Funding bill for cities clears Assembly

By IMRAN GHORI / STAFF WRITER

A bill by state Sen. Richard Roth, D-Riverside, that would restore vehicle license fees to the cities of Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, Menifee and Wildomar won approval Tuesday, Aug. 23 from the state Assembly.

It passed on a 77-0 vote and now goes back to the Senate for a procedural concurrence vote, a news release from Roth’s office stated. The state Senate had already cleared the bill on a 38-0 vote in June.

The cities have been trying to get the funding restored after state legislators reallocated the fees from newly-incorporated cities during a 2011 budget crunch.

“Senate Bill 817 restores critical funding for the newly incorporated cities of Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, Menifee and Wildomar, which each lost funding through no fault of their own,” Roth stated. “This funding, which every other city receives, is important for these cities’ residents, especially for residents in California’s newest city, Jurupa Valley.”

The bill’s fate will ultimately be decided by Gov. Jerry Brown, who has vetoed similar bills in previous session of the Legislature. Roth, who authored the previous bills, said he will continue to fight for restoration of the funds.