🍊Your Riverside Weekend- May 16, 2026
Your Riverside Weekend- May 16, 2026 Happy Saturday, Riverside! We hope your week treated you well. Before you head into
City Council Approves $2.28M City Hall Lobby Overhaul, Moving Clerk's Office to Main Floor
The 301-day design-build project will relocate the City Clerk's Office to the ground floor and add a grab-and-go food area, funded partly through Measure Z reserves.
Walking the Border: What You Miss Through the Windshield on Old 215
A monthly stroll through Riverside's everyday neighborhoods, one step at a time.
La Sierra University to Honor LGBTQ+ Graduates at Lavender Graduation Ceremony
Organized by SDA Kinship International, the June 5 ceremony honors LGBTQ+ graduates from La Sierra and other area institutions.
Riverside Cyclist, 73, Gears Up for 23rd California Coast Classic, Seeks Local Riders
A Riverside man who took up cycling on doctor's orders after an arthritis diagnosis will ride 525 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles in September, and he wants company.
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Differing Degrees
A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns.
Riverside Billed Water Ratepayers Illegally for Years, Judge Rules
Phase two of Simpson v. City of Riverside puts at least $46 million in potential refunds on the table, with a final judgment expected within weeks.
RPU Board Advances $34M Plan for Solar, Battery and Efficiency Programs
The Board of Public Utilities backed a working group's six-project spending plan, though some members questioned whether city-facility investments would deliver enough direct benefit to customers.
City Adds First Electric Buses to Paratransit Fleet
The Micro Bird G5 purchases replace two aging vehicles and qualify for state and utility rebates that offset the cost.
After Delays, Hayet Albi Found Their Spot on Market Street
The Levantine bakery and cooperative sibling to Slow Bloom Coffee Roasters has found a home in the former Beignet Spot on Market Street.
MLK High School Junior Wins Playwriting Award for Mermaid-Themed One-Act
Carleigh Rios' original play, "Mermaid Story," will receive a professional staged reading at the Palm Springs Cultural Center on June 7.
The Humble Pill Bug: More Than Just a Backyard Curiosity
That little armored creature rolling around under your rocks is older than the dinosaurs, tastier than you'd think, and better for your soil than you knew.
Civil Rights Agency is Investigating Riverside Over Rejected Permanent Supportive Housing Project
State investigators will look into whether council members broke fair housing law when they turned down $20.1 million for the University Terrace Project.
Government
RPU Board Advances $34M Plan for Solar, Battery and Efficiency Programs
The Board of Public Utilities backed a working group's six-project spending plan, though some members questioned whether city-facility investments would deliver enough direct benefit to customers.
City Adds First Electric Buses to Paratransit Fleet
The Micro Bird G5 purchases replace two aging vehicles and qualify for state and utility rebates that offset the cost.
Ward 2, 4 and 6 Candidates Weigh in on City Manager Tenure, Futrell Reversal
Candidates from three contested council races respond to questions about city manager retention — and Mike Futrell's decision to stay.
This Week in City Hall: May 11, 2026
From electric buses to a River District workplan, City Council and six other boards and commissions hold meetings across the week.
Events
Vintage Home Tour Frames America 250 Through Five Houses
Five private homes built between 1924 and 1955 open for one Saturday — three decades of American life, told through the houses Riversiders lived in.
More Than Flowers
Blue Zones Riverside and the county's health community are coming together this Mother's Day to remind us that supporting moms is a year-round practice.
Riverside Nonprofit NORA Marks Denim Day With Community Event April 29
Banner Bank is partnering with the sexual assault resource organization for a solidarity gathering at its Riverside branch.
Riverside Celebrates Earth Month With Bugs, Blooms and New Social Circles
Free and low-cost events across the final two weeks of April celebrate the environment, community and the science of living longer.
History
Palms, Presidents and Pepper Trees
The story behind Magnolia Avenue's grand design, its presidential cross streets and the settlers who made it Southern California's most celebrated boulevard.
Still Standing: Post 79's Clubhouse Turns 100
Built on land donated by a Riverside mayor, the American Legion's Lake Evans home has served veterans for a century.
Sherman Indian High School Inter-Tribal Pow Wow: 40 Years of Resilience and Celebration
Forty years later, Sherman Indian High School's Inter-Tribal Pow Wow is still going strong, and so are the people who made it happen.
First Notes at Dawn
When Riverside held its first Easter Sunrise Pilgrimage in 1909, Gustav Hilverkus was there — cornet in hand, music echoing off the mountain.
Art & Entertainment
The God Who Learned to Feel: 'Hadestown' Comes to The Fox
'Hadestown' actor Nickolaus Colón on why the ancient myth of Hades still moves modern audiences — and why two nights at The Fox are worth clearing your calendar for.
Opera Returns to the Inland Empire
After five years of dormancy, Riverside Lyric Opera marked its revival with a sold-out gala concert at UCR's University Theatre - complete with a surprise proposal.
Kadir Nelson Finds Joy, History and Inclusion Through Basketball
The award-winning author and illustrator explores basketball's history and its power to bring people together in his new book "Basket Ball: The Story of the All-American Game"
Community Musicians Join Students in UCR Orchestra Concerts
The 70-member ensemble features Mozart, Bizet and Mexican folk traditions with tickets starting at $6.