Danielle Brooks to receive PS film fest's Spotlight Award, Actress
Coachella Valley child under 5 dies from fluassociated illness
Pg 16
Pg 02
VISIT CORONANEWSPRESS.COM
Thursday, December 14-December 20, 2023
Local. Relevant. Trusted.
Board OKs new employment agreement with county CEO
VOL. 7,
Caltrans project to improve safety on segment of I-15 in Corona
By City News Service
By City News Service
I
n its final meeting of the year, the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a new three-year employment agreement with Riverside County Chief Executive Officer Jeff Van Wagenen Jr., upping his salary in the process. Van Wagenen, 51, of Riverside, a county employee for over a dozen years, was selected for the top administrative post in February 2021, and the three-year compact between the longtime attorney and county signed at that time was due to expire on Feb. 8. The latest one — approved 5-0 without comment — takes effect immediately and is due to expire on Dec. 11, 2026. "In his continued role as county executive officer, Mr. Van Wagenen will continue his commitment to serve the public to improve the livelihood of the residents and businesses in Riverside County," according to a Department of Human Resources statement posted to the board's agenda Tuesday. There was no attempt to seek out potential recruits elsewhere in the state or nation to be interviewed for the job. Under the new contract, Van Wagenen will receive a base annual salary of $387,000. His initial salary in 2021 was $325,000. The agreement stipulates that he further will be eligible for annual 4% salary escalators, "upon satisfactory performance as county executive officer." There
NO. 151
A
n Inland Empire lawmaker Thursday announced that Caltrans will move forward with reconfiguring a half-mile segment of Interstate 15 in Corona to facilitate safe flows of traffic onto a freeway exit. Assemblyman Bill Essayli, R-Norco, said that months of negotiations between his office and Caltrans officials had netted a positive outcome in the form of a $6 million project to add a "deceleration lane" to southbound I-15 between Old Temescal Road and East Ontario Avenue. "This project will help reduce traffic congestion and related collisions in the area — at no additional toll or cost to commuters," Essayli said in a statement. The lawmaker first contacted Caltrans Director Tony Tavares in March regarding the need for changes along the heavily traveled corridor, characterizing I-15 generally as replete with "soul-crushing traffic congestion" during peak travel periods. Riverside County Board of Supervisors Chairman Kevin Jeffries has described the area as a "parking lot" due to See Caltrans project Page 28
Riverside County CEO Jeff Van Wagenen Jr. | Photo courtesy of Jeff Van Wagenen/LinkedIn
additionally will be allowances for vacation time and county-covered health and life insurance benefits, as well as pension coverage. The agreement can be terminated at any time, but Van Wagenen would be entitled to a severance package that effectively pays him whatever he would be owed in the time left under the contract, according to the terms. He stepped forward as a candidate for the executive officer position after then-CEO officer George Johnson announced his retirement in the fall of 2020. Instead of quickly
naming a successor to Johnson, the board approved a $50,000 contract to retain a Sacramento-based executive headhunting firm to conduct a search for prospects, and in early January 2021, eight finalists, including Van Wagenen, were interviewed. Prior to entering county service, he was a defense attorney and was part of the county registry of lawyers able to be appointed in lieu of public defenders when the latter had conflicts or caseloads that prohibited them from taking clients, including those facing capital murder charges. Van Wagenen was added
to the public payroll in 2011 when then-District Attorney Paul Zellerbach hired him to be his chief of staff. Zellerbach left office in December 2014, and Van Wagenen was hired to fill several positions in the county Economic Development Agency. He then worked in various other capacities, including assistant county CEO overseeing public safety agencies. The CEO position requires directing all budgetary matters, recommending and implementing policy changes and resolving interdepartmental conflicts.
Pair charged anew in death of disabled girl at La Cresta care facility
A
By City News Service
couple who operated a La Cresta care faciliy where a 17-year-old disabled girl died and other residents allegedly suffered physical and sexual abuse were out of custody Friday after pleading not guilty to multiple felony charges. Michelle Louise Morris Kerin, 82, and her husband, 81-year-old Edward Lawrence Kerin, were originally indicted in connection with the death of Diane "Princess" Ramirez in 2021. However, after prosecutors uncovered additional, undisclosed evidence, the case was presented to the Riverside County Grand Jury a second time, resulting in a superseding indictment on Nov. 20. Michelle Kerin was indicted for murder, involuntary manslaughter, five counts each of child cruelty and dependent adult abuse, as well as three counts of lewd acts on a dependent person by a caretaker. Her husband was indicted for involuntary manslaughter, See Disabled girl Page 27