From fall until spring, Southern California was supposed to experience one of the strongest El Niño weather patterns in a century. Warnings of flooding and road washouts prevailed throughout the fall. Although the precipitation since July 1 has exceeded recent years, it remains less than the long-term average. El Niño failed to dampen the spirits…
On Thursday, the state 2nd District Court of Appeals unanimously overturned Judge Rolf M. Treu’s June 2014 decision in Vergara v. the State of California that the state laws on teacher tenure and seniority were unconstitutional. The appeals court conceded that students may suffer from poorer educational opportunities, but that is because of administrative decisions,…
A reader wrote to inform the Town Crier about being contacted by a purported Southern California Edison representative who demanded immediate payment for allegedly past-due electricity bills. SCE Media Contact Susan Cox noted more than 700 SCE customers had been scammed at a total loss of nearly half-a-million dollars. “Since January 2014, more than 16,000…
Last week, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors couldn’t agree on how to approach, and the extent of its own involvement in, the annual budget process. The culprit, according to the majority, is the Brown Act. Facing another budget deficit, during its previous meeting, the board agreed to spend $18 million on a consultant to…
Riverside County plans to test the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, to enhance its search-and-rescue operations, particularly in the San Jacinto Mountain areas. “We’re constantly monitoring new technology that’s more effective and will improve our operations,” said Chief Deputy Kevin Vest of the Sheriff’s Department. Having seen the success of this technology during…
With little debate, the Riverside County supervisors recently approved spending $18 million in a search to save a hundred million or more. County Executive Officer Jay Orr warned the board in January that the fiscal year 2016-17 budget, which begins July 1, would suffer from a $90- to $100-million deficit. Some of this spending is…
California’s Secretary of State Alex Padilla is forecasting a large surge in the number of voters for the June 7 presidential primary. Last week, he wrote to both Gov. Jerry Brown and county officials urging them to prepare for an unexpectedly large turnout. Padilla’s warning is based on the significant increase in the number of…
In a statewide move, Caltrans announced Tuesday, April 5. it would provide road condition, repair and potential closure information on state roads to Waze, the user-fed real-time traffic app. According to the Mountain View, California-based company, Waze has more than 1.7 million active users per month in the Los Angeles metro area contributing more than…
Earlier this month, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and District Attorney’s Office released the preliminary crime statistics for 2015. These data were from all independent and contract cities in the county, and its unincorporated areas. Overall, reported crime increased throughout the county in 2015. However, specific trends and patterns were not identifiable because of the…
Within a week of announcing agreement on a plan to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour in California, the state Legislature approved Senate Bill 3, which steps the minimum wage from the current $10 level to $15 in 2022. California is the first state to approve the $15 minimum wage. Gov. Edmund G….
