A Doin’ The Pigeon Walk | Page A4
D CALIFORNIA | Page D1
C Neighbors fight apartment project in Riverside’s Casa Blanca | Page C3
Weather: 60/37o | Volume V | Issue VII
Thursday, February 16 - February 22, 2023
A LOCAL
C EDITORIAL
Hemet City council ponders conservatism
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www.HSJChronicle.com |
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D CALIFORNIA
UCR’s OASIS Innovation Hub Turns Research into Action
The problem with ranked-choice voting
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See more on page D1
NO SURPRISES:
Price Inflation Jumps 7.3% In Riverside Metro Area The current rate of inflation reflects the elevated price trajectory impacting most sectors of the economy. CNS | CONTRIBUTED
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rice inflation throughout the Riverside metropolitan area jumped 7.3% over the last year and was up more than 1% just in the last two months, fueled by higher energy expenses, according to a report released Tuesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The agency's bimonthly report, which covers northwestern Riverside County, as well as the cities of Ontario and San Bernardino, indicated that food and energy were the main drivers pushing the metro area's Consumer Price Index higher over the last 12 months. Energy prices jumped 15.3% year over year, with natural gas price spikes that began in December offsetting a months-long gradual softening of prices at the gasoline pump, data showed. Natural gas costs per thermal unit more than doubled in December
and January due to higher demand amid polar blasts across the nation's midsection, supply shortages in California generally and commodities speculation, according to analysts. In the previous 12 months, food costs were up 9.8%, the BLS stated, noting that there were "increases across (all) food-at-home expenditure categories." In December and January, the metro CPI was up 1.3%, compared to a .6% increase in the two-period ending Nov. 30, 2022. The index showed that the annual spike in the metro CPI was not only propelled by food and energy, but also residential rents, which rose 8.3%, and healthcare expenses, which increased an average 6.2%. The BLS report showed pocketbook pressure was up 6.4% nationwide from January 2022 to January 2023. The current rate of inflation re-
flects the elevated price trajectory impacting most sectors of the economy. The Riverside metro area hasn't recorded a comparable inflationary pattern since the local CPI was first published in 2018, data showed. The accelerating consumer price hikes have been blamed by the Biden administration on the war in Ukraine and consequent energy supply disruptions, but critics have pointed to the administration's restrictive domestic energy policies, as well as excessive spending, including the flood of dollars contained in relief packages, as root causes. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen acknowledged during congressional testimony in June that inflation is the "top economic problem" facing the nation and that it would not be "transitory," as she and Federal Reserve Bank Chair Jerome Powell had initially predicted.
In the previous 12 months, food costs were up 9.8%, the BLS stated, noting that there were "increases across (all) food-at-home expenditure categories." | Courtesy Photo of Shutterstock Payan
The Fed's Open Market Committee has been gradually adjusting its benchmark, or target, lending rate over the last year, with the most recent adjustment on Feb. 1,
bringing it to 4.5%, in an attempt to soak up excess liquidity and slow spending. The rates hikes will continue for the foreseeable future, Powell said.
RIVERSIDE, CA
24-year-old found guilty of two Banning murders, faces potential life sentence JESUS REYES | CONTRIBUTED
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24-year-old man was found guilty of his role in the killings of two men in Banning, as well as the attempted murders of seven other people in three separate shooting incidents in 2017. Samuel Vasquez was found guilty on all counts and allegations by a Riverside County jury on Jan. 25. Vasquez was involved in the murders of Charles Neazer, 51, in 2015 and Henry Waters Jr., 20, in 2017. Both men were found with gunshot wounds. The cases went cold until May 2021, when investigators were able to identify and arrest Vasquez as one of the suspects involved in the murders. As part of the guilty verdict, Vasquez was found to have committed the crimes in association with and for the benefit of a criminal street gang. He faces a maximum sentence of life in
prison without the possibility of parole. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 14. In their original news release announcing the arrest, police said Neazer was walking home when Vasquez, and a second suspect, William Armendariz Jr., drove up next to him as he was crossing the street. The two exited a vehicle and shot Neazer. They then fled the scene. Armendariz has also been arrested and charged in connection with the killing of Neazer. He remains in court with his next appearance scheduled for Feb. 23, according to court records. It was a similar case in the murder of Waters. Police said he was walking with a friend at around 3 a.m. when a vehicle pulled up next to Waters and his friend. Vasquez, along with a second suspect, Jose Verdusco Jr., exited the vehicle and shot Waters several times killing
Samuel Vasquez | Photo courtesy of the Banning Police Department.
him. They also attempted to shoot Waters’ friend, who had run and hid during the incident. Verdusco was arrested and charged with Waters' murder. His name does not pop up in court or county jail records. We have reached out to the Riverside County District Attorney's office for an update on the status of his case.
Popular Wildflower Trail Opens to Public NEWS DESK | CONTRIBUTED
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he Wildflower Trail will be open Wednesdays through Sundays at the lake in Hemet in southwestern Riverside County. After December and January’s heavy storms, Metropolitan expects a larger bloom of wildflowers than in the last few years, which were the driest in the state’s history. Though flowers are just beginning to bloom, warmer weather over the next few weeks should usher in heartier bouquet. Among the flowers typically found at Diamond Valley Lake are California poppies, deep blue arroyo lupines, purple Canterbury bells, yellow rancher’s fiddleneck, white popcorn flowers and pink red maids. The trail is part of the Southwestern Riverside County Multi-Species Reserve, which Metropolitan helped create in 1992, covering 9,000 acres sur-
rounding Diamond Valley Lake and connecting to Lake Skinner. Through long-standing partnerships and commitments, Metropolitan has played an ongoing role in establishing and managing four large-scale multi-species reserves spanning more than 30,000 acres across Southern California as it works to ensure water reliability and environmental sustainability for the region. The trail’s 1.3-mile loop, accessible from the Diamond Valley Lake Marina’s parking lot, with entry off Domenigoni and Searl parkways in Hemet, is rated as an easy-to-moderate hike with some rugged terrain. Hours are 6:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (no entry after 3:30 p.m.). The trails and marina are closed Mondays and Tuesdays. In addition to hiking, the lake offers opportunities for boating, fishing and bike riding.
See DIAMOND VALLEY on page A4
Henry Waters Jr. | Photo courtesy of the Banning Police Department.
The cases, along with similar incidents at the time, prompted the Banning Police Department to increase its number of detectives. The department has said that in 2019, its Detective Bureau, after reviewing evidence from other crime scenes started finding similarities and evidence that was similar to other crimes in and out of the city. Over
time, detectives started creating lists of persons of interest and worked to eliminate suspects from the list through intensive investigation. "This monumental task was nearly impossible without having the proper staffing levels in the Detective Bureau," reads the announcement by the Banning
See MURDERS on page A4
RIVERSIDE, CA
Southern California Edison Sued by City of Hemet MADISON AUMENT | KVCR
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emet claims that SoCal Edison equipment ignited the fire. Southern California News Group reports that Hemet’s lawsuit claims the utility did not manage its electrical power lines and failed to keep its landscape trimmed. A SoCal Edison spokesperson
says the utility is reviewing the city’s action and will respond through legal channels. The Fairview Fire erupted on Sept. 5 near Hemet and burned more than 44 square miles. Nearly 3 dozen homes and structures were destroyed or damaged. Two people were killed. One civilian and two firefighters were injured.
FAIRVIEW FIRE: A photo of the Fairview Fire that broke out on the southern end of Hemet on Sept. 5, 2022. | Photo courtesy of Riverside County Fire Department.
