LOST REVENUE: Bill to restore funding to cities advances

By Sandra Stokley

Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, Menifee and Wildomar lost millions in state revenue in 2011.

A California senate bill that would restore lost funding to Riverside County’s four newest cities passed the Senate Committee on Governance and Finance on a bipartisan , unanimous vote of 7-0 on Wednesday, March 30.

Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, Menifee and Wildomar have lost millions of dollars since 2011 when Senate Bill 89 eliminated vehicle-license fee revenue allocated to newly incorporated cities and annexed areas. SB 89 was one of the steps the legislature took to close California’s massive budget gap.

Sen. Richard Roth (D-Riverside), the sponsor of SB 817, said the bill “provides funding for the newly incorporated cities of Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, Menifee and Wildomar which all lost critical funding through no fault of their own.”

SB 817 now moves to the Senate Committee on Appropriations for consideration.