Government

HUD Awards Almost $20 Million for Riverside and SB Homeless Programs

December 22, 2016 by Ole Leave a Comment

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Tuesday that it has awarded almost $2 billion to over 7,000 homeless assistance organizations throughout the Country.

Combined, Riverside and San Bernardino organizations were awarded almost $20 million. To see the entire list, click here.

The following tables show the organizations in Riverside and San Bernardino (source: HUD)

CA-608 – Riverside City & County CoC
Behavioral Health – Coachella Valley Permanent Housing	498,468
Behavioral Health – Men’s Permanent Housing	149,366
Behavioral Health – Rapid Rehousing	142,117
Behavioral Health – Riverside Permanent Housing	359,743
Behavioral Health HHOPE Consolidated Permanent Housing	495,415
City of Riverside PSH Chronically Homeless	125,598
City of Riverside PSH for Disabled	123,556
City of Riverside Rapid Re-Housing	229,728
County of Riverside CES Project	500,000
County of Riverside CoC Planning Project FY 2016	315,901
Desert Horizon PSH	431,577
HMIS Consolidated	344,072
Housing Authority Consolidated	510,304
Housing Authority Consolidated All County	448,217
Housing Authority EHOP	42,739
Housing Authority Street to Home Chronic Homeless Project	114,993
JFS Desert Vista Permanent Housing	684,148
Lighthouse SSC Permanent Housing for Disabled Women with Children	232,149
Lighthouse SSC Rapid Rehousing	263,274
Path of Life PSH	1,314,354
Path of Life Rapid Rehousing	345,549
POLM RRH East County	377,260
Shelter Plus Care Project Based w/OSH	72,803
Stepping Up in Riverside	888,903
US Vets Riverside Permanent Housing	375,292
CA-608 Total	$9,385,526

CA-609 – San Bernardino City & County CoC
2016 Fast Linkage And Secure Housing – 211 Coordinated Entry	403,136
CoC Planning Project Application FY2016	336,602
Cornerstone	400,415
HMIS Renewal 2016	250,158
Homes of Hope	361,001
Hope For Heroes 2 FY 2016	328,896
Hope for Heroes FY 2016	487,237
Hope Partners’ Family Stabilization Program	141,137
Infinite Horizons – RRH FY 2016	518,002
KEYS for Life	241,021
Keys for Success	285,480
Lantern Woods	225,214
Laurelbrook Estates	357,984
New Hope, Too! (2016)	39,145
New Horizon	1,865,076
Permanent Housing for Homeless with HIV/AIDS	76,455
Project Gateway	182,550
Step Up in San Bernardino Bonus Funds Application FY2016	361,002
Step Up in San Bernardino Renewal FY2016	1,544,888
Stepping Stones	331,739
TAY Permanent Supportive Housing	187,011
The Salvation Army Permanent Supportive Housing Program	200,002
U.S.VETS – Inland Empire Renewal FY2016	1,021,292
Whispering Pines	194,141
CA-609 Total	$10,339,584

“A” Street / Citrus Heights Drive Update: Nov-16

November 21, 2016 by Ole Leave a Comment

Update #1: Unofficially, I have heard that paving might begin the week after Thanksgiving.
Update #2: I have heard from the County that paving is scheduled to begin on 11/28/16, with an expected opening date of 1/1/17.
Update #3: Paving has begun…

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Some pictures of “A” Street / Citrus Heights Drive in the City of Riverside, California from a few days ago…

Looks to me like paving can’t be too far off. I will update this post with new pictures if paving begins this month. I have also sent an email to the County to get an update on the current estimated completion date.

“A” Street / Citrus Heights Drive Update: Aug-16

August 17, 2016 by Ole Leave a Comment

Driving down Van Buren today, my wife noticed this:

We both thought that this might be the spot where Citrus Heights Drive FKA Fairway Drive FKA Street “A” ends at Van Buren.

I went back later this afternoon and walked up into the hills to check on the progress of the road. Here are some pictures:

The beginning at McAllister:

Near the middle:

What looks like the end at Van Buren:

Moving along.

“A” Street / Citrus Heights Drive Update: Jul-16

July 6, 2016 by Ole Leave a Comment

It has been almost seven years since the City of Riverside closed Dufferin Avenue at McAllister Parkway.

Since then, affected residents have been waiting for construction of an alternate route (“A” Street) between McAllister Parkway and Van Buren Blvd. “A” Street was supposed to be completed prior to the closure.

In my last update, I shared some info from the County about the construction of “A” Street. At the time, the estimated completion date was July 2016.

According to the County, the new estimate is December 2016. It seems that the new name of the road will be Citrus Heights Drive.

I decided to venture out early this morning to check on the progress.

Looking southwest toward Citrus Heights / McAllister:

Looking northeast toward Van Buren:

Visit the following link to see past and future updates: dufferin closure.

** Update: I have been told that the delay was due to the discovery of an “un-mapped gas line and several boulder structures which set their timetable back by 5 months”. I have also “heard” (not directly from the County) that the estimated completion date might be closer to mid-2017, although the estimated completion date I received directly from the County is December 2016. Regardless of which estimate is more accurate, I will continue to check on the progress as we near the end of the year. **

“A” Street / Fairway Drive Update: Feb-16

February 26, 2016 by Ole 5 Comments

Update from the County:

Contract awarded.
Preconstruction meeting Monday.
Work to begin in 10 days.
Estimated completion July 2016.

** Additional Info 02/28/16 **

I have been asked if I know where Fairway Drive will connect with McAllister and Van Buren. I will try to find a better answer, but here is my best guess: (I created this image by laying a map from this 2014 County document over a map from Google Maps.)

California Traffic Ticket Amnesty Starts Tomorrow, Oct 1, 2015

September 30, 2015 by Ole Leave a Comment

Darn. I already paid my tickets.

Here is an excerpt from the California Judicial Branch‘s website: (If this applies to you, make sure you read the full document)

On June 24, 2015, the Governor signed into law a one-time amnesty program for unpaid traffic and non-traffic infraction tickets. Here is what you should know:

When will the amnesty program be available?
Start: October 1, 2015
End: March 31, 2017

Who can participate in the amnesty program?
There are two groups of people who can participate in the amnesty program:

Persons with unpaid tickets whose fines were originally due to be paid date on or before January 1, 2013, who have not made a payment after June 24, 2015, may be eligible to have both their debt reduced by 50 or 80 percent depending on income and their driver’s license reinstated, unless an exclusion discussed below applies.

Persons who made a payment after June 24, 2015 on a ticket are not eligible for a reduction for that ticket, but may be eligible to have their driver’s license reinstated if they are in good standing on a payment plan with a comprehensive collection program.
Persons with more than one ticket may not be eligible for a reduction on an individual ticket if the eligibility criteria are not satisfied for the ticket. Please check with your court for additional information.

Any persons eligible to have a driver’s license, (including undocumented individuals who are eligible for a driver’s license under AB 60) are entitled to participate in the traffic amnesty program if they meet the eligibility requirements.

[…]

Source: http://www.courts.ca.gov/trafficamnesty.htm

“A” Street / Fairway Drive / Citrus Heights Update, Jul-15

July 12, 2015 by Ole Leave a Comment

Although the proceedings aren’t posted on the County’s website as of the time I am writing this, I received word that Citrus Heights II was approved by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors on June 30th.

The Citrus Heights II tract is just south of the previously approved Citrus Heights development referenced in a previous post.

I have also been told that this development will provide the final portion of funding for Street “A”, although the County is still working to acquire a few of the properties needed to construct the street.

** Update 07/15/15 **

This is a picture of an exhibit from Riverside County’s La Sierra / Lake Mathews town hall meeting on 07/14/15 confirming the current status of “A” Street:

** End of update **

From agenda item 16-1 of the Riverside County Board of Supervisor’s June 30, 2015 meeting:

Tentative Tract Map No. 36475 would construct several public roadways on the site. Access to the Project site would be provided via two (2) full access connections from an approved, neighboring development project to the north (TR 36390, marketing name “Citrus Heights”). From Citrus Heights, Project residents would have direct connections to McAllister Street and Street “A”. Street “A” is also known as “Fairway Drive”, an approved public street that will provide a connection between McAllister Street and Van Buren Boulevard. In 2012 the Board of Supervisors authorized Fast Track status to the adjacent SP325 and this project site in recognition that both projects are causing the construction of Street “A”, which will not only provide access to these projects but which also greatly benefits the adjacent communities of Victoria Grove, the Orchard, and other properties around McAllister Street by bringing a connection to Van Buren Blvd.

Information on Citrus Heights II from the same document:

TENTATIVE TRACT MAP NO. 36475 is a Schedule “A” subdivision of 168.33 acres into 171 residential lots on 79.83 acres, two water quality/detention basins on 5.26 acres, four park sites on 3.78 acres, and 21 open space lots encompassing 50.56 acres. In addition, 29.31 acres will be dedicated for on-site infrastructure development (Streets “A” through “R”). Lot sizes for the proposed residential units will range from 14,010 sq. ft. to 116,073 sq. ft. with a minimum lot size of 12,101 sq. ft.

Previous posts about the Dufferin Closure, “A” Street / Fairway Drive and Citrus Heights topics can be found by clicking on the “dufferin closure” tag.

“A” Street / Dufferin Update, Jan-15; Public Hearing on 01/13/15

January 11, 2015 by Ole 4 Comments

** UPDATE 01/13/15 **

At the public hearing this morning, the Board voted 4-0 to approve the resolution.

According to Transportation Director Perez, the road is expected to cost “in the neighborhood of about $8 million”, the cost of which will be “borne by private development”.

*******************

On January 13, 2015, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors will hold a “Public Hearing on Adoption of Resolution No. 2015-002, Authorization to Adopt a Resolution of Necessity for the Street A Improvement Project”. According to the agenda, the meeting begins at 9:00 AM. The hearing is agenda item 9-2.

If you aren’t familiar with the Street A / A Street project, here is some background from the Submittal to the Board of Supervisors (you can also review the numerous posts we have written about the Dufferin closure and A Street project here: dufferin-closure):

The Street A Project is a proposed two lane collector road connecting McAllister Parkway to Van Buren Boulevard, of which 40 percent is located within the jurisdiction of the County of Riverside (County) and 60 percent is located within the jurisdiction of the City of Riverside (City).

In 2006, the County approved Tract 30153 (McAllister Hills), which would have constructed a golf course residential community development. The County required this tract to construct a new road between McAllister Street and Van Buren Boulevard, referred to as Street A, which would serve traffic from the development and provide an alternate access route for residents of Victoria Grove, The Orchards, and other communities in the area north of El Sobrante and east of La Sierra Avenue.

[…]

The road design was nearly complete and right-of-way was about to commence in 2008 when work ceased on the developer’s project, which went into foreclosure due to the economic downturn.

[…]

Since that time, the community desires to see Street A move forward ahead of development due to the closure of the extension of McAllister north into the City of Riverside, which was done by the City in 2009.

[…]

The Project is a critical circulation and emergency access link for the communities of The Orchard, Victoria Grove and other developments located east of La Sierra Avenue, and north of El Sobrante.

What is a resolution of necessity? I’ll let a lawyer answer that question. From http://www.eminentdomainlaw.net/handbook2_6.php:

A “resolution of necessity” is the government agency’s formal decision to acquire property by eminent domain. It must be adopted before the condemning agency can commence an eminent domain action in court.

Why is a resolution of necessity required for this project? From the Submittal:

The Economic Development Agency/Facilities Management (EDA/FM) has presented written offers to the property owners as required by Government Code Section 7267.2. The amount of the offers is consistent with current property values in the Woodcrest area and is based upon a fair market value appraisal report.

[…]

The Project consists of six property owners; two of which have settled. However, settlement has not been reached with the remaining four property owners, although negotiations are still in process for the necessary right-of-way

How would this be paid for? From the Submittal:

All costs associated with the acquisition of these properties are fully funded by Developer Contributions in the Transportation Department’s budget for FY 2014/15. No net county costs will be incurred as a result of this transaction.

People Actually Voted for Indicted State Senator Leland Yee Yesterday?

June 4, 2014 by Ole Leave a Comment

Notice anything odd about the Secretary of State election results from yesterday?

Check out who finished in third place with almost 10% of the statewide vote. Leland Yee. Why should you care?

Leland Yee dropped out of the race.
Leland Yee was indicted earlier this year after being “charged with conspiring to traffic in firearms and public corruption”.

Leland Yee’s indictment was a big story, and was difficult to miss if you watched or read any type of news at the time. Why was it such big news?

Political Corruption: Leland Yee (D) is a (now suspended) California State Senator from San Francisco.
Hypocrisy: Leland Yee is a gun control advocate.
Firepower: Firearms discussed in the criminal complaint include “shoulder fired missiles“.

Maybe all of the votes came from people in San Francisco who were just used to seeing his name on the ballot. Nope. Over 11,000 people voted for him in Riverside County alone.

When you exercise your right to vote, please research the candidates and the issues. Rather than voting for a person we know nothing about simply because there is an “R” or a “D” next to the candidate’s name, or voting for/against an issue based on the opinion of a commentator, radio host, political party, organization, family member or friend, we need to do our homework and make our own informed decisions.

Leland Yee got almost 290,000 votes yesterday. Really California?

“A” Street (Fairway Drive) / Dufferin Update, May-14

May 22, 2014 by Ole 9 Comments

It has been almost five years since the City of Riverside closed Dufferin Avenue at McAllister, cutting off a “critical circulation and emergency access link for the communities of The Orchard, Victoria Grove and other developments located east of La Sierra Avenue, and north of El Sobrante”.

I sent a few emails last week to contacts within the County of Riverside to find out the construction status of “A” Street (Fairway Drive), since the last estimate I received was that construction might start this summer. One person told me that there is no firm timetable, and that staff is continuing negotiations to purchase the properties needed for the right-of-way (one of six has been purchased). Another person told me that the County is working with the developer, but that there is hope construction will begin by the fall.

Unless you devote many hours to attending County meetings (I don’t), construction projects can be difficult to follow. This post contains information on the construction of “A” Street from my review of County documents. If you find that I have missed something, relied on outdated documents or have any feedback, please leave a comment below. Also, if you would like to express your support for this project, it falls within Supervisor Kevin Jeffries‘ district.

The quoted words in the first sentence of this post aren’t mine (although I agree with them). They are from a submittal dated 01/15/14 from the Riverside County Transportation Department to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors recommending approval to enter into right of way and temporary construction agreements with CV Inland Communities 1, LP. The Board approved these recommendations on 02/04/14.

CV is the developer that is building the Citrus Heights community. From what I can tell, the Citrus Heights plan calls for the construction of 345 homes (no golf course) between McAllister and Van Buren (see the end of this post for info on Citrus Heights).

Background from the document:

The Riverside County Transportation Department (RCTD) proposes to construct A Street, a two-lane collector road connecting McAllister Street to Van Buren Boulevard in the Woodcrest area (Project). Approximately 40 percent of the Project is located in the unincorporated county area (County) and 60 percent is located within the City of Riverside (City) jurisdiction.

In 2006, the County approved Tract 30153 (McAllister Hills), which would have constructed a golf course residential community development. The County required this tract to construct a new road between McAllister and Van Buren, referred to as A Street, which would serve traffic from the development and provide an alternate access route for residents of Victoria Grove, the Orchards, and other communities in the area north of Cajalco and east of La Sierra.

In 200B, work ceased on the developer’s project, which went into foreclosure due to the economic downturn. Since that time, the communities desire to see “A” Street move forward has been heightened by the closure of the extension of McAllister north into the City of Riverside. The County took over the “A” Street project in 2010 and is working on property acquisition to prepare for construction.

Funding for the acquisition comes from Development Impact fees collected in this area since this road will help mitigate impacts of future development.

Environmental Impact Report No. 433 (EIR) was completed in compliance with the EIR Guidelines and Riverside County Rules to implement California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). On December 21, 2004, the Board of Supervisors adopted Resolution No. 2004-539, Certifying Environmental Impact Report No. 433. On September 24, 2013, Amendment No.1 to EIR No. 433 was approved by the Board of Supervisors.

CV Inland Communities 1, LP, a Delaware limited partnership (CV Communities) has agreed to dedicate the right-of-way and temporary access from the portion of the property needed for the proposed A Street project at no cost. […] There are costs of $16,200 associated with this transaction.

The County and City are working together to identify potential funding for this project. […]

Impact on Residents and Businesses

The Project is a critical circulation and emergency access link for the communities of The Orchard, Victoria Grove and other developments located east of La Sierra Avenue, and north of El Sobrante

The Board’s approval of these agreements follow the earlier approval of an agreement (link is to the first amendment) that calls for the developer to contribute $1.6 million toward the construction of Street “A” after certain conditions are met.

Background from the document:

The Amendment of SP 325 and its associated tracts is coming before the Board for consideration as a separate Item on this same agenda. A necessary infrastructure component of this project is “A” Street, a new road that will extend from McAllister Parkway to Van Buren Boulevard. “A” Street is not only necessary for this project but also a critical circulation and emergency access link for the communities of The Orchard, Victoria Grove and other developments located East of La Sierra Avenue, and North of El Sobrante. The” A” Street Project is approximately 40% within County jurisdiction and 60% within the City of Riverside jurisdiction.

On October 16, 2012 the Board entered into an agreement with CV Communities, the Developer of this project, whereby the Developer will provide the County with $1,200,000 in funding towards the construction of the road upon County approval of the entitlements, and another $400,000 within 6 months of the County awarding a construction contract. This Amendment accelerates the payment of the $400,000 and provides a vehicle for the Developer to contribute additional funding, in exchange for additional DIF credits, and also a mechanism for the Developer to receive DIF credits if they have to construct the road project. This amendment therefore helps facilitate the construction of “A” Street.

The County is in the process of acquiring the needed right-of-way for “A” Street, and working with the City of Riverside on a funding plan for the construction phase of the project.

I’ve been writing about the Dufferin closure since 2009. I’ll do my best to share what I learn as the construction process continues. You can find all of the posts I have written about the Dufferin closure and “A” Street issues here: dufferin-closure

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Info about Citrus Heights:

The best document I have found about the Citrus Heights project is here (emphasis added).

From the document:

SUBJECT: SPECIFIC PLAN NO. 325, AMENDMENT NO.1; CHANGE OF ZONE NO. 7779; TENTATIVE TRACT MAP NO. 36390, (FAST TRACK NO. 2013-05) -Addendum No.1 to EIR
No. 433 – Applicant: CV Communities, LLC – Engineer/Representative: T&B Planning – First/First Supervisorial District – Lake Mathews Zoning District – Lake Mathews / Woodcrest Area Plan: Community Development: Low Density Residential (CD: LDR) (1/2 Acre Minimum), Open Space: Conservation (OS: C), Rural Community: Very Low Density Residential (RC: VLDR) (1 Acre Minimum), Rural: Rural Mountainous (R: RM) (10 Acre Minimum), El Sobrante Policy Area – Location: Southerly of Van Buren Boulevard and easterly of McAllister Street – 333.7 Gross Acres – Zoning: Specific Plan (SP00325) – REQUEST: The Specific Plan Amendment proposes to increase residential acreage from 98.4 acres to 135.5 acres, increase the total number of residential units from 295 to 345, increase the average residential lot size from approximately 10,237 square feet to approximately 12,976 square feet, increase the development intensity from 0.9 to 1.0 dwelling units per acre (du/ac), eliminate the 119.1-acre golf course and 3.5-acre golf course clubhouse land uses from the Land Use Plan, increase the area reserved for open space from 85.2 acres to 162.4 acres, increase the acreage designated for public parks from three parks on 2.5 acres to eight parks on 7.0 acres, provide approximately 6.6 miles of pedestrian trails and modify the internal circulation system to accommodate the modified land use plan. The Change of Zone proposes to modify the adopted Specific Plan Zoning Ordinance for SP325 and formalize all of the planning area boundaries within the Specific Plan. The Tentative Map is a Schedule A subdivision that would subdivide 333.7 acres into 343 single-family residential lots, 8 park lots, 3 water quality detention basin lots, and 43 open space lots.

Here are a few maps from the document (click on the images to view larger versions):