“How is it that we’ve gone through all these hearings and meetings, and we’ve arrived at the same place we were four years ago?” Supervisor Chuck Washington asked at the end of Tuesday’s hearing on Ordinance No. 927. “We don’t seem to be moving the needle here. I get the same complaints from constituents. It’s disappointing. I come to work to try to maintain or improve their quality of life.”

The Transportation & Land Management Agency, along with the Department of Planning and Code Enforcement, had sought modifications to the STR ordinance based on studies and community meetings. But after a 90-minute hearing during which more than a dozen people aired grievances, the board voted unanimously to table action to an unspecified date.

However, due to legislative constraints, the board was unable to automatically extend a moratorium on the issuance of STR certificates in Thousand Palms and the B Bar H Ranch. Technically, the moratorium will expire on Feb. 28. But the supervisors’ consensus pointed to the likelihood of their renewing the moratorium, possibly for another 10 months, when they return for their next regular meeting on March 3.

The board implemented a slate of countywide regulations tied to STRs under Ordinance No. 927 in October 2022. The measure has been largely untouched since then, and Tuesday’s hearing was sought by TLMA to make a series of “minor” adjustments.

Short-term rentals are defined as residential dwellings leased for a maximum of 30 days and a minimum of two days and one night. Prior to the ratification of Ordinance No. 927, the county had a somewhat informal process for permitting short-term rentals. Officials said there are now roughly 1,100 certificated STR properties in unincorporated communities countywide.

Most of the comments heard by the board Tuesday reflected the same issues the panel considered when the ordinance was first implemented — lack of enforcement or consequences for STR operators who don’t follow the rules.

“The same bad actors are really the ones we’re talking about,” a Temecula Valley resident named Ron told the board. “The real problem is Code Enforcement doesn’t write citations. You need to rethink the officers’ hours of operation. They’re heading back home just when the parties are starting at night. Noise disturbances are preventing us from sleeping. Without code doing an adequate job, this will never be solved.”

Another Temecula Valley resident complained that regardless of how bad conditions are in the STR property adjacent to his home — where one weekend renter recently rammed a vehicle through the front door — Code Enforcement is ineffectual.

“My life is a living hell,” he told the board. “Nothing is being done. They have massive parties there, and all we’re asking is that Code Enforcement do some actual enforcement.”

An East Thousand Palms senior said her dirt road has been virtually overtaken by partygoers regularly renting out an STR property directly across from her home.

“Sometimes there 100 cars parked on the road, and they go off-roading,” she said. “Some cities in the Coachella Valley have banned STRs. There are too many. We don’t need more.”

Supervisor Jose Medina was aghast at what he heard, noting that he’d never experienced anything remotely like the speakers’ circumstances in his 30 years residing in the same Riverside house.

“We all have the right to live in peaceful, safe neighborhoods,” he said. “I’m glad we won’t vote on this today. We need to see more cooperation between the Sheriff’s Department and Code Enforcement.”

Board members recognized that the majority of STR operators are law-abiding, but said people leasing out some properties for illegal events had grown accustomed to flouting regulations — and had not faced serious penalties to deter them from doing so.

Supervisor Manuel Perez expressed hope that the agencies, with the guidance of the board, could “work out the kinks” to improve Code Enforcement operations.

“We should consider after-hours enforcement,” he said.

Although the county maintains an overnight phone line staffed by a complaint taker, the most that can be done between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. is for the staffer to call the STR operator to alert him or her to complaints. Deputies will respond to properties to investigate excessive noise and other disturbances, but Undersheriff Don Sharp admitted they have to “prioritize” calls. He said they will only go if they’re not needed for something that rates higher, such as a domestic violence or assault report.

The amendments that were under board consideration included a new provision enabling the director of the Department of Code Enforcement, head of the TLMA or the director of the Department of Planning to declare an “urgent circumstance” that grants authority to immediately order the abatement of a public nuisance at an STR.

The ordinance’s proposed new language also specified that any “responsible operator” of an STR may be denied a certificate of renewal if he or she received three notices of violation in a six-month span, or five notices over the entire duration of an STR certificate.

The slate of amendments further called for an increase in the initial STR application fee from $740 to $1,040, and elevating the annual renewal fee from $540 to $750. The Planning Commission voted 4-0 last month to recommend that the board designate funds to expand the county’s STR Enforcement Team.

A moratorium established in April 2025 halted the issuance of all STR certificates in Thousand Palms and the B Bar H Ranch. That suspension followed a surge in boisterous parties at vacation rental properties throughout the communities.

The TLMA confirmed complaints continued in both areas after the moratorium was invoked, but the number over the last six months totaled fewer than 40. The moratorium’s official sunset date is Feb. 28, but the board will discuss resetting it next month.

The post ‘My Life Is A Living Hell’: Complaints Continue About Short-Term Rentals In Riverside County appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

The Riverside County Executive Office, following consultations with the District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Department and other agencies, submitted a formal request for the board to consider implementing a set of regulations aimed at deterring sales and marketing of kratom derivatives, mainly to minors.

“I had never heard of kratom before this came to us earlier this year,” county Chief Executive Officer Jeff Van Wagenen told the board ahead of its unanimous vote. “Kratom is becoming more widely used. Is there an opportunity to act now before it becomes more widely abused? We’ve tried to identify the most dangerous aspect of this … ‘gateway drug.’ This is an opportunity to limit the exposure of folks to it.”

The main emphasis is on so-called “7-OH” products, which contain alkaloids produced using biosynthetic methods. The 7-OH derivatives are based on kratom leaf or kratom leaf extracts originating from a tropical plant native to Southeast Asia, officials said. Their properties have pain-relieving influences similar to morphine and heroin.

“The 7-OH concentrated synthetic products are often promoted as dietary supplements,” Sacramento-based California Narcotics Officers’ Association Legislative Advocate Ryan Sherman told the board. “These products come in various forms, like concentrated liquid extract, and can significantly increase adverse potential life-threatening effects, especially when 7-OH is combined with alcohol and sedatives. Unknown concentrations of these synthetics bear an increased risk of unintentional overdose. There is no approved medical use.”

In July, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration requested that the DEA formally review kratom derivatives and consider placing them on the federal list of controlled substances, which would result in stringent regulations. The DEA is still in the review stage.

“Highly concentrated and synthetic kratom-based products — marketed in the form of powders, capsules, gummies and `energy shots’ — have proliferated in the U.S,” the Executive Office said in a statement. “These products are commonly sold online, in smoke shops and at convenience stores, often with no quality control or labeling standards.”

The state Legislature is in the process of sorting out possible statewide restrictions on 7-OH sales, after a similar proposal in the previous legislative session died in the state Senate. In the meantime, localities have taken regulatory steps of their own.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors approved a measure in August, following related actions in the cities of Jurupa Valley, Newport Beach, Oceanside, San Diego and Solano Beach, all of which now have ordinances in place that prohibit some 7-OH marketing and sales.

The proposed Riverside County regulatory scheme, which requires a second public hearing in the next two weeks before it can be formally approved, would bar the sale of any kratom-based products that contain more than 2% of alkaloids to anyone under 21 years old. The county would further outlaw any marketing of the derivatives to youths via advertisements or brand packaging.

Violations would result in potential misdemeanor criminal charges and fines.

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In a 5-0 vote without comment, the board authorized allocation of the funding, as it has done at the district’s request for more than a decade.

According to county Executive Office documents, the $400,000 is roughly 85% of what the district is expecting to receive when the state disburses property tax receipts in January.

“The Idyllwild Fire Protection District reports limited funds and revenues are available for the payment of expenditures … through Dec. 31, 2025,” according to a statement posted to the board’s agenda. “The district’s request for the advancement may contribute toward the district’s ability to provide services to residents and businesses in their service area.”

Under the terms of the cash advance contract, the county will have claim on the district’s tax receipts until the loan is repaid in full, with interest, which is anticipated to be $5,423.

The Idyllwild Fire Protection District employs around a dozen full- time firefighters, including the chief, as well as support staff. There is also an active reserve firefighter program in place.

Personnel provide paramedic services in Idyllwild and the immediate area, including the community of Pine Cove. The 5-square-mile district is not under Cal Fire’s jurisdiction, but the two agencies frequently coordinate and complement operations. County Fire Department dispatchers handle calls for the district.

Temporary tax revenue advances for districts and other entities are permitted under Article 16 of the California Constitution.

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