Dark clouds hang over the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Feb. 28.(Pete Marovich/Bloomberg)

March 01, 2013; 06:03 PM

Having identified Rep. Gary Miller as a target for defeat in 2014, Democrats are taking every opportunity to go after the Rancho Cucamonga Republican.

To read column by Imran Ghori, Jeff Horseman and Jim Miller in The Press Enterprise, click here.

THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
February 22, 2013; 07:15 PM

You lead a party that picks up four competitive seats in the November election. And for your labors you’re tossed four months later?

To read column by Jeff Horseman, David Olson and Jim Miller in The Press Enterprise, click here.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013 – 09:15 a.m.

Here’s some news of interest flowing across the transom this week.

San Bernardino County Supe’s elect Rutherford chair

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors unanimously elected Second District Supervisor Janice Rutherford as it’s new chairperson. Second District Supervisor Gary Ovitt will be vice-chair.

Read the rest of this entry »

BY JEFF HORSEMAN
STAFF WRITER
jhorseman@pe.com

Published: 31 July 2012 06:25 PM

Senior staff in the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, district attorney’s office and other departments will get raises to prevent them from earning less than the people they supervise.

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, July 31, voted unanimously to approve the raises, which will cost about $1.6 million this fiscal year. The raises will be absorbed in the current budget and won’t require additional spending.

Read the rest of this entry »

Supervisor John Benoit/(File Photo)

BY JEFF HORSEMAN
STAFF WRITER
jhorseman@pe.com

Published: 26 July 2012 07:31 PM

A rift has developed between two Riverside County supervisors over re-submitted plans for the Liberty Quarry.

Supervisor John Benoit, who represents desert cities, is supporting efforts to fast track plans for the Temecula-area open pit gravel mine.

Read the rest of this entry »

BY JEFF HORSEMAN
STAFF WRITER
jhorseman@pe.com

Published: 26 June 2012 04:36 PM

Changes to Riverside County’s public pension system should save $856 million over 10 years and after that, the system’s assets might cover its billions of dollars in liabilities, according to county officials.

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, June 26, received an annual report from the Pension Advisory Review Committee, a 9-year-old panel consisting of Treasurer/Tax Collector Don Kent, finance chief Ed Corser and Human Resources Director Barbara Olivier.

Read the rest of this entry »

THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE

Published: 22 June 2012 04:50 PM

A planned park in Wildomar has become a political battlefield in the race for the First District Riverside County supervisor seat.

The field in question is adjacent to Ronald Reagan Elementary School. In making the case for why voters in the southern end of the district aren’t satisfied with incumbent Bob Buster, Wildomar Mayor Ben Benoit cited the playground as an example of an unkept promise by the supervisor.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dead on arrival to the Riverside County supervisors’ desks, that is. Even raises for lower-level management appear iffy now

BY JEFF HORSEMAN
STAFF WRITER
jhorseman@pe.com

Published: 04 June 2012 07:16 PM

Riverside County’s sheriff and one of the county’s largest unions have joined other critics — including most county supervisors — in attacking a plan to raise elected leaders’ pay amid ongoing layoffs.

Read the rest of this entry »

BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com

Published: 01 June 2012 11:21 PM

Though Riverside County is in the midst of laying off nearly 230 employees to balance its budget, its supervisors are poised to consider giving county elected officials salary hikes of more than 25 percent over the next three years.

Read the rest of this entry »

BY DUG BEGLEY
STAFF WRITER
dbegley@pe.com

Published: 27 March 2012 07:49 PM

Four Riverside County cities that took a financial hit in last year’s state budget might get a helping hand from the county, supervisors said Tuesday. But California lawmakers need to solve the problem they created, supervisors added.

Menifee, Wildomar, Eastvale and Jurupa Valley all face fiscal challenges as a result of the state budget passed last summer. The four cities lost $15 million, part of $200 million in vehicle-license fee revenue that the state redirected to pay for local law-enforcement grants.

Read the rest of this entry »

BY JEFF HORSEMAN AND DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITERS
jhorseman@pe.com | dgang@pe.com

Published: 16 February 2012 07:05 AM

Seven years of debate over a proposed Temecula-area rock quarry came down to a tense hearing and a swing vote as Riverside County supervisors voted 3-2 Thursday to reject one of the most divisive land-use projects in recent memory.

Read the rest of this entry »

JEFF HORSEMAN
STAFF WRITER
jhorseman@pe.com

Published: 16 February 2012 07:05 AM

Whether a proposed Temecula-area rock quarry gets built hinges on a vote scheduled for this morning by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.

The board will meet at 8:30 a.m. in Riverside to conclude its hearings on the Liberty Quarry, which raised questions about how to balance economic development, the environment and quality of life.

Read the rest of this entry »

Riverside County supervisors John Benoit, at left, and Marion Ashley go over their notes during the Jan. 30 hearing on Liberty Quarry in the Riverside Convention Center.(KURT MILLER/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

BY DUANE W. GANG AND JEFF HORSEMAN
STAFF WRITERS
dgang@pe.com | jhorseman@pe.com

Published: 11 February 2012 04:03 PM

A political rock-and-a-hard-place scenario faces Riverside County supervisors as they decide the fate of a proposed Temecula-area quarry.

Approve Liberty Quarry, and the five supervisors will anger a wide range of opponents, including a politically active Indian tribe. Deny the open-pit mine, and they risk the wrath of business groups and union members desperate for jobs.

Read the rest of this entry »

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

Published: 10 February 2012 05:38 PM

Riverside County has reached a tentative deal with its second-largest union, less than two weeks after Service Employees International Union Local 721 held a one-day strike to push the county back to the bargaining table.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PST on Tuesday, February 15, 2011

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County supervisors agreed Tuesday to research how much public-safety retirements cost and what options are available to send a pension-reduction proposal to voters.

Read the rest of this entry »

RIVERSIDE COUNTY: Supervisors are likely to pursue tighter disclosure requirements.

10:00 PM PST on Tuesday, February 15, 2011

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone withdrew his proposal Tuesday to impose campaign contribution limits on board and countywide candidates.

Stone’s decision came as colleagues voiced concern that the plan would unleash a torrent of independent expenditures not subject to limits.

Read the rest of this entry »

Pacheco

10:10 PM PST on Tuesday, February 8, 2011

By RICHARD K. DE ATLEY
The Press-Enterprise

PDF: Read the Riverside County counsel’s report on former DA Rod Pacheco’s legal contract

Former Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco violated policy when he dodged Board of Supervisors’ approval and paid a private law firm more than $104,000 to defend his office in a lawsuit against the county, a report said.

Read the rest of this entry »

Benoit

By PE Politics
on February 8, 2011 9:18 AM

Riverside County Supervisor John Benoit came all the way to the state Capitol to testify Monday against the idea of ditching redevelopment areas.

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PST on Tuesday, January 11, 2011

By JIM MILLER
Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO – The state and local governments seem headed for a legal showdown over Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to eliminate a pair of economic development programs.

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 »

Benoit

10:23 PM PST on Sunday, December 26, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

In his first year as a Riverside County supervisor, John Benoit has endured political warfare and personal tragedy.

He has cast difficult budget votes that have led to the layoffs of hundreds of employees, taken a firm stance on the need to make changes to the county’s pension plan and drawn the ire of some residents by reversing course on whether to allow medical-marijuana dispensaries.

Read the rest of this entry »

Pacheco

Friday, December 10, 2010 – 01:15 p.m.

The latest with hunt by outgoing Riverside County District Attorney Rod “I need a job” Pacheco has come to an end with a loud thud.

Pacheco has spent the past several weeks parading persons, whom he believes were associated with his political demise, before a grand jury in an effort to extract revenge.

That’s revenge with a capital “R”.

Read the rest of this entry »

Holgate

10:00 PM PST on Monday, December 6, 2010

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

PDF: Read the most recent grand jury indictment against Stephen Holgate

Special Section: San Jacinto Corruption Probe

More charges were filed in Riverside County Superior Court against Stephen Holgate, the embattled San Jacinto developer accused of filling local election coffers with covered-up contributions to skirt election finance laws.

Holgate was indicted Friday by a Riverside County grand jury with one felony and nine misdemeanors, related to contributions to John Benoit’s successful state Senate election.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:33 PM PST on Tuesday, November 30, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County Supervisor John Benoit called Tuesday for a ban on medical-marijuana dispensaries in unincorporated areas.

Supervisors in September ordered a law drafted that would regulate where the businesses could locate. But Benoit said the county should change course.

Read the rest of this entry »

Benoit

By PE Politics
on November 19, 2010 3:59 PM

Riverside County Supervisor John Benoit testified before a grand jury today and is not the target of the inquiry, his chief of staff said.

District attorney’s investigators served Benoit with a subpoena to appear today before a grand jury.

Read the rest of this entry »

Thursday, November 18, 2010 – 10:00 a.m.

Looks like Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco is still taking his loss to Superior Court Judge Paul Zellerbach pretty hard.

Pacheco is reportedly dragging anyone, who he believes had a hand in his electoral defeat, before a grand jury.

Read the rest of this entry »

Benoit

10:00 PM PST on Wednesday, November 17, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County district attorney’s investigators have called Supervisor John Benoit to testify before a grand jury.

Benoit confirmed Tuesday that he received the subpoena last week and is scheduled to appear before the panel in Riverside on Friday morning.

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

(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.

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

Benoit

By PE Politics
on August 4, 2010 10:42 AM

The race to succeed the late-Supervisor Roy Wilson on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors topped $1 million, newly released campaign finance documents show.

Supervisor John Benoit, appointed to the seat last year, won a full four-year term to the 4th District seat and spent $633,128.71. He ended June 30 with $203,030 in outstanding debts, mostly from a $200,000 loan Wilson gave Benoit before his August 2009 death.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

Benoit

By PE Politics
on July 19, 2010 2:50 PM

The state’s political watchdog agency has warned Riverside County Supervisor John Benoit over 5,000 mailers initially sent at public expense.

Benoit sent out the mailers April 7 featuring his name, position and photograph, according to the warning letter sent by the state Fair Political Practices Commission. The mailers cost $1,333 and advertised a home-preservation summit.

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

By PE Politics
on June 30, 2010 4:06 PM

The Riverside County Democratic Party and three voters filed a lawsuit today over the more than 12,500 ballots that have not been counted in the June 8 election.

In the lawsuit, Moreno Valley residents Naomi Ingram, Sherry Lynn Riegel and Jennifer Christina Riegel contend they mailed ballots on time. But the registrar of voters failed to pick up their ballots from a U.S. Postal Service facility in Moreno Valley due to a miscommunication, they said in the lawsuit.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, June 15, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County supervisors Tuesday voted to place a union-backed measure to protect public-safety pensions on the November ballot.

The initiative, supported by the Riverside Sheriff’s Association, qualified for the ballot last month after backers gathered enough signatures.

Read the rest of this entry »

John Benoit

Incumbent appointed county supervisor John Benoit has defeated well-funded challenge Gary Jeandron for the 4th District seat on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.

With all precincts reporting Benoit captured 55.86% of the voted.

Riverside County supervisor John Tavaglione has defeated challenger Herb Higgins. Marion Ashley who ran unopposed has officially won. Supervisor John Benoit is in a tight race with Gary Jeandron.

11:04 PM PDT on Sunday, May 30, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County faces a $131.5 million budget shortfall, and supervisors are seeking deep cuts — and as many as 1,600 layoffs — to bridge the gap over the next two years.

But as they seek those reductions, the county’s three largest employee unions have made more than $450,000 in campaign donations to supervisors, candidates for the board and other elected officials who wield influence in county politics, campaign finance figures released late last week show.

Read the rest of this entry »