Politics, Government and Business in Southern California's Inland Empire
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 22 May 2012 05:09 PM
Riverside officials say they expect to recover only a portion of the $49.44 million that the former redevelopment agency spent to buy 80 pieces of land that are now up for sale.
THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
Published: 20 May 2012 07:52 PM
You know that old political joke, “Vote early, vote often”?
Yeah, Riverside City Councilman Mike Gardner’s heard it. And he’s been hearing it more lately, after his first mailer in his mayoral campaign assured people their vote counts … on June 4. (The election is June 5.)
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 18 May 2012 05:39 PM
Besides choosing one of seven candidates for mayor, Riverside voters on June 5 will say yea or nay to seven proposed amendments to the city charter.
The proposals include creating a sustainability commission, changing to whom the city auditor reports, shortening the time between council elections and runoffs, and a number of minor adjustments.
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 15 May 2012 06:30 PM
Riverside’s seven mayoral candidates are entering the home stretch, meeting Tuesday for a final forum hosted by a downtown business group.
After the opening stump speeches they’ve been giving for at least six weeks, candidates answered questions about how they’d support the arts, balance eco-friendly goals with economic development, and retool the downtown development plan.
BY DAYNA STRAEHLEY
STAFF WRITER
dstraehley@pe.com
Published: 07 May 2012 10:39 PM
The Riverside Unified School District Board of Education voted 3-2 late Monday to send final layoff notices to 84 teachers for the 2012-13 school year, said Tim Martin, president of the Riverside City Teachers Association.
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 26 April 2012 09:50 PM
The only punches thrown were verbal, but seven candidates hoping to be Riverside’s next mayor traded jabs Thursday over the city’s policy on ambulance service, the lack of action on the downtown library, and other city issues.
They met at a forum held at California Baptist University and sponsored by the Raincross Group, Charter Communications, The Press-Enterprise and La Prensa.
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 21 April 2012 06:24 PM
Despite being California’s 12th largest city, Riverside in some ways still operates like a small town, and that extends to politics.
That’s why some residents have been surprised that the upcoming June 5 mayoral election to replace a retiring five-term incumbent hasn’t made more of a splash.
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 20 April 2012 05:50 PM
The state Department of Finance has rejected payment of nearly $159 million in projects and debts from Riverside’s former redevelopment agency, potentially leaving the city’s general fund on the hook for at least some of that amount.
Money & Politics | Daily Report
April 19, 2012 | Kendall Taggart
In the flurry surrounding the end of redevelopment, 60 state Department of Finance officials are scouring local redevelopment budgets to determine whether their claims about existing debts and obligations are legal.
Cities and other local entities that are overseeing the shutdown of redevelopment agencies were required to submit a list of their ongoing financial commitments by April 15. Now, the department has a three-day window to raise objections. Of the budgets it has reviewed so far, the department has challenged almost two dozen, including budgets from the cities of Riverside, Orange and San Leandro.
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 10 April 2012 08:52 PM
Should Riverside’s next mayor be more ambassador or policy setter? Use the bully pulpit or be cheerleader-in-chief?
The winner among seven candidates to replace outgoing Mayor Ron Loveridge will be able to reshape the mayor’s office as he or she sees fit, within the limits of the city charter — and some aren’t ruling out altering the mayor’s powers with charter changes.
THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
Published: 08 April 2012 07:12 PM
Local elected leaders often return from an organized trip to Washington, D.C., ready to regale their colleagues and the public about a trip spent persuading the powerful to support Inland interests.
San Bernardino County Supervisor Josie Gonzales spent some of her time in the nation’s capital trying “to alleviate misperceptions and misconceptions.”
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 26 March 2012 06:26 PM
Riverside officials hope to sell about 80 parcels owned by the now-dissolved redevelopment agency.
Most of the plots are vacant and less than an acre, though the list includes two Victorian homes, a historic downtown building and clusters of parcels near Riverside Plaza, on University Avenue, and in the Five Points area on the city’s west end.
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 23 March 2012 06:42 PM
Riverside mayoral candidate Ed Adkison remained the biggest fundraiser and spender and had the most cash left of his six opponents, according to campaign filings due Thursday.
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 16 March 2012 08:59 PM
Seven candidates are vying to replace longtime Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge on the June 5 ballot, a bigger field than Loveridge faced in any of his five mayoral elections.
BY ALICIA ROBINSON AND DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITERS
arobinson@pe.com; dgang@pe.com
Published: 02 March 2012 06:55 PM
California Gov. Jerry Brown said Friday he’s not prepared to support funding the UC Riverside medical school at a time when the state still faces a $9 billion deficit.
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 13 February 2012 07:01 AM
Riverside officials have hammered out a new contract with the city’s police union, the last major employee group to agree to money-saving pension changes.
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 28 January 2012 06:31 PM
The Riverside mayor’s race could now be a six-way contest, with a little more than a month left until the candidate filing deadline.
The latest entrant is Peter Benavidez, a local nonprofit CEO and member of the city’s charter review committee, who recently took out a petition for signatures in lieu of the filing fee.
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 23 January 2012 07:06 PM
“Let the next mayor’s campaign begin,” Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge declared in his final State of the City speech late last week.
Apparently the candidates listened, because a day later, the barbs began flying in what had so far been a quiet race.
BY DUG BEGLEY
STAFF WRITER
dbegley@pe.com
Published: 18 January 2012 06:35 PM
Riverside’s Magnolia Avenue underpass served as the backdrop Wednesday for a push by Sen. Barbara Boxer to encourage more federal investment in local projects that create jobs, ease traffic and get trucks and trains to their destinations quicker.
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 19 January 2012 08:06 PM
With a speech that noted his 32 years in public office and was book-ended by standing ovations, Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge laid out policy goals for his final months in office on Thursday.
BY RICHARD K. De ATLEY
STAFF WRITER
rdeatley@pe.com
Published: 18 January 2012 03:51 PM
The California Supreme Court will review a city of Riverside medical marijuana case in which a lower court ruled that cities and counties have the right to ban dispensaries.
Local governments throughout the state have used that decision, issued in November by the Fourth District Court of Appeal, to shut down medical marijuana clinics within their boundaries.
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 16 January 2012 09:34 PM
At least two of the proposed changes to Riverside’s city charter would curb the city manager’s authority, in one case by eliminating that person’s oversight of certain employees, and in another by giving a board of residents more say.
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 07 January 2012 06:52 PM
Riverside may have to scrap plans for a downtown bus and train transit hub, a new shopping plaza in the Five Points area of La Sierra, relocation of two historic Victorian homes and a variety of other projects, now that state legislation and a court ruling have dismantled redevelopment.
Worse yet, say city officials, they may be forced to sell many of the properties owned by the city’s now-defunct redevelopment agency, including some on the Main Street mall, University Avenue, at Five Points, and in several areas downtown where new and better housing was planned.
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 03 January 2012 09:50 PM
A familiar face at Riverside City Council meetings is making another run at a seat on the dais.
Dvonne Pitruzzello, a teacher of at-risk students in Colton, jumped into what was a four-man race for Riverside mayor. She took out a petition to get signatures in lieu of the filing fee for the seat, which is on the June 5 ballot, City Clerk Colleen Nicol confirmed on Tuesday.
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 19 December 2011 09:10 PM
Proposals to create a commission on sustainability, have Riverside’s internal city auditor report to the council, hold council runoff elections sooner, and a handful of less substantive changes have passed the first hurdle to getting into the city charter.
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 17 December 2011 08:55 PM
A meeting Monday could be the last chance for Riverside residents to suggest changes to the city charter before the charter review committee makes recommendations to the City Council in January.
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 12 December 2011 08:54 PM
Riverside City Manager Scott Barber will cost taxpayers less than his predecessor, Brad Hudson, but Barber likely remains among the best-compensated city executives in the state.
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 10 December 2011 04:05 PM
For new Riverside City Manager Scott Barber, becoming head of the state’s 12th largest city in tough economic times will mean filling some key positions, pushing a smaller-scale public works “renaissance,” and facing a potential budget shortfall of several million dollars.
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 05 December 2011 08:29 PM
After collecting more than 40 applications and interviewing seven people for the job, the Riverside City Council on Monday named interim city manager Scott Barber to the post permanently.
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 03 December 2011 02:48 PM
As local governments around the country trim payrolls to fit tight budgets, Riverside’s staff may grow slightly as some council members who haven’t had assistants look to hire them.
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 29 November 2011 01:45 PM
Proposals that would create a citizens audit committee and have Riverside’s auditor report to the City Council rather than the city manager survived another round of discussion by the charter review committee, bringing them a step closer to the June 2012 ballot.
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 21 November 2011 07:54 PM
Riverside’s new outside audit firm gave the city’s finances a clean bill of health this month, but some critics remain convinced that not all the city’s fiscal dealings have been aboveboard in recent years.
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 18 November 2011 11:10 AM
Riverside officials will interview six candidates for the city manager’s job during a special closed-door meeting Monday at the Mission Inn.
Neil Nisperos, Staff Writer
Posted: 11/11/2011 04:37:50 PM PST
Members of Occupy Wall Street-inspired groups from throughout region will protest together today as Occupy Inland Empire for the first time in a rally in San Bernardino.
By John Hoeffel, Los Angeles Times
November 11, 2011
In a decision that could have immediate fallout for medical marijuana dispensaries, a state appeals court has ruled that California law allows cities and counties to ban the stores.
Incumbent Steve Adams wins Ward 7 runoff against challenger John Brandriff
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 08 November 2011 06:02 PM
Supporters of Riverside’s library tax renewal were excited by the victory of Measure I, which easily met the two-thirds threshold to pass.
According to final unofficial results, the measure finished with a lopsided lead.
Alvord had two and Riverside Unified had three board positions in this election
BY DAYNA STRAEHLEY
STAFF WRITER
dstraehley@pe.com
Published: 08 November 2011 06:06 PM
Voters in the Riverside Unified School District chose three people for board seats, while voters in the Alvord school district picked two for the board.
Sandra Emerson, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Created: 11/06/2011 05:53:46 PM PST
RIVERSIDE – After nearly an hour and a half of group discussion in the human microphone fashion, members of several Occupy Wall Street movements in the Inland Empire raised their hands, wiggled their fingers and a consensus was reached – a committee will be formed to propose future activities bringing all their movements together.
The 4th District Court of Appeal heard arguments on Riverside and Upland prohibitions
BY RICHARD K. DE ATLEY
STAFF WRITER
rdeatley@pe.com
Published: 02 November 2011 08:29 PM
A state appellate court panel heard arguments Wednesday on whether Riverside and Upland can issue citywide bans on medical marijuana dispensaries.
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 29 October 2011 04:19 PM
Riverside’s Ward 7 councilman and his runoff opponent have about a week and a half left to get their messages out to voters.
Loveridge
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 22 October 2011 04:36 PM
A proposal to rename Riverside City Hall for Mayor Ron Loveridge may be shelved, after community resistance took proponents by surprise.
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Published: 16 October 2011 05:58 PM
A campaign alliance between San Bernardino City Attorney Jim Penman and city clerk candidate Amelia Sanchez Lopez is raising eyebrows among longtime election watchers and concern among those who would like to see the pair defeated.
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 15 October 2011 07:34 PM
The full-time paid assistants to Riverside City Council members have become the latest political football at City Hall.
MARK MUCKENFUSS, STAFF WRITER
mmuckenfuss@pe.com
Published: 13 October 2011 05:29 PM
UC Riverside’s School of Business Administration has been listed among the best of the West in a newly published book by The Princeton Review.
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 12 October 2011 09:47 PM
At an election forum that was rife with questionable statements and below-the-belt jabs, Riverside Ward 7 Councilman Steve Adams and challenger John Brandriff faced off Thursday before an audience of about 70 residents.
BY JACK KATZANEK
STAFF WRITER
jkatzanek@pe.com
Published: 05 October 2011 06:33 PM
New campus buildings, bigger research projects and more students are the main reasons UC Riverside’s economic impact has expanded to $1.4 billion, a study released this week by the school found.
Loveridge
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 04 October 2011 09:06 PM
A sports complex was named for three-term Riverside Mayor Ab Brown. The City Council chambers’ namesake is longtime local business leader Art Pick. Until now, all long-serving Ron Loveridge had was an honorary table at the Marriott hotel.
Riverside’s review board solicits residents’ input on how the city should be run
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Published: 03 October 2011 09:43 PM
Riverside’s charter review committee will start narrowing down which proposals, from changing the election cycle to creating a citizens’ audit committee, to bring to the City Council.
10:00 PM PDT on Thursday, September 22, 2011
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Riverside officials this week took formal steps to create a lower pension tier for most future employees.
11:45 PM PDT on Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Riverside City Council
Park bids rejected
The council voted to reject all bids received for construction of Tequesquite Park so staff can restructure the bid request in response to a funding shortage.
10:01 PM PDT on Thursday, August 25, 2011
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Riverside officials decided this week to drop their lawsuits against expansion projects at Los Angeles-area ports after 2 ½ years of slogging through the courts and at least $350,000 in legal costs.
11:46 PM PDT on Tuesday, August 23, 2011
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Riverside council members’ doubts about leasing downtown office space for $1.6 million a year have apparently been assuaged, as they took no steps to reconsider the issue at a meeting Tuesday.
Paul Davis
10:00 PM PDT on Monday, August 22, 2011
BY ALICIA ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
arobinson@pe.com
Riverside officials already have signed a lease to take over downtown office space now occupied by law firm Best Best & Krieger, but some council members don’t consider it a done deal.
10:23 PM PDT on Thursday, August 11, 2011
By JOHN MURPHY
Staff Writer jomurphy@pe.com
Murrieta Valley and six other Inland high schools have been implicated in an alleged scheme involving kickbacks for ordering sporting equipment through a now defunct Orange County sporting goods company.
11:28 PM PDT on Monday, August 8, 2011
By DUG BEGLEY
The Press-Enterprise
Construction of car pool lanes along Highway 91 in Riverside and a major railroad overpass in Colton will begin by early next year, provided state officials approve a new round of money for transportation projects.
10:00 PM PDT on Monday, August 8, 2011
By ALICIA ROBINSON
The Press-Enterprise
An attorney for four medical marijuana dispensaries in Riverside has filed several lawsuits to pre-empt any city attempts to close the facilities.
10:28 PM PDT on Monday, August 1, 2011
By ALICIA ROBINSON
The Press-Enterprise
Riverside’s current debt load — $1.7 billion — is the highest in city history, partly due to the slew of public works projects over the past five years known as the Renaissance.
10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, July 26, 2011
By ALICIA ROBINSON
The Press-Enterprise
The Riverside City Council chose Community Development Director Scott Barber to serve as interim city manager while it seeks a permanent replacement for Brad Hudson.
10:00 PM PDT on Thursday, July 21, 2011
By ALICIA ROBINSON
The Press-Enterprise
Riverside officials say they don’t see anything questionable in several cases of alleged contract steering, and a city-commissioned investigation by an outside law firm has likewise concluded there was no wrongdoing.
10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, July 12, 2011
By ALICIA ROBINSON
The Press-Enterprise
Riverside probably will pay the state a required $19.6 million to keep the city’s redevelopment agency alive.
10:00 PM PDT on Saturday, July 9, 2011
By ALICIA ROBINSON
The Press-Enterprise
A special panel set up to address ethics complaints against Riverside officials will be called into service later this month, for the second time since it was created in a November overhaul of the ethics code.
Gardner
By PE Politics
July 6, 2011 3:35 PM
It’s official. Riverside Ward 1 Councilman Mike Gardner is running for mayor next year.
09:29 AM PDT on Thursday, July 7, 2011
By ALICIA ROBINSON
The Press-Enterprise
Special Section: Riverside Renaissance
Riverside officials have backtracked on plans to spend $65 million in redevelopment bonds and instead have repaid nearly half of the debt they incurred in March.
By PE News
July 5, 2011 3:27 PM
The Riverside City Council will observe its summer schedule in July and August, with meetings on the second and fourth Tuesdays only, instead of each of the first four Tuesdays.
10:26 PM PDT on Wednesday, June 29, 2011
By LORA HINES
The Press-Enterprise
UC Riverside officials announced Wednesday that the opening of their proposed medical school will be postponed a year because they did not secure the ongoing state funding needed to gain accreditation.
10:41 PM PDT on Friday, June 24, 2011
By ALICIA ROBINSON
The Press-Enterprise
Riverside public works management might have influenced the bid award process for a $10.5 million sewer design plant contract, according to a city-ordered investigation.
10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, June 21, 2011
By ALICIA ROBINSON
The Press-Enterprise
Riverside has a balanced budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, but City Manager Brad Hudson cautioned the council that state legislation on redevelopment could cut a multimillion-dollar hole in it.
10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, June 21, 2011
By ALICIA ROBINSON
The Press-Enterprise
Riverside council members will put off appointing an interim city manager until July 12 and may not appoint one even then, officials said after a closed-door discussion Tuesday.
10:51 PM PDT on Sunday, June 19, 2011
By ALICIA ROBINSON
The Press-Enterprise
Costs are about to go up in Riverside for a variety of city services, from renting a picnic shelter at a city park to getting plans for a subdivision approved.
10:00 PM PDT on Sunday, June 19, 2011
Submitted to The Press-Enterprise
Cal State San Bernardino President Albert Karnig will be honored by the Inland Empire chapter of the American Society for Public Administration at the organization’s 2010-11 annual awards ceremony.
09:59 PM PDT on Wednesday, June 15, 2011
By ALICIA ROBINSON and JIM MILLER
The Press-Enterprise
Published: 6/15/2011 04:18 PM
“Brad, and not Brad” is the only way to describe what Riverside City Council members and residents say they’ll be looking for in a replacement for City Manager Brad Hudson, who will leave his post in mid-August.
After six years in Riverside, Hudson has accepted a job as Sacramento County’s top executive. The surprise announcement Tuesday put an exclamation point on Hudson’s sometimes turbulent Riverside career.
Hudson
11:18 PM PDT on Tuesday, June 14, 2011
By DUG BEGLEY and ALICIA ROBINSON
The Press-Enterprise
Riverside City Manager Brad Hudson is leaving the city after six years with a reputation as its Renaissance man for getting $1.57 billion in projects started — but sometimes with a heavy hand.
10:00 PM PDT on Monday, June 13, 2011
By ALICIA ROBINSON
The Press-Enterprise
Riverside’s 2011-12 budget is balanced now, but pending decisions at the state level could force city officials to recalculate before they vote on the fiscal plan later this month.
10:00 PM PDT on Saturday, June 11, 2011
By ALICIA ROBINSON
The Press-Enterprise
A Riverside city engineer said he has been questioned by the Riverside County district attorney’s office about a $10.5 million sewer plant design contract that also is the subject of a city investigation.
10:00 PM PDT on Wednesday, June 8, 2011
By ALICIA ROBINSON
The Press-Enterprise
Riverside voters drew a variety of lessons from the outcome of Tuesday’s council election, which returned three incumbents to office. But several community leaders made the same forecast for the city’s immediate future: more politics.
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