Solar, still great for the planet, not as great for your wallet Great Valley Center Image Bank, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/Solar Panels can create a lot of energy, but that energy needs to be used or stored. ■ By Jacob Doane / Contributed The talk at a recent San Jacinto City Council meeting was about electricity. Southern California Edison is one of the largest electric companies in the nation as well as the nation’s single largest purchaser of renewable power. It is also on Edison’s model that many smaller local electric companies are based off of. San Jacinto Power, the electricity provider for San Jacinto is no different and Edison has recently made some (more…)

Council approves new acquisition agreement for phases 2 and 3 of project Tom Jones/The Valley ChronicleEntrance to phase one of the 673-acre project. ■ By Tom Jones / Contributed The Hemet City Council unanimously approved a resolution for revised construction funding and an acquisition agreement for McSweeny Farms. This resolution is in regards to infrastructure construction and acquisition for phases two and three of the 673-acre development off of State Street in southwest Hemet. The original plan called for construction of 1,640 single family homes, three neighborhood parks, a clubhouse and pool facility, an elementary school, a 12-acre commercial site and 100 acres of open space. The open space will include (more…)

GENA ESTRINSJ Mayor Russ Utz working at Envision 2014 workshop. ■ By Gena Estrin / Contributed San Jacinto’s mayor, Russ Utz, worked with citizens to develop a plan to improve the city’s transportation infrastructure at the second of three Envision 2040 San Jacinto General Plan Visioning workshops held this first quarter of 2019. The first in this series of workshops was held Feb. 21 where discussions were directed to the topic called “Values, Issues, and Opportunities.” Last year, the Envision team invited guests at the Aug. 15 Kool Nights concert at Estudillo Mansion to give their input on preliminary drafts created from the initial workshops held previously. On Sept. 29, they (more…)

Glenn Lindsey started with department on Jan. 31 Photos by Soboba Band of Luiseño IndiansGlenn Lindsey, Soboba Fire Department’s newest employee, poses with his family at a recognition ceremony on Feb. 25. From left, his grandmother Rosemary Morillo, Lindsey holding his daughter Avareign, his fiancée Glori Beltran, his mother Michelle Morillo and his aunt Anita Morillo. ■ By Mike Hiles / Contributed Growing up, Glenn Lindsey always thought about becoming a firefighter but it wasn’t until he worked with the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians’ NCIDC program in 2017 that he decided it was time to pursue that career path. The NCIDC (Northern California Indian Development Council) is a private, nonprofit (more…)

Additional courts at Diamond Valley Lake Community Park reflect growing popularity of the sport Tom Jones/The Valley ChronicleSnowbirds from Canada and Oregon enjoy a fast-paced game of pickleball at Diamond Valley Lake Park. Canadians Scott Martin and Marcia Marzovilla (foreground) challenge Roger Damico and Greg Crowl from Oregon. ■ By Tom Jones / Contributed The community park at Diamond Valley Lake recently gained two new pickleball courts to better accommodate the growing popularity of the hybrid sport. The Hemet City Council has approved a reimbursement request in the amount of $59,961 to the Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District for the construction of two additional pickleball courts at the Diamond Valley Lake (more…)

Hemet relinquishes fee computation and collection responsibility to WRCOG ■ By Tom Jones / Contributed “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” That darogotory observation is often meant as a criticism of overly intrusive government intervention, but it’s not always the case as the City of Hemet recently acknowledged. The City of Hemet is a member of the Western Riverside Council of Governments, a joint powers agency comprised of the county and the 18 cities in Western Riverside County. Among other functions WRCOG administers the Transportation Uniform Mitigation Fee program designed to provide transportation and transit infrastructure that mitigates the impact of new development both regionally and on local (more…)

https://ad67.asmrc.org/Melissa A. Melendez. ■ Jared Yoshiki / Contributed Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez, R-Lake Elsinore, announced today that she has introduced two measures called AB 553 and AB 264, which both seek to boost housing development in California. “It’s time to end the high-speed train to nowhere and admit that it was on the wrong tracks from the very beginning,” said Melendez. “We have a golden opportunity to work together and redirect past spending mistakes and focus on a real crisis facing California – housing.” AB 553 seeks to repurpose the remaining high-speed rail money to address California’s housing crisis. The Governor, in his state of the state address, indicated an unwillingness to (more…)

Budget adjustments reflect unforeseen revenue and expenditure changes ■ By Tom Jones / Contributed The Hemet City Council unanimously approved mid-year adjustments to the Fiscal Year 2018-19 budget at a city council meeting held on Tuesday, Feb 26. These adjustments will reflect changes in revenue and expenditures that were unforeseen at the time that the original budget was adopted in June 2018. On the revenue side of the adjustments, taxes on unsecured property have already exceeded the amount in the original budget and property taxes earmarked for the Redevelopment Property Tax Trust Fund increment came in higher than expected. The total mid-year revenue adjustments amounted to $175,000. Expenditure adjustments included $21,375 (more…)

Project for intersection of Cottonwood and Sanderson will bring big names to San Jacinto Planning Commission Staff Report 01-29-19A bird’s eye graphic of the development zone and the businesses already in place. ■ Jacob Doane / Contributed Exciting things are happening in San Jacinto. For nearly a decade, the lot on Cottonwood and Sanderson Avenues has held a CVS and more recently a Shell gas station. During a recent San Jacinto City Council meeting, a representative for SRC, LP and SJSA Investments, LLC, the two partners who each play a role in the development of that area, came to ask the council to renew the development plan they had agreed to (more…)

San Jacinto Emergency Response Personnel recognized in the field by city council Jacob DoaneThe waters covered the roads and center dividers on the Ramona Expressway. ■ Jacob Doane / Contributed Special mention was recently given to the men and women of the San Jacinto emergency response city personnel by San Jacinto City Council members. At a council meeting held on Tuesday, Feb 19, their efforts were recognized for aiding the public during extreme flooding throughout the valley brought on by recent heavy storms. The recognition was offered initially by Councilwoman Crystal Ruiz. “During the rains I drove down Sanderson, water up to my door and our staff was right there. Blocking (more…)