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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 04- NOVEMBER 10, 2024
VOL. 8,
NO. 196
$1B bond sales sought in 5 Riverside County school districts
Assemblyman seeking 2nd term faces challenger with deep union support
By City News Service
By City News Service
V
oters in five cities scattered throughout Riverside County on Tuesday will decide whether to approve proposed bond sales for school infrastructure upgrades and improvements totaling $1.12 billion, which would translate to higher property tax rates in the municipalities while the IOUs are paid off. Measure O in Banning seeks a $74 million bond sale for the benefit of the Banning Unified School District. The cumulative debt service, or payoff, period would run 30 years and translate to a total $135 million in principal and interest before all the obligations are satisfied, according to campaign literature. The amortization would require, at minimum, an additional $51 per $100,000 of assessed valuations for single-family homes, condominiums, businesses and other properties, according to literature. Supporters said the funds are needed for modernization of the district’s communications network, seismic reinforcements, new dining facilities at all grade levels, landscaping and irrigation improvements. There was no listed opposition to the proposal, which requires 55% voter approval. In the Beaumont Unified School District, Measure E would authorize the sale of up to $148 million in general obligations bonds benefiting the district. The cumulative debt service period would run 30 years and translate to a total $303.12 million in principal and interest before all the obligations are satisfied, according to campaign literature. The amortization would require an additional $28 per $100,000 of assessed
O
ne-term Assemblyman Bill Essayli, R-Norco, will be trying to retain his 63rd District seat in Tuesday’s general election up against a Democrat challenger with wide-ranging support from union interests. Essayli, a former federal and state prosecutor, was first elected in 2022 and has established himself since then as a firebrand on the conservative side. His opponent Christopher Shoults of Menifee has cast himself as a moderate Democrat willing to “work with anyone in either party to get things done.” Essayli has stood firm against tax hikes and
has been an outspoken advocate for cuts in gasoline taxes, tougher anti-crime measures, controls on illegal immigration and proposals to make lawmakers more accountable, especially when they’re caught breaking the law, as in cases of drunken driving. “Democrats also want to strip away parental rights,” he said in a campaign statement. “A high school student under 18 needs their parent’s permission to get their ear pierced, but Democrats want them to be able to change their gender without even notifying parents. That is dangerous and wrong. I have
See Union support Page 27
Schiff, Garvey square off in race for Feinstein’s Senate seat
| Photo courtesy of the city of Murrieta
valuations for houses, condominiums, businesses and other properties, according to documents. Along with infrastructure improvements, the funding would enable the district to move forward with construction of new school buildings, supporters said. “Crowded schools are unsafe and limit one-on-one time with teachers,” proponents wrote. “With so many students crammed into one school, it is difficult for students to get into classes, sports or other activities. That is why we need Measure E. It provides a dedicated, locally controlled source of funding that can only be spent here in our schools.” There was no listed opposition. The proposal
requires 55% approval. Measure T in the Lake Elsinore Unified School District would authorize the sale of up to $198 million in bonds. The cumulative debt service period would run close to 40 years and translate to an estimated total $396 million in principal and interest before the obligations are satisfied — provided there’s a market for all of them — according to campaign literature. As in Beaumont, the LEUSD debt amortization would require an additional $28 in taxes per $100,000 of assessed valuations for property owners, according to documents. The school board would have discretion over what to fund under the
“District-Wide 21st Century Instructional Technology Program,” supporters wrote. Examples include renovations of computer labs, new lighting and electrical systems, new furnishings, windows and doors. “For our students to succeed in college and careers, they must be skilled in the use of today’s technologies and have a solid background in science, math, engineering and technology,” proponents wrote. “Measure T will continue to make this possible.” There was no listed opposition. The proposal has a 55% approval requirement. See Bonds Page 28
By City News Service
D
emocratic Rep. Adam Schiff and Republican former Dodger Steve Garvey will square off Tuesday in the battle to claim the U.S. Senate seat previously held by the late Dianne Feinstein. Schiff is considered a heavy favorite to win the seat in Democrat- heavy California, although both he and Garvey each earned about one-third of the vote during the March primary election. Both candidates actually appear twice on the ballot — once in the race to fill out the remainder of Feinstein’s See Senate Page 02
term, which ends in January, and again in the race for another six-year term. When Feinstein died in September 2023, Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed former Emily’s List President Laphonza Butler to serve out most of the remainder of her term in the Senate, until someone else is elected. Butler decided not to run for the seat. Schiff, 64, has run his campaign on a platform of protecting democracy. He has been ridiculed by Donald Trump for his criticism of the former president from various posts: as Trump