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Thursday, August 07-August 13, 2025
Firefighters work to contain blazes in Riverside, San Bernardino counties By Joe Taglieri
VOL. 9,
NO. 235
Caltrans to reimburse Riverside for removal of freeway ramp encampments
joet@beaconmedianews.com
By Joe Taglieri joet@beaconmedianews.com
T
he Riverside City Council on Tuesday approved an agreement with Caltrans to receive reimbursement up to $400,000 for city crews to remove encampments on local freeway ramps over the next two years. Officials said the pact was "one of the first delegated encampment maintenance agreements between Caltrans and a city." The two-year pilot agreement allows Riverside workers to remove encampments, while the city bills Caltrans as much as $50,000 per quarter for the work. The agreement set a maximum reimbursement of $400,00 through June 30, 2027. Without the agreement with the state transportation agency, the city is unable to remove encampments on State Route 91, State Route 60 and Interstate 60, within the city limits, officials said. “This innovative agreement will allow the city to go onto See Encampments Page 15
Smoke from the Gold Fire in the San Bernardino National Forest fills the sky above first responders' vehicles. | Photo courtesy of Carlos Rodriguez/USFS/San Bernardino National Forest/X
F
irefighting crews were hard at work Wednesday battling two big blazes throughout the Inland Empire region, state fire officials reported. A brush fire in the San Bernardino National Forest that started in the area between Anza and Pinyon Pines had scorched 1,658 acres and was 18% contained Wednesday. The Rosa Fire was reported at 12:25 p.m. Monday north of State Route 74 at Santa Rosa Truck Trail, according to the Riverside County Fire Department, which is a division of Cal Fire. The blaze "is actively burning in steep, rugged and remote terrain at moderate elevations, presenting limited access for ground resources and demonstrating a strong
resistance to control efforts," Cal Fire reported Wednesday morning. "Live fuels in the area are nearing critical moisture levels. There is no recorded history of major fire activity in this area." The fire remained active overnight, with noticeable fire behavior continuing until about 2 a.m., officials said. On Wednesday crews planned to continue working the fire's interior and around structures in evacuation zones. Firefighters aggressively attacked the blaze from the air and the ground Tuesday, Cal Fire reported. "The upcoming weather will be hotter and dryer with lower humidity contributing to more fire activity when aligned with slopes and prevailing winds with active fire spread expected," accord-
ing to fire department. "Short range spotting is likely with potential fire movement, resulting in evacuation orders and warnings remaining in place until further notice." Evacuation orders were issued for the area south of Alpine Village, along with warnings for nearby communities bordering Pinyon Pines on either side Highway 74. The orders and warnings remained in place as a precaution Wednesday morning as the fire threatened 498 structures, officials said. Care and reception centers were available at the Anza Community Center, 56630 Highway 371, and the Palm Desert Community Center, 43900 San Pablo Ave. Evacuees' pets were accepted See Fires Page 14
at the Coachella Valley Animal Campus, 72-050 Pet Land Place in Thousand Palms, or the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus, 581 S. Grand Ave. The California Highway Patrol closed both sides of SR 74 for nearly 25 miles between the junction at SR 371 in Anza to the west and the area surrounding the Big Horn Golf Club, just south of Palm Desert. The highway shutdown was expected to last through the end of this week. Agencies battling the wildfire include 775 personnel from Cal Fire, the U.S. Forest Service, Palm Springs Fire Department and others. Two helicopters along with "numerous firefighting air
Report: No crime in deputyinvolved shooting of unarmed suspect in MoVal By City News Service
T
he fatal shooting of a 49-year-old man during a confrontation with Riverside County sheriff's deputies outside a Moreno Valley store, where he made motions as if armed with a pistol, was justified, state prosecutors confirmed Friday. Jay Jackson of Moreno Valley was killed in 2022 when a patrol deputy fired a shotgun at the suspect as he approached sheriff's vehicles, pretending as though he was armed with a handgun. In a report issued by the California Department of Justice Friday, prosecutors could find no grounds to fault the deputy who fired the fatal blast. "This was a tragic situation with a tragic outcome," Attorney General Rob Bonta said. "I sincerely hope this report provides valuable insights and information to the community." Jackson's death received extensive attention because See Fatal shooting Page 27