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Thursday, June 26-July 02, 2025
Board formally approves 2025-26 Riverside County budget
VOL. 9, 11,
Chris Shoults to face Natasha Johnson in runoff for 63rd assembly seat
By City News Service
By City News Service
T
he Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved a roughly $10 billion budget for fiscal year 2025-26, which includes a targeted hiring freeze in Riverside County government to keep a lid on spending in the face of a budget gap. The new fiscal year starts July 1. "This budget was built with a lot of input from the community," county CEO Jeff Van Wagenen said ahead of the 5-0 board vote Tuesday, referring to community surveys conducted online. "There are hundreds of millions of dollars in transportation projects funded. The budget was built with a realization of our obligations to meet the needs of all of our constituents. The number one priority was public safety." Van Wagenen told the board during hearings earlier this month that, while excess costs will require tapping $73 million from the county reserve pool, a number of funding necessities will need to be placed on hold for "justin-time" consideration, as discretionary revenue builds throughout 2025-26. "We're recommending a hiring freeze for all departments that receive discre-
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ducator and business owner Chris Shoults will face Lake Elsinore City Councilwoman Natasha Johnson in the Aug. 26 runoff to fill the 63rd Assembly District seat vacated by Bill Essayli's appointment as U.S. attorney for the Central District of California. Shoults, the lone Democrat in the field of four candidates on the ballot, finished first with 44.61%, or 19,776 votes, according to semifinal official results released Tuesday night by the Riverside County Registrar of Voters. Johnson, a Republican, was second with 44.21%, or 19,600 votes. Because no candidate received a majority, a runoff will be held. Republican Vincent Romo, a high school history teacher,
See Assembly seat Page 12
Crackdown on illegal pyrotechnics
| Image courtesy of Riverside County
tionary fund revenue," the CEO said. "The freeze ... will require (some departments) to shrink by attrition. Revenue is not decreasing across the system, but we are seeing it flatten and go down in certain areas." The last payroll pause to rein in spending occurred in 2016-17, and he said that saved $40 million to $50 million. The current deficit stems from "inflationary pressures, growing labor costs, unpredictable state and federal funding and necessary investments in aging infrastructure (that) strain our
financial capacity," according to the 500-plus-page budget book. The aggregate budget for 2025-26 is $9.98 billion, compared to $9.58 billion in 2024-25. The Executive Office is predicting a reserve pool of $655 million. It had been projected at $728 million, but the total will have to be pared down to fix the gap. Payrolls continue to consume half of outlays under the budget plan. The county employs 25,632 people on a regular or rotating temporary basis See Budget Page 12
The following departments will be exempt from the freeze: Animal Services, Assessor-Clerk-Recorder, Auditor, Board staff, Public Social Services, District Attorney's Office, Registrar of Voters, Riverside University Health System, Sheriff and Treasurer-Tax Collector. Sheriff Chad Bianco complained during the June 9 hearing the appropriation for sheriff's operations "falls woefully short" of what would be needed. The sheriff's department ended the current fiscal year $10 million in the
begins in Riverside County By City News Service
T
he annual campaign to crack down on suppliers, distributors and purchasers of illegal fireworks in Riverside County got underway Monday, bearing the slogan "If You Light It, We'll Write It." The message refers to citations violators may face if caught breaking Ordinance No. 858. Between now and the second week of July, county Fire Department, Sheriff's Department and Department of Code Enforcement personnel, in partnership with law enforcement officers from multiple municipal agencies, will be actively pursuing individuals who disregard prohibitions on igniting pyrotechnics without a permit. "Fires ignited by illegal fireworks can quickly spread, See Fireworks Page 23
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