServiceEmployees International Union (SEIU), Local 721 and Laborers’International Union of North America (LIUNA), Local 777. Supervisor Kevin Jeffries (1^(st) District) voted against the newagreements because of his concern about their effect on future costs andthe possibility…
Despite efforts by the state’s Department of Insurance (DOI) to revisethe rate making policies in California, on March 20, State Farmannounced it would not be renewing more than 70,000 commercial,residential and rental insurance policies in California. And theannouncement emphasized that these actions were only being taken inCalifornia. Less than a year ago, State Farm announced…
While the first three months of 2024 have not been as wet as in 2023,precipitation has covered the Hill. This past weekend was a combinationof snow, between 8 and 10 inches, and another inch of rain. No precipitation records were set during the weekend, but one weatherrecord did occur. The National Weather Service (NWS) reported…
On Sept. 27, 2023, the Wildland Fire Mitigation and ManagementCommission (WFMMC) released its 340-page report. It included 148recommendations to the Biden Administration as well Congress and state,local and tribal governments. On March 12, 2024, the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and NaturalResources held a hearing with members of the Administration and of thecommittee. Sen. Joe…
Thursday, March 28, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)issued a proposed decision on how large, investor-owned utilities maycharge for electricity in California. In the future, the utility bills will include two charges. One will be aflat rate for the cost of the electric grid, for example, building andmaintaining the industry’s infrastructure, such as power lines….
When Gov. Gavin Newsom released his proposed $300 billion fiscal year(FY) 2024-25 budget in Jan. , he acknowledged that there would likely bea deficit. Twice since then the Legislative Analysts’ Office (LAO) has advised theLegislature of the deficit potential and the likelihood of it increasingby May. On March 14, the state’s Senate Democrats agreed with…
Elections, including referenda on propositions and constitutionalamendments, can be won overwhelmingly or they can be close and undecidedfor several weeks. Surprisingly, Proposition 1, for mental health services on the March 5ballot, has taken three weeks to reach a consensus on its finaldisposition. As of Saturday morning, March 23, “Yes” is leading by28,000 votes, less than…
