City News Service
Hundreds of Riverside County business owners and residents are owed property tax refunds, and officials today encouraged members of the public to find out whether they re on the list of recipients.
According to Treasurer-Tax Collector Matthew Jennings, roughly $540,000 in refunds from tax year 2016 and farther back are waiting to be claimed.
Just under 600 individuals and businesses are listed as eligible to receive the funds, he said. Amounts per recipient range from a few dollars to thousands of dollars.
The deadline to file a refund claim is Aug. 2. The Board of Supervisors will vote soon after that date on whether to transfer unclaimed money into the general fund, or extend the claims deadline.
The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine will once again be available at Riverside County-run clinics as local health officials on Monday lifted a pause on the shots.
The one-shot vaccine will be administered starting Thursday at Alessandro High School in Hemet. Its use will expand to other locations and county mobile vaccination teams next week, officials said in a press release.
The move follows recommendations made by state and federal officials earlier this month to temporarily stop using the one-shot vaccine after reports of rare blood clots. However, U.S. health officials lifted the 11-day pause on Friday after determining the benefits of the vaccine outweighed the risks of keeping it off the market.
Riverside County reinstates use of J&J vaccine at local clinics
Riverside County has reinstated the use of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine at county run clinics.
County health officials lifted the pause on the vaccine on Monday following recommendations by state and federal officials who had temporarily stopped use of the J&J vaccine after rare severe reactions were reported.
The J&J vaccine will be available starting Thursday at the clinic at Alessandro High School in Hemet. Officials said Its use will expand to other fixed locations and mobile vaccine teams next week.
“Bringing back the Johnson and Johnson vaccine will provide us with another tool to help vaccinate as many Riverside County residents as possible,” said Dr. Geoffrey Leung, public health officer for Riverside County. “We are confident the vaccine is safe and effective.”
Updated 1 hour ago
What to Know
Under the orange tier, retail businesses have the go-ahead to fully open, while 50% attendance caps are supposed to be observed in restaurants, museums, movie theaters and zoos.
The guidelines call for gyms, wineries and bars to maintain 25% caps.
The target date for an end to all restrictions on businesses, gatherings and recreation throughout the state is June 15 provided there are no signs of a backward slide.
With metrics pointing to continued progress in COVID-19 mitigation, Riverside County Wednesday moves into the less-restrictive orange tier of the state s economic reopening plan. Download our mobile app for iOS or Android to get the latest breaking news and local stories.
We are seeing many available appointments at public health clinics have not been filled, county Executive Office spokeswoman Booke Federico told City News Service when asked why the county was able to lower inoculation qualification ahead of the state schedule.
Only the Pfizer vaccine is currently available to those as young as 16, and any recipients will have to be accompanied by a parent or guardian as part of the consent process, according to the Riverside University Health System. The minimum age for Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccine doses is 18, per current health guidelines.
County Department of Public Health Director Kim Saruwatari said the purpose of vaccinating the segment of the population with the least exposure risk is to bring us one step closer to herd immunity.