Supervisors’ second-largest union argues it was asked to give up too much before terms were imposed; terms reached with biggest union

BY DUANE W. GANG AND DUG BEGLEY
STAFF WRITERS
dgang@pe.com | dbegley@pe.com

Published: 31 January 2012 09:15 AM

More than 1,000 Riverside County workers took to the streets Tuesday protesting benefit reductions and warning that additional strikes could be on the way if county officials don’t reopen contract negotiations.

The 24-hour work stoppage was expected to last until 6:59 a.m. today and marks the latest escalation between county management and the Service Employees International Union Local 721, the county’s second-largest employee group.

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Riverside County officials have gone to court in an effort to stop a one-day strike by health care professionals.

BY RICHARD K. De ATLEY
STAFF WRITER
rdeatley@pe.com

Published: 30 January 2012 11:33 AM

A judge Monday barred 248 health-care workers from joining a one-day strike by members of Riverside County’s second-largest union.

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BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 27 January 2012 08:34 PM

Riverside County will go to court Monday seeking to keep nearly 300 nurses and other health professionals from taking part in a day-long strike planned by the county’s second-largest union.

County officials this week appealed to a state labor relations board for help after the Service Employees International Union Local 721 informed officials at Riverside County Regional Medical Center that nurses planned to participate in the strike Tuesday.

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BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 23 January 2012 10:39 PM

Riverside County’s second-largest union is planning a one-day general strike next week to protest the pension and benefit changes imposed on employees last year.

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BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 15 January 2012 08:45 PM

Since 2008, Riverside County supervisors have doled out more than $11million to hundreds of community groups, but the funding could be in jeopardy as the county continues to face daunting financial challenges.

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Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, R-Twin Peaks.

THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
Published: 08 January 2012 07:02 PM

Last week started badly for Inland Assemblyman Tim Donnelly and only got worse.

The Twitter-verse erupted Tuesday after security officers found a loaded handgun in Donnelly’s carry-on luggage at Ontario International Airport. Donnelly, R-Twin Peaks, said he forgot he had put the gun in his briefcase and believed he was carrying his laptop computer.

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Supervisors will take up an agreement Tuesday to provide raises to nurses at the Riverside County Regional Medical Center in Moreno Valley.(FILE PHOTO/2008)

BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 06 January 2012 06:01 PM

In an effort to make Riverside County Regional Medical Center nursing pay more competitive, supervisors Tuesday will take up a deal to provide the hospital’s nurses with significant raises.

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Riverside County supervisors and 2,000 retirees receive the supplemental benefit, costing taxpayers $2.5 million a year

BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 03 January 2012 09:10 PM

Riverside County’s elected officials and 2,000 other employees receive a supplemental retirement benefit — in addition to the pension contributions each receives through CalPers, county records show.

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BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 29 December 2011 07:21 PM

Riverside County imposed pension changes on its largest union Thursday afternoon, a move that means 7,000 employees will begin paying more toward their own retirements starting next month.

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BY JANET ZIMMERMAN
STAFF WRITER
jzimmerman@pe.com

Published: 28 December 2011 01:56 PM

Riverside County officials said Wednesday they have begun legal action to close about three dozen medical marijuana dispensaries in unincorporated areas.

Attorneys filed for an injunction and issued legislative subpoenas against two of the stores, the latest volley since the Board of Supervisors authorized crackdowns on Dec. 13.

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Wednesday, December 21, 2011 – 11:00 a.m.

A stark contrast has emerged between San Bernardino County and neighboring Riverside this week.

A contrast in how each county deals with collective bargaining and budgeting.

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BY DUG BEGLEY
STAFF WRITER
dbegley@pe.com

Published: 20 December 2011 08:50 PM

Riverside County supervisors on Tuesday warily approved a four-year deal with a union covering various lawyers, setting the stage for a larger face-off with the county’s largest union next year.

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BY DUG BEGLEY
STAFF WRITER
dbegley@pe.com

Published: 16 December 2011 07:25 PM

Riverside County supervisors are scheduled to approve an extension of interim county CEO Larry Parrish’s contract that will pay him a salary of $15,000 per month, and continue his use of a county car.

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Riverside County supervisors decide that medical marijuana locations will close or face legal action

BY DUG BEGLEY and RICHARD K. DE ATLEY
STAFF WRITERS
dbegley@pe.com | rdeatley@pe.com

Published: 13 December 2011 08:34 PM

Medical marijuana dispensaries operating in unincorporated Riverside County must shut down or face legal action, county supervisors decided Tuesday.

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BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 08 December 2011 03:17 PM

The Service Employees International Union Local 721 has been vocal in its opposition to pay and benefit cuts imposed on members by Riverside County supervisors.

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BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 01 December 2011 08:42 PM

Riverside County is preparing for a possible strike by its second-largest union as labor tensions continue to rise between management and employees.

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Issa

FROM STAFF REPORTS
Published: 27 November 2011 07:24 PM

Once again, Inland Rep. Darrell Issa has been placed atop a list of the richest members of Congress.

Issa, R-Vista, whose invention of the Viper car alarm helped him amass a fortune, is worth at least $195 million and possibly more than $700 million, according to a report released this month by the Center for Responsive Politics.

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BY BEN GOAD
WASHINGTON BUREAU
bgoad@pe.com

Published: 24 November 2011 07:20 PM

A pair of candidates vying to represent a newly drawn Riverside County congressional district have launched aggressive fundraising efforts, tapping a diverse array of donors for campaign cash.

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Employees will start paying 3 percent of their salary toward pension costs on Dec. 1 after negotiations reach an impasse

BY DUG BEGLEY
STAFF WRITER
dbegley@pe.com

Published: 22 November 2011 04:00 PM

Riverside County on Tuesday imposed pay and benefit changes on 5,800 employees, after months of negotiations between county officials and the union representing the workers failed to produce an agreement.

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The Riverside County group has a nearly $900,000 war chest as it strives to build clout and protect its retirement benefits

BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 20 November 2011 08:19 PM

After a record year for political spending, the Riverside Sheriff’s Association is sitting on nearly $900,000 in cash as the 2012 elections approach.

The group likely will be a potent force, political experts say.

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Supervisor John Benoit, above, and John Tavaglione want legislation creating a “fast-track” permitting process for California agencies.

BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 20 November 2011 05:57 PM

Two Riverside County supervisors want legislation creating a formal “fast-track” policy for permits moving with California state agencies as a way to help jump start the economy.

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BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 16 November 2011 11:21 AM

Anyone convicted of a crime and sentenced to Riverside County jail will soon have to pay for their stays in the lockup.

Riverside County supervisors gave their final approval Tuesday to a measure aimed at recovering the $142.42 per day it costs to keep someone behind bars.

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Supervisors, managers and employees not represented by unions will pay 8 percent of their salaries toward retirement

BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 15 November 2011 07:25 PM

Riverside County’s elected leaders and management will begin paying their own pension costs in a move designed to save money and show employees that they are willing to lead by example.

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Officials say the county’s second-largest union rebuffed a last offer. Pay and benefit changes could be imposed on 6,000 employees

BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 15 November 2011 07:55 PM

As they seek remedies for a budget gap in the tens of millions, Riverside County supervisors are finding themselves increasingly at odds with the unions representing employees.

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This slate mailer shows candidates for San Bernardino city clerk, city attorney and City Council who are not necessarily Democrats.(CONTRIBUTED IMAGE/CONTRIBUTED IMAGE)

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Published: 13 November 2011 08:32 PM

An official with the San Bernardino County Central Committee of the Democratic Party has complained about campaign literature mailed to San Bernardino residents that he said falsely implied the party had endorsed five candidates for city office, including three who are Republicans.

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The county board already favors contributing to their own pensions to save $14 million over 3 years

BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 13 November 2011 08:20 PM

Riverside County supervisors Tuesday will take up a measure requiring all county elected officials and management to pay their own retirement contributions.

Supervisors earlier this month voted in favor of the concept but had yet to work out the details.

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The U.S. Capitol building in Washington D.C./BLOOMBERG

BY BEN GOAD
WASHINGTON BUREAU
bgoad@pe.com

Published: 04 November 2011 07:58 PM

WASHINGTON — Inland Southern California’s reshaped political landscape figures prominently in congressional Democrats’ plans to take back the House in 2012, party leaders said Friday.

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Riverside County supervisors are moving ahead with a plan to charge inmates for their stays in jail, including at facilities such as the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside.

BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 02 November 2011 10:35 AM

Riverside County is moving ahead with a plan to charge people for their jail time.

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BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 01 November 2011 08:56 PM

Overcoming Riverside County’s $80 million budget gap for next year could mean as many as 650 additional layoffs, county officials said Tuesday.

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Riverside County Supervisor Marion Ashley

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Published: 30 October 2011 08:05 PM

The California Supreme Court felt otherwise, but part of the unsuccessful court challenge to the Citizens Redistricting Commission’s state Senate plan centered on complaints about what the maps do in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

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BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
gang@pe.com

Published: 29 October 2011 05:12 PM

Riverside County has a new interim top executive, but the budget news remains the same: The county still faces an $80 million gap for next fiscal year.

In his first budget report to supervisors as interim county executive officer, Larry Parrish said he wished he could offer better news.

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Riverside County supervisors introduced an ordinance Tuesday to regulate outdoor light pollution and trespassing. A public hearing is set for Nov. 15. Members of the Riverside Astronomical Society are seen here last year in Beaumont.

BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 25 October 2011 09:23 PM

Tired of the bright light from your neighbor’s house keeping you up at night?

Riverside County supervisors are trying to help. The board took the first steps Tuesday toward adopting new rules regulating light “trespass” and pollution.

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Riverside County officials are concerned about where to house low-risk inmates who are sentenced to county jails, rather than state prison, under a plan that took effect Oct. 1. County jails, including the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside, above, are already at capacity.

BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 24 October 2011 08:12 PM

Jail space remains one of the most critical issues facing Riverside County as it begins supervising and housing low-level offenders, local officials said Monday.

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BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 18 October 2011 04:38 PM

Riverside County supervisors gave their initial approval Tuesday to a law requiring county candidates to electronically file campaign finance disclosure reports.

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BY BEN GOAD
WASHINGTON BUREAU
bgoad@pe.com
Published: 17 October 2011 08:04 PM

WASHINGTON — Incumbents outpaced challengers in fundraising efforts in the third quarter , as candidates in the freshly redrawn set of Inland congressional districts amassed their war chests in advance of the 2012 elections, new campaign finance reports show.

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Riverside County Board of Supervisor Chairman Bob Buster speaks during the second annual State of Riverside County event at the Riverside Convention Center on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011. (STAN LIM/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

Duane Gang
dgang@PE.com
Published: 11 October 2011 01:51 PM

Riverside County Supervisor Bob Buster said Tuesday the county faces its toughest ever budget year and that overcoming an $80 million gap will require sacrifices among elected leaders and county employees.

Read the rest of this entry »

BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 06 October 2011 06:03 PM

An estimated $80 million budget gap for next fiscal year is only the start of the challenges Riverside County supervisors face in the coming months.

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Incumbent 1st District Supervisor Bob Buster is seeking re-election in 2012.

BY JIM MILLER AND DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITERS
jmiller@pe.com | dgang@pe.com

Published: 05 October 2011 03:23 PM

The race for Riverside County’s 1st Supervisorial District got a little bit more crowded this week.

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Riverside County supervisors debated pension changes on Tuesday.
BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 04 October 2011 09:55 PM

Riverside County supervisors said Tuesday that county employees must start contributing more toward their own retirements, a move that would translate into immediate, long-term savings for the cash-strapped county.

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10:22 PM PDT on Thursday, September 22, 2011

BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

PDF: Read Bill Luna’s resignation letter as Riverside County CEO

Riverside County supervisors accepted the resignation of CEO Bill Luna on Thursday and are expected to hire a search firm next week to help find a new top executive.

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10:04 PM PDT on Tuesday, September 20, 2011

BY DUANE W. GANG and DUG BEGLEY
STAFF WRITERS
dgang@pe.com | dbegley@pe.com

Negotiations between labor unions and Riverside County moved from the bargaining table to the Board of Supervisors chambers Tuesday.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PDT on Saturday, September 17, 2011

BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

The Riverside Sheriff’s Association has challenged the pay cuts imposed on deputies by Riverside County supervisors earlier this year and wants the county to seek voter approval for lower retirement benefits.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:34 PM PDT on Tuesday, September 13, 2011

BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Riverside County supervisors approved a final fiscal 2011-2012 budget on Tuesday and were immediately faced with the prospect of additional cuts and possible layoffs by next year.

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10:03 PM PDT on Monday, September 12, 2011

BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Riverside County supervisors take up a formal redistricting ordinance today, and it is likely to be a low-key affair compared to last month when Supervisors Bob Buster and John Tavaglione clashed over how to divide the city of Riverside.

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John Tavaglione

Political Empire

10:00 PM PDT on Sunday, September 11, 2011

The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County Supervisor John Tavaglione already is gearing up for his congressional bid in a new district centered on Riverside and Moreno Valley.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PDT on Friday, September 9, 2011

BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Candidates for county offices could soon have to enter the digital age.

Riverside County supervisors on Tuesday are scheduled to consider requiring candidates for the board and other countywide posts to electronically file campaign finance reports.

Read the rest of this entry »

By PE News
September 7, 2011 6:25 PM

Riverside County has settled for almost $500,000 its portion of a 2009 lawsuit filed against the county and then-District Attorney Rod Pacheco by a former high-ranking prosecutor, it was announced late today.

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10:00 PM PDT on Wednesday, August 17, 2011

BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Riverside County supervisors narrowly voted this week to maintain their team of Sacramento lobbyists, rebuffing Supervisor Jeff Stone’s effort to slash the contracts.

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10:30 PM PDT on Tuesday, August 16, 2011

BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Riverside County supervisors approved new district boundaries Tuesday amid heated debate and accusations of gerrymandering between supervisors Bob Buster and John Tavaglione.

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10:10 PM PDT on Tuesday, August 16, 2011

BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Riverside County officials voiced support Tuesday for a more efficient way to dispatch 911 calls and get ambulances to medical emergencies more quickly.

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10:56 PM PDT on Monday, August 15, 2011

By DUANE W. GANG
Staff Writer dgang@pe.com

Riverside County’s Probation Department will hire 100 new staff — including 73 sworn officers — to handle more than 1,600 low-risk offenders headed into local supervision this year.

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10:00 PM PDT on Monday, August 15, 2011

By SANDRA STOKLEY
Staff Writer sstokley@pe.com

Stung by the loss of millions of dollars in state money, Riverside County’s newest city is asking the Board of Supervisors for a $1.7 million loan so it can gain its financial footing during its crucial first year.

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Tavaglione

By PE Politics
August 9, 2011 2:30 PM

Riverside County Supervisor John Tavaglione next week will hold a kick-off fundraiser for his 2012 congressional bid.

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Kari Verjil

10:00 PM PDT on Sunday, August 7, 2011

The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County’s new elections chief is facing an ironic twist.

Kari Verjil took over as registrar of voters in February after serving as the top elections official in San Bernardino County.

Read the rest of this entry »

By PE Politics
August 3, 2011 9:27 AM

Riverside County Supervisor Bob Buster holds the early money lead over challenger Assemblyman Kevin Jeffries in their race for the Board of Supervisors next year.

Read the rest of this entry »

By PE Politics
July 20, 2011 9:19 AM

Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone, who proposed that 13 counties secede from California, has taken his effort online.

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Supervisor Jeff Stone, a Republican pharmacist from Temecula, called California an “ungovernable” financial catastrophe and proposed that 13 conservative counties break away to form a separate state of “South California.” (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times / July 8, 2005)

By Steve Harvey, Los Angeles Times
July 16, 2011

If California State Assemblyman Andres Pico had gotten his way more than a century ago, the college football team that plays its home games in downtown Los Angeles would be known as the University of Colorado Trojans.

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Jeff Stone

July 13th, 2011, 11:49 am · posted by Martin Wisckol, Politics reporter

A Riverside County supervisor backed off of his call for 13 counties to secede from the state when fellow supervisors threw cold water on the idea Tuesday night.

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10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, July 12, 2011

By DUG BEGLEY
The Press-Enterprise

A third proposal for how to split Riverside among county supervisors Bob Buster and John Tavaglione was unveiled Tuesday, keeping the Eastside neighborhood together as residents urged.

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South California
Supervisor urges 13 counties to secede
Neil Nisperos, Staff Writer
Created: 07/11/2011 08:10:22 PM PDT

RIVERSIDE – A local lawmaker has called for much of Southern and Central California to secede from the Golden state.

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10:00 PM PDT on Sunday, July 10, 2011

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County supervisors will decide Tuesday whether to pay the state more than $31 million this year to keep the county’s redevelopment agency active.

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By Phil Willon, Los Angeles Times
July 11, 2011

Accusing Sacramento of pillaging local governments to feed its runaway spending and left-wing policies, a Riverside County politician is proposing a solution: He wants 13 mostly inland, conservative counties to break away to form a separate state of “South California.”

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10:00 PM PDT on Wednesday, June 29, 2011

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County should purchase four additional ballot scanners to speed vote counting during next year’s presidential elections, the county’s top election official said.

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11:03 PM PDT on Saturday, June 18, 2011

By JEFF HORSEMAN
The Press-Enterprise

Since 2001, the company proposing a quarry near Temecula has donated more than $59,000 to political candidates in Riverside County — including at least $38,000 to county supervisors who will decide if the project gets built.

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Tavaglione

By PE Politics
June 16, 2011 7:46 AM

Riverside County Supervisor John Tavaglione will make a formal announcement on a run for Congress within the next 24 hours.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, June 14, 2011

By DUG BEGLEY and DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Determining which Riverside neighborhood will be shifted to a new supervisorial district is the only unresolved issue in redrawing Riverside County lines, officials said Tuesday.

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Tuesday, June 14, 2011 – 10:30 a.m.

One has to wonder why there is such a disconnect in the way San Bernardino and Riverside County governments conduct business respectively.

Riverside County seems to be able to maintain a sense of order and cohesiveness.

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Riverside County Sheriff Stan Sniff, left, and CEO Bill Luna, who had been deeply at odds over Luna’s proposed cutbacks in the sheriff’s budget, reach accord on a plan that both admit has risks. It’s built on “bubble gum and bailing wire,” Sniff says.

10:48 PM PDT on Monday, June 13, 2011

By IMRAN GHORI and DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County supervisors agreed Monday to a budget plan proposed by Sheriff Stan Sniff that officials described as risky but said would avoid any layoffs to his department.

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10:01 PM PDT on Wednesday, June 8, 2011

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County’s top executive has recommended a spending plan for next year that includes $55 million in cuts, resulting in additional layoffs and reductions in core county services.

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By PE Politics
June 7, 2011 4:44 PM

Riverside County will begin researching how to recoup costs from people sentenced to county jails under a measure supervisors approved 4-0 today.

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Benoit

10:00 PM PDT on Saturday, June 4, 2011

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County Supervisor John Benoit is proposing a law that would require candidates for county office to electronically file campaign finance disclosure reports.

Read the rest of this entry »

Stone

By PE Politics
May 26, 2011 4:42 PM

Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone has agreed to pay $16,000 for failing to properly report $84,052 in contributions to his 2010 campaign for state Senate.

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10:23 PM PDT on Thursday, May 26, 2011

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County Sheriff Stan Sniff outlined a budget proposal this week that he said reduces a $60 million budget gap in his department to $17 million and would eliminate the need for large-scale layoffs.

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Thursday, May 26, 2011 – 03:39 p.m.

Apparently the pot is stirring at the San Bernardino County government center over this mornings post on the impending gutting of the supervisorial district staffs.

Read the rest of this entry »

By PE Politics
May 25, 2011 10:06 AM

Riverside County declared an impasse last week with the Riverside Sheriff’s Association and will impose contract terms on the union starting June 2.

Read the rest of this entry »