Saturday, Sept. 5 — Science Saturday: Bees and Honey

Western Science Center piazza, 2345 Searl Parkway, Hemet, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free outdoor program; museum admission is separate.

Saturday, Sept. 5 Hemet Valley Art Association felting demonstration

Simpson Center, 305 E. Devonshire Ave., Hemet, 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., with the demonstration at 1 p.m. Free.

Saturday–Sunday, Sept. 5–6 — Lily Rock Chamber Music Festival

Saturday at 6 p.m. at Lowman Concert Hall, Idyllwild Arts; Sunday at 1 p.m. at St. Hugh’s Episcopal, 25525 Tahquitz Drive, Idyllwild. Free with a $20 suggested donation.

Tuesday, Sept. 8 — MSJC Club Rush

San Jacinto campus quad, 1499 N. State St., 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Also on the government calendar this week: Hemet City Council’s Stephens’ kangaroo rat fee hearing is Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 6 p.m. That is a noticed public hearing, not a community festival.

Thursday, Sept. 10 — Valley-Wide youth volleyball assessment day

Division 1 check-in is at 6 p.m. at 43935 E. Acacia Ave., Hemet. The league fee is $60 per player.

Friday, Sept. 11 Concerts in the Park

Mary Henley Park, 6 to 9 p.m. Queen of Hearts and The Honkey Tonk Highway. The City of Hemet says the series runs the second and fourth Fridays in September. Lawn chairs and blankets are welcome. Local food and community vendors will be on site. A beer garden is listed for ages 21 and older.

Saturday, Sept. 12 — Concerts Under the Stars

Ramona Bowl Amphitheatre, 27400 Ramona Bowl Road, 6 to 10 p.m. Southern Rock Thunder: ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Black Crowes tributes. The Hemet San Jacinto Valley Chamber lists pre-sale tickets at $15, door $20, parking $5, via ramonabowl.com.

Saturday, Sept. 12 — Ultra Mode

Historic Hemet Theatre, 7 p.m. Depeche Mode tribute. Ticket price was not listed on the information page when checked.

Saturday, Sept. 12 — Valley-Wide volleyball skills day

Divisions 2/3, with check-in at 8 a.m. and 10:15 a.m., at 901 W. Esplanade Ave., San Jacinto.

Sept. 14–Oct. 6 — Valley-Wide 41st OLDlympics

Events for ages 50 and older in Hemet and San Jacinto. Fees are $5–$23, with an awards banquet Oct. 6.

Thursday, Sept. 18 — Friday Morning Fuel

J & M Family Restaurant, 1271 S. State St., Hemet, 9 to 10 a.m. Free weekly breakfast networking from the Hemet San Jacinto Valley Chamber. Chamber contact: (951) 658-3211.

Saturday, Sept. 19 — Ramona Market

Ramona Bowl, 4 to 9 p.m. Free family event with food, music, bar, and vendors, per the chamber listing. Open to the public.

Saturday, Sept. 19 — Science Under the Stars

Western Science Center from 5 p.m., for ages 21 and older. No ticket price was listed.

Saturday, Sept. 19 — Idyllwild Home Tour

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Idyllwild Area Historical Society lists admission at $30.

Wednesday, Sept. 23 — Chamber mixer

Emilio’s Mexican Restaurant, 2340 S. San Jacinto Ave., San Jacinto, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Hemet San Jacinto Valley Chamber networking mixer.

Friday, Sept. 25 — Concerts in the Park

Mary Henley Park, 6 to 9 p.m. Hit City Party Band. Same free format as Sept. 11.

Saturday, Sept. 26 — Smooth Sounds

Ramona Bowl, 6 to 10 p.m. Steely Dan and Chicago tributes. Tickets are listed at $15 pre-sale and $20 at the door.

Monday, Sept. 28 — Hemet PD Technology and Transparency

City Council Chambers / Police Department, north side of 450 E. Latham Ave., 4 to 5:30 p.m. Hemet Police Department will discuss automated license plate readers, cameras, drones, the Real-Time Information Center, and policies on privacy and oversight. Chief Michael Arellano is quoted on the department release. Contact listed: Judith Gibson, jgibson@hemetca.gov. Free and open to the public.

Saturday, Oct. 3 — HVAA silk painting demonstration

Simpson Center, 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Free.

Ongoing — San Jacinto Certified Farmers Market

Riverside Countys agricultural commissioner lists the San Jacinto certified farmers market year-round, Thursdays 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Address on the county list: 2479 / 2575 S. San Jacinto Ave. (listings differ). Manager phone on the county page: (951) 238-9016. Confirm hours before you go.

Recurring — Downtown Hemet certified farmers market

Saturdays, 5 to 9 p.m., at 135 E. Florida Ave.

The post Weekend guide: Hemet concerts, Ramona Bowl, and a free family market appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

The item is CZ2600012, Ordinance No. 348.5056. Staff’s Form 11 framed Sept. 1 as introduction and public hearing. The recommended motion was to introduce the ordinance, waive further reading, and adopt it on successive weeks. The minutes for that meeting have not been published. The ordinance’s signature and adoption-date lines in the packet are blank. This newspaper does not treat the ordinance as adopted.

Staff wrote that the amendment would reorganize Article XIXj of Ordinance 348, update ADU and JADU rules, and add SB 9 units “consistent with State law through January 1, 2026.” The county claims a CEQA exemption.

As drafted, the ordinance would apply to all unincorporated Riverside County. Housing types listed in Article XIXj would include ADUs, JADUs, SB 9 units, second units, guest quarters, ranchets, and multiple-owner group units.

The Form 11 says the ADU maximum size would go to 1,600 square feet, from 1,000. Attached ADUs would be limited to 50 percent of the primary dwelling or 1,600 square feet, whichever is less, but the 50 percent cap would not preclude at least 1,000 square feet. A detached ADU on a single-family lot could be 1,600 square feet.

On a lot with an existing multifamily dwelling, the draft would allow up to eight detached ADUs, not more than the number of existing units.

Owner occupancy would not be required. The draft text says property owners “shall not be required to occupy, or reside within, either the primary dwelling or ADU located on the same lot.”

The draft would legalize some unpermitted ADUs and JADUs built before Jan. 1, 2020, under Government Code section 66311.7. Manufactured homes could count as ADUs. A JADU would be limited to 500 square feet, entirely within a single-family dwelling.

SB 9 units would implement Government Code sections 65852.21 and 66411.7. Twelve zones are listed as single-family residential for SB 9 purposes: A-1 (2.5 acres or less), R-1, R-1A, R-A, R-D, R-R, R-T, R-T-R, R-T-R-1, SP, W-2, and W-2-M. The packet says inclusion of a zone does not by itself establish eligibility. Urban lot splits would be handled separately in Ordinance 460.

Second units would remain separate from ADUs. On lots of 20,001 square feet to 2 acres, the second-unit maximum would rise from 1,200 to 1,600 square feet. Guest quarters would remain accessory, not independent dwellings. Ranchet and multiple-owner group rules would remain limited to the Eastern Coachella Valley.

A new section would let the planning director, or a designee, elevate a Director’s Hearing item to the Planning Commission if there are significant policy questions, public controversy, or substantial community impacts.

If later adopted, the ordinance would take effect 30 days after adoption, according to the draft.

The Planning Commission recommended the amendment 4-0 on July 8, 2026, according to the Form 11 background. That is not a Board of Supervisors vote.

The next listed Board meeting is Tuesday, Sept. 15, 9:30 a.m., 4080 Lemon St., Riverside. When checked on Sept. 2, that agenda page did not list Ordinance 348.5056. No second-reading date is printed in the Sept. 1 packet.

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Today, Wednesday, Sept. 2

Riverside County Planning Commission, 9 a.m., 1st Floor Board Chambers, 4080 Lemon St., Riverside. Packet is posted.

A new public hearing, item 3.1, is GPA210111, CZ2100121, and CUP210126 in the 3rd District, Highway 79 Policy Area, north of Keller Road, west of Coventry Lane, and east of Winchester Road (State Route 79). The application is for about 113,915 square feet of mini-warehouse space and outdoor storage for 165 RVs on 11.12 acres, APN 472-110-038. Staff lists an intent to adopt a mitigated negative declaration. The planner is Cynthia Burgos, (951) 955-6836, cyburgos@rivco.org.

Item 3.2 is a new public hearing on the 2026 Climate Action Plan Update, countywide.

Speaker requests are due at least 24 hours ahead at rivco.gov/constituent-speaking-request. Written comments may go to the planner or planninghearings@rivco.org at least 24 hours ahead.

Tuesday, Sept. 8

Hemet City Council, 6 p.m. The city has noticed a public hearing on an ordinance updating Stephens’ Kangaroo Rat Habitat Conservation Plan mitigation fees and amending Chapter 58. The Sept. 8 council packet is not posted. CivicWeb does not yet list a Sept. 8 meeting object.

The city’s fee page lists: individual single-family home on a single parcel, $250 now and $250 proposed, a flat fee; agriculture, $100 now and $500 proposed per gross acre; all other development, $500 now and $900 proposed per gross acre. A city footnote says the existing agriculture charge is $100 per development or 1 percent of valuation, not to exceed $500 an acre, and that the proposal would simplify that to $500 an acre. Nonprofits may qualify for up to a 75 percent reduction.

The public-hearing notice lists City Council Chambers at City Hall, 445 E. Florida Ave. CivicWeb’s standing council language uses 450 E. Latham Ave. Written comments go to the City Clerk, subject line “SKR Mitigation Fee.” Contact listed on the city page: Jilleen Ferris, P.E., (951) 765-2360, jferris@hemetca.gov.

Thursday, Sept. 10

San Jacinto Unified School District Board of Trustees, 6 p.m., Board Room, 2045 S. San Jacinto Ave. The calendar lists a regular meeting and a noticed hearing on whether each pupil has or will have sufficient textbooks for fiscal 2026-27, consistent with the curriculum framework. The packet was not posted when checked. Questions: Dulce Noriega, (951) 929-7700, ext. 4260.

Tuesday, Sept. 15

Hemet Planning Commission, 6 p.m., 450 E. Latham Ave. A Sept. 1 cancellation notice said the next regular meeting is Sept. 15. No Sept. 15 packet is posted.

San Jacinto City Council, 6:30 p.m. open session (closed session typically 5:30 p.m.), Community Center, 625 S. Pico Ave. Regular meeting. No packet is posted, so no item list is available.

Riverside County Board of Supervisors, 9:30 a.m., 4080 Lemon St., Riverside. Regular meeting. The Sept. 15 packet is not posted, so valley items cannot be confirmed.

Wednesday, Sept. 16

Eastern Municipal Water District Board, 9 a.m., Board Room, 2270 Trumble Road, Perris. The event is posted. The agenda page was not readable when checked.

Thursday, Sept. 17

Lake Hemet Municipal Water District’s Aug. 20 agenda listed cancellation of the Sept. 17 board meeting, with adjournment to Oct. 15 at 3 p.m., 26385 Fairview Ave., Hemet. August 20 minutes were not posted, so that cancellation is not confirmed as a vote.

Monday, Sept. 21

Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District Board, 5:30 p.m. or soon thereafter, Board Chambers, 901 W. Esplanade Ave., San Jacinto. The Sept. 21 packet is not posted. An Aug. 17 staff report noticed two public hearings for this date. Whether the board adopted the resolutions of intention on Aug. 17 is not confirmed; those minutes were not posted.

Hearing A, as described in that Aug. 17 report: Winchester CFD Zone 33, San Pedro Farms, Tract 36467, petition of KB Home Cal Management Services, LLC, north of Holland Road, east of Leon Road, west of Eucalyptus Road, south of Ano Crest Drive. 396 single-family and 110 multifamily equivalent dwelling units. Maximum annual special tax $1,697 per single-family EDU and $1,018 per multifamily EDU, estimated maximum collection about $784,014, base year fiscal 2027-28, for parks and landscaping operations and maintenance.

Hearing B, same tract and applicant: Community Facilities District 2020-1, Annexation 14, Tax Zone 15. Maximum annual special tax $175 per single-family EDU and $105 per multifamily EDU, estimated about $80,850, for stormwater / WQMP operations and maintenance. The Aug. 17 report said the tax would escalate each July 1 starting July 1, 2028.

The Aug. 17 header listed a request-to-speak process, three minutes. Written protests go to the clerk.

Tuesday, Sept. 22

San Jacinto Planning Commission, 6 p.m., Community Center, 625 S. Pico Ave. Regular meeting. No packet is posted.

Hemet’s fourth-Tuesday council date, Sept. 22, is not listed on CivicWeb. No packet is posted.

Lake Skinner Regional Water Transmission System draft program EIR comments remain open through 5 p.m. Oct. 8, according to EMWD’s public notices. That is a comment deadline, not a hearing on this calendar.

The post Upcoming hearings: Hemet SKR fees, Winchester parks tax, San Jacinto council appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

The award was Consent Calendar item A3 on the regular meeting agenda at the San Jacinto Community Center, 625 S. Pico Avenue. No council member pulled the item for separate discussion. Mayor Pro Tem Clarisa Sanchez moved approval of the consent calendar; Councilmember Alonso Ledezma seconded. After electronic voting, the clerk announced that all votes were in and that the motion passed 5-0.

How They Voted (consent calendar, including A3)

Roll call at the start of open session showed all five members present.

Staff’s written recommendation, requested by Chief Innovation Officer Derek Williamson and approved for the agenda by Interim City Manager Travis Randel, asked the council to award the agreement to SDI Presence, authorize the city manager to execute it subject to city attorney approval as to form, and authorize the city manager to approve amendments or change orders when appropriations allow and city procurement rules are met.

The staff report says the city’s financial-management system is more than 25 years old and its utility-billing system has been in use for more than 10 years. The city issued a request for proposals and received 10 proposals; staff said SDI Presence received the highest overall score. The initial contract covers needs assessment, functional and technical requirements, and procurement support for evaluating replacement systems. Staff wrote that implementation management for selected software is not included in the initial award and would require separate authorization later. The agreement “does not commit the City to the purchase of any software, hardware, implementation services, or other related technology expenditures,” the staff report states.

Staff’s fiscal-impact statement says the Professional Services Agreement is not to exceed $102,625 and that “Funding for these services were included within the City’s FY26/27 adopted budget.” The staff report does not list a general-ledger account number.

Open session adjourned at about 7:32 p.m., per the mayor’s closing on the official AgendaLink recording.

The recorded open session did not include a discussion of when the FY 2026-27 adopted budget or the latest annual financial report would be posted to the city’s Finance page.

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The Riverside County Fire Department posted at 12:50 p.m. that crews were on a technical rescue at Faith Drive and Meridian Street. A person was trapped in a trench collapse, the post said, and rescue work was underway.

At 1:15 p.m. the department said bystanders had already gotten one patient out of a 15-foot-deep trench before first responders arrived.

“The patient was transported by ground ambulance to a local trauma center with serious injuries,” the post said.

Cal Fire did not release a name. As of 1:15 p.m., that was the last official update posted. The call was not listed on the department’s live-incidents page when checked later Tuesday afternoon.

The post Person pulled from collapsed trench in unincorporated Hemet appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

HEMET — Hemet’s adopted 2026-27 budget is not a secret. Combined General Fund and Measure U spending is $96,123,000. Combined revenue is $86,535,000. The city plans to spend $9,588,000 more than it takes in.

The city’s own explanation is in the same book. Revenues have begun to flatten. Costs keep rising. The document cites inflation, personnel costs, insurance, and contracts. Liability premiums are about $7.0 million, plus a $2.0 million self-insured retention. Measure U is budgeted at $16,985,000 in and $21,406,000 out, including $1.5 million for retiring police payouts and $1.5 million toward the insurance premium.

The city also lists cost-containment: a hiring freeze on vacant posts, new hires limited to mission-critical and revenue-generating jobs, a 10 percent cut in department maintenance and operations, and 17 frozen positions, including six police officers and a deputy fire chief. Reserves are reported at about $28.9 million as of June 30, 2025, against a 40 percent policy.

That is the city’s case, at its strongest. It is not enough to justify another tax.

Measure Q would add 1 cent on each dollar of taxable purchases. The city estimates about $16 million a year. It is a general tax. Proceeds go to the General Fund for any lawful city purpose. The ordinance does not require a spending cut, a headcount cap, or an efficiency audit as a condition of collecting the money. Groceries and medicine are exempt. Oversight language is in the city’s materials. None of that changes the structure: more tax revenue, same open-ended spending.

Public-employee costs and insurance keep climbing. The pattern on offer is higher taxes and thinner services. Frozen officers and a new sales tax in the same year is not a reform. It is a request for residents to pay more while the city spends more than it collects.

The solution is not to raise taxes. The solution is to cut government spending. It is never enough for the public-service payroll. Voters should not be told the only choices are a higher tax rate or fewer services. Efficiency is the third choice, and it is not on the November ballot.

The news account of these figures is here.

The post Editorial: Cut spending. Don’t raise taxes. appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

City Council adopted the Fiscal Year 2026-27 operating budget on June 23 by Resolution 2026-105. Combined General Fund and Measure U revenues are budgeted at $86,535,000. Combined expenditures are budgeted at $96,123,000. The difference is $9,588,000, a $9.6 million use of fund balance.

Those figures come from the adopted budget tables. They are the city’s official plan for the year ending June 30, 2027.

Across all city funds, the adopted budget lists $150,757,303 in revenue and $154,184,303 in expenditures.

The combined General Fund is two pots. Fund 110 is the city’s main operating fund. It is budgeted at $69,550,000 in revenue and $74,717,000 in spending. That is a $5,167,000 gap.

Fund 115 is Measure U. Voters approved that 1 percent transactions and use tax in 2016. The adopted budget describes it as a general sales tax restricted solely to public safety by resolution. Measure U is budgeted at $16,985,000 in revenue and $21,406,000 in spending.

The Measure U gap is $4,421,000. The adopted budget says Measure U fund balance is being used to buy equipment such as radios, cameras, hoses and vehicles, to rehabilitate fire stations, and to help pay liability insurance for police and fire.

One-time Measure U uses listed in the budget total $4,537,000. The largest items are $1.5 million for retiring police personnel payouts and $1.5 million toward the liability insurance premium. Other listed items include four police interceptors, 50 radios, two traffic motorcycles, cameras, Fire Station 5 work, and fire hose replacements.

One-time General Fund uses listed in the budget total $1,233,000. They include downtown parking lot repavement, a truck routing ordinance, radios, storage work, branding, Christmas decorations, and other one-time purchases.

The budget says revenues have begun to flatten while costs keep rising. It cites inflation, personnel costs, insurance, and contracts. Cost-containment steps in the document include a hiring freeze on vacant posts, limiting new hires to mission-critical and revenue-generating jobs, and a 10 percent cut in department maintenance and operations spending.

Citywide positions are down 8.5 full-time equivalents from the prior adopted budget. The document lists 17 frozen positions, including six police officers, a deputy fire chief, and other public safety and civilian posts.

Liability insurance is called out as a major pressure. For fiscal 2026-27, the budget puts liability premiums at about $7.0 million, plus a $2.0 million self-insured retention for claims. That is about 4.9 percent higher than the prior year, the document says.

Hemet’s written reserve policy requires spendable, unrestricted General Fund reserves equal to at least 40 percent of current expenditures. The City Council raised that target from 20 percent to 40 percent beginning in fiscal 2023-24. The adopted budget says the reserve totaled about $28.9 million as of June 30, 2025.

The city’s latest posted Annual Comprehensive Financial Report remains the report for the year ended June 30, 2024. That is the newest ACFR on the Finance Department’s financial information page.

The operating budget is separate from the capital program. The city’s five-year Capital Improvement Program for fiscal 2026-27 through 2030-31 lists a grand total of $159,501,108. The fiscal 2026-27 column is $21,736,408. Those totals are in the CIP project summary, not the operating-budget tables.

On the November 3, 2026, ballot, Hemet voters will decide Measure Q. It is a separate 1-cent transactions and use tax. The City Council placed it on the ballot on July 14. The city’s Measure Q FAQ and the city attorney’s impartial analysis both say the tax is estimated to generate about $16 million a year.

Measure Q would be a general tax. Proceeds would go to the General Fund and could be used for any lawful city purpose, according to the proposed ordinance and the impartial analysis. The tax would last until ended by voters. The city says groceries, prescription medicine, diapers, and feminine hygiene products are exempt. The city also says the money would stay in Hemet, with public disclosure, independent citizens’ oversight, and audits.

Hemet’s current sales tax rate is 8.75 percent, the city’s FAQ states. Measure Q would add 1 cent on each dollar of taxable purchases.

The city has scheduled three Measure Q open houses at the Hemet Public Library, 300 E. Latham Ave.: Sept. 16 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sept. 26 from 10 a.m. to noon, and Oct. 16 from 6 to 8 p.m.

The adopted operating budget does not include Measure Q revenue. The November vote is a separate question from the books the council already adopted for this fiscal year.

The post Hemet budget spends $9.6 million more than it takes in appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

The Republican Party of Riverside County calendar lists an Ed Delgado meet-and-greet tonight, Friday, Aug. 28, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Perris. The address is not posted. The listing says to call for details.

Canvassing follows Saturday, Aug. 29, at 9 a.m. Volunteers are to meet at Box Springs Elementary School, 11900 Athens Drive, Moreno Valley. The calendar also lists postcard writing and phone banking. The contact is Christine Fontes, 951-640-5597.

Those events sit just outside the San Jacinto Valley. They are the county party’s posted work this week for the Assembly District 60 nominee. Delgado is the Republican in that race. The county party has endorsed him.

The June HSJCR newsletter is the latest issue posted for the local club. It asked members to volunteer for two campaigns tied to the valley. It described Delgado as “an excellent candidate” and said Republicans have “an opportunity to take AD60.” It listed Fontes as the volunteer contact for that race.

The same newsletter asked members to help Males. Males is Hemet’s mayor pro tem. He is the Republican nominee in Congressional District 25 against incumbent Democrat Raul Ruiz. The county party has endorsed him. The newsletter identified Males as an HSJCR member and “an excellent candidate challenging Raul Ruiz.” It listed Michael Curry, 707-548-1007, as the volunteer contact for that campaign.

HSJCR is the valley’s grassroots Republican club. It is chartered as an affiliate of the California Congress of Republicans. Its public site is hemetrepublicans.com. Mail goes to P.O. Box 304, San Jacinto. Officers named in the June newsletter include President Tom Wilson and Immediate Past President Norm Kyriss. The club’s meetings page says dinners are usually held on the fourth Monday of the month at the Hemet Elks Lodge, 1305 W. Florida Ave.

Kyriss is now a candidate himself. City of Hemet Clerk records show Norman W. Kyriss III pulled papers July 27 and filed Aug. 7 for City Council District 1. The November 3 municipal election lists that seat as a two-year term. He faces Constance Howard-Clark, who filed Aug. 4, and Carlos Michel, who filed Aug. 6. All three names are posted on the city’s official election page.

The county party’s posted 2026 endorsement list includes Males in CD-25, Jeff Gonzalez in Assembly District 36, Delgado in AD-60, and other federal, state, and county races. City council names on that page are in Riverside. Hemet Districts 1, 2, and 5 are not listed. San Jacinto City Council is not listed. Measure Q is not listed. Those local contests simply do not appear on the posted endorsement page.

Hemet/San Jacinto Republican Women Federated is not currently meeting, according to the club’s meetings page. The page says the group “may be back soon.”

No Hemet or San Jacinto campaign headquarters is listed for this cycle. The club’s headquarters page says the valley maintains an office during presidential general elections. It lists local contacts for signs and voter registration. The county party lists its office at 41923 2nd St., Suite 404, Temecula.

Looking ahead on the county calendar, a Guns, Faith and Freedom Rally is set for Saturday, Sept. 19, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Monteleone Meadows, 35245 Briggs Road, Murrieta. Vendor and candidate participation applications are posted with the event.

Valley residents looking for this month’s posted work are pointed to the county calendar and to the contacts already in the June HSJCR newsletter. Fontes is listed for Delgado. Curry is listed for Males. The Perris meet-and-greet is tonight. The Moreno Valley canvass is Saturday morning.

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The child was Camila Leon, 8, of Perris, according to the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner. Next of kin have been notified. The coroner’s file is marked final.

Silvia Corona, 52, of San Jacinto, was identified by the Perris Sheriff’s Station Traffic Reconstruction Team as the suspect in the two-vehicle collision, the department said. The charges described in the sheriff’s release are allegations. Corona has not been convicted.

Deputies from the Perris station responded at 5:36 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15, to the intersection of Ramona Expressway and Rider Street on a report of a major-injury crash involving two vehicles, the sheriff’s release said. The file number is PE262270081.

The coroner listed the time of injury as 5:35 p.m. at that same intersection.

Upon arrival, deputies found five injured people in one of the vehicles, the department said. Two had life-threatening injuries. The driver and sole occupant of the second vehicle was also hurt. All were taken to local hospitals.

One juvenile passenger was later pronounced dead at a hospital, the sheriff’s release said. A second juvenile passenger remained hospitalized in critical condition, according to that account. The department has not issued a later public update on the second child’s condition.

The coroner said Camila died at 6:04 p.m. Aug. 15 at Riverside University Health System, 26520 Cactus Avenue in Moreno Valley. The injury location matches the crash scene. The investigating agency is the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, Perris Station, under the same file number.

The sheriff’s first account said the identity of the dead child would not be released at that time. The coroner’s office later posted the name.

Perris traffic investigators continued the case and identified Corona as the suspect, the department said. On Aug. 17, she was arrested and booked into the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center for gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, according to the sheriff’s update.

On Aug. 18, Corona posted bail and was released, the department said. The sheriff’s release does not state the amount of that first bail.

On Aug. 20, the Riverside District Attorney’s Office issued an arrest warrant for an additional charge of second-degree murder, the Sheriff’s Department said. Perris deputies went to Corona’s residence and took her into custody without incident. She was booked into the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center for second-degree murder. Bail was set at $1 million.

The investigation remains open, the department said. No further details would be released at the time of the Aug. 20 update.

Sgt. Evan Bechtold is listed as the reporting supervisor on the Perris station item, titled “Fatal Traffic Collision – Suspect Arrested (Update).”

Anyone with information is asked to call Deputy Joseph Puente at the Perris Sheriff’s Station at (951) 210-1000, or Riverside County Sheriff’s Dispatch at (951) 776-1099.

The post San Jacinto woman held in crash that killed 8-year-old appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

The San Jacinto Station conducted a DUI and driver’s license checkpoint from 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, to 2 a.m. Saturday on State Street north of 7th Street, according to a department update posted Aug. 22. Deputies screened 961 vehicles and conducted 10 field sobriety tests, the Sheriff’s Department said.

Besides the five DUI arrests, deputies issued 28 citations for driving without a license and six other Vehicle Code citations, the department said. Two people were arrested on misdemeanor warrants, and 16 vehicles were stored or impounded.

Sgt. Daniel Chico is the reporting supervisor. In an Aug. 17 announcement of the checkpoint, Chico said impaired drivers put others on the road at significant risk.

“Any prevention measures that reduce the number of impaired drivers on our roads significantly improve traffic safety,” Chico said.

The Sheriff’s Office said checkpoint sites are chosen from data on impaired-driving crashes. The stated purpose is public safety — taking suspected impaired drivers off the road, not maximizing arrests.

The Aug. 21 stop was part of a longer Labor Day enforcement window. The San Jacinto Station said additional deputies have been on patrol since Aug. 19 and will remain through Labor Day, Sept. 7, looking for drivers suspected of being under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The extra work is part of the national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign.

“Enjoying the last days of summer should be all about fun and that starts with making safe choices before making plans,” Deputy Post said in the station’s campaign release. “Everyone deserves to get home safely, and it starts with your everyday actions.”

Citing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Sheriff’s Office said 11,904 people were killed in drunk-driving crashes in the United States in 2024 — one person every 44 minutes. Impairment is not limited to alcohol, the department said. Prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications and cannabis products can also impair driving. Recreational and medicinal marijuana are legal in California, the Aug. 17 release noted, but driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal.

A first-time DUI carries an average of $13,500 in fines and penalties and a suspended license, the Sheriff’s Office said.

The Hemet Police Department separately announced extra DUI patrols for the same Aug. 19 through Labor Day period and said it would hold a DUI and driver’s license checkpoint in Hemet from 8 p.m. Aug. 21 to 2 a.m. As of Friday, Aug. 28, Hemet Police had not posted results from that checkpoint.

Both agencies said the enforcement is funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through NHTSA. The Sheriff’s Office advised anyone who sees a suspected impaired driver to call 9-1-1.

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