Brown nixes bill that would have helped new cities

Gov. Brown has vetoed a bill that would have returned much-needed funds to the four newest cities in California.

Those cities – Eastvale, Wildomar, Menifee and Jurupa Valley, all in Riverside County – have lost money since 2011, when the state diverted revenue from vehicle-license fees from cities and into law enforcement grants, according to multiple reports.

All four have lost millions of dollars annually and have had to cut back on services because of that action by the state legislature, but Jurupa Valley has been hit the hardest.

The city, which incorporated on July 1, 2011, is reportedly within two years of running out of money and has already taken measures to begin disincorporation, an extremely rare event in the history of California. None of the other three cities have indicated plans to disincorporate.

Senate Bill 69, sponsored by State Sen. Richard Roth, D-Riverside, would have returned about $18 million to the four cities from funds that normally go to education. That money would have come from the state’s general fund.

Jurupa Valley officials were expected to meet Monday to begin discussing how to respond to Brown’s veto, according to reports.