Caltrans begins Idyllwild road project and announces a major Highway 74 Improvement in Hemet

Tony Ault Staff Writer

Beginning next week, Idyllwild and Pine Cove residents will see the beginning of California Department of Transportation begin work on the $470,000 emergency project to rehabilitate and repave State Route 243 within the boundaries of Mount Jacinto State Park.

SEMA Construction of San Diego was awarded the project sought by the local residents. Crews will be working on SR-243 from just south of North Circle Drive to just north of Pine Crest Avenue. Construction begins on June 26. Hours of operation will be Monday through Friday from

6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Crews will be paving the roadway and replacing the pavement delineator markers and striping.

Motorists can expect oneway traffic control with flagging throughout the construction zone. Use caution and follow all instructions from flagging officers for safe passage. The California Highway Patrol will be on scene to assist with traffic control and safety. Speeds will be reduced by 10 mph in the project parameters.

Hemet

Another huge Caltrans project announced this week will be a $51.6 million corridor improvement project on State Route 74 otherwise known as Florida Ave in Hemet which will begin July 24. The project will repave and rehabilitate 49 lane miles, install Traffic Management Systems, upgrade curb ramps, sidewalks and driveways to Americans with Disabilities Act standards, enhance bike lane signage and striping, and upgrade 29 bus pads within the project parameters. Weather permitting. The project was awarded to Griffith Company of Brea. Crews will be working in and near Hemet on SR-74 from Winchester Road to Fairview Avenue with a project length of 11.2 miles. Work will occur Monday through Friday from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., with occasional weekend work. SR-74 will remain open for the duration of the project. One-way flagging operations will be primarily during the nighttime along with temporary signals operating 24/7 at various locations. Expect delays up to 15 minutes.

There will be intermittent, short term closures for equipment relocation and construction staging purposes. No long term closures are planned. Be advised, speed limits will be reduced by 10 mph throughout the construction zone. San Jacinto This project in the Hemet and San Jacinto area accompanies a continuing Caltrans project that is winding down. The safety project was to construct a median concrete barrier and rumble strips on State Route 79 near San Jacinto. Weather and temperature dependent.

Monday through Friday 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. All lanes have been moved back to their original locations. The left hand turn lanes at Ramona Expressway have also been opened. Remaining work will require inside and outside (alternating) lane closures and shoulder closures for completion of newly installed guardrail system, installation of dike, rumble strips, roadway signage and pavement delineators, in both directions. At least one lane will remain open in each direction at all times. Use caution. CHP will be on site to assist with traffic safety. Watch for signage alerting motorists of upcoming construction locations and remember to reduce your speed in and surrounding the work zone. Tony Ault can be reached at tault@reedermedia.com

Bill to give jobless benefits to foreigners prompts debate over cost, equity

Paul J. Young City News Service

RIVERSIDE (CNS) –

A bill seeking to provide unemployment benefits to noncitizens in California will ensure that “excluded workers” have access to compensation to which they’re entitled, according to a Riverside County lawmaker, while an opponent of the measure counters it will expand the state’s “failing unemployment insurance program” when there’s no money for it.

Senate Bill 227, the Excluded Workers Program, was ratified by the state Senate at the end of May and is now under consideration by the Assembly Committee on Insurance.

Sen. Maria Durazo, D-Los Angeles, authored the bill, saying

“California’s economy suffers by excluding undocumented workers from the (unemployment insurance) program.”

“Immigrant workers make up a significant percentage of workers in many of the industries that experienced the highest rates of joblessness and low wages predating COVID-19,” Durazo wrote. “Without the support of essential safety net programs, like unemployment insurance, many immigrant families are forced to exhaust their savings ... and compromise their health and safety to afford basic necessities.”

Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia, D-Coachella, is among the chief backers of SB 227.

“Access to unemployment benefits can make all the difference in a family affording rent and food to feed their children,”

Cal Fire’s Hemet Ryan-Air Attack Base houses ‘exclusive use’ firefighting helicopter

PERRIS – The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire, entered an exclusive-use contract that strategically places multiple “EU” helicopters throughout the state to assist with the anticipated surge in fire activity Friday, June 16. These helicopters are owned by private vendors and provide aircraft that meet a forecasted demand and fill a unique role or mission set.

This year, helicopter “ThreeSeven-Sierra” will be based out of Hemet-Ryan Air Attack Base and will be available to assist firefighters in combating wildfires. “Three-Seven-Sierra” is a Sikorsky S-64 – more commonly referred to as a “Skycrane,” and has a tank mounted to the belly of the helicopter that can deliver more than 2,000 gallons of water per drop.

“Having access to these additional firefighting aircraft significantly aid the Department in meeting its goal of keeping 95% of fires contained at 10 acres or less,”

Dave Rodriguez, battalion chief of Cal Fire’s Hemet-Ryan Air Attack Base, said. “In addition to our air base’s aerial firefighting fleet, the S-64 will be beneficial in slowing the spread of dangerous wildland fires and keeping Riverside County residents, visitors and our firefighters safe.”

The exclusive-use helicopter at Hemet-Ryan Air Attack Base will be on contract for a minimum 90 days and may be extended, based on wildland fire activity in the region.

Submitted by Riverside County.

County’s jobless rate rises marginally in May

City News Service

Special to Valley News

Despite some gains in various sectors of the regional economy, Riverside County’s unemployment rate rose slightly last month, according to figures released by the California Employment Development Department.

The countywide jobless rate in May, based on preliminary EDD estimates, was 4.4%, compared to 4.2% in April.

According to figures, the May rate was a full percentage point higher than the year-ago level, when countywide unemployment stood at 3.4%.

An estimated 50,200 county residents were recorded as out of work in May, and 1,091,600 were employed, according to EDD.

Mecca had the highest unemployment rate countywide last month at 10.8%, followed by Coachella at 8.5%, Cherry Valley at 8%, Hemet at 6.4% and Rancho Mirage at 6.2%.

The combined unemployment rate for Riverside and San Bernardino counties (the Inland Empire) in May was also 4.4%, up from 4.1% in April, according to figures.

Bi-county data indicated payrolls expanded by the widest margin in the construction sector, which added 3,400 positions.

Additional gains were recorded in the agricultural, financial services, hospitality, government, professional business services and transportation sectors, which altogether grew by an aggregate 5,000 jobs.

Miscellaneous unclassified industries added another 800 positions.

Payrolls declined in the manufacturing sector, which shed a total 400 jobs. The information technology, health services and mining sectors were unchanged, officials said.

Data showed that the statewide non-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in May was 4.5%.

Garcia told City News Service.

“Our immigrant communities are Californians, who contribute millions to our unemployment program and economy.” SB 227 calls for providing up to $300 a week, for a maximum of 20 weeks, to those workers who cannot provide proof of U.S. citizenship, nor documentation establishing lawful residency, but can show that they were in the California labor market for a minimum of 93 hours in a given three-month period, receiving $5,200 in gross wages.

Applicants for benefits under the program could exercise a number of options to show they were employed, including wage statements, tax returns, direct deposit confirmation slips, parking receipts for a specific work site, supervisors’ testimonials, “emails, text messages, social media messages or other written communications relating to delivery orders sheets (and) work schedules,” according to the legislation.

The bill would prohibit the Employment Development Department from inquiring about an applicant’s immigration status or retaining any records beyond the term required for the duration of benefits payments.

“California is a broke state with a $32 billion budget deficit,”

Sen. Brian Jones, R-Escondido, leader of the California Senate Republican Caucus, told CNS. “On top of that, we already owe the federal government $17 billion in unemployment insurance debt from COVID. This disastrous new policy (SB 227) is ripe with loopholes for fraud.”

Members of the caucus include Sens. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, R-Beaumont and Kelly Seyarto, R-Murrieta. Ochoa Bogh abstained from voting and declined to comment on the bill. Seyarto joined Jones in voting against it but did not respond to requests for comment.

Sen. Richard Roth, D-Riverside, voted in favor but did not respond to requests for comment.

The bill dovetails with other “sanctuary state” measures intended to facilitate foreign nationals’ access to benefits administered by California agencies, including the California Food Assistance Program, the California Dream Act, Healthy California and some Medi-Cal provisions.

“This policy is not the message our state or country needs to be sending to those seeking to illegally enter,” Jones said. “We are essentially saying, ‘Come to California, get free money for not working.’ Now is not the time to further expand our failing unemployment insurance program. California is facing countless issues from homelessness to crime to affordability. We should be ... using our precious tax-dollar resources for people lawfully in California.”

According to Garcia, the issue is not workers’ immigration status, but whether they should enjoy equal access to jobless benefits. “These excluded workers deserve and have earned access to unemployment relief,” he said. “This measure is vital to ensuring the wellbeing of our entire economy. We are all impacted.”

Senate analyses of SB 227 did not address the potential for fraud and its costs. EDD disbursed an estimated $32 billion in response to fraudulent unemployment benefits claims during the COVID public health lockdowns, according to published reports.

The Excluded Workers Program is intended to run on a trial basis until Jan. 1, 2027. Annual administrative costs are projected to run between $40 million and $54 million, while payouts to claimants could reach $330 million annually, according to the EDD.

Lee + Ro to design Matthews and Romoland Booster Station

Joe Naiman Writer

The Eastern Municipal Water District will be constructing a dual booster station at the intersection of Ethanac Road and Antelope Road in Menifee, and Lee + Ro Inc., was given the design contract for the Matthews and Romoland Booster Station.

The EMWD board voted 4-0 June 7, with Randy Record absent, to award Lee + Ro a $1,622,905 contract for the design work. The board also authorized EMWD general manager Joe Mouawad or his designee to execute other necessary contracts and agreements for final design of the Matthews and Romoland Booster Station and appropriated a total of $2,023,915 to fund the project costs through the completion of the final design and bid award phases.

The dual booster station will consist of the Matthews Booster Station and the Romoland Booster Station on EMWD-owned land. The Matthews Booster Station will accommodate water system demand growth and improvements in fire flow capacity within the 1720 Longview Pressure Zone.

The existing Romoland Booster Station presents challenges for EMWD operations and maintenance personnel both because it is approaching the end of its useful life and because it is partially below grade. The new Romoland Booster Station will replace the existing station and will serve the 1627 Perris Valley Pressure Zone.

The $98,000 cost to commence initial planning, develop a scope of work and conduct property research and appraisals for the replacement of the Romoland Booster Station was low enough that the expense could be approved administratively rather than requiring board action. That amount was authorized in April

2015. A Jan. 2017 board action authorized an additional $193,000 for preliminary design and an Aug. 2017 board vote authorized $578,000 for the purchase of two parcels located near the existing Romoland Booster Station. This was to provide sufficient space for the relocation of the Romoland Booster Station and also allow the co-location of the Matthews Booster Station. A July 2020 board action authorized a $428,000 contract with Krieger & Stewart Inc., for preliminary design services and authorized a total of $635,200 to fund the project costs through completion of the preliminary design phase.

EMWD staff issued a request for proposals for final design engineering services on Feb. 21. Three companies submitted bids. The California Government Code requires professional services agreements to be awarded based on demonstrated competence and the professional qualifications necessary for the satisfactory performance of the services required rather on the lowest price. Lee + Ro, whose office is in the City of Industry, had both the lowest bid amount and the highest ranking. The evaluation panel noted that Lee + Ro understood the project well, provided an approach for potential added efficiencies, had a realistic schedule which still had the shortest duration, and had experience in delivering similar booster pumping station facilities. The actual fee proposal included a base fee and optional tasks, and a fee of $1,622,905 was negotiated with Lee + Ro which is commensurate with the necessary level of effort.

The Lee + Ro scope of work includes project management, data gathering and analysis, preliminary design review and refinement, field investigations, cathodic protection design, hydraulic evaluation and surge analysis, electrical design, acoustical analysis, permitting support, final design, preparation of contract documents including plans and specifications along with a cost estimate, bidding support, and updating engineering booster station design guidelines.

The subconsultant tasks will have Leighton Consulting of Temecula handling geotechnical engineering activities, Cozad & Fox of Hemet performing the surveying work, ABC Acoustics of La Jolla conducting acoustical analyses, BOA Architecture of Long Beach providing architectural design, Converse Consultants of Rancho Cucamonga undertaking the hazardous materials testing, NUVIS Landscape Architecture of Newport Beach addressing landscape architecture tasks, RF Yeager Engineering of El Cajon being used for corrosion engineering services, Underground Solutions of Escondido taking care of potholing work and West Yost of Davis responsible for cybersecurity and for the hydraulic analysis.

A document meeting California Environmental Quality Act requirements will be prepared once enough information becomes available to identify potential impacts.