Proposition 47, alternatively the Reduced Penalties for Some Crimes Initiative or The Safe Neighborhood and Schools Act, seeks to “ensure that prison spending is focused on violent and serious offenses, to maximize alternatives for non-serious, nonviolent crime, and to invest the savings generated from this act into preventing and supporting programs in K–12 schools, victim…
Given the upcoming general election, while Democrats represent 44.3 percent of the registered voters in California, the local registration tilts toward Republicans. Total state registration is higher than four years ago. Republicans are 39.8 percent of total Riverside County registered voters but only 28.2 percent of the statewide electorate. Republican registrants have been declining for…
As expected by many, the governor signed the plastic bag bill on which the Town Crier reported last month. The law will go into effect July 1, 2015, or July 1, 2016, depending on the type of store. As the Town Crier reported, “full-line, self-service retail stores” selling “a line of dry groceries, canned goods,…
Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation last week that specifies the state’s fire prevention fee will be applied to “habitable structures.” The current law simply says the fee applies to structures. The new language makes it clear that habitable structures are for residential use and exclude “commercial, industrial, or incidental buildings such as detached garages, barns,…
Health officials have confirmed Riverside County’s first case of a potentially serious respiratory illness in a teenager from southwest Riverside County. From mid-August to Oct. 7, a total of 628 people in 44 states and the District of Columbia have been confirmed to have respiratory illness caused by EV-D68, according to the federal Center for…
The Riverside County Registrar of Voters has begun mailing nearly half a million vote-by-mail ballots. Monday, Oct. 6, was the first day ballots for the Nov. 4 general election could be mailed. Completed ballots must be received in the Registrar of Voters office by 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4, to be counted in the election….
On Tuesday, Sept. 16, the Boards of Supervisors for Riverside and San Bernardino counties held a joint meeting to discuss several issues affecting both counties. During the session, they heard from staff on health-care issues, implementation of AB 10, which addresses the shift of prisoners from the state to counties, and Ontario Airport. Before the…
The summer’s rainstorms had little effect on drought conditions and current weather is unlikely to end the drought conditions this fall, although some relief may occur. The National Weather Service’s latest forecast places a 60- to 65-percent chance of an El Niño weather pattern developing during fall or winter. If an El Niño were to…
The office of California Secretary of State oversees state elections, keeps the state’s key documents and the state archives, and implements electronic filing and Internet disclosure of campaign and lobbyist financial information. Current Secretary of State, Democrat Debra Bowen, is term limited and thus no incumbent is running. Competing for the office are longtime state…
U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz and Assemblyman Brian Nestande have agreed to a televised debate. The one-hour event will be held at 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5, the night before the first votes will be cast in the 36th Congressional race. Because of the television studio size, there will be no live audience. Instead, the political…
