The free, all-day event at White Park on May 30 features more than 120 vendors, live entertainment and a former board member taking the stage for the first time.
The City of Riverside has appointed Nathan Mustafa as its new Public Works Director, City Manager Mike Futrell announced. Mustafa had been serving as Interim Director for the past five months following the promotion of his predecessor, Gil Hernandez, to Interim Assistant City Manager.
The Public Works Department touches many aspects of daily life in Riverside, overseeing streets, traffic, trash and recycling, parking, and tree trimming. Mustafa will now lead more than 300 employees across the department, including operations at the City's Water Quality Control Plant.
Mustafa joined the city in 2013 as an Assistant Engineer and most recently served as Deputy Public Works Director over both the Field Operations and Engineering divisions. He is a licensed Civil and Traffic Engineer in California and a Certified Planner through the American Planning Association.
"Nathan is a solutions-oriented public works professional who brings a great amount of knowledge and experience to this role," Futrell said in a statement. "His deep understanding of everything public works enables him to ensure our service to the public on the crucial issues that affect people in their lives."
During his tenure, Mustafa has helped secure more than $100 million in outside grant funding for city projects. His work includes advancing Riverside's Pavement Management Program, modernizing the Traffic Management Center, securing new equipment for the Solid Waste division, and helping deliver the Northside Specific Plan.
The Public Works Department recently received the "Outstanding Achievement in Sustainability Award" from the Southern California Association of Governments for its Vehicle Miles Traveled Mitigation Bank program, which supports new development while funding local transportation improvements.
Mustafa also played a role in the city's Active Transportation Master Plan and Complete Streets Ordinance, which the city has described as award-winning. Before joining Riverside, he worked at Stantec, an engineering consulting firm, on projects across the country. He holds a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona and an MBA from Western Governors University.
The department is currently overseeing several major projects, including the Third Street Grade Separation, the Riverside Bioenergy Facility public-private partnership, and the launch of the city's first online tree inventory.
"I am so grateful to work alongside a dedicated team of professionals and residents who care deeply about Riverside's neighborhoods," Mustafa said in a statement. "I look forward to finding new ways to fund and implement public infrastructure enhancements, services and maintenance projects to better our city for years to come."
City boards and commissions take up pallet yard zoning, parks budget cuts, housing conversions, and historic preservation at a busy week of civic meetings.
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.
