Wednesday, Feb. 2, the Riverside County Planning Commission unanimously decided to continue the proposal to expand the former Tahquitz Inn, currently the Pine Woods Resort. The commissioners were confused whether the proposal, which owner Shane Stewart submitted, was intended to expand the existing motel usage or to create more long-term rentals in Idyllwild. The confusion…
The Riverside County Board of Supervisors recently took a major step to change and to improve management of the county’s short-term rental system (STR). At its Feb. 1 meeting, the board unanimously approved (4-0 with 4th District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez absent) a contract with Deckard Technologies of San Diego to upgrade and manage STRs…
In March, the Idyllwild International Festival Cinema (IIFC) is about to have its 13th opening. And one month later, the inaugural Scotland International Festival of Cinema (SIFC) will showcase new films in Peebles, Scotland, south of Edinburgh. Stephen Savage, IIFC founder, inspired the SIFC over a lunch meeting in London in 2019. Joining him at…
Editor’s note: The Planning Commission hearing was Wednesday, Feb. 2, which was after this edition of the Town Crier was published. Although the planning staff did recommend approval of the project, we will report the commission’s decision in the following issue. Wednesday, Feb. 2, the Riverside County Planning Commission reviewed the proposed Conditional Use Permit…
At the Jan. 18, Riverside County Board of Supervisors’ meeting, Kim Saruwatari, director of the county Public Health Department, and Bruce Barton, director of the county Emergency Management Department, presented the board with a status report on how the recent COVID surge, driven by the Omicron variant, is affecting the county and its health care…
Gov. Gavin Newsom released his proposed fiscal year (FY) 2022-23 budget last week. Total expenditures will be nearly $213 billion with project revenues of $195.7 billion. The estimated $23.7 billion surplus from FY 2021-22 plus new revenues is expected to result in a year-end balance of $6.2 billion.Also, the state’s “Rainy Day Fund” will be…
In response to a request and recommendation from supervisors Kevin Jeffries (District 1) and Chair Jeff Hewitt (District 5), the Riverside County (RC) Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed to broaden the scope of its Fire Ad Hoc Committee, which has traditionally worked with RC Fire Department and Cal Fire at the board’s Tuesday, Jan. 11…
Monday, Jan. 10, John Hildebrand, director of the Riverside County Planning Department, approved plans for constructing a new luxury inn in Idyllwild. The inn will be on the vacant property on North Circle Drive adjacent to La Casita. The plan proposes construction of a resort hotel with 12 rooms, a swimming pool and a small…
Tuesday, Jan. 11, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors held its first meeting of 2022. This is when the board chooses its chair and vice chair for the year. Traditionally, the vice chair from the previous year is elevated to chair for the current year. During 2021, Supervisor Jeff Hewitt (5th District) was board vice…
Last week, the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) adopted emergency regulations to limit using water for landscape irrigation during rainfall and using potable water to wash hard surfaces such as sidewalks and driveways and using a hose, without a shut-off flow nozzle, for washing vehicles.These regulations will expire in one year. But violation could…
