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M O N D AY, A P R I L 03- A P R I L 09, 2023
State senator introduces bill to combat opioid overdose epidemic
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Riverside City Council approves redesigned wards By City News Service
By Staff
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state senator from Riverside has introduced legislation that intends to help reduce the number of opioid overdose deaths by providing overdose-prevention drugs for free statewide, Sen. Richard D. Roth announced Wednesday. Roth, a Democrat, wants the state to provide “all FDA-approved formulations and dosage strengths of naloxone, like Narcan” to a wide range of public agencies and community organizations, according to the senator’s announcement. “California’s opioid overdose epidemic demands a comprehensive, every-toolin-the-toolbelt approach,” Roth said in a statement. “To that end, I have authored Senate Bill 641 to ensure that California’s Naloxone Distribution Project makes all FDA-approved opioid reversal tools available to law enforcement, first responders, community organizations, schools, and
local health agencies. “This commonsense measure recognizes that one-size-fits-all solutions are not sufficient in our large, diverse state, and I am proud to have the support of the heroes on the front lines of responding to the overdose crisis. I have no doubt that this bill will save countless lives,” Roth said. The Naloxone Distribution Project, or NDP, is administered by the California Department of Health Care Services. California’s overdose crisis is getting worse, with a significant increase in deaths caused by synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. According to the DHCS study “The Overdose Crisis in California: 2017-2021,” there were 11,361 opioid overdose deaths in the state during this period, with synthetic drugs causing 73% of opioidrelated deaths in 2020. The study also noted that certain populations, including Black and Latinx commu-
| Image courtesy of the city of Riverside
A bottle containing the opiate-overdose-prevention drug naloxone. | Photo courtesy of PunchingJudy/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
nities, experienced higher rates of opioid overdose
deaths compared with the general population.
See Opioid overdose Page 28
2 more suspects arrested for death of alleged conspirator in robbery By City News Service
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wo men who allegedly conspired with three others in a gang-related robbery in Moreno Valley that culminated in a deadly shootout were behind bars Thursday. Lawrence Arthur Garcia, 34, and Carlos Rene Vitela, 21, both of Riverside, were arrested and booked into the Robert Presley Jail Wednesday on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.
Their alleged cohorts, 21-year-old Alejandro Galvan of Moreno Valley and 21-year-old Briceira Santacruz Palacios of Riverside, were arrested earlier this month. Galvan is charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, attempted robbery, criminal street gang activity, a special circumstance allegation of killing for the benefit of a criminal street gang and
sentence- enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations. Palacios is charged with murder, attempted murder and attempted robbery. Both she and Galvan made a joint initial court appearance earlier this month and are slated to be arraigned on April 19 at the Riverside Hall of Justice. She’s being held on $1 million bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in
Banning, while Galvan is being held without bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta. The defendants’ alleged cohort, 30-year-old Robert Valdez of Riverside, was fatally shot during an exchange of gunfire at an apartment in the 12000 block of Clark Street, near Box Springs Road, on the See Robbery Page 28
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ew boundaries for Riverside’s seven City Council wards have been tentatively approved by the council, with formal adoption expected in a month. In a 6-1 vote Tuesday, council members signed off on the revamped wards, which were designed based on an eight-month input gathering process that involved multiple community meetings citywide. Only Councilman Chuck Conder, who represents Ward 4, opposed the changes, objecting to the removal of a segment of his current ward that extends toward the Riverside (91) Freeway. The council’s initial approval will be followed by adoption of an ordinance codifying the revisions, which is slated to be the subject of a second hearing toward the end of April. “This process has been comprehensive, with extensive community input,” Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said. “In the end, we came up with a map that does the best job possible in
balancing the community’s needs and desires.” Riverside County completed a redistricting process that changed the five supervisorial districts in December 2021. In addition to the change to Ward 4 in Riverside, several other wards were modified, with Ward 2, represented by Clarissa Cervantes, expanding to the 60/91/215 interchange, as well as the Hunter Industrial Park, which were previously in Ward 1. That ward, represented by Erin Edwards, will in turn expand to the south, encompassing part of the Eastside neighborhood along Kansas and Ottawa avenues. Ward 5 will cede the Arlington Heights area to Ward 4, but will gain the Casa Blanca neighborhood. Nominal changes were made to the other wards as part of the redrawing process approved by the council. Additional information connected to the revisions is available at www.reshaperiverside.com.