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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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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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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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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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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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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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 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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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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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.

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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.

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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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10:00 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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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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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.

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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.

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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.

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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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Bono Mack

10:00 PM PDT on Sunday, May 22, 2011

The Press-Enterprise

Inland Rep. Mary Bono Mack is standing behind her stepson, Chaz Bono. But it remains unclear whether Chaz and his fiancé will stand before Bono Mack on their wedding day.

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10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, May 17, 2011

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

The war of words escalated Tuesday between Riverside County supervisors and the union representing sheriff’s deputies.

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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 Thursday, April 7, 2011

By JIM MILLER
Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Jerry Brown will join teachers and government officials at a Riverside school this morning, his first in a promised series of public appearances to drum up support for extending higher taxes to close a budget gap.

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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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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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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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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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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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Pacheco and Zellerbach

10:16 PM PST on Tuesday, March 1, 2011

By RICHARD K. De ATLEY
The Press-Enterprise

Former Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco knew his office faced a multi-million-dollar shortfall, misled county supervisors about it, and increased costs by $4.9 million with unchecked spending, his successor said Tuesday.

Now Paul Zellerbach said he is looking at a $5.9 million shortfall that he hopes to reduce a bit more before going to supervisors to ask for reserve money to fill in the gap.

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Tavaglione

By PE Politics
on February 18, 2011 1:25 PM

Riverside County Supervisor John Tavaglione said this week that a compromise could be reached with Gov. Jerry Brown over redevelopment.

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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.

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Tavaglione

10:25 PM PST on Sunday, February 6, 2011

By JIM MILLER
Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO – Riverside County Supervisor John Tavaglione never expected that his rise through the ranks of California’s counties association would top out just as state leaders proposed a sweeping shake-up of government services.

Tavaglione, president of the California State Association of Counties, is the group’s point person in tense, high-level Capitol negotiations on shifting billions of dollars’ worth of foster care, low-level prison inmates, fire protection and other state responsibilities to counties.

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By PE Politics
on February 4, 2011 4:52 PM
Share: AddThis

Herb Higgins, a former Norco councilman, filed a notice of intent this week to gather signatures for a measure to reduce the pay and benefits of Riverside County supervisors. Higgins unsuccessfully challenged Supervisor John Tavaglione in the June 2010 election.

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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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10:00 PM PST on Wednesday, February 2, 2011

By SANDRA STOKLEY
The Press-Enterprise

Residents on Wednesday heard City Council candidates share their vision for a proposed city of Jurupa Valley at a forum sponsored by the Jurupa Valley Chamber of Commerce.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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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Tavaglione

11:36 PM PST on Friday, November 26, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

The next year will be busy for Riverside County Supervisor John Tavaglione.

Voters in June elected Tavaglione to his fifth term on the board, and his peers from across California last week selected him president of the California State Association of Counties.

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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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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.

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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.

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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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10:56 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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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.

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10:00 PM PDT on Thursday, May 20, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Riverside County Supervisor John Tavaglione’s quest for another term on the board will be a different experience for the longtime incumbent.

After running unopposed for the past three elections, Tavaglione faces opposition as he seeks a fifth four-year term representing the county’s 2nd District.

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10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, May 18, 2010

By DUG BEGLEY
The Press-Enterprise

Pooches and prisoners will have to wait a little longer to know if they’re going to see changes in their level of care, as Riverside County officials weigh sweeping cuts that could curtail animal adoptions and cut down on the availability of on-site psychiatric care for inmates.

At a Tuesday afternoon county budget session supervisors said the painful cuts were regrettable, but held true to the 20 percent cuts they requested from many county departments.

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10:00 PM PDT on Monday, March 15, 2010

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

Inland voters now know who their choices will be for the upcoming June 8 primary election after Friday’s filing deadline for candidates.

For Inland legislative seats, these candidates returned filing papers.

In the 62nd Assembly District incumbent Wilmer Amina Carter, of Rialto, will face Gil Navarro, of San Bernardino, in the Democratic primary. Republican Jean Ensley, of Rialto, also is in the race.

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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.

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10:00 PM PST on Tuesday, February 2, 2010
By JIM MILLER, DUANE W. GANG and BEN GOAD
The Press-Enterprise

Most candidates for Inland local, legislative and congressional seats headed into the election year with well-fortified campaign treasuries, new filings show.

Campaign-finance reports due this week show that Inland candidates raised more than $2.2 million during the final months of 2009 for ballots in the spring and fall.

Riverside County is home to the 37th state Senate District, where there will be a special April 13 primary election to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of former Sen. John Benoit.

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