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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

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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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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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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 »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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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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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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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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 »

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 »

10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, May 24, 2011

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

A Riverside County committee helping to draft new supervisorial districts will forward two proposals to the Board of Supervisors after failing Tuesday to reach agreement on how best to divide the city of Riverside.

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10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, May 24, 2011

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County supervisors Tuesday declared their support for public safety and said imposing pay cuts and pension changes on the union representing sheriff’s deputies is unfortunate but will save money and jobs.

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10:00 PM PDT on Friday, May 20, 2011

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County declared in impasse Friday in its contract talks with the Riverside Sheriff’s Association.

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10:48 PM PDT on Sunday, May 15, 2011

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

One of Riverside County’s largest employee unions allows any member to attend contract talks, raising concerns in recent weeks from at least two supervisors that the open-door policy isn’t productive.

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11:21 PM PDT on Tuesday, May 3, 2011

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to put on hold a proposed regional jail in Whitewater that would have cost $300 million to build.

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10:00 PM PDT on Wednesday, April 6, 2011

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County supervisors Marion Ashley and John Benoit announced Wednesday that they will seek to halt planning for a regional jail in rural Whitewater.

The move marks a reversal for supervisors and comes amid growing community opposition to the jail.

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06:25 AM PDT on Tuesday, April 5, 2011

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County supervisors voted Monday to move ahead with a plan to provide lower retirement benefits for newly hired employees.

The plan, approved in concept, could save the county more than $200 million over the next 10 years. It still must come back before supervisors for final approval.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PDT on Monday, April 4, 2011

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County’s top executive recommended Monday that supervisors hold the line on spending, including for the sheriff’s and fire departments.

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10:33 PM PDT on Tuesday, March 29, 2011

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside Board of Supervisors meet about county budgets
Published: 3/29/2011 07:18 PM

Riverside County’s four public-safety departments painted a bleak picture Tuesday of their finances, saying they face significant budget shortfalls for next fiscal year.

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Sniff

10:00 PM PDT on Monday, March 28, 2011

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Budget cuts have put Riverside County’s inmate medical care out of compliance with state law, exposing the county to potential lawsuits or court oversight, Sheriff Stan Sniff said.

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10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, March 22, 2011

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

In a 3-2 vote Tuesday, Riverside County supervisors approved a measure supporting Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to shift some state services to California’s 58 counties.

Supervisor John Tavaglione requested the resolution.

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By PE Politics
March 22, 2011 2:16 PM

Riverside County debuted a new website today detailing its current budget situation, pension costs and ongoing labor negotiations.

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10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, March 15, 2011

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County will hold three community meetings next month to gather input from residents on how officials should redraw supervisorial district boundaries.

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Stone

REGION: County supervisor says union campaigning against him

DAVE DOWNEY
ddowney@californian.com North County Times
The Californian | Posted: Tuesday, March 15, 2011 10:53 pm

Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone accused a law enforcement employees union Tuesday of orchestrating a telephone campaign to plant negative impressions of him in advance of his 2012 re-election bid.

Read the rest of this entry »

Bob Buster and Kevin Jeffries

09:50 PM PDT on Monday, March 14, 2011

By DUANE W. GANG and JIM MILLER
The Press-Enterprise

A battle is brewing for the 1st District seat on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.

Assemblyman Kevin Jeffries said this week he is running and will hold an official campaign kick-off event April 7.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PST on Wednesday, March 9, 2011

By DUANE W. GANG and JIM MILLER
The Press-Enterprise

Thousands of Inland residents will soon have a different county supervisor to represent them.

Riverside and San Bernardino county officials must begin redrawing their district boundaries based on census 2010 data released Tuesday.

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08:37 PM PST on Saturday, February 12, 2011

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone wants to put the heat on one of the county’s largest and most powerful unions.

In a proposal headed before the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Stone is asking county staff to analyze public-safety pension costs and gather information about a potential ballot measure that would reduce retirement benefits.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Duane Gang
PE Politics
on February 10, 2011 12:27 PM

Riverside County supervisors want to begin flexing their muscles in the ongoing renewable energy debate.

Supervisors don’t want to disproportionately bear the burden of renewable energy production and want a benefit to local residents even if the power produced here goes to other parts of California.

Read the rest of this entry »

Wednesday, February 2, 2011 – 04:45 p.m.

Members of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors raised slightly less and spent significantly more campaign money than their San Bernardino County brethren last year.

They also reported significantly depleted warchests.

And I mean significant.

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05:33 PM PST on Friday, January 14, 2011

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County supervisors will hold a special meeting Tuesday to decide whether to issue $155 million in bonds to pay for a host of redevelopment projects.

The meeting comes a week after Gov. Jerry Brown proposed a plan to phase out redevelopment agencies, which use property tax revenue to fund public improvements such as sewers, roads, libraries and community centers.

Read the rest of this entry »

PAUL YOUNG • City News Service • January 12, 2011

Three firms with expertise in structuring pension plans were hired Tuesday by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to research proposed reforms to reduce the county’s long-term debt.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PST on Thursday, December 30, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

The state’s new Citizens Redistricting Commission has ushered in a new era in California, heralded by supporters as a way to take politics out of the drawing of legislative and congressional boundaries.

But a political tug-of-war among elected officials could still play out at the local level next year as counties, cities and school boards redraw their own district lines.

Read the rest of this entry »

Buster

By PE Politics
on December 14, 2010 4:19 PM

Supervisor Bob Buster will lead the Riverside County Board of Supervisors next year as its next chairman.

Buster’s colleagues unanimously elected him today (Dec. 14) to the leadership post. His duties will including running run the board’s weekly meetings. Buster is the current vice chair of the five-member board.

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Buster

10:36 PM PST on Sunday, December 12, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County Supervisor Bob Buster has called on two of the county’s largest unions to retract a flier accusing him of wanting to “slash employee pensions.”

The Service Employees International Union Local 721 and the Laborers’ International Union of North America Local 777 passed out the flier before a recent supervisors meeting.

Read the rest of this entry »

Buster

By PE Politics
on November 30, 2010 3:35 PM

Riverside County Supervisor Bob Buster is again facing criticism from unions over his stance on employee pensions.

Two of the county’s largest unions — the Service Employees International Union Local 721 and the Laborers’ International Union of North America Local 777 — passed out fliers today accusing Buster of wanting to slash employee pensions.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, October 19, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County supervisors signed off on a new contract Tuesday with the union presenting prosecutors, despite concerns by some board members that they may have been taken advantage of during labor talks.

Approved on a 4-1 vote, the new agreement with the Deputy District Attorneys Association and its 241 members is retroactive to July 1 and runs through June 30, 2011. It does not increase county costs.

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(Click image to enlarge)

10:19 PM PDT on Sunday, October 10, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

PDF: Read campaign literature for Measure L

The campaign over two competing pension measures on Riverside County’s November ballot already has cost more than $500,000 as both sides accuse one another of trying to mislead voters.

Measure L, backed by the Riverside Sheriff’s Association, would prohibit the county from changing pension benefits for public safety employees without a vote of the electorate.

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Measure L is not about preserving benefits for widows and orphans. It’s a union ploy to keep billing taxpayers for lavish retirement payouts

05:46 PM PDT on Saturday, October 2, 2010

By BOB BUSTER

Every year — $4.2 million.

That’s the total in dues and fees the Riverside Sheriffs’ Association union collects from 3,000 deputies, correctional and probation officers, and district attorney investigators. The union routinely unleashes its war chest against anyone who tries to protect taxpayers from its unreasonable demands.

The union bosses are digging deep into their bank vault to promote the union’s initiative, Measure L. If approved on Nov. 2, Measure L puts a stranglehold on Riverside County taxpayers by guaranteeing the current high pension levels for law enforcement personnel hired in the future.

Read the rest of this entry »

By PE Politics
on September 16, 2010 10:59 AM

It wasn’t unanimous, but the Riverside County Board of Supervisors this week officially endorsed Prop. 23, the statewide measure that would suspend the state’s landmark global warming legislation.

The board voted 4-1, with Supervisor Bob Buster the lone no vote, to back Prop. 23. The proposition would suspend AB 32 until unemployment reaches 5.5 percent for four consecutive quarters.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, August 31, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

The politics of pension reform took center stage among Riverside County supervisors Tuesday.

An invitation mailed last week to raise money to oppose the Riverside Sheriff’s Association-backed Measure L on the November ballot included the names and signatures of all five supervisors.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ken Calvert

By PE Politics
on August 17, 2010 11:23 AM

Four out of five Riverside County supervisors recommend another term for Inland Rep. Ken Calvert.

The Corona Republican, who is seeking his 10th term in office this November, announced today that he has the backing of John F. Tavaglione, Jeff Stone, John J. Benoit and Marion Ashley. All four are registered Republicans.

Read the rest of this entry »

09:16 PM PDT on Tuesday, August 17, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County supervisors, currently grappling with pension reforms, themselves have decades of combined service and will receive substantial retirements when they leave the board.

Supervisor Bob Buster is in his 17th year on the board and served eight years on the Riverside City Council before that.

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10:00 PM PDT on Sunday, August 15, 2010

The Press-Enterprise

Thanks to California’s political watchdog agency, it is now known that Lake Elsinore City Councilman Robert Magee is interested in running for a seat on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors in 2012.

Magee earlier this year sought advice from the state Fair Political Practices Commission on loaning money from his City Council campaign committee to a new account set up to run for supervisor.

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10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, July 27, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County’s November ballot is getting crowded.

Supervisors on Tuesday voted to place two competing pension measures before voters Nov. 2, as well as a proposal to increase the amount of money the county’s regional transportation commission can borrow.

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10:00 PM PDT on Friday, July 23, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County has cut its fleet of vehicles by nearly 200 over the past year, and new policies up for consideration Tuesday are intended to further reduce the number.

But county officials do not have a target they hope to reach as they work to trim costs and miles driven by employees, county spokesman Ray Smith said.

Read the rest of this entry »

***Editor’s Note: San Bernardino County automobile allowance is $1,400 per month in lieu of county-provided vehicle.

By PE Politics
on July 13, 2010 3:34 PM

Riverside County supervisors balked today at increasing the car allowance provided to elected officials and top executives, saying it wasn’t a wise move given the county’s fiscal difficulties.

Instead, the car stipend will remain at $550 per month, rather than jump to $1,000 for elected officials and $850 for department administrators and other eligible executives.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:56 PM PDT on Tuesday, July 13, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County supervisors voted Tuesday to purchase $650,000 worth of additional equipment designed to speed future vote-counting operations.

The recommendations came as part of a sweeping probe into how Registrar of Voters Barbara Dunmore handled the June 8 primary.

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10:10 PM PDT on Thursday, July 8, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

A probe released Thursday into Riverside County’s June 8 primary calls for $650,000 in additional equipment to speed future vote counting and better communication between elections officials and the public.

Supervisors ordered the examination June 15 amid revelations that 12,563 mail-in ballots missed the legal deadline due to a mix-up with the U.S. Postal Service and criticism that Registrar of Voters Barbara Dunmore took too long to count the more than 240,000 votes cast in the election.

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11:14 PM PDT on Tuesday, June 22, 2010

By RICHARD K. DE ATLEY
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County will delay certifying results of the June 8 primary to see if possible legal action will resolve the fate of 12,500 mail-in votes declared invalid because they were delivered after the deadline to be counted.

Riverside County Supervisor John Benoit said close races that could be affected by counting the votes include the Mary Salas-Juan Vargas Democratic primary for the state Senate 40th District, and the statewide Republican insurance commissioner race.

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10:42 PM PDT on Sunday, April 4, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County Supervisor Bob Buster has proposed the county create a charter that provides local control for filling vacancies on the Board of Supervisors.

A measure directing county staff to research the requirements and timelines to place a proposed charter before voters in November comes before supervisors Tuesday.

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.

One has to ask why would the Riverside County Board of Supervisors vote to approve a project that will eventually lead to the construction of 11,150 homes, with an ongoing major recession not likely to end anytime soon?

Yes, I wrote 11,150.

This very approval happened last Tuesday. The beneficiary of course was the Lewis Group of Companies.

Lewis will be the master developer for the development known as the Villages of Lakeview.

Read the rest of this entry »

06:45 PM PST on Tuesday, January 5, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County Supervisor Marion Ashley, elected by his colleagues Tuesday as the board’s new chairman, said declining revenues will remain one of the chief concerns for the county this year.

As chairman, Ashley acts as the county’s top elected official, runs the board’s weekly meetings and has the power to declare emergencies, sign documents and handle other duties on the county’s behalf.

Supervisor Bob Buster took over from Ashley as the board’s vice chairman.

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06:32 AM PST on Wednesday, December 16, 2009

By DAVID DANELSKI
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County supervisors put off until January a decision on the 11,150-home Villages of Lakeview sought for a scenic valley between Perris and San Jacinto.

The project, next to the San Jacinto Wildlife Area, would be one of the largest in the county.

The delay was sought by Supervisor Marion Ashley, who said the extra time will give county staff a chance to answer questions raised by about 15 people who spoke Tuesday during a public hearing in Riverside.

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