On Friday, March 14 State Insurance Commission Ricardo Lara provisionally approved several emergency rate requests sought by State Farm Insurance. These interim increases must be justified and approved at a public hearing on April 8. The pending provisional rate increases are 21.8 % for non-tenant homeowners, 15 % for tenants (renters), 15 % for tenants…
Editor’s note: In early February, State Farm Insurance requested a significant emergency increase for its fire insurance policies. California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara did not immediately approve the request. He scheduled a meeting on Feb. 26 to discuss the request and to learn more about State Farm’s financial situation. This a summary of that discussion…
At the March meeting of the Board of Directors of Pine Cove Water District, General Manager Jeremy Potter reported that the trial installation of a remedy for the poor data transmission of the new “smart” meters has begun to show good results. The new “mesh” system uses a network approach to data transmission from the…
Eric Cadden from the County Emergency Management Department encouraged locals to sign up for Alerts at RivCoReady.org. The service will send address-specific evacuation warnings and orders to your cell phone, even if you are not at home. He also recommended Genasys Protect, an app which you can download to your phone or visit with a…
Lynette Short, CalFire Unit Forester, briefed on fuels reduction. CalFire’s main local effort this year will be the Redhill Vegetation Management Project. It is a 300-foot-wide shaded fuel break, starting in Pine Cove around the northwest, west and southwest sides. CalFire will treat dispersed plots extending down to the Nature Center. Over previous years, nearly…
The Mountain Area Safety Taskforce’s March meeting provided updates from the agencies responsible for protecting our mountain communities from catastrophic wildfires. Representatives from CalFire, Idyllwild Fire, US Forest Service, Riverside Sheriff’s Office, and the County Emergency Management Department gave briefings, as did the Executive Director of Mountain Communities Fire Safe Council (MCFSC), the nonprofit organization…
On Wednesday, March 12, Lee Zeldin, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, took major steps to deregulate environmental protection rules. In 31 separate actions, Zeldin announced proposed changes or modifications to how EPA will address future major environmental issues such as coal plants, electric vehicles and clean water. “Today is the greatest day of deregulation…
The Idyllwild Arts Academy is offering an opportunity for self-expression, creativity, hope, and healing at its “Day of Healing Through Art,” a special event for students whose homes, schools, families, and communities have been impacted by the recent devastating wildfires. Students, age 13-17, will be visiting Idyllwild on March 21 for a day of “art, reflection,…
At its Wednesday, March 19 meeting, the Riverside County Planning Commission will consider a rezoning request of a five-acre parcel in Idyllwild. This is located south of Marian View Drive, north of Saunders Meadow Road, east of Highway 243, and west of Crestview Drive. The applicant proposes to change the current designation from Rural: Rural…
The Idyllwild community is celebrating one of its own this week as Reba Coulter has been named Woman of the Year for Riverside County’s Fourth Supervisorial District. Recognized for her dedication to helping local seniors and residents in need, Coulter’s work—particularly through the Idyllwild Shuttle Service—has made a lasting impact on the town. Below is…
