Democratic state Senators Ricardo Lara, of Bell Gardens, left, and Richard Roth, of Riverside, confer off the Senate floor in Sacramento. By a razor-thin margin, lawmakers late Thursday, April 6 approved a $5-billion-a-year boost in California’s gas and vehicle taxes to pay for major road repairs. (Rich Pedroncelli, Associated Press)

By Jeff Horseman / Staff Writer
Published: April 7, 2017 – Updated: 11:41 a.m.

Riverside County will get $420 million for transportation infrastructure projects, and four cities will finally get their vehicle license fee revenue back, thanks to a deal struck with two Democratic lawmakers to get their votes for a massive transportation funding package.

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Joseph Turner
Thursday, November 3, 2016 – 10:37 p.m.

Syrian refugees could soon be getting a tuition-free junior college education if one ultra-liberal Riverside County politician has his way.

Bill Hedrick, a candidate for the Riverside Community College District Trustee with ties to a radical Islamic terrorist group , expressed his support for tuition-free college education for all on his Facebook page.

“I believe in making community college totally free — that means no fees.”

In this YouTube video, Mr. Hedrick is very clear. He says: Read the rest of this entry »

Published: May 25, 2016 – Updated: 5:21 p.m.

Amazon announced today it will open a fulfillment center in Eastvale.

The online retail giant has fullfilment centers in Moreno Valley, Redlands, Rialto and San Bernardino. It also has a sortation center in San Bernardino.

To read article by Fielding Buck in The Press-Enterprise, click here.

A lawsuit by Eastvale over relief bill could have ramifications for three other area cities.

Published: Dec. 18, 2015
Updated:   Dec. 20, 2015 – 5:57 p.m.

Jurupa Valley City Manager Gary Thompson is certain Riverside County will prevail in the legal challenge filed by Eastvale concerning a plan to erase millions of dollars in debt owed by Jurupa Valley, Menifee and Wildomar — but not Eastvale.

To read article by Sandra Stokley in The Press-Enterprise, click here.

Published: Nov. 16, 2015 – 8:18 p.m.

• Eastvale voted to sue Riverside County on a 5-0 vote Monday night, Nov. 16.

The Eastvale City Council announced Monday night, Nov. 16, that it intends to file a lawsuit against Riverside County involving a bill that provided for debt relief for Riverside County’s newest cities.

To read article by Sandra Stokley in The Press Enterprise, click here.

Thirteen Riverside County cities, including Temecula, are exploring the possibility of creating a regional police force. Their study is sparked by the rising cost of contracting with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. (Frank Bellino / File)

Published: Oct. 2, 2015
Updated: Oct. 5, 2015 – 8:11 a.m.

• Frustrated by rising costs, they are studying the idea of ending their Sheriff’s Department contracts and forming a new agency.

A group of 13 Riverside County cities are looking into whether they can save money on law enforcement costs by pooling their resources to form their own police force.

To read story by Imran Ghori in The Press-Enterprise, click here.

By Neil Nisperos, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 07/02/15 – 8:27 PM PDT |

EASTVALE >> Plans are moving forward for the city’s largest development.

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Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, Menifee and Wildomar lost millions in state vehicle license fees four years ago.

Published: May 14, 2015 – Updated: 10:21 p.m.

Four cities in Riverside County still coping with a 4-year-old revenue hit could get relief in the revised state budget offered by Gov. Jerry Brownon Thursday, May 14.

To read story by Jeff Horseman in The Press-Enterprise, click here.

The Sacramento firm is paid $3,000 a month to work on getting vehicle-license fee revenue restored.

Published: Feb. 20, 2015
Updated: Feb. 22, 2015 10:01 p.m.

As 2015-16 budget planning gets underway, Riverside County’s four newest cities have parted ways on whether to keep the Sacramento lobbyist they hired in 2011 to help them get back crucial state money.

To read story by Sandra Stokley in The Press-Enterprise, click here.

An assistant city manager position also would be created and filled if the acting city manager’s plan is approved

Published: Dec. 9, 2014 Updated: 10:00 p.m.

A proposal to give Eastvale employees a raise and reorganize City Hall staff by creating a new assistant city manager post will go the the City Council on Wednesday, Dec. 10.

To read story by Sandra Stokley in The Press-Enterprise, click here.

Published: Dec. 2, 2014 Updated: 11:20 p.m.

The California legislature’s 2013-2014 session ended Nov. 30 and, with it, any hope of an override of Gov. Jerry Brown’s veto of a bill that would have restored vehicle license fee revenue to Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, Menifee and Wildomar.

To read story by Sandra Stokley in The Press-Enterprise, click here.

Published: Nov. 26, 2014 – 8:39 a.m.

Eastvale announced this week that it is launching a search for a permanent city manager, acting city manager Michele Nissen said in a news release.

To read story by Sandra Stokley in The Press-Enterprise, click here.

The city rents office space in a shopping center but has a fund for a new building

Published: Nov. 21, 2014 Updated: Nov. 22, 2014 5:43 p.m.

Where Al’s Corner bar used to be, Eastvale’s long-awaited city hall building could rise.

The Eastvale City Council earlier this month gave approval to a proposal to look into placing a city hall – with a city council chambers – on 1.6 acres of vacant land the city inherited from Riverside County.

To read story by Sandra Stokley in The Press-Enterprise, click here.

Published: Oct. 9, 2014 6:40 p.m.

Former Eastvale City Manager Carol Jacobs, who resigned abruptly Aug. 27, received a lump sum payment of $62,772 from the city under a settlement agreement made public this week.

Terms of the pact also show that she quit rather than be fired.

To read story by Sandra Stokley in The Press-Enterprise, click here.

Special legislative session would be required to overturn Gov. Brown’s rejection of funding for Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, Menifee and Wildomar.

Published: Oct. 6, 2014 Updated: Oct. 7, 2014 11:21 a.m.

Possibly reviving four Inland cities’ hopes for financial stability, state Sen. Richard Roth, D-Riverside, is seeking to reverse the veto of a bill that would have restored vehicle license fees to Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, Menifee and Wildomar.

To read story by Alicia Robinson in The Press-Enterprise, click here.

A veto is the latest setback in the effort to restore millions in lost vehicle-license fees to new cities; an override of the veto seem unlikely.

Published: Sept. 29, 2014 Updated: 10:37 p.m.

Gov. Jerry Brown’s veto of a bill to restore up to $19 million to four fledgling Riverside County cities has some Inland officials questioning if politics played a role in the decision that could lead Jurupa Valley to dissolve.

To read story by Jeff Horseman, Sandra Stokley and Michael J. Williams in The Press-Enterprise, click here.

Eastvale, Menifee, Wildomar and especially Jurupa Valley have struggled since vehicle license fee revenue was diverted in 2011

Published: Sept. 28, 2014 Updated: 11:44 p.m.

Jurupa Valley’s hopes of getting a budget boost from the state were dashed Sunday when Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a bill that would have restored funding diverted in 2011 from the state’s four newest cities, all of which are in Riverside County.

To read story by Nikie Johnson in The Press-Enterprise, click here.

An artist’s rendering of the Goodman Birtcher logistics center planned in Fontana. (Courtesy of Goodman Birtcher)

By Neil Nisperos, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 09/20/14, 6:32 PM PDT |

Two new large warehouse distribution centers are planned for Fontana and Eastvale that would bring thousands of new jobs to the Inland Empire.

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BY SANDRA STOKLEY / STAFF WRITER
Published: Sept. 10, 2014 Updated: 10:01 p.m.

Eastvale will reach into its past to chart its future — at least in the near term.

Council members on Wednesday night emerged from a nearly 90-minute closed session and announced that Robert Van Nort will be brought back to serve as interim manager until a permanent replacement is found for former City Manager Carol Jacobs.

To read stroy by Sandra Stokley in The Press-Enterprise, click here.

Published: Aug. 28, 2014 – Updated: 3:30 p.m.

Eastvale City Manager Carol Jacobs resigned, effective immediately, during a closed session at Wednesday night’s city council meeting, City Attorney John Cavanaugh said Thursday.

Cavanaugh will serve as city manager at least until the Sept. 10 city council meeting, when the council may announce an interim city manager.

To read story by Sandra Stokley in the The Press-Enterprise, click here.

City Council members denounce Jeff DeGrandpre’s allegations as “lies” and “falsehoods”

Published: Aug. 22, 2014 Updated: Aug. 23, 2014 7:07 p.m.

Former Eastvale City Councilman Jeff DeGrandpre has detailed allegations that some of his former colleagues took part in “back-door dealing” and met illegally – accusations they denounced as lies.

To read story by Sandra Stokley in the Press-Enterprise, click here.

Published: Aug. 21, 2014 – Updated: 1:22 p.m.

California’s Senate on Thursday passed legislation that would restore vehicle license fee revenue to four fledgling cities in Riverside County.

To read post by Jeff Horseman in the P-E Political Empire Blog, click here.

Resignations and deaths are bringing new faces to the Eastvale City Council and to Jurupa Valley governing boards

Published: July 22, 2014 Updated: July 23, 2014 12:10 a.m.

November’s election brings the prospect of change on city councils and boards throughout Riverside County.

But due to resignations and deaths, change already is underway in the northwest Riverside County cities of Eastvale and Jurupa Valley.

To read story by Sandra Stokley in the Press-Enterprise, click here.

But it could still be a struggle to get Gov. Jerry Brown to provide millions of dollars to four cities hammered by the 2011 loss of fee revenue.

Published: July 16, 2014 Updated: July 17, 2014 9:18 a.m.

A bill giving millions of dollars to four fledgling Riverside County cities appears headed for the governor’s desk, but there’s no guarantee it will be signed, the county’s lobbyist told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

To read story by Jeff Horseman in the Press-Enterprise, click here.

June 25, 2014

Eastvale City Councilman Jeff DeGrandpre abruptly resigned Wednesday night after accusing his council colleagues of engaging in “back-door deals,” causing dissension at City Hall and holding meetings that violated California’s open-meeting law.

To read story by Sandra Stokley in the Press-Enterprise, click here.

May 07, 2014; 03:59 PM

With the clock ticking on the 2014 California legislative session, supporters of the state’s four newest cities – all in Riverside County – say they are still committed to getting crucial state funding taken in 2011 restored to Eastvale, Menifee, Wildomar and especially Jurupa Valley.

To read story by Sandra Stokley in The Press Enterprise, click here.

October 23, 2013; 09:47 PM

Councilwoman Kelly Howell announced at the Wednesday, Oct. 23, Eastvale City Council meeting that she will be leaving the council on Nov. 30.

To read story by Sandra Stokley in The Press Enterprise, click here.

October 10, 2013; 05:50 PM

Eastvale city officials have had a change of heart and are now vowing to continue the fight to get crucial state revenue reinstated to Riverside County’s four newest cities, which lost millions in state revenue in a 2011 budget bill.

To read story by Sandra Stokley in The Press Enterprise, click here.

September 13, 2013; 07:15 PM

SACRAMENTO – Anyone watching from the gallery or on television as legislation fixing Orange County’s budget problem sped through the Legislature this week might have expected Riverside County lawmakers at some point to ask, “What about us?”

To read story by Jim Miller in The Press Enterprise, click here.

September 13, 2013

The 2013 legislative year came to close early today with no action on restoring money for four Riverside County cities sideswiped by a 2011 budget bill.

To read post by Jim Miller on The PE Political Empire Blog, click here.

September 10, 2013; 06:54 PM

SACRAMENTO – A late-night budget deal 4-1/2 years ago is proving to be a valuable chit for Orange County, as the county seeks restoration of a 2011 cut that also hit Riverside County’s newest cities.

To read story by Jim Miller in The Press Enterprise, click here.

Riverside County cities that lost license fee money are still unlikely to partner with Orange County

August 14, 2013; 05:41 PM

SACRAMENTO — Two years ago, lawmakers from Orange County gave a cold shoulder to a frantic attempt by four Inland cities to piggyback on their legislative effort to reverse a June 2011 state budget action that took vehicle license-fee money away from new cities.

To read story by Jim Miller In The Press Enterprise, click here.

June 17, 2013; 07:04 PM

SACRAMENTO – Legislation designed to offer much-needed financial help to Riverside County’s newest cities will have its first hearing this week, following more changes designed to chart a path through California’s convoluted state-local fiscal landscape.

To read story by Jim Miller in The Press Enterprise, click here.

April 16, 2013; 07:12 PM

Legislation to restore millions of dollars in 2011 budget cuts to four Riverside County cities has been pulled from its first committee hearing.

To read story by Jim Miller in The Press Enterprise, click here.

April 15, 2013; 04:27 PM

Officials from three of Riverside County’s four newest cities will travel to Sacramento this week in a bid to reclaim state money they say they need to adequately serve their constituents.

To read story by Sandra Stokley in The Press Enterprise, click here.

March 26, 2013; 06:02 PM

SACRAMENTO – Inland lawmakers and local officials have taken a new tack to try to restore lost revenue for four Riverside County cities disproportionately hurt by a state budget shift two years ago.

To read story by Jim Miller in The Press Enterprise, click here.

February 21, 2013; 06:59 PM

Aid packages aimed at stabilizing the finances of two of the county’s newest cities — and staving off the fiscal collapse of Jurupa Valley — will go to Riverside County supervisors next week.

To read story by Sandra Stokley in The Press Enterprise, click here.

January 10, 2013; 06:55 PM

Riverside County senators Richard Roth and Bill Emmerson introduced legislation this week stating their intent to restore lost funding for California cities that have incorporated since 2004.

To read story by Jim Miller and Nelsy Rodriguez in The Press Enterprise, click here.

Getting Sacramento to restore vehicle license fee revenue to new cities such as Jurupa Valley is one of the top lobbying goals for Riverside County supervisors in 2013.

December 31, 2012; 05:02 PM

Restoring funding to four cities and securing money for health-services are among the top lobbying priorities for Riverside County in the new year.

To read story by Jeff Horseman in The Press Enterprise, click here.

The $14 million to cities harmed by the loss of vehicle-license funds in 2011 would create too big of a hole in the state budget, he says

Published: 19 September 2012 – 09:18 PM

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed legislation that would have allocated $14 million to Riverside County’s newest cities, citing the measure’s impact on last year’s shift of some criminal-justice, mental health and other services to counties.

To read story by Jim Miller in The Press Enterprise, click here.

Published: 14 September 2012 – 04:19 PM
A Text Size

Voters in the new cities of Jurupa Valley and Eastvale will be asked Nov. 6 to set a constitutionally required amount of taxes and other revenue the cities may receive and spend annually.

To read story by Sandra Stokley in The Press Enterprise, click here.

Published: 30 August 2012 – 06:46 PM

SACRAMENTO – For the second year in a row, a group of Inland Southern California cities and lawmakers are making a last-minute push to restore millions of dollars in budget cuts.

To read story by Jim Miller in the Press Enterprise, click here.

Published: 13 August 2012 – 04:22 PM

Eastvale and Jurupa Valley City Council incumbents running for a full four-year term each will face challengers in the Nov. 6 election.

To read story by Sandra Stokley in the Press-Enterprise, click here.

THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE

Published: 10 August 2012 05:15 PM

Inland Rep Mary Bono Mack’s legislation seeking to lift taxes on the cash awards received by Olympic medalists gained a key supporter.

To read column in the Press-Enterprise, click here.

BY SANDRA STOKLEY
STAFF WRITER
sstokley@pe.com

Published: 14 June 2012 10:38 PM

Staggered City Council terms mean that two council members in each of Riverside County’s two newest cities will face re-election in November.

Eastvale Councilmen Ike Bootsma and Jeff DeGrandpre, and Jurupa Valley Councilmen Brad Hancock and Frank Johnston were the lowest vote-getters in their respective 2010 and 2011 contests and were elected to two-year terms. Whoever wins election in the November, 2012 election, would serve a full four-year term.

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BY JIM MILLER
SACRAMENTO BUREAU
jmiller@pe.com

Published: 24 May 2012 08:31 PM

SACRAMENTO Legislation to restore millions of dollars in vehicle-license-fee revenue for four Riverside County cities has stalled in the state Senate and is likely dead for the year.

Friday, May 25, is the deadline for bills to pass their respective houses’ appropriations committees. The Senate Appropriations Committee reviewed dozens of measures that had been parked on its “suspense” file because of the legislation’s perceived impact on the state’s bottom line.

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BY JIM MILLER
SACRAMENTO BUREAU
jmiller@pe.com

Published: 18 April 2012 10:22 PM

SACRAMENTO — Legislation that would restore a critical revenue stream for Riverside County’s newest cities cleared its first committee this morning, the first concrete success for the cities and their supporters following months of efforts to roll back part of last summer’s state budget.

Jurupa Valley, Eastvale, Wildomar and Menifee lost a combined $14 million when lawmakers approved an $86 billion budget that diverted vehicle-license fee money to pay for local law-enforcement grants. Officials in the cities warned of fiscal calamity, including possible disincorporation, if there is no fix.

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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.

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Eastvale is among four new cities that lost vehicle license fee revenue when the state redirected it to local law enforcement grants.(File Photo/2010)

BY JIM MILLER
SACRAMENTO BUREAU
jmiller@pe.com

Published: 02 March 2012 02:32 PM

SACRAMENTO — Inland Southern California lawmakers are making a new push to restore state budget cuts that threaten the solvency of Riverside County’s newest cities.

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The Riverside City Council is discussing whether to name City Hall after Mayor Ron Loveridge.

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.

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By PE Politics
September 10, 2011 2:15 AM

Four Riverside County cities that lost up to one-half of their revenue in the June budget deal failed to recover any of it in the final hours of the 2011 regular session that ended early this morning.

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10:00 PM PDT on Thursday, September 8, 2011

BY JIM MILLER
SACRAMENTO BUREAU
jmiller@pe.com

SACRAMENTO – Attempts to restore millions of dollars for Riverside County’s newest cities will go down to the wire, amid last-ditch legislative maneuvers to allocate the money this year.

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10:16 PM PDT on Thursday, September 1, 2011

BY JIM MILLER and SANDRA STOKLEY
STAFF WRITERS
jmiller@pe.com|sstokley@pe.com

SACRAMENTO – New state legislation would reverse deep state budget cuts to four Riverside County cities by partially restoring a higher tax on people’s vehicles.

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10:00 PM PDT on Monday, August 8, 2011

By SANDRA STOKLEY
The Press-Enterprise

The Eastvale City Council, meeting in joint session with the city’s Planning Commission, will get its first in-depth look Wednesday at a proposed development that would put three mega-warehouses on one of the last major pieces of developable land in the city.

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10:00 PM PST on Tuesday, February 22, 2011

By SANDRA STOKLEY
The Press-Enterprise

On Feb. 16, Norco became the first Riverside County city to post the national motto “In God We Trust” in its council chambers.

The city of Eastvale may soon follow suit.

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10:00 PM PST on Saturday, January 22, 2011

By SANDRA STOKLEY
The Press-Enterprise

Six months into his tenure as chief administrator of the newly minted city of Eastvale, interim City Manager Robert Van Nort said he will soon give council members a status report to help them decide on a timetable for hiring his permanent replacement.

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10:00 PM PDT on Sunday, September 26, 2010

By SANDRA STOKLEY
The Press-Enterprise

Water quality, increased water and sewer rates, customer service and financial waste are some of the issues that are in play in the campaign for the Jurupa Community Services District board of directors.

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Wendy Leung, Staff Writer
Created: 09/24/2010 06:04:04 PM PDT

EASTVALE – It wasn’t long ago when crop land and dairies were all that made up this freeway-adjacent town.

Today, with a multiplex theater, a trendy frozen yogurt shop and a half-dozen dairies clinging to its rural heritage, Eastvale is set to incorporate.

On Friday, with a community parade and a fireworks show, residents will mark cityhood.

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