Political news and views from the Idyllwild perspective.
Editor’s note: Idyllwild is now part of Assembly District 71, which runs from Poppet Flat to the Mexican border. Much of the district is part of former Assembly District 77 and Brian Jones (R-Santee) is the incumbent, elected to his first term in 2010. His Democratic opponent is Patrick Hurley, also of San Diego suburbs….
Candidates for California’s Congressional District 36 debated Friday night, Oct. 12. Policy answers were infrequent. Instead both candidates challenged their opponent’s character. Incumbent, Republican Representative Mary Bono Mack opened the debate with a revelation about her democratic challenger Dr. Raul Ruiz’s political actions while attending Harvard Medical School. He was involved in several protests against…
Three seats on the Hemet Unified School Board are up for filling on the November ballot. Five candidates will be on the ballot. This week, the Town Crier presents incumbent Lisa DeForest and challengers Boyd Lachlan Roberts and Jim Smith. In the Oct. 11 issue, incumbent Marilyn Forst and challenger John Graham were profiled. Lisa…
Marilyn Forst, 12-year incumbent on the Hemet Unified School District board, taught for 37 years in the district and believes that students must come first. Forst is the current board vice president and believes as one of three educators serving on the board, she will continue to focus on what she sees as the district’s…
Proposition 37 proposes to require food manufacturers to disclose on packaging whether food has been entirely or partially produced through genetic engineering. It also seeks to prevent any foods with genetically modified ingredients from being labeled or advertised as “natural,” “naturally made,” “naturally grown,” or “all natural.” All foods using those branding terms would have…
Proposition 31, titled “The California Performance and Accountability Act,” seeks to make constitutional changes in the state budgetary process. Proponents claim the changes will make the state budget process more accountable to constituents and more efficient. The measure would also provide flexibility for local governments to modify how they implement state-funded programs and regulations. A…
Proposition 38, Tax to Fund Education and Early Childhood Programs, financed largely by L.A. lawyer Molly Munger, is one of two initiatives that proposes to raise taxes to fund education. The other, Proposition 30, is Governor Jerry Brown’s proposal. Both cannot pass since each contains language that only the measure with the greatest number of…
Last week, Hemet Unified School District directors confronted two separate state budget issues. Assemblyman Brian Nestande (R-64) addressed the board about his legislation to abolish deferring state educational payments. Later the board reconsidered and approved its support for Proposition 30, which would increase state revenues. Nestande asked the board to support his proposal for…
Little opposition has coalesced around Proposition 35, an initiative statute that increases penalties for human trafficking in California. From the middle of July through Sept. 13, support for Proposition 35 has hovered above 80 percent, according to survey conducted by the California Business Roundtable. Proposition 35 defines more crimes related to the creation and distribution…
Propositions on California ballots are often confusing. With misleading titles and convoluted wording, Proposition 40 does nothing to alleviate that confusion. Proposition 40 is an attempt to use California’s referendum process to redraw the new state Senate boundaries. The Citizens Redistricting Commission is the body now responsible for drawing those boundaries. California Senate and Assembly…
