Skip to main content
Donate

Tuesday's Election Could Beget a New Southland City

By Zach Behrens
March 7, 2011
Support Provided By
A view of Rubidoux from Mount Rubidoux Park

As Vernon in L.A. County stands to lose its cityhood, some Inland Empire residents from several unincorporated communities on Tuesday will decide if they should become a city or stay under county control. If approved, Jurupa Valley will become Riverside County's 28th city, consuming 43.5 square miles to the east of Riverside that will be home to 88,000 residents -- making it the sixth largest city in the county -- from Mira Loma, Glen Avon, Sky Country, Indian Hills, Pedley, Rubidoux, Belltown, Jurupa, Jurupa Hills, and Sunnyslope.

"As long as we remain unincorporated, our community has very little control over our area," reads the official argument for Measure A on the ballot (.pdf). Land use, public safety and the fear of being annexed by the neighboring city of Eastvale are some of the other reasons, urges the YES on Measure "A" Committee.

The Local Agency Formation Commission found that the city would be able to economically sustain itself -- provide sufficient public services and facilities while maintaining a reasonable reserve -- during at least the first three years after incorporation, according to the county's impartial analysis.

Measure B, which is the only other measure under consideration throughout Riverside County, asks voters if elected officials, should Measure A pass, will represent the city by district, from district or at-large. 16 people are vying for the five-seat city council. If by district or from district are chosen, representatives must live in a particular district to be in office, but the latter distinction allows voters, not just the ones that live in a particular district, to vote on all candidates.

There is no official opposition to creating the new city, but Rubidoux resident Art Fuentes has been described as a "one-man campaign against" cityhood. "The county provides everything residents need," he told the Riverside Press-Enterprise. "I don't think there's anything cityhood could improve upon."

The photo on this post is by Flickr user Neil Armstrong2. It was used under a Creative Commons License.

Support Provided By
Read More
An oil pump painted white with red accents stands mid-pump on a dirt road under a blue, cloudy sky with a green, grassy slope in the background.

California’s First Carbon Capture Project: Vital Climate Tool or License to Pollute?

California’s first attempt to capture and sequester carbon involves California Resources Corp. collecting emissions at its Elk Hills Oil and Gas Field, and then inject the gases more than a mile deep into a depleted oil reservoir. The goal is to keep carbon underground and out of the atmosphere, where it traps heat and contributes to climate change. But some argue polluting industries need to cease altogether.
By Alejandro Lazo, CalMatters
Gray industrial towers and stacks rise up from behind the pitched roofs of warehouse buildings against a gray-blue sky, with a row of yellow-gold barrels with black lids lined up in the foreground to the right of a portable toilet.

California Isn't on Track To Meet Its Climate Change Mandates. It's Not Even Close.

According to the annual California Green Innovation Index released by Next 10 last week, California is off track from meeting its climate goals for the year 2030, as well as reaching carbon neutrality by 2045.
By Alejandro Lazo, CalMatters
A row of cows stands in individual cages along a line of light-colored enclosures, placed along a dirt path under a blue sky dotted with white puffy clouds.

A Battle Is Underway Over California’s Lucrative Dairy Biogas Market

California is considering changes to a program that has incentivized dairy biogas, to transform methane emissions into a source of natural gas. Neighbors are pushing for an end to the subsidies because of its impact on air quality and possible water pollution.
By Emma Foehringer Merchant, Inside Climate News