Pinyon Pines is an unincorporated community in

Riverside County, California Riverside County is a County (United States), county located in the Southern California, southern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, its population was 2,418,185, making it the fourth-most ...

Geography

It is located in a small valley between the

San Jacinto Mountains The San Jacinto Mountains ()Munro, P., et al. ''A Mojave Dictionary''. Los Angeles: UCLA. 1992. are a mountain range in Riverside County, California, Riverside County, located east of Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles in southern California i ...

and Santa Rosa Mountains, north of State Route 74. It takes its name from the Pinyon pine (''Pinus monophylla'') trees native to the area. Pinyon Pines sits at an elevation of approximately 4000 feet.

Government

Pinyon Pines is in: *

California's 25th congressional district California's 25th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. The district is currently represented by . The district includes all of Imperial County, California, Imperial County and parts of Riverside C ...

, currently represented by House Representative Raul Ruiz. * California's 28th State Senate district, currently represented by State Senator Jeff Stone. *

California's 71st State Assembly district California's 71st State Assembly district is one of 80 California State Assembly districts. It is currently represented by Republican Kate Sanchez. District profile The district encompasses much of San Diego County's backcountry and Eas ...

, currently represented by Assemblymember

Randy Voepel Randy Greg Voepel (born September 21, 1950) is an American politician. He served in the city government of Santee, California, and in the California State Assembly from the 71st district. He was the vice-chair of the Veterans Affairs, Aging & Lon ...

History

Pinyon Pines was founded by Art Nightingale in the 1930s, around the time that the Pines to Palms Highway was being constructed. A mechanic by trade, he invested in the Pinyon Flats area. He built accommodations for the workers of the highway, and also built the Sugarloaf Cafe, now since closed. Pinyon Pines was the site of a 2006 triple homicide that made national attention. Residents 53-year-old Vicki Friedli and her 55-year-old boyfriend, Jon Hayward, were found shot, and Friedl's 18-year-old daughter, Becky, was found outside in a wheelbarrow, burned so badly investigators were unable to determine cause of death. Two men were indicted in March 2014, but the charges were later dismissed. The two men have since been arrested again. On August 10, 2018, a jury found Robert Pape, 30, and Cristin Smith, 29, guilty and sentenced both to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

References

External links

* Unincorporated communities in Riverside County, California San Jacinto Mountains Santa Rosa Mountains (California) Unincorporated communities in California {{RiversideCountyCA-geo-stub