Friday, March 11, was the deadline to file and qualify as a candidate for elected office in California. For those offices with more than one qualified candidate, the June 7 primary election will determine either a winner or the two candidates who will compete on the November ballot.A winner is a candidate who garners more…
Riverside County’s Planning Department has proposed major changes to Ordinance 927, “Regulating Short Term Rentals” (STRs). The draft is available for public comment. (See the March 10 edition of the Town Crier for details on the proposed changes.) The existing ordinance was approved six years ago when STRs were raising hackles mostly in the county’s…
Riverside County Executive Officer Jeffrey Van Wagenen Jr. presented his midyear review of the fiscal (FY) 2021-22 budget to the board of supervisors at the March 1 meeting.Through the first six months of the FY, county spending has been consistent with initial projections and no unexpected or major problems have been identified.Consequently, the board found…
Last week, the Riverside County (RC) Planning Department released for public comment a revised draft of major changes to Ordinance 927, “Regulating Short Term Rentals” (STR). The current ordinance is five pages long. The revised draft is 17 pages, more than three times the length of the existing ordinance. Among the major changes to current…
Caltrans is in the early stages of planning significant work on Highway 243 from Mountain Center to Banning. Planning is underway and funding has not been confirmed for the project. If it is approved, the work is likely to be lengthy and traffic control will be necessary, according to Terri Kasinga, chief of Public and…
Yes, it was cold last week. Record-setting cold temperatures shattered several previous daytime record lows. For three consecutive days, Tuesday to Thursday, Feb. 22 to 24, the daytime maximum temperature was the lowest in years. But by Friday and over the weekend, the “Ice Age” began to fade. It all began Tuesday, Feb. 22. The…
A bill has been submitted in the California Senate to help support a free press, and engender and protect local journalism.While there are state laws such as the Brown Act, to protect and ensure open government, without media, such as local papers, who report on government actions at the local level, open government laws are…
The 13th Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema (IIFC) opens online Tuesday, March 8. The final official day for viewing the more than 80 film selections is Sunday, March 13. Again in 2022, restrictions due to the COVID pandemic have limited the festival’s presence in Idyllwild. While the awards ceremony will still be live, it also…
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) and the Office of Emergency Services (OES) are evaluating a new type of grant to mitigate wildfire damage and destruction to individual homes. Grants for low- and moderate-income homeowners to protect their homes in the case of an approaching or in the midst of a…
The 13th Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema (IIFC) opens online Tuesday, March 8. The final official day for viewing the more than 80 film selections is Sunday, March 13. Again in 2022, restrictions due to the COVID pandemic have limited the festival’s presence in Idyllwild. While the awards ceremony will still be live, it also…
