Late Thursday, Oct. 12, the Trump Administration announced it would stop making the cost-sharing reduction payments to health insurers. On the next day, in a filing with the U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia, the administration confirmed it planned to cease making the payments because they were unauthorized. Under the current law,…
Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz will likely have to face at least three challengers in the June primary and one of them in the November 2018 election. Last week, soap opera actress Kimberlin Brown Pelzer announced her entry into the Congressional race. She was a featured speaker at the 2016 Republican Convention. She was in “The…
Editor’s note: Three men have announced their candidacy for Riverside County Sheriff in the 2018 election. Challenging incumbent Stan Sniff are Riverside County Lt. Chad Bianco and Hemet City Police Chief Dave Brown. The Town Crier will interview each candidate before the June primary, when the top two vote getters will move to the November…
Improving your house’s energy efficiency is prudent and praiseworthy. Not only will it reduce the costs of heating and cooling, but it also will benefit the environment. To encourage homeowners to undertake these types of improvements — solar panels, double pane windows, water efficient toilets and others — special loan programs have been created. Property…
Thousands of dollars in fines, too Operating a medical marijuana dispensary in the unincorporated areas of Riverside County is currently illegal. But it is a civil violation, a violation of the county’s land-use ordinance, not a criminal violation. Nevertheless, on Sept. 21, a Riverside County judge directed “two men to spend five days in jail…
At its Sept. 26 meeting, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors passed its final budget for fiscal year 2017-18 without any further discussion. The total budget from county revenue is about $800 million, an $8 million increase from County Executive Officer George Johnson’s proposed budget in July. “These increases will not prevent us from achieving…
Hoping for more sway in party choices The California presidential primary is changing — again! Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 568, which moves the California presidential primary to March. This is not the first time the Legislature has designated March as the time for the state to influence the selection of national presidential candidates….
More than $70 million for OT Seven Riverside County agencies used more than $1 million for overtime expenses in fiscal year 2016-17, which ended June 30. Unsurprisingly, the larger the department’s budget, the greater its overtime expenses tended to be. For example, the Sheriff’s Department, whose total budget for salaries and benefits exceeds $550 million,…
Governor hasn’t signed bill yet After much debate and changes, the state Legislature approved Assembly Bill 1479 that amends the California Public Records Act. Gov. Jerry Brown has not yet announced whether he will sign or veto the bill. If the governor signs it, public agencies (state and local) will have to designate someone to…
During the hectic legislative session, when the gas tax was raised, single-payer health insurance was explored and a multi-billion-dollar state budget reviewed and passed, the California Legislature decided to designate a state dinosaur — the Augustynolophus morrisi. This creature roamed the land now known as California during the Maastrichtian Age, nearly 66 to 72 million…
