Riverside County Sheriff Stan Sniff’s re-election effort is encountering strong opposition from several within his department. The first opposition was Lt. Chad Bianco’s announcement of his intent to re challenge Sniff. He had been easily beaten in the 2014 race; but that result did not deter him from entering the race this year. The 2014…
The dueling press releases between the Riverside County’s Sheriff’s Department and the Executive Office did not pass quietly. The Board of Supervisors clearly felt that Sheriff Stan Sniff is not cooperating with KPMG, the consulting firm hired to find savings within the county’s budget, which is hindering their efforts to address the deterioration in the…
For several years, Riverside County’s budget problems have continued, if not worsened. In the fall of 2016, the County contracted with KPMG, an international consulting firm, to help find ways to save money, work more efficiently and instill new management processes. The Sheriff’s Department was an important focus of KPMG’s work, since this is the…
People interested in getting a seagull’s-eye-view at one of Riverside County’s largest landfills soon will have that chance, as well as an opportunity to see how a landfill protects residents’ health by safely dispatching 2,000 tons of trash a day. The Marion V. Ashley Lamb Canyon Education Center opens soon, and tours by school groups…
In early November, the Trump administration released a “Climate Science Special Report.” Contrary to many of the administration’s environmental officials, the report finds that the Earth’s climate is changing due to a multitude of human actions. “Human activities continue to significantly affect Earth’s climate by altering factors that change its radiative balance … In the…
On Nov. 16, the state’s new Bureau of Cannabis Control, housed in the Department of Consumer Affairs, issued an emergency rulemaking in order to ensure that the state can regulate the medicinal- and adult-use cannabis businesses — from cultivation to retail sales— beginning Jan. 1. In anticipation of both cannabis use sales, the BCC, along…
The cost of water may increase and local water districts may have no role in the change. The California Assembly’s Appropriations Committee held a hearing on Senate Bill 623 last week, which would establish the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund. SB 623 authorizes a monthly 95¢ tax on drinking water. That’s for customers with…
Health officials urge TB testing for some students and staff On Tuesday, Riverside County health officials announced that a student at Tahquitz High School in Hemet has been diagnosed with active tuberculosis. The county public health officials are working with school representatives to identify students and staff who might have been exposed to the illness….
While the state has reduced the major threat to the Riverside County fiscal year 2017-18 budget, the 6.5-percent cuts across all departments were essentially unchanged when the Board of Supervisors approved a preliminary budget last week. “By holding the 6.5-percent cuts across the departments, our goal is to bring the budget into structural balance,” new…
The consultant hired 18 months ago to help Riverside County gain control of its spiraling budget (projected initial deficits of $40 million) reported to the Board of Supervisors last week. And while KPMG has been working with many agencies and especially the county’s internal costs, its major focus has been criminal-justice agencies, which consume nearly…
