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.

The post County considering larger ADUs and SB 9 units in unincorporated valley appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

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.

In a news release shared by the California Highway Patrol, officers said that they were contacted by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office for reports of a missing man, Carlos McCowan of Winchester, at around 4:30 p.m. near Indian Creek Road in the Valle Vista area. 

“During the day, McCowan was riding on a quad with his 28-year-old son, who was riding a dirt bike,” CHP’s release said. “Towards the end of the day, his son returned to his truck, but the father did not return.”

A sheriff’s department helicopter was called to the area to assist with the search, and McCown was found a short time later “hunched over” the 2014 Honda TRX450R he was riding. Both RSO and CHP personnel responded to the area via off-road vehicles to investigate a possible crash, but they said that the quad was located with all of its wheels intact. 

They said that McCowan was wearing a helmet and off-road safety clothing when he was found, and that he “displayed no obvious crash injuries.”

Police said that McCowan’s cause of death is under investigation by the Riverside County Coroner’s Office. No further information was provided as the probe continues.

The post Man found dead after going missing during Riverside County off-roading trip near Idyllwild appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

Willie Eddie Salazar of Wildomar caused the death of 32-year-old Sahtarria Anderson of Menifee in 2022.

In February, a Murrieta jury convicted Salazar of second-degree murder, felony driving under the influence and DUI resulting in great bodily injury.

During a hearing at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta Friday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Johnnetta Anderson imposed the sentence required under state law on the defendant.

According to the California Highway Patrol, on the night of April 29, 2022, the defendant was driving his Honda Civic the wrong way — going westbound in the eastbound lanes of Domenigoni Parkway — when he approached a Chevrolet Malibu driven by Anderson’s friend, identified only as a 31-year-old Hemet man.

Anderson was in the right front passenger seat of the four-door sedan, which was near Patterson Avenue when the two vehicles reached the same point.

“The Honda and Chevrolet were involved in a head-on crash,” CHP Officer Jason Montez said at the time, adding that it was uncertain exactly how fast each car was traveling.

Paramedics arrived minutes later and treated the defendant and two victims, all of whom were taken to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar.

Anderson succumbed to her injuries the following day. Her friend, who suffered major injuries, was hospitalized for an unspecified period but ultimately recovered.

Salazar, also seriously hurt, was hospitalized for more than a week before being booked into jail.

Court records indicated that, in February 2022, he admitted a misdemeanor DUI, receiving a month-long jail sentence and a 36-month term of probation, with a requirement that he attend classes on the dangers of drinking and driving.

It was unclear whether he enrolled in the program. Under California law, if a DUI offender is convicted of driving while intoxicated, he or she can be charged with murder for causing a death directly tied to a subsequent DUI collision.

Court documents showed Salazar additionally had a misdemeanor conviction for domestic violence.

The post Wildomar Man Who Caused Fatal Head-On Wreck While Drunk Sentenced appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

WINCHESTER, CA—A French Valley resident is leading the charge toward improving walkability near the French Valley Public Library. The pending Skyview Bridge, which is planned to traverse the French Valley Channel, may resolve the issue.

This week, Nelson Cooper launched a Change.org petition to support the construction of a sidewalk near the French Valley Public Library off Winchester Road. According to Cooper, the library’s access is far from safe. Thus far, nearly 175 people have signed the petition that calls for safe access to a county-run library.

“Every day, children and individuals without vehicles in our community are forced to walk along Winchester Road, where cars travel at speeds of 55 miles per hour or more,” Cooper wrote on the petition. “This dangerous situation arises due to the lack of a safe sidewalk leading to the French Valley Public Library. “

Though the California Highway Patrol’s Temecula Division has reported no incidents in that section of roadway in the past several months, the four-lane road is often heavy with traffic.

Cooper says that the risk this poses for pedestrians “is alarming and unacceptable,” and in his petition, he cited statistics from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, where pedestrian fatalities accounted for 17 percent of all traffic deaths in California. “This statistic underscores the urgent need for safer pedestrian infrastructure in our neighborhoods,” he said.

The Riverside County Transportation Department plans to begin construction of a pedestrian bridge in the fall of 2024.

According to Riverside County Transportation Department officer Umer Ahmed, pedestrians will be able to traverse the gap along Skyview Road at French Valley Creek.

The footbridge will extend Skyview Road, allowing better pedestrian traffic access from the neighborhood south of the county library, including the Susan LaVorgna Elementary School.

One parent responded to the plea for signatures, saying he used to drive his daughter to the library for tutoring “because of the bad road. “She would have walked no problem if there was a directly accessible route.

Another resident claimed not to support the Skyview pedestrian walkway. “The real wrinkle in this is that the creek is environmentally protected so the street bridge that should be there never will be. The walkway is silly. I don’t think there are folks on the other side of Skyview wondering how they can get to the library.”

Meanwhile, residents who filed the petition feel that the construction of a sidewalk along Winchester Road would provide a safer route not only for library-goers but also for those who use this road daily.

“We urge local authorities in Winchester to prioritize pedestrian safety by constructing a safe sidewalk along Winchester Road leading up to the French Valley Public Library,” he said. “By doing so, we can protect our children and fellow citizens from unnecessary risks while promoting accessibility and encouraging walking as an eco-friendly mode of transportation.”

Cooper asks that you sign the petition “if you believe everyone deserves safe access to public amenities like our library.”

The post Residents Seek To Improve French Valley Library Access, Petition Filed appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

Trustee Corona, who teaches advanced placement World History at Liberty High School in Winchester, is familiar with MSJC. He took several courses at the college district. He earned a bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees. He replaces Ann Motte, the district’s longest-serving board member, after she chose not to seek re-election. Trustee Corona will represent Area 4. 

Trustee Vicki Carpenter joined Mr. Corona in taking the oath after being reelected to in November. Trustee Carpenter has been representing Area 3 on the MSJC board since 2018. 

During its annual organizational meeting Thursday, the five-member Board of Trustees selected Trustee Joshua Rivera, representing Area 2, as the new Board President, and Trustee Brian Sylva, serving Area 1, as the new Clerk.

The post MSJC Welcomes New Trustee appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.