MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2014 - SEPTEMBER 21, 2014
riversideindependent.com
New law requires paid sick leave for California workers by jennifer schlueter According to the governor’s office, “about 40% of California’s workforce — an estimated 6.5 million people — have no paid sick leave benefits at all,” states the Los Angeles Times. This will change July of next year, because last Wednesday, Governor Jerry Brown signed the Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014 (AB 1522). For both part-time and full-time employees working more than 30 days per year, the legislation requires employers to grant them three days of paid sick leave. For every 30 hours of labor, employees can earn a minimum of one paid sick leave hour to recuperate themselves, or assist a sick family member. Unions and worker’s rights groups have long favored the new law and Brown called the bill by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego “real step forward” for, especially middle-class, workers, who had to choose between forcing themselves to work while sick and thus possibly endanger coworkers, or recover at home losing essential income and fearing job loss. The governor added in a statement: “Whether you’re a dishwasher in San Diego or a
The storms made hundreds of Inland families lose power, utility companies told the Press Enterprise. Weather forecasters said thunderstorms were expected to continue into the Monday morning commute, said CynPlease see page 2
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Francisco County was the first county nationwide to adopt such a law for workers within the county. According to the LA Times, the bill exempts not only Please see page 4
Thunderstorms wreak havoc and street closures by Vickie Vértiz Broken cement, flooded streets, several feet of mud, and uprooted trees left Riverside residents with a huge mess to clean after a storm hit the area on the weekend of September 6. According to the Press Enterprise, two of the hardest-hit streets in Riverside were Central Avenue, Canyon Crest,
and 14th Street, which were closed at different points due to the strong rainstorm. The rain so badly flooded those streets that Central Avenue was closed again on Monday because water levels on 14th Street still reached the hoods of two cars that remained stuck there, reported the paper.
City Manager Scott Barber announces intention to retire Scott Barber, who has served as Riverside’s City Manager for three years, last Wednesday announced his intention to retire at the end of the 2014. Barber, who has more than 28 years of experience in local government, has been City Manager in Riverside since Dec. 6, 2011. He previously served as Riverside’s first Community Development Director for six years. “On behalf of the residents and businesses of Riverside, I want to thank Scott Barber for the last nine years of service to our community,” Mayor Rusty Bailey said. “Scott has been a focused and innovative City Manager and Community Development Director who always has looked for ways to improve the City where he lives and has raised a family. I wish him and his family all the best in his retirement.” As City Manager, Barber oversaw the reorganization of City Hall as well as the development and implementation of three balanced budgets during the worst recession in more than 75 years. Under his leadership, the City saw the construction of the Iowa and Magnolia grade separations, the new Fire Station #1, the Riverside Convention Center and Bonaminio Park. During this period, Riverside was named the Intelligent Community of the Year in 2012, the #1 Green Fleet in
Governor Jerry Brown -Photo by Terry Miller
store clerk in Oakland, this bill frees you of having to choose between your family’s health and your job.” After Connecticut in 2011, California has become the second state to grant paid sick leave. Five years prior, San
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