Banning, Beaumont's Supervisor to Oversee Coachella Valley District on Interim Basis

INDIO, CA - Fifth District Supervisor Marion Ashley will also oversee the Fourth District until Gov. Jerry Brown appoints a replacement for John J. Benoit, who died on Monday night, Riverside County officials announced Thursday.

According to Vice Chairman John Tavaglione, Ashley's appointment is effective immediately and will be made official at the Jan. 17 Board of Supervisors meeting.

Ashley previously filled the role of Fourth District supervisor under similar circumstances in 2009, following the death of Supervisor Roy Wilson.

Benoit's staff will continue to manage operations in the Fourth District, which extends from the Coachella Valley to the Arizona state line.

Benoit died at his Bermuda Dunes home following a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 64.

County supervisors have canceled their Jan. 10 meeting to attend his funeral, to be held at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in La Quinta. Flags at county-owned and leased facilities will also be flown at half-staff until Jan. 10.

Benoit is survived by his wife Sheryl and two children, Sarah and Ben, along with two grandchildren and two brothers.

– By City News Service / Patch file photo