Man who killed pregnant girlfriend found guilty of manslaughter
Riverside County law enforcement officers gear up for legendary desert race
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VISIT CORONANEWSPRESS.COM
Thursday, March 21-March 27, 2024
Local. Relevant. Trusted.
VOL. 8,
NO. 164
Riverside council approves Local Affordable Housing Trust Fund
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he Riverside City Council last week approved the creation of a trust fund and plans to apply for $1.5 million in grants to spur the development of more affordable housing. The Local Affordable Housing Trust Fund and grant funds are set aside for cities such as Riverside that have earned a “pro-housing” designation from state officials. In a 6-1 vote Tuesday evening with Councilman Chuck Conder dissenting, the council moved to create the 42nd such fund in the state, according to a city statement. In order to generate money for the construction of “workforce housing,” the new trust fund will get half of the future proceeds that result from the sale of cityowned properties, officials said. Riverside initially bought that land with money from the its General Fund.
By Staff In a statement to the Riverside Independent, Conder said he voted against the new fund because he would prefer to see money generated by the sale of city properties go back into the General Fund. The new fund enables officials to apply for as much as $1.5 million in matching housing grants from the state and federal government, according to the city. “Riverside recognizes that affordable housing is one of the most pressing issues in our city, region and state,” Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said in a statement. “This approach demonstrates that Riverside is serious about exploring all ways to make housing more affordable for our residents.” The housing fund also will serve as a repository for grants, charitable donations and other funding sources dedicated to affordable housing, officials said. Two such examples are revenue
from "capital campaigns run by private sector organizations or ongoing contributions by major employers." In an attempt to help generate affordable housing in Riverside, the new fund will provide a sort of collateral backdrop for the city, acting as matching funds needed to get state or federal grants for the construction of new rental and condominium units, officials said. The fund will also help aid the city's grant applications for preserving or rehabilitating multifamily rentals or condos, acquiring vacant lots and run-down properties, making emergency repairs on homes owned by the occupants and providing tenants rental assistance. In addition, the fund will have the option of lending money to private-sector or nonprofit developers to finance affordable housing projects via "repayments of these funds creating a revolving fund that allows
Mission Village is an affordable housing complex for seniors in Riverside. | Photo courtesy of the city of Riverside
for future investment," officials said. Developers who build "market-rate housing" would be able to apply for grants from the fund if they dedicate 10% of housing units for affordable rentals and 5% toward homeownership. “The creation of the
affordable housing trust fund greatly expands our ability to support those providing this much-needed resource throughout our city,” Mayor Pro Tem Steve Hemenway said in a statement. “It was also important to put controls in place to ensure the funds set aside
will go towards its intended purpose, as well as generate the vital housing needed for our Riverside community.” State and federal monies earmarked for low- and moderate-income households will remain unchanged "even if they are included in the Fund," officials said.
County board OKs $100K to install new lights at Coachella Valley parks
Felon who fatally shot helper at Anza cannabis grow gets 40-year sentence
By City News Service
By City News Service
he Riverside County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a $100,000 allocation to install new lights at parks in Indio Hills and North Shore for security and to improve recreational opportunities. In a 5-0 vote without comment, the board authorized the Riverside County Executive Office to draw down the Unincorporated Communities Fund for the benefit of the Desert Recreation District. The appropriation will be divided between Indio Hills Community Center Park and North Shore's Parque de Pueblo Park, officials said. "Community parks within the Indio Hills and North Shore communities currently lack sufficient lighting," according to an EO statement posted to the board's agenda. "Installation of lighting associated with this project will provide enhanced security and extend the avail-
38-year-old convicted felon who fatally shot his helper at an illegal marijuana grow in Anza after the man accidentally caused a vehicle to roll over and kill a puppy was sentenced Friday to 40 years to life in state prison. A Murrieta jury in February found Benjamin Franklin Winkle guilty of second-degree murder for killing 37-year-old Michael M. Mendoza in 2021. Along with the murder count, jurors convicted Winkle of being a felon in possession of a firearm and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations. They acquitted him of witness intimidation. During a hearing at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta Friday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge John Davis imposed the sentence required by law. According to a trial brief filed by the District Attorney's Office, Winkle operated an
See Coachella Valley lights Page 23
See Life sentence Page 24
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