# The Raincross Gazette > Local news and events for Riverside published by Riversiders. Public Ghost content for AI and LLM tooling. This file includes a bounded export of public pages first, then recent public posts. Append `.md` to any post or page URL to get the content in Markdown (for example, `/example-post.md`). ## Pages ### Community events calendar URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/events/ Last updated: 2023-05-30T19:53:53.000Z Please visit our new [community events calendar](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar). ### The Raincross Gazette Manifesto URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/manifestio/ Last updated: 2023-03-03T21:02:39.000Z ## **We believe in Riverside.** We believe there’s something special about a large and growing city that still feels like a small town. We believe in the power of families growing generational roots, where children can safely play on the same streets their grandparents grew up on. We believe that hard work is the backbone of a thriving community. We believe that local businesses, large and small, create the opportunities needed for people to thrive. We believe in the promise of connected schools, colleges, and universities to help students develop their unique gifts and passions and equip them for meaningful careers. We believe in the potential local elected officials have to impact our daily lives and the importance of community engagement with their efforts. We believe being a city founded by abolitionists with a commitment to justice and equality isn’t just an important part of our history, but a collective responsibility to carry into the future. We believe the growth of Riverside makes us stronger and want newcomers to find their home in this city. We believe in Riverside, we believe in the power of a connected community, and we believe our city needs a reliable local news source committed to keeping Riversiders informed and empowered. We are The Raincross Gazette. We are your new source for Riverside news. ### Advertise With Us URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/ Last updated: 2026-03-03T17:16:28.000Z ## Our readers want to hear from you. Even for veteran marketing teams, effectively getting your message out in Riverside can be complicated and cost-prohibitive. Does this sound familiar? - Getting consistent reach on social media is unpredictable. - Spending on Google and Facebook doesn't seem to deliver measurable results. - You need to hire an expert to help you figure out what to do. The Raincross Gazette is the *best way to reach a hyper-local audience of actively engaged Riverside* residents with your message. With over 14,000 subscribers and a 41% open rate across four weekly newsletters, plus nearly 30,000 unique monthly visitors to our website, your message reaches people who are truly interested in what's happening in Riverside. We offer three primary advertising options: 1. **Advertising Partnership**: We limit the number of organizations we accept as advertisers to maintain exclusivity and keep your message in front of our readers. Partnerships include ad campaigns, promoted events, and sponsored stories to establish your organization as a trusted leader in Riverside. Prices start at $500 per month. Limited Run Campaigns are also available for time-sensitive promotions. 2. **Calendar Listings**: Include your event on Riverside's most comprehensive calendar, which consistently receives about 1,000 unique visitors daily. [List your event for free](https://hub.cityspark.com/event/submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com), or choose optional paid promotion options to help your event stand out. 3. **Sponsored Stories**: Share your expertise through a news story on our website and featured in our newsletters. These stories are written by you and published by us, giving you a powerful platform to connect with our audience. Special discounts are available for non-profit organizations. [Download our media kit](https://rg-mediakit.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to learn more about our audience and advertising options, or [schedule a 15-minute phone call](https://calendar.app.google/5yFmnruEmXNdBzyC6?ref=raincrossgazette.com) with to discuss what works best for your organization. [Get Started Today](https://raincrossgazetteads.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) ### Contact Us URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/ Last updated: 2024-04-09T15:49:35.000Z **See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel T*he Raincross Gazette*. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please share it with us.‌‌ ### Submit News Tips The Raincross Gazette is a very small team, and we are working to make the most of our limited investigative resources. We publish everything from quick explainers to in-depth investigations, and we must choose which stories we have the capacity to pursue. Generally, we will be much more likely to pursue a story if you can provide details, documentary evidence, or other reporting. Have a scoop or story idea? Send us a tip by emailing [tips@raincrossgazette.com](mailto:tips@raincrossgazette.com?subject=TIP%3A%20Put%20Your%20Topic%20Here&body=Update%20the%20subject%20line%20and%20share%20your%20tip%20here.). ### Pitch a Story There is a lot to report on, a lot to love, and a lot more than we can cover by ourselves in Riverside. Have a pitch? Email [newsroom@raincrossgazette.com](mailto:newsroom@raincrossgazette.com). ### Explore Advertising and Partnership Opportunities To place an ad in our newsletter, visit [raincrossgazette.com/advertise](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/). For information about sponsoring, advertising, or partnering with *The Raincross Gazette*, please email our publisher Justin Pardee at [justin@raincrossgazette.com](mailto:justin@raincrossgazette.com). ### Contact the Newsroom Don’t hesitate to contact *your* community newsroom! Whether you would like to know more [about us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/about/), have a question about [your account](#/portal/account), or want to provide feedback, our team will respond promptly. To reach our newsroom with general inquiries, you can send an email to [newsroom@raincrossgazette.com](mailto:newsroom@raincrossgazette.com). ### Privacy Policy URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/privacy/ Last updated: 2023-03-03T21:07:53.000Z ****Last updated January 25, 2021*** Thank you for choosing to be part of our community at The Raincross Gazette (“****Company**”, “****we**”, “****us**”, or “****our**”). We are committed to protecting your personal information and your right to privacy. If you have any questions or concerns about this privacy notice, or our practices with regards to your personal information, please [contact us](https://raincrossgazette.com/contact/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). When you use any Company website, mobile site, media form, media channel, application, tool, email/text/SMS campaign, event, product, service and/or other activity, offering, or publication (regardless of how distributed, transmitted, published, or broadcast) provided by us related, linked, or otherwise connected thereto, or that links to, or references, the Terms of Use or this document, including without limitation all content, features and functionality thereof, such as widgets, plug-ins, and embeddable players (the “****Site**“), we appreciate that you are trusting us with your personal information. We take your privacy very seriously. In this privacy notice, we seek to explain to you in the clearest way possible what information we collect, how we use it and what rights you have in relation to it. We hope you take some time to read through it carefully, as it is important. If there are any terms in this privacy notice that you do not agree with, please discontinue use of our Site immediately. This privacy notice applies to all information collected through our Site, as well as any related services, sales, marketing or events. ****Please read this privacy notice carefully as it will help you understand what we do with the information that we collect.** ****1\. WHAT INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT?** ****Personal information you disclose to us** ****In Short:*** **We collect information that you provide to us.* We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you register on the express an interest in obtaining information about us or our products and services, when you participate in activities on the (such as by posting messages in our online forums or entering competitions, contests or giveaways) or otherwise when you contact us. The personal information that we collect depends on the context of your interactions with us, the choices you make and the products and features you use. The personal information we collect may include the following: ****Social Media Login Data.** We may provide you with the option to register with us using your existing social media account details, like your Facebook, Twitter or other social media account. If you choose to register in this way, we will collect the information described in the section called “HOW DO WE HANDLE YOUR SOCIAL LOGINS” below. All personal information that you provide to us must be true, complete and accurate, and you must notify us of any changes to such personal information. ****Information automatically collected** ****In Short:*** **Some information — such as your Internet Protocol (IP) address and/or browser and device characteristics — is collected automatically when you visit the Site.* We automatically collect certain information when you visit, use or navigate the Site. This information does not reveal your specific identity (like your name or contact information) but may include device and usage information, such as your IP address, browser and device characteristics, operating system, language preferences, referring URLs, device name, country, location, information about who and when you use our and other technical information. This information is primarily needed to maintain the security and operation of our Site, and for our internal analytics and reporting purposes. Like many businesses, we also collect information through cookies and similar technologies. ****2\. WILL YOUR INFORMATION BE SHARED WITH ANYONE?** ****In Short:*** **We only share information with your consent, to comply with laws, to provide you with services, to protect your rights, or to fulfill business obligations.* We may process or share your data that we hold based on the following legal basis: - ****Consent:** We may process your data if you have given us specific consent to use your personal information in a specific purpose. - ****Legitimate Interests:** We may process your data when it is reasonably necessary to achieve our legitimate business interests. - ****Performance of a Contract:** Where we have entered into a contract with you, we may process your personal information to fulfill the terms of our contract. - ****Legal Obligations:** We may disclose your information where we are legally required to do so in order to comply with applicable law, governmental requests, a judicial proceeding, court order, or legal process, such as in response to a court order or a subpoena (including in response to public authorities to meet national security or law enforcement requirements). - ****Vital Interests:** We may disclose your information where we believe it is necessary to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding potential violations of our policies, suspected fraud, situations involving potential threats to the safety of any person and illegal activities, or as evidence in litigation in which we are involved. More specifically, we may need to process your data or share your personal information in the following situations: - ****Business Transfers.** We may share or transfer your information in connection with, or during negotiations of, any merger, sale of company assets, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of our business to another company. - ****Affiliates.** We may share your information with our affiliates, in which case we will require those affiliates to honor this privacy notice. Affiliates include our parent company and any subsidiaries, joint venture partners or other companies that we control or that are under common control with us. - ****Business Partners.** We may share your information with our business partners to offer you certain products, services or promotions. - ****Other Users.** When you share personal information or otherwise interact with public areas of the Site, such personal information may be viewed by all users and may be publicly made available outside the in perpetuity. If you interact with other users of our and register for our Site through a social network (such as Facebook), your contacts on the social network will see your name, profile photo, and descriptions of your activity. Similarly, other users will be able to view descriptions of your activity, communicate with you within our Site, and view your profile. ****3\. DO WE USE COOKIES AND OTHER TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES?** ****In Short:*** **We may use cookies and other tracking technologies to collect and store your information.* We may use cookies and similar tracking technologies (like web beacons and pixels) to access or store information. Specific information about how we use such technologies and how you can refuse certain cookies is set out in our Cookie Notice. ****4\. HOW DO WE HANDLE YOUR SOCIAL LOGINS?** ****In Short:*** **If you choose to register or log in to our services using a social media account, we may have access to certain information about you.* Our offers you the ability to register and login using your third-party social media account details (like your Facebook or Twitter logins). Where you choose to do this, we will receive certain profile information about you from your social media provider. The profile Information we receive may vary depending on the social media provider concerned, but will often include your name, email address, friends list, profile picture as well as other information you choose to make public on such social media platform. We will use the information we receive only for the purposes that are described in this privacy notice or that are otherwise made clear to you on the Site. Please note that we do not control, and are not responsible for, other uses of your personal information by your third-party social media provider. We recommend that you review their privacy notice to understand how they collect, use and share your personal information, and how you can set your privacy preferences on their sites and apps. ****5\. IS YOUR INFORMATION TRANSFERRED INTERNATIONALLY?** ****In Short:*** **We may transfer, store, and process your information in countries other than your own.* Our website is hosted through WordPress VIP. To ensure optimal uptime and performance, their servers are located across the United States and around the world, as indicated at [https://wpvip.com/infrastructure/](https://wpvip.com/infrastructure/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). Please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed across those facilities and by those third parties with whom we may share your personal information (see “WILL YOUR INFORMATION BE SHARED WITH ANYONE?” above), in the United States and other countries. If you are a resident in the European Economic Area, then these countries may not necessarily have data protection laws or other similar laws as comprehensive as those in your country. We will however take all necessary measures to protect your personal information in accordance with this privacy notice and applicable law. ****6\. HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION?** ****In Short:*** **We keep your information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this privacy notice unless otherwise required by law.* We will only keep your personal information for as long as it is necessary for the purposes set out in this privacy notice, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law (such as tax, accounting or other legal requirements). No purpose in this notice will require us keeping your personal information for longer than for longer than the period of time in which you have an account with us. When we have no ongoing legitimate business need to process your personal information, we will either delete or anonymize such information, or, if this is not possible (for example, because your personal information has been stored in backup archives), then we will securely store your personal information and isolate it from any further processing until deletion is possible. ****7\. DO WE COLLECT INFORMATION FROM MINORS?** ****In Short:*** **We do not knowingly collect data from or market to children under 18 years of age.* We do not knowingly solicit data from or market to children under 18 years of age. By using the Site, you represent that you are at least 18 or that you are the parent or guardian of such a minor and consent to such minor dependent’s use of the Site. If we learn that personal information from users less than 18 years of age has been collected, we will deactivate the account and take reasonable measures to promptly delete such data from our records. If you become aware of any data we may have collected from children under age 18, please contact us at [privacy@defector.com](mailto:privacy@defector.com). ****8\. WHAT ARE YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS?** ****In Short:*** **You may review, change, or terminate your account at any time.* ****Account Information** If you would at any time like to review or change the information in your account or terminate your account, you can: Upon your request to terminate your account, we will deactivate or delete your account and information from our active databases. However, we may retain some information in our files to prevent fraud, troubleshoot problems, assist with any investigations, enforce our Terms of Use and/or comply with applicable legal requirements. ****Opting out of email marketing** You can unsubscribe from our marketing email list at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the emails that we send or by contacting us using the details provided below. You will then be removed from the marketing email list – however, we may still communicate with you, for example to send you service-related emails that are necessary for the administration and use of your account, to respond to service requests, or for other non-marketing purposes. To otherwise opt-out, you may contact us at: ****The Raincross Gazette** 3870 Main St. Ste. 202 Riverside, CA 92501 United States ****9\. CONTROLS FOR DO-NOT-TRACK FEATURES** Most web browsers and some mobile operating systems and mobile applications include a Do-Not-Track (“DNT”) feature or setting you can activate to signal your privacy preference not to have data about your online browsing activities monitored and collected. At this stage, no uniform technology standard for recognizing and implementing DNT signals has been finalized. As such, we do not currently respond to DNT browser signals or any other mechanism that automatically communicates your choice not to be tracked online. If a standard for online tracking is adopted that we must follow in the future, we will inform you about that practice in a revised version of this privacy notice. ****10\. DO CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS HAVE SPECIFIC PRIVACY RIGHTS?** ****In Short:*** **Yes, if you are a resident of California, you are granted specific rights regarding access to your personal information.* California Civil Code Section 1798.83, also known as the “Shine The Light” law, permits our users who are California residents to request and obtain from us, once a year and free of charge, information about categories of personal information (if any) we disclosed to third parties for direct marketing purposes and the names and addresses of all third parties with which we shared personal information in the immediately preceding calendar year. If you are a California resident and would like to make such a request, please submit your request in writing to us using the contact information provided below. If you are under 18 years of age, reside in California, and have a registered account with the Site, you have the right to request removal of unwanted data that you publicly post on the Site. To request removal of such data, please contact us using the contact information provided below, and include the email address associated with your account and a statement that you reside in California. We will make sure the data is not publicly displayed on the Site, but please be aware that the data may not be completely or comprehensively removed from all our systems (e.g. backups, etc.). Further rights are accorded California residents pursuant to our [California Residents Privacy Notice Supplement](https://raincrossgazette.com/privacy-ccpa/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). ****11\. DO WE MAKE UPDATES TO THIS NOTICE?** ****In Short:*** **Yes, we will update this notice as necessary to stay compliant with relevant laws.* We may update this privacy notice from time to time. The updated version will be indicated by an updated “Revised” date and the updated version will be effective as soon as it is accessible. If we make material changes to this privacy notice, we may notify you either by prominently posting a notice of such changes or by directly sending you a notification. We encourage you to review this privacy notice frequently to be informed of how we are protecting your information. ****12\. HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US ABOUT THIS NOTICE?** If you have questions or comments about this notice, please contact us at: ****The Raincross Gazette** 3870 Main St. Ste. 202 Riverside, CA 92501 United States ****13\. HOW CAN YOU REVIEW, UPDATE, OR DELETE THE DATA WE COLLECT FROM YOU?** Based on the applicable laws of your country, you may have the right to request access to the personal information we collect from you, change that information, or delete it in some circumstances. To request to review, update, or delete your personal information, please submit a request form by contacting us. We will respond to your request within 30 days. ### Terms of Use URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/terms/ Last updated: 2024-07-22T20:43:51.000Z ****Last updated January 25, 202*2** ****AGREEMENT TO TERMS** These Terms of Use constitute a legally binding agreement made between you, whether personally or on behalf of an entity (“****you” or “your”**) and The Raincross Gazette (“****Company**“, “****we**”, “****us**”, or “****our**”) (collectively, the “****Parties**”), concerning your access to and use of each website, mobile site, media form, media channel, application, tool, email/text/SMS campaign, event, product, service and/or other activity, offering, or publication (regardless of how distributed, transmitted, published, or broadcast) provided by us related, linked, or otherwise connected thereto, or that links to, or references, this document, including without limitation all content, features and functionality thereof, such as widgets, plug-ins, and embeddable players (collectively, the ****“Site”**). ****YOU AGREE THAT BY ACCESSING THE SITE, YOU HAVE READ, UNDERSTOOD, AND AGREED TO BE BOUND BY ALL OF THESE TERMS OF USE. PLEASE READ THESE TERMS CAREFULLY BEFORE ACCESSING OR USING THE SITE AND THE SERVICES THEREUNDER.** ****IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH ALL OF THESE TERMS OF USE, THEN YOU ARE EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED FROM USING THE SITE AND YOU MUST DISCONTINUE USE IMMEDIATELY.** Supplemental terms and conditions or documents that may be posted on the Site from time to time are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference. We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to make changes or modifications to these Terms of Use at any time and for any reason. We will alert you about any changes by updating the “Last updated” date of these Terms of Use, and you waive any right to receive specific notice of each such change. It is your responsibility to periodically review these Terms of Use to stay informed of updates. You will be subject to, and will be deemed to have been made aware of and to have accepted, the changes in any revised Terms of Use by your continued use of the Site after the date such revised Terms of Use are posted. The information provided on the Site is not intended for distribution to or use by any person or entity in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution or use would be contrary to law or regulation or which would subject us to any registration requirement within such jurisdiction or country. Accordingly, those persons who choose to access the Site from other locations do so on their own initiative and are solely responsible for compliance with local laws, if and to the extent local laws are applicable. You represent and warrant that you are an individual of legal age to form a binding contract (or if not, you’ve received your parent’s or guardian’s permission to use the Site and have gotten your parent or guardian to agree to these Terms on your behalf). THESE TERMS CONTAIN DISCLAIMERS OF WARRANTIES, LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY AND AN EXCLUSIVE REMEDY, AS WELL AS INFORMATION ABOUT CERTAIN LIMITATIONS ON YOUR ABILITY TO BRING A CLAIM AGAINST US. ****ARBITRATION NOTICE AND CLASS ACTION WAIVER:** EXCEPT FOR CERTAIN TYPES OF DISPUTES DESCRIBED IN THE DISPUTE RESOLUTION SECTION BELOW, YOU AGREE THAT DISPUTES UNDER THESE TERMS WILL BE RESOLVED BY BINDING, INDIVIDUAL ARBITRATION AND YOU WAIVE YOUR RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT OR CLASS-WIDE ARBITRATION. We recommend that you print a copy of these Terms for your future reference. ****PRIVACY NOTICE** We care about data privacy and security. Please review our [Privacy Policy](https://raincrossgazette.com/privacy/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). By using the Site, you agree to be bound by our Privacy Notice and related supplements, which are incorporated into these Terms of Use. Please be advised the Site is hosted in the United States. If you access the Site from any other region of the world with laws or other requirements governing personal data collection, use, or disclosure that differ from applicable laws in the United States, then through your continued use of the Site, you are transferring your data to the United States, and you agree to have your data transferred to and processed in the United States. ****INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS** Unless otherwise indicated, the Site is our proprietary property and all source code, databases, functionality, software, website designs, audio, video, text, photographs, and graphics on the Site (collectively, the ****“Content”**) and the trademarks, service marks, and logos contained therein (the ****“Marks”**) are owned or controlled by us or licensed to us, and are protected by copyright and trademark laws and various other intellectual property rights and unfair competition laws of the United States, international copyright laws, and international conventions. The Content and the Marks are provided on the Site “AS IS” for your information and personal use only. Except as expressly provided in these Terms of Use, no part of the Site and no Content or Marks may be copied, reproduced, aggregated, republished, uploaded, posted, publicly displayed, encoded, translated, transmitted, distributed, sold, licensed, or otherwise exploited for any commercial purpose whatsoever, without our express prior written permission. Provided that you are eligible to use the Site, you are granted a limited license to access and use the Site and to download or print a copy of any portion of the Content to which you have properly gained access solely for your personal, non-commercial use. We reserve all rights not expressly granted to you in and to the Site, the Content and the Marks. ****USER REPRESENTATIONS** By using the Site, you represent and warrant that: (1) all registration information you submit will be true, accurate, current, and complete; (2) you will maintain the accuracy of such information and promptly update such registration information as necessary; (3) you have the legal capacity and you agree to comply with these Terms of Use; (4) you are not a minor in the jurisdiction in which you reside; (5) you will not access the Site through automated or non-human means, whether through a bot, script, or otherwise; (6) you will not use the Site for any illegal or unauthorized purpose; and (7) your use of the Site will not violate any applicable law or regulation. If you provide any information that is untrue, inaccurate, not current, or incomplete, we have the right to suspend or terminate your account and refuse any and all current or future use of the Site (or any portion thereof). ****USER REGISTRATION AND SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES** You may be required to register and/or set up an account/profile to access, visit and/or use the Site or certain parts thereof, in which case you may be provided, or required to choose, a password and/or User ID. You may provide a credit, debit, or payment account number, or other payment information, as well as your name, telephone number(s), email and/or street address. Other personal information such as your age, gender, and preferences may also be requested. In addition, you may be asked to provide us similar information by telephone, postal mail, social media interaction or messaging (e.g., email, SMS, MMS, or similar technologies). All of the foregoing information shall be referred to as your “Registration Information”. We may use and share your Registration Information as described in our Privacy Notice. You agree, represent, warrant, covenant and guarantee that all Registration Information provided by you is true, accurate, complete, up-to-date, and solely yours. You may not impersonate, imitate or pretend to be somebody else when registering and/or setting up an account/profile on the Site. If any of your Registration Information changes, you are responsible for updating it promptly by using the mechanism or contact information on the Site that allows you to change or update your Registration Information, if available. If no such mechanism or contact information is available on the Site, please notify us in accordance with our Privacy Notice Coordinator as described in our Privacy Notice. WE SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY ASSOCIATED WITH OR ARISING FROM YOUR FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ACCURATE, COMPLETE OR UP-TO-DATE REGISTRATION INFORMATION, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION YOUR FAILURE TO RECEIVE CRITICAL INFORMATION. WE SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR VERIFYING YOUR REGISTRATION INFORMATION. You may not authorize or permit anyone else to access and/or use your Registration Information, or access, visit and/or use the Site by use of your account/profile and/or Registration Information. You may not access and/or use anyone else’s Registration Information, or access, visit and/or use the Site by use of anyone else’s account/profile and/or Registration Information. You may not sub-license, transfer, sell, rent or assign your Registration Information to any third party without our written approval. You agree to keep your password confidential and will be responsible for all use of your account and password. We reserve the right at any time to remove, reclaim, or change a username or avatar you select if we determine, in our sole discretion, that such username or avatar is inappropriate, obscene, or otherwise objectionable. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password to access the Site, and you are solely responsible for all activities that occur under your password. You agree to immediately change your password and notify us here if you suspect or become aware of any unauthorized use of your password or any other breach of security related to the Site. We reserve the right to require you to alter your password if we believe that your password is no longer secure. You agree that we will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to adequately safeguard your password or someone else’s use of your account. ****Subscription Services** Certain services may be available only through creation of a subscription account and payment of a fee (****“Subscription Services”**), which may be accomplished through a third-party service provider. Through such Subscription Services accounts, you will have access to the Subscription Services. You are not authorized to access any Subscription Services unless you have opened a subscription account and paid the appropriate fee, have received access credentials (e.g., a username and password) from us, and are using those access credentials. You may not assist anyone else in accessing Subscription Services on an unauthorized basis, including by sharing your access credentials or providing any content or other materials that you obtained through Subscription Services to third parties. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your access credentials and for all usage or activity on your Subscription Services accounts, including the use of Subscription Services by any third party authorized by you to use your access credentials. Such responsibility expressly includes any purchases made or other charges incurred on your credit card in connection with your use (or an authorized third party’s use) of the Subscription Services. In the event of any fraudulent, abusive or otherwise illegal activity on your Subscription Services accounts, we may, in our sole discretion, terminate those accounts and refer you to appropriate law enforcement agencies. You may be responsible for damages from any such fraudulent, abusive, or otherwise illegal activity. By subscribing to a Subscription Service, you confirm that you are at least eighteen (18) years of age, that all information you submit is true and correct (including all credit card information), and that you are the authorized holder of the credit card. You agree to pay all subscription fees and other charges to your Subscription Services accounts, including any applicable taxes. Company and/or the particular service provider utilized by Company or otherwise incorporated into the Subscription Service reserves the right to change the amount of, or the basis for determining, any subscription fees or other charges for the Subscription Services and to institute new subscription fees or other charges. If fees cannot be charged to the payment method you designate, or payment is returned to us for any reason, including charge back, we reserve the right, in addition to our other remedies, to: (i) demand immediate payment of all outstanding fees due to us from you; (ii) assess an additional 1.5 percent late charge, or the highest amount allowed by law, whichever is lower; (iii) take any and all lawful steps necessary to collect fees owed to us, and you will be responsible for all costs and expenses incurred in connection with such collection activity, including collection fees, court costs, and attorneys’ fees; (iv) charge such fees to any other payment method you have on file with us and/or our third-party service providers; and (v) terminate, discontinue, suspend, and/or restrict your account/profile, your ability to access, visit and/or use the Site or any portion thereof, and/or the Terms of Use, including without limitation any of our purported obligations hereunder. Some Subscription Services are accessible only using a particular kind of device. You should investigate Subscription Services before you pay for access to them to ensure that they will work with your device because we will not refund any fees you paid if the Subscription Services to which you subscribe are not compatible. Also, certain Subscription Services may not be available for use in every jurisdiction, and we will not refund any fees you paid if the Subscription Services to which you subscribe are not available. For information on compatibility and availability, please visit the applicable provider’s website. You are responsible for obtaining and maintaining at your own expense all equipment, hardware, software, and telephone, cable, mobile, wireless, Internet and other services necessary to access, visit and/or use the Site. If you are accessing the Site via a mobile device, your mobile carrier may charge you fees for data, text messaging, and other mobile access or communications services. We may suspend or terminate your access to Subscription Services at any time without notice to you. If we do so, you will not be responsible for fees associated with the Subscription Services after the termination becomes effective, but you will not have any other remedies against us, and we will not issue any refunds. If you have breached or violated any obligation under these Terms, you will not be entitled to any remedy. To cancel your subscription to Subscription Services, you must follow the procedures described by Company or on the applicable provider’s website. If we or the applicable provider does not list cancellation procedures for a particular Subscription Service, you must [contact us](https://raincrossgazette.com/contact/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). We do not refund or prorate Subscription Services, or any other purchases made through the Site, for any reason. Requests to terminate subscriptions will be effective once the billing period in which we received the cancellation concludes. ****Non-Subscription Services** You may be asked to register for certain activities in connection with the Site other than Subscription Services. When you register, you agree to provide accurate, current and complete information about yourself as requested or directed and to promptly update this information to maintain its accuracy. Company has the right to suspend or terminate any account or other registration and to refuse any and all current or future use if it suspects that such information is inaccurate or incomplete. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of any password and username that you are given or select, and you are responsible for all activities that occur under your password or account. ****PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES** You may not access or use the Site for any purpose other than that for which we make the Site available. The Site may not be used in connection with any commercial endeavors except those that are specifically endorsed or approved by us. As a user of the Site, you agree not to: 1\. Systematically retrieve data or other content from the Site to create or compile, directly or indirectly, a collection, compilation, database, or directory without written permission from us. 2\. Trick, defraud, or mislead us and other users, especially in any attempt to learn sensitive account information such as user passwords. 3\. Circumvent, disable, or otherwise interfere with security-related features of the Site, including features that prevent or restrict the use or copying of any Content or enforce limitations on the use of the Site and/or the Content contained therein. 4\. Disparage, tarnish, or otherwise harm, in our opinion, us, any of our employees, contributors, owners, agents and/or the Site. 5\. Use any information obtained from the Site in order to harass, abuse, or harm another person. 6\. Make improper use of our support services or submit false reports of abuse or misconduct. 7\. Use the Site in a manner inconsistent with any applicable laws or regulations. 8\. Use the Site to advertise or offer to sell goods and services. 9\. Engage in unauthorized framing of or linking to the Site. 10\. Upload or transmit (or attempt to upload or to transmit) viruses, Trojan horses, or other material, including excessive use of capital letters and spamming (continuous posting of repetitive text), that interferes with any party’s uninterrupted use and enjoyment of the Site or modifies, impairs, disrupts, alters, or interferes with the use, features, functions, operation, or maintenance of the Site. 11\. Engage in any automated use of the system, such as using scripts to send comments or messages, or using any data mining, robots, or similar data gathering and extraction tools. 12\. Delete the copyright or other proprietary rights notice from any Content. 13\. Attempt to impersonate another user or person or use the username of another user. 14\. Sell or otherwise transfer your profile. 15\. Upload or transmit (or attempt to upload or to transmit) any material that acts as a passive or active information collection or transmission mechanism, including without limitation, 1×1 pixels, web bugs, cookies, or other similar devices (sometimes referred to as ****“spyware”** or ****“passive collection mechanisms”** or ****“pcms”**). 16\. Interfere with, disrupt, or create an undue burden on the Site or the networks or services connected to the Site. 17\. Harass, annoy, intimidate, or threaten any of our employees or agents engaged in providing any portion of the Site to you. 18\. Attempt to bypass any measures of the Site designed to prevent or restrict access to the Site, or any portion of the Site. 19\. Copy or adapt the Site’s software, including but not limited to Flash, PHP, HTML, JavaScript, or other code. 20\. Decipher, decompile, disassemble, or reverse engineer any of the software comprising or in any way making up a part of the Site. 21\. Except as may be the result of standard search engine or Internet browser usage, use, launch, develop, or distribute any automated system, including without limitation, any spider, robot, cheat utility, scraper, or offline reader that accesses the Site, or using or launching any unauthorized script or other software. 22\. Use a buying agent or purchasing agent to make purchases on the Site. 23\. Make any unauthorized use of the Site, including collecting usernames and/or email addresses of users by electronic or other means for the purpose of sending unsolicited email, or creating user accounts by automated means or under false pretenses. 24\. Use the Site as part of any effort to compete with us or otherwise use the Site and/or the Content for any revenue-generating endeavor or commercial enterprise. ****USER-GENERATED CONTRIBUTIONS** The Site may invite you to chat, contribute to, or participate in blogs, message boards, online forums, and other functionality, and may provide you with the opportunity to create, submit, post, display, transmit, perform, publish, distribute, or broadcast content and materials to us or on the Site, including but not limited to text, writings, video, audio, photographs, graphics, comments, suggestions, or personal information or other material (collectively, “Contributions”). Contributions may be viewable by other users of the Site and through third-party websites. As such, any Contributions you transmit may be treated as non-confidential and non-proprietary. When you create or make available any Contributions, you thereby represent and warrant that: 1\. The creation, distribution, transmission, public display, or performance, and the accessing, downloading, or copying of your Contributions do not and will not infringe the proprietary rights, including but not limited to the copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, or moral rights of any third party. 2\. You are the creator and owner of or have the necessary licenses, rights, consents, releases, and permissions to use and to authorize us, the Site, and other users of the Site to use your Contributions in any manner contemplated by the Site and these Terms of Use. 3\. You have the written consent, release, and/or permission of each and every identifiable individual person in your Contributions to use the name or likeness of each and every such identifiable individual person to enable inclusion and use of your Contributions in any manner contemplated by the Site and these Terms of Use. 4\. Your Contributions are not false, inaccurate, or misleading. 5\. Your Contributions are not unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, pyramid schemes, chain letters, spam, mass mailings, or other forms of solicitation. 6\. Your Contributions are not obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, violent, harassing, libelous, slanderous, or otherwise objectionable (as determined by us). 7\. Your Contributions do not defame, disparage, intimidate, or abuse anyone. 8\. Your Contributions do not advocate the violent overthrow of any government or incite, encourage, or threaten physical harm against another. 9\. Your Contributions do not violate any applicable law, regulation, or rule. 10\. Your Contributions do not violate the privacy or publicity rights of any third party. 11\. Your Contributions do not contain any material that solicits personal information from anyone under the age of 18 or exploits people under the age of 18 in a sexual or violent manner. 12\. Your Contributions do not violate any applicable law concerning child pornography, or otherwise intended to protect the health or well-being of minors; 13\. Your Contributions do not include any offensive comments that are connected to race, national origin, gender, sexual preference, or physical handicap. 14\. Your Contributions do not otherwise violate, or link to material that violates, any provision of these Terms of Use, or any applicable law or regulation. Any use of the Site in violation of the foregoing violates these Terms of Use and may result in, among other things, termination or suspension of your rights to use the Site. ****CONTRIBUTION LICENSE** By posting your Contributions to any part of the Site, you automatically grant, and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to us an unrestricted, unlimited, irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, royalty-free, fully-paid, worldwide right, and license to host, use, copy, reproduce, disclose, sell, resell, publish, broadcast, retitle, archive, store, cache, publicly perform, publicly display, reformat, translate, transmit, excerpt (in whole or in part), and distribute such Contributions (including, without limitation, your image and voice as embodied therein) for any purpose, commercial, advertising, or otherwise, and to prepare derivative works of, or incorporate into other works, such Contributions, and grant and authorize sublicenses of the foregoing. The use and distribution may occur in any media formats and through any media channels. This license will apply to any form, media, or technology now known or hereafter developed, and includes our use of your name, company name, and franchise name, as applicable, and any of the trademarks, service marks, trade names, logos, and personal and commercial images you provide. You waive all moral rights in your Contributions, and you warrant that moral rights have not otherwise been asserted in your Contributions. We do not assert any ownership over your Contributions. You retain full ownership of all of your Contributions and any intellectual property rights or other proprietary rights associated with your Contributions. We are not liable for any statements or representations in your Contributions provided by you in any area on the Site. You are solely responsible for your Contributions to the Site and you expressly agree to exonerate us from any and all responsibility and to refrain from any legal action against us regarding your Contributions. We have the right, in our sole and absolute discretion, (1) to edit, redact, or otherwise change any Contributions; (2) to re-categorize any Contributions to place them in more appropriate locations on the Site; and (3) to pre-screen or delete any Contributions at any time and for any reason, without notice. We have no obligation to monitor your Contributions. ****GUIDELINES FOR REVIEWS** We may provide you areas on the Site to leave reviews or ratings. When posting a review, you must comply with the following criteria: (1) you should have firsthand experience with the person/entity being reviewed; (2) your reviews should not contain offensive profanity, or abusive, racist, offensive, or hate language; (3) your reviews should not contain discriminatory references based on religion, race, gender, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, or disability; (4) your reviews should not contain references to illegal activity; (5) you should not be affiliated with competitors if posting negative reviews; (6) you should not make any conclusions as to the legality of conduct; (7) you may not post any false or misleading statements; and (8) you may not organize a campaign encouraging others to post reviews, whether positive or negative. We may accept, reject, or remove reviews in our sole discretion. We have absolutely no obligation to screen reviews or to delete reviews, even if anyone considers reviews objectionable or inaccurate. Reviews are not endorsed by us, and do not necessarily represent our opinions or the views of any of our affiliates or partners. We do not assume liability for any review or for any claims, liabilities, or losses resulting from any review. By posting a review, you hereby grant to us a perpetual, non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, fully-paid, assignable, and sublicensable right and license to reproduce, modify, translate, transmit by any means, display, perform, and/or distribute all content relating to reviews. ****MOBILE APPLICATION LICENSE** ****Use License** If you access the Site via a mobile application, then we grant you a revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable, limited right to install and use the mobile application on wireless electronic devices owned or controlled by you, and to access and use the mobile application on such devices strictly in accordance with the terms and conditions of this mobile application license contained in these Terms of Use. You shall not: (1) decompile, reverse engineer, disassemble, attempt to derive the source code of, or decrypt the application; (2) make any modification, adaptation, improvement, enhancement, translation, or derivative work from the application; (3) violate any applicable laws, rules, or regulations in connection with your access or use of the application; (4) remove, alter, or obscure any proprietary notice (including any notice of copyright or trademark) posted by us or the licensors of the application; (5) use the application for any revenue generating endeavor, commercial enterprise, or other purpose for which it is not designed or intended; (6) make the application available over a network or other environment permitting access or use by multiple devices or users at the same time; (7) use the application for creating a product, service, or software that is, directly or indirectly, competitive with or in any way a substitute for the application; (8) use the application to send automated queries to any website or to send any unsolicited commercial e-mail; or (9) use any proprietary information or any of our interfaces or our other intellectual property in the design, development, manufacture, licensing, or distribution of any applications, accessories, or devices for use with the application. ****Apple and Android Devices** The following terms apply when you use a mobile application obtained from either the Apple Store or Google Play (each an ****“App Distributor”**) to access the Site: (1) the license granted to you for our mobile application is limited to a non-transferable license to use the application on a device that utilizes the Apple iOS or Android operating systems, as applicable, and in accordance with the usage rules set forth in the applicable App Distributor’s terms of service; (2) we are responsible for providing any maintenance and support services with respect to the mobile application as specified in the terms and conditions of this mobile application license contained in these Terms of Use or as otherwise required under applicable law, and you acknowledge that each App Distributor has no obligation whatsoever to furnish any maintenance and support services with respect to the mobile application; (3) in the event of any failure of the mobile application to conform to any applicable warranty, you may notify the applicable App Distributor, and the App Distributor, in accordance with its terms and policies, may refund the purchase price, if any, paid for the mobile application, and to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the App Distributor will have no other warranty obligation whatsoever with respect to the mobile application; (4) you represent and warrant that (i) you are not located in a country that is subject to a U.S. government embargo, or that has been designated by the U.S. government as a “terrorist supporting” country and (ii) you are not listed on any U.S. government list of prohibited or restricted parties; (5) you must comply with applicable third-party terms of agreement when using the mobile application, e.g., if you have a VoIP application, then you must not be in violation of their wireless data service agreement when using the mobile application; and (6) you acknowledge and agree that the App Distributors are third-party beneficiaries of the terms and conditions in this mobile application license contained in these Terms of Use, and that each App Distributor will have the right (and will be deemed to have accepted the right) to enforce the terms and conditions in this mobile application license contained in these Terms of Use against you as a third-party beneficiary thereof. ****SOCIAL MEDIA** As part of the functionality of the Site, you may link your account with online accounts you have with third-party service providers (each such account, a ****“Third-Party Account”**) by either: (1) providing your Third-Party Account login information through the Site; or (2) allowing us to access your Third-Party Account, as is permitted under the applicable terms and conditions that govern your use of each Third-Party Account. You represent and warrant that you are entitled to disclose your Third-Party Account login information to us and/or grant us access to your Third-Party Account, without breach by you of any of the terms and conditions that govern your use of the applicable Third-Party Account, and without obligating us to pay any fees or making us subject to any usage limitations imposed by the third-party service provider of the Third-Party Account. By granting us access to any Third-Party Accounts, you understand that (1) we may access, make available, and store (if applicable) any content that you have provided to and stored in your Third-Party Account (the ****“Social Network Content”**) so that it is available on and through the Site via your account, including without limitation any friend lists and (2) we may submit to and receive from your Third-Party Account additional information to the extent you are notified when you link your account with the Third-Party Account. Depending on the Third-Party Accounts you choose and subject to the privacy settings that you have set in such Third-Party Accounts, personally identifiable information that you post to your Third-Party Accounts may be available on and through your account on the Site. Please note that if a Third-Party Account or associated service becomes unavailable or our access to such Third Party Account is terminated by the third-party service provider, then Social Network Content may no longer be available on and through the Site. You will have the ability to disable the connection between your account on the Site and your Third-Party Accounts at any time. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE THIRD-PARTY SERVICE PROVIDERS ASSOCIATED WITH YOUR THIRD-PARTY ACCOUNTS IS GOVERNED SOLELY BY YOUR AGREEMENT(S) WITH SUCH THIRD-PARTY SERVICE PROVIDERS. We make no effort to review any Social Network Content for any purpose, including but not limited to, for accuracy, legality, or non-infringement, and we are not responsible for any Social Network Content. You acknowledge and agree that we may access your email address book associated with a Third-Party Account and your contacts list stored on your mobile device or tablet computer solely for purposes of identifying and informing you of those contacts who have also registered to use the Site. You can deactivate the connection between the Site and your Third-Party Account by contacting us using the contact information below or through your account settings (if applicable). We will attempt to delete any information stored on our servers that was obtained through such Third-Party Account, except the username and profile picture that become associated with your account. ****SUBMISSIONS** You acknowledge and agree that any questions, comments, suggestions, ideas, feedback, or other information regarding the Site (****“Submissions”**) provided by you to us are non-confidential and shall become our sole property. We shall own exclusive rights, including all intellectual property rights, and shall be entitled to the unrestricted use and dissemination of these Submissions for any lawful purpose, commercial or otherwise, without acknowledgment or compensation to you. You hereby waive all moral rights to any such Submissions, and you hereby warrant that any such Submissions are original with you or that you have the right to submit such Submissions. You agree there shall be no recourse against us for any alleged or actual infringement or misappropriation of any proprietary right in your Submissions. ****THIRD-PARTY WEBSITE AND CONTENT** The Site may contain (or you may be sent via the Site) links to other websites (****“Third-Party Websites”**) as well as articles, photographs, text, graphics, pictures, designs, music, sound, video, information, applications, software, and other content or items belonging to or originating from third parties (****“Third-Party Content”**). Such Third-Party Websites and Third-Party Content are not investigated, monitored, or checked for accuracy, appropriateness, or completeness by us, and we are not responsible for any Third-Party Websites accessed through the Site or any Third-Party Content posted on, available through, or installed from the Site, including the content, accuracy, offensiveness, opinions, reliability, privacy practices, or other policies of or contained in the Third-Party Websites or the Third-Party Content. Inclusion of, linking to, or permitting the use or installation of any Third-Party Websites or any Third-Party Content does not imply approval or endorsement thereof by us. If you decide to leave the Site and access the Third-Party Websites or to use or install any Third-Party Content, you do so at your own risk, and you should be aware these Terms of Use no longer govern. You should review the applicable terms and policies, including privacy and data gathering practices, of any website to which you navigate from the Site or relating to any applications you use or install from the Site. Any purchases you make through Third-Party Websites will be through other websites and from other companies, and we take no responsibility whatsoever in relation to such purchases which are exclusively between you and the applicable third party. You agree and acknowledge that we do not endorse the products or services offered on Third-Party Websites and you shall hold us harmless from any harm caused by your purchase of such products or services. Additionally, you shall hold us harmless from any losses sustained by you or harm caused to you relating to or resulting in any way from any Third-Party Content or any contact with Third-Party Websites. ****THIRD-PARTY PROVIDERS** ****“Third Party Providers”** means any third party unaffiliated with us that play a role in providing the Site and enabling you to acquire, access, visit and/or use the Site via your device, including, without limitation, equipment, hardware and software manufacturers and providers, telephone, mobile, wireless, cable, and Internet network providers and carriers, sellers or providers of technology or products, as well as vendors, service providers and others we retain to host, run, track, and otherwise administer portions of the Site. CERTAIN THIRD PARTY PROVIDERS MAY REQUIRE THAT YOU AGREE TO THEIR ADDITIONAL TERMS, CONDITIONS, CONTRACTS, AGREEMENTS AND/OR RULES. YOUR COMPLIANCE WITH ANY SUCH ADDITIONAL TERMS, CONDITIONS, CONTRACTS, AGREEMENTS AND/OR RULES IS SOLELY YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AND WILL HAVE NO EFFECT ON YOUR CONTINUING OBLIGATION TO COMPLY WITH THE AGREEMENT WHEN USING THE SERVICE. WE SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL LIABILITY IN CONNECTION WITH THE ACTS OR OMISSIONS OF THIRD PARTY PROVIDERS. We may have agreements with some of these Third Party Providers that require us to make certain disclosures and pass along certain responsibilities to you. For such Third Party Providers, you specifically acknowledge and agree that: (i) the Terms of Use is between us and you; the Third Party Providers are not parties to the Terms of Use; (ii) the Third Party Providers and their parent, subsidiaries and affiliates are intended third party beneficiaries of the Terms of Use and upon your acceptance of the terms and conditions of the Terms of Use, the Third Party Providers will have the right (and will be deemed to have accepted the right) to enforce the Terms of Use against you; (iii) any license(s) granted to you hereunder by a Third Party Provider in connection with the Site, or any content or product is limited to a non-transferable license to use the Site or such content or product on the particular device authorized by the applicable Third Party Provider that you own or control and as permitted by such Third Party Provider’s applicable usage rules; (iv) Third Party Providers have no obligation whatsoever in connection with the functionality or content of the Site, or to furnish any maintenance or support services with respect to the Site; (v) in the event of any failure of a portion of the Site or content provided by a Third Party Provider to conform to any applicable warranty, you may be able to notify the applicable Third Party Provider to receive a refund of all or part of the amount you paid for the applicable portion of the Site or content, if any (to the maximum amount permitted by applicable law, Third Party Providers will have no other warranty obligation whatsoever with respect to the Site, content or products); (vi) Third Party Providers reserve the right to audit possible unauthorized commercial use of its content or products at any time; and (vii) Third Party Providers are not responsible for addressing any claims by you or a third party relating to any portion of the Site, or content or products not provided by such Third Party Provider or your possession, access, visitation and/or use of the same, including without limitation (a) product liability claims; (b) any claim that the Site fails to conform to any applicable legal or regulatory requirement; and (c) claims arising under consumer protection or similar legislation; and (vii) in the event of any claim that any portion of the Site, or content or products not provided by such Third Party Provider or your possession, access, visitation and/or use of the same, infringes such third party’s intellectual property rights, Third Party Providers are not responsible for the investigation, defense, settlement and/or discharge of such claim. ****ADVERTISERS** We allow advertisers to display their advertisements and other information in certain areas of the Site, such as sidebar advertisements or banner advertisements. If you are an advertiser, you shall take full responsibility for any advertisements you place on the Site and any services provided on the Site or products sold through those advertisements. Further, as an advertiser, you warrant and represent that you possess all rights and authority to place advertisements on the Site, including, but not limited to, intellectual property rights, publicity rights, and contractual rights. As an advertiser, you agree that such advertisements are subject to our Digital Millennium Copyright Act (****“DMCA”**) Notice and Policy provisions as described below, and you understand and agree there will be no refund or other compensation for DMCA takedown-related issues. We simply provide the space to place such advertisements, and we have no other relationship with advertisers. ****SITE MANAGEMENT** We reserve the right, but not the obligation, to: (1) monitor the Site for violations of these Terms of Use; (2) take appropriate legal action against anyone who, in our sole discretion, violates the law or these Terms of Use, including without limitation, reporting such user to law enforcement authorities; (3) in our sole discretion and without limitation, refuse, restrict access to, limit the availability of, or disable (to the extent technologically feasible) any of your Contributions or any portion thereof; (4) in our sole discretion and without limitation, notice, or liability, to remove from the Site or otherwise disable all files and content that are excessive in size or are in any way burdensome to our systems; and (5) otherwise manage the Site in a manner designed to protect our rights and property and to facilitate the proper functioning of the Site. ****DIGITAL MILLENNIUM COPYRIGHT ACT (DMCA) NOTICE AND POLICY** ****Notifications** We respect the intellectual property rights of others. If you believe that any material available on or through the Site infringes upon any copyright you own or control, please immediately notify our Designated Copyright Agent using the contact information provided below (a “Notification”). A copy of your Notification will be sent to the person who posted or stored the material addressed in the Notification. Please be advised that pursuant to federal law you may be held liable for damages if you make material misrepresentations in a Notification. Thus, if you are not sure that material located on or linked to by the Site infringes your copyright, you should consider first contacting an attorney. All Notifications should meet the requirements of DMCA 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3) and include the following information: (1) A physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed; (2) identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed, or, if multiple copyrighted works on the Site are covered by the Notification, a representative list of such works on the Site; (3) identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled, and information reasonably sufficient to permit us to locate the material; (4) information reasonably sufficient to permit us to contact the complaining party, such as an address, telephone number, and, if available, an email address at which the complaining party may be contacted; (5) a statement that the complaining party has a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and (6) a statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed upon. ****Counter Notification** If you believe your own copyrighted material has been removed from the Site as a result of a mistake or misidentification, you may submit a written counter notification to our Designated Copyright Agent using the contact information provided below (a ****“Counter Notification”**). To be an effective Counter Notification under the DMCA, your Counter Notification must include substantially the following: (1) identification of the material that has been removed or disabled and the location at which the material appeared before it was removed or disabled; (2) a statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the Federal District Court in which your address is located, or if your address is outside the United States, for any judicial district in which we are located; (3) a statement that you will accept service of process from the party that filed the Notification or the party’s agent; (4) your name, address, and telephone number; (5) a statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good faith belief that the material in question was removed or disabled as a result of a mistake or misidentification of the material to be removed or disabled; and (6) your physical or electronic signature. If you send us a valid, written Counter Notification meeting the requirements described above, we will restore your removed or disabled material, unless we first receive notice from the party filing the Notification informing us that such party has filed a court action to restrain you from engaging in infringing activity related to the material in question. Please note that if you materially misrepresent that the disabled or removed content was removed by mistake or misidentification, you may be liable for damages, including costs and attorney’s fees. Filing a false Counter Notification constitutes perjury. ****TERM AND TERMINATION** These Terms of Use shall remain in full force and effect while you use the Site. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF THESE TERMS OF USE, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO, IN OUR SOLE DISCRETION AND WITHOUT NOTICE OR LIABILITY, DENY ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SITE (INCLUDING BLOCKING CERTAIN IP ADDRESSES), TO ANY PERSON FOR ANY REASON OR FOR NO REASON, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION FOR BREACH OF ANY REPRESENTATION, WARRANTY, OR COVENANT CONTAINED IN THESE TERMS OF USE OR OF ANY APPLICABLE LAW OR REGULATION. WE MAY TERMINATE YOUR USE OR PARTICIPATION IN THE SITE OR DELETE YOUR ACCOUNT AND ANY CONTENT OR INFORMATION THAT YOU POSTED AT ANY TIME, WITHOUT WARNING, IN OUR SOLE DISCRETION. If we terminate or suspend your account for any reason, you are prohibited from registering and creating a new account under your name, a fake or borrowed name, or the name of any third party, even if you may be acting on behalf of the third party. In addition to terminating or suspending your account, we reserve the right to take appropriate legal action, including without limitation pursuing civil, criminal, and injunctive redress. ****MODIFICATIONS AND INTERRUPTIONS** We reserve the right to change, modify, or remove the contents of the Site at any time or for any reason at our sole discretion without notice. However, we have no obligation to update any information on our Site. We also reserve the right to modify or discontinue all or part of the Site without notice at any time. We will not be liable to you or any third party for any modification, price change, suspension, or discontinuance of the Site. We cannot guarantee the Site will be available at all times. We may experience hardware, software, or other problems or need to perform maintenance related to the Site, resulting in interruptions, delays, or errors. We reserve the right to change, revise, update, suspend, discontinue, or otherwise modify the Site at any time or for any reason without notice to you. You agree that we have no liability whatsoever for any loss, damage, or inconvenience caused by your inability to access or use the Site during any downtime or discontinuance of the Site. Nothing in these Terms of Use will be construed to obligate us to maintain and support the Site or to supply any corrections, updates, or releases in connection therewith. ****GOVERNING LAW** These Terms of Use and your use of the Site are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to agreements made and to be entirely performed within the State of New York, without regard to its conflict of law principles. ****DISPUTE RESOLUTION** ****Binding Arbitration** If the Parties are unable to resolve any dispute, claim, action, cause of action, issue, or request for relief between you and Company arising out of or relating to Company, the Site, or these Terms of Use (collectively “Disputes”) through informal good faith negotiations, which shall be a precondition to either party initiating arbitration, the Dispute (except those Disputes expressly excluded below) will be finally and exclusively resolved by binding arbitration. YOU UNDERSTAND THAT WITHOUT THIS PROVISION, YOU WOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO SUE IN COURT AND HAVE A JURY TRIAL. YOU AND COMPANY WAIVE ANY CONSTITUTIONAL AND STATUTORY RIGHTS TO GO TO COURT AND HAVE A TRIAL IN FRONT OF A JUDGE OR JURY. You and COMPANY are instead choosing to have claims and disputes resolved by arbitration. Arbitration procedures are typically more limited, more efficient, and less costly than rules applicable in court and are subject to very limited review by a court. In any litigation between you and Company over whether to vacate or enforce an arbitration award, YOU AND COMPANY WAIVE ALL RIGHTS TO A JURY TRIAL, and elect instead to have the dispute be resolved by a judge. The arbitration shall be commenced and conducted under the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) and, where appropriate, the AAA’s Supplementary Procedures for Consumer Related Disputes (“AAA Consumer Rules”), both of which are available at the AAA website: [www.adr.org](http://www.adr.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). Your arbitration fees and your share of arbitrator compensation shall be governed by the AAA Consumer Rules and, where appropriate, limited by the AAA Consumer Rules. The arbitration may be conducted in person, through the submission of documents, by phone, or online. The arbitrator will make a decision in writing, but need not provide a statement of reasons unless requested by either Party. The arbitrator must follow applicable law, and any award may be challenged if the arbitrator fails to do so. Except where otherwise required by the applicable AAA rules or applicable law, the arbitration will take place in New York, New York. Except as otherwise provided herein, the Parties may litigate in court to compel arbitration, stay proceedings pending arbitration, or to confirm, modify, vacate, or enter judgment on the award entered by the arbitrator. If for any reason, a Dispute proceeds in court rather than arbitration, the Dispute shall be commenced or prosecuted in the state and federal courts located in New York, New York, and the Parties hereby consent to, and waive all defenses of lack of personal jurisdiction, and forum non conveniens with respect to venue and jurisdiction in such state and federal courts. Application of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods and the Uniform Computer Information Transaction Act (UCITA) are excluded from these Terms of Use. If this provision is found to be illegal or unenforceable, then neither Party will elect to arbitrate any Dispute falling within that portion of this provision found to be illegal or unenforceable and such Dispute shall be decided by a court of competent jurisdiction within the courts listed for jurisdiction above, and the Parties agree to submit to the personal jurisdiction of that court. ****Restrictions** The Parties agree that any arbitration shall be limited to the Dispute between the Parties individually. To the full extent permitted by law, (a) no arbitration shall be joined with any other proceeding; (b) there is no right or authority for any Dispute to be arbitrated on a class-action basis or to utilize class action procedures; and (c) there is no right or authority for any Dispute to be brought in a purported representative capacity on behalf of the general public or any other persons. ****Exceptions to Arbitration** The Parties agree that the following Disputes are not subject to the above provisions concerning binding arbitration: (a) any Disputes seeking to enforce or protect, or concerning the validity of, any of the intellectual property rights of a Party; (b) any Dispute related to, or arising from, allegations of theft, piracy, invasion of privacy, or unauthorized use; and (c) any claim for injunctive relief. If this provision is found to be illegal or unenforceable, then neither Party will elect to arbitrate any Dispute falling within that portion of this provision found to be illegal or unenforceable and such Dispute shall be decided by a court of competent jurisdiction within the courts listed for jurisdiction above, and the Parties agree to submit to the personal jurisdiction of that court. ****Opt-Out** You can decline this agreement to arbitrate by [contacting us](https://raincrossgazette.com/contact/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and providing the requested information as follows: (1) your name; (2) the URL of Terms of Use; (3) your Address; (4) your phone number; (5) and a clear statement that you wish to opt out of this arbitration provision in the Terms of Use. The Opt-Out notice must be emailed no later than 30 days after the date you first accept the Terms of Use by using the Site. ****CORRECTIONS** There may be information on the Site that contains typographical errors, inaccuracies, or omissions, including descriptions, pricing, availability, and various other information. We reserve the right to correct any errors, inaccuracies, or omissions and to change or update the information on the Site at any time, without prior notice. ****DISCLAIMERS** THE SITE IS PROVIDED ON AN AS-IS AND AS-AVAILABLE BASIS. YOU AGREE THAT YOUR USE OF THE SITE AND OUR SERVICES WILL BE AT YOUR SOLE RISK. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN CONNECTION WITH THE SITE AND YOUR USE THEREOF, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE MAKE NO WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE SITE’S CONTENT OR THE CONTENT OF ANY WEBSITES LINKED TO THE SITE AND WE WILL ASSUME NO LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY (1) ERRORS, MISTAKES, OR INACCURACIES OF CONTENT AND MATERIALS, (2) PERSONAL INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE, OF ANY NATURE WHATSOEVER, RESULTING FROM YOUR ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SITE, (3) ANY UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR USE OF OUR SECURE SERVERS AND/OR ANY AND ALL PERSONAL INFORMATION AND/OR FINANCIAL INFORMATION STORED THEREIN, (4) ANY INTERRUPTION OR CESSATION OF TRANSMISSION TO OR FROM THE SITE, (5) ANY BUGS, VIRUSES, TROJAN HORSES, OR THE LIKE WHICH MAY BE TRANSMITTED TO OR THROUGH THE SITE BY ANY THIRD PARTY, AND/OR (6) ANY ERRORS OR OMISSIONS IN ANY CONTENT AND MATERIALS OR FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE OF ANY KIND INCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE USE OF ANY CONTENT POSTED, TRANSMITTED, OR OTHERWISE MADE AVAILABLE VIA THE SITE. WE DO NOT WARRANT, ENDORSE, GUARANTEE, OR ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY PRODUCT OR SERVICE ADVERTISED OR OFFERED BY A THIRD PARTY THROUGH THE SITE, ANY HYPERLINKED WEBSITE, OR ANY WEBSITE OR MOBILE APPLICATION FEATURED IN ANY BANNER OR OTHER ADVERTISING, AND WE WILL NOT BE A PARTY TO OR IN ANY WAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MONITORING ANY TRANSACTION BETWEEN YOU AND ANY THIRD-PARTY PROVIDERS OF PRODUCTS OR SERVICES. AS WITH THE PURCHASE OF A PRODUCT OR SERVICE THROUGH ANY MEDIUM OR IN ANY ENVIRONMENT, YOU SHOULD USE YOUR BEST JUDGMENT AND EXERCISE CAUTION WHERE APPROPRIATE. THE SITE IS BASED IN THE UNITED STATES. IT IS NOT DESIGNED, CUSTOMIZED OR INTENDED FOR, OR DIRECTED TO, ANY OTHER COUNTRY. THOSE WHO CHOOSE TO ACCESS, VISIT AND/OR USE THE SITE DO SO ON THEIR OWN INITIATIVE AND ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR COMPLIANCE WITH LOCAL LAWS, IF AND TO THE EXTENT LOCAL LAWS ARE APPLICABLE. WE MAKE NO REPRESENTATION, WARRANTY, COVENANT OR GUARANTEE THAT THE SITE IS APPROPRIATE, AVAILABLE, OR LEGAL IN ANY PARTICULAR GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION. ****LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY** IN NO EVENT WILL WE OR OUR MEMBERS, MANAGERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, OR AGENTS BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOST PROFIT, LOST REVENUE, LOSS OF DATA, OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF THE SITE, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING TO THE CONTRARY CONTAINED HEREIN, OUR LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY CAUSE WHATSOEVER AND REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF THE ACTION, WILL AT ALL TIMES BE LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT PAID, IF ANY, BY YOU TO US DURING THE six (6) mONTH PERIOD PRIOR TO ANY CAUSE OF ACTION ARISING. CERTAIN US STATE LAWS AND INTERNATIONAL LAWS DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN DAMAGES. IF THESE LAWS APPLY TO YOU, SOME OR ALL OF THE ABOVE DISCLAIMERS OR LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU, AND YOU MAY HAVE ADDITIONAL RIGHTS. ****INDEMNIFICATION** You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold us harmless, including our subsidiaries, affiliates, and all of our respective officers, agents, partners, and employees, from and against any loss, damage, liability, claim, or demand, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses, made by any third party due to or arising out of: (1) your Contributions; (2) use of the Site; (3) breach of these Terms of Use; (4) any breach of your representations and warranties set forth in these Terms of Use; (5) your violation of the rights of a third party, including but not limited to intellectual property rights; or (6) any overt harmful act toward any other user of the Site with whom you connected via the Site. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we reserve the right, at your expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter for which you are required to indemnify us, and you agree to cooperate, at your expense, with our defense of such claims. We will use reasonable efforts to notify you of any such claim, action, or proceeding which is subject to this indemnification upon becoming aware of it. ****USER DATA** We will maintain certain data that you transmit to the Site for the purpose of managing the performance of the Site, as well as data relating to your use of the Site. Although we perform regular routine backups of data, you are solely responsible for all data that you transmit or that relates to any activity you have undertaken using the Site. You agree that we shall have no liability to you for any loss or corruption of any such data, and you hereby waive any right of action against us arising from any such loss or corruption of such data. ****ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS, TRANSACTIONS, AND SIGNATURES** Visiting the Site, sending us emails, and completing online forms constitute electronic communications. You consent to receive electronic communications, and you agree that all agreements, notices, disclosures, and other communications we provide to you electronically, via email and on the Site, satisfy any legal requirement that such communication be in writing. YOU HEREBY AGREE TO THE USE OF ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES, CONTRACTS, ORDERS, AND OTHER RECORDS, AND TO ELECTRONIC DELIVERY OF NOTICES, POLICIES, AND RECORDS OF TRANSACTIONS INITIATED OR COMPLETED BY US OR VIA THE SITE. You hereby waive any rights or requirements under any statutes, regulations, rules, ordinances, or other laws in any jurisdiction which require an original signature or delivery or retention of non-electronic records, or to payments or the granting of credits by any means other than electronic means. ****CALIFORNIA USERS AND RESIDENTS** If any complaint with us is not satisfactorily resolved, you can contact the Complaint Assistance Unit of the Division of Consumer Services of the California Department of Consumer Affairs in writing at 1625 North Market Blvd., Suite N 112, Sacramento, California 95834 or by telephone at (800) 952-5210 or (916) 445-1254. ****MISCELLANEOUS** These Terms of Use and any policies or operating rules posted by us on the Site or in respect to the Site, including, without limitation, the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement and understanding between you and us. Our failure to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms of Use shall not operate as a waiver of such right or provision. These Terms of Use operate to the fullest extent permissible by law. We may assign any or all of our rights and obligations to others at any time. We shall not be responsible or liable for any loss, damage, delay, or failure to act caused by any cause beyond our reasonable control. If any provision or part of a provision of these Terms of Use is determined to be unlawful, void, or unenforceable, that provision or part of the provision is deemed severable from these Terms of Use and does not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions. There is no joint venture, partnership, employment or agency relationship created between you and us as a result of these Terms of Use or use of the Site. You agree that these Terms of Use will not be construed against us by virtue of having drafted them. You hereby waive any and all defenses you may have based on the electronic form of these Terms of Use and the lack of signing by the Parties hereto to execute these Terms of Use. ****CONTACT US** In order to resolve a complaint regarding the Site, or to receive further information regarding use of the Site, please contact us at: ****The Raincross Gazette** 3870 Main St. Ste. 202 Riverside, CA 92501 United States ### Support URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/support/ Last updated: 2023-03-29T21:12:53.000Z Thanks to your support, we are building a mission-driven, locally owned newsroom to serve the residents of Riverside. [Give Now](https://buy.stripe.com/14kbMCfIR1kb1wY9AA?ref=raincrossgazette.com) ### Comments URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/comments/ Last updated: 2025-05-22T23:43:00.000Z If you have purchased an Insider subscription, your account includes commenting privileges on all of our articles. If you do not have and Insider level subscription, we’re are sorry but you do not have commenting access. You may upgrade your subscription or go back to reading the latest Riverside news. ## Commenting Guidelines **Please comment**, we are aiming to curate the most valuable conversations in Riverside alongside our reporting – smart, serious comments that enrich the discussion of an article’s topic. We want to hear your experience, persprective, and insight on what is happening in Riverside. If you have questions about our stories, we want to hear those too. Comments deemed to be spam or solely promotional in nature will be deleted. Including a link to relevant content is permitted, but comments should be relevant to the post topic. **Be condiderate**, that means “showing kindly awareness or regard for another.” Perhaps, before you start typing, you should close your eyes and imagine you are looking a human being you care about in the eyes. If you think someone else’s comment is stupid, we are all probably better off if you just ignore it (you can flag it for moderation if that makes you feel better). Disagreements are welcomed, but profanity and abusive language are not. Comments that attack or harass an individual directly will be deleted. ### Disclaimer Regardless of your subscription, we reserve the right to ban you from posting comments for any behavior that we judge to be in violation of either the letter or the spirit of these guidelines. Now go forth and post like the wind. ### Privacy Policy – CCPA supplement URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/privacy-ccpa/ Last updated: 2023-03-27T16:45:46.000Z **CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS PRIVACY NOTICE SUPPLEMENT** ***Last updated January 25, 2022*** Thank you for choosing to be part of our community at The Raincross Gazette (“**Company**”, “**we**”, “**us**”, or “**our**”). We are committed to your right to privacy and respecting your ability to control your information. If you have any questions or concerns about this privacy notice, or our practices with regards to your personal information, please [contact us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). This supplement (“**Supplement**”) applies to visitors, users, and others who reside in the State of California (“**consumers**” or “**you**”). It is designed to supplement the The Raincross Gazette Privacy Policy (“**Privacy Notice**”) to comply with the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“**CCPA**”) and other California privacy laws. Any terms defined in the CCPA have the same meaning when used in this notice. When you use any Company website, mobile site, media form, media channel, application, tool, email/text/SMS campaign, event, product, service and/or other activity, offering, or publication (regardless of how distributed, transmitted, published, or broadcast) provided by us related, linked, or otherwise connected thereto, or that links to, or references, the Terms of Use or this document, including without limitation all content, features and functionality thereof, such as widgets, plug-ins, and embeddable players (the **“Site”**), we appreciate that you are trusting us with your personal information. We take your privacy very seriously. In this privacy notice, we seek to explain to you in the clearest way possible what information we collect, how we use it and what rights you have in relation to it. We hope you take some time to read through it carefully, as it is important. If there are any terms in this privacy notice that you do not agree with, please discontinue use of our Site immediately. This privacy notice applies to all information collected through our Site, as well as any related services, sales, marketing or events. **Please read this privacy notice carefully as it will help you understand what we do with the information that we collect.** **1\. WHAT PERSONAL INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT?** ***In Short:*** *In the past twelve (12) months, we’ve collected the types of personal information as shown in the table below.* We collect and use your personal information for business purposes described in the Privacy Policy. In the past twelve (12) months, we’ve collected the categories of personal information as shown in the table below: | **Category** | **Examples** | **Collected** | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------- | | A. Identifiers. | Name, alias, postal address, unique personal identifier, online identifier, Internet Protocol address, email address, account name, or other similar identifiers | Yes | | B. Personal information categories listed in the California Customer Records statute (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.80(e)). | Name \[*if you fill it in, not required\]*, address *\[city/state/zip code only\]*, telephone number, education, employment, employment history Some personal information included in this category may overlap with other categories. | Yes | | C. Protected classification characteristics under California or federal law. | Age (40 years or older), race, color, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, religion or creed, marital status, medical condition, disability (mental and physical including HIV/AIDS, cancer, and genetic characteristics), sex (including gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy or childbirth and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, veteran or military status, genetic information (including familial genetic information) | No | | D. Commercial information. | Records of personal property, products or services purchased, obtained, or considered, or other purchasing or consuming histories or tendencies | No | | E. Biometric information. | Genetic, physiological, behavioral, and biological characteristics, or activity patterns used to extract a template or other identifier or identifying information, such as, fingerprints, faceprints, and voiceprints, iris or retina scans, keystroke, gait, or other physical patterns, and sleep, health, or exercise data | No | | F. Internet or other similar network activity. | Browsing history, search history, information on a consumer’s interaction with a website, application, or advertisement | Yes | | G. Geolocation data. | Physical location or movements | No | | H. Sensory data. | Audio and visual recordings | No | | I. Professional or employment-related information. | Current or past job history or performance evaluations | No | | J. Non-public education information (per the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. Section 1232g, 34 C.F.R. Part 99)). | Education records directly related to a student maintained by an educational institution or party acting on its behalf, such as grades, transcripts, class lists, student schedules, student identification codes, student financial information, or student disciplinary records | No | | K. Inferences drawn from other personal information. | Profile reflecting a person’s preferences, characteristics, psychological trends, predispositions, behavior, attitudes, intelligence, abilities, and aptitudes | No | **2\. WE DO NOT SELL YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION** ***In Short:*** *We do NOT sell your personal data.* We do not sell your personal data. In the last twelve (12) months, we have not sold any personal information. **3\. WHAT PERSONAL INFORMATION DO WE SHARE?** ***In Short:*** *We share limited personal data to third parties where there is a business purpose.* In the preceding twelve (12) months, we have disclosed the following categories of personal information for business purposes, described in the Privacy Policy, to our affiliates, services providers, and third parties who you (or an agent on your behalf ) has authorized us, for a business purpose: Category A: Identifiers **4\. WE DO NOT DISCRIMINATE AGAINST YOU FOR EXERCISING YOUR RIGHTS** ***In Short:*** *We won’t discriminate against (or punish) you for exercising your rights.* We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your CCPA rights. Unless permitted by the CCPA, we will not: - Deny you goods or services - Charge you different prices or rates for goods or services - Provide you a different level or quality of goods or services - Suggest that any of the foregoing may occur We may offer certain financial incentives permitted by the CCPA that can result in different prices, rates, or quality levels. Any CCPA-permitted financial incentive we offer will reasonably relate to your personal information’s value and contain written terms that describe the program’s material aspects. Participation in a financial incentive program requires your prior opt-in consent, which you may revoke at any time. **5\. YOUR RIGHTS AND CHOICES** California residents have the following rights under the CCPA: **Personal Information Request** ***In Short:*** *If you submit a request, we will show you what personal information we have of yours.* You have the right to request we tell you what personal information we’ve collected about you and how we’ve used it over the past 12 months. Once we receive and verify your request, we will provide you a report showing: - The categories and specific personal information we’ve collected. - The categories of sources for the personal information we collected about you. - Our business purpose for collecting that personal information. - The categories of third parties with whom we share that personal information. - If we sold or disclosed your personal information for a business purpose, two separate lists disclosing: - Sales – identifying the personal information categories that each category of recipient purchased; and - Disclosures for a business purpose – identifying the personal information categories that each category of recipient obtained **Deletion Rights** ***In Short:*** *We will delete your personal information where you tell us to. In very limited circumstances, we may deny your request where continuing to process such personal information is necessary.* You have the right to request we delete any of your personal information that we collected from you and retained, subject to certain exceptions. Once we receive and verify your request, we will delete (and direct our service providers to delete) your personal information from our records. We may deny your deletion request if retaining the information is necessary for us or our service providers to: - Complete the transaction for which we collected the personal information, provide a good or service that you requested, take actions reasonably anticipated within the context of our ongoing business relationship with you, or otherwise perform our contract with you. - Detect security incidents, protect against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity, or prosecute those responsible for such activities. - Debug products to identify and repair errors that impair existing intended functionality. - Exercise free speech, ensure the right of another consumer to exercise their free speech rights, or exercise another right provided for by law. - Comply with the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act (Cal. Penal Code § 1546 *seq.*). - Engage in public or peer-reviewed scientific, historical, or statistical research in the public interest that adheres to all other applicable ethics and privacy laws, when the information’s deletion may likely render impossible or seriously impair the research’s achievement, if you previously provided informed consent. - Enable solely internal uses that are reasonably aligned with consumer expectations based on your relationship with us. - Comply with a legal obligation. - Make other internal and lawful uses of that information that are compatible with the context in which you provided it. **How California Residents Can Submit Requests under the CCPA** ***In Short:*** Submit your request via email to [info@raincrossgazette.com](mailto:ccpa@defector.com) Via email to [info@raincrossgazette.com](mailto:info@raincrossgazette.com) Only you, or your authorized agent acting on your behalf, may make a request related to your personal information under the CCPA. Our services are not directed to children under 18 and we do not knowingly collect information about children under 13\. That being said, you may also make a request on behalf of your minor child. You may only make a personal information request twice within a 12-month period. Your request must: - Provide sufficient information that allows us to reasonably verify you are the person about whom we collected personal information or an authorized representative. - Describe your request with sufficient detail that allows us to properly understand, evaluate, and respond to it. We cannot respond to your request or provide you with personal information if we cannot verify your identity or authority to make the request and confirm the personal information relates to you. Making a request does not require you to create an account with us. We will only use personal information provided in such a request to verify your identity or authority to make the request. **Response Timing and Format** ***In Short:*** *We will do our best to fulfill your request within 45 days of submission. If we need additional time, we will let you know.* We will do our best to fulfil your request within 45 days of submission using the methods described above in Section 3\. If we need additional time to fulfil the request, we will let you know in writing why we need more time and how much more time is being requested. The disclosures we provide only cover the 12-month period preceding receipt of your request. Where we are unable to comply with your request, we will explain why we cannot comply. For personal information requests, we will select a format to provide your personal information that is readily useable and should allow you to transmit the information from one entity to another entity. We will not charge you for responding to your request unless it is excessive, repetitive, or clearly inappropriate. If we determine that the request warrants a fee, we will tell you why we made that decision and provide you with a cost estimate before completing your request. **6\. CHANGES TO THIS CALIFORNIA SUPPLEMENT** ***In Short:*** *We’ll let you know if we revise this Supplement.* We reserve the right to amend this Supplement at our discretion and at any time. When we make changes to this Supplement, we will notify you by email or through a notice on our website homepage. **7\. DISABILITIES** We are committed to ensuring that our website, including this Supplement, is accessible to people with disabilities. This Supplement is available as a searchable PDF by pressing the print button at the top of the page allowing you to either print the document or download it as a PDF. If you are disabled and need additional assistance with this policy or have feedback about our website generally, please [contact us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). **8\. CONTACT INFORMATION** If you have any questions or comments about this Supplement, our Privacy Notice, the ways in which we collect and use your personal information, your choices and rights regarding such use, or wish to exercise your rights under California law, please do not hesitate to contact us at: **The Raincross Gazette** 3870 Main St. Ste. 202 Riverside, CA 92501 United States ### Terms of Use URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/terms-2/ Last updated: 2023-03-27T16:45:47.000Z ***Last updated January 25, 202*2** **AGREEMENT TO TERMS** These Terms of Use constitute a legally binding agreement made between you, whether personally or on behalf of an entity (“**you” or “your”**) and The Raincross Gazette (“**Company**“, “**we**”, “**us**”, or “**our**”) (collectively, the “**Parties**”), concerning your access to and use of each website, mobile site, media form, media channel, application, tool, email/text/SMS campaign, event, product, service and/or other activity, offering, or publication (regardless of how distributed, transmitted, published, or broadcast) provided by us related, linked, or otherwise connected thereto, or that links to, or references, this document, including without limitation all content, features and functionality thereof, such as widgets, plug-ins, and embeddable players (collectively, the **“Site”**). **YOU AGREE THAT BY ACCESSING THE SITE, YOU HAVE READ, UNDERSTOOD, AND AGREED TO BE BOUND BY ALL OF THESE TERMS OF USE. PLEASE READ THESE TERMS CAREFULLY BEFORE ACCESSING OR USING THE SITE AND THE SERVICES THEREUNDER.** **IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH ALL OF THESE TERMS OF USE, THEN YOU ARE EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED FROM USING THE SITE AND YOU MUST DISCONTINUE USE IMMEDIATELY.** Supplemental terms and conditions or documents that may be posted on the Site from time to time are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference. We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to make changes or modifications to these Terms of Use at any time and for any reason. We will alert you about any changes by updating the “Last updated” date of these Terms of Use, and you waive any right to receive specific notice of each such change. It is your responsibility to periodically review these Terms of Use to stay informed of updates. You will be subject to, and will be deemed to have been made aware of and to have accepted, the changes in any revised Terms of Use by your continued use of the Site after the date such revised Terms of Use are posted. The information provided on the Site is not intended for distribution to or use by any person or entity in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution or use would be contrary to law or regulation or which would subject us to any registration requirement within such jurisdiction or country. Accordingly, those persons who choose to access the Site from other locations do so on their own initiative and are solely responsible for compliance with local laws, if and to the extent local laws are applicable. You represent and warrant that you are an individual of legal age to form a binding contract (or if not, you’ve received your parent’s or guardian’s permission to use the Site and have gotten your parent or guardian to agree to these Terms on your behalf). THESE TERMS CONTAIN DISCLAIMERS OF WARRANTIES, LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY AND AN EXCLUSIVE REMEDY, AS WELL AS INFORMATION ABOUT CERTAIN LIMITATIONS ON YOUR ABILITY TO BRING A CLAIM AGAINST US. **ARBITRATION NOTICE AND CLASS ACTION WAIVER:** EXCEPT FOR CERTAIN TYPES OF DISPUTES DESCRIBED IN THE DISPUTE RESOLUTION SECTION BELOW, YOU AGREE THAT DISPUTES UNDER THESE TERMS WILL BE RESOLVED BY BINDING, INDIVIDUAL ARBITRATION AND YOU WAIVE YOUR RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT OR CLASS-WIDE ARBITRATION. We recommend that you print a copy of these Terms for your future reference. **PRIVACY NOTICE** We care about data privacy and security. Please review our [Privacy Policy](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/privacy/). By using the Site, you agree to be bound by our Privacy Notice and related supplements, which are incorporated into these Terms of Use. Please be advised the Site is hosted in the United States. If you access the Site from any other region of the world with laws or other requirements governing personal data collection, use, or disclosure that differ from applicable laws in the United States, then through your continued use of the Site, you are transferring your data to the United States, and you agree to have your data transferred to and processed in the United States. **INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS** Unless otherwise indicated, the Site is our proprietary property and all source code, databases, functionality, software, website designs, audio, video, text, photographs, and graphics on the Site (collectively, the **“Content”**) and the trademarks, service marks, and logos contained therein (the **“Marks”**) are owned or controlled by us or licensed to us, and are protected by copyright and trademark laws and various other intellectual property rights and unfair competition laws of the United States, international copyright laws, and international conventions. The Content and the Marks are provided on the Site “AS IS” for your information and personal use only. Except as expressly provided in these Terms of Use, no part of the Site and no Content or Marks may be copied, reproduced, aggregated, republished, uploaded, posted, publicly displayed, encoded, translated, transmitted, distributed, sold, licensed, or otherwise exploited for any commercial purpose whatsoever, without our express prior written permission. Provided that you are eligible to use the Site, you are granted a limited license to access and use the Site and to download or print a copy of any portion of the Content to which you have properly gained access solely for your personal, non-commercial use. We reserve all rights not expressly granted to you in and to the Site, the Content and the Marks. **USER REPRESENTATIONS** By using the Site, you represent and warrant that: (1) all registration information you submit will be true, accurate, current, and complete; (2) you will maintain the accuracy of such information and promptly update such registration information as necessary; (3) you have the legal capacity and you agree to comply with these Terms of Use; (4) you are not a minor in the jurisdiction in which you reside; (5) you will not access the Site through automated or non-human means, whether through a bot, script, or otherwise; (6) you will not use the Site for any illegal or unauthorized purpose; and (7) your use of the Site will not violate any applicable law or regulation. If you provide any information that is untrue, inaccurate, not current, or incomplete, we have the right to suspend or terminate your account and refuse any and all current or future use of the Site (or any portion thereof). **USER REGISTRATION AND SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES** You may be required to register and/or set up an account/profile to access, visit and/or use the Site or certain parts thereof, in which case you may be provided, or required to choose, a password and/or User ID. You may provide a credit, debit, or payment account number, or other payment information, as well as your name, telephone number(s), email and/or street address. Other personal information such as your age, gender, and preferences may also be requested. In addition, you may be asked to provide us similar information by telephone, postal mail, social media interaction or messaging (e.g., email, SMS, MMS, or similar technologies). All of the foregoing information shall be referred to as your “Registration Information”. We may use and share your Registration Information as described in our Privacy Notice. You agree, represent, warrant, covenant and guarantee that all Registration Information provided by you is true, accurate, complete, up-to-date, and solely yours. You may not impersonate, imitate or pretend to be somebody else when registering and/or setting up an account/profile on the Site. If any of your Registration Information changes, you are responsible for updating it promptly by using the mechanism or contact information on the Site that allows you to change or update your Registration Information, if available. If no such mechanism or contact information is available on the Site, please notify us in accordance with our Privacy Notice Coordinator as described in our Privacy Notice. WE SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY ASSOCIATED WITH OR ARISING FROM YOUR FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ACCURATE, COMPLETE OR UP-TO-DATE REGISTRATION INFORMATION, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION YOUR FAILURE TO RECEIVE CRITICAL INFORMATION. WE SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR VERIFYING YOUR REGISTRATION INFORMATION. You may not authorize or permit anyone else to access and/or use your Registration Information, or access, visit and/or use the Site by use of your account/profile and/or Registration Information. You may not access and/or use anyone else’s Registration Information, or access, visit and/or use the Site by use of anyone else’s account/profile and/or Registration Information. You may not sub-license, transfer, sell, rent or assign your Registration Information to any third party without our written approval. You agree to keep your password confidential and will be responsible for all use of your account and password. We reserve the right at any time to remove, reclaim, or change a username or avatar you select if we determine, in our sole discretion, that such username or avatar is inappropriate, obscene, or otherwise objectionable. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password to access the Site, and you are solely responsible for all activities that occur under your password. You agree to immediately change your password and notify us here if you suspect or become aware of any unauthorized use of your password or any other breach of security related to the Site. We reserve the right to require you to alter your password if we believe that your password is no longer secure. You agree that we will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to adequately safeguard your password or someone else’s use of your account. **Subscription Services** Certain services may be available only through creation of a subscription account and payment of a fee (**“Subscription Services”**), which may be accomplished through a third-party service provider. Through such Subscription Services accounts, you will have access to the Subscription Services. You are not authorized to access any Subscription Services unless you have opened a subscription account and paid the appropriate fee, have received access credentials (e.g., a username and password) from us, and are using those access credentials. You may not assist anyone else in accessing Subscription Services on an unauthorized basis, including by sharing your access credentials or providing any content or other materials that you obtained through Subscription Services to third parties. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your access credentials and for all usage or activity on your Subscription Services accounts, including the use of Subscription Services by any third party authorized by you to use your access credentials. Such responsibility expressly includes any purchases made or other charges incurred on your credit card in connection with your use (or an authorized third party’s use) of the Subscription Services. In the event of any fraudulent, abusive or otherwise illegal activity on your Subscription Services accounts, we may, in our sole discretion, terminate those accounts and refer you to appropriate law enforcement agencies. You may be responsible for damages from any such fraudulent, abusive, or otherwise illegal activity. By subscribing to a Subscription Service, you confirm that you are at least eighteen (18) years of age, that all information you submit is true and correct (including all credit card information), and that you are the authorized holder of the credit card. You agree to pay all subscription fees and other charges to your Subscription Services accounts, including any applicable taxes. Company and/or the particular service provider utilized by Company or otherwise incorporated into the Subscription Service reserves the right to change the amount of, or the basis for determining, any subscription fees or other charges for the Subscription Services and to institute new subscription fees or other charges. If fees cannot be charged to the payment method you designate, or payment is returned to us for any reason, including charge back, we reserve the right, in addition to our other remedies, to: (i) demand immediate payment of all outstanding fees due to us from you; (ii) assess an additional 1.5 percent late charge, or the highest amount allowed by law, whichever is lower; (iii) take any and all lawful steps necessary to collect fees owed to us, and you will be responsible for all costs and expenses incurred in connection with such collection activity, including collection fees, court costs, and attorneys’ fees; (iv) charge such fees to any other payment method you have on file with us and/or our third-party service providers; and (v) terminate, discontinue, suspend, and/or restrict your account/profile, your ability to access, visit and/or use the Site or any portion thereof, and/or the Terms of Use, including without limitation any of our purported obligations hereunder. Some Subscription Services are accessible only using a particular kind of device. You should investigate Subscription Services before you pay for access to them to ensure that they will work with your device because we will not refund any fees you paid if the Subscription Services to which you subscribe are not compatible. Also, certain Subscription Services may not be available for use in every jurisdiction, and we will not refund any fees you paid if the Subscription Services to which you subscribe are not available. For information on compatibility and availability, please visit the applicable provider’s website. You are responsible for obtaining and maintaining at your own expense all equipment, hardware, software, and telephone, cable, mobile, wireless, Internet and other services necessary to access, visit and/or use the Site. If you are accessing the Site via a mobile device, your mobile carrier may charge you fees for data, text messaging, and other mobile access or communications services. We may suspend or terminate your access to Subscription Services at any time without notice to you. If we do so, you will not be responsible for fees associated with the Subscription Services after the termination becomes effective, but you will not have any other remedies against us, and we will not issue any refunds. If you have breached or violated any obligation under these Terms, you will not be entitled to any remedy. To cancel your subscription to Subscription Services, you must follow the procedures described by Company or on the applicable provider’s website. If we or the applicable provider does not list cancellation procedures for a particular Subscription Service, you must [contact us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). We do not refund or prorate Subscription Services, or any other purchases made through the Site, for any reason. Requests to terminate subscriptions will be effective once the billing period in which we received the cancellation concludes. **Non-Subscription Services** You may be asked to register for certain activities in connection with the Site other than Subscription Services. When you register, you agree to provide accurate, current and complete information about yourself as requested or directed and to promptly update this information to maintain its accuracy. Company has the right to suspend or terminate any account or other registration and to refuse any and all current or future use if it suspects that such information is inaccurate or incomplete. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of any password and username that you are given or select, and you are responsible for all activities that occur under your password or account. **PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES** You may not access or use the Site for any purpose other than that for which we make the Site available. The Site may not be used in connection with any commercial endeavors except those that are specifically endorsed or approved by us. As a user of the Site, you agree not to: 1\. Systematically retrieve data or other content from the Site to create or compile, directly or indirectly, a collection, compilation, database, or directory without written permission from us. 2\. Trick, defraud, or mislead us and other users, especially in any attempt to learn sensitive account information such as user passwords. 3\. Circumvent, disable, or otherwise interfere with security-related features of the Site, including features that prevent or restrict the use or copying of any Content or enforce limitations on the use of the Site and/or the Content contained therein. 4\. Disparage, tarnish, or otherwise harm, in our opinion, us, any of our employees, contributors, owners, agents and/or the Site. 5\. Use any information obtained from the Site in order to harass, abuse, or harm another person. 6\. Make improper use of our support services or submit false reports of abuse or misconduct. 7\. Use the Site in a manner inconsistent with any applicable laws or regulations. 8\. Use the Site to advertise or offer to sell goods and services. 9\. Engage in unauthorized framing of or linking to the Site. 10\. Upload or transmit (or attempt to upload or to transmit) viruses, Trojan horses, or other material, including excessive use of capital letters and spamming (continuous posting of repetitive text), that interferes with any party’s uninterrupted use and enjoyment of the Site or modifies, impairs, disrupts, alters, or interferes with the use, features, functions, operation, or maintenance of the Site. 11\. Engage in any automated use of the system, such as using scripts to send comments or messages, or using any data mining, robots, or similar data gathering and extraction tools. 12\. Delete the copyright or other proprietary rights notice from any Content. 13\. Attempt to impersonate another user or person or use the username of another user. 14\. Sell or otherwise transfer your profile. 15\. Upload or transmit (or attempt to upload or to transmit) any material that acts as a passive or active information collection or transmission mechanism, including without limitation, 1×1 pixels, web bugs, cookies, or other similar devices (sometimes referred to as **“spyware”** or **“passive collection mechanisms”** or **“pcms”**). 16\. Interfere with, disrupt, or create an undue burden on the Site or the networks or services connected to the Site. 17\. Harass, annoy, intimidate, or threaten any of our employees or agents engaged in providing any portion of the Site to you. 18\. Attempt to bypass any measures of the Site designed to prevent or restrict access to the Site, or any portion of the Site. 19\. Copy or adapt the Site’s software, including but not limited to Flash, PHP, HTML, JavaScript, or other code. 20\. Decipher, decompile, disassemble, or reverse engineer any of the software comprising or in any way making up a part of the Site. 21\. Except as may be the result of standard search engine or Internet browser usage, use, launch, develop, or distribute any automated system, including without limitation, any spider, robot, cheat utility, scraper, or offline reader that accesses the Site, or using or launching any unauthorized script or other software. 22\. Use a buying agent or purchasing agent to make purchases on the Site. 23\. Make any unauthorized use of the Site, including collecting usernames and/or email addresses of users by electronic or other means for the purpose of sending unsolicited email, or creating user accounts by automated means or under false pretenses. 24\. Use the Site as part of any effort to compete with us or otherwise use the Site and/or the Content for any revenue-generating endeavor or commercial enterprise. **USER-GENERATED CONTRIBUTIONS** The Site may invite you to chat, contribute to, or participate in blogs, message boards, online forums, and other functionality, and may provide you with the opportunity to create, submit, post, display, transmit, perform, publish, distribute, or broadcast content and materials to us or on the Site, including but not limited to text, writings, video, audio, photographs, graphics, comments, suggestions, or personal information or other material (collectively, “Contributions”). Contributions may be viewable by other users of the Site and through third-party websites. As such, any Contributions you transmit may be treated as non-confidential and non-proprietary. When you create or make available any Contributions, you thereby represent and warrant that: 1\. The creation, distribution, transmission, public display, or performance, and the accessing, downloading, or copying of your Contributions do not and will not infringe the proprietary rights, including but not limited to the copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, or moral rights of any third party. 2\. You are the creator and owner of or have the necessary licenses, rights, consents, releases, and permissions to use and to authorize us, the Site, and other users of the Site to use your Contributions in any manner contemplated by the Site and these Terms of Use. 3\. You have the written consent, release, and/or permission of each and every identifiable individual person in your Contributions to use the name or likeness of each and every such identifiable individual person to enable inclusion and use of your Contributions in any manner contemplated by the Site and these Terms of Use. 4\. Your Contributions are not false, inaccurate, or misleading. 5\. Your Contributions are not unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, pyramid schemes, chain letters, spam, mass mailings, or other forms of solicitation. 6\. Your Contributions are not obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, violent, harassing, libelous, slanderous, or otherwise objectionable (as determined by us). 7\. Your Contributions do not defame, disparage, intimidate, or abuse anyone. 8\. Your Contributions do not advocate the violent overthrow of any government or incite, encourage, or threaten physical harm against another. 9\. Your Contributions do not violate any applicable law, regulation, or rule. 10\. Your Contributions do not violate the privacy or publicity rights of any third party. 11\. Your Contributions do not contain any material that solicits personal information from anyone under the age of 18 or exploits people under the age of 18 in a sexual or violent manner. 12\. Your Contributions do not violate any applicable law concerning child pornography, or otherwise intended to protect the health or well-being of minors; 13\. Your Contributions do not include any offensive comments that are connected to race, national origin, gender, sexual preference, or physical handicap. 14\. Your Contributions do not otherwise violate, or link to material that violates, any provision of these Terms of Use, or any applicable law or regulation. Any use of the Site in violation of the foregoing violates these Terms of Use and may result in, among other things, termination or suspension of your rights to use the Site. **CONTRIBUTION LICENSE** By posting your Contributions to any part of the Site, you automatically grant, and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to us an unrestricted, unlimited, irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, royalty-free, fully-paid, worldwide right, and license to host, use, copy, reproduce, disclose, sell, resell, publish, broadcast, retitle, archive, store, cache, publicly perform, publicly display, reformat, translate, transmit, excerpt (in whole or in part), and distribute such Contributions (including, without limitation, your image and voice as embodied therein) for any purpose, commercial, advertising, or otherwise, and to prepare derivative works of, or incorporate into other works, such Contributions, and grant and authorize sublicenses of the foregoing. The use and distribution may occur in any media formats and through any media channels. This license will apply to any form, media, or technology now known or hereafter developed, and includes our use of your name, company name, and franchise name, as applicable, and any of the trademarks, service marks, trade names, logos, and personal and commercial images you provide. You waive all moral rights in your Contributions, and you warrant that moral rights have not otherwise been asserted in your Contributions. We do not assert any ownership over your Contributions. You retain full ownership of all of your Contributions and any intellectual property rights or other proprietary rights associated with your Contributions. We are not liable for any statements or representations in your Contributions provided by you in any area on the Site. You are solely responsible for your Contributions to the Site and you expressly agree to exonerate us from any and all responsibility and to refrain from any legal action against us regarding your Contributions. We have the right, in our sole and absolute discretion, (1) to edit, redact, or otherwise change any Contributions; (2) to re-categorize any Contributions to place them in more appropriate locations on the Site; and (3) to pre-screen or delete any Contributions at any time and for any reason, without notice. We have no obligation to monitor your Contributions. **GUIDELINES FOR REVIEWS** We may provide you areas on the Site to leave reviews or ratings. When posting a review, you must comply with the following criteria: (1) you should have firsthand experience with the person/entity being reviewed; (2) your reviews should not contain offensive profanity, or abusive, racist, offensive, or hate language; (3) your reviews should not contain discriminatory references based on religion, race, gender, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, or disability; (4) your reviews should not contain references to illegal activity; (5) you should not be affiliated with competitors if posting negative reviews; (6) you should not make any conclusions as to the legality of conduct; (7) you may not post any false or misleading statements; and (8) you may not organize a campaign encouraging others to post reviews, whether positive or negative. We may accept, reject, or remove reviews in our sole discretion. We have absolutely no obligation to screen reviews or to delete reviews, even if anyone considers reviews objectionable or inaccurate. Reviews are not endorsed by us, and do not necessarily represent our opinions or the views of any of our affiliates or partners. We do not assume liability for any review or for any claims, liabilities, or losses resulting from any review. By posting a review, you hereby grant to us a perpetual, non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, fully-paid, assignable, and sublicensable right and license to reproduce, modify, translate, transmit by any means, display, perform, and/or distribute all content relating to reviews. **MOBILE APPLICATION LICENSE** **Use License** If you access the Site via a mobile application, then we grant you a revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable, limited right to install and use the mobile application on wireless electronic devices owned or controlled by you, and to access and use the mobile application on such devices strictly in accordance with the terms and conditions of this mobile application license contained in these Terms of Use. You shall not: (1) decompile, reverse engineer, disassemble, attempt to derive the source code of, or decrypt the application; (2) make any modification, adaptation, improvement, enhancement, translation, or derivative work from the application; (3) violate any applicable laws, rules, or regulations in connection with your access or use of the application; (4) remove, alter, or obscure any proprietary notice (including any notice of copyright or trademark) posted by us or the licensors of the application; (5) use the application for any revenue generating endeavor, commercial enterprise, or other purpose for which it is not designed or intended; (6) make the application available over a network or other environment permitting access or use by multiple devices or users at the same time; (7) use the application for creating a product, service, or software that is, directly or indirectly, competitive with or in any way a substitute for the application; (8) use the application to send automated queries to any website or to send any unsolicited commercial e-mail; or (9) use any proprietary information or any of our interfaces or our other intellectual property in the design, development, manufacture, licensing, or distribution of any applications, accessories, or devices for use with the application. **Apple and Android Devices** The following terms apply when you use a mobile application obtained from either the Apple Store or Google Play (each an **“App Distributor”**) to access the Site: (1) the license granted to you for our mobile application is limited to a non-transferable license to use the application on a device that utilizes the Apple iOS or Android operating systems, as applicable, and in accordance with the usage rules set forth in the applicable App Distributor’s terms of service; (2) we are responsible for providing any maintenance and support services with respect to the mobile application as specified in the terms and conditions of this mobile application license contained in these Terms of Use or as otherwise required under applicable law, and you acknowledge that each App Distributor has no obligation whatsoever to furnish any maintenance and support services with respect to the mobile application; (3) in the event of any failure of the mobile application to conform to any applicable warranty, you may notify the applicable App Distributor, and the App Distributor, in accordance with its terms and policies, may refund the purchase price, if any, paid for the mobile application, and to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the App Distributor will have no other warranty obligation whatsoever with respect to the mobile application; (4) you represent and warrant that (i) you are not located in a country that is subject to a U.S. government embargo, or that has been designated by the U.S. government as a “terrorist supporting” country and (ii) you are not listed on any U.S. government list of prohibited or restricted parties; (5) you must comply with applicable third-party terms of agreement when using the mobile application, e.g., if you have a VoIP application, then you must not be in violation of their wireless data service agreement when using the mobile application; and (6) you acknowledge and agree that the App Distributors are third-party beneficiaries of the terms and conditions in this mobile application license contained in these Terms of Use, and that each App Distributor will have the right (and will be deemed to have accepted the right) to enforce the terms and conditions in this mobile application license contained in these Terms of Use against you as a third-party beneficiary thereof. **SOCIAL MEDIA** As part of the functionality of the Site, you may link your account with online accounts you have with third-party service providers (each such account, a **“Third-Party Account”**) by either: (1) providing your Third-Party Account login information through the Site; or (2) allowing us to access your Third-Party Account, as is permitted under the applicable terms and conditions that govern your use of each Third-Party Account. You represent and warrant that you are entitled to disclose your Third-Party Account login information to us and/or grant us access to your Third-Party Account, without breach by you of any of the terms and conditions that govern your use of the applicable Third-Party Account, and without obligating us to pay any fees or making us subject to any usage limitations imposed by the third-party service provider of the Third-Party Account. By granting us access to any Third-Party Accounts, you understand that (1) we may access, make available, and store (if applicable) any content that you have provided to and stored in your Third-Party Account (the **“Social Network Content”**) so that it is available on and through the Site via your account, including without limitation any friend lists and (2) we may submit to and receive from your Third-Party Account additional information to the extent you are notified when you link your account with the Third-Party Account. Depending on the Third-Party Accounts you choose and subject to the privacy settings that you have set in such Third-Party Accounts, personally identifiable information that you post to your Third-Party Accounts may be available on and through your account on the Site. Please note that if a Third-Party Account or associated service becomes unavailable or our access to such Third Party Account is terminated by the third-party service provider, then Social Network Content may no longer be available on and through the Site. You will have the ability to disable the connection between your account on the Site and your Third-Party Accounts at any time. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE THIRD-PARTY SERVICE PROVIDERS ASSOCIATED WITH YOUR THIRD-PARTY ACCOUNTS IS GOVERNED SOLELY BY YOUR AGREEMENT(S) WITH SUCH THIRD-PARTY SERVICE PROVIDERS. We make no effort to review any Social Network Content for any purpose, including but not limited to, for accuracy, legality, or non-infringement, and we are not responsible for any Social Network Content. You acknowledge and agree that we may access your email address book associated with a Third-Party Account and your contacts list stored on your mobile device or tablet computer solely for purposes of identifying and informing you of those contacts who have also registered to use the Site. You can deactivate the connection between the Site and your Third-Party Account by contacting us using the contact information below or through your account settings (if applicable). We will attempt to delete any information stored on our servers that was obtained through such Third-Party Account, except the username and profile picture that become associated with your account. **SUBMISSIONS** You acknowledge and agree that any questions, comments, suggestions, ideas, feedback, or other information regarding the Site (**“Submissions”**) provided by you to us are non-confidential and shall become our sole property. We shall own exclusive rights, including all intellectual property rights, and shall be entitled to the unrestricted use and dissemination of these Submissions for any lawful purpose, commercial or otherwise, without acknowledgment or compensation to you. You hereby waive all moral rights to any such Submissions, and you hereby warrant that any such Submissions are original with you or that you have the right to submit such Submissions. You agree there shall be no recourse against us for any alleged or actual infringement or misappropriation of any proprietary right in your Submissions. **THIRD-PARTY WEBSITE AND CONTENT** The Site may contain (or you may be sent via the Site) links to other websites (**“Third-Party Websites”**) as well as articles, photographs, text, graphics, pictures, designs, music, sound, video, information, applications, software, and other content or items belonging to or originating from third parties (**“Third-Party Content”**). Such Third-Party Websites and Third-Party Content are not investigated, monitored, or checked for accuracy, appropriateness, or completeness by us, and we are not responsible for any Third-Party Websites accessed through the Site or any Third-Party Content posted on, available through, or installed from the Site, including the content, accuracy, offensiveness, opinions, reliability, privacy practices, or other policies of or contained in the Third-Party Websites or the Third-Party Content. Inclusion of, linking to, or permitting the use or installation of any Third-Party Websites or any Third-Party Content does not imply approval or endorsement thereof by us. If you decide to leave the Site and access the Third-Party Websites or to use or install any Third-Party Content, you do so at your own risk, and you should be aware these Terms of Use no longer govern. You should review the applicable terms and policies, including privacy and data gathering practices, of any website to which you navigate from the Site or relating to any applications you use or install from the Site. Any purchases you make through Third-Party Websites will be through other websites and from other companies, and we take no responsibility whatsoever in relation to such purchases which are exclusively between you and the applicable third party. You agree and acknowledge that we do not endorse the products or services offered on Third-Party Websites and you shall hold us harmless from any harm caused by your purchase of such products or services. Additionally, you shall hold us harmless from any losses sustained by you or harm caused to you relating to or resulting in any way from any Third-Party Content or any contact with Third-Party Websites. **THIRD-PARTY PROVIDERS** **“Third Party Providers”** means any third party unaffiliated with us that play a role in providing the Site and enabling you to acquire, access, visit and/or use the Site via your device, including, without limitation, equipment, hardware and software manufacturers and providers, telephone, mobile, wireless, cable, and Internet network providers and carriers, sellers or providers of technology or products, as well as vendors, service providers and others we retain to host, run, track, and otherwise administer portions of the Site. CERTAIN THIRD PARTY PROVIDERS MAY REQUIRE THAT YOU AGREE TO THEIR ADDITIONAL TERMS, CONDITIONS, CONTRACTS, AGREEMENTS AND/OR RULES. YOUR COMPLIANCE WITH ANY SUCH ADDITIONAL TERMS, CONDITIONS, CONTRACTS, AGREEMENTS AND/OR RULES IS SOLELY YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AND WILL HAVE NO EFFECT ON YOUR CONTINUING OBLIGATION TO COMPLY WITH THE AGREEMENT WHEN USING THE SERVICE. WE SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL LIABILITY IN CONNECTION WITH THE ACTS OR OMISSIONS OF THIRD PARTY PROVIDERS. We may have agreements with some of these Third Party Providers that require us to make certain disclosures and pass along certain responsibilities to you. For such Third Party Providers, you specifically acknowledge and agree that: (i) the Terms of Use is between us and you; the Third Party Providers are not parties to the Terms of Use; (ii) the Third Party Providers and their parent, subsidiaries and affiliates are intended third party beneficiaries of the Terms of Use and upon your acceptance of the terms and conditions of the Terms of Use, the Third Party Providers will have the right (and will be deemed to have accepted the right) to enforce the Terms of Use against you; (iii) any license(s) granted to you hereunder by a Third Party Provider in connection with the Site, or any content or product is limited to a non-transferable license to use the Site or such content or product on the particular device authorized by the applicable Third Party Provider that you own or control and as permitted by such Third Party Provider’s applicable usage rules; (iv) Third Party Providers have no obligation whatsoever in connection with the functionality or content of the Site, or to furnish any maintenance or support services with respect to the Site; (v) in the event of any failure of a portion of the Site or content provided by a Third Party Provider to conform to any applicable warranty, you may be able to notify the applicable Third Party Provider to receive a refund of all or part of the amount you paid for the applicable portion of the Site or content, if any (to the maximum amount permitted by applicable law, Third Party Providers will have no other warranty obligation whatsoever with respect to the Site, content or products); (vi) Third Party Providers reserve the right to audit possible unauthorized commercial use of its content or products at any time; and (vii) Third Party Providers are not responsible for addressing any claims by you or a third party relating to any portion of the Site, or content or products not provided by such Third Party Provider or your possession, access, visitation and/or use of the same, including without limitation (a) product liability claims; (b) any claim that the Site fails to conform to any applicable legal or regulatory requirement; and (c) claims arising under consumer protection or similar legislation; and (vii) in the event of any claim that any portion of the Site, or content or products not provided by such Third Party Provider or your possession, access, visitation and/or use of the same, infringes such third party’s intellectual property rights, Third Party Providers are not responsible for the investigation, defense, settlement and/or discharge of such claim. **ADVERTISERS** We allow advertisers to display their advertisements and other information in certain areas of the Site, such as sidebar advertisements or banner advertisements. If you are an advertiser, you shall take full responsibility for any advertisements you place on the Site and any services provided on the Site or products sold through those advertisements. Further, as an advertiser, you warrant and represent that you possess all rights and authority to place advertisements on the Site, including, but not limited to, intellectual property rights, publicity rights, and contractual rights. As an advertiser, you agree that such advertisements are subject to our Digital Millennium Copyright Act (**“DMCA”**) Notice and Policy provisions as described below, and you understand and agree there will be no refund or other compensation for DMCA takedown-related issues. We simply provide the space to place such advertisements, and we have no other relationship with advertisers. **SITE MANAGEMENT** We reserve the right, but not the obligation, to: (1) monitor the Site for violations of these Terms of Use; (2) take appropriate legal action against anyone who, in our sole discretion, violates the law or these Terms of Use, including without limitation, reporting such user to law enforcement authorities; (3) in our sole discretion and without limitation, refuse, restrict access to, limit the availability of, or disable (to the extent technologically feasible) any of your Contributions or any portion thereof; (4) in our sole discretion and without limitation, notice, or liability, to remove from the Site or otherwise disable all files and content that are excessive in size or are in any way burdensome to our systems; and (5) otherwise manage the Site in a manner designed to protect our rights and property and to facilitate the proper functioning of the Site. **DIGITAL MILLENNIUM COPYRIGHT ACT (DMCA) NOTICE AND POLICY** **Notifications** We respect the intellectual property rights of others. If you believe that any material available on or through the Site infringes upon any copyright you own or control, please immediately notify our Designated Copyright Agent using the contact information provided below (a “Notification”). A copy of your Notification will be sent to the person who posted or stored the material addressed in the Notification. Please be advised that pursuant to federal law you may be held liable for damages if you make material misrepresentations in a Notification. Thus, if you are not sure that material located on or linked to by the Site infringes your copyright, you should consider first contacting an attorney. All Notifications should meet the requirements of DMCA 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3) and include the following information: (1) A physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed; (2) identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed, or, if multiple copyrighted works on the Site are covered by the Notification, a representative list of such works on the Site; (3) identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled, and information reasonably sufficient to permit us to locate the material; (4) information reasonably sufficient to permit us to contact the complaining party, such as an address, telephone number, and, if available, an email address at which the complaining party may be contacted; (5) a statement that the complaining party has a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and (6) a statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed upon. **Counter Notification** If you believe your own copyrighted material has been removed from the Site as a result of a mistake or misidentification, you may submit a written counter notification to our Designated Copyright Agent using the contact information provided below (a **“Counter Notification”**). To be an effective Counter Notification under the DMCA, your Counter Notification must include substantially the following: (1) identification of the material that has been removed or disabled and the location at which the material appeared before it was removed or disabled; (2) a statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the Federal District Court in which your address is located, or if your address is outside the United States, for any judicial district in which we are located; (3) a statement that you will accept service of process from the party that filed the Notification or the party’s agent; (4) your name, address, and telephone number; (5) a statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good faith belief that the material in question was removed or disabled as a result of a mistake or misidentification of the material to be removed or disabled; and (6) your physical or electronic signature. If you send us a valid, written Counter Notification meeting the requirements described above, we will restore your removed or disabled material, unless we first receive notice from the party filing the Notification informing us that such party has filed a court action to restrain you from engaging in infringing activity related to the material in question. Please note that if you materially misrepresent that the disabled or removed content was removed by mistake or misidentification, you may be liable for damages, including costs and attorney’s fees. Filing a false Counter Notification constitutes perjury. **TERM AND TERMINATION** These Terms of Use shall remain in full force and effect while you use the Site. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF THESE TERMS OF USE, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO, IN OUR SOLE DISCRETION AND WITHOUT NOTICE OR LIABILITY, DENY ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SITE (INCLUDING BLOCKING CERTAIN IP ADDRESSES), TO ANY PERSON FOR ANY REASON OR FOR NO REASON, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION FOR BREACH OF ANY REPRESENTATION, WARRANTY, OR COVENANT CONTAINED IN THESE TERMS OF USE OR OF ANY APPLICABLE LAW OR REGULATION. WE MAY TERMINATE YOUR USE OR PARTICIPATION IN THE SITE OR DELETE YOUR ACCOUNT AND ANY CONTENT OR INFORMATION THAT YOU POSTED AT ANY TIME, WITHOUT WARNING, IN OUR SOLE DISCRETION. If we terminate or suspend your account for any reason, you are prohibited from registering and creating a new account under your name, a fake or borrowed name, or the name of any third party, even if you may be acting on behalf of the third party. In addition to terminating or suspending your account, we reserve the right to take appropriate legal action, including without limitation pursuing civil, criminal, and injunctive redress. **MODIFICATIONS AND INTERRUPTIONS** We reserve the right to change, modify, or remove the contents of the Site at any time or for any reason at our sole discretion without notice. However, we have no obligation to update any information on our Site. We also reserve the right to modify or discontinue all or part of the Site without notice at any time. We will not be liable to you or any third party for any modification, price change, suspension, or discontinuance of the Site. We cannot guarantee the Site will be available at all times. We may experience hardware, software, or other problems or need to perform maintenance related to the Site, resulting in interruptions, delays, or errors. We reserve the right to change, revise, update, suspend, discontinue, or otherwise modify the Site at any time or for any reason without notice to you. You agree that we have no liability whatsoever for any loss, damage, or inconvenience caused by your inability to access or use the Site during any downtime or discontinuance of the Site. Nothing in these Terms of Use will be construed to obligate us to maintain and support the Site or to supply any corrections, updates, or releases in connection therewith. **GOVERNING LAW** These Terms of Use and your use of the Site are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to agreements made and to be entirely performed within the State of New York, without regard to its conflict of law principles. **DISPUTE RESOLUTION** **Binding Arbitration** If the Parties are unable to resolve any dispute, claim, action, cause of action, issue, or request for relief between you and Company arising out of or relating to Company, the Site, or these Terms of Use (collectively “Disputes”) through informal good faith negotiations, which shall be a precondition to either party initiating arbitration, the Dispute (except those Disputes expressly excluded below) will be finally and exclusively resolved by binding arbitration. YOU UNDERSTAND THAT WITHOUT THIS PROVISION, YOU WOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO SUE IN COURT AND HAVE A JURY TRIAL. YOU AND COMPANY WAIVE ANY CONSTITUTIONAL AND STATUTORY RIGHTS TO GO TO COURT AND HAVE A TRIAL IN FRONT OF A JUDGE OR JURY. You and COMPANY are instead choosing to have claims and disputes resolved by arbitration. Arbitration procedures are typically more limited, more efficient, and less costly than rules applicable in court and are subject to very limited review by a court. In any litigation between you and Company over whether to vacate or enforce an arbitration award, YOU AND COMPANY WAIVE ALL RIGHTS TO A JURY TRIAL, and elect instead to have the dispute be resolved by a judge. The arbitration shall be commenced and conducted under the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) and, where appropriate, the AAA’s Supplementary Procedures for Consumer Related Disputes (“AAA Consumer Rules”), both of which are available at the AAA website: [www.adr.org](http://www.adr.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). Your arbitration fees and your share of arbitrator compensation shall be governed by the AAA Consumer Rules and, where appropriate, limited by the AAA Consumer Rules. The arbitration may be conducted in person, through the submission of documents, by phone, or online. The arbitrator will make a decision in writing, but need not provide a statement of reasons unless requested by either Party. The arbitrator must follow applicable law, and any award may be challenged if the arbitrator fails to do so. Except where otherwise required by the applicable AAA rules or applicable law, the arbitration will take place in New York, New York. Except as otherwise provided herein, the Parties may litigate in court to compel arbitration, stay proceedings pending arbitration, or to confirm, modify, vacate, or enter judgment on the award entered by the arbitrator. If for any reason, a Dispute proceeds in court rather than arbitration, the Dispute shall be commenced or prosecuted in the state and federal courts located in New York, New York, and the Parties hereby consent to, and waive all defenses of lack of personal jurisdiction, and forum non conveniens with respect to venue and jurisdiction in such state and federal courts. Application of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods and the Uniform Computer Information Transaction Act (UCITA) are excluded from these Terms of Use. If this provision is found to be illegal or unenforceable, then neither Party will elect to arbitrate any Dispute falling within that portion of this provision found to be illegal or unenforceable and such Dispute shall be decided by a court of competent jurisdiction within the courts listed for jurisdiction above, and the Parties agree to submit to the personal jurisdiction of that court. **Restrictions** The Parties agree that any arbitration shall be limited to the Dispute between the Parties individually. To the full extent permitted by law, (a) no arbitration shall be joined with any other proceeding; (b) there is no right or authority for any Dispute to be arbitrated on a class-action basis or to utilize class action procedures; and (c) there is no right or authority for any Dispute to be brought in a purported representative capacity on behalf of the general public or any other persons. **Exceptions to Arbitration** The Parties agree that the following Disputes are not subject to the above provisions concerning binding arbitration: (a) any Disputes seeking to enforce or protect, or concerning the validity of, any of the intellectual property rights of a Party; (b) any Dispute related to, or arising from, allegations of theft, piracy, invasion of privacy, or unauthorized use; and (c) any claim for injunctive relief. If this provision is found to be illegal or unenforceable, then neither Party will elect to arbitrate any Dispute falling within that portion of this provision found to be illegal or unenforceable and such Dispute shall be decided by a court of competent jurisdiction within the courts listed for jurisdiction above, and the Parties agree to submit to the personal jurisdiction of that court. **Opt-Out** You can decline this agreement to arbitrate by [contacting us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/) and providing the requested information as follows: (1) your name; (2) the URL of Terms of Use; (3) your Address; (4) your phone number; (5) and a clear statement that you wish to opt out of this arbitration provision in the Terms of Use. The Opt-Out notice must be emailed no later than 30 days after the date you first accept the Terms of Use by using the Site. **CORRECTIONS** There may be information on the Site that contains typographical errors, inaccuracies, or omissions, including descriptions, pricing, availability, and various other information. We reserve the right to correct any errors, inaccuracies, or omissions and to change or update the information on the Site at any time, without prior notice. **DISCLAIMERS** THE SITE IS PROVIDED ON AN AS-IS AND AS-AVAILABLE BASIS. YOU AGREE THAT YOUR USE OF THE SITE AND OUR SERVICES WILL BE AT YOUR SOLE RISK. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN CONNECTION WITH THE SITE AND YOUR USE THEREOF, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE MAKE NO WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE SITE’S CONTENT OR THE CONTENT OF ANY WEBSITES LINKED TO THE SITE AND WE WILL ASSUME NO LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY (1) ERRORS, MISTAKES, OR INACCURACIES OF CONTENT AND MATERIALS, (2) PERSONAL INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE, OF ANY NATURE WHATSOEVER, RESULTING FROM YOUR ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SITE, (3) ANY UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR USE OF OUR SECURE SERVERS AND/OR ANY AND ALL PERSONAL INFORMATION AND/OR FINANCIAL INFORMATION STORED THEREIN, (4) ANY INTERRUPTION OR CESSATION OF TRANSMISSION TO OR FROM THE SITE, (5) ANY BUGS, VIRUSES, TROJAN HORSES, OR THE LIKE WHICH MAY BE TRANSMITTED TO OR THROUGH THE SITE BY ANY THIRD PARTY, AND/OR (6) ANY ERRORS OR OMISSIONS IN ANY CONTENT AND MATERIALS OR FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE OF ANY KIND INCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE USE OF ANY CONTENT POSTED, TRANSMITTED, OR OTHERWISE MADE AVAILABLE VIA THE SITE. WE DO NOT WARRANT, ENDORSE, GUARANTEE, OR ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY PRODUCT OR SERVICE ADVERTISED OR OFFERED BY A THIRD PARTY THROUGH THE SITE, ANY HYPERLINKED WEBSITE, OR ANY WEBSITE OR MOBILE APPLICATION FEATURED IN ANY BANNER OR OTHER ADVERTISING, AND WE WILL NOT BE A PARTY TO OR IN ANY WAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MONITORING ANY TRANSACTION BETWEEN YOU AND ANY THIRD-PARTY PROVIDERS OF PRODUCTS OR SERVICES. AS WITH THE PURCHASE OF A PRODUCT OR SERVICE THROUGH ANY MEDIUM OR IN ANY ENVIRONMENT, YOU SHOULD USE YOUR BEST JUDGMENT AND EXERCISE CAUTION WHERE APPROPRIATE. THE SITE IS BASED IN THE UNITED STATES. IT IS NOT DESIGNED, CUSTOMIZED OR INTENDED FOR, OR DIRECTED TO, ANY OTHER COUNTRY. THOSE WHO CHOOSE TO ACCESS, VISIT AND/OR USE THE SITE DO SO ON THEIR OWN INITIATIVE AND ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR COMPLIANCE WITH LOCAL LAWS, IF AND TO THE EXTENT LOCAL LAWS ARE APPLICABLE. WE MAKE NO REPRESENTATION, WARRANTY, COVENANT OR GUARANTEE THAT THE SITE IS APPROPRIATE, AVAILABLE, OR LEGAL IN ANY PARTICULAR GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION. **LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY** IN NO EVENT WILL WE OR OUR MEMBERS, MANAGERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, OR AGENTS BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOST PROFIT, LOST REVENUE, LOSS OF DATA, OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF THE SITE, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING TO THE CONTRARY CONTAINED HEREIN, OUR LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY CAUSE WHATSOEVER AND REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF THE ACTION, WILL AT ALL TIMES BE LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT PAID, IF ANY, BY YOU TO US DURING THE six (6) mONTH PERIOD PRIOR TO ANY CAUSE OF ACTION ARISING. CERTAIN US STATE LAWS AND INTERNATIONAL LAWS DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN DAMAGES. IF THESE LAWS APPLY TO YOU, SOME OR ALL OF THE ABOVE DISCLAIMERS OR LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU, AND YOU MAY HAVE ADDITIONAL RIGHTS. **INDEMNIFICATION** You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold us harmless, including our subsidiaries, affiliates, and all of our respective officers, agents, partners, and employees, from and against any loss, damage, liability, claim, or demand, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses, made by any third party due to or arising out of: (1) your Contributions; (2) use of the Site; (3) breach of these Terms of Use; (4) any breach of your representations and warranties set forth in these Terms of Use; (5) your violation of the rights of a third party, including but not limited to intellectual property rights; or (6) any overt harmful act toward any other user of the Site with whom you connected via the Site. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we reserve the right, at your expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter for which you are required to indemnify us, and you agree to cooperate, at your expense, with our defense of such claims. We will use reasonable efforts to notify you of any such claim, action, or proceeding which is subject to this indemnification upon becoming aware of it. **USER DATA** We will maintain certain data that you transmit to the Site for the purpose of managing the performance of the Site, as well as data relating to your use of the Site. Although we perform regular routine backups of data, you are solely responsible for all data that you transmit or that relates to any activity you have undertaken using the Site. You agree that we shall have no liability to you for any loss or corruption of any such data, and you hereby waive any right of action against us arising from any such loss or corruption of such data. **ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS, TRANSACTIONS, AND SIGNATURES** Visiting the Site, sending us emails, and completing online forms constitute electronic communications. You consent to receive electronic communications, and you agree that all agreements, notices, disclosures, and other communications we provide to you electronically, via email and on the Site, satisfy any legal requirement that such communication be in writing. YOU HEREBY AGREE TO THE USE OF ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES, CONTRACTS, ORDERS, AND OTHER RECORDS, AND TO ELECTRONIC DELIVERY OF NOTICES, POLICIES, AND RECORDS OF TRANSACTIONS INITIATED OR COMPLETED BY US OR VIA THE SITE. You hereby waive any rights or requirements under any statutes, regulations, rules, ordinances, or other laws in any jurisdiction which require an original signature or delivery or retention of non-electronic records, or to payments or the granting of credits by any means other than electronic means. **CALIFORNIA USERS AND RESIDENTS** If any complaint with us is not satisfactorily resolved, you can contact the Complaint Assistance Unit of the Division of Consumer Services of the California Department of Consumer Affairs in writing at 1625 North Market Blvd., Suite N 112, Sacramento, California 95834 or by telephone at (800) 952-5210 or (916) 445-1254. **MISCELLANEOUS** These Terms of Use and any policies or operating rules posted by us on the Site or in respect to the Site, including, without limitation, the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement and understanding between you and us. Our failure to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms of Use shall not operate as a waiver of such right or provision. These Terms of Use operate to the fullest extent permissible by law. We may assign any or all of our rights and obligations to others at any time. We shall not be responsible or liable for any loss, damage, delay, or failure to act caused by any cause beyond our reasonable control. If any provision or part of a provision of these Terms of Use is determined to be unlawful, void, or unenforceable, that provision or part of the provision is deemed severable from these Terms of Use and does not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions. There is no joint venture, partnership, employment or agency relationship created between you and us as a result of these Terms of Use or use of the Site. You agree that these Terms of Use will not be construed against us by virtue of having drafted them. You hereby waive any and all defenses you may have based on the electronic form of these Terms of Use and the lack of signing by the Parties hereto to execute these Terms of Use. **CONTACT US** In order to resolve a complaint regarding the Site, or to receive further information regarding use of the Site, please contact us at: **The Raincross Gazette** 3870 Main St. Ste. 202 Riverside, CA 92501 United States ### Privacy Policy URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/privacy-2/ Last updated: 2023-03-27T16:45:47.000Z ***Last updated January 25, 2021*** Thank you for choosing to be part of our community at The Raincross Gazette (“**Company**”, “**we**”, “**us**”, or “**our**”). We are committed to protecting your personal information and your right to privacy. If you have any questions or concerns about this privacy notice, or our practices with regards to your personal information, please [contact us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). When you use any Company website, mobile site, media form, media channel, application, tool, email/text/SMS campaign, event, product, service and/or other activity, offering, or publication (regardless of how distributed, transmitted, published, or broadcast) provided by us related, linked, or otherwise connected thereto, or that links to, or references, the Terms of Use or this document, including without limitation all content, features and functionality thereof, such as widgets, plug-ins, and embeddable players (the “**Site**“), we appreciate that you are trusting us with your personal information. We take your privacy very seriously. In this privacy notice, we seek to explain to you in the clearest way possible what information we collect, how we use it and what rights you have in relation to it. We hope you take some time to read through it carefully, as it is important. If there are any terms in this privacy notice that you do not agree with, please discontinue use of our Site immediately. This privacy notice applies to all information collected through our Site, as well as any related services, sales, marketing or events. **Please read this privacy notice carefully as it will help you understand what we do with the information that we collect.** **1\. WHAT INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT?** **Personal information you disclose to us** ***In Short:*** *We collect information that you provide to us.* We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you register on the express an interest in obtaining information about us or our products and services, when you participate in activities on the (such as by posting messages in our online forums or entering competitions, contests or giveaways) or otherwise when you contact us. The personal information that we collect depends on the context of your interactions with us, the choices you make and the products and features you use. The personal information we collect may include the following: **Social Media Login Data.** We may provide you with the option to register with us using your existing social media account details, like your Facebook, Twitter or other social media account. If you choose to register in this way, we will collect the information described in the section called “HOW DO WE HANDLE YOUR SOCIAL LOGINS” below. All personal information that you provide to us must be true, complete and accurate, and you must notify us of any changes to such personal information. **Information automatically collected** ***In Short:*** *Some information — such as your Internet Protocol (IP) address and/or browser and device characteristics — is collected automatically when you visit the Site.* We automatically collect certain information when you visit, use or navigate the Site. This information does not reveal your specific identity (like your name or contact information) but may include device and usage information, such as your IP address, browser and device characteristics, operating system, language preferences, referring URLs, device name, country, location, information about who and when you use our and other technical information. This information is primarily needed to maintain the security and operation of our Site, and for our internal analytics and reporting purposes. Like many businesses, we also collect information through cookies and similar technologies. **2\. WILL YOUR INFORMATION BE SHARED WITH ANYONE?** ***In Short:*** *We only share information with your consent, to comply with laws, to provide you with services, to protect your rights, or to fulfill business obligations.* We may process or share your data that we hold based on the following legal basis: - **Consent:** We may process your data if you have given us specific consent to use your personal information in a specific purpose. - **Legitimate Interests:** We may process your data when it is reasonably necessary to achieve our legitimate business interests. - **Performance of a Contract:** Where we have entered into a contract with you, we may process your personal information to fulfill the terms of our contract. - **Legal Obligations:** We may disclose your information where we are legally required to do so in order to comply with applicable law, governmental requests, a judicial proceeding, court order, or legal process, such as in response to a court order or a subpoena (including in response to public authorities to meet national security or law enforcement requirements). - **Vital Interests:** We may disclose your information where we believe it is necessary to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding potential violations of our policies, suspected fraud, situations involving potential threats to the safety of any person and illegal activities, or as evidence in litigation in which we are involved. More specifically, we may need to process your data or share your personal information in the following situations: - **Business Transfers.** We may share or transfer your information in connection with, or during negotiations of, any merger, sale of company assets, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of our business to another company. - **Affiliates.** We may share your information with our affiliates, in which case we will require those affiliates to honor this privacy notice. Affiliates include our parent company and any subsidiaries, joint venture partners or other companies that we control or that are under common control with us. - **Business Partners.** We may share your information with our business partners to offer you certain products, services or promotions. - **Other Users.** When you share personal information or otherwise interact with public areas of the Site, such personal information may be viewed by all users and may be publicly made available outside the in perpetuity. If you interact with other users of our and register for our Site through a social network (such as Facebook), your contacts on the social network will see your name, profile photo, and descriptions of your activity. Similarly, other users will be able to view descriptions of your activity, communicate with you within our Site, and view your profile. **3\. DO WE USE COOKIES AND OTHER TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES?** ***In Short:*** *We may use cookies and other tracking technologies to collect and store your information.* We may use cookies and similar tracking technologies (like web beacons and pixels) to access or store information. Specific information about how we use such technologies and how you can refuse certain cookies is set out in our Cookie Notice. **4\. HOW DO WE HANDLE YOUR SOCIAL LOGINS?** ***In Short:*** *If you choose to register or log in to our services using a social media account, we may have access to certain information about you.* Our offers you the ability to register and login using your third-party social media account details (like your Facebook or Twitter logins). Where you choose to do this, we will receive certain profile information about you from your social media provider. The profile Information we receive may vary depending on the social media provider concerned, but will often include your name, email address, friends list, profile picture as well as other information you choose to make public on such social media platform. We will use the information we receive only for the purposes that are described in this privacy notice or that are otherwise made clear to you on the Site. Please note that we do not control, and are not responsible for, other uses of your personal information by your third-party social media provider. We recommend that you review their privacy notice to understand how they collect, use and share your personal information, and how you can set your privacy preferences on their sites and apps. **5\. IS YOUR INFORMATION TRANSFERRED INTERNATIONALLY?** ***In Short:*** *We may transfer, store, and process your information in countries other than your own.* Our website is hosted through WordPress VIP. To ensure optimal uptime and performance, their servers are located across the United States and around the world, as indicated at [https://wpvip.com/infrastructure/](https://wpvip.com/infrastructure/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). Please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed across those facilities and by those third parties with whom we may share your personal information (see “WILL YOUR INFORMATION BE SHARED WITH ANYONE?” above), in the United States and other countries. If you are a resident in the European Economic Area, then these countries may not necessarily have data protection laws or other similar laws as comprehensive as those in your country. We will however take all necessary measures to protect your personal information in accordance with this privacy notice and applicable law. **6\. HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION?** ***In Short:*** *We keep your information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this privacy notice unless otherwise required by law.* We will only keep your personal information for as long as it is necessary for the purposes set out in this privacy notice, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law (such as tax, accounting or other legal requirements). No purpose in this notice will require us keeping your personal information for longer than for longer than the period of time in which you have an account with us. When we have no ongoing legitimate business need to process your personal information, we will either delete or anonymize such information, or, if this is not possible (for example, because your personal information has been stored in backup archives), then we will securely store your personal information and isolate it from any further processing until deletion is possible. **7\. DO WE COLLECT INFORMATION FROM MINORS?** ***In Short:*** *We do not knowingly collect data from or market to children under 18 years of age.* We do not knowingly solicit data from or market to children under 18 years of age. By using the Site, you represent that you are at least 18 or that you are the parent or guardian of such a minor and consent to such minor dependent’s use of the Site. If we learn that personal information from users less than 18 years of age has been collected, we will deactivate the account and take reasonable measures to promptly delete such data from our records. If you become aware of any data we may have collected from children under age 18, please contact us at [privacy@defector.com](mailto:privacy@defector.com). **8\. WHAT ARE YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS?** ***In Short:*** *You may review, change, or terminate your account at any time.* **Account Information** If you would at any time like to review or change the information in your account or terminate your account, you can: Upon your request to terminate your account, we will deactivate or delete your account and information from our active databases. However, we may retain some information in our files to prevent fraud, troubleshoot problems, assist with any investigations, enforce our Terms of Use and/or comply with applicable legal requirements. **Opting out of email marketing** You can unsubscribe from our marketing email list at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the emails that we send or by contacting us using the details provided below. You will then be removed from the marketing email list – however, we may still communicate with you, for example to send you service-related emails that are necessary for the administration and use of your account, to respond to service requests, or for other non-marketing purposes. To otherwise opt-out, you may contact us at: **The Raincross Gazette** 3870 Main St. Ste. 202 Riverside, CA 92501 United States **9\. CONTROLS FOR DO-NOT-TRACK FEATURES** Most web browsers and some mobile operating systems and mobile applications include a Do-Not-Track (“DNT”) feature or setting you can activate to signal your privacy preference not to have data about your online browsing activities monitored and collected. At this stage, no uniform technology standard for recognizing and implementing DNT signals has been finalized. As such, we do not currently respond to DNT browser signals or any other mechanism that automatically communicates your choice not to be tracked online. If a standard for online tracking is adopted that we must follow in the future, we will inform you about that practice in a revised version of this privacy notice. **10\. DO CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS HAVE SPECIFIC PRIVACY RIGHTS?** ***In Short:*** *Yes, if you are a resident of California, you are granted specific rights regarding access to your personal information.* California Civil Code Section 1798.83, also known as the “Shine The Light” law, permits our users who are California residents to request and obtain from us, once a year and free of charge, information about categories of personal information (if any) we disclosed to third parties for direct marketing purposes and the names and addresses of all third parties with which we shared personal information in the immediately preceding calendar year. If you are a California resident and would like to make such a request, please submit your request in writing to us using the contact information provided below. If you are under 18 years of age, reside in California, and have a registered account with the Site, you have the right to request removal of unwanted data that you publicly post on the Site. To request removal of such data, please contact us using the contact information provided below, and include the email address associated with your account and a statement that you reside in California. We will make sure the data is not publicly displayed on the Site, but please be aware that the data may not be completely or comprehensively removed from all our systems (e.g. backups, etc.). Further rights are accorded California residents pursuant to our [California Residents Privacy Notice Supplement](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/privacy-ccpa/). **11\. DO WE MAKE UPDATES TO THIS NOTICE?** ***In Short:*** *Yes, we will update this notice as necessary to stay compliant with relevant laws.* We may update this privacy notice from time to time. The updated version will be indicated by an updated “Revised” date and the updated version will be effective as soon as it is accessible. If we make material changes to this privacy notice, we may notify you either by prominently posting a notice of such changes or by directly sending you a notification. We encourage you to review this privacy notice frequently to be informed of how we are protecting your information. **12\. HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US ABOUT THIS NOTICE?** If you have questions or comments about this notice, please contact us at: **The Raincross Gazette** 3870 Main St. Ste. 202 Riverside, CA 92501 United States **13\. HOW CAN YOU REVIEW, UPDATE, OR DELETE THE DATA WE COLLECT FROM YOU?** Based on the applicable laws of your country, you may have the right to request access to the personal information we collect from you, change that information, or delete it in some circumstances. To request to review, update, or delete your personal information, please submit a request form by contacting us. We will respond to your request within 30 days. ### The Raincross Gazette Manifesto URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/manifesto/ Last updated: 2023-05-02T12:49:24.000Z ## We believe in Riverside. We believe there’s something special about a large and growing city that still feels like a small town. We believe in the power of families growing generational roots, where children can safely play on the same streets their grandparents grew up on. We believe that hard work is the backbone of a thriving community. We believe that local businesses, large and small, create the opportunities needed for people to thrive. We believe in the promise of connected schools, colleges, and universities to help students develop their unique gifts and passions and equip them for meaningful careers. We believe in the potential local elected officials have to impact our daily lives and the importance of community engagement with their efforts. We believe being a city founded by abolitionists with a commitment to justice and equality isn’t just an important part of our history, but a collective responsibility to carry into the future. We believe the growth of Riverside makes us stronger and want newcomers to find their home in this city. We believe in Riverside, we believe in the power of a connected community, and we believe our city needs a reliable local news source committed to keeping Riversiders informed and empowered. We are The Raincross Gazette. We are your new source for Riverside news. ### Referral URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/referral/ Last updated: 2023-04-18T13:21:39.000Z _No content available._ ### Calendar URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/ Last updated: 2024-07-23T16:54:05.000Z _No content available._ ### About The Raincross Gazette URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/about/ Last updated: 2026-09-03T17:22:40.000Z The Raincross Gazette is an independent, digitally native newsroom serving Riverside, California, with meaningful Riverside news for the next 150 years — the same way The Press-Enterprise served this city for its first 150\. We publish daily on the web and send a newsletter every morning at 5 a.m., covering civic news, local government, business, education, the arts, sports, history, and the everyday life of the city we love. Our mission is simple: **we publish news and events that increase the spirit of neighborliness in Riverside.** > What we know about our city determines what we believe about it, and what we believe about our city determines its future. That's why we do this. Neighborliness isn't a soft idea — it's the belief that the people who live and work in this city are worth showing up for, and that an informed, engaged Riverside is a better Riverside. ### Our Coverage The Gazette is exclusively focused on hyperlocal coverage within the city of Riverside — we don't yet cover the rest of Riverside County, and we won't until we're doing this work well enough that expanding becomes a natural, sustainable next step. Inside city limits, we try to cover every facet of Riverside life we have capacity for: government, housing, business, education, the arts, sports, history, and the community itself. ### Our Team The Gazette is published by **Gold Standard Media LLC**, a Riverside-based company founded by Riverside native Justin Pardee. The core team: - **Justin Pardee** — Founder & Publisher - **Amy López** — Managing Editor - **Micaela Ricaforte** — Civic Engagement Reporter - **Laniea Dominguez** — Advertising Director Beyond the core team, we work with a growing roster of contributing writers and Community Contributors — Riversiders writing about the neighborhoods, institutions, and topics they know best. ![Justin Pardee, Founder and Publisher of The Raincross Gazette](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2023/07/author_banner-justin-pardee-4.jpg) ### Our Story For two decades, Riverside watched its hometown paper retreat. First in pages, then in reporters, then in relevance. By the late 2010s, a city of more than 320,000 people was running without a real newsroom watching City Hall, and Riverside was increasingly getting defined by people who don't live here, by headlines written by newsrooms that don't know us. Justin Pardee, a Riverside native with no formal training in journalism, started the Gazette as a one-man, $5-a-month email newsletter in January 2021, working with a contract reporter through that first year and a small group of freelance contributors as the newsroom took shape. The premise was simple: Riverside deserves a newsroom that wakes up every morning thinking about this city the way we do. A year later, the Gazette expanded into a full web publication. A year after that, the paywall came down, because a city's news shouldn't be reserved for the people who can afford to pay for it. Everything since has been about building the newsroom Riverside deserves: outside investment to fund expansion, a Managing Editor, a full-time City Hall reporter, and an Advertising Director leading a hyperlocal program built specifically for Riverside-based businesses. Join us on the journey, [subscribe to our free daily newsletter](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/subscribe). It's how over 16,000 Riversiders start their day, and it's the easiest way to keep up with the city we love. Questions, feedback, story tips, or ideas? [Get in touch](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact). --- *The Raincross Gazette is a publication of Gold Standard Media LLC, Riverside, California.* ### Latest URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/latest/ Last updated: 2024-08-06T16:16:10.000Z _No content available._ ### Newsletter URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/newsletter/ Last updated: 2024-08-06T16:16:20.000Z _No content available._ ### Local Authotity Test URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/skyscraper-test/ Last updated: 2025-03-19T18:40:00.000Z _No content available._ ### Tip Jar URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tip-jar/ Last updated: 2026-02-17T20:31:18.000Z _No content available._ ### Advanced User Settings URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advanced-settings/ Last updated: 2026-02-17T20:31:18.000Z _No content available._ ## Posts ### City Council Approves $6 Million for Improvements at Martha McLean Anza Narrows Park URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-approves-6-million-for-improvements-at-martha-mclean-anza-narrows-park/ Last updated: 2026-09-04T12:00:33.000Z Riverside is moving forward with plans to bring new amenities to Martha McLean Anza Narrows Park – including a playground and restrooms – after the City Council on Tuesday, Sept. 1, approved the acceptance of $6 million in state grant funding. Martha McLean Anza Narrows Park, a 40-acre park on a bluff overlooking the Santa Ana River, is currently used for disc golf and other park activities. However, it has few amenities for families and does not currently have a playground or restrooms, according to the staff report. The funding comes from the California State Coastal Conservancy, whose board approved the $6 million grant award to the city April 23, according to a city staff report. The council's action also authorized a corresponding $6 million increase in revenue and expenditures in the city's Grants and Restricted Programs Fund. No matching funds are required. The money will pay for design development and construction documents for the entire park while also covering part of the construction costs for the planned improvements, including a playground and restroom building. Another priority is preventing unauthorized vehicles from driving through the park and into the Santa Ana River. According to the city, vehicle intrusion has contributed to environmental damage along the river and increased wildfire risk. The city's master plan envisions a more active and family-friendly park, with a playground, recirculating water play area, restrooms, an outdoor classroom for river camps and outdoor education, a small bandshell, a grassy community meadow and river overlook swings. The plan also calls for native plantings, shaded seating and picnic areas, bike rest stops and new trailhead amenities and signage for the Santa Ana River Trail. In a community survey conducted for the plan, flowers and native plants, shade and restrooms emerged as the three most requested improvements for the park. The full project is estimated to cost about $12 million. The city's Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department will continue seeking additional grant funding to complete the remaining improvements, the report states. The project is part of a [broader effort](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-plan-to-reconnect-residents-with-their-river/) to increase recreational opportunities and public access along the Santa Ana River. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- September 4, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-september-4-2026/ Last updated: 2026-09-04T12:00:19.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/09/IMG_7483.jpeg) A crescent moon rises over the palms on a summer night in Riverside's Hawarden Hills neighborhood, photographed Aug. 17\. (Raincross Gazette reader photo/Rosalyn Anderson) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/r/1b7c9191?m=09861f3a-0a1b-4ab5-a764-af397b913fe4) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Friday Gazette: September 4, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Friday!** Today is National Food Bank Day, and it lands right in Hunger Action Month. Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino is asking the Inland Empire to play its part this September, whether that's giving food, giving funds, giving time, or giving voice. Locally, food insecurity runs from 13.8% in Riverside County to 15.6% in San Bernardino County, so there's plenty of need close to home. You can [donate or find ways to get involved](https://feedingie.org/hungeraction?ref=raincrossgazette.com) directly through FARSB. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260904)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260904&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HOUSING](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/housing/) ## Riverside Approves $1 Land Sale for Affordable Housing Project The 10 income-restricted apartments will be part of a larger 64-unit mixed-use development near Mission Inn and University avenues. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/09/RG-Feat-Image-Template-6.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-approves-1-land-sale-for-affordable-housing-project/) The Riverside City Council, acting as the Housing Authority Board, meets Tuesday to consider the sale of a Mission Inn Avenue property for affordable housing. | City of Riverside Riverside sold a long-vacant Housing Authority lot for **$1**, clearing the way for **10 affordable apartments** as part of a larger housing project. **Why it matters:** The Mission Inn Avenue property sat unused for years. It's now becoming affordable housing within a 64-unit development that's been stalled since 2019. **Driving the news:** The **City Council**, sitting as the Housing Authority Board, approved the sale and development agreement Tuesday after a public hearing drew no speakers. - **Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes** recused herself over a campaign donation tied to the developer. **By the numbers:** The city is writing down land valued at **$245,860.76** to sell it for **$1**, counted as a local match for federal housing funds. - The affordable portion costs about **$5.7 million** — roughly **$570,000 per unit** — a figure Councilmember Chuck Conder questioned at the meeting. **What they're saying:** Councilmember Philip Falcone said the project disproves claims that Ward 1 lacks affordable housing, calling such claims "fake news." **What's next:** The 10 affordable units — developed by **Grapevine Development LLC** at 2882 Mission Inn Ave. — must reach occupancy before the project's other 54 homes can, though both can be built at the same time. All 10 units stay affordable for 55 years. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-approves-1-land-sale-for-affordable-housing-project/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260904)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260904&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CITY HALL](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/city-hall/) ## City Council Approves $6 Million for Improvements at Martha McLean Anza Narrows Park The $6 million in state grant funding will help bring a playground, restrooms and other amenities to the 40-acre riverside park. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/09/492701199_3072543659570390_7314803895983767005_n-1.jpg) Martha McLean Anza Narrows Park. | Brandon Graves/[Riverside Pictures. Past and Present...](https://www.facebook.com/groups/RiversidePicturesPastPresentAndFuture/posts/3859371161019285/) Riverside's utilities board recommended lifting rooftop solar limits, closing an unused EV charging rate and updating three electric service rules. **Why it matters:** If you're adding rooftop solar, the program can keep growing past its cap. EV rate customers already enrolled won't be affected, but new applicants lose the option, and ADU builders get clearer service rules. **What's new:** The Board of Public Utilities voted unanimously Monday to recommend three changes for City Council to finalize. - Lift the cap on the Self-Generation solar program, now at 72 megawatts — past its 64-megawatt limit. - Close the Schedule EV rate to new customers; only 30 of 219 applicants ever completed installation. - Revise rules on ADU electric service, master metering (closed to new accounts) and utility property access, including a 72-hour access notice standard. **Catch up quick:** Net metering closed to new solar customers in 2022 after Riverside hit the state's 32-megawatt cap. - Customers move to the newer self-generation program if they expand their system over 25%, replace it, or a new resident moves in. **Between the lines:** Riverside Public Utilities said net metering created "a pretty large subsidy" other ratepayers covered — part of why the newer program exists. - Board member Wohlgamuth asked if a newer meter adapter could revive Schedule EV; staff found no option on the market. **What's next:** The recommendations head to City Council for final approval; no hearing date has been set yet. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/board-recommends-ending-underused-ev-rate-lifting-solar-cap/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260904) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260904&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [ARTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/arts/) ## Sight Unseen Returns to Riverside, Reframed for a New Generation At the Inland Empire Civil Rights Institute, Douglas McCulloh's landmark exhibition on blind photographers reconsiders whose vision counts as sight. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/09/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-4.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/more-ways-to-encounter/https://www.raincrossgazette.com/sight-unseen-returns-to-riverside-reframed-for-a-new-generation/) Kurt Weston's scanner-made portraits, part of his "Blind Vision Series," hang on view as part of Sight Unseen Reframed at the Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California. | Erik Chen Sight Unseen Reframed: International Photography by Blind Artists marked its return to Riverside at the Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California on August 27, 2026\. Originally curated by the late Douglas McCulloh in 2009 as Sight Unseen, the exhibition challenges the traditional views of modern art, believing that every artist - even those with no vision - can see. McCulloh, an Inland Empire native, was a pioneering photographer in conceptual art, an art form that emphasizes mental construction - an idea that shaped his exploration of blind photography. Spreading awareness on the innovative works of blind photographers, McCulloh curated Sight Unseen in 2009, presenting pieces composed by, according to UCR ARTS, 12 of the most accomplished blind photographers in the world. His curation features the likes of Ralph Baker, Henry Butler, Kurt Weston, Evgen Bavčar and more, to help convey how those who are visually impaired "see." Since its inception at the California Museum of Photography at UCR ARTS in 2009, the exhibition has traveled around the world. It has been presented at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC; Centro de la Imagen in Mexico City, Mexico; Flacon Art Complex in Moscow, Russia; Sejong Center in Seoul, South Korea; and Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, Canada. The exhibition was recently reframed by Dawn Hassett and Timothy LeBlanc as Sight Unseen Reframed, adding new designs and accessibility features to the exhibition. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/sight-unseen-returns-to-riverside-reframed-for-a-new-generation/) --- #### [Adoptable Pet of the Week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag//) ## Meet Denny! Meet this week’s featured furry friend from the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center. Dedicated to eliminating pet homelessness, the center provides compassionate care and facilitates adoptions for animals in need of loving homes. Find your new companion and help support their mission of humane care and responsible pet ownership. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/09/RG-Feat-Image-Template-7.jpg)](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) This happy, playful girl is one of the long-term residents at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center, and she is more than ready to trade Pet Adoption Center life for a home of her very own. Denny knows how to have a good time! Whether she’s splashing in the water, chasing her favorite toy, enjoying a game of tug-of-war, or showing off an impressive case of the zoomies, she brings plenty of fun and excitement wherever she goes. Once playtime is over, she’s also happy to soak up affection and spend time with her favorite people. This smart girl already knows sit, down, and shake and is highly motivated by both treats and toys. She loves learning and would be a wonderful companion for someone who enjoys continuing training and finding new ways to keep her active and engaged. Denny also comes from the Ironwood State Prison Dog Foster Program, where she practiced important skills including leash walking, crate training, and good household manners to help prepare her for life in a home. If you're looking for a playful, affectionate, intelligent companion who is ready for adventures and plenty of love, Denny may be the girl for you! To learn more about Denny and how to adopt, visit Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center or [petsadoption.org](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Friday, September 4 - [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-09-04T07) at Zacatecas Café - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-09-04T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-09-04T08) at Community Yoga Center - [LAUGHTER ON THE 23RD FLOOR by Neil Simon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/laughter-on-the-23rd-floor-by-neil-simon/19770266/2026-09-04T19) at Riverside Community Players ($20- $25) - [Sight Unseen Reframed Exhibition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sight-unseen-reframed-exhibition/19798276/2026-09-04T12) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern ### Saturday, September 5 - [Fertilizer happens: Gardening with Poultry](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fertilizer-happens-gardening-with-poultry/19299764/2026-09-05T10) at LandUse Learning Center - [Low-Cost Vaccination Clinic](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/lowcost-vaccination-clinic/19030194/2026-09-05T09) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($10- $28) - [MLK NJROTC Cornhole Fundraiser Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mlk-njrotc-cornhole-fundraiser-tournament/19088219/2026-09-05T09) at Martin Luther King High School ($100) - [BofA Museums On Us offers FREE admission Sep 5 & 6, Riverside Art Museum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bofa-museums-on-us-offers-free-admission-sep-5-6-riverside-art-museum/19800282/2026-09-05T10) at Riverside Art Museum - [The Erections](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-erections-garden-room-rma/19346739/2026-09-05T19) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium- Garden Room - [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-09-05T07) at Community Yoga Center - [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-09-05T09) at Community Yoga Center - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-09-05T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [Salami Rose Joe Louis w/ Brandon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/salami-rose-joe-louis-w-brandon/19346740/2026-09-05T19) at Farm House Collective ### Sunday, September 6 - [Volunteer Orientation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-orientation/19328343/2026-09-06T09) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [Gardening for Butterflies](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/gardening-for-butterflies/19328170/2026-09-06T09) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [Learn Origami](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/learn-origami/18025240/2026-09-06T11) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [Storytime in the Gardens](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/storytime-in-the-gardens/18025386/2026-09-06T10) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-09-06T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Men's Soccer vs UNLV](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mens-soccer-vs-unlv/19563248/2026-09-06T19) at UCR Soccer Stadium - [Women's Soccer vs. North Dakota](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/womens-soccer-vs-north-dakota/19588062/2026-09-06T10) at UCR Soccer Stadium - [Sunday Experiment After Dark](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sunday-experiment-after-dark/14528750/2026-09-06T21) at Downtown Experiment ## Save the Date - Sep 7: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-09-07T19) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 7: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-09-07T08) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 9: [FREE Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - Sep 9: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-09-09T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - Sep 11: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-09-11T07) at Zacatecas Café - Sep 12: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-09-12T07) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 12: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-09-12T09) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 13: [Welcome Back Party!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/welcome-back-party/19726269/2026-09-13T10) at First Congregational Church of Riverside - Sep 18: [Open Mic Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/open-mic-night/19553682/2026-09-18T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - Sep 25: [Moon Festival](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/moon-festival/19501541/2026-09-25T18) at Heritage House - Oct 3: [Aquamotion Aquathon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/aquamotion-aquathon/19617601/2026-10-03T09) at Shamel Pool - Oct 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center - Nov 14: [Riverside Veterans Parade](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-veterans-parade/19624354/2026-11-14T10) \- Downtown Riverside/Market St. 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Sight Unseen Returns to Riverside, Reframed for a New Generation URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/sight-unseen-returns-to-riverside-reframed-for-a-new-generation/ Last updated: 2026-09-04T11:59:16.000Z Sight Unseen Reframed: International Photography by Blind Artists marked its return to Riverside at the Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California on August 27, 2026\. Originally curated by the late Douglas McCulloh in 2009 as Sight Unseen, the exhibition challenges the traditional views of modern art, believing that every artist - even those with no vision - can see. McCulloh, an Inland Empire native, was a pioneering photographer in conceptual art, an art form that emphasizes mental construction - an idea that shaped his exploration of blind photography. Spreading awareness on the innovative works of blind photographers, McCulloh curated Sight Unseen in 2009, presenting pieces composed by, according to UCR ARTS, 12 of the most accomplished blind photographers in the world. His curation features the likes of Ralph Baker, Henry Butler, Kurt Weston, Evgen Bavčar and more, to help convey how those who are visually impaired "see." Since its inception at the California Museum of Photography at UCR ARTS in 2009, the exhibition has traveled around the world. It has been presented at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC; Centro de la Imagen in Mexico City, Mexico; Flacon Art Complex in Moscow, Russia; Sejong Center in Seoul, South Korea; and Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, Canada. The exhibition was recently reframed by Dawn Hassett and Timothy LeBlanc as Sight Unseen Reframed, adding new designs and accessibility features to the exhibition. "\[Doug\] was an incredible missionary, an artist in his own right, and somebody respected the work of other artists," featured blind photographer Kurt Weston said. "He respected the fact that sighted people and people with no sight at all, still had vision." Within the exhibition, many would find that the art created by these visually impaired photographers served as a form of language meant to communicate the world they see. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/09/tempImageMrsnNO.gif) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/09/tempImageCeKP8P.gif) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/09/tempImagen6raeF.gif) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/09/tempImagerAK8mc.gif) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/09/tempImageBXSfj3.gif) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/09/tempImage8f2YGK.gif) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/09/tempImagey1PEQR.gif) Attendees explore the opening reception of Sight Unseen Reframed at the Inland Empire Civil Rights Institute, where works by Kurt Weston, Bruce Hall and other blind photographers filled the galleries alongside remarks from event speakers. | Erik Chen "The thing I try to do in my work - that you'll see here in this exhibition - is I was trying to represent what it was like to show what it was like on my feet, from my perspective, what it was like to see through my eyes," Weston said. "So I created a body of work called my 'Blind Vision Series,' and to create that, I used a scanner where I would scan myself or my subjects and use the scanner as a camera." Experiencing the exhibition feels as though drifting through frozen time. Stepping into the room, one is immediately met with fixed faces, clear yet somehow distorted. Artwork such as String Theory - The Space Between Us by Kurt Weston expands our sight to those without, examining the ideas conveyed by artists in an elegant and peculiar way. Beyond the artwork, the exhibition serves to raise awareness for blind photographers, bringing accessibility to a nontraditional craft for the public. Encouraging visitors and local residents, Executive Director Sabrina Gonzalez said, "If you have permission, move away from the traditional ideas of studying and perspective and the idea that there is only one correct way to experience art and culture. Maybe tonight, you can think about access, not simply as removing barriers, but as opening up more possibilities, more ways to encounter, to interpret, to connect, and to have experiences." Through bringing the work of blind photographers to the public eye, Sight Unseen Reframed effectively redefines the longstanding view of "vision" as not just sight, but the courage to imagine. **More Information*: The Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California is an exhibition space, archive and resource center educating visitors about civil rights, social justice and civic engagement in Riverside and San Bernardino counties through free exhibitions, events and youth programming. Visit the institute to see its* [*newest exhibition*](https://www.inlandcivilrights.org/exhibitions/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *or attend one of its* [*upcoming events*](https://www.inlandcivilrights.org/events/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*; it's open Wednesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m., with free admission, at 3933 Mission Inn Ave., Suite 103, at the corner of Mission Inn Avenue and Fairmount Boulevard.* ### Riverside Approves $1 Land Sale for Affordable Housing Project URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-approves-1-land-sale-for-affordable-housing-project/ Last updated: 2026-09-03T18:00:27.000Z A long-vacant Riverside Housing Authority property will be sold to Grapevine Development LLC for $1, clearing the way for 10 affordable apartments within a larger mixed-use development. The City Council, acting as the Housing Authority Board, unanimously approved the sale and development agreement Tuesday following a public hearing that drew no speakers. The apartments will be built at 2882 Mission Inn Ave. as part of a 64-unit project that includes 54 additional homes on adjoining former redevelopment agency property at 2731-2871 University Ave. Two of the affordable apartments will be reserved for households earning no more than 50 percent of the area median income. The other eight will be restricted to households earning no more than 60 percent of the area median income. All 10 must remain affordable for 55 years. Councilmember Sean Mill, who serves on the council's Housing and Homelessness Committee, said committee members had been waiting more than two years for the project to reach the full council. "It's going to transform underutilized public property into new housing that we most definitely need in the city," Mill said before making the motion to approve the agreement. Councilmember Philip Falcone said the project provides further evidence that affordable housing is being developed in Ward 1. "This is again proof that when people come down here and tell us that there's no affordable housing happening in Ward 1 ... that it's fake news, it's misinformation. Ward 1 has the most," Falcone said. "So to all the news agencies in our city that love to share misinformation that we don't build anything ... this is another strike against that because this is proven that it does happen." The city-owned property is valued at $245,860.76\. Selling it for $1 represents a land write-down that city officials plan to count as a local contribution toward the federal [HOME Investment Partnerships Program](https://www.hud.gov/hud-partners/home?ref=raincrossgazette.com). The affordable portion of the development is expected to cost about $5.7 million, according to the staff report. Grapevine plans to assemble the funding through a roughly $1.86 million private loan, $2.26 million in low-income housing tax credit equity, $900,000 from the HOME program and $250,000 from the state's Permanent Local Housing Allocation program. The financing plan also includes a $250,000 deferred developer fee and about $178,000 in equity from Grapevine. Some of the proposed public funding would return to the council for separate consideration. Councilmember Chuck Conder questioned the project's cost, noting that $5.7 million divided among 10 apartments comes to about $570,000 per unit. Housing and Human Services Director Michelle Davis said prevailing-wage requirements, consultant expenses, legal fees and the work required to secure multiple funding sources contribute to the development cost. Councilmember Steven Robillard said the total also reflects the subsidies needed to keep the apartments affordable rather than charging market-rate rents. The project has been years in the making, according to the city staff report. Riverside's former redevelopment agency acquired the seven University Avenue parcels in 2006 and the Mission Inn Avenue property on behalf of the Housing Authority in 2008\. A single-family home on the Mission Inn property was destroyed by fire and later demolished. An earlier agreement with a Grapevine affiliate was approved in 2019, but escrow was canceled after the developer failed to submit a required security deposit, according to the staff report. The city issued a new request for proposals in 2021 and received five submissions. Grapevine was selected as the preferred developer, and a council committee unanimously authorized staff to negotiate with the company in April 2022. The California Department of Housing and Community Development acknowledged in 2023 that Riverside had complied with [state surplus land requirements](https://www.hcd.ca.gov/planning-and-community-development/surplus-land-act?ref=raincrossgazette.com) for the proposed sale, according to city documents. Under those requirements, the 10 affordable apartments must be completed and receive certificates of occupancy before certificates may be issued for the remaining 54 homes. Construction on the two portions of the project may proceed at the same time, according to the development agreement. The Successor Agency and the countywide oversight board approved a separate agreement for the University Avenue properties in January, according to the city staff report. Tuesday's vote completed the agreement needed to transfer the Housing Authority's Mission Inn Avenue parcel and establish the affordability requirements for the 10 units. Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes recused herself from the vote because of a financial interest involving a campaign donation from an entity tied to the developer. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- September 3, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-september-3-2026/ Last updated: 2026-09-03T12:00:42.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/09/IMG_5345.jpeg) The sun sets behind the goalposts as Poly High School opens its football season against Ramona High School. (Raincross Gazette reader photo/Jonathan Steele) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/r/1b7c9191?m=09861f3a-0a1b-4ab5-a764-af397b913fe4) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Thursday Gazette: September 3, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Thursday!** Last week we asked where you go for your go-to burger, and reader Alice Augusto pointed us to Art's Bar & Grill. Today's their Bomb Diggity Burger Thursday special, with singles, doubles, and triples on the menu each Thursday. 🍔 Here's what else is happening around town. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260903)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260903&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CULTURE](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/culture/) ## A Possible Path to the Return of the Mission Inn Artifacts Laid Out in Council Comments Session The Old Riverside Foundation says three removed objects were designated by the city in the 1970s, which would make their removal a question of city code rather than contract law. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/09/2-2.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-possible-path-to-the-return-of-the-mission-inn-artifacts-laid-out-in-council-comments-session/) Dave Stolte, president of the Old Riverside Foundation, addresses the Riverside City Council on the Mission Inn objects dispute. | The City of Riverside The Old Riverside Foundation says decades-old landmark rules may bar removal of three Mission Inn artifacts sold with the historic hotel. **Why it matters:** The Taft Chair and two paintings left the Mission Inn before its May 28 sale — whether Title 20 applies could decide if Riverside can compel their return regardless of who legally owns them. **What's new:** Old Riverside Foundation President Dave Stolte told the City Council Tuesday that the objects were individually designated Cultural Heritage Landmark Objects in 1976 and 1977, triggering separate protections under the city's Title 20 preservation ordinance. - Ownership disputes over the May sale don't resolve the regulatory question, Stolte argued: "Just because I might own a residential property doesn't mean I can turn it into a slaughterhouse." **The backstory:** Two paintings, "California Alps" and "Charge Up San Juan Hill," were removed from the lobby May 20; the Taft Chair, made for President Taft's 1909 visit, had reportedly been gone since as early as 2023. - Duane Roberts signed a 2021 Mills Act agreement committing the property to follow all of Title 20, Stolte said. **Yes, but:** Kelly Roberts maintains through attorney Patrick O'Brien that the objects were excluded from the May sale and lawfully hers, and that she left most of the hotel's historic collection in place. - The Gazette has not independently verified the 1976, 1977, or 2021 designations underlying Stolte's argument. **What's next:** Stolte asked the council for a public determination on whether Title 20 applies and what remedies exist. "My understanding is that simply returning the objects is one potential remedy in the event a violation is determined to have occurred," he said. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-possible-path-to-the-return-of-the-mission-inn-artifacts-laid-out-in-council-comments-session/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260903)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260903&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HOUSING](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/housing/) ## Riverside Seeks Renewal of Prohousing Status Amid State Review of City's Housing Decisions State officials are examining whether Riverside's rejection of a supportive housing project jeopardizes its Prohousing status as the city moves to reapply. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/09/1-2.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-seeks-renewal-of-prohousing-status-amid-state-review-of-citys-housing-decisions/) Ward 3 resident Dan Hoxworth speaks to the City Council's Housing and Homelessness Committee Monday, urging the city to reaffirm its Housing First commitment as Riverside seeks to renew its state Prohousing Designation. | The City of Riverside Riverside will seek renewal of a state housing designation worth millions, despite an ongoing state review of the city's housing decisions. **Why it matters:** The Prohousing Designation has already brought **$2.44 million** to Riverside, funding 172 affordable units — losing it could jeopardize future housing and homeless-services funding. **Driving the news:** The council's Housing and Homelessness Committee voted unanimously Monday to reapply before the designation expires, directing staff to begin the process. - The vote comes as the state reviews Riverside's compliance following the council's rejection of the University Terrace supportive housing project. **By the numbers:** - Cities need **30 points** to qualify; staff estimate Riverside could reach 39, but only 16 are considered likely without state pushback - The council rejected **$20.1 million** in state funding for University Terrace, a 114-unit project, in January **Yes, but:** State housing officials warned in February that the University Terrace rejection could put Riverside's Prohousing status at risk, and the California Civil Rights Department has since opened an investigation. - Principal Planner Matthew Taylor told the committee he couldn't say whether the designation is currently in jeopardy. **What's next:** Staff will conduct public outreach and bring a resolution to the full City Council before the designation expires Jan. 1, 2027. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-seeks-renewal-of-prohousing-status-amid-state-review-of-citys-housing-decisions/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260903) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260903&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HOUSING](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/housing/) ## Motel 6, Days Inn Could Become 148 Units of Affordable Senior Housing The projects still need financing and city approval, with one carrying an unresolved multimillion-dollar funding gap. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/09/RG-Feat-Image-Template-4-2.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/motel-6-days-inn-could-become-148-units-of-affordable-senior-housing/) Housing and Human Services Director Michelle Davis briefs Riverside's Housing and Homelessness Committee on Monday on a proposal to convert a Motel 6 and a Days Inn into 148 units of affordable senior housing. | The City of Riverside Two long-troubled motels could become 148 affordable apartments for Riverside seniors under a new proposal. **Why it matters:** More than 80 low-income seniors are already waiting for housing like this — but the earliest units won't open until late 2029. **Driving the news:** The Housing and Homelessness Committee reviewed developer Allied Argenta's plan Monday to convert a La Sierra Avenue Motel 6 and a Magnolia Avenue Days Inn into senior apartments. - The 188 combined motel rooms would become 148 units, mostly reserved for seniors earning 30-60% of area median income. **By the numbers:** The two projects carry a combined **$64.4 million** price tag, and the La Sierra site isn't expected to finish until October 2029. - Allied Argenta is seeking **$9 million** in state affordable-housing funds for the La Sierra project alone. **Yes, but:** Some want faster relief. Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes pointed to Ward 2's stalled University Terrace project, which lost its funding after the council rejected it in January. - Resident Dan Hoxworth said the city has built only 47 of 242 needed supportive-housing units since 2021. **What's next:** The committee took no vote, directing staff to keep working with Allied Argenta. No formal approval vote is scheduled. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/motel-6-days-inn-could-become-148-units-of-affordable-senior-housing/) --- ## Noteworthy The Main Library kicks off [**Let's Get Ready, Riverside!**](https://www.facebook.com/RivLibrary/posts/join-us-at-the-main-library-for-our-lets-get-ready-riverside-program-launch-feat/1504671955021524/) this Saturday at 9:30am with a Firefighter Storytime, crafts, and prep info tables, part of a month of free events marking National Preparedness Month. TruEvolution, the Riverside-based nonprofit, will open its new [**TruHealth & Wellness Clinic**](https://myemail.constantcontact.com/PRESS-RELEASE--TruEvolution-Announces-New-Clinic--Leadership-Promotions--and-National-Expansion.html?soid=1135486450409&aid=W1%5F3VgoS-Fc&ref=raincrossgazette.com) this fall, part of a leadership expansion strengthening health, housing, and advocacy services across the Inland Empire. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Backroads of the Americas: a Spanish Guitar journey](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/backroads-of-the-americas-a-spanish-guitar-journey/19541249/2026-09-03T19) at The Avenue Church ($32- $79) - [Board of Ethics](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/board-of-ethics/18812402/2026-09-03T18) at Riverside City Hall - [FREE ADMISSION - First Thursday of every month during Riverside ArtsWalk](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-admission-first-thursday-of-every-month-during-riverside-artswalk/13230799/2026-09-03T18) at Riverside Art Museum - [Orange Street Mural Unveiling](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-street-mural-unveiling/19578974/2026-09-03T18) at Main Museum Pedestrian Walkway (Orange Street) ### Tomorrow - [Eastside Library at Lincoln Park | Tech-nically Senior: Senior Tech Help](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/eastside-library-at-lincoln-park-technically-senior-senior-tech-help/18962031/2026-09-04T11) at SPC Jesus S. Duran Eastside Library - [Orange Terrace Library | Lego Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-terrace-library-lego-club/19587191/2026-09-04T10) at Orange Terrace Library - [Seeking Mentors: First-Generation Mentorship Program](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/seeking-mentors-firstgeneration-mentorship-program/19233076/2026-09-04T10) at University of California, Riverside ## Save the Date - Sep 11: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-09-11T08) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 11: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-09-11T07) at Zacatecas Café - Sep 12: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-09-12T07) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 12: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-09-12T09) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 13: [Welcome Back Party!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/welcome-back-party/19726269/2026-09-13T10) at First Congregational Church of Riverside - Sep 14: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-09-14T19) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 16: [FREE Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-16T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - Sep 16: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-09-16T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - Sep 18: [Open Mic Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/open-mic-night/19553682/2026-09-18T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - Sep 25: [Moon Festival](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/moon-festival/19501541/2026-09-25T18) at Heritage House - Oct 3: [Aquamotion Aquathon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/aquamotion-aquathon/19617601/2026-10-03T09) at Shamel Pool - Oct 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### A Possible Path to the Return of the Mission Inn Artifacts Laid Out in Council Comments Session URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-possible-path-to-the-return-of-the-mission-inn-artifacts-laid-out-in-council-comments-session/ Last updated: 2026-09-03T03:27:44.000Z Every argument for the return of three objects removed from the Mission Inn has so far required someone to win [a fight over the sale documents](http://link/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). In public comment before the Riverside City Council on Tuesday, Dave Stolte described an alternative route. Stolte, president of the Old Riverside Foundation, said the Taft Chair, "California Alps" and "Charge Up San Juan Hill" were individually designated as Cultural Heritage Landmark Objects by the city in 1976 and 1977, and that Title 20 of the Riverside Municipal Code governs the removal or relocation of designated items. "Most of the public discussion so far has focused on ownership and what may have been agreed to when the Mission Inn changed hands in May, or even when it was previously sold in 1992," Stolte told the council. "ORF believes there is a separate, straightforward path that's received very little attention." The three objects left the hotel before its sale to the San Manuel Investment Authority closed escrow May 28\. Workers removed the two paintings from the lobby area May 20\. The Taft Chair, commissioned by Frank Miller in 1909 for the visit of President William Howard Taft, had been gone longer, by some accounts since 2023. ### Ownership and Regulation The position rests on a distinction between owning a thing and being free to do anything with it. Private property rights are important, Stolte told the council, but private ownership does not by itself exempt a designated cultural resource from laws governing its alteration, relocation or removal. That does not mean the government owns the property. It means ownership and regulation are separate questions. He cited Penn Central Transportation Co. v. New York City, the 1978 U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld New York's landmarks law against the argument that applying it to Grand Central Terminal amounted to a taking of private property. Zoning is the everyday version of the same principle. "Just because I might own a residential property doesn't mean I can turn it into a slaughterhouse," Stolte said. If the objects were designated, a contract allocating ownership between a buyer and a seller does not by itself dispose of the city's regulatory interest in them. Stolte also said Duane Roberts signed a Mills Act agreement with the city in 2021 that expressly committed the property to abide by all of Title 20\. The Mills Act grants property tax relief to owners of historic properties who agree to restore and maintain them. ### What Title 20 Requires Title 20 is the city's Cultural Resources Ordinance and the primary body of local preservation law in Riverside. It establishes the Cultural Heritage Board, sets the criteria for local designation, and governs what can be done to a designated resource. Under Chapter 20.25, a Certificate of Appropriateness is required before the rehabilitation, alteration, demolition, relocation or change of a designated or eligible cultural resource. Applications go to Planning Division staff or to the Cultural Heritage Board, which meets the third Wednesday of each month. Riverside has designated objects under the program before. A city account of its preservation history records 27 Cultural Heritage Board objects designated as of 1980, alongside 40 local landmark buildings. The years Stolte cited fall inside a period of unusual city attention to the Inn. The Redevelopment Agency purchased the property in 1976, prompted in part by concern over an earlier owner's sale of valuables from the collection. The National Historic Landmark designation followed in 1977. Asked what a resolution might look like, Stolte said: "My understanding is that simply returning the objects is one potential remedy in the event a violation is determined to have occurred." Stolte also raised code enforcement. Recent concerns over the city's treatment of street vendors have raised broader questions about consistency, he told the council. When residents see highly visible enforcement involving small vendors while a potential violation involving one of Riverside's most important historic resources appears unenforced, he said, it raises questions about whether the city's laws are being administered consistently. The city's responsibility to administer its ordinances should not depend on the identity or prominence of the individual in question. An adopted ordinance remains in effect unless it is amended, repealed or determined not to apply, Stolte said. He asked the council for a clear public statement: an account of what the city has determined occurred at the Mission Inn, a determination of whether Title 20 applies, and a statement of what remedies are available. Kelly Roberts has maintained through her attorney, Patrick O'Brien, that the objects are the lawful property of Roberts and her late husband. A later statement issued on her behalf said the artworks were expressly excluded from the sale agreement, that they were removed before the close of the transaction in accordance with its terms, and that she left the great majority of the hotel's historic furnishings and collections in place. Neither the mayor nor any member of the council are allowed to respond to public comments during the meeting. *The Gazette has not independently verified the 1976 and 1977 designations, the 2021 Mills Act agreement, or the records underlying them. This story reports the Old Riverside Foundation's position as stated to the City Council.* ### Riverside Seeks Renewal of Prohousing Status Amid State Review of City's Housing Decisions URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-seeks-renewal-of-prohousing-status-amid-state-review-of-citys-housing-decisions/ Last updated: 2026-09-04T12:00:37.000Z Riverside will seek the renewal of its state housing designation that has helped bring millions of dollars to the city, even as state officials continue reviewing whether the city's recent rejection of a permanent supportive housing project could put that status at risk. The City Council's Housing and Homelessness Committee unanimously supported reapplying for Riverside's California Prohousing Designation on Monday, directing staff to begin the process before the city's current designation expires in January. The designation, awarded by the [California Department of Housing and Community Development](https://www.hcd.ca.gov/planning-and-research/prohousing?ref=raincrossgazette.com) (HCD), can give cities an advantage when competing for certain housing, community development and infrastructure grants. Riverside first received the designation in March 2023\. Since then, the city has received $2.44 million in funding through a related state program, money that has helped support construction of 172 affordable housing units, according to a staff report. But renewing the designation may be more difficult this time. The state adopted permanent scoring criteria for the program in January 2024, replacing the provisional rules in place when Riverside first applied. The new criteria are more rigorous, in part because policies that previously earned cities points have since become minimum requirements under state housing law. Under the current rules, cities must earn at least 30 points to qualify. Riverside staff estimate the city could receive up to 39 points based on its existing policies, but only 16 of those points are considered likely with a high degree of confidence. The remaining 23 would be subject to review by the state housing department. If Riverside falls short, the city could potentially adopt additional housing policies to earn the points needed for redesignation, Principal Planner Matthew Taylor told the committee. Ward 3 resident Dan Hoxworth said the question comes at a particularly important time for Riverside. The state housing department warned the city in February that its decision to reject the [University Terrace permanent supportive housing project](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ahead-of-mediation-residents-urge-council-to-revisit-university-terrace-rejection/) could raise concerns about the city's compliance with state housing law and potentially affect its Prohousing status. That warning followed [the City Council's January vote to reject $20.1 million in state funding](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-rejects-20-million-state-grant-for-homeless-housing-project/) for a proposal to convert the former Quality Inn at 1590 University Ave. into 114 units of permanent supportive housing. [The California Civil Rights Department later opened an investigation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/civil-rights-agency-is-investigating-riverside-over-rejected-permanent-supportive-housing-project/) into whether the decision violated state anti-discrimination law. Hoxworth urged the city to reaffirm its commitment to its Housing Element and the Housing First approach as part of the reapplication process. "It really puts us at risk of losing millions of dollars for homeless services, housing \[and\] et cetera if we lose our pro housing designation — and we are already on notice that we may lose it due to University Terrace and [the failure to deliver affordable housing for Riverside since 2021](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-falls-far-short-of-state-housing-mandate-report-shows/)," Hoxworth told the committee. "Our housing element specifically highlights housing first as a philosophy that we have to adhere to, to be a pro-housing designated city," Hoxworth said. "So given the decision of University Terrace, I think it'd be very important for the city council to pass a resolution re-endorsing their housing element, re-endorsing the use of housing first to ensure that our application on a pro-housing designation is complete." Councilmember and Committee Vice Chair Sean Mill asked whether Riverside was currently in jeopardy of losing the designation. Taylor said he could not say that the city was in jeopardy, but confirmed that HCD has been reviewing Riverside's existing designation and [requested information about the city's housing policies](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-applies-for-1-44-million-pro-housing-grant-amid-state-scrutiny/) and implementation of its Housing Element. "I don't know if I can say that we are in jeopardy," Taylor said. "I can say that the Housing and Community Development Department has been looking at our existing designation." In addition to meeting the program's scoring requirements, Riverside will have to demonstrate compliance with several threshold requirements, including maintaining a certified Housing Element, complying with state housing laws and showing that its treatment of homeless encampments complies with constitutional protections. The city will also be required to conduct public outreach and bring a formal resolution authorizing the application to the full City Council. Taylor said staff would work with HCD to determine whether any additional policies or commitments would be necessary before submitting the application. Committee members said they supported moving forward despite the uncertainty. "I think for myself, absolutely fully support us reapplying for this," said Ward 2 Councilmember and committee member Clarissa Cervantes, adding that the city should try to maintain the designation and the funding opportunities that come with it. The committee unanimously approved the direction to reapply. Riverside's current Prohousing Designation expires Jan. 1, 2027. ### Motel 6, Days Inn Could Become 148 Units of Affordable Senior Housing URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/motel-6-days-inn-could-become-148-units-of-affordable-senior-housing/ Last updated: 2026-09-04T11:59:19.000Z Riverside's Housing and Homelessness Committee on Monday considered a plan to convert two long-troubled motels — a Motel 6 on La Sierra Avenue and a Days Inn on Magnolia Avenue — into 148 units of affordable housing for seniors. The developer, Allied Argenta, has signed letters of intent to gut-renovate and convert the 122-room Motel 6 at 3663 La Sierra Ave. and the 66-room Days Inn at 10545 Magnolia Ave. into apartments for Riverside’s senior citizens. Ward 6 Council member and Committee Chair Luis Hernandez, who was recently appointed to several boards, said he was “really excited” to see this project in his ward. ”Senior affordable housing is obviously a much better use of these properties and the fact that it'll be affordable senior housing is even better,” he said. Ward 5 Council member and Committee Vice Chair Sean Mill also expressed his support, saying that he’s excited to see the two motels that the city has repeatedly had “some issues” with repurposed into something positive for Riversiders. “We need to be focused on making sure that this housing goes to Riverside residents and not just building it and letting all the other cities bring their folks to Riverside and expecting us to carry the burden for the entire region,” Mill said. “This is a project that's going to allow Riverside seniors to age in place.” At La Sierra Avenue, the motel's 122 rooms on roughly 2.1 acres would become 82 units — 41 studios, 40 one-bedrooms and a two-bedroom manager's unit. Twenty of the La Sierra units would be reserved for households earning 30% of the area median income (AMI) and paired with Section 8 project-based vouchers, with the rest serving households at 50-60% of AMI. At Magnolia Avenue, the Days Inn's 66 rooms on about 0.77 acres would become 66 units, mostly studios. Fifty units — three-quarters of the project — would go to households at 30% of AMI, backed by Section 8 vouchers, with the remaining 15 at 50% of AMI. The La Sierra project is estimated at $39.6 million, and Allied is seeking $9 million in state Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) funding. If the timeline holds, construction wouldn't wrap until October 2029, with full lease-up by December 2029\. The Magnolia project is estimated at $24.7 million. Combined, the two projects carry an estimated $64.4 million price tag. Mill pressed staff on how the city would prioritize Riverside residents for the units and what funding sources the city might tap if it's ultimately asked to fill part of the funding gap. Davis said regulatory agreements can include a local-preference policy — Riverside residents first, then people who work in the city — and that potential city funding sources include federal HOME dollars, the state's Permanent Local Housing Allocation, the city's roughly $600,000 local housing trust fund, and its homeless prevention program for at-risk seniors. Mill also asked about the scale of unmet need. Davis said the city doesn't yet have a consolidated waiting list — each apartment complex keeps its own — but that more than 80 seniors earning 30% of AMI are already on the city's community queue. She said the city is working toward a shared software system that would let property managers pool waitlist data. Ward 2 Council member and committee member Clarissa Cervantes supported the project and drew comparison to Ward 2's [University Terrace project](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ahead-of-mediation-residents-urge-council-to-revisit-university-terrace-rejection/), a stalled Homekey+ supportive-housing proposal that the council [rejected in January on a 4-3 vote](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-rejects-20-million-state-grant-for-homeless-housing-project/). "We don't want to get where we were in Ward 2, where we were on the finish line, received grant funding and then we lost the funding," Cervantes said, calling it "a wound in ... the community.” She urged staff to coordinate closely with the Ward 6 council office and neighbors before momentum builds against the projects. During public comment, Ward 3 resident Dan Hoxworth cited city data showing permanent supportive housing as Riverside's largest unmet housing need, with 242 units currently sought and only 47 built since 2021 toward the city's regional housing needs allocation. Hoxworth welcomed the Motel 6 and Days Inn proposal, but noted the earliest units wouldn't open until late 2029\. He urged the council to reconsider its earlier vote on the University Terrace project, which had a sooner timeline and addressed some permanent supportive housing needs that the senior projects don't directly target. The senior-focused model of the proposed projects would include resident services from LifeSteps, a Southern California affordable-housing service provider, in coordination with the Riverside County Office on Aging and the city's Housing Authority. Planned in-unit features include grab bars, shower chairs, slip-resistant flooring, 120-degree maximum water temperatures, raised outlets and lever-style door handles. Each property would also include a community room intended for resident programming — including, developer consultant Sydney Stone said, classes aimed at helping seniors avoid financial scams. "That is something oftentimes that is missed in affordable housing, especially with lower income residents," Stone told the committee. "\[It's about\] making sure that you work with them so that they can stay in the unit, age in place in the unit and not have a risk of actually losing the unit." The committee took no official action, but per staff's recommendation received and filed the proposal and directed staff to keep coordinating with Allied as the projects move through the process. No vote to formally approve the projects has been scheduled. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- September 2, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-september-2-2026/ Last updated: 2026-09-02T12:00:22.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/09/20260827_062950.jpg) The sun sets over downtown Riverside in this view looking east from the Buena Vista Bridge (Raincross Gazette reader photo/Meredith Maloney) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/r/1b7c9191?m=09861f3a-0a1b-4ab5-a764-af397b913fe4) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Wednesday Gazette: September 2, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Wednesday!** Today is Calendar Adjustment Day, a nod to the fact that calendars need tending now and then. With fall on the way, it's a good excuse to refresh the one on the fridge or clear out the clutter on your phone before the busy season hits. Here's what else is happening around town! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260902)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260902&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CITY HALL](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/city-hall/) ## Council Moves to Restore Ward 6 Representation, Seating Hernandez on Three Committees Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes's motion overturned a unanimous screening committee recommendation, handing the newly elected Ward 6 representative a committee chairmanship over more senior colleagues' objections. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/09/RG-Feat-Image-Template-3-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-moves-to-restore-ward-6-representation-seating-hernandez-on-three-committees/) The City Council meets Tuesday, Aug. 25, when members voted to adopt a revised committee roster. (The City of Riverside) Ward 6 now has a voice on three council committees after members bypassed staff advice to leave the seats vacant. **Why it matters:** Without a committee seat, Ward 6 residents had no representative shaping early debate on issues like the hotel-to-senior-housing conversion set for an Aug. 31 special meeting. **Driving the news:** Council voted unanimously Tuesday, Aug. 25 to adopt a new committee roster from Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes, rejecting a recommendation from the Mayor's Nominating and Screening Committee to leave former Councilmember Perry's seats vacant until January. - Hernandez becomes vice chair of Economic Development, a Finance Committee member and chair of Housing and Homelessness. **Between the lines:** The shakeup turned on a charter dispute — Cervantes noted every councilmember must sit on three committees, undercutting a seniority-based objection from Councilmember Philip Falcone. - Hernandez said he didn't see how filling a vacant seat was "usurping" anyone's seniority. **Yes, but:** Falcone warned the move let Hernandez leapfrog more senior members — including himself, Steven Robillard and Sean Mill — for sought-after assignments. **What's next:** The new committee assignments take effect immediately. Regional appointments, like the March Air Reserve Base commission, wait until a new council is seated in January. - Ward 2 (Gracie Torres vs. Aram Ayra) and Ward 4 (Chuck Conder vs. Rich Vandenberg) head to a Nov. 3 runoff. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-moves-to-restore-ward-6-representation-seating-hernandez-on-three-committees/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260902)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260902&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [2026 ELECTION](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/election-2026/) ## Meet the Candidates Running for Riverside Unified's School Board this November Here's what the candidates for Riverside Unified's school board say about their priorities — and why one race won't be decided by voters. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/09/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-2.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/meet-the-candidates-running-for-riverside-unifieds-school-board-this-november/) From left: Noemi Hernandez Alexander, Jinane Annous and Duffy Atkinson are competing for the Riverside Unified School District's Trustee Area 1 seat this November. Brent Lee, running unopposed, will continue representing Trustee Area 5\. | Courtesy photos Two seats on the Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) Board of Education are up for election this November — but only one race will actually appear on the ballot. Trustee Area 1 is contested by three candidates: incumbent Noemi Hernandez Alexander, Jinane Annous and Duffy Atkinson. Trustee Area 5 drew only one qualified candidate — incumbent Brent Lee — so that race won't be decided at the ballot box. [Lee will continue in the seat by default](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/lee-takes-rusd-area-5-lead-hernandez-alexander-leads-area-1-alvord-area-1-remains-tight/). Here's where the Area 1 candidates stand, in their own words, along with a statement from Lee. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/meet-the-candidates-running-for-riverside-unifieds-school-board-this-november/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260902) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260902&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [ARTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/arts/) ## Mucho Music, Murals, and Something Sinister for September September ArtsWalk is more night than you have hours for. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-01-at-4.54.14---PM-1.png)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mucho-music-murals-and-something-sinister-for-september/) Division 9 intern Kelly Zermeño-Diaz putting some paint on the Orange Street mural wall. (Ken Crawford) Jump-start your Labor Day weekend with September ArtsWalk. We find ourselves, again, in the privileged position of having much more going on than can be done in the few hours allowed. Division 9 is especially busy. The local gallery makes the list twice with a mural unveiling on Orange and a takeover of the Riverside Art Museum’s Julia Morgan building with Mucho Gusto. Make sure to visit Pain Sugar and see some of the best local photographers on display in the Tim Aguilar-curated Out of Focus II. It’s ok if you can’t catch everything; bring a friend, take your time, spend a little money, have fun. [Read and share the complete ArtsWalk Guide...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mucho-music-murals-and-something-sinister-for-september/) --- #### [RAINCROSS RUNDOWN](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/raincross-rundown/) ## The Best of Riverside in September 2026 Townhalls, mural unveilings, moon cakes, and a crosstown rivalry with new stakes — here's what's worth your time in Riverside this September. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/09/RG-Feat-Image-Template-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-rundown-the-best-of-riverside-in-september-2026/) Snapshots from Moon Festivals past: guzheng performances, lion dancers, and pint-sized celebrations of Chinese American heritage at Heritage House. | Courtesy of the Museum of Riverside September in Riverside means the pace picks back up. City Hall is hitting the road with the Ward 1 Townhall Tour, Heritage House is getting ready for moon cakes and lantern light, and a stretch of Orange Street is about to become an outdoor gallery. Add in a stacked run of live music, a crosstown soccer rivalry with real stakes for the first time, and more, and you've got a month worth circling on the calendar. Here's what's on our radar. [Read and share the complete September Rundown...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-rundown-the-best-of-riverside-in-september-2026/) --- ## Noteworthy [RTA buses and administrative offices will pause service](https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1672384248226159&set=a.626080849523176) this Labor Day, Monday, September 7, with normal operations resuming Tuesday, September 8. The Riverside Woman's Club's Civic Engagement Committee is [collecting new or gently-used suitcases and duffel bags](https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1530450085793213&set=a.561326729372225) for foster children, with donations accepted at its September 8th meeting Clean Up Riverside returns this Saturday, September 19, from 8 a.m. to noon at 8095 Lincoln Avenue, offering [free recycling for electronics, paper shredding, batteries and textiles](https://www.instagram.com/p/Dcjea1qGmov/?ref=raincrossgazette.com), plus a new Goodwill donation station and free compost giveaway from Athens Services. UCR ranked No. 50 among 1,421 colleges in Washington Monthly's overall rankings — the top 3% nationally — and outranked all but three UC campuses, landing at [No. 25 among public universities](https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/08/31/washington-monthly-ranks-ucr-top-3-us-universities?ref=raincrossgazette.com). [](https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/08/31/washington-monthly-ranks-ucr-top-3-us-universities?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-09-02T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [Men's Soccer vs Life Pacific](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mens-soccer-vs-life-pacific/19563247/2026-09-02T19) at UCR Soccer Stadium - [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-09-02T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19516291/2026-09-02T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-09-02T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern ### Tomorrow - [Backroads of the Americas: a Spanish Guitar journey](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/backroads-of-the-americas-a-spanish-guitar-journey/19541249/2026-09-03T19) at The Avenue Church ($32- $79) - [Board of Ethics](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/board-of-ethics/18812402/2026-09-03T18) at Riverside City Hall - [FREE ADMISSION - First Thursday of every month during Riverside ArtsWalk](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-admission-first-thursday-of-every-month-during-riverside-artswalk/13230799/2026-09-03T18) at Riverside Art Museum - [Orange Street Mural Unveiling](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-street-mural-unveiling/19578974/2026-09-03T18) at Main Museum Pedestrian Walkway (Orange Street) ## Save the Date - Sep 4: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-09-04T08) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 4: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-09-04T07) at Zacatecas Café - Sep 5: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-09-05T07) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 5: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-09-05T09) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 7: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-09-07T19) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 9: [FREE Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - Sep 9: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-09-09T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - Sep 13: [Welcome Back Party!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/welcome-back-party/19726269/2026-09-13T10) at First Congregational Church of Riverside - Sep 18: [Open Mic Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/open-mic-night/19553682/2026-09-18T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - Sep 25: [Moon Festival](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/moon-festival/19501541/2026-09-25T18) at Heritage House - Oct 3: [Aquamotion Aquathon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/aquamotion-aquathon/19617601/2026-10-03T09) at Shamel Pool - Oct 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Council Moves to Restore Ward 6 Representation, Seating Hernandez on Three Committees URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-moves-to-restore-ward-6-representation-seating-hernandez-on-three-committees/ Last updated: 2026-09-03T18:00:29.000Z Newly elected Ward 6 Councilmember Luis Hernandez will sit on three standing committees — chairing one of them — after the council voted Tuesday, Aug. 25 to adopt a revised committee roster. The move sidesteps a recommendation from the Mayor's Nominating and Screening Committee to keep the current rosters in place until new Ward 2 and Ward 4 council members are seated in January after the November election. Committee seats give council members a direct hand in shaping policy before it ever reaches the full council. Without a seat, Ward 6 residents would have no representative shaping early-stage discussion on issues directly affecting their neighborhoods. ### What the screening committee recommended City Council rules require standing committee assignments to be reconsidered after each election or council vacancy, and generally honoring senior members' preferences. The Mayor's Nominating and Screening Committee — made up of Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson and council members Philip Falcone and Chuck Conder — took up the question Aug. 11. The committee recommended leaving Perry's seats vacant on the Governmental Processes, Mobility and Infrastructure, and Safety, Wellness and Youth committees. Under that recommendation, those seats would stay open until January 2027, when the council reorganizes again following a Nov. 3 special municipal runoff election. The appointments approved by the City Council are not temporary appointments, according to City Clerk Donesia Gause. However, the appointments remain in effect until the Council’s next reorganization, which is anticipated to occur in December or January following the outcome of the runoff election, according to Gause. ### What the council did instead The council didn't take that advice. At Tuesday’s meeting, Hernandez first asked to substitute for Council member Steven Robillard at an Aug. 31 special Housing and Homelessness Committee meeting — where an item involving the proposed conversion of two hotels into affordable senior housing units in his ward will be considered. That request passed unanimously without objection. Hernandez then asked to be permanently appointed to [Perry's](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ward-6-councilmember-jim-perry-resigns-citing-family-opportunity/) three vacated committee seats, arguing filling the vacancies wouldn't cost any other member their existing seat. "I don't understand how it's usurping any of the seniority of any of the other council members,” he said. “It's merely allowing me to sit on or take the previous council member's place on those committees until the next election where the council members will then have the ability to choose their committees." He added, "The other council members are already on committees and this will leave a vacancy on those committees and Ward 6 won't be represented on any of these committees." Falcone pushed back, saying the request would let Hernandez leapfrog more senior council members — including himself, Robillard and Sean Mill — for committee assignments governed by seniority rules. That set off a broader debate over what the charter actually requires. Council member Clarissa Cervantes noted that under the city charter, every council member must serve as chair, vice chair or member on three committees — and Hernandez, as things stood, wasn't seated on any. Rather than accept that outcome, Cervantes moved to adopt a different roster — a "proposed list" the clerk's office had prepared earlier, incorporating council members' stated committee preferences alongside seniority rankings. That list places Hernandez as vice chair of the Economic Development Committee, a member of the Finance Committee and chair of the Housing and Homelessness Committee. The reshuffle extended beyond Hernandez. Cervantes gave up her Housing and Homelessness chairmanship — becoming a member instead — but picked up the Land Use chairmanship, formerly held by Mill, along with vice chair of Governmental Processes and a seat on the Mayor's Nominating and Screening Committee. Mill moved from Land Use chair to member while gaining the chairmanship of Safety, Wellness and Youth, another seat Perry had held. Robillard lost his Housing and Homelessness member seat but picked up a member seat on Safety, Wellness and Youth. Falcone added the Mobility and Infrastructure member seat he described as “highly sought-after,” without giving up any of his existing assignments. Cervantes's motion also held off on filling any of the city's regional organization and joint powers authority appointments — such as the March Air Reserve Base Joint Powers Commission or the Western Riverside Council of Governments — until the new council is seated in January. Those seats had also gone unfilled under the screening committee's status-quo recommendation. The motion passed unanimously, effective immediately, and the council separately withdrew Hernandez's earlier one-meeting substitution as no longer necessary. [Neither the Ward 2 nor the Ward 4 race was decided outright](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-swears-in-hernandez-to-represent-ward-6-appoints-interim-city-manager/) in the June primary, sending both to the Nov. 3 runoff. In November, Gracie Torres and Aram Ayra will face off for [the Ward 2 seat Cervantes is vacating to run for state Assembly](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-2026-city-council-races-are-set-heres-whos-running/). In Ward 4, incumbent Chuck Conder faces challenger Rich Vandenberg. ### Mucho Music, Murals, and Something Sinister for September URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mucho-music-murals-and-something-sinister-for-september/ Last updated: 2026-09-03T01:00:47.000Z Jump-start your Labor Day weekend with September ArtsWalk. We find ourselves, again, in the privileged position of having much more going on than can be done in the few hours allowed. Division 9 is especially busy. The local gallery makes the list twice with a mural unveiling on Orange and a takeover of the Riverside Art Museum’s Julia Morgan building with Mucho Gusto. Make sure to visit Pain Sugar and see some of the best local photographers on display in the Tim Aguilar-curated Out of Focus II. It’s ok if you can’t catch everything; bring a friend, take your time, spend a little money, have fun. *Riverside ArtsWalk runs 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, in downtown Riverside.* **Riverside Art Museum** 3425 Mission Inn Ave. - Gucho Musto, a Mucho Gusto takeover of the museum, presented with Division 9 Gallery. 6 to 9 p.m. - Señor Jaguar, Bad Decisions, Dela Deso and DJ Santo G. **The Cheech** 3581 Mission Inn Ave. - Palabra, the open mic poetry series co-hosted by Donato Martinez. Doors at 6 p.m., sign-ups when doors open. - Floricanto, poesía and spoken word. **Museum of Riverside / Division 9** Orange St. south of Mission Inn Ave. - Unveiling of the Orange Street Pedestrian Walkway Mural, 6 to 9 p.m. Nine panels, each in the artist’s own style, along the walkway outside the museum construction site. - Division 9 owner Cosme Cordova, an artist himself, assembled the group. - The artists are Amparo Chi, Man One, Silvana “Jeyd” Paredes, Cordova, Zufos Muchas Salamat, Adam Aguilar of More Leaders, ELIDÉ and Deladeso, who also plays the Gucho Musto bill at RAM the same night. - The ninth panel is a collaboration by four interns: Kelly Zermeño-Diaz, Nicole Favela Suarez, Allison Shellie Favela Suarez and Janeth Carillo. - The artists will be on hand to talk about the work. Light refreshments, plus museum staff with updates on the construction project and upcoming programs. **Museum of Riverside** University Ave. and Main St. - Mid-Autumn Festival lantern making, 6 to 9 p.m. Make your own lantern for the festival. - The activity is outdoors at the corner, not inside a building. **Pain Sugar Gallery** 3635 Ninth St. - Out of Focus II, a photography show curated by Tim Aguilar, opens at 6 p.m. - As a contributor to Thrasher Magazine, Aguilar has traveled the world with his camera and his skateboard. His work reflects the joy of someone who gets to chase his passions for a paycheck. - Twelve photographers: Aidan Campbell, Brian Hunter, Don Luong, McKenna Mobley, Megan Tumbleson, Nathan Rowland, Raymond Alva, Rob Milas, Ryan Townley, Stone Hendrikx, Aguilar and Zach Cordner. - Turntables by DJ Dropdead and Mr DNA. **Mission Inn Foundation** 3598 Main St. - Opening night for Sacred & Sinister runs 6 to 8 p.m. Note the early close, an hour before the rest of ArtsWalk. - A collection drawn from the sacred, the mysterious and the darker side of Riverside history. - The exhibit hangs through Nov. 3. ### Meet the Candidates Running for Riverside Unified's School Board this November URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/meet-the-candidates-running-for-riverside-unifieds-school-board-this-november/ Last updated: 2026-09-02T22:52:58.000Z Two seats on the Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) Board of Education are up for election this November — but only one race will actually appear on the ballot. Trustee Area 1 is contested by three candidates: incumbent Noemi Hernandez Alexander, Jinane Annous and Duffy Atkinson. Trustee Area 5 drew only one qualified candidate — incumbent Brent Lee — so that race won't be decided at the ballot box. [Lee will continue in the seat by default](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/lee-takes-rusd-area-5-lead-hernandez-alexander-leads-area-1-alvord-area-1-remains-tight/). Here's where the Area 1 candidates stand, in their own words, along with a statement from Lee. ## Trustee Area 1 ### Noemi Hernandez Alexander (incumbent) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/09/1.jpg) Courtesy of Noemi Hernandez Alexander Hernandez Alexander is seeking a second term representing Trustee Area 1\. [She's currently president of the RUSD Board of Education](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/rusd-board-member-warned-against-judging-religious-sincerity-social-media-claims-otherwise/) and describes herself as a first-generation college graduate with more than 20 years of experience across K-12 schools, community colleges and universities — as a teacher, administrator, scholar and parent of RUSD students. Hernandez Alexander was named dean of instruction for languages, humanities and social sciences at [Moreno Valley College](https://www.mvc.edu/news/20260122-alexander-hired-as-dean-of-instruction.php?ref=raincrossgazette.com) in January. She previously served as interim dean of student services at Riverside City College and as a professor of political science and public administration at California Baptist University. She holds a bachelor's degree in social work and a master's in public administration from Cal State Long Beach, and a Ph.D. in political science from Claremont Graduate University. She's running, she said, to build on progress made during her first term. "While on the School Board, I have worked to strengthen our district's financial position, promote accountability, improve graduation rates, and expand support for special education," she said. "We have made significant investments and have expanded options to Career Technical Education (CTE) like welding, cybersecurity, construction, trades, biomedical, culinary, sports medicine, game design, automotive, and the arts. In collaboration with our colleges and city partners, we are investing in aviation pathways for high school students. We've been intentional in preparing students with the skills necessary to thrive in college and career." Hernandez Alexander also cited new safety protocols and facility upgrades implemented during her term. She said she's been endorsed by the Riverside City Teachers Association, the California School Employees Association and the Riverside Police Officers' Association. Her priorities include strengthening early literacy and math instruction, expanding support for multilingual learners and improving special education communication with families. She'd also like to broaden access to dual enrollment, CTE and STEM programs, and arts and performing arts offerings. On safety and well-being, she's focused on stronger crisis response protocols, more student voice in decision-making and well-maintained campuses. Hernandez Alexander also said she wants to recruit and retain teachers, work with the city and local colleges on career pathways, and strengthen family engagement. ### Jinane Annous ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/09/2.jpg) Courtesy of Jinane Annous Annous holds a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of La Verne and spent 39 years in education before retiring four years ago. She worked as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, director and deputy superintendent across Inland Empire districts including Fontana, Hemet and Rialto Unified. Her final five years before retirement were spent as superintendent of a small school district in Monterey County. She's continued teaching in the University of Redlands' graduate education programs after retiring. Annous has lived in the Orangecrest neighborhood for more than 23 years and has served multiple terms as president of her homeowners association. She has a grandchild currently enrolled in an RUSD school. Safety is her top priority, she said, along with restoring and expanding programs that help students compete for college admission. She described her approach to school safety as cultural rather than purely procedural — building a campus climate where students feel accepted rather than targeted for their differences, paired with more training and stronger coordination with city police. "It's a whole culture," she said. "... You're shifting the whole culture to make sure that people accept each other for their differences." Annous pointed to programs like Future Business Leaders of America, which gives students research, public speaking and competition experience that strengthens college applications. She said she doesn't believe any RUSD high school currently offers a program like it. She also emphasized supporting English learners and special education students, drawing on her experience running about 150 Individualized Education Programs a year as a principal. She said she's running a low-budget, grassroots campaign without a campaign committee or yard signs, relying on her experience and involvement in her local community. "I'm retired, and I live in the community, and I have a granddaughter who still has four more years in our schools here," she said, "and I'm ready to commit my time and my efforts." ### Duffy Atkinson ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/09/3.jpg) Courtesy of Duffy Atkinson [Atkinson](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/four-candidates-vie-for-rusd-area-1-board-trustee-seat/), a retired businessman and recent RUSD parent, said he's running for the Board because he “believe\[s\] every student deserves an education that prepares them for their future, every parent deserves a meaningful voice in that learning, and every taxpayer deserves to know that district resources are being used responsibly.” Atkinson has lived in Riverside for more than 20 years. His wife, Liz, spent more than 35 years in public education as a bilingual teacher, principal and district administrator, and both of their children graduated from RUSD schools. Atkinson holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and finance from the University of San Diego. "Our district shall be a place where all students learn at high levels, our schools and staff are laser-focused on student academic performance and constant improvement, and public funds are managed through a lens of accountability and long-term purpose," he said. He also said he'd bring "fiscal accountability and business experience, thoughtful leadership and decision-making, and a commitment to honest representation" to the board. His priorities include strengthening two-way communication and partnering with parents, focusing resources on “first-best” student achievement, particularly on core subjects, expanding academic and technical career pathways, and ensuring responsible spending and oversight of public funds. "I'm running to be a decisive, resolute, and accessible voice for the families of Trustee Area 1," Atkinson said, "and to help build an RUSD where achievement is put first and every student receives an education that delivers results." ## Trustee Area 5 ### Brent Lee (incumbent, unopposed) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/09/4.jpg) Courtesy of Brent Lee Lee holds a bachelor's degree in economics and international relations from the University of San Diego and an MBA from the A. Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management at UC Riverside. "I'm grateful for the opportunity to continue serving the students, families, and community of Riverside Unified," Lee said. "Because I am the only candidate for Trustee Area 5, there will not be a contested election for this seat this November." Lee said his priorities for the next term include accelerating student achievement, expanding CTE and dual enrollment opportunities, supporting student well-being and safety, and continuing investment in schools, facilities and staff. "Riverside Unified has made tremendous progress, but there is always more work to do," he said. "I'm excited about what we can accomplish together in the years ahead." --- The Gazette will continue covering this race as Election Day approaches. Have a question you'd like to see the candidates answer? Email [micaela@raincrossgazette.com](mailto:micaela@raincrossgazette.com) and we'll consider it for a future questionnaire. ### Raincross Rundown: The Best of Riverside in September 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-rundown-the-best-of-riverside-in-september-2026/ Last updated: 2026-09-02T13:15:04.000Z September in Riverside means the pace picks back up. City Hall is hitting the road with the Ward 1 Townhall Tour, Heritage House is getting ready for moon cakes and lantern light, and a stretch of Orange Street is about to become an outdoor gallery. Add in a stacked run of live music, a crosstown soccer rivalry with real stakes for the first time, and more, and you've got a month worth circling on the calendar. Here's what's on our radar. ### Civic & Community [**Ward 1 Townhall Tour**](https://www.instagram.com/p/DcPjkIjo75s/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) — City Hall is hitting the road this month. Catch the Senior Townhall on Tuesday, September 1 at 11 a.m. at Stratton Community Center at Bordwell Park, or the Business Townhall on Wednesday, September 2 at 2 p.m. at the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce. Come with your questions, leave with a few new neighbors. [**Water Smarts 101**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/water-smarts-101/18485737/2026-09-19T10) — Western Municipal Water District's quarterly workshop returns Saturday, September 19 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Learn how to trim your outdoor water use, tighten up irrigation, and swap thirsty turf for something more climate-friendly. Free, but space is limited, so register ahead. ### Arts & Culture [**Orange Street Mural Unveiling**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-street-mural-unveiling/19578974/2026-09-03T18) — The Museum of Riverside and Division 9 Gallery are turning a construction fence into nine artist-designed panels along the Orange Street Pedestrian Walkway. Meet the muralists, including gallery owner Cosme Cordova and more, at the unveiling on Thursday, September 3 from 6 to 9 p.m. Free and family-friendly, with light refreshments while they last. [**Moon Festival**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/moon-festival/19501541/2026-09-25T18) — Heritage House marks the harvest with moon cakes, lantern light, and lion dance on Friday, September 25 from 6 to 8 p.m. Expect storytelling, Chinese calligraphy demos, and a visit from UCR's astronomy club for some moon viewing of the celestial kind. Free to attend. [**Butterfly Mosaic Workshop**](https://www.instagram.com/p/DcjPIxngBep/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) — Mission Inn Foundation's mosaic series continues Sunday, September 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This round, you'll build a flowerpot instead of a stepping stone. $100 gets you all materials, a light lunch, and a few hours of hands-on creativity. No experience needed, but spots go fast. [**Remnants of a Century-Old Japantown**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/remnants-of-a-century-old-japantown-historic-wintersburg-huntington-beach/19729660/2026-09-24T18) — Riverside Main Library hosts a talk on Historic Wintersburg, a rare surviving piece of early Japanese American history in Huntington Beach, on Thursday, September 24 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Attorney and preservationist H. Ernie Nishii walks through the site's story and what's next for it. Free. ### Live Music [**Farm House Collective**](https://farmhousecollective.com/events/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) hosts a run of shows this month: Salami Rose Joe Louis with Brandon on September 5, Rayland Baxter with Grace Cummings on September 23, and the Penrose Record Room Showcase featuring The Escapers, Jackie Mendez, and more on September 26. [**The Front Bottoms: 11 Years of Back On Top**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-front-bottoms-11-years-of-back-on-top/19346802/2026-09-24T19) — The band brings its anniversary tour to Riverside Municipal Auditorium on Thursday, September 24\. Doors at 7, show at 8\. All ages welcome, everyone needs a ticket. [**Mucho Gusto Festival**](https://muchogustofest.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) — North Park turns into a full day of music on Saturday, September 19 from 3 to 11 p.m., headlined by Plenazo Tribe and Luna Luna, with a lineup deep enough to keep you moving all evening. ### Family Fun [**Bluey's Big Play**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bluey-s-big-play/18517627/2026-09-24T09) — The Heeler family hits the Fox Performing Arts Center stage on Thursday, September 24, with showtimes at 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. ### Recurring & Worth Knowing [**Free Beginning Square & Line Dance Lessons**](https://www.facebook.com/events/1507476656976857/) — Cowtown Square Dance Center keeps the boots moving this month with beginner lessons Wednesdays, September 9, 16, and 23, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. First night's free, $7 a class after that. **Bomb Diggity Burger Thursdays** at [Art's Bar & Grill](https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553173690428) continue downtown, with karaoke to match. Singles start at $5, and it only goes up from there if you're hungry. [**End of Summer Market**](https://www.instagram.com/p/DcJcmYLzjCX/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) — Condron hosts a community market on Saturday, September 19 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 3696 Sunnyside Dr. ### Sports [**CBU vs. UCR Women's Soccer**](https://cbulancers.com/sports/2026/8/25/crosstown-showdown?ref=raincrossgazette.com) — The crosstown rivalry gets new stakes this year. With CBU's move into the Big West, the September 26 matchup is the first between the two schools to count toward the conference race. [**RCC Football**](https://rccathletics.com/sports/fball/2026-27/schedule?ref=raincrossgazette.com) — The Tigers play two home games this month: Saturday, September 5 vs. Golden West and Saturday, September 12 vs. Canyons, both kicking off at 5 p.m. *The Raincross Rundown is published monthly by the Raincross Gazette staff. Know about an event we should include?* [*Add it to our Community Calendar*](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### A Third Match Made All the Difference URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-third-match-made-all-the-difference/ Last updated: 2026-09-02T12:00:12.000Z For Saidee Acevedo, college once felt impossible. After struggling academically freshman and sophomore years and losing her grandmother during her junior year, Acevedo fell into a period of depression and anxiety, doubtful of what her future would look like. Eventually, Acevedo reached out to Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Inland Empire (BBBS), a non-profit organization dedicated to creating one-on-one mentoring relationships to empower youth through social connections, academic guidance and positive life choices. After two unsuccessful mentor matches, Acevedo matched with her third mentor: Unique. "When I met Saidee, I saw a lot of myself in her," BBBS mentor Unique Edwards said. "During our first outing, she shared her previous experiences with matches, and it genuinely touched me because I wanted to shift how she felt about the program ensuring she enjoyed it this time around, always feeling wanted. Showing up consistently, meeting her where she was, encouraging her growth, sharing my own experiences, and—most importantly—having fun together helped her see that I was committed to being there." Acevedo believes the third match worked out because Edwards consistently made an effort to check in and show she cares. "I think every match is different, but Unique and I just clicked naturally," Acevedo said. "From the beginning, I felt like I could be myself around her and that she really cared about getting to know me. She always makes an effort to text, call or check in, even when she's busy. Knowing that she was making time for me made it easier to open up and helped us build the relationship we have now." Beyond the consistent support, Acevedo believes that having someone outside her family to turn to was especially valuable during difficult moments. "I'm the oldest of three, so I never had an older person I could look up to or go to for guidance—Unique became that person for me," Acevedo said. "She gave me a support system and someone I could talk to, especially when I wasn't ready to talk to my mom or the rest of my family. She listened without making me feel judged, and I never felt like I had to hide how I was feeling. When my world felt dark, she brought some light into it." The support Acevedo received wasn't just emotional. She also credits Edwards with helping her regain confidence in her academic future. "Unique helped me understand why college was important and encouraged me to believe that I could be the first person in my family to go," Acevedo said. "With her by my side, my grades went from all F's to all A's, and I started accomplishing things I never thought I could." Not only did Acevedo grow through this connection, Edwards did as well. "Saidee has taught me that you do not have to be perfect to make a meaningful impact," Edwards said. "Throughout our match, I have planned plenty of corny activities, and even fallen overboard—but through all of it, we have created incredible memories and inside jokes that we will always be able to look back on. Being vulnerable and showing up as my authentic self has created space for Saidee to do the same, and being her mentor has ultimately changed me for the better." For those hesitant to become mentors, Edwards encourages them to give it a try. "To anyone who is hesitant, I would simply say: try it!" Edwards said. "Life is about doing something even when you are scared or unsure, and you may be surprised by how much you have to give—and how much you receive in return." Acevedo also leaves prospective mentors with her own small piece of advice. "I would tell them to be patient and not give up too quickly," Acevedo said. "In the beginning, it can be really hard for a young person to trust someone new and allow that person into their life. After having two previous mentors, I was afraid of getting attached again because I felt judged and wondered if I wasn't good enough. Sometimes, all a kid needs is someone outside their family who will listen, understand them and make them feel cared for without judging them. Simply being there can make a bigger difference than you realize." After learning to open up and believe in herself, Acevedo will soon embark on her college journey, taking a first step towards something she once believed was impossible. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- September 1, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-september-1-2026/ Last updated: 2026-09-01T12:00:06.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/IMG_6513.jpeg) Back to beautiful photos of our very own beautiful city — Ruth Ann Ryan captured this striking sunset silhouette near Mission Grove, the sun dipping below the hills. (Ruth Ann Ryan) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Tuesday Gazette: September 1, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Tuesday!** September is here, and while the calendar says back to school, apples, and fall recipes, the weather has other plans: we're still solidly in summer mode. So today we'll take the small win of slightly lower temps this week and not complain. Hope your week is off to a great start! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260901)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260901&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## A Third Match Made All the Difference A Big Brothers Big Sisters mentor helped rebuild a young woman's confidence and set her sights on college. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-14.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-third-match-made-all-the-difference/) Saidee Acevedo (left) and her Big Brothers Big Sisters mentor, Unique Edwards, have built a bond that helped push Acevedo toward college. | Courtesy of Big Brothers Big Sisters For Saidee Acevedo, college once felt impossible. After struggling academically freshman and sophomore years and losing her grandmother during her junior year, Acevedo fell into a period of depression and anxiety, doubtful of what her future would look like. Eventually, Acevedo reached out to Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Inland Empire (BBBS), a non-profit organization dedicated to creating one-on-one mentoring relationships to empower youth through social connections, academic guidance and positive life choices. After two unsuccessful mentor matches, Acevedo matched with her third mentor: Unique. "When I met Saidee, I saw a lot of myself in her," BBBS mentor Unique Edwards said. "During our first outing, she shared her previous experiences with matches, and it genuinely touched me because I wanted to shift how she felt about the program ensuring she enjoyed it this time around, always feeling wanted. Showing up consistently, meeting her where she was, encouraging her growth, sharing my own experiences, and—most importantly—having fun together helped her see that I was committed to being there." [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-third-match-made-all-the-difference/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260901) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600901&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [ENVIRONMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/environment/) ## RTA Unveils Hydrogen Fueling Station, First Zero-Emission Buses The new station and buses mark the start of the agency's shift away from natural gas-powered vehicles toward a fully zero-emission fleet. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-19.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/rta-unveils-hydrogen-fueling-station-first-zero-emission-buses/) Main: RTA staff, board members and local officials cut the ribbon on the agency's new hydrogen fueling station at its Riverside headquarters. Inset: One of RTA's first zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell buses. | Courtesy of RTA Riverside Transit Agency's first hydrogen-powered buses mark a shift from CNG toward a zero-emission fleet. **Why it matters:** RTA riders will begin seeing hydrogen buses on local routes as the agency phases out CNG — part of a countywide push to cut vehicle emissions and improve air quality. **Driving the news:** RTA unveiled a new hydrogen fueling station and its first hydrogen-powered buses at its Riverside headquarters. - Clean Energy built the station, chosen for its expertise handling the liquid hydrogen volumes a full bus fleet requires. **By the numbers:** RTA secured **$4.89 million** in competitive federal grants to buy its first five hydrogen fuel cell buses. **What they're saying:** RTA Board Chair Jim Steiner, a Corona councilmember, called it a "monumental milestone" for county transit. **The big picture:** The shift is part of a wider Riverside County effort to cut vehicle emissions and boost air quality. - Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson, a state-appointed California Air Resources Board member, attended, along with County Supervisor Jose Medina. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/rta-unveils-hydrogen-fueling-station-first-zero-emission-buses/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260901)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260901&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [Volunteer Orientation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-orientation/19328343/2026-09-01T09) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [ScotSurplus Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/scotsurplus-sale/19645061/2026-09-01T11) at ScotSurplus Store - [City Council](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/city-council/18431185/2026-09-01T13) at Riverside City Hall - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-09-01T19) at The Hideaway - [Riverside Off-Road & Jeep Nights](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-offroad-jeep-nights/18477720/2026-09-01T17) at D'Elia's Grinders ### Tomorrow - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-09-02T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [Men's Soccer vs Life Pacific](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mens-soccer-vs-life-pacific/19563247/2026-09-02T19) at UCR Soccer Stadium - [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-09-02T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19516291/2026-09-02T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-09-02T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern ### Save the Date - Sep 3: [Orange Street Mural Unveiling](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-street-mural-unveiling/19578974/2026-09-03T18) at Main Museum Pedestrian Walkway (Orange Street) - Sep 4: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-09-04T08) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 4: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-09-04T07) at Zacatecas Café - Sep 5: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-09-05T07) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 5: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-09-05T09) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 7: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-09-07T19) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 9: [FREE Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - Sep 9: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-09-09T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - Sep 13: [Welcome Back Party!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/welcome-back-party/19726269/2026-09-13T10) at First Congregational Church of Riverside - Sep 18: [Open Mic Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/open-mic-night/19553682/2026-09-18T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - Sep 25: [Moon Festival](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/moon-festival/19501541/2026-09-25T18) at Heritage House - Oct 3: [Aquamotion Aquathon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/aquamotion-aquathon/19617601/2026-10-03T09) at Shamel Pool - Oct 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center - Nov 14: [Riverside Veterans Parade](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-veterans-parade/19624354/2026-11-14T10) \- Downtown Riverside/Market St. 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### RTA Unveils Hydrogen Fueling Station, First Zero-Emission Buses URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/rta-unveils-hydrogen-fueling-station-first-zero-emission-buses/ Last updated: 2026-09-02T02:00:46.000Z Riverside Transit Agency (RTA) unveiled a new hydrogen fueling station and its first hydrogen-powered buses at its Riverside headquarters. The event marks the beginning of RTA's transition from Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses to a fully zero-emission fleet. The shift is part of a broader push across Riverside County to cut vehicle emissions and improve air quality, an issue that affects public health and environmental conditions throughout the region. The project was funded through a combination of federal, state and local sources, including $4.89 million in competitive federal Low or No Emission grant funding that RTA secured to purchase its first five hydrogen fuel cell buses. The fueling station was built by Clean Energy, a company RTA says is among the few with the expertise needed to manage the liquid hydrogen volumes required to fuel a full bus fleet. "It is an honor to welcome our new eco-friendly hydrogen-fueling station and our first hydrogen-powered buses as we celebrate this exciting milestone for RTA and Riverside County," RTA CEO Kristin Warsinski said in a statement. "Technology may drive progress, but it's the dedication, collaboration and expertise of our workforce, Board Members and community who truly make advancements like this possible." Jim Steiner, RTA Board Chair and a Corona City Councilmember, said the project reflects a long-standing priority for the agency's board. "It has been a top priority for the RTA Board of Directors to bring Riverside County residents a greener public transportation service, and we're proud to have reached this monumental milestone today," Steiner said in a statement. "The transition to zero-emission technology is a major investment in our county and in our workforce training. We're proud to embrace the future of eco-friendly transportation and do our part to reduce our environmental impact." Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson, who is also a state governor-appointed member of the California Air Resources Board, attended the event; also present were members of the RTA Board of Directors, Riverside County Supervisor Jose Medina and other local stakeholders. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- August 31, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-august-31-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-31T12:00:55.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/IMG_9493.jpeg) Tony Bell and Seleste Henry took to the treetops on a zip lining adventure in Kauai, Hawaii. (Tony Bell/Seleste Henry) ***Today marks the last day of our vacation photo series** — thank you to everyone who shared their summer with us. Now it's back to good old Riverside: [send us your favorite shots around town](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) — we love sharing all the nooks and crannies of this beautiful city. **Monday Gazette: August 31, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday!** Yesterday we asked about a Nelson Street market-turned-neighborhood-institution, its courtyard built from an old driveway, and the one word Riversiders use for it. The answer: Backstreet! Mac and Barbara McCluskey bought the old Nelson Street Market in 1967 and turned it into the beloved sandwich shop generations of Riversiders now know by heart. That courtyard patio, shaded by big trees and dressed up with decades of collected decorations, has been a real draw for over 50 years — and so has the banana cream pie, which built a following all its own. Thanks to everyone who wrote in with a guess! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260831)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260831&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## This Week in City Hall: August 31, 2026 City Council weighs veteran tech training, Scout land deal and street repaving as utilities and museum boards also convene. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-13-2.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-august-31-2026/) City Council will meet in closed and open sessions on Tuesday, September 1, in afternoon sessions at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1432333&GUID=48003040-ABEA-42EE-921C-A189608D376A&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). The agenda includes: - Receiving a [presentation](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=e6d61e3a-c00d-426b-b5c2-a8784ef77a59.pdf&From=Granicus&Format=pdf&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on the Housing and Human Services Department's performance data — which includes a jump in code enforcement notices, debris removed from homeless encampments and a drop in residents accepting outreach services — plus updates on the City's affordable housing pipeline ([item 5](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5449-revised-city-council-successor-agency-slash-housing-authority-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a87ada2f395e7adaf001ce2-5-housing-and-human-services-department-overview?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering an [update to City purchasing rules](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=d28b2cc0-1b14-4da6-ae68-4e8cade9c8a5.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that would raise the dollar amount staff can approve without a Council vote from $100,000 to $220,000 and raise the threshold requiring competitive bidding — a change intended to reduce the number of routine contracts brought before Council ([item 30b](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5449-revised-city-council-successor-agency-slash-housing-authority-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a920bc07d7965876f000db3-30b-adopt-a-resolution-establishing-rules-and-reg?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering [acceptance](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=3ae9ec3a-997f-410b-9c83-ed2e61f76b13.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) of a $6 million state grant to fund design and partial construction of new amenities — including a playground, restrooms, and river-overlook features — at Martha McLean Anza Narrows Park, with the full project estimated at $12 million ([item 27](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5449-city-council-successor-agency-slash-housing-authority-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a87ada3f395e7adaf001d01-27-adopt-a-resolution-approving-the-acceptance-of?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering a [$2.5 million agreement](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=3f35f0dd-c9fc-4cff-bd3c-9b0a2deaefe9.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) with the Western Riverside Council of Governments to upgrade traffic signal communications along University Avenue and the Alessandro Boulevard-Central Avenue corridor, funded through developer mitigation fees rather than City tax dollars ([item 29](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5449-city-council-successor-agency-slash-housing-authority-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a87ada3f395e7adaf001d04-29-approve-transportation-uniform-mitigation-fee?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering the [appointment](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=461a4d9f-ced0-4e72-821b-738aa69f047a.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) of Bill Gallardo and Steven A. Mendoza as interim CEDD deputy directors at $128.43 an hour — a move pulled from the consent calendar for a standalone vote and 5-minute presentation ([item 30a](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5449-revised-city-council-successor-agency-slash-housing-authority-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a920bc07d7965876f000db1-discussion-calendar?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering a [public hearing and agreement](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=b93e9147-b9ff-49dd-836f-73b65f7a2d6f.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to sell Housing Authority property at 2882 Mission Inn Avenue to Grapevine Development, LLC for $1, enabling construction of 10 affordable housing units within a larger 64-unit mixed-use project, with the City's land contribution valued at about $245,861 ([item 40](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5449-city-council-successor-agency-slash-housing-authority-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a87ada3f395e7adaf001d11-40-joint-item-with-housing-authority-and-successo?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Housing and Homelessness Committee The Housing and Homelessness Committee has a special meeting on Monday, August 31, at 3:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1436316&GUID=19217630-3EE9-4C02-9C79-E3A23AC0E867&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider the acquisition and conversion of the Motel 6 and Days Inn into about 148 [affordable senior housing units](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=9d6eeb91-ea98-4264-9b96-cfa89fe129be.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5451-housing-and-homelessness-committee-special-meeting-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a88cacc442538aa49006cdb-2-proposed-acquisition-and-conversion-of-motel-6?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and reviewing the City's [reapplication](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=5894ecf6-5129-4cd0-9ec2-7c79367e887c.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for California's Prohousing Designation Program ([item 4](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5451-housing-and-homelessness-committee-special-meeting-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a88cacc442538aa49006cdd-4-california-prohousing-designation-program-reapp?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Board of Ethics The Board of Ethics meets on Thursday, September 3, at 6 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1432910&GUID=A927C1CA-4AC3-4244-A073-BBC8B1082815&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to conduct its annual review of the Code of Ethics and Conduct for its effectiveness ([item 5](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5448-board-of-ethics-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a8610787d79658191000b80-5-annual-review-of-the-code-of-ethics-and-conduct?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and to hear a presentation overview of Municipal Code 2.78.060.E, regarding prohibited endorsements for compensation. ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5448-board-of-ethics-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a8610787d79658191000b7c-3-overview-of-riverside-municipal-code-2-dot-78-dot-060-dot-e?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Other notes: City staff have confirmed a discrepancy between two RHNA (Regional Housing Needs Assessment) permit presentations was the result of a data correction, not a rescinded permit or cancelled project. The [March 10 presentation](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15280168&GUID=C92B59A5-4AC1-4FE9-ACF5-F053DADC5AD6&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to Council reported 542 above-moderate-income permits issued in 2025, for a 2025 total of 564 units. The [Aug. 20 presentation](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15753971&GUID=06790E30-0EC5-44D8-B1A3-4AB781F25815&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to the Economic Development Committee showed lower figures for the same category and year — 393 above-moderate-income permits and a 415 total — a difference of 149 units in each case. According to Community & Economic Development Director Miranda Evans, the 149-unit gap stemmed from a project that was inadvertently double-counted in the March presentation. The error was caught after that meeting, and staff say they have since submitted a corrected count to the state Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and notified City leadership. Evans confirmed the August figures are the accurate ones. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-august-31-2026/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260831) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600831&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CITY HALL](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/city-hall/) ## Council Approves $7.7M in Street Repairs, Advances Third Street Rail Underpass Project A $7.7 million repaving contract will fix miles of city streets, while nearly $10 million in new agreements keeps the Third Street rail underpass on track for a 2027 start. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/2-6.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-approves-7-7m-in-street-repairs-advances-third-street-rail-underpass-project/) Riverside will repave dozens of miles of streets and push its long-delayed rail underpass toward construction. **Why it matters:** Repaving starts within months on Day Street, Brockton Avenue and La Sierra Avenue, and downtown gets 132 new safety bollards. The Third Street rail crossing, where trains block traffic, is now headed toward construction. **What's new:** Council awarded a **$7.6 million** contract to Onyx Paving Company to repave 3.7 miles of arterial streets and 2.7 miles of neighborhood streets, funded through the state's SB-1 gas tax program. - Crews also add 132 bollards on Main Street, 26 new stop signs and seven solar speed feedback signs citywide. **Driving the news:** Council also approved nearly **$10 million** in agreements to keep the Third Street Grade Separation project — a bridge lifting BNSF train tracks over Third Street — on track. - DCCM Infrastructure will oversee construction for $4.97 million after negotiating down nearly $1.5 million; HDR Engineering's design contract grows by $473,625. **By the numbers:** The city has received **$59 million** through SB-1 since 2017\. The rail project has lined up roughly $40 million in outside grants, plus $18 million from a regional funding partner. **What's next:** Street work begins within months and should take 130 working days. Underpass construction starts January 2027 and runs about two years, with bidding next. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-approves-7-7m-in-street-repairs-advances-third-street-rail-underpass-project/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260831)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260831&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Noteworthy [Clean Up Riverside](https://www.instagram.com/p/Dcjea1qGmov/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) returns Saturday, Sept. 19, from 8 a.m. to noon at 8095 Lincoln Avenue, offering free recycling, a new on-site Goodwill drop-off, and a free compost/mulch giveaway — mark your calendars. Riverside is hosting three community meetings starting Tuesday—in Arlanza, Casa Blanca, and Arlington Heights—to gather input on its Transformative Climate Communities grant application; residents unable to attend can [take the online survey](https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RiversideThriveInitiative?ref=raincrossgazette.com) instead. A [study led by UCR education researchers](https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/08/24/probing-issues-relevant-students-boosts-civic-engagement?ref=raincrossgazette.com) found that of over 41,000 Chicago students surveyed, those who explored community-relevant issues in class showed greater interest in voting and civic participation. La Sierra University computer science professor Fuhao Li's team [earned Phase I funding under the DOE's Genesis Mission](https://lasierra.edu/article/la-sierra-profs-team-selected-for-doe-genesis-mission-ai-research-award/?ref=raincrossgazette.com), one of 278 projects chosen from over 5,000 applications to strengthen electric vehicle battery security. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-31T19) at Community Yoga Center - [Housing and Homelessness Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/housing-and-homelessness-committee/19711099/2026-08-31T15) at Riverside City Hall ### Tomorrow - [Volunteer Orientation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-orientation/19328343/2026-09-01T09) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [ScotSurplus Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/scotsurplus-sale/19645061/2026-09-01T11) at ScotSurplus Store - [City Council](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/city-council/18431185/2026-09-01T13) at Riverside City Hall - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-09-01T19) at The Hideaway - [Riverside Off-Road & Jeep Nights](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-offroad-jeep-nights/18477720/2026-09-01T17) at D'Elia's Grinders ### Save the Date - Aug 29: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-29T07) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 29: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-29T09) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 30: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-30T08) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 31: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-31T19) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 2: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-09-02T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - Sep 3: [Orange Street Mural Unveiling](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-street-mural-unveiling/19578974/2026-09-03T18) at Main Museum Pedestrian Walkway (Orange Street) - Sep 4: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-09-04T07) at Zacatecas Café - Sep 9: [FREE Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - Sep 13: [Welcome Back Party!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/welcome-back-party/19726269/2026-09-13T10) at First Congregational Church of Riverside - Sep 18: [Open Mic Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/open-mic-night/19553682/2026-09-18T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - Sep 25: [Moon Festival](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/moon-festival/19501541/2026-09-25T18) at Heritage House - Oct 3: [Aquamotion Aquathon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/aquamotion-aquathon/19617601/2026-10-03T09) at Shamel Pool - Oct 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center - Nov 14: [Riverside Veterans Parade](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-veterans-parade/19624354/2026-11-14T10) \- Downtown Riverside/Market St. 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### This Week in City Hall: August 31, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-august-31-2026/ Last updated: 2026-09-01T20:37:05.000Z City Council will meet in closed and open sessions on Tuesday, September 1, in afternoon sessions at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1432333&GUID=48003040-ABEA-42EE-921C-A189608D376A&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). The agenda includes: - Receiving a [presentation](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=e6d61e3a-c00d-426b-b5c2-a8784ef77a59.pdf&From=Granicus&Format=pdf&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on the Housing and Human Services Department's performance data — which includes a jump in code enforcement notices, debris removed from homeless encampments and a drop in residents accepting outreach services — plus updates on the City's affordable housing pipeline ([item 5](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5449-revised-city-council-successor-agency-slash-housing-authority-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a87ada2f395e7adaf001ce2-5-housing-and-human-services-department-overview?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering an [update to City purchasing rules](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=d28b2cc0-1b14-4da6-ae68-4e8cade9c8a5.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that would raise the dollar amount staff can approve without a Council vote from $100,000 to $220,000 and raise the threshold requiring competitive bidding — a change intended to reduce the number of routine contracts brought before Council ([item 30b](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5449-revised-city-council-successor-agency-slash-housing-authority-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a920bc07d7965876f000db3-30b-adopt-a-resolution-establishing-rules-and-reg?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering [acceptance](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=3ae9ec3a-997f-410b-9c83-ed2e61f76b13.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) of a $6 million state grant to fund design and partial construction of new amenities — including a playground, restrooms, and river-overlook features — at Martha McLean Anza Narrows Park, with the full project estimated at $12 million ([item 27](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5449-city-council-successor-agency-slash-housing-authority-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a87ada3f395e7adaf001d01-27-adopt-a-resolution-approving-the-acceptance-of?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering a [$2.5 million agreement](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=3f35f0dd-c9fc-4cff-bd3c-9b0a2deaefe9.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) with the Western Riverside Council of Governments to upgrade traffic signal communications along University Avenue and the Alessandro Boulevard-Central Avenue corridor, funded through developer mitigation fees rather than City tax dollars ([item 29](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5449-city-council-successor-agency-slash-housing-authority-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a87ada3f395e7adaf001d04-29-approve-transportation-uniform-mitigation-fee?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering the [appointment](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=461a4d9f-ced0-4e72-821b-738aa69f047a.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) of Bill Gallardo and Steven A. Mendoza as interim CEDD deputy directors at $128.43 an hour — a move pulled from the consent calendar for a standalone vote and 5-minute presentation ([item 30a](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5449-revised-city-council-successor-agency-slash-housing-authority-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a920bc07d7965876f000db1-discussion-calendar?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering a [public hearing and agreement](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=b93e9147-b9ff-49dd-836f-73b65f7a2d6f.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to sell Housing Authority property at 2882 Mission Inn Avenue to Grapevine Development, LLC for $1, enabling construction of 10 affordable housing units within a larger 64-unit mixed-use project, with the City's land contribution valued at about $245,861 ([item 40](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5449-city-council-successor-agency-slash-housing-authority-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a87ada3f395e7adaf001d11-40-joint-item-with-housing-authority-and-successo?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Housing and Homelessness Committee The Housing and Homelessness Committee has a special meeting on Monday, August 31, at 3:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1436316&GUID=19217630-3EE9-4C02-9C79-E3A23AC0E867&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider the acquisition and conversion of the Motel 6 and Days Inn into about 148 [affordable senior housing units](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=9d6eeb91-ea98-4264-9b96-cfa89fe129be.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5451-housing-and-homelessness-committee-special-meeting-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a88cacc442538aa49006cdb-2-proposed-acquisition-and-conversion-of-motel-6?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and reviewing the City's [reapplication](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=5894ecf6-5129-4cd0-9ec2-7c79367e887c.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for California's Prohousing Designation Program ([item 4](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5451-housing-and-homelessness-committee-special-meeting-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a88cacc442538aa49006cdd-4-california-prohousing-designation-program-reapp?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Board of Ethics The Board of Ethics meets on Thursday, September 3, at 6 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1432910&GUID=A927C1CA-4AC3-4244-A073-BBC8B1082815&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to conduct its annual review of the Code of Ethics and Conduct for its effectiveness ([item 5](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5448-board-of-ethics-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a8610787d79658191000b80-5-annual-review-of-the-code-of-ethics-and-conduct?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and to hear a presentation overview of Municipal Code 2.78.060.E, regarding prohibited endorsements for compensation. ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5448-board-of-ethics-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a8610787d79658191000b7c-3-overview-of-riverside-municipal-code-2-dot-78-dot-060-dot-e?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Other notes: City staff have confirmed a discrepancy between two RHNA (Regional Housing Needs Assessment) permit presentations was the result of a data correction, not a rescinded permit or cancelled project. The [March 10 presentation](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15280168&GUID=C92B59A5-4AC1-4FE9-ACF5-F053DADC5AD6&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to Council reported 542 above-moderate-income permits issued in 2025, for a 2025 total of 564 units. The [Aug. 20 presentation](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15753971&GUID=06790E30-0EC5-44D8-B1A3-4AB781F25815&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to the Economic Development Committee showed lower figures for the same category and year — 393 above-moderate-income permits and a 415 total — a difference of 149 units in each case. According to Community & Economic Development Director Miranda Evans, the 149-unit gap stemmed from a project that was inadvertently double-counted in the March presentation. The error was caught after that meeting, and staff say they have since submitted a corrected count to the state Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and notified City leadership. Evans confirmed the August figures are the accurate ones. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- August 30, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-august-30-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-30T12:00:58.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/Rowing_Lesson_in_Venice_Italy.jpg) "Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream" — Leah Collier took a rowing lesson in the canals of Venice, Italy. (Leah Collier) **Sunday Gazette: August 30, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday!** Grab a napkin, because this week's riddle comes with an appetite. I started out in 1952 as a humble neighborhood market on a street named for a British admiral. Fifteen years later, a young couple traded grocery shelves for sandwich counters, and turned my old driveway into a courtyard where big trees now shade decades' worth of quirky, hand-picked decor. Regulars just call me by one word — the same word you'd use for an alley, a shortcut, or anywhere a little off the beaten path. What do Riversiders call me? [Send us your guesses](https://app.notion.com/p/goldstandardca/PASTE%5FSUBMISSION%5FLINK%5FHERE?ref=raincrossgazette.com) — we'll share the answer tomorrow morning. --- 🧡 Thank you to the Subscribers who became paid supporters this week: Kelly Murillo and Shirley Sandoval. [Your ongoing financial support](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-march-15-2026-2/#/portal/account/plans) is vital to our success in serving Riverside with the news it deserves! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260830)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260830&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [SPORTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/sports/) ## What a Teenage Racecar Driver Taught Me About My Daughter's Future A rising karting star from Riverside is teaching parents like me what success outside the usual sports can look like. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-17.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/what-a-teenage-racecar-driver-taught-me-about-my-daughters-future/) Truly Adams sits trackside next to his FEED Racing Volant F4 car. The Riverside teen is a two-time World Karting Champion. (Courtesy of Truly Adams) When my daughter was born, I immediately thought of sports she could play. I'd tell my wife made-up stories of her representing the U.S. at the World Cup. I'd make up stories of her success as a left-hand pitcher in the recently created professional women's baseball league. Sometimes the dream would reach winning a gold medal as the starting point guard for Team USA. The fantasies revolved around a popular sport in the U.S. and success outside the sports culture in the States never crossed my mind, until I read about Truly Adams. For teenagers in America, four of the [top five most popular sports](https://joinstriveon.com/blog/most-popular-youth-sports-america?ref=raincrossgazette.com#top-10-most-popular-youth-sports) involve a ball. Whether it's a basketball, a football, a soccer ball or a baseball, there's some sort of round sphere involved in the game. Adams isn't your average American teenager. His weapon of choice is a car, and his race track has made him a two-time World Karting Champion — the first American to reach the finals and earn a podium finish in France's FEED Racing Volant F4 program. He tried to play ball like the average teenager. Adams played soccer. He dribbled the ball up the court in basketball. He even picked up a racket a few times on the tennis court. But nothing overtook the infatuation he had developed for racing. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/what-a-teenage-racecar-driver-taught-me-about-my-daughters-future/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260830)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260830&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## The Best Thing: The Gazette Newsroom on the Best Thing They Experienced in Riverside This Month August's scorcher had everyone chasing shade — cold drinks and good company pulled them through. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-12.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-best-thing-the-gazette-newsroom-on-the-best-thing-they-experienced-in-riverside-this-month/) This August had all of us looking for the best thing to hold onto — a cold drink, a visit from family, a night out with music. Here's what made the month, straight from the people and places around town that made it happen. [Read and share the Best of August...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-best-thing-the-gazette-newsroom-on-the-best-thing-they-experienced-in-riverside-this-month/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260830) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260830&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CREATIVE PROMPTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/creative-prompts/) ## Chances Are A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns. [![2 white dices on blue surface](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1605870445919-838d190e8e1b?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDJ8fGNoYW5jZXxlbnwwfHx8fDE3ODc4NjMyNTF8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/chances-are/) Photo by [Edge2Edge Media](https://unsplash.com/@edge2edgemedia?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) This week let’s welcome the element of chance onto the stage. My first memorable encounters with chance came from board games. In Monopoly, drawing a Chance card usually brings something advantageous, but it could also bring financial disaster. Will I advance to the nearest railroad, head directly to jail or discover that every property has been reassessed? No different than chance in real life, I cannot predict what’s coming, but I will be ready when it arrives. Chance sometimes gets confused with giving up control. Welcoming it doesn’t mean handing over the keys and telling fate to drive. It means noticing that accidents, coincidences, unexpected materials and unplanned encounters have always helped nudge us onto paths we might not have selected for ourselves. Chance is already an important collaborator in my outdoor assemblage work. Most of those exhibits are made from things I find after I arrive. I may bring an idea, but the location supplies the materials. Weather factors in too. Wind brings in the greatest element of chance, removing or adding things after I thought I was finished. Chance becomes another collaborator. It doesn’t get final approval, but it does get a vote. [Read and share the complete prompt...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/chances-are/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Sunday, August 30 - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-08-30T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Summer Zine Workshop Series with Brookes Reeder](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summer-zine-workshop-series-with-brookes-reeder/19149878/2026-08-30T13) at Riverside Art Museum - [Take and Make Craft: Paper Aquarium](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/take-and-make-craft-paper-aquarium/19638109/2026-08-30T10) at Arlington library - [Sunday Experiment After Dark](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sunday-experiment-after-dark/14528750/2026-08-30T21) at Downtown Experiment ### Monday, August 31 - [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-31T19) at Community Yoga Center - [Housing and Homelessness Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/housing-and-homelessness-committee/19711099/2026-08-31T15) at Riverside City Hall ### Tuesday, September 1 - [Volunteer Orientation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-orientation/19328343/2026-09-01T09) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [ScotSurplus Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/scotsurplus-sale/19645061/2026-09-01T11) at ScotSurplus Store - [City Council](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/city-council/18431185/2026-09-01T13) at Riverside City Hall - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-09-01T19) at The Hideaway - [Riverside Off-Road & Jeep Nights](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-offroad-jeep-nights/18477720/2026-09-01T17) at D'Elia's Grinders ### Wednesday, September 2 - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-09-02T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [Men's Soccer vs Life Pacific](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mens-soccer-vs-life-pacific/19563247/2026-09-02T19) at UCR Soccer Stadium - [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-09-02T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19516291/2026-09-02T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-09-02T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern ### Thursday, September 3 - [Backroads of the Americas: a Spanish Guitar journey](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/backroads-of-the-americas-a-spanish-guitar-journey/19541249/2026-09-03T19) at The Avenue Church ($32- $79) - [Board of Ethics](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/board-of-ethics/18812402/2026-09-03T18) at Riverside City Hall - [FREE ADMISSION - First Thursday of every month during Riverside ArtsWalk](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-admission-first-thursday-of-every-month-during-riverside-artswalk/13230799/2026-09-03T18) at Riverside Art Museum - [Orange Street Mural Unveiling](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-street-mural-unveiling/19578974/2026-09-03T18) at Main Museum Pedestrian Walkway (Orange Street) ### Friday, September 4 - [Eastside Library at Lincoln Park | Tech-nically Senior: Senior Tech Help](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/eastside-library-at-lincoln-park-technically-senior-senior-tech-help/18962031/2026-09-04T11) at SPC Jesus S. Duran Eastside Library - [Orange Terrace Library | Lego Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-terrace-library-lego-club/19587191/2026-09-04T10) at Orange Terrace Library - [Seeking Mentors: First-Generation Mentorship Program](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/seeking-mentors-firstgeneration-mentorship-program/19233076/2026-09-04T10) at University of California, Riverside ### Saturday, September 5 - [Fertilizer happens: Gardening with Poultry](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fertilizer-happens-gardening-with-poultry/19299764/2026-09-05T10) at LandUse Learning Center - [BoA Museums On Us offers FREE admission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/boa-museums-on-us-offers-free-admission/19689472/2026-09-05T10) at Riverside Art Museum - [The Erections](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-erections-garden-room-rma/19346739/2026-09-05T19) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium (Garden Room) - [MLK NJROTC Cornhole Fundraiser Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mlk-njrotc-cornhole-fundraiser-tournament/19088219/2026-09-05T09) at Martin Luther King High School ($100) - [Salami Rose Joe Louis w/ Brandon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/salami-rose-joe-louis-w-brandon/19346740/2026-09-05T19) at Farm House Collective ## Save the Date - Sep 6: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-09-06T08) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 7: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-09-07T19) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 9: [FREE Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - Sep 9: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-09-09T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - Sep 11: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-09-11T07) at Zacatecas Café - Sep 12: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-09-12T07) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 12: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-09-12T09) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 13: [Welcome Back Party!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/welcome-back-party/19726269/2026-09-13T10) at First Congregational Church of Riverside - Sep 18: [Open Mic Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/open-mic-night/19553682/2026-09-18T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - Sep 25: [Moon Festival](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/moon-festival/19501541/2026-09-25T18) at Heritage House - Oct 3: [Aquamotion Aquathon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/aquamotion-aquathon/19617601/2026-10-03T09) at Shamel Pool - Oct 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center - Nov 14: [Riverside Veterans Parade](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-veterans-parade/19624354/2026-11-14T10) \- Downtown Riverside/Market St. 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### What a Teenage Racecar Driver Taught Me About My Daughter's Future URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/what-a-teenage-racecar-driver-taught-me-about-my-daughters-future/ Last updated: 2026-09-01T19:15:12.000Z When my daughter was born, I immediately thought of sports she could play. I'd tell my wife made-up stories of her representing the U.S. at the World Cup. I'd make up stories of her success as a left-hand pitcher in the recently created professional women's baseball league. Sometimes the dream would reach winning a gold medal as the starting point guard for Team USA. The fantasies revolved around a popular sport in the U.S. and success outside the sports culture in the States never crossed my mind, until I read about Truly Adams. For teenagers in America, four of the [top five most popular sports](https://joinstriveon.com/blog/most-popular-youth-sports-america?ref=raincrossgazette.com#top-10-most-popular-youth-sports) involve a ball. Whether it's a basketball, a football, a soccer ball or a baseball, there's some sort of round sphere involved in the game. Adams isn't your average American teenager. His weapon of choice is a car, and his race track has made him a two-time World Karting Champion — the first American to reach the finals and earn a podium finish in France's FEED Racing Volant F4 program. He tried to play ball like the average teenager. Adams played soccer. He dribbled the ball up the court in basketball. He even picked up a racket a few times on the tennis court. But nothing overtook the infatuation he had developed for racing. Adams truly made me believe that my daughter doesn't need to stick to any of the ball-related sports to find success. As long as she dreams big, stays focused and loves what she is doing, it doesn't matter what success looks like. It's a lesson the racecar driver learned from playing other sports. "If you're a fast driver, I don't think anyone cares as long as you're fast and you have money to do it," he said. "Every sport takes a very hard discipline and work ethic. You have to do a lot of training off and on the track to get your body and mind prepared to go out there and do the best you can," he added. Success for my daughter can come disguised as a $50,000 sponsorship, like the one Adams recently received from Native Racing, a Native American-owned, family-operated motorsports team founded by Larry Hernandez Jr., a tribal member of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. "Representing Riverside is amazing. I've got a lot of sponsor opportunities…they've helped me a lot and helped my family a lot in the racing industry," Adams said. Popularity within a sport that's unknown to the masses in the U.S. does come with attached misconceptions. Adams' life may seem luxurious — from traveling around Europe to being on board a private yacht — but what people don't understand is it's all part of the game. "I'm always on a plane, I'm always at an Airbnb, a hotel, I'm never really home…it gets tiring," Adams said. This is where the work off the track will come in handy. If my daughter wants to find success as a gymnast, if she wants to become a tennis star, or win grand slams around the world in pickleball, it takes mental toughness to fully embrace the success, even if no one understands the sport. What Adams has demonstrated is that if I want my daughter to find success in an unpopular sport, she needs to believe in the dream and have the right support around her. Let's just hope she likes sports. ### The Best Thing: The Gazette Newsroom on the Best Thing They Experienced in Riverside This Month URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-best-thing-the-gazette-newsroom-on-the-best-thing-they-experienced-in-riverside-this-month/ Last updated: 2026-09-01T12:00:51.000Z This August had all of us looking for the best thing to hold onto — a cold drink, a visit from family, a night out with music. Here's what made the month, straight from the people and places around town that made it happen. --- ## Micaela's Best Thing: The Spear at Café Oro Dos Aztecas ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/4-1.jpg) Café Oro Dos Aztecas on Main Street, and Micaela's go-to: the iced Spear latte. (Micaela Ricaforte) *"A Spear latte — with hazelnut and white chocolate syrup — from Café Oro Dos Aztecas brought me back to life on a 104-degree afternoon this month."* The café, tucked into Main Street downtown, is the work of owner Ricardo Gallegos, who spent years running coffee pop-ups before opening the brick-and-mortar shop earlier this year. His beans are sourced from three farms back in Veracruz, Mexico — a place close to his heart — and the signature drink, "The Spear," takes its name from the obsidian spears of Aztec tradition, meant to represent a strong, balanced pour. Between the Aztec calendar art on the walls, the local artist features, and a menu built on family history, it's easy to see why one iced drink was enough to turn Micaela's whole afternoon around. ## Amy's Best Thing: The Moscow Mule at Heroes Restaurant & Brewery ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-3-5.jpg) A small Moscow Mule and a half Your Godfather sandwich. (Amy López) *"A perfectly prepared Moscow Mule by Rob at Heroes — perfectly balanced, sweet, spicy from the ginger, with just the right dash of bitters. I'm with Micaela on this one — it revived me after a scorching hot week."* Many Riversiders already know Heroes for plates big enough for the whole table to share — sandwiches and salads built for passing around. Amy and her husband are regulars at the tractor table, and they keep coming back for the same reasons: the awesome staff, blessedly cool AC in the summer months, and a kitchen that never gets it wrong. They may not be serving bespoke beverages, but the community there makes every visit feel a little extra special. ## Norm's Best Thing: A Visit From the Twins ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/3-3.jpg) Twin granddaughters Davina and Luli, more interested in kitchen utensils than actual toys. (Norm Ellstrand) *"The best thing that happened to Tracy and me in August was the visit to Riverside of our twin granddaughters, Davina and Luli — as well as their parents! Who knew that kitchen utensils could make such good toys!"* Sometimes the best thing in town doesn't come with a menu. A mixing bowl, a colander, and a couple of curious little hands turned an ordinary living room into the highlight of the month. ## Rosy's Best Thing: Picking Cherries Near UCR ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/1-6.jpg) A basket brimming with cherries picked near UCR. (Rosy Aranda) *"Picking cherries near UCR. Always the best time gathering as a community."* A full basket says it all — a good haul, gathered alongside people who made the time together the real reward. ## Ken's Best Thing: Chris Murray at Thunder Clap Sounds ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/2-4.jpg) Chris Murray performing at Thunder Clap Sounds, Brüe Crüe. (Zach Cordner) *"Even the most loyal lovers of Riverside spend August wishing they were somewhere else. It has been hot. Between trying to keep from melting and the upset in family rhythm that comes with the start of the school year, August is somewhere between a blur and a daze.* *The best thing I did this August was see Chris Murray at Thunder Clap Sounds at Brüe Crüe, on the western edge of town on Sterling Avenue. Murray has three decades of rocksteady, reggae and ska behind him and needs only an acoustic guitar to keep a crowd dancing."* Thunder Clap runs the third Thursday of every month, and September looks like it'll be worth clearing your calendar for — Mucho Gusto, the arts collective behind the North Park festival, takes over the programming on the 17th with DJ sets and a special guest band. ### 🍊Your Riverside Weekend- August 29, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/your-riverside-weekend-august-29-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-29T12:00:46.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/02/_DSC5738.jpg) **Your Riverside Weekend- August 29, 2026** **Happy Saturday, Riverside!** We hope your week treated you well. Before you head into your weekend, we've gathered the stories that defined life in our city this week — from City Hall to community happenings. You're in the right place to catch up — your weekend starts here. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260829)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260829&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [Council Approves Veterans Tech Training Deal with Data Center Piece ScrappedCouncil members split 4-0-3 on the iVETS/StemWorx workforce deal after staff cut a data center provision that had stalled it.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-987783c2-efa1-4bd2-a6be-dc6f784f6e6a.png)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/5-3-84f790d4-3e26-40df-b267-eeb9bb8b9f5f.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-approves-veterans-tech-training-deal-with-data-center-piece-scrapped/) [City Proclaims Dell Roberts Day at Packed Council MeetingA large crowd filled council chambers to honor Adrian Dell Roberts for decades of service to Riverside.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-8dfba351-f599-4058-950b-eabb39c7ac0c.png)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-5-6-2486bde1-1cec-4763-b4f5-2f0dcd3dea9e.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-proclaims-dell-roberts-day-at-packed-council-meeting/) [Lighthouse of Hope Foundation Honored as City Marks National Nonprofit DayThe Ward 5 nonprofit was honored for its food and clothing distributions across the city.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-a2dba4cc-6689-4fc5-b860-15ac226eb211.png)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-6-1-7870735b-6ca5-45d9-832a-1e5cf74f8360.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/lighthouse-of-hope-foundation-honored-as-city-marks-national-nonprofit-day/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260829)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260829&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [RiversideTV Airs High School, RCC Football Games Live Throughout SeasonFriday Night Pep Rally will air highlights and scores from games across the city every Friday night at 11 p.m.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-60fcef4f-b838-4b11-ba06-8480d0731fdd.png)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-4-3-86428921-bc7f-4877-b4da-d7e56bd8ebbe.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversidetv-airs-high-school-rcc-football-games-live-throughout-season/) [Janet Goeske Foundation Wins $100,000 Grant After Community RalliesThe Riverside senior services nonprofit overcame a voting setback to claim first place in Harrah’s All-In 4 Change Grant Contest.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-7b68e151-cc3d-4769-94ae-08cb8d9dd6d6.png)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-10-32654fda-4769-4ca1-be44-89bf0660056f.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/janet-goeske-foundation-wins-100-000-grant-after-community-rallies/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260829) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260829&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Weather Forecast ☀️ Sunday, August 30 — 97° / 66° · Sunny ☀️ Monday, August 31 — 95° / 66° · Sunny ⛅ Tuesday, September 1 — 94° / 68° · Mostly Cloudy ☁️ Wednesday, September 2 — 94° / 69° · Cloudy 🌤️ Thursday, September 3 — 96° / 70° · AM Clouds/PM Sun ⛅ Friday, September 4 — 97° / 69° · Partly Cloudy ⛅ Saturday, September 5 — 98° / 70° · Partly Cloudy 😮‍💨 Good news, Riverside — we're back in the 90s instead of the 100s this week, which counts as a cold front around here. Still, "cooler" is relative when it's 98° on Saturday. There's a meme going around about how the favorite fall activity is simply not sweating, and honestly, same. Stay hydrated and sunscreened out there! **Fair warning:* we're not meteorologists! Our forecasts are pulled from public weather data as a little extra for our readers. For the most current conditions, your favorite weather app knows more than we do — but we'll always do our best to help you plan your weekend.* ☀️ --- ## 💬 The Watercooler — Gazette staff, freelancers, and community contributors share what's on their minds this week 🌡️ **Justin** is excited for two days in a row with Riverside temperatures back to double digits. ☕️ **Sarah**'s friend introduced her to her new favorite drink at Mikey G’s—the Lightning Milk with tiramisu cold foam—and is now wondering how much is *too much* weekly consumption. 😡 **Amy** has had it with this heat, and she's fairly certain the entire Inland Empire feels the same way. Saturday is errands before 9am while it's bearable, then the rest of the weekend will be in the pool or in the AC. --- ## Save the Date - Aug 29: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-29T07) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 29: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-29T09) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 30: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-30T08) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 31: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-31T19) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 2: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-09-02T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - Sep 3: [Orange Street Mural Unveiling](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-street-mural-unveiling/19578974/2026-09-03T18) at Main Museum Pedestrian Walkway (Orange Street) - Sep 4: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-09-04T07) at Zacatecas Café - Sep 9: [FREE Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - Sep 13: [Welcome Back Party!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/welcome-back-party/19726269/2026-09-13T10) at First Congregational Church of Riverside - Sep 18: [Open Mic Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/open-mic-night/19553682/2026-09-18T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - Sep 25: [Moon Festival](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/moon-festival/19501541/2026-09-25T18) at Heritage House - Oct 3: [Aquamotion Aquathon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/aquamotion-aquathon/19617601/2026-10-03T09) at Shamel Pool - Oct 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center - Nov 14: [Riverside Veterans Parade](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-veterans-parade/19624354/2026-11-14T10) \- Downtown Riverside/Market St. 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Chances Are URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/chances-are/ Last updated: 2026-08-29T12:00:43.000Z Welcome back, you curtain-calling choreographers! [Last week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-big-reveal/) we stood on our mark between concealed and revealed. Our audience may applaud; the scenery might fall over. Will anyone notice we’ve entered from the wrong side of the stage? When a curtain opens, we know something is about to happen. We just don’t always know what. This week let’s welcome the element of chance onto the stage. My first memorable encounters with chance came from board games. In Monopoly, drawing a Chance card usually brings something advantageous, but it could also bring financial disaster. Will I advance to the nearest railroad, head directly to jail or discover that every property has been reassessed? No different than chance in real life, I cannot predict what’s coming, but I will be ready when it arrives. Chance sometimes gets confused with giving up control. Welcoming it doesn’t mean handing over the keys and telling fate to drive. It means noticing that accidents, coincidences, unexpected materials and unplanned encounters have always helped nudge us onto paths we might not have selected for ourselves. Chance is already an important collaborator in my outdoor assemblage work. Most of those exhibits are made from things I find after I arrive. I may bring an idea, but the location supplies the materials. Weather factors in too. Wind brings in the greatest element of chance, removing or adding things after I thought I was finished. Chance becomes another collaborator. It doesn’t get final approval, but it does get a vote. I’m less tolerant of chance when I write. I don’t want to pull a random collection of words out of a bag. When I sit down to write, I expect access to all the letters, words and punctuation marks. Technology reduces chance by surrounding us with more of what we already like. Social media feeds, recommendation systems and chatbots can narrow the world into a very comfortable hallway. I’ve found that a little intention pairs nicely with chance; getting the recipe just right is a work in progress. I recently trained a chatbot to find news I might be in the mood for. That day I was gardening and getting my English classes ready for the Fall term at Riverside City College. It found interesting articles directly related to my activities that day; unprompted it added something about recycling that connected with my artwork. The machine didn’t eliminate chance; it increased my chances of encountering something meaningful to me. Different creative practices require different amounts of uncertainty. Here are five ways to adjust the setting: 1. **Curated Serendipity:** Choose two things currently occupying your attention—gardening and artificial intelligence, cooking and local history, baseball and birdhouses. Ask a chatbot, a co-worker, or friend to find a connection between them. Spend five minutes with your favorite beverage following wherever that takes you. 2. **Follow a Color:** Notice the first bright color you see after stepping outside. Do your best to remember that color and notice it across your day. Take photos of your finds or write a diary entry to yourself about how it felt to focus on something different for a change. 3. **Let the Location Choose:** Gather three safe, ordinary things already within reach. Don’t select the best three; use the first three you notice. Arrange them into a temporary sculpture that suggests movement, conflict or cooperation. Give it a title before returning everything to its regularly scheduled life. 4. **Abstract Movement:** Make marks on paper for one minute using ink, paint, pencil or anything from the fridge. When a smear, wobble or unintended line appears, stop treating it as a mistake. Make it the most important part of the composition. 5. **Open to Interpretation:** Open a physical book, magazine or newspaper to a random page and point without looking. Look around your location and randomly point at an object. Place the object on display as a work of art and use the random word as its title. See what happens. Chance is already influencing our lives. Invited or not. it introduces us to new people, places, and things…and occasionally sends us directly to jail without passing Go. Embracing chance isn’t giving up. It is accepting that our creative lives have more than one author. Perhaps the best creative role we can play today is willing collaborator. This week, leave a little room in your plans for the idea, object or encounter you didn’t know you needed. *This column was written with help from ChatGPT. I asked it to surprise me, and it helpfully organized the surprise into three bullet points.* ### Council Approves $7.7M in Street Repairs, Advances Third Street Rail Underpass Project URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-approves-7-7m-in-street-repairs-advances-third-street-rail-underpass-project/ Last updated: 2026-09-01T11:59:28.000Z The City Council this week signed off on two major infrastructure investments that will reshape how Riversiders get around: a $7.7 million contract to repave dozens of miles of city streets and install 165 new safety features, and a series of agreements totaling nearly $10 million to keep the long-planned [Third Street rail underpass](https://riversideca.gov/publicworks/third-street-grade-separation-project?ref=raincrossgazette.com) moving toward construction. Work on the five street segments included in the project should begin within the next few months, while construction on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway tracks on Third Street is estimated to begin January 2027. ### Street repairs and bollards Council awarded a $7.6 million construction contract to Onyx Paving Company of Yorba Linda for the 2025/26 SB-1 Street Maintenance Improvements and Downtown Bollards Installation project. The company has 130 working days to finish once work begins. The project is paid for largely through SB-1, the 2017 state law that raised gas taxes and vehicle registration fees for local road repairs. The city has received $59 million through the program since 2017, according to city staff. Crews will rehab 3.7 miles of [arterial streets](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15766597&GUID=6C72FE84-6C08-417F-A805-4B0F8BBB6C47&ref=raincrossgazette.com) — including sections of Day Street, Brockton Avenue, Wood Road, La Sierra Avenue and Washington Street — and resurface another 2.7 miles of [neighborhood streets](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15766606&GUID=3CD66D61-0332-4555-B0A4-D2B0690F3D2B&ref=raincrossgazette.com), plus rebuild damaged curbs, gutters, sidewalks and pedestrian ramps along the way. Downtown, the project adds 132 bollards along Main Street to improve pedestrian safety, along with 26 new stop signs and seven solar-powered speed feedback signs around the city. Ahead of the vote on Tuesday, Council member Philip Falcone pressed staff on why contractor-installed street signs tend to crack and fade faster than the ones made in the city's own sign shop. “I know I'm a sign freak, but it's very visible,” Falcone said. Public Works Director Nathan Mustafa said inspectors have found some contractors skipping a protective UV coating and pledged to double-check that contract specs match city standards. Falcone then moved to approve staff's recommendation, and the council passed it unanimously. ### Third Street rail underpass Separately, council approved a batch of agreements to keep the [Third Street Grade Separation project](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tyler-street-railroad-crossing-closure-plan-delayed-by-transportation-board/) moving forward. The project will lower Third Street between Vine Street and Park Avenue and build a bridge so BNSF trains pass overhead instead of [crossing at street level](https://www.riversideca.gov/publicworks/engineering/engineering/grade-separations?ref=raincrossgazette.com) — no more waiting for trains to clear the crossing. Council approved a three-year, $4.97 million agreement with DCCM Infrastructure of Riverside — which includes a 10% change-order contingency — to oversee construction; the firm negotiated its price down by nearly $1.5 million during the selection process. It also extended and expanded the city's contract with HDR Engineering, the project's original design firm, by $473,625 to provide ongoing support during construction. To help cover a funding gap, council also increased a regional funding agreement with the Western Riverside Council of Governments by about $4.3 million, bringing that pot to just over $18 million. The project has already lined up roughly $40 million in outside state and federal grants. Design and right-of-way work are done, and the project is now headed toward bidding. Construction is expected to start in January 2027 and to take about two years. ### Board Recommends Ending Underused EV Rate, Lifting Solar Cap URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/board-recommends-ending-underused-ev-rate-lifting-solar-cap/ Last updated: 2026-08-31T12:00:43.000Z Riverside's Board of Public Utilities voted unanimously Monday to recommend closing an electric vehicle charging rate that never caught on; it also backed lifting the cap on the city's rooftop solar program and updating three electric rules covering service hookups, master metering and utility access to customer properties. ### A charging rate few customers used The Domestic Electric Vehicle Separately Metered rate, known as Schedule EV, has been open to new customers since January 2019\. It let residents run their household electricity on a standard rate while their EV charging was billed separately under time-of-use pricing, with cheaper rates overnight. However, the idea never took off. Riverside Public Utilities received 219 applications over the life of the program, but only 30 customers completed the installation and inspection process — an implementation rate of about 14%. That customer count hasn't budged in four years, according to Brian Seinturier, the utility's assistant general manager of finance and administration, who presented the item to the board. Seinturier said the shortfall traces back largely to the equipment. The rate requires a dedicated meter adapter, and many customers' electrical panels were too large for it to work. "The adapters just didn't work out as good as we intended," Seinturier told board member Peter Wohlgamuth, who asked whether the rate had ever functioned as planned. Wohlgamuth pressed further, asking whether a newer adapter could revive the program. Seinturier said the utility looked into it and isn't aware of another option on the market. Under the board's recommendation, Schedule EV will close to new customers — along with the rebate that helped cover permitting and installation costs for the meter adapter. Customers already on the rate won't be affected, and Riverside will continue to offer its standard Domestic Time-of-Use rate — which Seinturier described as functionally similar — giving EV owners and other customers a lower overnight rate without requiring a second meter. ### Solar program has outgrown its cap The board also recommended lifting the capacity cap on the Self-Generation Program — the rate structure that has governed most of the city's rooftop solar customers since November 2022. Riverside created the Self-Generation Program after outgrowing its original net energy metering program, which was capped under state law at 32 megawatts of installed capacity. The newer program set a combined cap of 64 megawatts covering both remaining net-metering customers and newer self-generation customers, and that combined capacity has since climbed to 72 megawatts — exceeding the cap. Seinturier said the program is functioning as intended and staff recommended removing the cap altogether so eligible customers can keep adding solar. Board member Tom Evans asked staff to explain a presentation chart showing legacy net-metering customers shrinking as self-generation customers grow. Seinturier said that shift was intentional: net metering closed to new customers in 2022, and existing customers move over to the self-generation program if they expand their solar system by more than 25%, replace it, or if a new resident moves into a property with an existing system. Net metering provided "a pretty large subsidy" for solar customers that other ratepayers effectively covered, Seinturier said. The newer program was designed to reduce that cost shift. Board Chair Brian Siana noted that legacy net-metering customers have benefited as electric rates have risen over time, while the value of compensation under the newer self-generation program has declined. Board member Christian Cruz asked about billing mechanics, noting that net-metering customers true up annually each December, while self-generation customers are billed monthly with no annual reconciliation. ### Rule changes target ADUs, master metering and utility access The board additionally recommended updates to three electric rules: Electric Rule 11 — covering the design and fees for electric service facilities — will be revised to align with an existing rule on distribution system additions and to spell out requirements for accessory dwelling units. Efrain Mejia, the utility's electrical engineering manager, told the board the current rule doesn't clearly address ADU construction, including how many services a property may need, sizing limits and when an existing electrical service can be reused. "Our rules aren't really clear as to how to handle ADUs," Mejia said, adding that some single-phase services are limited to 600 amps even as some customers request larger 800-amp panels. Electric Rule 12 governs master metering. Under this arrangement a single meter serves an entire property — such as an apartment building or mobile home park — and the owner bills individual tenants directly. Under the change, Riverside Public Utilities will stop offering master metering to new accounts and developments, while existing master-metered properties will be unaffected. Evans confirmed with staff that current arrangements would remain in place. Staff also confirmed the utility — not the property owner — would own the distribution infrastructure up to the meter for any new individually metered developments. Electric Rule 13 — which addresses the utility's right to access customer properties to maintain and operate its infrastructure — will be revised to more clearly define the type of access allowed and to improve safety for utility crews. Mejia said crews are sometimes challenged when trying to reach utility lines, poles or equipment on private property, and that the utility typically gives 72 hours' notice before accessing a site. Evans and Cruz asked what recourse the utility has if a customer refuses access. Staff said the utility typically works directly with customers and, if necessary, involves the city attorney's office. The board's action — taken after a public hearing that drew no comment — sends the changes to the City Council for final approval. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- August 28, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-august-28-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-28T12:00:25.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/IMG_1101.jpeg) Charlene and family pose with Big Boy No. 4014 — the world's largest operating steam locomotive — during a visit to Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pennsylvania. (Charlene McKinley-Powell) **Friday Gazette: August 28, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Friday!** It's gonna be a warm weekend out there, so we've pulled together a few indoor ways to beat the heat. Tonight, head to [Paint Your Pet at Hangar 24 Brewing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-your-pet-at-hangar-24-brewing-sip-paint-support-shelter-pets/19557264/2026-08-28T18) for a laid back painting night that supports shelter pets while you sip and create. Saturday, the [Janet Goeske Center](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-08-29T09) is hosting a full day of bingo, prizes and all. And Sunday, the [Riverside Art Museum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summer-zine-workshop-series-with-brookes-reeder/19149878/2026-08-30T13) offers a free zine workshop with Brookes Reeder, no experience needed. Check out our [community calendar](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/) for even more ways to spend the weekend. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260828)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260828&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CITY HALL](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/city-hall/) ## Council Approves Veterans Tech Training Deal with Data Center Piece Scrapped Council members split 4-0-3 on the iVETS/StemWorx workforce deal after staff cut a data center provision that had stalled it. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/5-4.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-approves-veterans-tech-training-deal-with-data-center-piece-scrapped/) Riverside will fund veteran tech training after council removed a second-phase data center provision from the original deal. **Why it matters:** Veterans and other residents can enroll in training for jobs in AI, robotics and quantum computing. The data center piece of the original proposal is gone for now, but a broader city debate over data centers continues into September. **Driving the news:** Council voted 4-0 Tuesday to approve the iVETS-StemWorx training agreement, two weeks after staff pulled it from the Aug. 11 agenda over the data center phase. - CEDD Director Miranda Evans said Tuesday's vote approves no construction, infrastructure or land-use changes. **By the numbers:** Three council members — Clarissa Cervantes, Philip Falcone and Luis Hernandez — abstained rather than voting yes or no. **What they're saying:** Cervantes cited "a little apprehension" over how drones and autonomous systems are used by police and other groups. Falcone, who's drafting a separate citywide data center ban, called Tuesday's timing "bad." **What's next:** The city's Land Use Committee takes up data center policy in September. Falcone's proposed ban is tentatively set for that committee Sept. 14. **Go deeper:** [Falcone's proposed data center ban](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-citywide-data-center-ban-could-be-coming-to-riverside/) [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-approves-veterans-tech-training-deal-with-data-center-piece-scrapped/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260828)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260828&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CITY HALL](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/city-hall/) ## Board Recommends Ending Underused EV Rate, Lifting Solar Cap The board also recommended updates to rules on ADUs, master metering and utility property access, sending all changes to City Council for final approval. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-4-5.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/board-recommends-ending-underused-ev-rate-lifting-solar-cap/) Riverside's utilities board recommended lifting rooftop solar limits, closing an unused EV charging rate and updating three electric service rules. **Why it matters:** If you're adding rooftop solar, the program can keep growing past its cap. EV rate customers already enrolled won't be affected, but new applicants lose the option, and ADU builders get clearer service rules. **What's new:** The Board of Public Utilities voted unanimously Monday to recommend three changes for City Council to finalize. - Lift the cap on the Self-Generation solar program, now at 72 megawatts — past its 64-megawatt limit. - Close the Schedule EV rate to new customers; only 30 of 219 applicants ever completed installation. - Revise rules on ADU electric service, master metering (closed to new accounts) and utility property access, including a 72-hour access notice standard. **Catch up quick:** Net metering closed to new solar customers in 2022 after Riverside hit the state's 32-megawatt cap. - Customers move to the newer self-generation program if they expand their system over 25%, replace it, or a new resident moves in. **Between the lines:** Riverside Public Utilities said net metering created "a pretty large subsidy" other ratepayers covered — part of why the newer program exists. - Board member Wohlgamuth asked if a newer meter adapter could revive Schedule EV; staff found no option on the market. **What's next:** The recommendations head to City Council for final approval; no hearing date has been set yet. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/board-recommends-ending-underused-ev-rate-lifting-solar-cap/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260828) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260828&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [SPONSORED STORY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/sponsored/) ## Riverside Unified's Early Learning Path: From Six Weeks to Kindergarten Transitional kindergarten's eligibility date has finally stopped moving. Here's how it fits with Riverside Unified's preschool and infant programs — and how families choose. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/ECE3-1.png)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-unifieds-early-learning-path-from-six-weeks-to-kindergarten/) An RUSD early-childhood staff member builds stacking-block towers with young students — the kind of play-based learning teachers say helps lay the groundwork for kindergarten. (Photo courtesy of Riverside Unified School District) For years, figuring out whether a Riverside child was old enough for transitional kindergarten (TK) meant checking a birthday against a cutoff that kept moving. As California phased in universal TK, the date shifted year to year, and many parents gave up tracking it. That part is over. Heading into 2026-27, eligibility is consistent: a child who turns 4 by Sept. 1 can enroll in transitional kindergarten, full stop. "Now that the age requirement is stable year to year, Riverside families can plan their child's educational path with greater clarity and consistency," said Kristen Bristow, a teacher on special assignment in the elementary education office of Riverside Unified School District (RUSD). And TK — free and full-day — turns out to be only the top rung of a ladder many families never see in full. In Riverside Unified, a child's path into public school can begin as early as 6 weeks old. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-unifieds-early-learning-path-from-six-weeks-to-kindergarten/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Friday, August 28 - [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-28T07) at Zacatecas Café - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-08-28T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-and-heroes-walking-tour/19396626/2026-08-28T15) at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18) - [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-28T08) at Community Yoga Center - [Happy Hour Karaoke](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/happy-hour-karaoke-at-the-hideaway/19596724/2026-08-28T17) at The Hideaway - [La Luz](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/la-luz/19346724/2026-08-28T19) at Farm House Collective - [Paint Your Pet at Hangar 24 Brewing: Sip, Paint & Support Shelter Pets](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-your-pet-at-hangar-24-brewing-sip-paint-support-shelter-pets/19557264/2026-08-28T18) at Hangar 24 Brewing ($55) ### Saturday, August 29 - [Little LandUse Learners Spring/Summer Programming](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/little-landuse-learners-springsummer-programming/18501508/2026-08-29T10) at LandUse Learning Center - [ScotSurplus Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/scotsurplus-sale/19040309/2026-08-29T08) at Corporation Yard - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-08-29T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [Mt. Rubidoux Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mt-rubidoux-walking-tour/19390096/2026-08-29T08) at Mt. Rubidoux Trailhead, a short walk from Ryan Bonaminio Park. ($21.20) - [Amor Prohibido - Tribute to Selena](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/amor-prohibido-tribute-to-selena/19438780/2026-08-29T19) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium - [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-29T07) at Community Yoga Center - [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-29T09) at Community Yoga Center - [Low-Cost Vaccination Clinic](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/lowcost-vaccination-clinic/19030194/2026-08-29T09) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($10- $28) ### Sunday, August 30 - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-08-30T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Summer Zine Workshop Series with Brookes Reeder](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summer-zine-workshop-series-with-brookes-reeder/19149878/2026-08-30T13) at Riverside Art Museum - [Take and Make Craft: Paper Aquarium](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/take-and-make-craft-paper-aquarium/19638109/2026-08-30T10) at Arlington library - [Sunday Experiment After Dark](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sunday-experiment-after-dark/14528750/2026-08-30T21) at Downtown Experiment ## Save the Date - Aug 31: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-31T19) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 31: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-31T08) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 2: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-09-02T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - Sep 3: [Orange Street Mural Unveiling](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-street-mural-unveiling/19578974/2026-09-03T18) at Main Museum Pedestrian Walkway (Orange Street) - Sep 4: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-09-04T07) at Zacatecas Café - Sep 5: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-09-05T07) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 5: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-09-05T09) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 9: [FREE Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - Sep 13: [Welcome Back Party!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/welcome-back-party/19726269/2026-09-13T10) at First Congregational Church of Riverside - Sep 18: [Open Mic Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/open-mic-night/19553682/2026-09-18T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - Sep 25: [Moon Festival](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/moon-festival/19501541/2026-09-25T18) at Heritage House - Oct 3: [Aquamotion Aquathon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/aquamotion-aquathon/19617601/2026-10-03T09) at Shamel Pool - Oct 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center - Nov 14: [Riverside Veterans Parade](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-veterans-parade/19624354/2026-11-14T10) \- Downtown Riverside/Market St. 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Riverside Unified's Early Learning Path: From Six Weeks to Kindergarten URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-unifieds-early-learning-path-from-six-weeks-to-kindergarten/ Last updated: 2026-08-30T12:00:40.000Z For years, figuring out whether a Riverside child was old enough for transitional kindergarten (TK) meant checking a birthday against a cutoff that kept moving. As California phased in universal TK, the date shifted year to year, and many parents gave up tracking it. That part is over. Heading into 2026-27, eligibility is consistent: a child who turns 4 by Sept. 1 can enroll in transitional kindergarten, full stop. "Now that the age requirement is stable year to year, Riverside families can plan their child's educational path with greater clarity and consistency," said Kristen Bristow, a teacher on special assignment in the elementary education office of Riverside Unified School District (RUSD). And TK — free and full-day — turns out to be only the top rung of a ladder many families never see in full. In Riverside Unified, a child's path into public school can begin as early as 6 weeks old. ### It can start at six weeks The first step on this ladder is one not commonly associated with a school district: care for infants and toddlers. The Lincoln Early Impact Program, based at Abraham Lincoln High School at 4341 Victoria Ave., serves infants from 6 weeks to 18 months and toddlers from 18 months to 3 years — up to eight infants and eight toddlers at a time. The program's reason for existing goes back to the 1990s, when it was built to help RUSD students who were themselves parents stay in school and finish their diplomas by removing one of the hardest obstacles they faced: finding trustworthy child care. It closed from 2011 to 2015, then came back after community members pushed to restore it. Its infant and toddler classrooms are fully licensed. The program still prioritizes pregnant and parenting students, but it also serves other qualifying families in the community as capacity allows. Patricia Tran, coordinator of Riverside Unified's Early Childhood Programs, said the payoff shows up across generations. She recalled a mother who had gone through the program as a child returning years later to enroll her own grandchild; spotting a staff member, the woman "gave her a big hug and shared how much the program had meant to her family." "Those moments remind us that we're doing more than preparing children for kindergarten," Tran said. ### The middle rung: preschool The next step up is preschool, for children roughly 33 months to 4 years old, offered in full- and part-day formats at 17 of the district's campuses — including a Spanish-language preschool at Mountain View Elementary. The programs are free for families who qualify on income, with a subsidized partial-payment option for families above the state's income ceilings. (Some of this preschool is delivered through the federal Head Start and California State Preschool programs, which the district runs alongside its own subsidized classrooms.) One obstacle parents expect here often isn't real. "One thing many families don't realize is their child doesn't need to be toileting fully independently to enroll in our preschool programs," Tran said. "Our staff are experienced in supporting students through this stage of development, so it's not a barrier." Tran points to a couple of markers for the district's preschool work: a 2020 Golden Bell Award from the California School Boards Association for what she describes as a child-centered approach, and top-tier ratings from Quality Start Riverside County across nearly all its preschool sites. ### The top rung: a free grade for every 4-year-old ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/ECE4.png) A young student celebrates a counting activity with a high-five. Enrollment for 2026-27 is open now. (Photo courtesy of Riverside Unified School District) At the top sits transitional kindergarten. Any child who turns 4 by Sept. 1, 2026, is eligible for the 2026-27 year, and the program is free, full-day, and available at all 30 RUSD elementary schools — meaning a TK student goes to their neighborhood school and becomes part of its wider community from the start. Getting to a seat at every school took years. "It meant close coordination between our facilities, human resources and instructional services teams to make sure every school was ready to welcome these students," Bristow said, describing a site-by-site build-out of classrooms and staffing. Having that extra year in a school setting before kindergarten can make a meaningful difference, said Blossom Marshall, a TK teacher at Victoria Elementary School. "TK is the gift of time," Marshall said. "Time for your child to build a strong foundation where they get used to playing and sharing with other children as well as adults. Time to learn how to go to school: play on the playground, eat in the cafeteria, be a friend, share — all through play-based learning, which, as research tells us, is the best way to learn." Bristow argues the head start is measurable, pointing to a study by the American Institutes for Research that she said found children who attended TK outperformed their peers on early literacy and math skills entering kindergarten. ### Preschool or TK? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/ECE2.png) A child works with modeling clay during hands-on play at a Riverside Unified preschool, offered in full- and part-day formats at 17 district campuses. (Photo courtesy of Riverside Unified School District) With more than one option open to a 4-year-old, plenty of families land on the same question: which one? Tran knows there isn't a single right answer. "Ultimately, the decision between preschool and Transitional Kindergarten comes down to parent choice, and our role is to make sure families understand the options available to them," she said. Preschool is a more self-contained early-childhood setting with part-day and full-day options; TK puts a child on a home-school campus alongside elementary school students of all ages. Families weighing the two are encouraged to think about their child's needs and learning style, and to call their home school or the[ Early Childhood Programs office](https://www.riversideunified.org/departments/instructional-services/early-childhood-programs?ref=raincrossgazette.com), which can answer questions and, when possible, schedule a classroom visit. RUSD is not the only early-education option in Riverside. Families can also apply for Head Start and Early Head Start through the Riverside County Office of Education, which runs the income-based programs for children from birth to 5; for the California State Preschool Program at licensed centers around the county; and for private preschools and licensed child care. What the district offers, Bristow said, is a free public path from preschool through TK to kindergarten, taught by credentialed teachers using a curriculum aligned to the state's Preschool/Transitional Kindergarten Learning Foundations. ### How and when to enroll Families new to RUSD can register year-round. If your child is eligible for Transitional Kindergarten or Kindergarten and you're new to the district, [register here](https://bit.ly/RUSDTKregistration?ref=raincrossgazette.com).For preschool and the Lincoln Early Impact Program, use the district's[ Hubbe Parent Portal](https://bit.ly/RUSDearlychildhood?ref=raincrossgazette.com); after families upload the required documents, the district typically follows up within about two weeks to set an appointment. Families who'd rather enroll in person can do it at their school of residence or get help at the district's Family Resource Center. The window for the following year, 2027-28, opens in spring 2027. For the youngest programs, Tran's advice is simple: don't wait for a perfect moment. "We encourage families to apply as soon as they know they are interested," she said — the infant and toddler seats are the scarcest on the ladder. **More information:* Riverside Unified School District is at 3380 14th St., Riverside, CA 92501, with offices open 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For transitional kindergarten,*[ *register here*](https://bit.ly/RUSDTKregistration?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *or contact Kristen Bristow at 951-788-7135 or kbristow@riversideunified.org. For preschool and the Lincoln Early Impact Program, visit the*[ *Hubbe Parent Portal*](https://bit.ly/RUSDearlychildhood?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *or call 951-352-8290\. The district is on Instagram and Facebook at @RiversideUSD.* ### Council Approves Veterans Tech Training Deal with Data Center Piece Scrapped URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-approves-veterans-tech-training-deal-with-data-center-piece-scrapped/ Last updated: 2026-08-30T11:59:21.000Z The City Council brought back a veterans' job-training deal on Tuesday two weeks after city staff pulled it from the agenda over a data center provision that has since been scrapped. The council voted 4-0 — with three abstentions from Council members Clarissa Cervantes, Philip Falcone and Luis Hernandez — to approve an agreement with the Institute for Veterans & Emerging Technology Skills (iVETS) and StemWorx Inc. to train veterans and other Riverside residents for careers in fields like quantum computing, AI, robotics and semiconductors. The original proposal included a second phase that would have explored building a data center in Riverside, run by StemWorx and staffed by veterans. Staff pulled that item from the Aug. 11 agenda in response to council discussion and comments received after the Economic Development Committee reviewed the proposal in June, CEDD Director Miranda Evans told the council Tuesday. The agreement still lists broader "emerging technology" fields the training program will cover, including AI and large language models, smart cities, fusion energy, drones, autonomous systems and advanced manufacturing — but Evans said Tuesday's vote doesn't approve any construction, infrastructure or land use changes. Cervantes asked to pull the item for discussion, saying she still supports the veterans' training piece but wanted more clarity on how references to AI, drones and autonomous systems might change as the partnership grows. "I'm going to personally abstain until we could see what other future items that we have coming from some council members around data centers and how that could impact Riverside and our constituents," Cervantes said, adding she still had "a little apprehension" about how drone and autonomous-systems technology is being used by law enforcement and other groups. Falcone also abstained; he has been drafting a citywide data center ban that predates the iVETS proposal but picked up urgency after the project's original data center phase became public. He said that "there's too many things happening simultaneously" and called the timing of Tuesday's vote "bad." Ward 3 Councilmember Steven Robillard, who chairs the Economic Development Committee, made the motion to approve the deal, seconded by Ward 4 Councilmember Chuck Conder. Robillard pushed back on framing the proposal as tied to a large-scale data center, noting the city already runs server rooms in its own buildings, and said the agreement is limited to the training piece. "This MOU as it stands, which is phase one, it's not opening the door to anything that's scary," Robillard said. "It's just getting people the workforce training that they need in a changing economy." Evans said the city's separate Land Use Committee conversation on data centers is expected in September, but that discussion is unrelated to Tuesday's vote. [Falcone's proposed data center ban](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-citywide-data-center-ban-could-be-coming-to-riverside/) is tentatively set to reach the same committee Sept. 14, and any future data center proposal tied to the iVETS partnership would need separate council approval. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- August 27, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-august-20-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-27T12:00:19.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/IMG_3854.jpeg) Bob and Charlotte McKenzie spent four nights at a remote chalet in Purcell Lodge, BC, reachable only by helicopter, taking in mountain views on their hiking vacation. (Charlotte McKenzie) **Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and tell us a bit of what you experienced](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **Thursday Gazette: August 27, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Thursday!** Today is National Burger Day, so let's talk about the essentials. A delicious burger starts with a juicy, well seasoned patty, gets a good melt of cheese, and comes together with fresh toppings and a bun that can actually hold it all without falling apart. Some people like it classic with lettuce, tomato, and pickles. Others go bold with unique twists, think fusion flavors or unexpected toppings that turn a classic into something new. So where do you get yours? Whether it's a neighborhood spot you've loved for years or a new favorite you just discovered [let us know where Riverside should be getting its burgers](mailto:newsroom@raincrossgazette.com). Here's what else is happening around town. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260827)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260827&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CITY HALL](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/city-hall/) ## Riverside Council Delays Vote on Water Rules for Decorative Grass The council voted unanimously to give staff up to 90 days to detail the cost of complying with a 2023 state law banning irrigation of nonfunctional grass. [![green grass field](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1558904541-efa843a96f01?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDN8fGFydGlmaWNpYWwlMjBncmFzc3xlbnwwfHx8fDE3ODc3ODAxMjB8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-council-delays-vote-on-water-rules-for-decorative-grass/) ([Petar Tonchev](https://unsplash.com/@ptonchev?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) Riverside will hold off adopting new water-conservation rules for 90 days after council members demanded a fuller accounting of what compliance will cost. **Why it matters:** Commercial, industrial and institutional property owners — plus HOAs — will eventually have to phase out nonfunctional turf under state law, but the city just bought itself more time to spell out what that will cost you. **Driving the news:** Council voted unanimously Tuesday to continue the item up to 90 days after Ward 5 Councilmember Sean Mill challenged staff's characterization of the ordinance as having "no fiscal impact." - Mill called the requirement an unfunded state mandate and asked staff to count how many Riverside properties would be affected before a final vote. **By the numbers:** A Metropolitan Water District rebate that paid **$7 per square foot** for turf removal ran out last year; its replacement, now **$4 per square foot**, is nearly fully claimed, as is RPU's matching commercial funding. **Yes, but:** Council members split on the underlying law. Councilmember Philip Falcone backed it, pointing to free turf removals at several Ward 1 churches and a park, while Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes said switching away from turf could lower long-term water bills for HOAs and businesses despite upfront costs. **What's next:** Staff have up to 90 days to return with cost and enforcement estimates, an affected-property count, hardship protections and clear standards for what counts as "functional" turf before council takes a final vote. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-council-delays-vote-on-water-rules-for-decorative-grass/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260827)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260827&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## City Proclaims Dell Roberts Day at Packed Council Meeting A large crowd filled council chambers to honor Adrian Dell Roberts for decades of service to Riverside. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-5-7.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-proclaims-dell-roberts-day-at-packed-council-meeting/) Adrian Dell Roberts speaks at the podium as countless supporters fill City Council chambers Aug. 25 for the proclamation of Dell Roberts Day. (Micaela Ricaforte) Riverside packed City Hall to honor Dell Roberts, a 90-year-old community icon, with his own day. **Why it matters:** Roberts spent decades mentoring Riverside youth through Parks and Recreation, and a new Eastside gymnasium will carry his name — a lasting mark on a man who's called Riverside home for 81 years. **The backstory:** Roberts graduated Poly High in 1955, then joined Riverside Parks and Recreation, launching decades of youth work across the city. - He's led the RCC Foundation Board, the Bordwell Park Advisory Committee and Black History Month parades since 1980. **By the numbers:** Roberts turns **90** this year after **81 years** in Riverside. - He's directed community Black History Month parades for **45 years** running. **What they're saying:** Police Chief Larry Gonzalez called Roberts a "community leader" who helped build trust between officers and residents. - Roberts thanked the packed chambers: "I've never wanted to be any other place." **The bottom line:** Council proclaimed Aug. 25 Dell Roberts Day, capping eight decades of service soon to be marked permanently by the Dell Roberts Gymnasium on the Eastside. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-proclaims-dell-roberts-day-at-packed-council-meeting/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260827) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260827&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Lighthouse of Hope Foundation Honored as City Marks National Nonprofit Day The Ward 5 nonprofit was honored for its food and clothing distributions across the city. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-6-2.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/lighthouse-of-hope-foundation-honored-as-city-marks-national-nonprofit-day/) Donna Sautia, founder and CEO of Lighthouse of Hope Foundation, holds the city's proclamation alongside Riverside City Council members, Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson and foundation staff and supporters after the Aug. 25 recognition. At right, a foundation representative holds a certificate of recognition from the California State Assembly. (Lighthouse of Hope Foundation Inc./[Instagram](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-proclaims-dell-roberts-day-at-packed-council-meeting/)) Riverside City Council proclaimed Aug. 17 National Nonprofit Day, honoring Lighthouse of Hope Foundation for its community work. **Why it matters:** If you've picked up food, clothing or diapers from a Riverside pop-up distribution, this nonprofit may be behind it. The council's honor spotlights groups filling gaps in city services. **Driving the news:** Councilmember Sean Mill read the proclamation at Tuesday's meeting, saying the mayor's office asked each councilmember to choose a nonprofit to honor this year. - Mill picked Lighthouse of Hope, based near Jackson Street and California Avenue in Ward 5. **What they're saying:** Mill praised the group's reach: "It's heartwarming to see the work that you guys do." - Founder and CEO Donna Sautia said the foundation runs pop-up distributions across the city at all hours. **The backstory:** National Nonprofit Day recognizes nonprofit staff, volunteers and advocates and encourages residents to volunteer, donate or share a group's mission. - Assemblymember Leticia Castillo's office also presented the foundation a state Assembly certificate. **Go deeper:** Lighthouse of Hope Foundation, 9085 California Ave. [lighthouseofhopeca.org](https://lighthouseofhopeca.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) | [lighthouseofhope.office@gmail.com](mailto:lighthouseofhope.office@gmail.com) [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/lighthouse-of-hope-foundation-honored-as-city-marks-national-nonprofit-day/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Human Relations Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/human-relations-commission/19647885/2026-08-27T18) at Riverside City Hall - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19516284/2026-08-27T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Past, Present, and Future: Bridging Memory and Modernity at the Museum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/past-present-and-future-bridging-memory-and-modernity-at-the-museum/19570614/2026-08-27T18) at Riverside Main Library - [Sight Unseen Reframed Exhibition Opening](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sight-unseen-reframed-exhibition-opening/19602744/2026-08-27T17) at Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California - [Women's Soccer vs. Utah Tech](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/womens-soccer-vs-utah-tech/19588061/2026-08-27T19) at UCR Soccer Stadium - [Linea Personal: TODO Ø NADA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/linea-personal-todo-nada/19346722/2026-08-27T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center ### Tomorrow - [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-28T07) at Zacatecas Café - [Paint Your Pet at Hangar 24 Brewing: Sip, Paint & Support Shelter Pets](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-your-pet-at-hangar-24-brewing-sip-paint-support-shelter-pets/19557264/2026-08-28T18) at Hangar 24 Brewing ($55) - [ANTESDE QUE NOS OLVIDEN EN RIVERSIDE](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/antesde-que-nos-olviden-en-riverside/19346725/2026-08-28T20) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-and-heroes-walking-tour/19396626/2026-08-28T15) at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18) - [Happy Hour Karaoke](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/happy-hour-karaoke-at-the-hideaway/19596724/2026-08-28T17) at Hideaway - [La Luz](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/la-luz/19346724/2026-08-28T19) at Farm House Collective ## Save the Date - Aug 29: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-29T07) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 29: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-29T09) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 30: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-30T08) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 31: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-31T19) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 2: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-09-02T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - Sep 3: [Orange Street Mural Unveiling](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-street-mural-unveiling/19578974/2026-09-03T18) at Main Museum Pedestrian Walkway (Orange Street) - Sep 4: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-09-04T07) at Zacatecas Café - Sep 9: [FREE Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - Sep 13: [Welcome Back Party!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/welcome-back-party/19726269/2026-09-13T10) at First Congregational Church of Riverside - Sep 18: [Open Mic Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/open-mic-night/19553682/2026-09-18T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - Sep 25: [Moon Festival](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/moon-festival/19501541/2026-09-25T18) at Heritage House - Oct 3: [Aquamotion Aquathon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/aquamotion-aquathon/19617601/2026-10-03T09) at Shamel Pool - Oct 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Riverside Council Delays Vote on Water Rules for Decorative Grass URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-council-delays-vote-on-water-rules-for-decorative-grass/ Last updated: 2026-08-28T21:45:56.000Z City Council members on Tuesday delayed a vote to update the city's water conservation rules to match [a 2023 state law](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-adopts-water-management-plans-no-new-restrictions-for-residents/) banning irrigation of purely decorative grass after council members sought a fuller cost accounting first. The council voted unanimously to continue the item for up to 90 days, directing staff to return with a fuller cost accounting before a final vote. The rules exempt single-family homeowners, applying only to commercial, industrial and institutional properties and common areas of homeowners associations (HOAs), other common-interest developments and community service organizations — and only to turf the state considers "nonfunctional," grass not used for recreation or gatherings, like median strips, business-park lawns and ornamental landscaping. Turf used for picnics, movie nights or other active use, including in HOA common areas, would be excluded, utilities staff said. ### What the law requires The proposed ordinance would bring city code into line with Assembly Bill 1572, a state law signed in 2023 that phases in a ban on using treated drinking water to irrigate nonfunctional turf, starting with government-owned property in 2027, extending to commercial, industrial and institutional properties in 2028, HOA and common-interest-development common areas in 2029, and disadvantaged-community public property in 2031 if state funding allows. The law also requires Riverside Public Utilities (RPU), as a public water system, to update its local rules by Jan. 1, 2027 and to notify customers of the change. The city faces potential state penalties if it doesn't adopt an updated ordinance by the end of this year, utilities staff told the council. ### Council pushes back on "no fiscal impact" The debate centered on the staff report's "no fiscal impact" line. Ward 5 Council member Sean Mill challenged that characterization, arguing the city will bear real enforcement and administrative costs. An RPU staff member told the council the ordinance itself doesn't carry a direct cost, but acknowledged enforcement would, as with any code requirement. Mill, who called the law an “unfunded mandate from Sacramento,” wanted compliance costs spelled out before the council votes. He asked staff for a count of how many Riverside businesses, HOAs and other properties would be affected; staff didn't have the figure but said outreach and assessments are underway. ### Rebates are running out A $7-per-square-foot Metropolitan Water District rebate offered last year ran out quickly, staff said. A replacement rebate through the water district, now $4 per square foot, is nearly fully subscribed, as is RPU's matching commercial funding, staff said. Property owners in disadvantaged communities or facing financial hardship have until 2031 to comply, and the utility can help customers apply for hardship consideration with the state, staff said. ### Split views on the underlying law Council members disagreed on the law itself. Ward 1 Councilmember Philip Falcone said he supported it, citing free turf removals at several churches and a Ward 1 park. "We have to get out of this 19th century mindset of the turf," Falcone said. Ward 2 Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes said she saw a potential upside: lower water bills for HOAs and businesses that switch away from turf, even with upfront conversion costs. Utilities staff agreed there's long-term savings potential, though staff didn't present that analysis to the [Board of Public Utilities](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/board-of-public-utilities-votes-to-close-agricultural-water-rate-to-new-applicants/) in July and will include it in the follow-up report. Ward 7 Councilmember Steve Hemenway asked whether turf used for HOA gatherings would be affected; staff confirmed active-use areas are excluded and HOAs will self-certify. Ward 3 Councilmember Steven Robillard asked staff to bring specific cost examples from real properties to illustrate the upfront-versus-long-term cost trade-off. Ward 4 Councilmember Chuck Conder voiced support for Mill's position before the vote, saying Mill had been "very eloquent" and "passionate" on the issue. Mill's motion, seconded by Cervantes, directs staff to return with a fuller cost and enforcement analysis, an affected-property count, compliance and rebate details, hardship protections, clear functional-turf standards, and confirmation the ordinance doesn't exceed what AB 1572 requires. ### Lighthouse of Hope Foundation Honored as City Marks National Nonprofit Day URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/lighthouse-of-hope-foundation-honored-as-city-marks-national-nonprofit-day/ Last updated: 2026-08-28T12:00:54.000Z The City Council marked National Nonprofit Day at its Aug. 25 meeting, proclaiming Aug. 17 as an annual day honoring Riverside nonprofits and presenting a certificate to the Lighthouse of Hope Foundation. Councilmember Sean Mill read the proclamation, saying the mayor's office asked each councilmember to choose a nonprofit to honor this year. He chose Lighthouse of Hope Foundation, located at Jackson Street and California Avenue in Ward 5\. "They just do amazing, amazing work in the community helping those in need," Mill said. "It's heartwarming to see the work that you guys do." According to the proclamation, National Nonprofit Day recognizes nonprofit staff, volunteers and advocates and encourages residents to support organizations through volunteering, donating or sharing their mission. Lighthouse of Hope Foundation also received a certificate of recognition from the office of Assemblymember Leticia Castillo on behalf of the California State Assembly. Donna Sautia, founder and CEO of Lighthouse of Hope, said the organization provides food, clothing, shoes, diapers and other necessities to residents through pop-up distributions across the city. "We're all over the city doing things late nights, early mornings, whatever we can do to continue to make sure that the community knows that we're there for them," Sautia said. In a [Facebook post](https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1503382305153290&set=pcb.1503382568486597) after the meeting, the foundation thanked the city, saying the honor "reflects our CEO's heart, leadership, and unwavering commitment to helping families and individuals throughout Riverside and beyond." **More information:* Lighthouse of Hope Foundation is located at 9085 California Ave. Learn more at* [*lighthouseofhopeca.org*](https://lighthouseofhopeca.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*, email* [*lighthouseofhope.office@gmail.com*](mailto:lighthouseofhope.office@gmail.com) *or call 951-977-6560.* ### City Proclaims Dell Roberts Day at Packed Council Meeting URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-proclaims-dell-roberts-day-at-packed-council-meeting/ Last updated: 2026-08-28T11:59:04.000Z A large crowd of Riversiders, city officials, community leaders, friends, family and mentees packed council chambers Aug. 25, filling every seat while others who couldn't fit inside waited nearby, as the council proclaimed the day in honor of Adrian Dell Roberts. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/img_7988_1024.jpg) Attendees and city officials rise for a standing ovation as Adrian Dell Roberts approaches the dais during the Aug. 25 City Council meeting. (Micaela Ricaforte) Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson opened the recognition by thanking resident Mary Welch for suggesting the tribute and told the crowd the council was "really pleased to recognize Dell for his service to our community and also proclaim this day in his honor." [The Raincross Gazette previously reported](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-to-honor-dell-roberts-with-day-celebrating-his-90th-birthday/) on the city's plans to honor Roberts for his 90th birthday. Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes, who represents Ward 2, said she had never seen a line wrapped around City Hall for someone's birthday celebration. "It's a testament to the community that you have touched here in Riverside," Cervantes said. "We could celebrate you today and that your name will be on the building for the Dell Roberts Gymnasium that is coming to East Side." Riverside County Supervisor Jose Medina, who met Roberts more than 30 years ago as a new teacher at Poly High School, also spoke, calling him a lifelong friend and mentor. "The history of Riverside and the history of Dell Roberts are so much interwoven," Medina said. "You can't talk about the history of Riverside without talking about the history of Dell Roberts." Police Chief Larry V. Gonzalez credited Roberts with helping build trust between the department and the community over decades. "The theme with Dell Roberts is the same words over and over: community leader," Gonzalez said. "He's a leader, he's a coach, a mentor, and to most of us in here, a friend." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/img_7974_1024.jpg) Police Chief Larry V. Gonzalez addresses the council and audience during the Dell Roberts Day proclamation Aug. 25\. (Micaela Ricaforte) Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, who represents the county's Second District, sent a recorded video message congratulating Roberts, recalling that he took her and other Black Student Union members on their first trip to Sacramento when she was a student at Poly High School. Mayor Lock Dawson then read the city's proclamation. According to the proclamation, Roberts graduated from Poly High School in 1955, where he competed in swimming, football and track. He began his career at Butcher Boy Foods before joining the City of Riverside Parks and Recreation Department at Lincoln Park, launching decades of work with the city's youth. He has held leadership roles with the Riverside City College (RCC) Foundation Board, the Bordwell Park Advisory Committee, the Salvation Army, the Youth Service Center and the Riverside Police Chiefs Advisory Committee, and has directed community parades for Black History Month since 1980\. The proclamation also recognized his wife, Carmen, and their four sons, Adrian, Glenn, Craig and Terrence. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/IMG_7993.jpg) Mayor Lock Dawson and City Council members join Adrian Dell Roberts for a group photo after the council proclaimed Aug. 25 as Dell Roberts Day. (Micaela Ricaforte) "Now therefore," the proclamation states, the city "does hereby congratulate Adrian Dell Roberts on the celebration of his 90th birthday and express our deepest gratitude for his extraordinary lifetime of service." Roberts, addressing the chambers, thanked his wife and the community. "I've been in Riverside 81 years and I came here when I was 9 years old," he said. "I can truthfully say, unlike some others, I've never wanted to be any other place. I love the city. I love the school system. I love everything about it." ### From Dead End to Third Space, Downtown Alley Set for Revival URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-dead-end-to-third-space-downtown-alley-set-for-revival/ Last updated: 2026-08-27T18:15:54.000Z In Riverside's bustling Downtown scenery, there is a section right in the middle - and it does not seem to belong. Situated near the Main Street Mall and 9th Street lies an abandoned alleyway, a stark juxtaposition to the bustling life around it. But recent plans are working to make it abandoned no longer. In 2019, the alleyway was created following the construction of the Main + Nine apartment building. Before then, the area was a parking lot. Currently, Councilmember Philip Falcone is leading efforts to redesign the alleyway, collaborating with the University of California, Riverside (UCR), Public Works and Arcade Coffee Roasters: UCR owns the land, Arcade Coffee Roasters will be responsible for opening and locking the alleyway daily, and Public Works will maintain the space. The planning began nine months ago, when Falcone reached out to UCR, pitching the idea to the Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (CHASS) at UCR and UCR's Director of Facilities. With the green light from the partners, the project is now divided into two distinct, consecutive phases. "Phase 1 will include a decorative arched entry gate entitled 'Main Street Alley' along with tables and chairs and large potted plants and trees," Falcone said. "Phase 2 will add more vibrancy to the space with café lighting, or suspended colorful umbrellas, or murals, or colorful banners—any of these are on the table to be potential additions." As of right now, the biggest focus is accessibility. "The top priority right now is to get it open and usable," Falcone said. Once in use, the alleyway itself will only be accessible through one side, unlike its current layout. "The alleyway will not go all the way through," Falcone said. "It will only be accessible from Main Street. And will serve as an offshoot of the Main Street Pedestrian Mall." Considering the lack of seats at Arcade Coffee Roasters, Falcone expects the new space to provide additional room for customers. "Getting a table at Arcade Coffee can sometimes be a challenge due to how popular this shop is," Falcone explained. "The seating in this alleyway will add at least a dozen more tables and also will make this a usable event space for UCR Arts or others." The alleyway will serve as a "third space" - a place beyond the traditional spaces of work and home, where individuals can come to work, relax, and interact with others. Additionally, the place can be used for city events. "This alleyway is creating a 'third space,' which is a physical community gathering spot separate from home (the first place) and work (the second place) where people can meet and connect," Falcone said. "It will add more usable/programable space for events like Arts Walk, Festival of Lights, for people who rent out UCR Arts for special events, and just everyday overflow seating." Beyond the alleyway, the space is part of Falcone's broader mission to utilize unused space Downtown. "It has long since been a passion project of mine to utilize this space," Falcone said. "Every inch of our downtown should be treated as valuable space that should be activated, so having this space inaccessible next to one of downtown's busiest coffee shops always annoyed me. I am passionate about urban planning so projects like this are always on my mind." According to Falcone, the public can expect the "third space" to open before the start of the Festival of Lights. Looking ahead, Falcone has already set his eyes on renovation for another alleyway: Whittier Place. "There is another alleyway conversion happening with Whittier Place between White Park and the Center for Social Justice and Civil Liberties, funded by RCCD and led by my office and Public Works," Falcone said. "We are on the lookout for more places, too." ### 🗞️ Riverside News- August 26, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-august-19-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-26T12:00:07.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/IMG_4953.jpeg) Connie Ransom visited the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, IL, with her daughter, Leslie Ransom, taking in the view from inside the tower. **Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and tell us a bit of what you experienced](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **Wednesday Gazette: August 26, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Wednesday!** Today is Women's Equality Day, marking the anniversary of the 19th Amendment's certification in 1920, which secured women's constitutional right to vote. It's a fitting day to think about the neighbors around us who quietly move Riverside forward, often without much recognition. Speaking of which, do you know someone like that? Our Neighbor of the Week feature is looking for nominations: a coworker, a longtime volunteer, someone who shows up for this community in ways that don't always make headlines. You can [nominate them here](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260826)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260826&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## From Dead End to Third Space, Downtown Alley Set for Revival A once-abandoned alleyway on Main Street is getting new life as a hub for events and everyday use. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-3-4.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-dead-end-to-third-space-downtown-alley-set-for-revival/) The alleyway off the Main Street Mall near 9th Street currently sits fenced off and unused (left), compared to a rendering of the planned "Main Street Alley," which will add seating, string lighting and greenery once the project is complete (Councilmember Philip Falcone/[Facebook](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-august-18-2026-2/)) A vacant alley next to Arcade Coffee Roasters is becoming a public gathering space downtown. **Why it matters:** If you've fought for a table at Arcade Coffee, the alley next door will add a dozen seats — and double as event space for Arts Walk and the Festival of Lights. **The backstory:** The alley formed in 2019 when the Main + Nine apartments replaced a parking lot, then sat unused since. **Driving the news:** Councilmember Philip Falcone pitched the idea nine months ago to UCR's CHASS dean and facilities director, lining up UCR, Public Works and Arcade Coffee Roasters to redesign the space. - UCR owns the land, Arcade Coffee will open and lock it daily, and Public Works will maintain it. **What's new:** Phase 1 adds an arched "Main Street Alley" gate, tables, chairs and potted plants to get the space open. - Phase 2 could bring café lighting, umbrellas, murals or banners — details are still undecided. **What's next:** The alley opens before the Festival of Lights, accessible only from Main Street. - Falcone is already planning a similar conversion for the Whittier Place alley near White Park. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-dead-end-to-third-space-downtown-alley-set-for-revival/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260826)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260826&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Janet Goeske Foundation Wins $100,000 Grant After Community Rallies The Riverside senior services nonprofit overcame a voting setback to claim first place in Harrah's All-In 4 Change Grant Contest. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-9.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/janet-goeske-foundation-wins-100-000-grant-after-community-rallies/) Janet Goeske Foundation representatives celebrate their first-place win with Mario Lopez, who served as guest emcee, at the Harrah's All-in 4 Change awards event. (Courtesy of Janet Goeske Foundation) The Janet Goeske Foundation has won $100,000 in unrestricted funding after taking first place in the Harrah's All-In 4 Change Grant Contest, the organization announced. The Riverside nonprofit serves thousands of older adults through health and wellness programs, education, social activities and crisis prevention services. The win matters to Riverside because the Janet Goeske Foundation is a key local resource for seniors facing isolation, health challenges or difficult situations. The unrestricted grant means the organization can direct the funds wherever they're needed most, rather than to a specific program. The contest ran for several weeks and relied on public voting. Foundation patrons and supporters voted daily, recruited friends and family, and spread the word throughout the community to build support, according to the Foundation. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/janet-goeske-foundation-wins-100-000-grant-after-community-rallies/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260826) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260826&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [SPORTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/sports/) ## RiversideTV Airs High School, RCC Football Games Live Throughout Season Friday Night Pep Rally will air highlights and scores from games across the city every Friday night at 11 p.m. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-4-4.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversidetv-airs-high-school-rcc-football-games-live-throughout-season/) RiversideTV, the City of Riverside's government access television station, has launched its 2026 high school and Riverside City College (RCC) football coverage with live game broadcasts and a weekly recap show. The coverage began Friday, Aug. 21, with Hillcrest facing Poly, and continues this Friday, Aug. 28, at 7 p.m., when Ramona takes on Arlington. RiversideTV will broadcast select games live throughout the season, giving residents who can't make it to the stands a way to follow local student-athletes and school communities. After each Friday night's action wraps up, RiversideTV airs Friday Night Pep Rally at 11 p.m., featuring highlights, scores and interviews from high school football games happening across Riverside. "Local football is about so much more than what happens on the field," Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said in a statement. "It's student athletes, coaches, families, alumni and entire school communities coming together. RiversideTV gives us an opportunity to showcase that energy and celebrate our students and schools throughout Riverside." [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversidetv-airs-high-school-rcc-football-games-live-throughout-season/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-08-26T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-08-26T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [Community Police Review Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/community-police-review-commission/18051652/2026-08-26T17) at Riverside City Hall - [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-26T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19516291/2026-08-26T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) ### Tomorrow - [Human Relations Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/human-relations-commission/19647885/2026-08-27T18) at Riverside City Hall - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19516284/2026-08-27T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Past, Present, and Future: Bridging Memory and Modernity at the Museum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/past-present-and-future-bridging-memory-and-modernity-at-the-museum/19570614/2026-08-27T18) at Riverside Main Library - [Sight Unseen Reframed Exhibition Opening](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sight-unseen-reframed-exhibition-opening/19602744/2026-08-27T17) at Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California - [Women's Soccer vs. Utah Tech](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/womens-soccer-vs-utah-tech/19588061/2026-08-27T19) at UCR Soccer Stadium - [Linea Personal: TODO Ø NADA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/linea-personal-todo-nada/19346722/2026-08-27T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center ## Save the Date - Aug 28: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-28T08) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 28: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-28T07) at Zacatecas Café - Aug 29: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-29T07) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 29: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-29T09) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 31: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-31T19) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 2: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-09-02T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - Sep 3: [Orange Street Mural Unveiling](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-street-mural-unveiling/19578974/2026-09-03T18) at Main Museum Pedestrian Walkway (Orange Street) - Sep 9: [FREE Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - Sep 13: [Welcome Back Party!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/welcome-back-party/19726269/2026-09-13T10) at First Congregational Church of Riverside - Sep 18: [Open Mic Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/open-mic-night/19553682/2026-09-18T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - Sep 25: [Moon Festival](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/moon-festival/19501541/2026-09-25T18) at Heritage House - Oct 3: [Aquamotion Aquathon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/aquamotion-aquathon/19617601/2026-10-03T09) at Shamel Pool - Oct 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### RiversideTV Airs High School, RCC Football Games Live Throughout Season URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversidetv-airs-high-school-rcc-football-games-live-throughout-season/ Last updated: 2026-08-27T12:00:03.000Z RiversideTV, the City of Riverside's government access television station, has launched its 2026 high school and Riverside City College (RCC) football coverage with live game broadcasts and a weekly recap show. The coverage began Friday, Aug. 21, with Hillcrest facing Poly, and continues this Friday, Aug. 28, at 7 p.m., when Ramona takes on Arlington. RiversideTV will broadcast select games live throughout the season, giving residents who can't make it to the stands a way to follow local student-athletes and school communities. After each Friday night's action wraps up, RiversideTV airs Friday Night Pep Rally at 11 p.m., featuring highlights, scores and interviews from high school football games happening across Riverside. "Local football is about so much more than what happens on the field," Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said in a statement. "It's student athletes, coaches, families, alumni and entire school communities coming together. RiversideTV gives us an opportunity to showcase that energy and celebrate our students and schools throughout Riverside." ### High school schedule The high school lineup included Hillcrest at Poly on Aug. 21 and continues with Ramona at Arlington on Aug. 28; JW North at King on Sept. 4; King at Poly on Sept. 11; Colton at Arlington on Sept. 18; Big Bear at Norte Vista on Sept. 25; La Sierra at Jurupa Valley on Oct. 2; Perris at Hillcrest on Oct. 9; and Norte Vista at Ramona on Oct. 30\. All games kick off at 7 p.m. ### RCC schedule RiversideTV will also broadcast three RCC games: Golden West at RCC on Sept. 5 at 5 p.m., College of the Canyons at RCC on Sept. 12 at 5 p.m., and Chaffey at RCC on Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. Broadcasts can be viewed online at [RiversideTV.com/local-sports](http://riversidetv.com/local-sports?ref=raincrossgazette.com), on the City of Riverside's YouTube channel, or on cable through Spectrum channel 3, AT&T channel 99 or Frontier channel 21. More information, including the full schedule and live broadcasts, is available at [RiversideTV.com/local-sports](http://riversidetv.com/local-sports?ref=raincrossgazette.com). ### Janet Goeske Foundation Wins $100,000 Grant After Community Rallies URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/janet-goeske-foundation-wins-100-000-grant-after-community-rallies/ Last updated: 2026-08-26T21:15:57.000Z The Janet Goeske Foundation has won $100,000 in unrestricted funding after taking first place in the Harrah's All-In 4 Change Grant Contest, the organization announced. The Riverside nonprofit serves thousands of older adults through health and wellness programs, education, social activities and crisis prevention services. The win matters to Riverside because the Janet Goeske Foundation is a key local resource for seniors facing isolation, health challenges or difficult situations. The unrestricted grant means the organization can direct the funds wherever they're needed most, rather than to a specific program. The contest ran for several weeks and relied on public voting. Foundation patrons and supporters voted daily, recruited friends and family, and spread the word throughout the community to build support, according to the Foundation. Midway through, the campaign hit a setback when a batch of votes was removed, erasing much of the momentum supporters had built. Rather than giving up, patrons and supporters increased their efforts, continuing to vote and share the campaign until the Foundation secured first place. "This win belongs to our seniors and this incredible community," said Danielle Stevens, executive director of the Janet Goeske Foundation, in a statement. "Watching them rally around a place they love and refuse to give up was something I will never forget. The $100,000 is an incredible gift to our organization, but what touched me most was seeing just how much this center means to the people we serve." Television host Mario Lopez served as guest emcee for the celebration. "Our seniors made this happen," Stevens said. "They showed up for us every single day. There is something very special about this community, and this win is proof of what we can accomplish when we all pull together." ### 🗞️ Riverside News- August 25, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-august-18-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-25T12:00:44.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-6.jpg) Kihei and Kula, Maui — before and after Tropical Storm Lala passed through. Gazette managing editor Amy López and her husband were visiting. The storm made for an interesting trip, but it was beautiful, restful, and adventurous nonetheless. ***Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and tell us a bit of what you experienced](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **Tuesday Gazette: August 25, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Tuesday!** We're down to just a handful of days left to share your summer vacation photos with us. Fitting timing too, since today marks National Park Service Founders Day, honoring the 1916 signing that created the agency tasked with protecting our national parks. If your summer travels took you through a park, we would love to see it. [Keep those photos coming](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). We've gotten a wonderful response, and if yours doesn't end up in the newsletter, please accept our apologies. There are only so many days in the week to feature them all. 🧡 --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260825)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260825&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CITY HALL](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/city-hall/) ## City Panel Advances Plan for Green-Tech Loan Fund, Grant-Funded Lender Deal First Community Capital would administer state-funded loans for startups and small businesses under a proposed five-year deal. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/3-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-panel-advances-plan-for-green-tech-loan-fund-grant-funded-lender-deal/) A nonprofit lender will run Riverside's new $135,000 green-tech loan fund if the city council signs off next month. **Why it matters:** Green-tech and innovation businesses can apply for $10,000-$20,000 loans at 6.25% interest — money that comes from a state grant, not city taxpayers. **Driving the news:** The Economic Development Committee voted unanimously Thursday to send a five-year agreement with First Community Capital Inc. to the full council. - FCCI would handle applications, underwriting, servicing and collections for **$8,000 a year**, or $40,000 over the contract term. **By the numbers:** The fund and FCCI's fee both draw from a **$250,000** grant Riverside received in October 2025 through Thrive Inland SoCal's Catalyst Funding program. **Yes, but:** A public commenter questioned the math, saying the administrative fee approaches a third of the fund itself and that the loan sizes seem too small to move the needle economically or environmentally. - Committee chair Steven Robillard said the loans are meant to be one piece of a larger funding "stack," not standalone financing. **Between the lines:** FCCI's default exposure is limited — a state guarantee program covers 80% of losses, backed by a matched loan-loss reserve. Founder Jay Diallo said a past $250,000 grant to FCCI has grown to about $420,000 through repayment and reinvestment. **What's next:** The council takes up the agreement in the coming weeks. If approved, it would be executed next month, with marketing running through September and October and applications opening in October. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-panel-advances-plan-for-green-tech-loan-fund-grant-funded-lender-deal/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260825) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600825&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Riverside to Honor Dell Roberts With Day Celebrating His 90th Birthday The city will hold a public ceremony Tuesday honoring Roberts' decades of civic leadership and community service. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-15.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-to-honor-dell-roberts-with-day-celebrating-his-90th-birthday/) Dell Roberts, longtime Riverside community leader, will be honored with an official Dell Roberts Day on Aug. 25\. (Courtesy of The Adrian Dell & Carmen Roberts Foundation) Riverside will hold an official Dell Roberts Day Tuesday, recognizing the longtime civic leader's 90th birthday and decades of community service. **Why it matters:** The ceremony is free and open to the public — anyone can attend to honor a leader who's shaped civic life across Riverside for decades. **Driving the news:** The city holds the ceremony Tuesday at 3 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall, 3900 Main St. - Roberts has led the Bordwell Park Advisory Board and the Adrian Dell and Carmen Roberts Foundation. **The backstory:** Roberts has spent decades on civic initiatives, including the Riverside Black History Parade, now in its 46th year. **What they're saying:** Roberts and Mayor Lock Dawson both issued statements ahead of the ceremony. - "I am humbled and appreciative of the city's recognition," Roberts said. - "Dell Roberts exemplifies the very best of our community spirit," Lock Dawson said. **What's next:** Rep. Mark Takano, state Sen. Sabrina Cervantes, Assemblymember Corey Jackson and County Supervisor Jose Medina are expected to attend. - The event is free; RSVP requested through the linked form. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-to-honor-dell-roberts-with-day-celebrating-his-90th-birthday/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260825)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260825&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [SPONSORED STORY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/sponsored/) ## What If High School Students Could Try College Before They Graduate? CBU's Pre-College Credit program lets high school students take online college courses for free, earning credit and confidence before graduation. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-24-at-2.32.43---PM.png)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/what-if-high-school-students-could-try-college-before-they-graduate/) California Baptist University's Pre-College Credit program gives eligible high school students an opportunity to experience college-level coursework online before graduating from high school. (Courtesy of California Baptist University) For many high school students, college can feel like a big unknown. Can I handle the coursework? What will professors expect? Am I really ready? California Baptist University is giving local high school students an opportunity to answer those questions before they graduate — and, in the process, discover what they're capable of. Through CBU's Pre-College Credit program, eligible high school sophomores, juniors and seniors can take fully online college courses taught by CBU professors while earning credit toward both high school and college. The first course is free. For families who have participated in the program, the benefits have extended beyond earning college credit. "The most valuable part of the PCC experience was having my daughter realize she is capable of handling college-level courses," one parent shared. That kind of confidence can come from experiencing the expectations of a college course while students still have the familiarity and support of high school. PCC students complete the same college-level coursework and are taught by CBU professors, giving them an early opportunity to develop skills such as time management, independent learning and communication with faculty and classmates. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/what-if-high-school-students-could-try-college-before-they-graduate/) --- ## Noteworthy Downtown's incoming Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar is edging closer to its fall debut, with the Mission Inn Avenue spot now [taking signups for opening-date updates](https://www.flemingssteakhouse.com/promotions/riverside-coming-soon?fbclid=IwY2xjawT5nItwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR6JD5Ffu-a3QdPpP%5F9S8wys43aZzsFhNGkOWr5zA8SLCYCrgWIZqvA297DBxQ%5Faem%5FTduqz-3ZGv0Pk2sM-F13ig&ref=raincrossgazette.com), a 107-seat dining room with three private event spaces. A UCR biomedical sciences researcher has received a $2.1 million, five-year NIH grant to [uncover hidden functions of the primary cilium](https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/08/24/nih-grant-will-advance-study-primary-cilium?ref=raincrossgazette.com), a tiny cell structure linked to energy use and brain development. More than 2,000 new students turned out for Riverside City College's [revamped Welcome Day](https://www.rcc.edu/about/news/2026-rcc-welcome-day.html?ref=raincrossgazette.com), connecting with clubs, financial aid, and support services ahead of the fall semester. Three La Sierra University students shared how the school's [Presidential Service Award](https://lasierra.edu/article/presidential-scholars-talk-impact-faith-and-goals/?ref=raincrossgazette.com), a $15,000 renewable scholarship, eased financial stress and shaped their first-year experience. The Community College District's Board of Trustees is [weighing cuts to seven staff positions](https://viewpointsonline.org/2026/08/board-of-trustees-addresses-federal-cuts-rccs-new-certificate-and-relaxed-requirements-for-prior-learning-credits/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) tied to lost federal funding, while easing credit rules for prior learning and approving a new comic and graphic novel certificate. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [MSRPAC's Monthly Community Cat Spay/Neuter Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/msrpacs-monthly-community-cat-spayneuter-day/17790235/2026-08-25T06) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($45) - [City Council](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/city-council/18431185/2026-08-25T15) at Riverside City Hall - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition at the Hideaway](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-08-25T19) at The Hideaway ### Tomorrow - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-08-26T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-08-26T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [Community Police Review Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/community-police-review-commission/18051652/2026-08-26T17) at Riverside City Hall - [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-26T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19516291/2026-08-26T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) ### Save the Date - Aug 28: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-28T08) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 28: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-28T07) at Zacatecas Café - Aug 29: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-29T07) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 29: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-29T09) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 31: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-31T19) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 2: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-09-02T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - Sep 3: [Orange Street Mural Unveiling](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-street-mural-unveiling/19578974/2026-09-03T18) at Main Museum Pedestrian Walkway (Orange Street) - Sep 9: [FREE Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - Sep 18: [Open Mic Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/open-mic-night/19553682/2026-09-18T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - Sep 25: [Moon Festival](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/moon-festival/19501541/2026-09-25T18) at Heritage House - Oct 3: [Aquamotion Aquathon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/aquamotion-aquathon/19617601/2026-10-03T09) at Shamel Pool - Oct 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### What If High School Students Could Try College Before They Graduate? URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/what-if-high-school-students-could-try-college-before-they-graduate/ Last updated: 2026-08-26T19:45:13.000Z For many high school students, college can feel like a big unknown. Can I handle the coursework? What will professors expect? Am I really ready? California Baptist University is giving local high school students an opportunity to answer those questions before they graduate — and, in the process, discover what they're capable of. Through CBU's Pre-College Credit program, eligible high school sophomores, juniors and seniors can take fully online college courses taught by CBU professors while earning credit toward both high school and college. The first course is free. For families who have participated in the program, the benefits have extended beyond earning college credit. "The most valuable part of the PCC experience was having my daughter realize she is capable of handling college-level courses," one parent shared. That kind of confidence can come from experiencing the expectations of a college course while students still have the familiarity and support of high school. PCC students complete the same college-level coursework and are taught by CBU professors, giving them an early opportunity to develop skills such as time management, independent learning and communication with faculty and classmates. "The courses have assigned professors and classmates, so there is great exposure for developing communication skills with faculty and peers," said Jenelle Vine, CBU Director of Undergraduate Online Admissions. "Students can learn valuable college skills while still managing their high school careers." Courses are offered in eight-week sessions and include subjects such as art appreciation, chemistry, criminal justice and literature, along with other core curriculum courses. Because classes are fully online, students can complete coursework around their high school schedules. For some, the experience also offers an early glimpse of CBU. "From the day the course opened, the professor and other students immediately made CBU feel inviting, open, deeply caring and insightful," wrote Reagan, a high school student in the program. "CBU truly set the standard high for a remarkable college and pre-college experience!" CBU's next Pre-College Credit courses begin Sept. 7\. Applications are due Aug. 31. Learn more or apply at [CBU's Pre-College Credit webpage](https://calbaptist.edu/campaigns/pcc/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). *This sponsored content was paid for by California Baptist University.* ### Riverside to Honor Dell Roberts With Day Celebrating His 90th Birthday URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-to-honor-dell-roberts-with-day-celebrating-his-90th-birthday/ Last updated: 2026-08-26T12:00:42.000Z The City of Riverside will hold an official Dell Roberts Day on Tuesday, Aug. 25, celebrating the 90th birthday of longtime community leader Dell Roberts. The ceremony starts at 3 p.m. in the Riverside City Council Chambers at City Hall, 3900 Main St. Roberts has spent decades working on civic and community initiatives across Riverside, and city leaders say the recognition reflects his long-standing impact on the community. Roberts has served as president of the Bordwell Park Advisory Board and played a key role with the Adrian Dell and Carmen Roberts Foundation. He has also been involved with the annual Riverside Black History Parade, now in its 46th year. "I am humbled and appreciative of the city's recognition of my 90th birthday and of the contributions I have made to the city," Roberts said in a statement. Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson also praised Roberts. "Dell Roberts exemplifies the very best of our community spirit," she said in a statement. "His 90 years have been marked by service, integrity, and a genuine passion for making Riverside a better place for all." Local, state and national elected officials are expected to attend, including U.S. Rep. Mark Takano, state Sen. Sabrina Cervantes, Assemblymember Corey Jackson and Riverside County Supervisor Jose Medina. Community leaders from education, faith-based organizations, civil rights advocacy and business sectors are also expected to take part in honoring Roberts' legacy. The event is free and open to the public. **More information:** [*RSVP to attend Dell Roberts Day*](https://eztxt.net/4o6Eet?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### City Panel Advances Plan for Green-Tech Loan Fund, Grant-Funded Lender Deal URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-panel-advances-plan-for-green-tech-loan-fund-grant-funded-lender-deal/ Last updated: 2026-08-26T11:59:37.000Z The city's Economic Development Committee voted unanimously Thursday to recommend a Riverside-based nonprofit lender administer a new $135,000 loan fund for [green-technology and innovation businesses](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-hosts-national-mayors-forum-on-economic-development/). The committee's recommendation sends a five-year agreement with First Community Capital Inc. (FCCI) to the full City Council for final approval. Under the agreement, FCCI would manage day-to-day operations of the Riverside GreenTech & Innovation Revolving Loan Fund — including application intake, underwriting, servicing and collections — in exchange for a flat $8,000-a-year fee, or $40,000 over the term of the contract. The loan fund and FCCI's fee are both funded through a $250,000 grant the city received in October 2025 from Thrive Inland SoCal's Catalyst Funding program, part of the state's California Jobs First Initiative. City officials said none of the cost falls on Riverside's general fund. The fund would offer two loan products: up to $10,000 for startups and up to $20,000 for existing businesses, both carrying a 6.25% interest rate and terms of up to five years. Eligible uses include equipment, prototype development, working capital and market expansion, with priority given to green-technology, innovation-based and job-creating businesses located within the city. One caller during public comment questioned the program's proportions, saying the administrative fee appeared to represent close to a third of the fund itself and that loans of $10,000 to $20,000 seemed too small to produce [meaningful economic or climate impact](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-vmt-bank-earns-regional-sustainability-award/). Committee chair Steven Robillard responded that the loans are not intended as standalone financing but as one piece of a larger "stack" of funding sources — such as SBA loans and other targeted programs for women- or minority-owned businesses — that small businesses typically combine.He also reiterated that the money comes entirely from the state grant and would not be an out-of-pocket cost to the city. Committee members asked staff how the city would recoup funds if borrowers default. Jessica Gonzales, a senior project manager with the city's Community and Economic Development Department, said FCCI's underwriting standards and loan-loss safeguards — including working with borrowers on adjusted repayment plans before default — were built into the agreement to protect the grant funds. Jay Diallo, FCCI founder, told the committee the organization is one of two Community Development Financial Institutions headquartered in the Inland Empire and the only one based in Riverside. He said FCCI's exposure on defaults is limited because the fund would participate in a state loan guarantee program covering 80% of losses, along with a loan-loss reserve matched by the state. He also said a prior $250,000 grant awarded to the organization has grown to roughly $420,000 through repayment and reinvestment, and that the city fund is intended to work the same way, recycling repaid principal and interest into new loans over time. Some committee members raised the possibility of expanding related green-tech funding in the future, including the $25,000 UCR Excite startup incubation program and the Voltu Green Workforce Training Cohort, which currently funds training for five participants. If approved by the City Council, the agreement would be executed next month, with marketing to clean-tech and innovation businesses running through September and October and loan applications opening in October, according to Diallo. The item passed the committee unanimously, and will go before the city council in the coming weeks. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- August 24, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-august-17-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-24T12:00:41.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/Lorna_Oyster.jpeg) Lorna Jenkins shows off her catch while harvesting oysters in Puget Sound near Gig Harbor, Washington. (Lorna Jenkins) **Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and what you got up to](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **Monday Gazette: August 24, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday!** Time for the big reveal. That daredevil pilot was Roman Warren, better known around town as the Cowboy Aviator. On June 13, 1926, he flew his plane through the Mission Bridge opening near Mount Rubidoux, just 16 feet high, in front of thousands of onlookers who showed up expecting the worst. He pulled it off clean, and the stunt made him a local legend. Read the [full story here](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-cowboy-aviators-daring-feat/). Nice work to everyone who guessed right! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260824)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260824&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## This Week in City Hall: August 24, 2026 City Council weighs veteran tech training, Scout land deal and street repaving as utilities and museum boards also convene. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-26-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-august-24-2026/) Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### City Council City Council will meet in closed and open sessions on Tuesday, August 24, in an afternoon session 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1411449&GUID=05B4C449-A53C-4910-8DC4-A6F1D4AEB0AA&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). The agenda includes: - Considering an [agreement](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=e5f5efa2-7a0e-4038-b9f9-c4e684a0b4a3.pdf&From=Granicus&Format=pdf&ref=raincrossgazette.com) with the Institute for Veterans & Emerging Technology Skills and StemWorx, Inc. ([item 13](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5440-city-council-successor-agency-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7e7bdcf2b67009d5001da9-13-economic-development-committee-recommends-appr?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to explore establishing a technology workforce training program for veterans and underserved populations in Riverside. This item returns to council after it was pulled from the Aug. 11 agenda and the agreement was amended to remove phase two of the plan, which involved the development of a data center. - Reviewing an [agreement](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=ba2a6e5b-3f05-4093-81ff-437c6bda90f6.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) with California Inland Empire Council, Scouting America ([item 24](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5440-city-council-successor-agency-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7e7bdcf2b67009d5001db9-24-approve-memorandum-of-understanding-with-calif?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), that reserves land at Fairmount Park for a potential new scout headquarters, giving the organization up to six years to secure funding and permits before any lease is finalized. - Reviewing two-year agreement with [Alvord Unified](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=38268a66-d2e8-42f1-9988-13f16a567164.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) and [Riverside Unified](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=837dc2b9-6af4-4b69-a26d-d92a18226d00.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) school districts (items [29](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5440-city-council-successor-agency-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7e7bdcf2b67009d5001dbf-29-approve-memorandum-of-understanding-with-alvor?ref=raincrossgazette.com), [30](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5440-city-council-successor-agency-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7e7bdcf2b67009d5001dc0-30-approve-memorandum-of-understanding-with-river?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to continue the School Resource Officer program at a combined cost of about $4.83 million split evenly between the City and each district, maintaining police officers stationed at eight high schools. - Reviewing an [ordinance amendment](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=5dcc0a58-116e-466c-b5dc-dbb96d1f0691.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to the Water Conservation Code ([item 34](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5440-city-council-successor-agency-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7e7bddf2b67009d5001dc5-34-introduce-an-ordinance-amending-chapter-14-dot-22?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) required by state law that would ban irrigating purely decorative grass with drinking water, starting with City properties in 2027 and phasing in for businesses and homeowner associations by 2029. - Reviewing nearly $5 million in construction oversight contracts and a $4.29 million funding increase for the [Third Street Grade Separation project](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=11860e0a-9ef2-4d72-9427-2a1808566189.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 36](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5440-city-council-successor-agency-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7e7bddf2b67009d5001dc8-36-third-street-grade-separation-at-burlington-no?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), which will lower Third Street beneath BNSF railroad tracks near Vine Street and Park Avenue, with construction expected to begin in January 2027 and last about two years. - Considering a $7.68 million [construction contract](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=4b6bfc78-19f7-4fb2-adcc-b3b1cff5e58f.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) with Onyx Paving Company ([item 38](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5440-city-council-successor-agency-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7e7bddf2b67009d5001dcc-38-award-bid-8221-to-onyx-paving-company-inc-dot-y?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to repave 6.4 miles of streets citywide and install 132 pedestrian safety bollards downtown, funded through state gas tax revenue and a local sales tax increase. ### Board of Public Utilities The Board of Public Utilities meets on Monday, August 24, at 6:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1431106&GUID=4A343CAB-0BD2-41C4-9524-E397A718AA41&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review a public hearing on [closing Schedule EV](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=f8bd7ef2-851a-43de-9302-9884c2ed2942.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to new customers ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5439-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7d0158f395e7953100151c-2-receive-public-input-related-to-proposed-schedu?ref=raincrossgazette.com)); considering a $3.4 million [capital expenditure](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=ae32f26d-ea77-4ed5-a482-15042f3af8db.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for the Hunter Substation 4kV-to-12kV conversion project to support electric system load growth and improve reliability ([item 9](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5439-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7d0158f395e79531001526-9-approve-work-order-2405325-for-total-capital-ex?ref=raincrossgazette.com)); and considering a $148,800 [services agreement](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=541df73a-7ae0-41cc-acb1-9a69be9afd1f.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) with NewGen Strategies and Solutions for an electric cost of service analysis and rate design study through 2028 ([item 10](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5439-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7d0158f395e79531001527-10-recommend-city-council-approve-services-agreem?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Museum of Riverside Board The Museum of Riverside Board meets on Wednesday, August 26, at 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1430014&GUID=6B5726F2-5106-4DD0-8549-5337E149075D&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider the [deaccession](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=7b319858-e507-4066-a269-87e7348eaf9a.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) of one mounted moose antler rack (item 5) and the [accession](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=1d3c2e43-78b9-47b3-b51c-fdf76784ad1a.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) of five lots of archival and historic items (item 7) to and from the Museum of Riverside's permanent collection. ### Community Police Review Commission The Community Police Review Commission meets on Wednesday, August 26, at 5:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1432909&GUID=3E54BBAA-1A90-4EF5-A082-3EE21182BD63&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider approval of the 2026 [second-quarter Workplan](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=82450d54-e978-4263-8d4d-25e417eb6293.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 5](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5443-community-police-review-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7f7bf74425385b20000ce3-5-approve-2026-q2-community-police-review-commiss?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and reinstatement of the Bylaws and Policies and Procedures [Ad Hoc Committee](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=31a533a9-1b4a-41c9-90e2-eadedc502718.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5443-community-police-review-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7f7bf74425385b20000ce4-6-reinstate-the-bylaws-and-policies-and-procedure?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) for the Community Police Review Commission. ### Human Relations Commission The Human Relations Commission meets on Thursday, August 27, at 6 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1432908&GUID=12B601C8-EB6E-484E-8780-50D026679F21&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to discuss updates from the Riverside Police Department, [Human Resources Department](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=dd4e9c99-e3da-40df-80f6-9dd20b5911ae.pdf&From=Granicus&Format=pdf&ref=raincrossgazette.com), and [Housing and Human Services Department](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=3cd23b25-dc99-4e05-b4c8-83f07f1f1e76.pdf&From=Granicus&Format=pdf&ref=raincrossgazette.com) (items [2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5442-human-relations-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7f3cd27d796537e9009e4f-2-riverside-police-department-update?ref=raincrossgazette.com), [3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5442-human-relations-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7f3cd27d796537e9009e50-3-human-resources-department-presentation?ref=raincrossgazette.com), [4](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5442-human-relations-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7f3cd27d796537e9009e51-4-housing-and-human-services-department-presentat?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-august-24-2026/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260824) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600824&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [MUSEUM MONDAYS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/museum-mondays/) ## A Gilded Age Comes Home to Heritage House New exhibit explores how Victorians filled their homes with art and meaning. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/Heritage-House-Photo-21--entry-and-stair-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-gilded-age-comes-home-to-heritage-house/) The entryway and staircase at Heritage House, filled with the ornate furnishings, gilded frames, and rich decorative detail featured in "Gilded: The Art of Heritage House." (Courtesy of the Museum of Riverside) On September 11, 2026, Heritage House will reopen its doors for tours, programs, and events. Each season, the Museum of Riverside highlights an aspect of the Victorian age, connecting the past to the present through a different lens each time. In September, the focus will be on the wealth of art in this grand Victorian home. The Victorians are known for, well, “Victorian excess,” and the exhibition *Gilded: The Art of Heritage House* will examine how there came to be such a preference for a rich array of fine and decorative arts in the home. *Gilded: The Art of Heritage House* will be on exhibit through November 29, 2026\. Throughout the exhibition, the Museum will offer special programs ranging from “Dying for Art,” which will focus on the alarming results of using some Victorian and pre-Victorian artists’ materials. Another will be “Write Like a Victorian,” which will encourage anyone to try their hand at writing an ornate “purple prose” style of opening line for a novel and recite it for all to enjoy. Visit the Museum of Riverside’s website for dates and details. The backdrop of these programs will be the gilded, inlaid, tiled, flounced, carved, painted, and otherwise adorned furnishings that fill every corner of Heritage House, in the manner of most Victorian homes. The exhibition examines the moment in history that led to this explosion of décor, from the Industrial Revolution’s advances in manufacturing methods to the rise of a middle class with means to the colonial expansion of Queen Victoria’s Great Britain, which brought imports to Europe and the U.S. like never before. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-gilded-age-comes-home-to-heritage-house/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260824)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260824&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-08-24T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Board of Public Utilities](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/board-of-public-utilities/19400682/2026-08-24T18) at Riverside City Hall - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-08-24T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-24T19) at Community Yoga Center - [Sip with a Scientist](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/19637553/2026-08-24T17) at Killer Queens Social House ### Tomorrow - [MSRPAC's Monthly Community Cat Spay/Neuter Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/msrpacs-monthly-community-cat-spayneuter-day/17790235/2026-08-25T06) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($45) - [City Council](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/city-council/18431185/2026-08-25T15) at Riverside City Hall - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition at the Hideaway](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-08-25T19) at The Hideaway ### Save the Date - Aug 26: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-26T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - Aug 28: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-28T08) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 28: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-28T07) at Zacatecas Café - Aug 29: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-29T07) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 29: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-29T09) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 31: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-31T19) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 3: [Orange Street Mural Unveiling](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-street-mural-unveiling/19578974/2026-09-03T18) at Main Museum Pedestrian Walkway (Orange Street) - Sep 9: [FREE Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - Sep 18: [Open Mic Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/open-mic-night/19553682/2026-09-18T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - Oct 3: [Aquamotion Aquathon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/aquamotion-aquathon/19617601/2026-10-03T09) at Shamel Pool - Oct 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### This Week in City Hall: August 24, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-august-24-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-25T22:15:15.000Z Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### City Council City Council will meet in closed and open sessions on Tuesday, August 24, in an afternoon session 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1411449&GUID=05B4C449-A53C-4910-8DC4-A6F1D4AEB0AA&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). The agenda includes: - Considering an [agreement](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=e5f5efa2-7a0e-4038-b9f9-c4e684a0b4a3.pdf&From=Granicus&Format=pdf&ref=raincrossgazette.com) with the Institute for Veterans & Emerging Technology Skills and StemWorx, Inc. ([item 13](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5440-city-council-successor-agency-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7e7bdcf2b67009d5001da9-13-economic-development-committee-recommends-appr?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to explore establishing a technology workforce training program for veterans and underserved populations in Riverside. This item returns to council after it was pulled from the Aug. 11 agenda and the agreement was amended to remove phase two of the plan, which involved the development of a data center. - Reviewing an [agreement](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=ba2a6e5b-3f05-4093-81ff-437c6bda90f6.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) with California Inland Empire Council, Scouting America ([item 24](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5440-city-council-successor-agency-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7e7bdcf2b67009d5001db9-24-approve-memorandum-of-understanding-with-calif?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), that reserves land at Fairmount Park for a potential new scout headquarters, giving the organization up to six years to secure funding and permits before any lease is finalized. - Reviewing two-year agreement with [Alvord Unified](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=38268a66-d2e8-42f1-9988-13f16a567164.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) and [Riverside Unified](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=837dc2b9-6af4-4b69-a26d-d92a18226d00.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) school districts (items [29](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5440-city-council-successor-agency-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7e7bdcf2b67009d5001dbf-29-approve-memorandum-of-understanding-with-alvor?ref=raincrossgazette.com), [30](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5440-city-council-successor-agency-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7e7bdcf2b67009d5001dc0-30-approve-memorandum-of-understanding-with-river?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to continue the School Resource Officer program at a combined cost of about $4.83 million split evenly between the City and each district, maintaining police officers stationed at eight high schools. - Reviewing an [ordinance amendment](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=5dcc0a58-116e-466c-b5dc-dbb96d1f0691.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to the Water Conservation Code ([item 34](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5440-city-council-successor-agency-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7e7bddf2b67009d5001dc5-34-introduce-an-ordinance-amending-chapter-14-dot-22?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) required by state law that would ban irrigating purely decorative grass with drinking water, starting with City properties in 2027 and phasing in for businesses and homeowner associations by 2029. - Reviewing nearly $5 million in construction oversight contracts and a $4.29 million funding increase for the [Third Street Grade Separation project](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=11860e0a-9ef2-4d72-9427-2a1808566189.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 36](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5440-city-council-successor-agency-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7e7bddf2b67009d5001dc8-36-third-street-grade-separation-at-burlington-no?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), which will lower Third Street beneath BNSF railroad tracks near Vine Street and Park Avenue, with construction expected to begin in January 2027 and last about two years. - Considering a $7.68 million [construction contract](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=4b6bfc78-19f7-4fb2-adcc-b3b1cff5e58f.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) with Onyx Paving Company ([item 38](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5440-city-council-successor-agency-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7e7bddf2b67009d5001dcc-38-award-bid-8221-to-onyx-paving-company-inc-dot-y?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to repave 6.4 miles of streets citywide and install 132 pedestrian safety bollards downtown, funded through state gas tax revenue and a local sales tax increase. ### Board of Public Utilities The Board of Public Utilities meets on Monday, August 24, at 6:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1431106&GUID=4A343CAB-0BD2-41C4-9524-E397A718AA41&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review a public hearing on [closing Schedule EV](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=f8bd7ef2-851a-43de-9302-9884c2ed2942.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to new customers ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5439-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7d0158f395e7953100151c-2-receive-public-input-related-to-proposed-schedu?ref=raincrossgazette.com)); considering a $3.4 million [capital expenditure](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=ae32f26d-ea77-4ed5-a482-15042f3af8db.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for the Hunter Substation 4kV-to-12kV conversion project to support electric system load growth and improve reliability ([item 9](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5439-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7d0158f395e79531001526-9-approve-work-order-2405325-for-total-capital-ex?ref=raincrossgazette.com)); and considering a $148,800 [services agreement](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=541df73a-7ae0-41cc-acb1-9a69be9afd1f.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) with NewGen Strategies and Solutions for an electric cost of service analysis and rate design study through 2028 ([item 10](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5439-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7d0158f395e79531001527-10-recommend-city-council-approve-services-agreem?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Museum of Riverside Board The Museum of Riverside Board meets on Wednesday, August 26, at 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1430014&GUID=6B5726F2-5106-4DD0-8549-5337E149075D&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider the [deaccession](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=7b319858-e507-4066-a269-87e7348eaf9a.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) of one mounted moose antler rack (item 5) and the [accession](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=1d3c2e43-78b9-47b3-b51c-fdf76784ad1a.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) of five lots of archival and historic items (item 7) to and from the Museum of Riverside's permanent collection. ### Community Police Review Commission The Community Police Review Commission meets on Wednesday, August 26, at 5:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1432909&GUID=3E54BBAA-1A90-4EF5-A082-3EE21182BD63&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider approval of the 2026 [second-quarter Workplan](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=82450d54-e978-4263-8d4d-25e417eb6293.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 5](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5443-community-police-review-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7f7bf74425385b20000ce3-5-approve-2026-q2-community-police-review-commiss?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and reinstatement of the Bylaws and Policies and Procedures [Ad Hoc Committee](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=31a533a9-1b4a-41c9-90e2-eadedc502718.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5443-community-police-review-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7f7bf74425385b20000ce4-6-reinstate-the-bylaws-and-policies-and-procedure?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) for the Community Police Review Commission. ### Human Relations Commission The Human Relations Commission meets on Thursday, August 27, at 6 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1432908&GUID=12B601C8-EB6E-484E-8780-50D026679F21&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to discuss updates from the Riverside Police Department, [Human Resources Department](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=dd4e9c99-e3da-40df-80f6-9dd20b5911ae.pdf&From=Granicus&Format=pdf&ref=raincrossgazette.com), and [Housing and Human Services Department](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=3cd23b25-dc99-4e05-b4c8-83f07f1f1e76.pdf&From=Granicus&Format=pdf&ref=raincrossgazette.com) (items [2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5442-human-relations-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7f3cd27d796537e9009e4f-2-riverside-police-department-update?ref=raincrossgazette.com), [3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5442-human-relations-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7f3cd27d796537e9009e50-3-human-resources-department-presentation?ref=raincrossgazette.com), [4](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5442-human-relations-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7f3cd27d796537e9009e51-4-housing-and-human-services-department-presentat?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### A Gilded Age Comes Home to Heritage House URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-gilded-age-comes-home-to-heritage-house/ Last updated: 2026-08-25T12:00:41.000Z On September 11, 2026, Heritage House will reopen its doors for tours, programs, and events. Each season, the Museum of Riverside highlights an aspect of the Victorian age, connecting the past to the present through a different lens each time. In September, the focus will be on the wealth of art in this grand Victorian home. The Victorians are known for, well, “Victorian excess,” and the exhibition *Gilded: The Art of Heritage House* will examine how there came to be such a preference for a rich array of fine and decorative arts in the home. *Gilded: The Art of Heritage House* will be on exhibit through November 29, 2026\. Throughout the exhibition, the Museum will offer special programs ranging from “Dying for Art,” which will focus on the alarming results of using some Victorian and pre-Victorian artists’ materials. Another will be “Write Like a Victorian,” which will encourage anyone to try their hand at writing an ornate “purple prose” style of opening line for a novel and recite it for all to enjoy. Visit the Museum of Riverside’s website for dates and details. The backdrop of these programs will be the gilded, inlaid, tiled, flounced, carved, painted, and otherwise adorned furnishings that fill every corner of Heritage House, in the manner of most Victorian homes. The exhibition examines the moment in history that led to this explosion of décor, from the Industrial Revolution’s advances in manufacturing methods to the rise of a middle class with means to the colonial expansion of Queen Victoria’s Great Britain, which brought imports to Europe and the U.S. like never before. The Victorian age (1837-1901) is a study in contradictions, and its achievements and values continue to mark British and, by extension, American attitudes to this day. The period was one of rapid change and resistant conservatism, scientific advances and extremes of imagination, child labor and growing human rights—all of this existed simultaneously. It was fundamentally an optimistic age, and discoveries in every discipline nurtured a belief that nature was a marvel and held the solution to every problem. In the arts, it was the time of such innovators as the Impressionists and Symbolists, but the artists who are known today as “Victorian” valued and perpetuated established academic methods and narrative subject matter. A few of the works on view are reproductions of larger or more famous works, such as the print in the dining room of Albert Bierstadt’s painting *The Rocky Mountains, Lander’s Peak,* 1863, or the copy in the music room after Joseph Mallord William Turner’s *Shipping in the Bacino, Venice, with Santa Maria della Salute at the Entrance to the Grand Canal in the Distance,* 1840\. The prevalence of copies such as these signals particular aspirations and values held by many Victorians. *Gilded: The Art of Heritage House* takes the viewer through these passions and achievements room by room. Every detail, from the ornate fireplaces to the china in the kitchen, reflects the Victorian desire for richness and Victorians’ wonder over all that the world had to offer. Even the question of what could be called art was hotly debated in this time when photography had just been invented and machines presented a new kind of aesthetic. The art one exhibited in one’s home reflected how one felt about these matters, where one had traveled, how well educated one was, who were in one’s social circle, and what the extent of their landholdings were. Every decorative detail had meaning. Crack the Victorian code by visiting *Gilded: The Art of Heritage House* to find out what every lovely gilt-framed image might have meant to a Victorian. The Museum of Riverside is grateful to the City of Riverside for sustaining its historic sites and exhibitions such as *Gilded: The Art of Heritage House.* *By Robyn G. Peterson, Museum Director* ### 🗞️ Riverside News- August 23, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-august-16-2026-c/ Last updated: 2026-08-23T12:00:52.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/IMG_20260731_072501.jpg) A family pauses for a photo among the talus rock field below the columnar basalt cliffs at Devils Postpile National Monument, part of a trip through Mammoth Lakes that also included stops at Rainbow Falls and Reds Meadow. (Samantha Akes) ***Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and what you got up to](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **Sunday Gazette: August 23, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday!** Last week's riddle got such a great response, we're doing it again. A hundred years ago this month, thousands of Riversiders crowded onto a bridge near Mount Rubidoux, many expecting to see a disaster. A local pilot, known by a nickname that stuck for good, was about to fly his plane through a bridge opening barely taller than his own aircraft. Who was he, and what did Riverside come to call him? [Send us your guesses](mailto:newsroom@raincrossgazette.com), we'll share the answer tomorrow morning. --- 🧡 Thank you to the Subscribers who became paid supporters this week: Roger Duncanson, Lady Magnolia, Hamlet Manouchehri, Evelyn McCorkle, and Yundra Thomas. [Your ongoing financial support](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-march-15-2026-2/#/portal/account/plans) is vital to our success in serving Riverside with the news it deserves! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260823)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260823&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Homegrown: How Two Riverside Plant Lovers Built Plant Bingo What began as informal plant-shopping visits in a Riverside apartment has grown into a regional game-night business with DJing, prizes and a loyal following. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-13.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/homegrown-how-two-riverside-plant-lovers-built-plant-bingo/) Greenprint Collective's Plant Bingo combines plant care lessons, prizes and live DJ sets, drawing strangers together to make new friends. (Micaela Ricaforte) Plant Bingo is homegrown in the truest sense — it started in the living room of founders Donovan Moreno and Genevieve Aleman, who once invited people into their apartment to shop for houseplants one at a time. Moreno and Aleman said Plant Bingo started as informal plant-shopping appointments out of their Riverside apartment after the couple had a baby last year and were looking for extra income. Word of mouth grew — "I've been to your house," one recent Plant Bingo attendee told them — and the pair began hosting small groups at local businesses instead of one-on-one visits. The pair started the first Plant Bingo event last September with about 20 people at a cafe where Aleman was working — and it has run regularly since. What started as one-on-one plant-shopping appointments has grown into a recurring game night that combines plant care lessons with prizes, live DJ sets and, organizers and attendees say, a rare space for strangers to make friends. People can buy tickets through Greenprint Collective's website, with many events including a meal. Attendees show up, eat and socialize before the game begins. Organizers then run 20 rounds of bingo, starting slow and picking up speed — with prizes ranging from a small succulent to a mini rubber tree. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/homegrown-how-two-riverside-plant-lovers-built-plant-bingo/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260823)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260823&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Riverside Art Museum Names Vivian Zavataro as Executive Director Zavataro will start Oct. 1, joining RAM from the Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-8.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-art-museum-names-vivian-zavataro-as-executive-director/) Vivian Zavataro will become executive director of the Riverside Art Museum on Oct. 1\. (Courtesy of Riverside Art Museum) The Riverside Art Museum has named Vivian Zavataro as its next executive director, the museum announced Friday. Zavataro will begin the role Oct. 1. Zavataro comes to Riverside from the Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University, where she has served as executive and creative director, overseeing the museum's strategic, operational and creative direction. RAM said her appointment comes as the museum has expanded its exhibitions, education programs and national profile, including through its role as home to The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture. "The Riverside Art Museum has grown from a beloved community museum into a dynamic cultural institution with an international presence," Patricia Reynolds, president of RAM's Board of Trustees, said in a statement. "Through our historic Julia Morgan building and The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture, we create opportunities for people to experience, learn from, and celebrate art that reflects the diverse stories and voices of our community." Reynolds said Zavataro's combination of institutional leadership, curatorial experience and community engagement work makes her well suited to guide RAM's next chapter. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-art-museum-names-vivian-zavataro-as-executive-director/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260823) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260823&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CREATIVE PROMPTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/creative-prompts/) ## The Big Reveal A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns. [![potted plant on window with curtain](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1473252812967-d565c3607e28?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDEyfHxjdXJ0YWluc3xlbnwwfHx8fDE3ODcxMDI5NDR8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-big-reveal/) ([eduard](https://unsplash.com/@eduardmilitaru?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) This week’s creative nudge is a literal curtain call. The curtain gets my vote for least secure boundary in a room. It has no lock, no latch, and no instruction manual. Simply drawing a curtain signals that a space has changed. That understanding requires cooperation. Anyone can push a curtain aside. We usually don’t because curtains depend on our respect for the performance. A closed curtain says, “Whatever is happening back here is not currently part of your business,” and most of us agree. Curtains offer visual privacy while remaining remarkably unconcerned about sound, smell, temperature and conversation. We can’t see what is happening behind a curtain, but engaging all your senses, and a little imagination, can tell you everything you need to know. I regularly attend performances at the Landis Performing Arts Center on the Riverside City College campus, and I love the moment when the curtain retracts and unveils the vividly designed set for the first time. The props and performers were there all along (perhaps forever!?!); the curtain gives us a before and an after. When it opens, something must happen. [Read and share the complete prompt...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-big-reveal/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Sunday, August 23 - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-08-23T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [PIZZA and ICE CREAM SOCIAL 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/pizza-and-ice-cream-social-2026/19514745/2026-08-23T16) at TEMPLE BETH EL RIVERSIDE - [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-23T08) at Community Yoga Center - [Sunday Experiment After Dark](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sunday-experiment-after-dark/14528750/2026-08-23T21) at Downtown Experiment ### Monday, August 24 - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-08-24T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Board of Public Utilities](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/board-of-public-utilities/19400682/2026-08-24T18) at Riverside City Hall - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-08-24T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-24T19) at Community Yoga Center - [Sip with a Scientist](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/19637553/2026-08-24T17) at Killer Queens Social House ### Tuesday, August 25 - [MSRPAC's Monthly Community Cat Spay/Neuter Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/msrpacs-monthly-community-cat-spayneuter-day/17790235/2026-08-25T06) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($45) - [City Council](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/city-council/18431185/2026-08-25T15) at Riverside City Hall - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition at the Hideaway](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-08-25T19) at The Hideaway ### Wednesday, August 26 - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-08-26T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-08-26T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [Community Police Review Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/community-police-review-commission/18051652/2026-08-26T17) at Riverside City Hall - [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-26T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19516291/2026-08-26T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) ### Thursday, August 27 - [Human Relations Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/human-relations-commission/19647885/2026-08-27T18) at Riverside City Hall - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19516284/2026-08-27T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Past, Present, and Future: Bridging Memory and Modernity at the Museum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/past-present-and-future-bridging-memory-and-modernity-at-the-museum/19570614/2026-08-27T18) at Riverside Main Library - [Sight Unseen Reframed Exhibition Opening](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sight-unseen-reframed-exhibition-opening/19602744/2026-08-27T17) at Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California - [Women's Soccer vs. Utah Tech](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/womens-soccer-vs-utah-tech/19588061/2026-08-27T19) at UCR Soccer Stadium - [Linea Personal: TODO Ø NADA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/linea-personal-todo-nada/19346722/2026-08-27T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center ### Friday, August 28 - [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-28T07) at Zacatecas Café - [Paint Your Pet at Hangar 24 Brewing: Sip, Paint & Support Shelter Pets](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-your-pet-at-hangar-24-brewing-sip-paint-support-shelter-pets/19557264/2026-08-28T18) at Hangar 24 Brewing ($55) - [ANTESDE QUE NOS OLVIDEN EN RIVERSIDE](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/antesde-que-nos-olviden-en-riverside/19346725/2026-08-28T20) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-and-heroes-walking-tour/19396626/2026-08-28T15) at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18) - [Happy Hour Karaoke](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/happy-hour-karaoke-at-the-hideaway/19596724/2026-08-28T17) at Hideaway - [La Luz](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/la-luz/19346724/2026-08-28T19) at Farm House Collective ### Saturday, August 29 - [Little LandUse Learners Spring/Summer Programming](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/little-landuse-learners-springsummer-programming/18501508/2026-08-29T10) at LandUse Learning Center - [Mt. Rubidoux Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mt-rubidoux-walking-tour/19390096/2026-08-29T08) at Mt. Rubidoux Trailhead, a short walk from Ryan Bonaminio Park. ($21.20) - [ScotSurplus Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/scotsurplus-sale/19040309/2026-08-29T08) at Corporation Yard - [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-29T07) at Community Yoga Center - [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-29T09) at Community Yoga Center - [Low-Cost Vaccination Clinic](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/lowcost-vaccination-clinic/19030194/2026-08-29T09) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($10- $28) - [Teo Gonzalez and Mario Aguilar: 90 vs 60 La Comedia Perfecta](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/teo-gonzalez-and-mario-aguilar-90-vs-60-la-comedia-perfecta/19346728/2026-08-29T20) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [Amor Prohibido - Tribute to Selena](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/amor-prohibido-tribute-to-selena/19438780/2026-08-29T19) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ## Save the Date - Aug 31: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-31T19) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 2: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-09-02T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - Sep 3: [Orange Street Mural Unveiling](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-street-mural-unveiling/19578974/2026-09-03T18) at Main Museum Pedestrian Walkway (Orange Street) - Sep 9: [FREE Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - Sep 18: [Open Mic Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/open-mic-night/19553682/2026-09-18T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - Oct 3: [Aquamotion Aquathon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/aquamotion-aquathon/19617601/2026-10-03T09) at Shamel Pool - Oct 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Homegrown: How Two Riverside Plant Lovers Built Plant Bingo URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/homegrown-how-two-riverside-plant-lovers-built-plant-bingo/ Last updated: 2026-08-25T00:15:31.000Z Plant Bingo is homegrown in the truest sense — it started in the living room of founders Donovan Moreno and Genevieve Aleman, who once invited people into their apartment to shop for houseplants one at a time. Moreno and Aleman said Plant Bingo started as informal plant-shopping appointments out of their Riverside apartment after the couple had a baby last year and were looking for extra income. Word of mouth grew — "I've been to your house," one recent Plant Bingo attendee told them — and the pair began hosting small groups at local businesses instead of one-on-one visits. The pair started the first Plant Bingo event last September with about 20 people at a cafe where Aleman was working — and it has run regularly since. What started as one-on-one plant-shopping appointments has grown into a recurring game night that combines plant care lessons with prizes, live DJ sets and, organizers and attendees say, a rare space for strangers to make friends. People can buy tickets through Greenprint Collective's website, with many events including a meal. Attendees show up, eat and socialize before the game begins. Organizers then run 20 rounds of bingo, starting slow and picking up speed — with prizes ranging from a small succulent to a mini rubber tree. Every player leaves with something green, a little more plant care knowledge and, often, new friends. The idea grew out of the founders' own backgrounds. Moreno said the business began with about $90 spent on plants to resell to friends and family before expanding to Facebook Marketplace. Both Moreno and Aleman worked previously at BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse, and Moreno said that customer-service experience, plus experience doing social media for restaurants and DJ work — Aleman's father DJs, as does Moreno — turned their events into something all their own. Aleman said she was introduced to plants by her father during the COVID-19 pandemic. She met Moreno about a year later and said their shared interest in plants — and in entrepreneurship — was one of the first things that drew them together. Aleman, who serves as Greenprint Collective's social media and community director, said her father eventually built a larger plant collection than her own. "We were teaching people about plants because they would come in and not know anything," Moreno said, adding that early customers often didn't know their lighting conditions matched the plants they wanted. Aleman said she modeled the concept after a similar event she'd seen in another state, then developed her own rules through trial and error to keep the game fair. Greenprint Collective now hosts events throughout Southern California and plans to begin recruiting hosts in other markets. For beginners, Moreno recommends pothos, snake plants and ZZ plants — all low-maintenance varieties that don't require humidity control. Aleman said she leans toward pothos specifically because its fast growth keeps new plant owners engaged. Riverside resident Shannon Smith said she's attended about 10 Plant Bingo events since their second-ever event at Cookie Tin Cafe on Spruce Street. Smith said the rules have become more structured over time, including limits on how many prizes one person can win, to cut down on repeat winners and hard feelings among players. "It's just been trial and error," Smith said. "I think there's just been certain things to kind of make it fair for everybody." She said the events have a distinct fun and wholesome feel compared to other social settings. "You're not at a bar, you're not at a club," she said. "It's like-minded people." Smith said she now attends events roughly every other month, including at Taco Station, Thompson's Brewery and Palm Springs Surf Club — and has expanded her personal plant collection through wins, purchases and gifts from other attendees. The events have also pushed her to seek out local plant businesses on her own, including one in Redlands and vendors at Riverside's Jungle Fest. Aleman said she hopes the events read as more than a game night. "This is a really good place to come make friends," she said, noting many attendees show up alone. "You don't need to know any experience about plants." **More information:* Greenprint Collective hosts Plant Bingo events throughout Southern California, with tickets available at* [*thegreenprintco.com*](https://thegreenprintco.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*. The* [*next Riverside event*](https://thegreenprintco.com/apps/events/calendar?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *is scheduled for Sept. 27 at Killer Queens Social House.* ### Riverside Art Museum Names Vivian Zavataro as Executive Director URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-art-museum-names-vivian-zavataro-as-executive-director/ Last updated: 2026-08-24T22:15:13.000Z The Riverside Art Museum has named Vivian Zavataro as its next executive director, the museum announced Friday. Zavataro will begin the role Oct. 1. Zavataro comes to Riverside from the Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University, where she has served as executive and creative director, overseeing the museum's strategic, operational and creative direction. RAM said her appointment comes as the museum has expanded its exhibitions, education programs and national profile, including through its role as home to The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture. "The Riverside Art Museum has grown from a beloved community museum into a dynamic cultural institution with an international presence," Patricia Reynolds, president of RAM's Board of Trustees, said in a statement. "Through our historic Julia Morgan building and The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture, we create opportunities for people to experience, learn from, and celebrate art that reflects the diverse stories and voices of our community." Reynolds said Zavataro's combination of institutional leadership, curatorial experience and community engagement work makes her well suited to guide RAM's next chapter. At the Ulrich Museum, Zavataro oversees a permanent collection of more than 7,000 objects along with a program of modern and contemporary exhibitions. She previously served as executive director and chief curator of the John and Geraldine Lilley Museum of Art at the University of Nevada, Reno. Her curatorial work includes "Everything Must Go: Justin Favela's Closeout Blowout Re-Grand Opening" at the Ulrich Museum of Art, "Guillermo Bert: The Journey" at the Nevada Museum of Art, and "En Medio | Senses of Migration" at the Lilley Museum of Art. She has worked with artists including Guillermo Gómez-Peña, Justin Favela, Guillermo Bert, Kiara Aileen Machado and Edi Rama. Zavataro holds a Master of Arts in Heritage and Museum Studies from the University of Amsterdam and a Master of Advanced Studies in Curating from Zurich University of the Arts. She is a PhD candidate at the University of Reading, where her dissertation focuses on museum audience engagement. "I am honored to join the Riverside Art Museum at such a pivotal moment," Zavataro said in a statement. "These are places where art, community, and culture meet in ways that feel urgent and alive. I look forward to working alongside the team, board, artists, guest curators, and the broader Riverside and Inland Empire communities to expand this organization's impact and make sure its programs reflect and celebrate the people it serves." RAM said The Cheech will continue its existing model of working with guest curators on exhibitions exploring Chicano art and culture under Zavataro's leadership. "Riverside Art Museum has come a long way, and The Cheech has become a big part of that story," Cheech Marin said in a statement. "But the best part is that we're still building. Vivian understands artists, she understands museums, and she understands the importance of bringing people together." ### 🍊Your Riverside Weekend- August 22, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/your-riverside-weekend-august-15-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-22T12:00:11.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/02/_DSC5738.jpg) **Your Riverside Weekend- August 22, 2026** **Happy Saturday, Riverside!** We hope your week treated you well. Before you head into your weekend, we've gathered the stories that defined life in our city this week — from City Hall to community happenings. You're in the right place to catch up — your weekend starts here. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260822)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260822&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [Linden Street Could Shrink to Two Lanes Under Safety PilotCity committee advances study of restriping near John W. North High School.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-ab0f31dd-6c97-4299-81dd-c6f12792919a.png)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/6-2-64a4d501-16c1-46df-8a80-33ce9177c93b.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/linden-street-could-shrink-to-two-lanes-under-safety-pilot/) [Opinion: Colorado River Parties Fail to Reach Agreement, Federal Government Steps InThe Colorado River Is Significantly Overdrafted and Not Sustainable Under Current Operations.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-b34a4298-bab1-48bc-9692-77d523f2f464.png)The Raincross GazetteMike Gardner![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/opinion_banner-mike_gardner-963ae90a-efe0-4086-9d77-bf052ead130a.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-colorado-river-parties-fail-to-reach-agreement-federal-government-steps-in/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260822)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260822&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [The Lower Canal Flume TrestleA wooden trestle once carried the Lower Canal across the Tequesquite Arroyo, until crews pulled it down in one dramatic crash in 1914.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-eb2aca81-dbb8-4b4a-abf2-a8175e77ff34.png)The Raincross GazetteGlenn Wenzel![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/1-Irrigating-Ditch-20ce6822-e4bc-40b2-8e1a-07a83b5a54b2.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-lower-canal-flume-trestle/) [A Taste of Downtown’s Newest Spot: Orange Tree Tables and TapsOne reporter’s first visit to Downtown’s newest restaurant, now open on Main Street.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-e909679c-64a7-4b3a-9b99-e3df00ef6048.png)The Raincross GazetteCommunity Contributor![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/1-b9f5d81d-5402-4466-80ad-1f84f4e6be03.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-taste-of-downtowns-newest-spot-orange-tree-tables-and-taps/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260822) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260822&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Weather Forecast ☀️ Sunday, Aug 23 — 103° / 72° · Mostly Sunny ☀️ Monday, Aug 24 — 103° / 72° · Mostly Sunny ⛅ Tuesday, Aug 25 — 102° / 74° · Partly Cloudy ⛅ Wednesday, Aug 26 — 102° / 74° · Partly Cloudy ⛅ Thursday, Aug 27 — 103° / 73° · Partly Cloudy ⛅ Friday, Aug 28 — 103° / 73° · Partly Cloudy ☀️ Saturday, Aug 29 — 102° / 73° · Mostly Sunny 🔥 Riverside's holding steady in the low 100s this week — basically the same forecast on repeat, like your favorite summer playlist stuck on shuffle-of-one. A few clouds drift through midweek but don't expect any relief from them. Needless to say, we'll be feeling "hot hot hot" all week long. **Fair warning:* we're not meteorologists! Our forecasts are pulled from public weather data as a little extra for our readers. For the most current conditions, your favorite weather app knows more than we do — but we'll always do our best to help you plan your weekend.* ☀️ --- ## 💬 The Watercooler — Gazette staff, freelancers, and community contributors share what's on their minds this week **️**⛵️ **Justin** still wants to see The Odyssey on 70mm IMAX but every single showing in Ontario still has only front row tickets left! 📆 **Rosy** is back to the almighty grind as RCC Fall semester starts soon. 🏊 **Larry's** excited to crash a kid's pool party this weekend, then meander into a conversation about books over drinks at Back to the Grind. 🥂 **Amy** is feeling all kinds of sentimental this weekend — one of her kids just got engaged, and celebrating it has her a little misty-eyed already. --- ## Save the Date - Aug 22: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-22T07) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 22: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-22T09) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 23: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-23T08) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 24: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-24T19) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 26: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-26T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - Aug 28: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-28T07) at Zacatecas Café - Sep 3: [Orange Street Mural Unveiling](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-street-mural-unveiling/19578974/2026-09-03T18) at Main Museum Pedestrian Walkway (Orange Street) - Sep 9: [FREE Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - Sep 18: [Open Mic Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/open-mic-night/19553682/2026-09-18T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - Oct 3: [Aquamotion Aquathon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/aquamotion-aquathon/19617601/2026-10-03T09) at Shamel Pool - Oct 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### The Big Reveal URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-big-reveal/ Last updated: 2026-08-22T12:00:10.000Z Welcome back, you monetarily mindful makers! Did [last week’s ](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/to-insure-prompt-service/)nudge help you tip your imagination 15% or more? Perhaps time spent considering these awkward social transactions helped you represent your feelings through a bit of artistic thinking. However you performed, take a bow. Better yet, step behind the curtain and make another entrance. This week’s creative nudge is a literal curtain call. The curtain gets my vote for least secure boundary in a room. It has no lock, no latch, and no instruction manual. Simply drawing a curtain signals that a space has changed. That understanding requires cooperation. Anyone can push a curtain aside. We usually don’t because curtains depend on our respect for the performance. A closed curtain says, “Whatever is happening back here is not currently part of your business,” and most of us agree. Curtains offer visual privacy while remaining remarkably unconcerned about sound, smell, temperature and conversation. We can’t see what is happening behind a curtain, but engaging all your senses, and a little imagination, can tell you everything you need to know. I regularly attend performances at the Landis Performing Arts Center on the Riverside City College campus, and I love the moment when the curtain retracts and unveils the vividly designed set for the first time. The props and performers were there all along (perhaps forever!?!); the curtain gives us a before and an after. When it opens, something must happen. This week’s nudge can happen indoors, outdoors or in the useful third territory a curtain creates between the two. If your own curtains fail to inspire, visit a department store. They always have the air conditioning going strong, and I believe some of them still sell household goods. Places everyone, the house lights are dimming! Try out one or more of these cold opens on a set of your own design: 1. **Make an Entrance:** Pass through a curtain three times. The first time, enter as someone who has wonderful news. Second, as someone hoping not to be noticed. Third, the world’s leading authority on something ridiculous. Change your pace, posture, expression and age. No dialogue required. 2. **Behind the Scenes:** Get behind a curtain and write down only what you can hear: partial sentences, footsteps, traffic. Does silence sound suspicious? If someone spots you, make ghost sounds. 3. **Draft Work:** Open a window or door enough to let moving air reach a curtain. Watch how it responds. Follow its motion with as much of your body as public dignity permits. Turn its response into a short dance or one continuous line drawn across paper. 4. **Typecasting:** View a curtain display in person or online and cast the fabrics in an imaginary theatrical production. Which curtain plays the villain? Which is the romantic lead? Which pattern never rehearses and just loves to wing it? 5. **The Big Reveal:** Place three ordinary objects behind a curtain, sheet or towel. Arrange them so only their silhouettes, outlines or an edge can be seen. Invite someone to guess what is waiting backstage—or write your own deliberately inaccurate guesses. Even a familiar room can feel different when something is hidden, framed or dramatically revealed. Creativity also needs that context. An idea may need to remain behind the curtain until it’s stage ready. Even when my creativity has been left dormant for a while I am always happily surprised to see it only needs a bit of fanfare before another performance. This week, linger for a moment between concealed and revealed. Rehearse if you need to. When you are ready, pull the curtain aside. *This column was written with help from ChatGPT, serving as an unpaid dramaturg: questioning my motivation, rearranging my marks, and whispering that the second act needs work.* ### A Citywide Data Center Ban Could be Coming to Riverside URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-citywide-data-center-ban-could-be-coming-to-riverside/ Last updated: 2026-08-24T12:00:03.000Z A proposed ban on data centers is headed for a city committee next month after officials pulled a proposal from the council’s agenda that would have paired a data center project with a veterans' workforce-training initiative. Ward 1 Councilmember Philip Falcone told the Gazette he has been developing a citywide data center ban for several months, but without a deadline in mind. That changed, however, when the Economic Development Committee in June advanced a data center project in Riverside — a partnership with nonprofit group Institute for Veterans & Emerging Technology Skills (iVETS) and StemWorx Inc. — framed around job creation for military veterans. The first phase of that project involved finding office space in Riverside to train veterans in high-tech fields; the second phase involved the development of a data center in the city, operated by StemWorx and staffed by veterans. That project made its way to the City Council's Aug. 11 agenda, but was removed by city staff. The iVets proposal will return to the council’s Land Use Committee, but will involve the first phase only — with "no new construction, no new utility infrastructure, and no land use entitlements,” according to iVets chair Alan Stanly in an Aug. 18 letter to the Land Use Committee. ### The case for a data center ban Because of this, Falcone said his data center ban’s timeline has now become urgent, and it is likely go before the Land Use Committee on Sept. 14 — and then, if advanced, to the council to vote in the coming months. Falcone said his concern centers on Riverside's limited resources and land. The city currently has only one connection to the statewide electrical grid, he said, and already struggles to meet demand on hot summer days. Adding a data center, he said, raises doubts about the city's ability to keep up. "There are many obvious and common sense reasons why data centers do not belong in Riverside," Falcone said in an email. "From demand on already limited water and electricity resources, to noise pollution, to being a land suck, the vision I have for Riverside is one that is not compatible with how data centers exist and operate." Riverside Public Utilities Manager David Garcia confirmed in an email that Riverside Public Utilities does not have a policy specific to data centers. “We evaluate any proposed project to ensure we as a city have available capacity to serve the proposed use and its anticipated demand,” Garcia wrote. City spokesperson Phil Pitchford told the Gazette in an email that the iVETS/StemWorx proposal did not advance far enough in the process to determine exactly what was being proposed or what its energy demand would have been. ### The case for the data center In an email to the Gazette, Committee Chair Steven Robillard pushed back on characterizations of the project as a traditional data center. "The first phase is an applied technology lab focused on workforce training and emerging technologies, operating in existing commercial space and using the building's existing electrical infrastructure," he said, adding that he supports moving the first phase forward. Robillard said separating the training phase from the longer-term data center concept was intentional, giving the city time to "better understand and address concerns associated with larger-scale data centers." He said he generally favors "identifying and mitigating specific impacts rather than defaulting to outright bans." Robillard, who chaired the June meeting, also said that Riverside's citywide electric capacity is set to double by 2029 and said other companies have already expressed interest in placing similar small-scale data centers in the city. When presenting the project at the June 18 Economic Development Committee, Stanly described the proposed data center itself as a community-oriented facility rather than the larger data centers driving opposition elsewhere across the country. "We're not talking about a 500 megawatt project that's going to require changing the grid," he said. "This is a community data center of and by and for the community, the benefit of the community to ensure that the community has access to the AI at consistent rates." Phase one, according to Stanly, would draw no more electricity than a typical office space and would require no new infrastructure. The lab would offer applied technology training with priority recruitment and placement for veterans and underserved residents. Stanly added that phase two of the project was planned to scale gradually based on local demand rather than launch at full capacity. He also stressed that the memorandum of understanding under consideration was non-binding, telling committee members, "You haven't committed any funds. You haven't agreed to anything." Across the Inland Empire, more cities are cementing their stance on data centers. Coachella, Desert Hot Springs and Indio have enacted temporary moratoriums on data centers, while Perris will reportedly consider a ban next month. ### Arlington by Dawn URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/arlington-by-dawn/ Last updated: 2026-08-24T11:59:26.000Z I am barely out of my car at Arlington Library when something gray rushes toward me. I am startled. Then I see white paws, a dark tail held high, and the confident expression of a small cat who has apparently been expecting me. She is thin but not skinny, well groomed, wearing a collar. Clearly loved, likely beloved. She circles my legs and cuts insistently across my path. Is she a library volunteer? No. The library is closed, and her customer service consists mostly of making it impossible for me to leave. She is a temptation to abandon this walk plan of mine. I could sit on the curb for an hour petting this cat instead. Maybe that is the column. I meet a cat. We enjoy hanging out together. The end. I start south on Roosevelt, and she follows. She stays close, cutting in front of me at each step. Four or five houses from the library, she stops. She wanders into a yard, then returns to the sidewalk, keeping the library and surrounding houses within retreating distance. Friendly, but not foolish. She knows where she belongs and how far she is willing to travel. I admire her judgment. This cat was here before I arrived and will be here after I leave. She has a home—perhaps several—responsibilities, and probably another appointment before breakfast. Walkability indexes measure sidewalks, intersections, transit stops, and the number of places you can reach without getting back into your car. Those things matter. But the personalities you meet on the street matter more. A friendly neighborhood cat is a priceless walkability metric. Six in the morning. I am here, predawn to be precise, to avoid the worst of August. Awake at this hour is not unusual in Riverside. Many of us do not need an alarm clock. Dogs, Amazon's graveyard shift deliveries, kids, or decades of habit take care of that. Portable fans are running on front porches. The humidity is highest these days before sunrise. Doors squeak open and shut. It's trash day, and a city truck moves through the neighborhood while a bearded man in pajamas pushes a green waste container to the curb. Just in time. Tall Canary Island date palms line several blocks; broad, scarred, and substantial, their crowns spread above the houses and utility wires. There are chain-link fences, fruit trees, vegetable plots, basketball hoops on rollered stands, pristine lawns, and lawns that might not see September without a sprinkler makeover. Most houses have no garages. Cars fill every inch of available curb space, and squeeze into narrow driveways, or collect in dirt lots. Blocks built around an earlier relationship with the automobile. Neighborhoods adapt and renew or become time capsules. I turn on Primrose and reach Van Buren. The residential sounds fall behind me, replaced by the dull mechanical hum of traffic. At this hour, traffic is minimal, but every few minutes brings more brake lights. Each minute the sun climbs from the horizon, and the traffic increases quadratically, leading to a dreaded "rush hour" avoidable at the pedestrian level. My preferred level. Arlington is open. A worker climbs a ladder to clean windows. At the car wash, another employee checks equipment and organizes a bushel of helium filled balloons for maximum marketing effect. Others clean sidewalks, unlock doors, brew coffee and make the morning something to look forward to. Van Buren holds a shifting collection of businesses and services. Personal grooming for you or your car or your pet (different places). Over a dozen food options within minutes of each other. New medical facilities and smaller offices are going up alongside new retail destinations selling coffee, cannabis or e-scooters (different places). I turn onto California, then Acacia, and the neighborhood quiets again. Roosters announce a day already in progress. I see cats crouching beneath cars and darting into shrubbery. None of them ask me to stop and pet them. At Acacia and Garfield, a brick house features a former fountain filled with weathered statues. Owls, squirrels, birds, religious figures, dog with sunglasses, and a reclining spotted leopard share the platform. The assemblage contains objects of varied tastes and degrees of wear. I have to believe they've been accumulated across years. Someone began this collection; someone else may now maintain it. The display is private property, but it contributes something to the public street. It tells everyone passing that collecting, arranging, remembering, and even refusing to throw something away are neighborhood values too. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/2.png) A fountain at Acacia and Garfield holds a mix of weathered statues, including owls, gnomes, and a reclining leopard. (Larry Burns) I turn onto Garfield, then Harrison, then Magnolia, following streets that meet at irregular angles, change names, curve, or stop abruptly. Riverside is not one clean grid. It has been assembled over time like pieces fitted from several different puzzles. On Magnolia, I take a quick left onto Roosevelt, then a quick right on Miller. My goal? To see if the misspelled Japanese "Restaruant" banner is still there. I first noticed it years ago dropping my daughter off at the Bourns Family Youth Innovation Center for STEAM classes. It's still here; there's something reassuring about that! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/3.png) The misspelled "Restaruant" sign near Magnolia and Miller has stayed the same for years. (Larry Burns) The intersection of Magnolia and Van Buren is described as Arlington's heart. Hearts are active, complicated organs. In 2025, I walked these streets as part of Riverside County's unsheltered point-in-time (PIT) count. The unsheltered live here too, moving early to protect themselves, find shade and everything else needed to make it through the day. They share these sidewalks with dog walkers, commuters, and customers. I notice we all have somewhere to go, but some of us lack somewhere to return to. Arlington Library comes back into view. I attended Inlandia writing workshops here in the 2010s and brought my daughter for children's programs before she began grade school. I brought her brothers here over two decades ago to support their love of reading and learning too. I am grateful that the building, and the knowledge and services it provides have been maintained. At this beautiful moment of Zen filled reflection, I remember the library books sitting at home that I could have returned. A family of acorn woodpeckers call to each other from the trees. I look along the sidewalk for my gray-and-white feline friend, but she is elsewhere. I suspect she's returned to one of the many places she calls home, finished with her library visit. Like me, she comes here for conversation and a few pleasant memories, but she knows when to go home. Walking through Arlington before seven shows me a city already at work. Residents leave for jobs. Businesses prepare to open. Birds defend territories. A walkable neighborhood is not simply one where destinations are close together. It is one that gives people reasons to be outside, recognizes that different lives share the same streets, and leaves room for culture, not just commerce, to commence. I'll return here with those library books, even though Arlington is not my closest branch. It is a longer trip, but I am hopeful my new pal will be waiting somewhere nearby to pounce. *ChatGPT 5.6 Sol assisted with drafting and revision. All cats, misspellings, and early-morning observations were found in the wild.* ### 🗞️ Riverside News- August 21, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-august-14-2026-cop/ Last updated: 2026-08-21T12:00:00.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/IMG_0789.jpeg) Charlene McKinley-Powell soaks up a "wonderful time" in Japan. **Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and tell us a bit of what you experienced](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **Friday Gazette: August 21, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Friday!** It's National Senior Citizens Day. Today's a good day to slow down and check in on the older folks in your life, whether that's a grandparent, a longtime neighbor, or the person a few doors down who always waves from the porch. A phone call or a short visit goes a long way. If you know a senior who's been quietly holding a piece of this community together for years, this is also a great moment to [nominate them for Neighbor of the Week](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). Happy weekend to you! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260821)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260821&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CITY HALL](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/city-hall/) ## A Citywide Data Center Ban Could be Coming to Riverside The city joins a growing list of Inland Empire municipalities weighing limits on data center development. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-5-5.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-citywide-data-center-ban-could-be-coming-to-riverside/) A councilmember's push to ban data centers citywide gained urgency after officials pulled a veterans' training-linked project from council's agenda. **Why it matters:** A data center in Riverside could strain the city's single connection to the statewide power grid and its water supply — a debate that could shape how AI infrastructure develops here for years. **Driving the news:** Councilmember Philip Falcone's proposed data center ban heads to the Land Use Committee Sept. 14, after city staff pulled a paired veterans-training and data center project from the Aug. 11 council agenda. - Only the training phase — with no new construction or utility infrastructure — returns to committee, according to iVETS chair Alan Stanly. **The backstory:** Falcone says Riverside's limited land and power supply make data centers a poor fit for the city. - "Data centers do not belong in Riverside," he said, citing water and electricity demand and noise concerns. **Yes, but:** Committee Chair Steven Robillard says the training phase isn't a traditional data center — it uses existing office space and electrical infrastructure. - Riverside's citywide electric capacity is set to double by 2029, Robillard said, and he favors addressing specific impacts over outright bans. **What's next:** The Land Use Committee takes up the ban Sept. 14\. If it advances, the full council could vote in the coming months. - Coachella, Desert Hot Springs and Indio already have temporary bans, and Perris is expected to consider one next month. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-citywide-data-center-ban-could-be-coming-to-riverside/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260821)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260821&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Arlington by Dawn A monthly stroll through Riverside's everyday neighborhoods, one step at a time. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/1-1.png)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/arlington-by-dawn/) A cat waits near Arlington Library, staying close enough to keep an eye on home. (Larry Burns) I am barely out of my car at Arlington Library when something gray rushes toward me. I am startled. Then I see white paws, a dark tail held high, and the confident expression of a small cat who has apparently been expecting me. She is thin but not skinny, well groomed, wearing a collar. Clearly loved, likely beloved. She circles my legs and cuts insistently across my path. Is she a library volunteer? No. The library is closed, and her customer service consists mostly of making it impossible for me to leave. She is a temptation to abandon this walk plan of mine. I could sit on the curb for an hour petting this cat instead. Maybe that is the column. I meet a cat. We enjoy hanging out together. The end. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/arlington-by-dawn/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260821) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260821&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [SPONSORED STORY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/sponsored/) ## Local Specialists, Expert Care for Riverside County's Children Riverside Medical Clinic offers local access to pediatric cardiology, gastroenterology, endocrinology and neurology, along with sports medicine care for young athletes. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/1-5.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/local-specialists-expert-care-for-riverside-countys-children/) From left, RMC pediatric specialists Dr. Kareem Shahin, Dr. Shilpa Gupta, Dr. Payal Patel and Dr. Ghanim Aljomah. (Photo courtesy of Riverside Medical Clinic) When a child needs specialized medical care, Riverside County families often travel to Orange or Los Angeles County to find it. That can mean hours on the road and time away from work and school. But a growing range of children's specialty care is available closer to home — at [Riverside Medical Clinic](https://www.riversidemedicalclinic.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) (RMC). Among the physicians providing that care are Payal Patel, MD, a pediatric cardiologist, and Kareem Shahin, DO, a sports medicine physician who works with many young athletes. Although they address very different health care needs, both work to give children specialized care while helping families remain close to home. From an early age, Payal Patel, MD, knew she wanted to follow in her grandfather's footsteps. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/local-specialists-expert-care-for-riverside-countys-children/) --- #### [Adoptable Pet of the Week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag//) ## Meet Noir! Meet this week’s featured furry friend from the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center. Dedicated to eliminating pet homelessness, the center provides compassionate care and facilitates adoptions for animals in need of loving homes. Find your new companion and help support their mission of humane care and responsible pet ownership. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/2-2.jpg)](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) ****Meet Noir**, a 2-year-old German Shepherd mix with a gentle heart and a wonderfully easygoing personality.Noir loves being around people, leaning in for pets, soaking up attention, and convincing you that he definitely deserves just one more treat. (And honestly, he may have a point.)He enjoys quiet moments just as much as leisurely strolls and exploring his surroundings. Friendly, affectionate, and wonderfully relaxed, Noir has a way of making you feel comfortable the moment you meet him.Sometimes the best companions are the ones who simply enjoy being by your side. Noir could be that kind of friend. ****Come meet this sweet boy and see what makes Noir so special.** Visit Noir at 6165 Industrial Ave, Riverside or find out more about Noir and other adoptable friends at petsadoption.org. --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Friday, August 21 - [Bee Gees Fever - Tribute To Bee Gees](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bee-gees-fever-tribute-to-bee-gees/19447455/2026-08-21T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [Cumbiatron - The Cumbia Rave (21+)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/cumbiatron-the-cumbia-rave-21/19438777/2026-08-21T21) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ### Saturday, August 22 - [Latin Legacy Tour: MC Magic, Baby Bash & Lil' Rob](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/latin-legacy-tour-mc-magic-baby-bash-lil-rob/18621404/2026-08-22T19) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ### Sunday, Aug 23 - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-08-23T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [PIZZA and ICE CREAM SOCIAL 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/pizza-and-ice-cream-social-2026/19514745/2026-08-23T16) at TEMPLE BETH EL RIVERSIDE - [Sunday Experiment After Dark](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sunday-experiment-after-dark/14528750/2026-08-23T21) at Downtown Experiment ### Save the Date - Aug 22: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-22T07) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 22: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-22T09) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 23: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-23T08) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 24: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-24T19) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 26: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-26T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - Aug 28: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-28T07) at Zacatecas Café - Sep 3: [Orange Street Mural Unveiling](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-street-mural-unveiling/19578974/2026-09-03T18) at Main Museum Pedestrian Walkway (Orange Street) - Sep 9: [FREE Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - Sep 18: [Open Mic Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/open-mic-night/19553682/2026-09-18T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - Oct 3: [Aquamotion Aquathon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/aquamotion-aquathon/19617601/2026-10-03T09) at Shamel Pool - Oct 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Local Specialists, Expert Care for Riverside County's Children URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/local-specialists-expert-care-for-riverside-countys-children/ Last updated: 2026-08-23T12:00:05.000Z When a child needs specialized medical care, Riverside County families often travel to Orange or Los Angeles County to find it. That can mean hours on the road and time away from work and school. But a growing range of children's specialty care is available closer to home — at [Riverside Medical Clinic](https://www.riversidemedicalclinic.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) (RMC). Among the physicians providing that care are Payal Patel, MD, a pediatric cardiologist, and Kareem Shahin, DO, a sports medicine physician who works with many young athletes. Although they address very different health care needs, both work to give children specialized care while helping families remain close to home. From an early age, Payal Patel, MD, knew she wanted to follow in her grandfather's footsteps. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/2-3.jpg) Pediatric cardiologist Payal Patel, MD, cares for young heart patients at Riverside Medical Clinic. (Photo courtesy of Riverside Medical Clinic) A family medicine physician in India, her grandfather treated patients on the ground floor of his home while he and his family lived upstairs. Dr. Patel was drawn to pediatrics and the opportunity to care for children. When she had the chance to expand her training into pediatric cardiology, she took it. "I wanted to keep learning, and I was fascinated by the heart," she said. Early in her career as a pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Patel identified an aortic abnormality in a 1-year-old boy that had gone undetected by his previous care team. The potentially life-threatening condition required immediate attention. Twelve years later, the patient continues to rely on Dr. Patel for his cardiac care. Dr. Patel also performs fetal echocardiograms for RMC's expecting patients. These specialized ultrasound examinations allow her to evaluate a developing baby's heart before birth and identify certain heart conditions as early as possible. ### Sports Medicine ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-5-1.jpg) Sports medicine physician Kareem Shahin, DO, treats young athletes at Riverside Medical Clinic's Brockton Avenue location. (Photo courtesy of Riverside Medical Clinic) Board-certified sports medicine physician Kareem Shahin, DO, treats both children and adults at RMC's Brockton Avenue location. He sees patients across a broad range of sports. Treating young athletes, he notes, requires particular attention to how their bodies are still growing and developing. "I focus on making an accurate diagnosis while avoiding overly aggressive treatment. Whenever possible, I use a conservative, evidence-based approach that emphasizes activity modification, rehabilitation, proper biomechanics, and gradual return to sport. At the same time, I am careful not to dismiss pain as 'growing pains,' particularly when symptoms are persistent, focal, or affecting performance." Treatment depends on the athlete and the injury. Once a diagnosis is made, Dr. Shahin may recommend reducing the volume of a particular movement or temporarily modifying the athlete's activities to allow the body to recover. He recently treated a 16-year-old football player who was referred to him after visiting an RMC urgent care location. Dr. Shahin determined that the athlete had fractured his scapula, commonly known as the shoulder blade. He developed a plan for early mobility, placed the patient's arm in a sling and referred him to a local rehabilitation provider to support his recovery. Dr. Shahin's experience treating athletes of different ages helps him guide both young patients and their parents through the recovery process. His advice to families concerned about a sports injury is to seek an appropriate evaluation rather than risk allowing the problem to worsen. "You want to make sure they rehab appropriately," Dr. Shahin said. "You don't want the injury to compound and have other parts of the body make up for it." ### More Pediatric Expertise, Close to Home Riverside Medical Clinic's pediatric specialty care extends beyond the heart and the playing field. Local families can also turn to RMC physicians for conditions affecting a child's growth and hormones, digestive system and nervous system. ### Care for Digestive and Nutritional Concerns Ghanim Aljomah, MD, specializes in pediatric gastroenterology, the care of digestive and nutritional conditions in children and adolescents. Families may be referred to a pediatric gastroenterologist when a child experiences persistent abdominal pain, reflux, constipation, chronic diarrhea or other ongoing digestive concerns. Among the most common reasons Riverside families come to see him are recurring stomachaches that keep returning even after routine tests come back normal. ### When the Gut and Brain Talk to Each Other The gut and the brain are in constant communication through nerves, hormones and even the bacteria that live in the intestines. In some children, that communication becomes overly sensitive, so that normal signals — food simply moving through the digestive tract — get amplified and felt as pain. The pain is not imaginary, Dr. Aljomah notes; these are real, diagnosable conditions that can be treated. Doctors describe them as disorders of gut–brain interaction, sometimes called functional abdominal pain disorders. They include irritable bowel syndrome, in which belly pain is tied to changes in bowel habits; functional dyspepsia, an uncomfortable fullness in the upper belly, especially after eating; abdominal migraine, intense episodes of pain with nausea, vomiting or pallor separated by stretches of feeling fine; and functional abdominal pain that does not fit neatly into any one category. Many children have features of more than one at the same time. Diagnosis rests on a child's symptom pattern rather than on ruling out every possible disease through extensive testing. Using an internationally recognized standard known as the Rome IV criteria, a pediatric gastroenterologist can make a confident, positive diagnosis during a careful clinical visit, reserving invasive testing for cases where specific warning signs point to something else. Because the gut–brain connection involves both the body and the mind, Dr. Aljomah's approach works best when it addresses both. Education and reassurance come first — helping children and families understand what is happening, and that the pain is real. From there, treatment may draw on gut–brain therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy, delivered with a psychologist, to help children build skills for managing pain and limiting its effect on daily life. Dietary strategies are guided by a dietitian, with care taken to avoid unnecessarily restrictive diets. For children who need more support, certain low-dose medications can help quiet pain signals, used thoughtfully alongside the other therapies. Dr. Aljomah encourages Riverside families to seek an evaluation when a child's belly pain occurs several times a month for two months or more, causes missed school or skipped activities, comes with significant anxiety, mood changes or sleep problems, or has not improved after initial advice from a primary care doctor. Having that evaluation available locally spares families a long drive during a stretch that is already stressful. By evaluating these symptoms through the needs of a child's developing body, Dr. Aljomah can help families better understand the source of a gastrointestinal problem and determine an appropriate treatment plan. ### Supporting Healthy Growth and Development Hormones affect nearly every part of a child's growth and development. Shilpa Gupta, MD, is board-certified in pediatrics and pediatric endocrinology and cares for young patients with conditions involving hormones and metabolism. Pediatric endocrinology can include the evaluation and management of diabetes, thyroid disorders, growth concerns and early or delayed puberty. Having this specialized care available locally also makes it easier for families to manage conditions that may require regular appointments and continued monitoring over time. ### Specialized Care for the Developing Nervous System James Nelson, MD, is a pediatric neurologist who is board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Pediatric neurology focuses on conditions affecting a child's brain, spinal cord, nerves and muscles. Children may be referred to a pediatric neurologist for seizures, recurring headaches, developmental concerns or other symptoms involving the nervous system. Dr. Nelson evaluates these conditions and works with families on a treatment plan. ### Specialized Care Without Leaving the Region These physicians address very different medical needs, but they offer Riverside County families a shared benefit: access to children's specialty care within their own community. Local appointments can mean more convenient access to follow-up care. From pediatric cardiology, gastroenterology, endocrinology and neurology to sports medicine for young athletes, RMC's specialists are helping families find the care their children need without automatically having to travel to Orange or Los Angeles County. To learn more about pediatric specialty care at Riverside Medical Clinic, visit [riversidemedicalclinic.com](https://www.riversidemedicalclinic.com/specialty/riverside-medical-clinic-pediatricians/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). ### At 93, Evelyn Shea Looks Back on a Life Built on Resilience URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/at-93-evelyn-shea-looks-back-on-a-life-built-on-resilience/ Last updated: 2026-08-22T23:45:08.000Z Dusty cardboard boxes piled up, forming giant mountains in the room. 93-year-old Evelyn Shea carefully sifted through decades of teaching memorabilia, pausing over letters written by former students she taught years ago — many of whom she still keeps in touch with. After teaching 33 years in the Riverside Unified School District (RUSD), Shea has accumulated more than fond memories. Looking back, her life was a continual accumulation of evidence proving that one's story is not defined by its beginnings. Shea's early childhood was full of instability. Born in Dallas, Texas, she was adopted by a Houston couple who divorced when she was three. After bouncing between different relatives and families, she eventually moved back in with her adopted father. Despite the straight A's Shea earned in her early education, her father suspected that her classes weren't adequately preparing her. After some quizzing, he realized that Shea didn't know as much as expected, indicating that the school wasn't challenging her. Consequently, he sent her to a convent run by around 200 nuns for 50 young girls. "I loved \[the convent\]," Shea said. "I know it sounds kind of structured, and it was to a point. The nuns in the convent played softball with us and jitterbugged. Many don't know what that is, but it was very popular back then." For Shea, the convent was the first place that felt like a true home. "I got in trouble for climbing trees," Shea laughed. "That was something I loved to do — I was a tomboy. I didn't want to go back home when the school year ended, and they even let me stay an extra week by myself after the other girls left." Shea later attended a Catholic boarding school in San Antonio before heading off to college. "I think some of that resilience is innate, frankly," Shea pondered, reflecting on the motivation that sustained her through a turbulent childhood. "But also, I felt I had something to prove." Initially, Shea took a modest job at Standard Oil in Honolulu, Hawaii. However, finding it difficult to simultaneously raise her two young sons at the time, she returned to school to earn an education degree in hopes of becoming a teacher. Over her 33 years with RUSD, Shea taught thousands of fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade students in gifted elementary programs. Moving from Palm and Grant to Castle View Elementary, Shea realized that her most formative lessons often came from the students sitting in front of her. From humorous boys dancing hula to a Vietnamese refugee who arrived in her classroom with almost no formal schooling, Shea embraced a profound diversity of students. "As a teacher, you constantly have to learn," Shea said. "You learn to appreciate the different cultures they come from. You also have to develop a sensitivity, in some cases, for the homes that they come from, because that influences the child in ways that the child isn't even aware of." Known for what modern generations would consider an "old-school" approach, Shea was described by many former students as demanding yet deeply caring. In one letter she recently uncovered, a former student warned an incoming child: "She's tough. She's strict." But the student quickly followed the warning with reassurance: "It'll be worth it. You'll learn a lot." Throughout her long career, Shea found her motivation in a simple core belief: faith in the younger generation. "The kids made it worth it," Shea said. "They are our future, after all." Even at 93, Shea continues to stay active in her community, volunteering with local efforts like Family Promise. "I do what I do because I'm here and able to do it," Shea said. "I figure the good Lord left me here, so I need to do whatever He had in mind for me to do. I've supported Young Life for years — I was on the board way back when — and nowadays, I still support Family Promise." Looking back on her life, Shea feels no regrets. "The most important thing to me is family," Shea said. And looking ahead toward the future generations who will carry on the legacy she built in Riverside, Shea leaves behind a simple piece of advice. "We always talked about the three R's: reading, writing and arithmetic," Shea said. "I think we need to add two more: responsibility and respect — things that are lacking in our world today." For Shea, the true measure of a life ultimately comes down to where it leads. Her story began with an unstable childhood, transformed into an illustrious 33-year teaching career, and expanded into a sprawling family, as well as decades of service to her community. As Shea puts it: "What's more important than where you started is where you finish." ### 🗞️ Riverside News- August 20, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-august-20-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-20T12:00:13.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-6.jpg) Carolyn Ulrich gets a hands-on brunch surprise while visiting family in Northwest Washington. ***Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and tell us a bit of what you experienced](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **Thursday Gazette: August 20, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Thursday!** August has a way of testing everyone's patience, and if you're already dreaming of sweater weather and cooler evenings, you're not alone. For some, the countdown to fall officially starts around now, even if we've got many more weeks of warm weather to get through. What's your favorite sign that cooler weather is on its way, and how are you getting through these last dog days of summer? --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260820)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260820&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## At 93, Evelyn Shea Looks Back on a Life Built on Resilience A turbulent childhood led Evelyn Shea to 33 years shaping young minds in Riverside Unified — and a belief that where you finish matters more than where you start. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/Evelyn-Shea--B-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/at-93-evelyn-shea-looks-back-on-a-life-built-on-resilience/) Evelyn Shea, who taught thousands of students in RUSD's gifted elementary programs over 33 years, at home in Riverside. (Brenda Flowers) Dusty cardboard boxes piled up, forming giant mountains in the room. 93-year-old Evelyn Shea carefully sifted through decades of teaching memorabilia, pausing over letters written by former students she taught years ago — many of whom she still keeps in touch with. After teaching 33 years in the Riverside Unified School District (RUSD), Shea has accumulated more than fond memories. Looking back, her life was a continual accumulation of evidence proving that one's story is not defined by its beginnings. Shea's early childhood was full of instability. Born in Dallas, Texas, she was adopted by a Houston couple who divorced when she was three. After bouncing between different relatives and families, she eventually moved back in with her adopted father. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/at-93-evelyn-shea-looks-back-on-a-life-built-on-resilience/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260820)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260820&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [SPONSORED STORY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/sponsored/) ## Your Advisor, CPA and Attorney Each Have a Plan. Who Has the Plan? Inside TriCord Advisors' Planning 360 approach — and why 500 Riverside households trust a process that starts with their lives, not their portfolios. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-4-2.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/your-advisor-cpa-and-attorney-each-have-a-plan-who-has-the-plan/) Jeremiah and Laura Lee lead TriCord Advisors, the Riverside financial planning and legal services firm on Magnolia Avenue. (David Fouts) Most Riverside families have done the responsible thing. They have a retirement account, likely overseen by a financial advisor. They have a CPA who handles taxes every spring. They may have an attorney who drafted a trust years ago. Maybe an insurance agent, too. Each professional is doing solid work. The problem is that none of them are talking to each other. The investment advisor recommends one strategy. The CPA has a different view. The estate plan was drafted five years ago and no longer reflects the family's actual situation. A business decision made last quarter has tax consequences nobody flagged. The advice is good in pieces. It is a problem TriCord Advisors, the Riverside-based financial planning and legal services firm on Magnolia Avenue, was built to solve. "Clients would receive excellent advice from different professionals, but no one was connecting the dots," said Laura Lee, the firm's president and a Certified Financial Planner®. "An investment decision affected taxes. Estate plans impacted family wealth. Business decisions influenced retirement. Everything was interconnected, yet advice was often delivered in isolation." Their answer is Planning 360 — a process that puts every dimension of a client's financial life into one coordinated strategy, under one roof, with financial planners and attorneys working from the same blueprint. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/your-advisor-cpa-and-attorney-each-have-a-plan-who-has-the-plan/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260820) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260820&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19516284/2026-08-20T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [LUCKI](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/lucki/19346715/2026-08-20T19) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ### Tomorrow - [Bee Gees Fever - Tribute To Bee Gees](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bee-gees-fever-tribute-to-bee-gees/19447455/2026-08-21T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [Cumbiatron - The Cumbia Rave (21+)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/cumbiatron-the-cumbia-rave-21/19438777/2026-08-21T21) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ## Save the Date - Aug 21: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-21T08) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 21: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-21T07) at Zacatecas Café - Aug 22: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-22T07) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 22: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-22T09) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 24: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-24T19) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 26: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-26T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - Sep 3: [Orange Street Mural Unveiling](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-street-mural-unveiling/19578974/2026-09-03T18) at Main Museum Pedestrian Walkway (Orange Street) - Sep 9: [FREE Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - Sep 18: [Open Mic Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/open-mic-night/19553682/2026-09-18T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - Oct 3: [Aquamotion Aquathon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/aquamotion-aquathon/19617601/2026-10-03T09) at Shamel Pool - Oct 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Your Advisor, CPA and Attorney Each Have a Plan. Who Has the Plan? URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/your-advisor-cpa-and-attorney-each-have-a-plan-who-has-the-plan/ Last updated: 2026-08-21T12:01:33.000Z Most Riverside families have done the responsible thing. They have a retirement account, likely overseen by a financial advisor. They have a CPA who handles taxes every spring. They may have an attorney who drafted a trust years ago. Maybe an insurance agent, too. Each professional is doing solid work. The problem is that none of them are talking to each other. The investment advisor recommends one strategy. The CPA has a different view. The estate plan was drafted five years ago and no longer reflects the family's actual situation. A business decision made last quarter has tax consequences nobody flagged. The advice is good in pieces. It is a problem TriCord Advisors, the Riverside-based financial planning and legal services firm on Magnolia Avenue, was built to solve. "Clients would receive excellent advice from different professionals, but no one was connecting the dots," said Laura Lee, the firm's president and a Certified Financial Planner®. "An investment decision affected taxes. Estate plans impacted family wealth. Business decisions influenced retirement. Everything was interconnected, yet advice was often delivered in isolation." Their answer is Planning 360 — a process that puts every dimension of a client's financial life into one coordinated strategy, under one roof, with financial planners and attorneys working from the same blueprint. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/1-2.png) ### The Person. The Plan. The Partnership. TriCord's approach rests on a three-word framework: Person. Plan. Partnership. **Person** means the first meeting is not about numbers. "We want to understand what has brought someone to us, what they're hoping to accomplish, and where they feel uncertainty," said Jeremiah Lee, TriCord's CEO and also a Certified Financial Planner®. "We discuss family, business, retirement dreams, concerns, values, and what success looks like. Only after understanding the person do we begin gathering financial information." That first conversation — what TriCord calls Vision Setting — is, by the firm's account, its most important meeting. Their questions go well past risk tolerance and asset allocation: *What does an ideal retirement look like? What kind of legacy do you hope to leave? What concerns keep you awake at night? If we were sitting here 10 years from now, what would have to happen for you to feel this partnership was a tremendous success?* "We're listening for far more than financial goals," Laura Lee said. "We're trying to understand what gives their life meaning." **Plan** is where Planning 360 takes shape. Once the vision is established, TriCord's planning team builds what they call a comprehensive roadmap spanning nine areas: investment strategy, tax planning, retirement income, estate planning, insurance, business succession, charitable giving, cash flow and risk management. The recommendations are presented as one coordinated strategy with priorities and an implementation timeline. Most financial advisory firms refer clients out for legal work. TriCord houses both financial planning and legal services under the same roof, which means trust updates, beneficiary designations, business succession plans and estate strategies are built alongside — not apart from — the financial plan. "Instead of advisors working in separate silos, everyone is working from the same blueprint," Jeremiah Lee said. **Partnership** reflects a core TriCord conviction: financial planning is not a one-time event. It is an ongoing relationship. "Early on, we thought our greatest value was only providing great financial advice," said Laura and Jeremiah Lee, who lead the firm together. "Today, we believe our greatest value is helping people make confident decisions throughout their lives. Markets change. Tax laws change. Families change. Our role isn't simply to manage investments. It's to serve as a trusted thought partner through every major financial decision our clients encounter." TriCord serves approximately 500 households. Many of those relationships span decades — often extending across generations as children become adults and parents become grandparents. ### When the Dots Connect There is a recurring moment in the Planning 360 process — the point where a client sees everything together for the first time and the weight of fragmented advice lifts. "They realize retirement isn't just about investments. Taxes affect retirement. Estate planning affects taxes. Business decisions affect retirement. Insurance affects estate planning," Laura Lee said. "For many clients it's the first time someone has shown them how all of these decisions work together toward one purpose." In practice, that consolidation often surfaces surprises. TriCord's planners say they frequently uncover tax opportunities, outdated beneficiary designations, unnecessary risk or estate planning gaps that have existed for years — simply because no one had ever looked at everything together. Consider one example: a business owner approaching retirement who had accumulated considerable assets but whose investments, estate documents, taxes and succession planning had all been handled by separate professionals. Through Planning 360, TriCord developed one coordinated strategy that addressed taxes, prepared the business transition, updated the estate plan and improved retirement income projections. "The greatest outcome wasn't simply financial," Jeremiah Lee said. "It was peace of mind." ### Neighbors, Not Account Numbers TriCord's leadership has roots in Riverside dating to the early 1980s, and the firm has operated from the same Magnolia Avenue location ever since. Today the team's community involvement extends across organizations including Path of Life Ministries, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Blue Zones, local schools and other Riverside nonprofits. When asked what Riverside families need that a national firm or online platform cannot provide, the answer came back as a single word: relationships. "Technology has made financial information widely available. But wisdom still comes through trusted relationships," Jeremiah Lee said. "Being rooted in Riverside means we understand the people, businesses, families, and professionals that make up this community. We aren't simply managing accounts — we're helping neighbors make some of the biggest decisions of their lives." That local rootedness shapes the work itself. The firm regularly coordinates with Riverside-area CPAs, insurance professionals, bankers, business consultants and other specialists — an ecosystem of local professionals working in concert rather than in isolation. It is the Planning 360 philosophy extended beyond the firm's walls. And the complexity Riverside families face has grown. Higher home values, more concentrated stock positions, business exits, longer retirements and rapidly changing tax laws have all reshaped the landscape in the past decade. "People don't necessarily need more information," Laura Lee said. "They need clarity understanding what applies to their specific situation." ### Don't Wait for the Crisis The hardest conversations at TriCord are rarely about investments. They are about life — helping someone prepare after losing a spouse, guiding families through long-term care decisions, walking business owners through the transition away from the company they have built. Those conversations require empathy as much as technical expertise. It is a reality that shapes TriCord's message to families who have been thinking about working with a financial advisor but have not taken the step. "Don't wait until there's a crisis," the Lees said. "The best financial planning happens before major decisions need to be made. Whether you're preparing for retirement, selling a business, navigating a family transition, or simply looking for greater clarity, having a trusted partner who knows your story can make all the difference." As for the simplest version of TriCord's philosophy — the one thing they would tell every Riverside family about how to think about their money — the Lees put it plainly: "Don't confuse investing with financial planning. Investments are important, but they're only one part of a much bigger picture. Start with your life, then build a financial strategy that supports it." **More information:* TriCord Advisors is located at 6772 Magnolia Ave., Riverside. The firm offers holistic financial planning, investment management, tax planning, retirement planning, and estate and legal services. The Building Wealthy Habits podcast airs Saturdays at 9 a.m. on AM 590 The Answer and is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube. For more information or to book an initial appointment, visit* [*tricordadvisors.com*](http://tricordadvisors.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### Riverside Has a Sports Culture. Now It Needs a Pro Team URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-has-a-sports-culture-now-it-needs-a-pro-team/ Last updated: 2026-08-21T12:00:48.000Z The culture of Riverside is engraved into the sports of the city. There's old rivalries still going strong, there are athletes who have come up through the ranks of the city and into the big leagues, there's tradition, according to Pep Fernandez, host of Riverside TV's "[Riverside Sports Update.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byyjby41O0I&ref=raincrossgazette.com)" "It's easy covering Riverside because they love sports and the city does such a great job helping the high schools develop these great athletes," he said. High school sports have a tradition that has developed fandom with history. There are rivalries with Riverside Poly High School and Norte Vista High School. There's bad blood between Martin Luther King High School and Ramona High. The competition isn't just in the confines of the gridiron; the friction goes into other sports, said Fernandez. "There's some schools in Riverside that have a long tradition with a lot of huge names in the sporting world," Fernandez said. "To see a city who not only remembers their history and their tradition, they're continuing to build upon that." For now, the city of arts and innovation will have to keep packing the stadium under the lights of Friday night high school football. It needs to continue supporting the teams for the universities within the city limits. Whether it's UCR, Cal Baptist or Riverside Community College, the sports fans of the city need to pick a team, support it and show the playmakers the sports tradition of the city can be enough to ignite a pro team. So why has it taken such a long time for it to get its own professional team? "I'm kind of surprised Riverside does not have one at this point," Fernandez said. "There's enough people here, and not just people, but sports fans to support these teams." With the [USL coming, the doors are open for other teams to join the party.](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/professional-mens-and-womens-soccer-coming-to-riverside-through-usl-expansion/) Will it be baseball? Basketball? It doesn't matter what sport comes next if the city doesn't have the infrastructure. It needs to have a stadium for the team to play in. It needs to build the economy to maintain a professional team. Riverside needs to put the "innovation" part of their motto into gear to figure out where it can host a professional team. "We got tons of sports fans. We just need a place for them to play," Fernandez said. The proposed stadium for the USL team will be a 5,000-seat stadium that will expand to 15,000 seats, designed for multiple sports and concerts. Imagine a minor-league team playing its home games there? Or a football stadium built within the vicinity? That kind of commitment can help entice an established team to make Riverside its home, but keep the big city name. "Look at the Chicago Bears. [They're leaving Illinois.](https://www.nfl.com/news/bears-board-of-directors-votes-to-advance-stadium-project-in-indiana?ref=raincrossgazette.com) They're going to a completely different state. They'll still be called the Chicago Bears. They're going to play in Indiana. Why couldn't the LA Chargers have a stadium in Riverside and still be called LA?" Riverside doesn't need to convince itself that it loves sports. It needs to convince professional sports that Riverside loves sports enough to support them. Riverside pro soccer will be the ultimate test. The support that it brings will help dictate the future of sports in the city of trees, it will set up the future of what pro sports can look like. For now, Fernandez will continue highlighting the bright athletes putting the city on the map. It's never been about talent. There are athletic ballers in the city, like Brayden Burries, who played for Poly. Or, Javier Hernandez, who won the Gatorade Boys Soccer Player of the Year in 2024\. Or, Emily Ausmus, who recently helped Team USA win the Water Polo World Cup. Riverside fans just need to show up for another pro team to make it its home. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- August 19, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-august-19-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-19T12:00:42.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/20260704_173643-1-.jpg) Marcia McVey, a teacher, couldn't resist stopping for a "marmalade sandwich" alongside one of the Republic of Ireland's two Paddington bear statues during a summer trip to Westport, County Mayo, Ireland. ***Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and tell us a bit of what you experienced](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **Wednesday Gazette: August 19, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Wednesday!** If you haven't made it out to the Downtown farmers' market yet, today's your day. Rain or shine, from 8:30am to 1:30pm, you'll find fresh flowers, hummus and pita worth planning your morning around, a fun new kefir flavor to try, and plenty of fresh veggies to stock up on. Whether you're there for the necessities or just want to treat yourself, it's one of the easiest ways to get out and enjoy your city. [Find all the details](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/farmers-market-wednesdays-downtown-riverside/19339603/2026-08-19T08), plus the rest of this week's local events, on our [community calendar](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/). --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260819)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260819&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [SPORTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/sports/) ## Riverside Has a Sports Culture. Now It Needs a Pro Team. The support that it brings will help dictate the future of sports in the city of trees. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/54E095A1-D865-4C7F-9CB1-48998BEFB66D-1.JPG)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-has-a-sports-culture-now-it-needs-a-pro-team/) Pep Fernandez, host of Riverside TV's "Riverside Sports Update," says the city has the fan base to support a professional team. (Courtesy of Pep Fernandez) The culture of Riverside is engraved into the sports of the city. There's old rivalries still going strong, there are athletes who have come up through the ranks of the city and into the big leagues, there's tradition, according to Pep Fernandez, host of Riverside TV's "[Riverside Sports Update.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byyjby41O0I&ref=raincrossgazette.com)" "It's easy covering Riverside because they love sports and the city does such a great job helping the high schools develop these great athletes," he said. High school sports have a tradition that has developed fandom with history. There are rivalries with Riverside Poly High School and Norte Vista High School. There's bad blood between Martin Luther King High School and Ramona High. The competition isn't just in the confines of the gridiron; the friction goes into other sports, said Fernandez. "There's some schools in Riverside that have a long tradition with a lot of huge names in the sporting world," Fernandez said. "To see a city who not only remembers their history and their tradition, they're continuing to build upon that." [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-has-a-sports-culture-now-it-needs-a-pro-team/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260819)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260819&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Castle Park at 50 The Riverside Attraction Boasts a Bright Past and an Unpredictable Future. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/Circa-1976-postcard-of-Castle-Park--showing-portions-of-the-four-miniature-golf-courses.--Courtesy-of-Steve-Lech--1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/castle-park-at-50/) A postcard from the mid-1970s shows an aerial view of Castle Park's medieval-style castle and portions of its four miniature golf courses, framed by fountains and palm trees. (Courtesy of Steve Lech) La Sierra native Glenn Freeman visited Castle Park with his father not long after the attraction opened in the Spring of 1976. The little boy was blown away by the sights, sounds and textures of the multi-dimensional family fun center. Originally known as Castle Park Golf-n-Fun, the park was built just off the Polk Street Exit on the Riverside Freeway on land paid for in cash by Wendell "Bud" Hurlbut, a longtime amusement park veteran who developed some of Knott's Berry Farm's most popular attractions. Castle Park was a passion project for Hurlbut which he financed privately and designed to his specifications. It was a 72-hole miniature golf hub with four, color-coded, multi-tiered, marvelously designed courses of differing levels of difficulty. The immaculately maintained holes featured dozens of themes—lakes, waterfalls, haunted houses and historical oddities. An exquisite sound system lent further drama to each hole. "I remember thinking it was the Disneyland of miniature golf," said Freeman, who wrote a research article on the park's history for the October issue of the Journal of the Riverside County Historical Society. Just as essential to the Castle Park story was the medieval castle that served as the attraction's center of gravity and housed its world class arcade—a three-level structure filled in the 1970s with games of skill like SkeeBall, Air Hockey, 21 and pinball, later to be augmented by video games. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/castle-park-at-50/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260819) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260819&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CITY HALL](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/city-hall/) ## Linden Street Could Shrink to Two Lanes Under Safety Pilot City committee advances study of restriping near John W. North High School. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/6-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/linden-street-could-shrink-to-two-lanes-under-safety-pilot/) City officials are weighing a plan to cut Linden Street to two lanes near North High School. **Why it matters:** Drivers between Chicago and Iowa avenues could see permanent striping changes, while cyclists gain buffered bike lanes and students get a formalized loading zone outside North High. **Driving the news:** The Mobility and Infrastructure Committee unanimously directed staff Thursday to begin community engagement on the proposal, building on the Transportation Board's June 3 recommendation. - The corridor saw 36 reported collisions between 2021 and 2025, with improper turning the top cause. **By the numbers:** - 33% of crashes involved improper turning - 19% involved unsafe speed - 17% involved right-of-way violations **Yes, but:** Resident Jerry Good asked the city to study traffic data from a similar Brockton Avenue restriping before moving ahead, citing concerns about speeding and bike lane use. - Traffic engineer Brett Craig said the Brockton project underwent "extensive analysis" and has worked well for years. **What's next:** Staff will conduct further outreach before returning findings and a recommendation to City Council. No date has been set. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/linden-street-could-shrink-to-two-lanes-under-safety-pilot/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-08-19T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-08-19T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [About Writing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/about-writing/18335813/2026-08-19T10) at Janet Goeske Center - [County Planning Commission Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/county-planning-commission-meeting/19339604/2026-08-19T09) at 4080 Lemon St., 1st Floor - [Foundations of Yoga Instruction](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/foundations-of-yoga-instruction/19233080/2026-08-19T14) at University of California, Riverside - [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-19T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19516291/2026-08-19T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Riverside Mission Belles](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-mission-belles/18883483/2026-08-19T09) at Victoria Presbyterian Church ### Tomorrow - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19516284/2026-08-20T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [LUCKI](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/lucki/19346715/2026-08-20T19) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ## Save the Date - Aug 21: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-21T08) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 21: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-21T07) at Zacatecas Café - Aug 22: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-22T07) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 22: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-22T09) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 24: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-24T19) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 26: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-26T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - Sep 3: [Orange Street Mural Unveiling](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-street-mural-unveiling/19578974/2026-09-03T18) at Main Museum Pedestrian Walkway (Orange Street) - Sep 9: [FREE Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - Sep 18: [Open Mic Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/open-mic-night/19553682/2026-09-18T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - Oct 3: [Aquamotion Aquathon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/aquamotion-aquathon/19617601/2026-10-03T09) at Shamel Pool - Oct 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Castle Park at 50 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/castle-park-at-50/ Last updated: 2026-08-21T11:59:06.000Z La Sierra native Glenn Freeman visited Castle Park with his father not long after the attraction opened in the Spring of 1976. The little boy was blown away by the sights, sounds and textures of the multi-dimensional family fun center. Originally known as Castle Park Golf-n-Fun, the park was built just off the Polk Street Exit on the Riverside Freeway on land paid for in cash by Wendell "Bud" Hurlbut, a longtime amusement park veteran who developed some of Knott's Berry Farm's most popular attractions. Castle Park was a passion project for Hurlbut which he financed privately and designed to his specifications. It was a 72-hole miniature golf hub with four, color-coded, multi-tiered, marvelously designed courses of differing levels of difficulty. The immaculately maintained holes featured dozens of themes—lakes, waterfalls, haunted houses and historical oddities. An exquisite sound system lent further drama to each hole. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/Castle-Park-postcard-image--courtesy-of-Riverside-Public-Library.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/Castle-Park-back-of-postcard--courtesy-of-Riverside-Public-Library.jpg) A vintage postcard advertises Castle Park Golf 'N Fun at 3500 Polk St. in Riverside. The front, left, shows the castle and golf courses; the back, right, lists the park's phone number, address and a description of its attractions. (Courtesy of the Riverside Public Library.) "I remember thinking it was the Disneyland of miniature golf," said Freeman, who wrote a research article on the park's history for the October issue of the Journal of the Riverside County Historical Society. Just as essential to the Castle Park story was the medieval castle that served as the attraction's center of gravity and housed its world class arcade—a three-level structure filled in the 1970s with games of skill like SkeeBall, Air Hockey, 21 and pinball, later to be augmented by video games. "The castle itself was unusual. It was decorated like an early 1920s movie theater. It had crystal chandeliers, tile floors, and tapestries. It was a unique and special place. Over time, we had 400 various games in the arcade," said Tom Guagliardo, general manager of Castle Park from 1976 until 1988\. Previously, Guagliardo worked for Golf-N-Stuff (GNS), the firm which Hurlbut hired to build the castle arcade and golf courses. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/Circa-1976-postcard-of-Castle-Park-with-views-of-miniature-golf-and-interior-arcade.--Courtesy-of-Steve-Lech-.jpg) A three-panel postcard shows, from top to bottom, an aerial view of the miniature golf courses' ponds and footbridges, the interior of the arcade with air hockey tables and video games, and a family playing a candy-cane-themed miniature golf hole. (Courtesy of Steve Lech.) Castle Park was open all year and it was affordable. Admission and parking remained free for decades. Patrons paid as they played at the arcade, golfed, and, in later years, partook in its unique rides. "It was affordable. It was clean. It was well maintained. And they catered to families," said Kent Lemasters, who managed Castle Park for Ogden in the late 1990s. Fifty years later, Castle Park appears to have a new lease on life. Private equity firm Lucky Strike Entertainment purchased the park in 2025\. After years of decline and a half-dozen ownership changes, Castle Park is getting a much-needed revitalization thanks to Lucky Strike, a company that has made its name trying to gentrify bowling alleys. Questions remain about who exactly Lucky Strike's target audience for this historically affordable family attraction is and if Lucky Strike's investment in Riverside will be a long-term one. The story of Castle Park starts with Bud Hurlbut (1918-2011), a visionary and jack of all trades in the family entertainment business. Born in South Dakota but raised in Whittier, Hurlbut began his adult life as a tradesman, learning to make patterns for drill bits and locomotive parts. He became a skilled woodworker and built miniature trains for fun. He started selling his scaled-down trains to small amusement parks in California and eventually made the acquaintance of Walter and Cordelia Knotts, who were looking to expand their farm/restaurant into a larger amusement center. When it came to designers, Disneyland had Rolly Crump ("It's a Small World") and Tony Baxter ("Space Mountain"). Knott's Berry Farm had Bud Hurlbut. During the 1960s, Hurlbut and his Buena Park-based firm created the Calico Mine Train and the Timber Mountain Log Ride—a pair of immersive, multi-sensory experiences that rivaled anything in Anaheim. Additionally, he created the attractions of Fiesta Village, which highlighted the region's Mexican cultural heritage. Hurlbut continued to work with Knott's until 1983 while pursuing his passion project at 3500 Polk Street in Riverside. He spent every Tuesday at Castle Park, overseeing its operation and his plans for expansion. Meticulous was the word for the maintenance of Castle Park. "All the landscaping had to be perfect, the place had to be clean. Everything had to work. Everything had to look good," said Robert Quezada, one of the park's original employees. While in college, he worked on the miniature golf courses before going on to a long career in journalism for the *Press Enterprise*. As a teenager, Freeman remembers "cruising the Castle" on weekend evenings during the 1980s, then an adolescent rite of Riverside County Saturday nights. Castle Park became the focal point of many date nights and extended hangs in the arcade. Freeman recalls the arcade peaking in popularity during the early 1980s just as the arcade craze hit its zenith. At the time of its opening, the *Press Enterprise* referred to the space as an "electronic teen Mecca." "There was an absolute change in the customer base as the evening came on. The families tended to leave and then the single adults and teenagers would show up," said Guagliardo. To keep youthful exuberance from turning into disorder, Guagliardo hired a highly trained security staff that included many off-duty law enforcement officers or recent graduates of the police academy. After leaving Knott's, Hurlbut turned his attention to building a full-scale amusement park at Castle Park, which had been his intention since the beginning. "He intended to bring the Knott's Berry farm experience to Castle Park. That's why he bought so much extra land," Guagliardo said. In 1985, Hurlbut opened an amusement area at Castle Park, just west of the arcade and golf courses. It was the culmination of two years of construction, millions of dollars in investment and a decade's worth of forethought. Initially, the amusement park consisted of 17 well-planned and constructed rides. The primary attractions included two different gauged trains and a vintage carousel, which combined elements of two century-old merry-go-rounds. Fifty-two hand-painted and hand-carved animals served as the steeds on the dreamlike ride. In 1991, Hurlbut added a version of the log ride, long his Knott's signature, to Castle Park. Castle Park added a water park known as "Buccaneer Cove" in later years as well. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/Circa-late-1980s-postcard-with-four-ride-park-views-Carousel--Whirlwind--Antique-Auto-Ride--and-Castle-Park-Railroad.--Courtesy-of-Steve-Lech-.jpg) A postcard from the late 1980s shows four of Castle Park's rides: the carousel, top left; the Whirlwind swing ride, top right; the Castle Park Railroad train, bottom left; and the antique auto ride, bottom right. (Courtesy of Steve Lech.) During the period of amusement park building, Guagliardo recalls that Hurlbut brought many employees over from Knott's, which changed the environment of Castle Park and reflected a change of focus toward the amusement area. "Since then, I guess most have considered Castle Park primarily as a small amusement park," said Freeman. After years of success in the 1970s and 1980s, the expanded Castle Park faced new challenges in the 1990s. Competition from other miniature golf courses and amusement centers in the Southland almost certainly cut into the park's business. By the mid-1990s, the likes of Scandia in Ontario and Upland Family Fun Center provided serious challenges to Castle Park's "putt putt" business. Nevertheless, an afternoon at Castle Park remained an affordable family outing—admission remained free into the 2000s and parking cost just a couple of dollars. A family of four could enjoy an afternoon of games, golf, rides and concessions for well under $50 well into the 21st century. The problems became more evident after Hurlbut sold the park in 1999. Ogden became the first of six different firms to purchase Castle Park. Ogden was a conglomerate that owned everything from airports to water parks to dinner theaters. They provided food and management for sports and entertainment venues as well. Kent Lemasters, who managed the park for Ogden, was a veteran of the water park and amusement park business. At the time he took over at Castle Park, Lemasters was serving simultaneously as the manager of Raging Waters in San Dimas. Lemasters recalls the degree of interest Hurlbut maintained in the park even after he sold it to Ogden. "Bud and I would walk the park and talk about the park, what needed improving," Lemasters said. The problem wasn't Ogden. It was the inattention of a parade of subsequent firms which bought the park over the past quarter century. Maintenance was continually kicked down the road. Visitors in the past 20 years have seen a deteriorating arcade, collection of golf courses, and a less-thoughtfully curated selection of rides. "When the new park owners came in. They didn't have the pride of ownership. And they were looking at the bottom line," Guagliardo said. "As the different ownerships took over, more and more of the rundown look appeared," he continued. "Most of the later additions \[to the amusement park\]—including some installed by Bud—seemed less permanent and a bit more carnival-like," Freeman said. Over time, Guagliardo says the sense of security in the park changed for the worse, particularly at night as new management relied on "kids with security shirts on" to maintain order. Recently, that declension has faced off with a worthy adversary in Lucky Strike Entertainment, who purchased Castle Park in July 2025. Despite repeated efforts to reach Castle Park or Lucky Strike for comment, no representative of either entity could be reached for this story. Previously known as Bowlero, Lucky Strike owns more than 350 alleys across the United States. The company's approach to managing bowling alleys appears to be an effort to de-emphasize bowling and to remake these spaces into loud, flashy and pricey entertainment venues replete with craft food and (alcoholic) beverages. Rather than winning over blue-collar bowling league regulars, Lucky Strike-owned properties emphasize corporate events, lavish parties, and they employ surge pricing (similar to Uber) at busy times such as weekend nights. Recently, Lucky Strike has expanded into water parks and other family-oriented entertainment centers. The degree to which Lucky Strike employs its existing revitalization model at Castle Park remains to be seen. Nevertheless, early reviews of Lucky Strike's investment in Castle Park are exceedingly positive. "I was impressed with how clean and updated the arcade looked," Quezada said after visiting the park in June. Guagliardo echoed Quezada's sentiments. "\[Lucky Strike\]'s putting a lot of money into bringing the park back up to speed. They reimagined the arcade and it looked extremely well done," Guagliardo said. "Initially, it appears Lucky Strike is willing to get back some of Castle Park's original sparkle and shine. I have high hopes based upon what I've seen thus far," Freeman said, noting that he's hoping for a revitalization of the golf courses and a return to the theming that made each course such a unique playing experience. Freeman believes the coincidence of a new ownership group and a milestone anniversary provides residents with a chance to rediscover Castle Park. "I think the marketers at Lucky Strike would do well in better connecting, conveying, and advertising the park's history and Bud's connection with Knott's Berry Farm," Freeman said. The tradeoff for all the improvements appears to be significantly higher prices. Single-day Ride Park tickets are regularly $49.99, though a variety of savings options appear to be available. Parking starts at $20 on six days of the week. Unlimited mini-golf costs $14.99\. An afternoon of golf, rides and arcade play will cost a family significantly more than in the 1970s or 1980s, even when adjusted for inflation. While these prices are clearly cheaper than the region's major amusement parks, the idea that Castle Park offers an affordable family outing is merely nostalgia. ***By Clayton Trutor*** ### Linden Street Could Shrink to Two Lanes Under Safety Pilot URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/linden-street-could-shrink-to-two-lanes-under-safety-pilot/ Last updated: 2026-08-20T12:00:51.000Z A stretch of Linden Street could soon look very different for drivers, cyclists and students heading to [John W. North High School](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/john-w-north-high-school-completes-61-5-million-campus-renovation/). City officials are considering transforming Linden Street between Chicago Avenue and Iowa Avenue from a four-lane roadway into a two-lane street with a center turn lane and buffered bike lanes as part of a proposed three-year pilot project, following 36 reported collisions on the corridor over the past five years. The Mobility and Infrastructure Committee – made up of Councilmembers Chuck Conder and Steve Hemenway – on Thursday unanimously directed city staff to conduct community engagement on the proposal and return with findings and recommendations to the City Council. The Transportation Board previously unanimously recommended moving forward with the outreach at [its June 3 meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/board-of-transportation-commission-traffic-deaths-down-75-speed-limit-cuts-coming/). The proposed changes would not widen or narrow the roadway itself – instead, the city would change how the existing space is striped, adding a two-way left-turn lane in the center of the street, buffered bike lanes on both sides and an enhanced student loading zone next to North High School. The change would also bring the roadway closer to the city's general plan designation. Although Linden currently operates as a four-lane road, the city's Circulation and Community Mobility Element identifies the section between Chicago and Iowa avenues as a two-lane collector. The proposal comes as the city prepares to resurface Linden Street through its fiscal year 2025-26 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) street improvements project, giving the city an opportunity to change the striping while the road is being repaved. Public Works Principal Traffic Engineer Brett Craig told the committee that the new configuration could help address traffic problems around North High School, particularly during student arrival and dismissal. Currently, parents and students turning into the school can occupy the inside eastbound lane while waiting to make a left turn, causing vehicles traveling straight to stack up behind them. Under the proposal, vehicles waiting to turn would be able to queue in the center turn lane instead. The city also plans to formalize the student loading zone on the north side of Linden Street. The existing area is used for student drop-off but does not have striping marking it as a loading zone. The proposed project would extend the zone and delineate it with striping, signs and curb painting. Safety is another major factor behind the proposal. There were 36 reported collisions on the Linden Street segment between Chicago and Iowa avenues from 2021 through 2025\. Improper turning was the most common primary collision factor, accounting for 33 percent of crashes, followed by unsafe speed at 19 percent and automobile right-of-way violations at 17 percent. City staff said the collision rate is higher than expected for a typical four-lane undivided urban arterial. The proposal is intended to reduce the number of potential conflict points between vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists. A center turn lane would remove left-turning vehicles from through lanes, while pedestrians would have fewer travel lanes to cross. Buffered bike lanes would provide additional separation between cyclists and vehicle traffic. The [staff report](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15737760&GUID=6DF8248C-E980-497D-B967-181E174255B0&ref=raincrossgazette.com) does not expect the change to create significant congestion; however, one resident asked the city to look more closely at the results of a similar restriping project before moving ahead with Linden Street. In an online comment, Jerry Good pointed to the previous restriping of Brockton Avenue between 14th Street and Central Avenue, asking the city to conduct a comprehensive traffic survey and compare current conditions with studies conducted before that project. Good said average speeds and bike lane use should be examined before the city moves forward with additional projects of this type. Good, who said he frequently walks and drives through the Brockton Avenue area, questioned how often the bike lanes are used and raised concerns about speeding, passing and pedestrian crossings. He said drivers sometimes use the bike lane as a passing lane and argued that traffic enforcement in the area is lacking. Craig addressed the online comment during the meeting, saying the department has previously analyzed the Brockton Avenue restriping. During the committee discussion, Craig said that project had undergone "extensive analysis" and had been in place successfully for several years. The city has also already received some input from Riverside Unified School District staff, who expressed initial support for the enhanced loading zone after city staff observed traffic conditions at North High School. The district also asked the city to evaluate the intersection of Linden and Cranford streets for a possible traditional traffic signal. City staff said additional outreach will be conducted before the pilot moves forward. If implemented, the three-year pilot would be monitored by Public Works staff, who could adjust the striping or signal timing if changes are needed to improve traffic operations. The project is estimated to cost about $100,000, though the city says that money is already budgeted through its pavement management program and would not represent an additional expense. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- August 18, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-august-18-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-18T12:00:39.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/IMG_4911.jpeg) Lisa Visingardi and Mike Vahl take in the view of Machu Picchu during a 10-day trip to Peru this summer. **Traveling somewhere memorable this season?* [Send us your vacation photos and tell us a bit of what you experienced](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **Tuesday Gazette: August 18, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Tuesday!** It's National Couple's Day! Author C.S. Lewis once wrote, "Two heads are better than one, not because either is infallible, but because they are unlikely to go wrong in the same direction." Anyone who's ever untangled a problem with a partner knows that's true more often than not. Today's a nod to couples of all kinds, not just the romantic ones, but the duos who show up for each other and, in turn, show up for the rest of us. We'd love to know: is there a couple in your corner of Riverside who works quietly behind the scenes to make this a better place to live? Maybe they run a food drive together, coach a youth team, or just seem to always be the first ones to show up when a neighbor needs help. [Nominate them for Neighbor of the Week](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and let's give them their flowers. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260818)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260818&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HOUSING](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/housing/) ## Council Supports Statewide Housing Bond, Citing Homelessness Needs Proposition 1 would fund affordable housing, homeownership programs and homelessness solutions across California. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/240719-cityhallwall-2.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-supports-statewide-housing-bond-citing-homelessness-needs/) Riverside councilmembers endorsed a statewide $11.25 billion bond that could bring new affordable housing funding to the city. **Why it matters:** If voters approve Proposition 1 in November, Riverside could tap new state funding for affordable housing, homebuyer assistance and homelessness programs — as the city struggles to meet its own housing mandate. **What's new:** Councilmembers voted Tuesday, Aug. 11, to formally support Proposition 1, though the staff report says the action carries no fiscal impact for the city. - Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson brought the item forward; she chairs the Big City Mayors Coalition's push for the measure. - "This is not a tax increase," Ward 3 resident Dan Hoxworth told the council. **By the numbers:** The bond would fund affordable housing, veteran homeownership programs and efforts to address homelessness statewide. - California has identified a need for about 1.2 million more affordable homes for lower-income residents, per the staff report. **The backstory:** Proposition 1 started as SB 417, passed by the Legislature and signed into law in June. - A similar bond voters approved in 2018 raised $4 billion and was fully committed within several years due to demand. **Yes, but:** Riverside has permitted no new very-low-income housing since 2021 and has met less than 20% of its state housing allocation. **What's next:** Voters decide Proposition 1's fate in the November election. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-supports-statewide-housing-bond-citing-homelessness-needs/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260818) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600818&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [Food & Drink](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/food-drink/) ## A Taste of Downtown's Newest Spot: Orange Tree Tables and Taps One reporter's first visit to Downtown's newest restaurant, now open on Main Street. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-10-at-4.31.57---PM.png)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-taste-of-downtowns-newest-spot-orange-tree-tables-and-taps/) The storefront of Orange Tree Tables and Taps is decorated for its grand opening on Main Street in Downtown on July 7, 2026\. (Marissa Perez) "Orange Tree Tables and Taps" had its grand opening on Main Street on July 7, so I knew I wanted to try it since I learned this location was most recently home to Retro on Main and, before that, Retro Taco. Being from a city that is an entertainment desert, I enjoy coming to Downtown Riverside in search of fun. I enjoy visiting family-owned businesses, restaurants and coffee shops that made Riverside their home, so when new businesses choose Downtown, I'm eager to try them out. Councilmember Philip Falcone highlighted the opening, along with a variety of other new Downtown food spots, most still pending, in his latest Ward 1 quarterly update. As I entered the restaurant, I enjoyed the ambiance. The decorations were distinctive and coexisted nicely with the orange chairs. I sat myself down since upon entering I was prompted to choose my own seating. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-taste-of-downtowns-newest-spot-orange-tree-tables-and-taps/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260818)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260818&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-08-18T19) at The Hideaway ### Tomorrow - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-08-19T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-08-19T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [About Writing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/about-writing/18335813/2026-08-19T10) at Janet Goeske Center - [County Planning Commission Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/county-planning-commission-meeting/19339604/2026-08-19T09) at 4080 Lemon St., 1st Floor - [Foundations of Yoga Instruction](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/foundations-of-yoga-instruction/19233080/2026-08-19T14) at University of California, Riverside - [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-19T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19516291/2026-08-19T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Riverside Mission Belles](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-mission-belles/18883483/2026-08-19T09) at Victoria Presbyterian Church ### Save the Date - Aug 21: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-21T08) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 21: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-21T07) at Zacatecas Café - Aug 22: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-22T07) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 22: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-22T09) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 24: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-24T19) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 26: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-26T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - Sep 3: [Orange Street Mural Unveiling](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-street-mural-unveiling/19578974/2026-09-03T18) at Main Museum Pedestrian Walkway (Orange Street) - Sep 9: [FREE Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - Sep 18: [Open Mic Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/open-mic-night/19553682/2026-09-18T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - Oct 3: [Aquamotion Aquathon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/aquamotion-aquathon/19617601/2026-10-03T09) at Shamel Pool - Oct 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### A Taste of Downtown's Newest Spot: Orange Tree Tables and Taps URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-taste-of-downtowns-newest-spot-orange-tree-tables-and-taps/ Last updated: 2026-08-20T11:59:56.000Z "Orange Tree Tables and Taps" had its grand opening on Main Street on July 7, so I knew I wanted to try it since I learned this location was most recently home to Retro on Main and, before that, Retro Taco. Being from a city that is an entertainment desert, I enjoy coming to Downtown Riverside in search of fun. I enjoy visiting family-owned businesses, restaurants and coffee shops that made Riverside their home, so when new businesses choose Downtown, I'm eager to try them out. Councilmember Philip Falcone highlighted the opening, along with a variety of other new Downtown food spots, most still pending, in his latest Ward 1 quarterly update. As I entered the restaurant, I enjoyed the ambiance. The decorations were distinctive and coexisted nicely with the orange chairs. I sat myself down since upon entering I was prompted to choose my own seating. After the server greeted me, I was given two menus. One menu was letter-size, for the lunch specials; the other was tabloid-size, with the full menu. The larger menu had a variety of foods and sections like hamburgers, salads and entrees. I settled on trying the lunch special which was half a sandwich, a side and a drink. I was intrigued by the club sandwich or the avocado turkey. I ordered the club sandwich since the server said that was their favorite. The club sandwich was made from turkey, bacon, Swiss cheese, lettuce and tomato and the Orange Tree signature sauce. For my side I picked a house side salad that was made from chopped egg, tomato, bacon and house-made croutons. My go-to beverage of choice is always lemonade, so when the server told me their machine was broken, I was a little sad but resorted to choosing Starry soda. I waited for my lunch for roughly 15 to 20 minutes. Once I received my food, I was a bit surprised with the plating. I took a bite of the salad and it was pretty good. The vegetables were fresh; the croutons ran on the crunchy side. The sandwich itself was decent. It was a triple level sandwich with veggies on top and the protein on the bottom separated by a piece of sourdough white bread. The veggies and turkey were fresh, and the bacon leaned crispy. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/2.jpg) A club sandwich and house side salad from the lunch special at Orange Tree Tables and Taps . (Marissa Perez) Overall for $15 the meal did its job for a quick bite. However, I wouldn't mind returning to try their breakfast menu. Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar and The Daily Café are both still to come to the block. **More information:* Orange Tree Tables and Taps is located at 3744 Main St. Hours are 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays. For more information, call (951) 990-9843 or visit* [*@theorangetree.dtr*](https://www.instagram.com/theorangetree.dtr/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *on Instagram.* *By Marissa Perez* ### This Week in City Hall: August 17, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-august-17-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-19T12:01:00.000Z Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### Commission on Aging The Commission on Aging meets on Monday, August 17, at 4 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1429628&GUID=A81783DF-5B3E-4781-9F54-AC7ADD544BE9&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to discuss draft [Park and Recreation Element policies](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=c7c2d269-2225-4dbf-8655-cf111a238fa7.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for the City's "Riverside 2050" General Plan update, which would guide park and recreation priorities through 2050 as part of the City's first major General Plan revision since 2007\. ([item 5](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5430-commission-on-aging-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7207557d7965d075000f9d-5-draft-city-wide-general-plan-park-and-recreatio?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Park and Recreation Commission The Park and Recreation Commission meets on Monday, August 17, at 6:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1429629&GUID=A80BAA6F-9CBD-45AB-85C8-65AA434B8F16&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to honor Recreation Services Coordinator Victoria Koo-Young as the department’s employee of the year and to recognize other \[department highlights\](file:///Users/micaela/Downloads/187d6384-cc15-4bac-ba2a-a8815c82290a.pdf), ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5431-park-and-recreation-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a723ebcf395e7dc2d004ab9-2-july-is-park-and-recreation-month-the-power?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and to draft [Park and Recreation Element policies](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=fd966762-3ece-4337-aa3f-3977d57c6420.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for the City's "Riverside 2050" General Plan update. ([item 7](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5431-park-and-recreation-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a723ebdf395e7dc2d004ac0-7-draft-city-wide-general-plan-park-and-recreatio?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Economic Development Committee The Economic Development Committee (Councilmembers Robillard, Cervantes, and Hemenway) meets on Thursday, August 20, at 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1432395&GUID=8FE90B46-0BEA-483F-828D-91F8C85AF80B&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider a [proposal](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=9ec84b4a-b787-40c6-a0d4-10d72252756e.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) from Pepsi, Inc. to become the city's exclusive beverage vendor for five years in exchange for an estimated payment of $25,000–$35,000 annually ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5436-economic-development-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a766b52f2b67046b40111d9-2-consider-pouring-rights-proposal-by-pepsi-in?ref=raincrossgazette.com)); to recommend the council approve a five-year, $40,000 [agreement](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=46f27064-9df4-4e60-aa9e-7e5be197aa5c.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) with First Community Capital, Inc. to administer a $135,000 grant-funded loan program for green-technology businesses in Riverside ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5436-economic-development-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a766b52f2b67046b40111da-3-recommend-city-council-approve-agreement-with-f?ref=raincrossgazette.com)); and reviewing [new data](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=73a84c36-6147-47be-9844-06877078369d.pdf&From=Granicus&Format=pdf&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on Riverside's employment and commute patterns showing residents commute to jobs outside the city about as often as they work within it ([item 5](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5436-economic-development-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a766b52f2b67046b40111dd-5-employee-and-resident-worker-data-and-commute-p?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### 🗞️ Riverside News- August 17, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-august-17-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-17T12:00:41.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/IMG_7253.jpg) David Salcedo and family stop for a photo at the oversized door of a onetime toy store, now a popular photo op in Chicago's West Loop. ***Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and what you got up to](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **Monday Gazette: August 17, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday!** Yesterday we asked: I share my name with a famous explorer, though I never sailed the ocean blue. I came to Riverside to survey land for a canal that brought water to this city, and my son turned my humble tavern into a world-famous inn. Who am I? The answer: Captain Christopher Columbus Miller! He surveyed land for the Gage Canal and owned the Glenwood Tavern, which his son Frank later expanded into the Mission Inn. Thanks to everyone who wrote in with a guess. See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260817)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260817&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## This Week in City Hall: August 17, 2026 Aging and Park and Recreation commissions weigh in on the city's 2050 general plan, and economic development leaders consider a Pepsi pouring rights deal. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/DSC05316-1.jpeg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-august-17-2026/) Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### Commission on Aging The Commission on Aging meets on Monday, August 17, at 4 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1429628&GUID=A81783DF-5B3E-4781-9F54-AC7ADD544BE9&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to discuss draft [Park and Recreation Element policies](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=c7c2d269-2225-4dbf-8655-cf111a238fa7.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for the City's "Riverside 2050" General Plan update, which would guide park and recreation priorities through 2050 as part of the City's first major General Plan revision since 2007\. ([item 5](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5430-commission-on-aging-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a7207557d7965d075000f9d-5-draft-city-wide-general-plan-park-and-recreatio?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Park and Recreation Commission The Park and Recreation Commission meets on Monday, August 17, at 6:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1429629&GUID=A80BAA6F-9CBD-45AB-85C8-65AA434B8F16&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to honor Recreation Services Coordinator Victoria Koo-Young as the department’s employee of the year and to recognize other \[department highlights\](file:///Users/micaela/Downloads/187d6384-cc15-4bac-ba2a-a8815c82290a.pdf), ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5431-park-and-recreation-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a723ebcf395e7dc2d004ab9-2-july-is-park-and-recreation-month-the-power?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and to draft [Park and Recreation Element policies](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=fd966762-3ece-4337-aa3f-3977d57c6420.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for the City's "Riverside 2050" General Plan update. ([item 7](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5431-park-and-recreation-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a723ebdf395e7dc2d004ac0-7-draft-city-wide-general-plan-park-and-recreatio?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Economic Development Committee The Economic Development Committee (Councilmembers Robillard, Cervantes, and Hemenway) meets on Thursday, August 20, at 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1432395&GUID=8FE90B46-0BEA-483F-828D-91F8C85AF80B&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider a [proposal](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=9ec84b4a-b787-40c6-a0d4-10d72252756e.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) from Pepsi, Inc. to become the city's exclusive beverage vendor for five years in exchange for an estimated payment of $25,000–$35,000 annually ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5436-economic-development-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a766b52f2b67046b40111d9-2-consider-pouring-rights-proposal-by-pepsi-in?ref=raincrossgazette.com)); to recommend the council approve a five-year, $40,000 [agreement](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=46f27064-9df4-4e60-aa9e-7e5be197aa5c.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) with First Community Capital, Inc. to administer a $135,000 grant-funded loan program for green-technology businesses in Riverside ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5436-economic-development-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a766b52f2b67046b40111da-3-recommend-city-council-approve-agreement-with-f?ref=raincrossgazette.com)); and reviewing [new data](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=73a84c36-6147-47be-9844-06877078369d.pdf&From=Granicus&Format=pdf&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on Riverside's employment and commute patterns showing residents commute to jobs outside the city about as often as they work within it ([item 5](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5436-economic-development-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a766b52f2b67046b40111dd-5-employee-and-resident-worker-data-and-commute-p?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-august-17-2026/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260817) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600817&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GARDNER GAUGE](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/gardner-gauge/) ## Opinion: Colorado River Parties Fail to Reach Agreement, Federal Government Steps In The Colorado River Is Significantly Overdrafted and Not Sustainable Under Current Operations. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/opinion_banner-mike_gardner-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-colorado-river-parties-fail-to-reach-agreement-federal-government-steps-in/) As Colorado River runoff hits historic lows, longstanding agreements on allocation of Colorado River water are set to expire at year's end, and both Lakes Powell and Mead continue to lose storage, negotiations among the seven Colorado River states have not yielded any agreement. This has caused the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) to impose a 10-year plan that pleases no one and will not result in sustainable operation of the Colorado River. Reclamation's mandate is really a series of two-year plans to be updated throughout the 10-year plan. In the first two years, the Lower Basin states of Arizona will lose 760,000 acre-feet of diversion rights, California will lose 440,000 acre-feet, and Nevada will lose 50,000 acre-feet. The Upper Basin states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming lose nothing. Reclamation hopes the seven states (and 20+ Tribal Nations and the country of Mexico) will continue negotiations and come to a consensus. Thus far, the four Upper Basin states have offered nothing, and the mandate does not seem to be an incentive for them to do so. There are many concerns with this mandate, beginning with the fact that the Upper Basin states are essentially nonparticipants. The reductions on the Lower Basin states are insufficient to make a lasting impact on sustainability of the river, and allocations of the cuts to entities within each state are unidentified. This is almost certain to result in litigation at both the federal and state levels. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-colorado-river-parties-fail-to-reach-agreement-federal-government-steps-in/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260817)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260817&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-17T19) at Community Yoga Center ### Tomorrow - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-08-18T19) at The Hideaway ### Save the Date - Aug 19: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-19T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - Aug 21: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-21T08) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 21: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-21T07) at Zacatecas Café - Aug 22: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-22T07) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 22: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-22T09) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 24: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-24T19) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 3: [Orange Street Mural Unveiling](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-street-mural-unveiling/19578974/2026-09-03T18) at Main Museum Pedestrian Walkway (Orange Street) - Sep 9: [FREE Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - Sep 18: [Open Mic Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/open-mic-night/19553682/2026-09-18T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - Oct 3: [Aquamotion Aquathon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/aquamotion-aquathon/19617601/2026-10-03T09) at Shamel Pool - Oct 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Opinion: Colorado River Parties Fail to Reach Agreement, Federal Government Steps In URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-colorado-river-parties-fail-to-reach-agreement-federal-government-steps-in/ Last updated: 2026-08-19T11:59:12.000Z As Colorado River runoff hits historic lows, longstanding agreements on allocation of Colorado River water are set to expire at year's end, and both Lakes Powell and Mead continue to lose storage, negotiations among the seven Colorado River states have not yielded any agreement. This has caused the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) to impose a 10-year plan that pleases no one and will not result in sustainable operation of the Colorado River. Reclamation's mandate is really a series of two-year plans to be updated throughout the 10-year plan. In the first two years, the Lower Basin states of Arizona will lose 760,000 acre-feet of diversion rights, California will lose 440,000 acre-feet, and Nevada will lose 50,000 acre-feet. The Upper Basin states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming lose nothing. Reclamation hopes the seven states (and 20+ Tribal Nations and the country of Mexico) will continue negotiations and come to a consensus. Thus far, the four Upper Basin states have offered nothing, and the mandate does not seem to be an incentive for them to do so. There are many concerns with this mandate, beginning with the fact that the Upper Basin states are essentially nonparticipants. The reductions on the Lower Basin states are insufficient to make a lasting impact on sustainability of the river, and allocations of the cuts to entities within each state are unidentified. This is almost certain to result in litigation at both the federal and state levels. Until we know how California water agencies divvy up the cuts, impacts to specific areas and economic sectors are conjectural at best. In California, the majority of Colorado River water goes to agriculture. Our state's agricultural community has instituted many programs to conserve water. These include much more efficient irrigation systems, lining of canals, and even fallowing of thousands of acres of productive farm land in the Central Valley, Palo Verde Valley, Coachella Valley and Imperial Valley. Locally, a reduction in Colorado River allocation will have only a small direct impact. Riverside Public Utilities takes no Colorado River Water, Western Water takes a small amount of untreated Colorado River water for irrigation customers, and the City of Corona takes some Colorado River water for its residential and commercial customers. Corona has other alternative supplies. Regionally however, any significant loss of Colorado River Water will increase demand on other sources including the State Water Project which brings water from Northern California south to our area. I am hopeful, but not optimistic, that the seven states, 20+ Tribal Nations, and Mexico can reach a consensus agreement before the next two-year iteration of the Reclamation plan is developed. Failing that agreement, I am concerned we will see more widespread and deeper reductions in Colorado River allocations for California. The Colorado River supply uncertainty puts added pressure on completion of two key California water supply projects. The Sites Reservoir Project is nearing final approval and could begin construction before the end of this year, but is still struggling to get a full 1.5 million acre-feet per year water right. That part of the process is ongoing and should be finalized in the next few months. The Delta Conveyance Project, which would divert water from the Sacramento River above the Delta, is moving forward, but lags by a couple of years in the permitting process. This project would allow diversion of water, when available, above the existing pumping station at the lower end of the Delta where an endangered fish often congregates. The pumps must be shut down when the fish is present. This project would also allow diversion above the Delta in times of high water flow offering flood protection for the Delta and surrounding communities. Hopefully we will know soon whether the Reclamation plan for reducing Colorado River diversions results in litigation, and whether it might affect implementation of the plan. One thing is abundantly clear: The Colorado River is significantly overdrafted, and is not sustainable under current operations. The nation's two largest reservoirs, Lakes Mead and Powell, are at historic low levels and there is a real risk that one or both will lose the ability to generate hydroelectric power in the near future. We must do something, but let's try to do it effectively and equitably. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- August 16, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-august-16-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-16T12:00:40.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/IMG_6336.jpeg) Sheryl Plumley stops by Memorial Hall in New Orleans, home to Louisiana's Civil War Museum and the state's oldest museum. **Traveling somewhere memorable this season?* [Send us your vacation photos and what you got up to](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **Sunday Gazette: August 16, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday!** Hello Riverside, Happy Sunday, and Happy National Tell a Joke Day! In honor of the day, here's a riddle for you: I share my name with a famous explorer, though I never sailed the ocean blue. I came to Riverside to survey land for a canal that brought water to this city, and my son turned my humble tavern into a world-famous inn. Who am I? Think you know the answer? Email us at [newsroom@raincrossgazette.com](mailto:newsroom@raincrossgazette.com) and we'll reveal it tomorrow. --- 🧡 Thank you to the Subscribers who became paid supporters this week: Roger Duncanson, Hamlet Manouchehri, Evelyn McCorkle. [Your ongoing financial support](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-march-15-2026-2/#/portal/account/plans) is vital to our success in serving Riverside with the news it deserves! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260816)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260816&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HISTORY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/history/) ## The Lower Canal Flume Trestle A wooden trestle once carried the Lower Canal across the Tequesquite Arroyo, until crews pulled it down in one dramatic crash in 1914\. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/1-Irrigating-Ditch-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-lower-canal-flume-trestle/) Stereoview of the Flume Trestle, dated 1890\. (Author's Collection) Snaking its way through Riverside, the Tequesquite Arroyo cuts a path that separates certain portions of the city. The Victoria Avenue Bridge is one solution to this problem, allowing Victoria Avenue to cross over the ravine. The Magnolia Fill was another answer that allowed Magnolia Avenue to connect to Downtown Riverside. Another answer to the obstacle of the arroyo was building a trestle near the western end of the arroyo to extend the Lower Canal on its journey to bring water to the southern part of the city. The early Riverside settlers brought water to their homes and fields by digging a canal that ran along the eastern edge of the mile square of Downtown Riverside and brought water to the city as early as 1871\. This became known as the Upper Canal. As Samuel C. Evans and William Sayward began to develop the area south of the original Riverside Colony, they needed a source of water. When John W. North refused permission to build a canal through the Colony property, Evans and his associates bought out the control of the Southern California Colony and combined it with their holdings and formed the Riverside Land and Irrigating Company. They could then build their canal, which became the Lower Canal. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-lower-canal-flume-trestle/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260816)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260816&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CREATIVE PROMPTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/creative-prompts/) ## To Insure Prompt Service A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns. [![clear glass jar](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1523540939399-141cbff6a8d7?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDF8fHRpcCUyMGphcnxlbnwwfHx8fDE3ODYxMjk0MTh8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/to-insure-prompt-service/) ([Sam Dan Truong](https://unsplash.com/@sam%5Ftruong?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) This week, we’re considering another small public signal of intention: the tip. Tipping happens in all kinds of settings: restaurants, barbershops, hotels of course but digital dollars make tipping easier than ever. Under the right circumstances, just about anyone deserves a tip. Sometimes I tip before anything has happened, like when I order food online. Sometimes I'm nudged towards a certain tip tier. If the restaurant has nice pens, I'll add another dollar to the tip and swipe the pen. It's subversive and practical at the same time. A turn signal announces what we intend to do before we do it. The tip ritual asks us to monetize our opinion. Both involve quick decisions and other people trying to interpret our behavior. That's one functional definition of art. [Read and share the complete prompt...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/to-insure-prompt-service/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260816) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260816&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Sunday, August 16 - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-08-16T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Gardening for Butterflies](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/gardening-for-butterflies/19328170/2026-08-16T09) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [Dancing for Fun](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/dancing-for-fun/18329491/2026-08-16T14) at Janet Goeske Center - [Sunday Experiment After Dark](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sunday-experiment-after-dark/14528750/2026-08-16T21) at Downtown Experiment ### Monday, August 17 - [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-17T19) at Community Yoga Center ### Tuesday, August 18 - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-08-18T19) at The Hideaway ### Wednesday, August 19 - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-08-19T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-08-19T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [About Writing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/about-writing/18335813/2026-08-19T10) at Janet Goeske Center - [County Planning Commission Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/county-planning-commission-meeting/19339604/2026-08-19T09) at 4080 Lemon St., 1st Floor - [Foundations of Yoga Instruction](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/foundations-of-yoga-instruction/19233080/2026-08-19T14) at University of California, Riverside - [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-19T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19516291/2026-08-19T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Riverside Mission Belles](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-mission-belles/18883483/2026-08-19T09) at Victoria Presbyterian Church ### Thursday, August 20 - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19516284/2026-08-20T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [LUCKI](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/lucki/19346715/2026-08-20T19) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ### Friday, August 21 - [Bee Gees Fever - Tribute To Bee Gees](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bee-gees-fever-tribute-to-bee-gees/19447455/2026-08-21T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [Cumbiatron - The Cumbia Rave (21+)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/cumbiatron-the-cumbia-rave-21/19438777/2026-08-21T21) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ### Saturday, August 22 - [Latin Legacy Tour: MC Magic, Baby Bash & Lil' Rob](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/latin-legacy-tour-mc-magic-baby-bash-lil-rob/18621404/2026-08-22T19) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ### Save the Date - Aug 23: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-23T08) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 24: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-24T19) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 26: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-26T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - Aug 28: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-28T07) at Zacatecas Café - Aug 29: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-29T07) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 29: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-29T09) at Community Yoga Center - Sep 3: [Orange Street Mural Unveiling](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-street-mural-unveiling/19578974/2026-09-03T18) at Main Museum Pedestrian Walkway (Orange Street) - Sep 9: [FREE Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - Sep 18: [Open Mic Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/open-mic-night/19553682/2026-09-18T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - Oct 3: [Aquamotion Aquathon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/aquamotion-aquathon/19617601/2026-10-03T09) at Shamel Pool - Oct 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### The Lower Canal Flume Trestle URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-lower-canal-flume-trestle/ Last updated: 2026-08-18T17:45:16.000Z Snaking its way through Riverside, the Tequesquite Arroyo cuts a path that separates certain portions of the city. The Victoria Avenue Bridge is one solution to this problem, allowing Victoria Avenue to cross over the ravine. The Magnolia Fill was another answer that allowed Magnolia Avenue to connect to Downtown Riverside. Another answer to the obstacle of the arroyo was building a trestle near the western end of the arroyo to extend the Lower Canal on its journey to bring water to the southern part of the city. The early Riverside settlers brought water to their homes and fields by digging a canal that ran along the eastern edge of the mile square of Downtown Riverside and brought water to the city as early as 1871\. This became known as the Upper Canal. As Samuel C. Evans and William Sayward began to develop the area south of the original Riverside Colony, they needed a source of water. When John W. North refused permission to build a canal through the Colony property, Evans and his associates bought out the control of the Southern California Colony and combined it with their holdings and formed the Riverside Land and Irrigating Company. They could then build their canal, which became the Lower Canal. To build this canal, they hired Christopher Columbus Miller, the father of Frank Miller. The elder Miller arrived in Riverside in 1874 from Tomah, Wisconsin. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/2-CC-Miller.jpg) Photo of Christopher Columbus Miller. (Courtesy of the Mission Inn Foundation) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/3-Lower-Canal-1913.jpg) Map of the Lower Canal designed by C. C. Miller As can be seen in the Lower Canal Map, the canal route came into the city on a curving route until it met Almond Street. It followed Almond Street until Ninth Street, when it turned down through White Park before following along Market Street. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/4-Map-White-Park.jpg) Map of Canal going through White Park. (Early Sanborn Fire Insurance Map) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/5-White-Park-GW.jpg) Postcard of the Lower Canal passing through White Park (City Park) (Author's Collection) At Fourteenth Street, the canal turned southwest, crossing the Tequesquite Arroyo, then turned again and flowed along Brockton Avenue. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/6-Canal-and-Trolley001-RMM.jpg) Photo of the Lower Canal Flowing along Brockton Avenue with Trolley Tracks, Horse-drawn Wagon and House in background. The house is the Milton Daniels House at 5809 Brockton. (Courtesy of the Museum of Riverside) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/7-Riv-City-Str-II-7-CLD5-23-Brockton-Avenue-on-a-Sunny-Day.jpg) Photo of the Lower Canal along Brockton Avenue. (Courtesy of the Main Library Local History Archives) As just mentioned, the canal crossed the Tequesquite Arroyo. This was not a simple crossing; it created a special engineering task in the design and erection of the flume crossing over a wooden trestle. This flume was built in 1876 by A. McCrary and Son, bridge and flume builders. The structure was almost 700 feet long and 40 feet in height. The trestle was described as "a carefully carpentered structure, with mortised joints and carefully fitted braces." The estimated cost was about $5,000\. The canal over the flume trestle ran from the Newman Ranch, near what is now Calvary Presbyterian Church, across the Arroyo to the Rice Ranch near Brockton Avenue. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/8-Tesquesquite-Flume-1880-cropped.jpg) Photo of Trestle taken from Cypress Hill, the end of old Cypress Street, before the name was changed to Magnolia Avenue after the Magnolia Fill extended the Avenue. (Courtesy of the Museum of Riverside) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/9-Flume-with-High-School.jpg) Photo of the Flume with the old Riverside High School, later Grant School, in the background In 1886, the flume over the Tequesquite Arroyo was overhauled with the work of re-chalking and retarring the structure. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/10-Flume---Hall.jpg) Photo of Flume – On back is written: "Flume of Lower Canal from Rice Ranch looking toward Newman Ranch (now site of Calvary Presbyterian Church) taken about 1895\. (Joan Hall Collection) Sometime after the flume was built, an artist sketched it because of its picturesque setting. To make the picture even more charming, he added a railroad train. He must have also widened the trestle, as even a narrow-gauge train would have been too large. However, with the magic of modern AI photo enhancement, the artist's fictional drawing can be replicated. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/11-Gemini_Generated.jpg) Gemini Enhanced Photo adding a fictional Steam Locomotive to the Trestle In 1913, the Lower Canal was abandoned as it was redundant with the supply of water via the Upper Canal. By 1914, the decision was made to take down the unused trestle and flume. The water company's initial plan was to dismantle the old structure piece by piece to salvage all the wood. However, upon inspection, much of the wood was too rotten, and dismantling it would be too dangerous for the workers. The plan then was to pull the structure over in one grand crash. After cutting away the supports at each end, and with the center portion tottering on its 40-foot-high braces, a water company truck was hooked on with long ropes and pulled it over with a large crash. On Saturday morning, April 18, 1914, the old landmark flume and trestle came spectacularly down. As one reporter said, "It would have made a striking picture for a moving picture camera." Many of the longer wood pieces were still in excellent condition and were sold for $10 to $15 per thousand feet. The scraps and broken pieces were sold for $2.00 per two-horse load or were delivered within 1½ miles at the price of $3.00 per two-horse load. A few days after the trestle came tumbling down, the *Daily Press* lamented: "Riverside pioneers read with feelings of sorrow the news of the dismantling of the flume across the Tequesquite arroyo, because of the historic interest of the old structure as connected with the early development of the city." ### To Insure Prompt Service URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/to-insure-prompt-service/ Last updated: 2026-08-15T12:00:58.000Z Welcome back! Did [last week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/taking-turns/)’s nudge help you read the road as a collaborative artwork made of lights, arrows and educated guesses? Perhaps you invented a new signal for “My bad” “I’m lost” or “No, you go first." If you're like me, I'm a little self-conscious about the signals I'm putting out there. Seems like a good moment to leave the open road and enter the awkward intersection of money, gratitude and social custom. This week, we’re considering another small public signal of intention: the tip. Tipping happens in all kinds of settings: restaurants, barbershops, hotels of course but digital dollars make tipping easier than ever. Under the right circumstances, just about anyone deserves a tip. Sometimes I tip before anything has happened, like when I order food online. Sometimes I'm nudged towards a certain tip tier. If the restaurant has nice pens, I'll add another dollar to the tip and swipe the pen. It's subversive and practical at the same time. A turn signal announces what we intend to do before we do it. The tip ritual asks us to monetize our opinion. Both involve quick decisions and other people trying to interpret our behavior. That's one functional definition of art. With few exceptions, I believe the people helping me earn less than their time, patience and labor are worth. Even mediocre service deserves unconditional grace. I have had mediocre days too, and I’m glad no one reduced my paycheck because I forgot the extra ranch. Deciding to tip produces a peculiar social flop sweat. Make eye contact? Sign quickly to demonstrate confidence? Did I hit the wrong button again? What does my tablemate think of the tip I left? Tipping is a social custom, and social customs are collaborative performances we don't get to rehearse. We learn by watching others, asking obvious questions, and realizing on the drive home that we misunderstood the entire scene. That angst makes tipping promising creative material. We already have suspense and movement and symbolic language...and an audience. All we need is several minutes and permission to handle the moment less gracefully than we imagine everyone else does. Consider one or more of these tips for tipping your imagination by 20% or more: 1. **Tipping Point:** Balance a spoon, credit card, coin or other harmless object at the edge of a table or your finger. Move it until it reaches the moment just before falling. Study that precarious arrangement, then photograph or describe it with adverbs. 2. **Tip Jar Anthropology:** Without interrupting anyone’s work, notice the tip jars you encounter. What containers are used? What jokes, drawings or competing choices have been added? Invent a tip jar for a profession that does not normally have one: crossing guard or librarian or your primary care physician. 3. **Awkward Silence:** Recreate the soundtrack of tipping: a finger tapping, a pen scratching paper, coins on a countertop. Those long seconds a receipt takes to print or the motor of a grocery store conveyer belt. Arrange the sounds into a ten-second musical composition or absurdist setlist. 4. **One Useful Tip**: Write five pieces of advice nobody requested. Make them highly specific: “Never trust a folding chair on grass,” or “Always carry cash." Draw or pantomime your favorite as though it were extremely valuable knowledge. Write it on a big sign and stand outside with it. 5. **Beyond Currency:** Imagine that tipping money is banned after a well-produced Tik Tok video goes viral. Gratitude must now be expressed through a brief creative act. Would you leave a drawing, tap dance, fold the receipt into origami? The word “tip” is already creatively overemployed. We tip our hats, tip the scales, reach tipping points and keep information on the tips of our tongues. The act of tipping acknowledges that another person’s work helped us. There is a chance it can all go wrong in every human transaction. Creativity helps us to survive moments of uncertainty. We make a choice without knowing exactly how it will be received. Sometimes we do it with confidence. Sometimes we do it certain that failure is the only option. *This column was written with help from ChatGPT, a tool that accurately predicts how much you will tip with spooky (and unvarnished) accuracy. But you have to ask.* ### 🍊Your Riverside Weekend- August 15, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/your-riverside-weekend-august-15-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-15T12:00:14.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/02/_DSC5738.jpg) **Your Riverside Weekend- August 15, 2026** **Happy Saturday, Riverside!** We hope your week treated you well. Before you head into your weekend, we've gathered the stories that defined life in our city this week — from City Hall to community happenings. You're in the right place to catch up — your weekend starts here. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260815)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260815&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [Disagreeing Better: Should Homeless Housing Require Treatment?Two Riversiders who see politics differently answered the same question about homelessness and mental health in this monthly exchange with the Braver Angels Riverside Alliance.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-fc13dcaa-6c78-4d4e-a46a-f3895019948a.png)The Raincross GazetteCommunity Contributor![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/260810-bacol-housing_1024-d682a0fc-eb10-4090-b315-d443a65d7d64.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/disagreeing-better-should-homeless-housing-require-treatment/) [Ahead of Mediation, Residents Urge Council to Revisit University Terrace RejectionThe city and California’s Civil Rights Department are set to mediate a discrimination complaint tied to the council’s rejection of a supportive housing project.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-cc88edb9-38df-474b-8c30-4a0281a838d7.png)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-9-d33fb119-7122-4062-b4f2-d39ec955387b.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ahead-of-mediation-residents-urge-council-to-revisit-university-terrace-rejection/) [Riverside Unified Superintendent Selected for Yale Leadership FellowshipDr. Sonia Llamas is one of 26 education leaders nationwide chosen for the Broad Center’s fellowship at Yale School of Management.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-c552cb0e-10ee-4df6-9b4c-87d9b80cad82.png)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RUSD_YALE2-d6a6a8c1-4a13-4ddb-94b6-30bf3e7b6d21.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-unified-superintendent-selected-for-yale-leadership-fellowship/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260815)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260815&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [From the Kitchen Garden: August, The Keep It or Pull It EditionTips on what to plant, when to pick, and what to watch out for in your home garden.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-ae8361e9-db0e-4790-83dc-f064ddc00b86.png)The Raincross GazetteCommunity Contributor![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/7-1666affa-d596-4cdb-abe5-2beda27139a0.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-the-kitchen-garden-august-the-keep-it-or-pull-it-edition/) [NORA to Celebrate Jane Block’s 97th Birthday and Decades of AdvocacyThe nonprofit will honor Jane Block, a founding member of the Riverside Area Rape Crisis Center, with an event Aug. 12.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-923d1b06-3ccf-4e94-bc54-e938c0831027.png)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/Jane-Block-Day-2026-11c18ece-5593-4b97-9891-955c252ebe1a.png)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/nora-to-celebrate-jane-blocks-97th-birthday-and-decades-of-advocacy/) [Why It’s So Hard to Buy a Citrus Tree in RiversideCitrus greening disease has made Riverside ground zero for a quarantine that experts say may never be lifted.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-7498e960-b12b-47f3-9826-4d660aa91c7d.png)The Raincross GazetteNorm Ellstrand![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/_DSC5719-11cf3de5-e808-4a42-b097-071751350829.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/why-its-so-hard-to-buy-a-citrus-tree-in-riverside/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260815) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260815&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Weather Forecast ☀️ Sunday, August 16 — 96° / 65° · Partly Cloudy ⛅ Monday, August 17 — 95° / 65° · Partly Cloudy ⛅ Tuesday, August 18 — 95° / 65° · Partly Cloudy 🌤️ Wednesday, August 19 — 93° / 64° · Mostly Sunny ⛅ Thursday, August 20 — 93° / 65° · Partly Cloudy ☀️ Friday, August 21 — 97° / 67° · Sunny 🌤️ Saturday, August 22 — 99° / 70° · Mostly Sunny 🥵 Consider this your official heads-up: summer isn't done showing off yet. We ease into the week in the mid-90s, then things crank back up toward the weekend, topping out near 99° on Saturday with overnight lows creeping into the 70s too. **Fair warning:* we're not meteorologists! Our forecasts are pulled from public weather data as a little extra for our readers. For the most current conditions, your favorite weather app knows more than we do — but we'll always do our best to help you plan your weekend.* ☀️ --- ## 💬 The Watercooler — Gazette staff, freelancers, and community contributors share what's on their minds this week 🌞 **Sarah** is mourning the end of a really great summer while celebrating her kiddos' successful first week of school! 🌅 **Amy** scheduled this one ahead, because when it goes live at 5 am she'll still be asleep, waiting on an island sunrise instead of an alarm clock. Feeling pretty grateful about that trade. --- ## Save the Date - August 15: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-15T07) at Community Yoga Center - August 15: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-15T09) at Community Yoga Center - August 16: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-16T08) at Community Yoga Center - August 17: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-17T19) at Community Yoga Center - August 19: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-19T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - August 21: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-21T07) at Zacatecas Café - September 3: [Orange Street Mural Unveiling](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-street-mural-unveiling/19578974/2026-09-03T18) at Main Museum Pedestrian Walkway (Orange Street) - September 9: [FREE Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - September 18: [Open Mic Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/open-mic-night/19553682/2026-09-18T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - Oct 3: [Aquamotion Aquathon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/aquamotion-aquathon/19617601/2026-10-03T09) at Shamel Pool - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- August 14, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-july-31-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-14T18:57:05.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/IMG_0775.jpeg) Kaylan Cummins puts her work-developed "Adventurer's Matrix" — a way to get to know a city better — to the test in Tokyo, Japan. ***Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and what you got up to](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **Friday Gazette: August 14, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Friday!** Welcome to the weekend. We hope it's one full of laughter, rest, and anything else that fills you up. Here's what else is happening around town! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260814)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260814&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CITY HALL](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/city-hall/) ## City Council Greenlights Construction Contract for Fairmount Park Armory Brewery Conversion The $2.73 million contract with Cal-City Construction moves the historic building toward its new life as a family gathering space and beer garden. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-3-2.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-greenlights-construction-contract-for-fairmount-park-armory-brewery-conversion/) The Armory at Fairmount Park, 2501 Fairmount Blvd. (Justin Pardee/Raincross Gazette) Fairmount Park's historic Armory building is one step closer to becoming a brewery and beer garden. **Why it matters:** If you've missed events at the shuttered Armory, expect a family-friendly beer garden with live music, art events and cornhole once construction wraps in about 15 months. **Driving the news:** Council approved a **$2.73 million** construction contract with Cal-City Construction Inc. of Cerritos Tuesday to renovate the 12,000-square-foot building. - Thompson Brewing Co. LLC, which also runs its flagship on Indiana Avenue in Ward 5, holds the lease and plans event spaces, a kitchen-served beer garden and recreational activities. **By the numbers:** - **$3.28 million** total project cost, including a contingency reserve and permitting funds - **450 days** construction window once the city issues notice to proceed - **4.67 acres** — the Armory's footprint, built in 1959 as a military maintenance facility **The backstory:** The renovation is one piece of a broader Fairmount Park master plan that also calls for rebuilding the bandshell, reconfiguring the golf course and closing two streets to cut through-traffic. **Between the lines:** Cal-City's original $3.99 million bid was negotiated down after the city removed planned pickleball courts from the project scope. **What's next:** Construction begins once the city issues a notice to proceed; no start date has been announced. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-greenlights-construction-contract-for-fairmount-park-armory-brewery-conversion/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260814)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260814&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CITY HALL](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/city-hall/) ## Riverside Approves Casa Blanca Land Sale for Storage, Affordable Homes Project The deal replaces an earlier, larger residential proposal with four affordable homes and a self-storage complex along Railroad Avenue. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/1-_DSC4113-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-approves-casa-blanca-land-sale-for-storage-affordable-homes-project/) A vacant Railroad Avenue lot will become self-storage units and four affordable homes, not the larger housing complex once proposed. **Why it matters:** Casa Blanca residents get four homeownership opportunities instead of a bigger multifamily project — though concerns about railroad noise, safety and parking near the tracks remain unresolved. **Driving the news:** Council approved a $650,000 purchase and development agreement with Railroad Ave Storage LLC Tuesday, advancing a plan pairing housing with storage. - The deal includes four three-bedroom homes for households earning up to 80% of area median income and three two-story self-storage buildings totaling about 96,000 square feet. **By the numbers:** - **$650,000** sale price, below the **$860,000** appraised value for the full 4.15 acres - **$15 million** in projected private investment - **70** construction jobs and up to **$187,000** a year in property-tax revenue **What they're saying:** Residents welcomed the smaller footprint but split on remaining risks. - "It was just those four at the end," resident Margie Tadwilliams said of the reduced housing. - Resident Paul Chavez called for a barrier along the tracks, citing derailment, noise and parking concerns. **What's next:** The agreement still needs approval from the Countywide Oversight Board before the project can move forward. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-approves-casa-blanca-land-sale-for-storage-affordable-homes-project/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260814) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260814&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Public Works Turns Traffic Boxes Into Public Art The City has redesigned 38 traffic signal cabinets so far, with more planned near schools and sites of historic or cultural significance. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/1-_DSC0417-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/public-works-turns-traffic-boxes-into-public-art/) A traffic signal cabinet painted with a stars-and-stripes design and a portrait of President James Madison stands on a Riverside sidewalk in the Presidential Park neighborhood. (Titus Pardee) Located throughout Riverside's 324 signalized intersections are objects that many drivers pass without a second thought: traffic signal cabinets. Painted in a dull gray, these cabinets quietly contain the equipment that regulates traffic signals throughout the city. Lately, however, some of them have begun standing out rather than blending in. In spring 2025, the Public Works Department launched an initiative to transform ordinary traffic boxes, pieces of infrastructure that are common targets of graffiti, into decorative displays. The program reflects a larger initiative to beautify the city through objects often seen day-to-day. Currently, 38 traffic boxes across Riverside have been redesigned to have a more appealing look. From schools to presidential streets, Public Works is eyeing a diversity of locations that could potentially house the newest redesigned traffic box. Looking ahead, the program plans to expand by highlighting nearby city facilities, as well as other sites that hold historical or cultural significance. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/public-works-turns-traffic-boxes-into-public-art/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- #### [Adoptable Pet of the Week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag//) ## Meet Fruit Loops! Meet this week’s featured furry friend from the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center. Dedicated to eliminating pet homelessness, the center provides compassionate care and facilitates adoptions for animals in need of loving homes. Find your new companion and help support their mission of humane care and responsible pet ownership. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/1-3.jpg)](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Meet Fruit Loops, a 1-year-old sweetheart who thinks everyone is a friend! This beautiful Domestic Shorthair loves being where the people are. She’ll greet you with her friendly personality, follow you around to see what you’re up to, soak up all the attention, and curl up nearby just to be close. And if treats are involved? Even better!Fruit Loops has a cheerful, affectionate spirit that makes her impossible not to love. She’s ready to bring plenty of companionship, cuddles, and happiness into someone’s life. ****Could you be the person she’s been waiting to meet?** Fruit Loops would love to say hello! Please visit her and other adoptable pets at the Pet Adoption Center-6165 Industrial Ave., Riverside 92504\. --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Friday, August 14 - [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-14T07) at Zacatecas Café - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-08-14T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-and-heroes-walking-tour/19396626/2026-08-14T15) at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18) - [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-14T08) at Community Yoga Center - [Hot August Nights](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/hot-august-nights/19472696/2026-08-14T16) at Riverside Elks Lodge #643 - [Little Shop of Horrors 40th Anniversary Screening](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/little-shop-of-horrors-40th-anniversary-screening/18799266/2026-08-14T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center ### Saturday, August 15 - [Arlington Heights Cleanup](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/arlington-heights-cleanup/19426805/2026-08-15T07) at Arlington Heights Sports Park - [Low-Cost Vaccination Clinic](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/lowcost-vaccination-clinic/19030194/2026-08-15T09) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($10- $28) - [Botanic Gardens- Twilight Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/botanic-gardens-twilight-tour/19040310/2026-08-15T18) at Botanic Gardens - [The Zonta Club of Riverside presents Join me for a Cup of Coffee or Tea](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-zonta-club-of-riverside-presents-join-me-for-a-cup-of-coffee-or-tea/19513887/2026-08-15T13) at The Care Project Office - [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-15T07) at Community Yoga Center - [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-15T09) at Community Yoga Center - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-08-15T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [The Hayds](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-hayds-garden-room-rma/19438774/2026-08-15T19) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium- Garden Room - [Los Yonics Zamacona](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/los-yonics-zamacona/19346710/2026-08-15T20) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [MAGIC UNDERGROUND](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/magic-underground/19568202/2026-08-15T18) at Back to the Grind ($30- $45) - [Mosaic Art Fundraiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mosaic-art-fundraiser/19516335/2026-08-15T10) at Mission Inn Foundation ($100) - [Mt. Rubidoux Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mt-rubidoux-walking-tour/19390096/2026-08-15T08) at Mt. Rubidoux Trailhead, a short walk from Ryan Bonaminio Park. ($21.20) - [Plant Hope - A pottery decorating and planting event by DVAP](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/plant-hope-a-pottery-decorating-and-planting-event-by-dvap/19458258/2026-08-15T10) at Arlington Library ($15- $25) - [Twilight Tours](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/twilight-tours/19260751/2026-08-15T18) at UCR Botanic Gardens ($15- $20) ### Sunday, August 16 - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-08-16T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Gardening for Butterflies](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/gardening-for-butterflies/19328170/2026-08-16T09) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [Dancing for Fun](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/dancing-for-fun/18329491/2026-08-16T14) at Janet Goeske Center - [Sunday Experiment After Dark](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sunday-experiment-after-dark/14528750/2026-08-16T21) at Downtown Experiment ### Save the Date - August 17: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-17T19) at Community Yoga Center - August 17: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-17T08) at Community Yoga Center - August 19: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-19T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - August 21: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-21T07) at Zacatecas Café - August 22: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-22T07) at Community Yoga Center - August 22: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-22T09) at Community Yoga Center - September 9: [Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - September 18: [Open Mic Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/open-mic-night/19553682/2026-09-18T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - Oct 3: [Aquamotion Aquathon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/aquamotion-aquathon/19617601/2026-10-03T09) at Shamel Pool - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Public Works Turns Traffic Boxes Into Public Art URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/public-works-turns-traffic-boxes-into-public-art/ Last updated: 2026-08-18T11:59:48.000Z Located throughout Riverside's 324 signalized intersections are objects that many drivers pass without a second thought: traffic signal cabinets. Painted in a dull gray, these cabinets quietly contain the equipment that regulates traffic signals throughout the city. Lately, however, some of them have begun standing out rather than blending in. In spring 2025, the Public Works Department launched an initiative to transform ordinary traffic boxes, pieces of infrastructure that are common targets of graffiti, into decorative displays. The program reflects a larger initiative to beautify the city through objects often seen day-to-day. Currently, 38 traffic boxes across Riverside have been redesigned to have a more appealing look. From schools to presidential streets, Public Works is eyeing a diversity of locations that could potentially house the newest redesigned traffic box. Looking ahead, the program plans to expand by highlighting nearby city facilities, as well as other sites that hold historical or cultural significance. "We are currently working internally on other new cabinets with the intent of highlighting a nearby City facility, place of historic or regional significance, and more," Public Works Director Nathan Mustafa said. Each traffic cabinet has an intricate and creative look, many designed by the City's Marketing & Communications team. However, to showcase a taste of the area's rich artistic talent, the Public Works Department invites art proposals, encouraging creators to submit their ideas for the community to see. "Some cabinet artwork is designed in-house for City projects through our amazing Marketing & Communications team," Mustafa said. "When we need outside assistance, though, we put out a call for an art proposal. One we recently issued was for the Civil Rights Walk. These are posted on our webpage and we share them widely, and I'd encourage interested artists to email [specialevents@riversideca.gov](mailto:specialevents@riversideca.gov) if they'd like to learn more about our art proposal process and how they can stay informed of future solicitations." The designs plastered on the traffic boxes symbolize a variety of values, which ultimately stems back to the central vision of the city. In a mission "to inspire everyone through meaningful arts and cultural experiences," the program serves as an attempt to emphasize Riverside's cultural and diverse artistic hub. To most Riverside residents, the rusty metal cabinets once seemed like nothing more than ordinary traffic hardware. Now, they are taking on a new life, serving as small canvases celebrating the history, artistic talent, and stories that make Riverside, Riverside. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/2-_DSC0444.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/3-_DSC0475.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/4-_DSC0501.jpg) From left, traffic signal cabinets honoring presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe and Theodore Roosevelt stand at intersections across Riverside, part of the Presidential Park series of redesigned cabinets. (Titus Pardee) ### Riverside Approves Casa Blanca Land Sale for Storage, Affordable Homes Project URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-approves-casa-blanca-land-sale-for-storage-affordable-homes-project/ Last updated: 2026-08-17T12:00:57.000Z Riverside officials on Tuesday approved the sale of a long-vacant, 3.7-acre property along Railroad Avenue for a project that would bring a self-storage complex and four affordable homes to the Casa Blanca neighborhood. The $650,000 purchase and development agreement from Railroad Ave Storage LLC advances a plan that city staff say would bring investment and a small home ownership opportunity to the corridor while avoiding the larger residential project previously proposed for the site. Some Casa Blanca residents said that smaller scale made the proposal more acceptable, though other public commenters also raised concerns about railroad noise, safety and parking. The proposal includes four three-bedroom houses – each with a two-car garage – that would be built for sale to households earning up to 80% of the area median income, and three two-story self-storage buildings totaling about 96,000 square feet with roughly 70,000 square feet of rentable space. The storage buildings are planned to help reduce train noise for the homes, according to the staff report. The site runs along Railroad Avenue near Madison Street, where about 15,000 square feet of land will be set aside for a future grade-separation project. The city's appraisal valued the full 4.15-acre area at $860,000\. But staff said the $650,000 sales price reflects the smaller developable area, including the portion that will remain with the city, as well as an estimated $124,000 cost to extend a sewer main to the project. The deal still needs approval from the Countywide Oversight Board. The agreement also requires the homes to remain affordable and gives the city the right to take back the property if the developer does not follow through on the project. Residents generally welcomed the scaled-back housing component – especially compared with earlier development efforts that included a since-canceled warehouse and office proposal from Riverside Harley-Davidson as well as a later affordable multifamily and senior-housing plan that city decision-makers denied in 2023. One of the residents said the project was discussed through a Casa Blanca community action group and drew a better response than the previous plan. "Most of the individuals were happy with that coming into the Casa Blanca area because it's not housing through the whole street," said resident Margie Tadwilliams. "It was just those four at the end." She also said a wall behind the homes could help buffer residents from the railroad tracks and nearby crossing. Resident Paul Chavez urged the city to more fully address the impact of building homes near the tracks, raising concerns about train noise, vibration, air pollution, safety and parking. "The possibility of derailment is there and these things need to be addressed," said Chavez, who also called for a barrier between the tracks and the new development. City staff said the development is expected to represent about $15 million in private investment, create an estimated 70 construction jobs and generate between $150,000 and $187,000 a year in property-tax revenue. ### Council Supports Statewide Housing Bond, Citing Homelessness Needs URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-supports-statewide-housing-bond-citing-homelessness-needs/ Last updated: 2026-08-17T11:59:20.000Z The City Council on Tuesday backed a statewide $11.25 billion housing bond measure that Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson says could help address homelessness and housing challenges in Riverside and communities across California. The council affirmed its support for Proposition 1, which will go before California voters in November. The measure, formally known as the California's Veterans and Affordable Housing Bond Act of 2026, would authorize the state to issue general obligation bonds for affordable housing, homeownership opportunities and programs aimed at addressing homelessness. The council's action does not commit any city funds. The report describes the vote as procedural and says it has no fiscal impact. Lock Dawson brought the item forward to affirm the city's support for legislation and funding opportunities that address homelessness. She is also chair of the Big City Mayors Coalition and has led the group's support for Proposition 1, according to a [staff report](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15735783&GUID=56BC82A7-5A4D-499C-A94B-C7E942B801B6&ref=raincrossgazette.com). Several public commenters voiced support for Proposition 1 at Tuesday's meeting, including Dan Hoxworth, a Ward 3 resident. "I think it is important that the mayor be allowed to continue to advocate for this crucial bond issue,” Hoxworth said. “This is not a tax increase associated with the bond issue. Our state is in the middle of the affordable crisis. This would move us forward." If approved by voters, the bond measure would fund programs supporting the creation and preservation of affordable housing, expand homebuying opportunities for low- and moderate-income residents and veterans, and invest in permanent solutions to homelessness throughout California. The measure originated as SB 417, which was passed by the California Legislature and signed by the governor in June. It then became Proposition 1 when it was placed on the November ballot. The bond measure comes as California faces a significant housing shortage. The staff report estimates the statewide shortage generally exceeds 1 million homes and says the state has identified a need for about 1.2 million additional affordable homes for lower-income Californians. According to the report, affordable housing developments often cannot generate enough rental revenue to cover the costs of acquiring land, securing financing, construction and maintaining affordable rents, making public subsidies necessary to close the financing gap. California voters last approved a Veterans and Affordable Housing Bond in 2018, authorizing $4 billion in bonds with about 56% of the vote. Most of those resources were committed within several years because of high demand for affordable housing assistance, the report said. The bond also comes at a time when [Riverside is struggling to meet its own state-mandated housing goals](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-falls-far-short-of-state-housing-mandate-report-shows/). The city has permitted no new very-low-income housing since 2021 and had met less than 20% of its overall state housing allocation, according to an annual city progress report earlier this year. ### Mission Inn Foundation Run Kicks Off Training Moai Ahead of 49th Race URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mission-inn-foundation-run-kicks-off-training-moai-ahead-of-49th-race/ Last updated: 2026-08-16T12:00:08.000Z The 49th Annual Mission Inn Foundation Run arrives this year alongside another milestone: the 150th anniversary of the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa. Runners, walkers and their dogs will take to the streets of Riverside on October 18, with proceeds benefiting the Mission Inn Foundation and Museum. "There is something particularly special about celebrating the 49th Annual Mission Inn Foundation Run during the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa's 150th anniversary year," Mindy Griffith, executive director of the Mission Inn Foundation and Museum, told the Raincross Gazette. "The Run has always been closely tied to Riverside's history and the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa's place within our community, so the timing gives us another opportunity to celebrate that remarkable legacy." Griffith said this year's race also sets up next year's 50th anniversary event. "We're honoring an extraordinary milestone for the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa this year while looking ahead to a major milestone of our own in 2027," Griffith said. Proceeds fund the foundation's ongoing work, including collection preservation, exhibits, educational programming and historical research, rather than one specific restoration project. Griffith called the run the foundation's largest annual fundraiser, saying its success has "a very real impact" on that work throughout the year. White Park will serve as the hub for race weekend this year, hosting bib and packet pickup, the Health & Wellness Expo and post-race festivities. As part of Walk & Wag, organizers also held a Call for Artists competition, inviting the local arts community to design the official 2026 dog bandana. The winning design will be featured on the bandana given to four-legged participants, bringing together "two things Riverside has an incredible amount of enthusiasm for: its arts community and its dogs," Griffith said. Organizers are also expanding partnerships with community groups, including the Blue Zones Project Training Moai, Run Riverside, Citrus Run, Road Runners and Mariposa Miles. The training moai is hosting a 10-week program ahead of race day, meeting every Thursday at 6 p.m. at Fairmount Park near Stewart's Boathouse through Oct. 15\. The free sessions are open to all paces and welcome walkers, joggers and runners preparing for the Mission Inn Foundation Run or simply looking to stay active. The term "moai" comes from Okinawa, Japan, one of the original Blue Zones, and centers on building a strong social circle around a shared interest, Blue Zones Project Riverside told the Raincross Gazette. The Riverside program has grown from a staff-led effort in 2025 to a nearly self-sustaining model now run by community members and local organizations such as Run Riverside, according to Blue Zones Project Riverside. After three successful 10-week running moais and nearly 150 participants, two 2025 participants, Jesus Lopez and Michael Ruiz, will lead the 2026 Mission Inn Run Training Moai. Blue Zones Project Riverside said groups tend to stay connected well after race day, with participants exchanging numbers and continuing to meet. Two new runners from a previous training moai, Nancy and Michelle, kept training together after the program ended and went on to run the OC Marathon together. A typical Thursday session opens with a stretch and a route review before participants set off at their own pace, with walkers and runners both accommodated, Blue Zones Project Riverside said. The group reconvenes afterward to rehydrate and share experiences, along with a discussion of the Power 9, the set of lifestyle principles associated with the Blue Zones model. Blue Zones Project Riverside said the training moai supports the city's broader goal of becoming a certified Blue Zones Community by 2030, tying into annual Gallup Well-Being Index survey data tracking residents' exercise habits and overall well-being. Jesus Lopez, one of the two 2026 training moai leaders, joined the program at a difficult point in his life, according to Blue Zones Project Riverside. After the loss of his husband, Lopez was searching for a way to move forward, and the training moai gave him more than a place to run. Blue Zones Project Riverside said Lopez ran in his late husband's shoes throughout the program, carrying his memory session after session, and found lasting friendships along the way. At the end of each training session, Lopez would often notice a heart-shaped mark left by his sweat, a detail he came to see as fitting, according to Blue Zones Project Riverside. He now meets regularly with those he met through his first moai and is preparing to lead his second, hoping to give others the same sense of connection and support he found. Michael Ruiz, the moai's other 2026 leader, has been a volunteer and advocate for Blue Zones Project Riverside since the organization's kickoff event, according to Blue Zones Project Riverside. He has since co-led numerous moais, including hiking groups and the Wine & Unwind Moai, inspired by the Blue Zones "Wine at 5" principle, and takes part in Purpose Workshops and community outreach. Blue Zones Project Riverside said Ruiz has grown more confident speaking with others and sharing his experiences through the program, and that he met his girlfriend at a hiking moai he was attending. Griffith said the event has become part of Riverside's collective memory over its nearly 50-year history, with generations of families running, volunteering and cheering along the course. "There are certainly bigger races, but there aren't many where you get to experience a course surrounded by this much local history while supporting an organization dedicated to preserving it," Griffith said. For first-time participants unfamiliar with the Mission Inn, Griffith said the race offers an entry point to something larger than a single event. "They're helping preserve stories," Griffith said, adding that every runner, volunteer and sponsor becomes part of that preservation effort. **More information:* The 49th Annual Mission Inn Foundation Run takes place Oct. 18, 2026\. Registration and race details are available at* [*missioninnrun.org*](https://www.missioninnrun.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*. The Blue Zones Project Riverside Mission Inn Run Training Moai meets every Thursday at 6 p.m. at Fairmount Park, near Stewart's Boathouse, from August 13 through Oct. 15\. RSVP at* [*MissionInnRunMoai26.Eventbrite.com*](http://missioninnrunmoai26.eventbrite.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *or call (951) 344-1384\. For training updates, follow* [*Blue Zones Project Riverside on Instagram*](https://www.instagram.com/p/DbwlHrtBbTx/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### 🗞️ Riverside News- August 13, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-august-13-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-14T18:57:09.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/IMG_5236.jpeg) Alison Presser catches fireworks lighting up the sky over Waikiki, with a full moon peeking through the clouds. ***Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and what you got up to](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **Thursday Gazette: August 13, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Thursday!** Almost there, we just passed hump day. We hope your week is going smoothly, and thank you for taking the time to hang out with us each morning. See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260813)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260813&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HOUSING](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/housing/) ## Ahead of Mediation, Residents Urge Council to Revisit University Terrace Rejection The city and California's Civil Rights Department are set to mediate a discrimination complaint tied to the council's rejection of a supportive housing project. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-10.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ahead-of-mediation-residents-urge-council-to-revisit-university-terrace-rejection/) Residents packed Riverside City Council chambers Tuesday, urging council members to reconsider the University Terrace supportive housing project it rejected in January — a decision now under state civil rights review. (Micaela Ricaforte/Raincross Gazette) A full City Council chamber pressed Tuesday for a rejected 114-unit homeless housing project as state mediation over the rejection continues. **Why it matters:** If mediation between the city and the state fails, the fate of 114 supportive and affordable housing units — and possible reparations for Riverside's unhoused community — remains unresolved. **Driving the news:** The City Council's January rejection of a Quality Inn Motel conversion prompted a state Civil Rights Department investigation, now paused for mediation. - The CRD opened its probe in May after the ACLU of Southern California, Inland Equity Community Land Trust and Inland Empire Tenants Union alleged council members relied on discriminatory stereotypes. **By the numbers:** The rejected project would have created 114 studio apartments — 94 supportive housing units and 20 affordable units — backed by $29.6 million in state and federal funding. - Riverside has met just 19.6% of its state-mandated housing goal since 2021, permitting no new very-low-income units. **What they're saying:** Attorney Ugochi Anaebere-Nicholson said the rejection caused "immediate harm" to unhoused residents. - Resident Dan Hoxworth said the fight is "about the lives of 94 homeless individuals who are most vulnerable." **What's next:** The city meets with the CRD Friday. Any settlement would return to the City Council for approval in the coming weeks. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ahead-of-mediation-residents-urge-council-to-revisit-university-terrace-rejection/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260813)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260813&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Mission Inn Foundation Run Kicks Off Training Moai Ahead of 49th Race The Blue Zones Project's community training program returns for another year as the Mission Inn Foundation and Museum marks a milestone anniversary. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-5.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mission-inn-foundation-run-kicks-off-training-moai-ahead-of-49th-race/) The intersection of Main Street and 10th Street in Downtown Riverside, where this year's Mission Inn Foundation Run will finish. Inset: Blue Zones Project Riverside Training Moai participants pose in Downtown after finishing last year's 48th Annual Mission Inn Foundation Run, wearing finisher medals and race bibs. (Mission Inn Foundation/Blue Zones Project Riverside) "Orange Tree Tables and Taps" had its grand opening on Main Street on July 7, so I knew I wanted to try it since I learned this location was most recently home to Retro on Main and, before that, Retro Taco. Being from a city that is an entertainment desert, I enjoy coming to Downtown Riverside in search of fun. I enjoy visiting family-owned businesses, restaurants and coffee shops that made Riverside their home, so when new businesses choose Downtown, I'm eager to try them out. Councilmember Philip Falcone highlighted the opening, along with a variety of other new Downtown food spots, most still pending, in his latest Ward 1 quarterly update. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mission-inn-foundation-run-kicks-off-training-moai-ahead-of-49th-race/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260813) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260813&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Mobility and Infrastructure Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mobility-and-infrastructure-committee/19563223/2026-08-13T13) at Riverside City Hall - [Planning Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/planning-commission/19365439/2026-08-13T09) at Riverside City Hall - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19516284/2026-08-13T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) ### Tomorrow - [Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-and-heroes-walking-tour/19396626/2026-08-14T15) at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18) - [Little Shop of Horrors 40th Anniversary Screening](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/little-shop-of-horrors-40th-anniversary-screening/18799266/2026-08-14T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center ## Save the Date - Aug 15: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-15T07) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 15: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-15T09) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 16: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-16T08) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 17: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-17T19) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 19: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-19T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - Aug 21: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-21T07) at Zacatecas Café - Sep 3: [Orange Street Mural Unveiling](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-street-mural-unveiling/19578974/2026-09-03T18) at Main Museum Pedestrian Walkway (Orange Street) - Sep 9: [FREE Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - Sep 18: [Open Mic Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/open-mic-night/19553682/2026-09-18T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - Oct 3: [Aquamotion Aquathon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/aquamotion-aquathon/19617601/2026-10-03T09) at Shamel Pool - Oct 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### City Council Greenlights Construction Contract for Fairmount Park Armory Brewery Conversion URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-greenlights-construction-contract-for-fairmount-park-armory-brewery-conversion/ Last updated: 2026-08-14T11:59:41.000Z Riverside's historic Fairmount Park Armory moved another step closer to becoming a craft brewery and beer garden on Tuesday after the City Council approved a $2.73 million construction contract. The council approved an agreement with Cal-City Construction Inc. of Cerritos to renovate the 12,000-square-foot building, which has been mostly closed for several years and used only for occasional events. The city has a [lease agreement](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/fairmount-park-armory-to-become-brewery-beer-garden-under-new-lease/) with Thompson Brewing Co. LLC, which plans to turn the building into a family-friendly gathering space with a beer garden, event spaces, live music, art events, cornhole and other recreational and community activities. Thompson Brewing also operates its flagship location on Indiana Avenue in Ward 5. The Armory renovation is one piece of a broader master plan for Fairmount Park's historic core, which also calls for rebuilding the park's bandshell, reconfiguring the golf course and closing two streets to reduce cut-through traffic. The work is expected to take 450 days after the city issues a notice to proceed – a construction window of about 15 months. Built in 1959 as a military maintenance facility, the Armory sits on 4.67 acres at one of the main entrances to Fairmount Park. The building has a large vaulted interior, exposed beams, a kitchen and restrooms, but has needed renovations to meet current building codes. Altogether, the project is expected to cost about $3.28 million, which includes the $2.73 million construction contract, a $273,236.20 contingency reserve for unforeseen conditions or design changes, and another $273,236.20 for permits, testing and inspections. The city is funding the project with $2.25 million in grant and restricted-program funds and a $1.03 million supplemental appropriation from the Regional Parks Special Capital Improvement Fund. The city received three proposals for the project, with Cal-City ranking first after a staff evaluation that considered qualifications, experience, methodology, references and price. Cal-City's original $3.99 million proposal was negotiated down, and the project scope was reduced by removing the pickleball courts that had initially been included in the request for proposals. ### Ahead of Mediation, Residents Urge Council to Revisit University Terrace Rejection URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ahead-of-mediation-residents-urge-council-to-revisit-university-terrace-rejection/ Last updated: 2026-08-14T00:15:41.000Z Tuesday's City Council meeting drew a full crowd of residents and advocates urging the council to reconsider a permanent supportive housing project it rejected in January — a rejection that prompted a state [Civil Rights Department (CRD) investigation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/civil-rights-agency-is-investigating-riverside-over-rejected-permanent-supportive-housing-project/) into possible anti-discrimination violations. The renewed concern comes as the city is expected to meet with the CRD on Friday in mediation on the matter. Ugochi Anaebere-Nicholson, attorney with the Public Interest Law Project, told the Gazette that the CRD's investigation is currently paused while the parties mediate their dispute. If the parties reach an agreement, it will likely need to be approved by the City Council in the coming weeks — and if not, the parties will determine whether they will come back at a later date for more negotiations, according to Anaebere-Nicholson. If the parties cannot come to a resolution, then the case will go back to the CRD, which will decide whether to continue its investigation. The CRD launched the probe back in May following a joint [complaint](https://www.aclusocal.org/app/uploads/2026/05/ACLU-SoCal-CRD-Complaints.pdf?ref=raincrossgazette.com) by the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, the Inland Equity Community Land Trust and the Inland Empire Tenants Union. The groups alleged that council members relied on discriminatory stereotypes — not evidence — when they voted to turn away $20.1 million in state funding and $9.5 million in additional federal and state money to convert the Quality Inn Motel at 1590 University Ave. into 114 studio apartments. The units would have offered 94 permanent supportive housing units for people with documented mental health or substance use challenges and 20 affordable units. The Riverside Housing Development Corporation brought the proposal to the council, which [rejected it on Jan. 13](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-rejects-20-million-state-grant-for-homeless-housing-project/). Anaebere-Nicholson said the [groups are looking for reparations](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/legal-firms-community-urge-council-to-reconsider-20-1-million-homekey-grant/) for what she describes as the "harm" that's been done to Riverside's unhoused community. "Immediate harm has arisen as a result of the 114 units not being moved towards…development and as well as the harm in not meeting the city's regional housing needs assessment," Anaebere-Nicholson said. However, she said she was unable to discuss details of reparations – or whether bringing back the University Terrace project is still on the table — due to the confidential mediation process. Meanwhile, residents continued to tell the council they hoped the project would be brought back. “Every day in Ward 3, I drive by and walk by unhoused people. This heat is deadly. 140 homeless people died last year in the county, probably more. And I'm really concerned. I'm thinking about that unhoused child going to school and they're in \[survival\] mode. I learned that Housing First works and it's not housing only. It has multiple steps to it,” said resident Sue Raginsky during public comment. Resident Dan Hoxworth told the Gazette that "ultimately this is about the lives of 94 homeless individuals who are most vulnerable." He also noted the 20 affordable housing units that would have been included in University Terrace. "If you talk to Family Promise, if you talk to Path of Life Ministries, their problem is they're holding people in transitional housing longer because they don't have an affordable housing unit to move them into," he said. "There's just nowhere for people to go. The affordable housing units aren't there because we aren't creating them in Riverside, but the demand is there." Ugochi Anaebere-Nicholson also described the [disparity](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-falls-far-short-of-state-housing-mandate-report-shows/) between Riverside's very-low- and low-income housing and its higher-income housing developments as "quite stark." Back in March, a report showed that Riverside permitted no new very-low-income housing since 2021 and met less than 20 percent of its overall state-mandated housing allocation. [The California Department of Housing and Community Development determined](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-applies-for-1-44-million-pro-housing-grant-amid-state-scrutiny/) that Riverside must plan for 18,458 new homes between 2021 and 2029\. About five years into the timeline, the city met just 19.6 percent of its obligation — with 3,613 total housing permits issued since 2021. Most of the permits issued, however, have been in the above-moderate-income housing category. The city created no new housing for the very-low-income category in 2022, 2023 and 2024, and it created no new housing for the low- and moderate-income categories in 2024 and 2025. ### Why It's So Hard to Buy a Citrus Tree in Riverside URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/why-its-so-hard-to-buy-a-citrus-tree-in-riverside/ Last updated: 2026-08-13T12:00:45.000Z Riverside has played a historic role in citrus production in California, the United States, and in the world. The introduction of the navel orange by the Tibbetts family is a legendary part of Riverside's heritage. The vast wealth created by the navel orange in and around Riverside was responsible for locating the second campus of the University of California, the UC Citrus Experiment Station, in Riverside. The subsequent research leadership by that Station made Riverside the logical location for the very first International Citrus Congress in 1968\. The current incarnation of that Experiment Station at the University of California at Riverside remains a global leader in citrus research. But it's tough to buy a citrus tree in Riverside. You can grow citrus trees (oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, mandarins, kumquats, etc.) in Riverside. You can give fruits from those trees to your neighbors or sell them. You can even find nurseries online that you can buy citrus trees from and plant on your property. But very few of those nurseries are in Riverside; the majority do not offer citrus. The reason for the mystery of the missing citrus is due to quarantines associated with the presence of a difficult and fatal citrus disease in Southern California. Huanglongbing (a.k.a. "HLB" or "citrus greening disease") has devastated citrus production globally. First known in China, it has spread to many, but not all, of the major citrus production areas in Asia, South Africa, South America, and Mesoamerica. In the United States, the disease has spread through the citrus producing areas in the Southeast, notably Florida. Indeed, Florida's citrus industry has been hit so hard that it is no longer the number one citrus-producing state. First identified in California in March 2012, HLB has been found in hundreds of individual trees in residential areas but not in California's citrus production areas. Part of California's success in limiting the spread of the disease has been the creation of quarantines. To better understand the need for quarantines, we need to appreciate the biology of the disease. The organism responsible for HLB is a bacterium. The bacterium has been particularly difficult to study because it has proven challenging to culture. Another frustrating factor is that the organism spreads slowly through a tree; it takes years for symptoms to occur. The first symptoms are asymmetric, misshapen leaves, then come ill-flavored patchy-colored fruits, later the tree weakens and eventually dies. Despite years of research, no cure or preventative treatment is known. The HLB bacterium is not capable of moving from tree to tree on its own. There are two known agents (vectors) which are known to spread the disease from tree to tree. Asian citrus psyllid (a.k.a. "ACP") is a sap-feeding insect distantly related to aphids that exclusively feeds on the sap of citrus species and their close relatives. If an ACP feeds on an infected tree, it picks up the disease organism which persists in its gut and mouthparts. Once the insect moves to another tree to feed, it injects the bacterium into the sap of that tree, effectively inoculating it. ACP arrived in Southern California a few decades ago, spreading north from Mexico, years before the arrival of the bacterium. In high densities, the psyllid is a pest in its own right. Pesticides and parasitic wasps are capable of reducing ACP populations, but the insect is so abundant and widespread in Southern California that it cannot be extirpated. The other vector is humans. Humans are capable of grafting a bud or buds of one variety of citrus onto another. If the grafted material comes from a diseased tree, the offending organism can move into the recipient tree and spread through it. Some scientists have suggested that the introduction of the HLB organism in Southern California may have occurred via human vectors who smuggled budwood from Asia to graft to their own tree or trees. In summary, at early stages, HLB disease is difficult to detect. If ACP is not present and an infected tree is not used for budwood, the disease cannot spread. But an infected tree behaves normally for years such that if there is a vector, spread will likely occur long before symptoms. So, a quarantine is necessary for limiting the spread of the disease. In California, if a single infected tree is discovered, it is destroyed and its location becomes the center of a quarantine zone with a five-mile radius. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) manages such quarantines and provides an online map ([2026 Huanglongbing (HLB) Quarantine Boundaries](https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/maps/QuarantineBoundaries/HLB/HLB%5FPQM%5FOverview.pdf?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). If you take a look at that map, you'll see that Riverside appears to be totally included within the 2026 boundaries. I contacted Joshua Bingham, Public Affairs Officer for the CDFA, for verification. He confirmed that the entire city of Riverside falls within the HLB quarantine. I also asked him, given the quarantine, whether any Riverside nurseries were still selling citrus. He explained that only nurseries that built and maintained insect-resistant structures were eligible for certification in Riverside, and these are inspected every 30 days by USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) or CDFA personnel. Only Louie's Nursery, Cal West Nursery and Y and M Nursery offer certified clean ("disease free") trees for sale to the public. I called each of these nurseries to confirm that they were actively selling citrus, and indeed they are. A good variety of trees are available at each location. There are only three other nurseries in Riverside County that have regulated structures. That's the good news. But it begs the question: How long will this HLB quarantine last? Unlike the quarantines that come and go when a rare insect pest appears in a single location and is eventually eradicated, the HLB-ACP situation is quite different. The insect vector is well-established in California and the disease undoubtedly persists yet undiscovered in normal-looking trees. With regard to the quarantine, it seems like we are in for the long haul. CDFA's Joshua Bingham offers this analysis of the situation. "At this time, there is no exit strategy to remove an area from ACP or HLB quarantine. California must, at minimum, parallel federal requirements, and USDA does not have a pathway to lift a quarantine area. Due to the nature of HLB, especially considering its latency and difficulty to detect, lifting a quarantine is biologically unfeasible. A tree may become infected today but may not test positive for several months ... or years as the disease progresses through the tree." In other words, until research yields a way for ACP extirpation, for HLB prevention, or for curing disease, this quarantine should be considered more or less permanent. Beyond ongoing research, the best efforts are spent preventing the spread of the disease. As Joshua Bingham concluded in his note to me, "CDFA continues to place significant resources in early detection and removal of trees to protect California citrus." *Portions of this article are based on my prior RG article "*[*A Tale of Two Quarantines.*](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/naturally-riverside-a-tale-of-two-quarantines/)*"* ### 🗞️ Riverside News- August 12, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-july-29-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-14T18:57:12.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/IMG_6588.jpeg) Rosalyn Anderson celebrates the Route 66 Centennial, pictured here with a vintage Chevrolet along the historic highway. ***Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and what you got up to](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **Wednesday Gazette: August 12, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Wednesday!** It's International Youth Day! Kids are the future, and Riverside is lucky to have so many organizations working to lift them up. What organization do you support that helps our city's kids thrive, and why? [We'd love to hear about it](mailto:newsroom@raincrossgazette.com). See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260812)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260812&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [OPINION](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/opinion/) ## Disagreeing Better: Should Homeless Housing Require Treatment? Two Riversiders who see politics differently answered the same question about homelessness and mental health in this monthly exchange with the Braver Angels Riverside Alliance. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/260810-bacol-housing_1024-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/disagreeing-better-should-homeless-housing-require-treatment/) The Braver Angels Riverside Alliance asked two Riversiders the same question: how living without a secure home worsens mental health, and what Riverside's programs would look like if treatment came before permanent housing. One of them buried a son who spent years on the street. The other spent a career teaching children with disabilities. [Read and share the complete conversation...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/disagreeing-better-should-homeless-housing-require-treatment/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260812)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260812&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [NATURALLY RIVERSIDE](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/naturally-riverside/) ## Why It's So Hard to Buy a Citrus Tree in Riverside Citrus greening disease has made Riverside ground zero for a quarantine that experts say may never be lifted. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/_DSC5719-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/why-its-so-hard-to-buy-a-citrus-tree-in-riverside/) A citrus tree heavy with fruit in a residential yard, the kind of backyard bounty still possible in Riverside even as commercial nurseries face tight restrictions under the HLB quarantine. (Titus Pardee) Riverside has played a historic role in citrus production in California, the United States, and in the world. The introduction of the navel orange by the Tibbetts family is a legendary part of Riverside's heritage. The vast wealth created by the navel orange in and around Riverside was responsible for locating the second campus of the University of California, the UC Citrus Experiment Station, in Riverside. The subsequent research leadership by that Station made Riverside the logical location for the very first International Citrus Congress in 1968\. The current incarnation of that Experiment Station at the University of California at Riverside remains a global leader in citrus research. But it's tough to buy a citrus tree in Riverside. You can grow citrus trees (oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, mandarins, kumquats, etc.) in Riverside. You can give fruits from those trees to your neighbors or sell them. You can even find nurseries online that you can buy citrus trees from and plant on your property. But very few of those nurseries are in Riverside; the majority do not offer citrus. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/why-its-so-hard-to-buy-a-citrus-tree-in-riverside/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260812) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260812&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Noteworthy As students head back to class, [RTA's Youth Ride Free program](https://www.riversidetransit.com/index.php/news-a-publications/latest-news/849-youth-ride-free-all-year-long?ref=raincrossgazette.com) lets anyone 18 or younger board fixed-route and GoMicro buses free through June 30, 2027, while college students at Cal Baptist, La Sierra, RCC, UCR and other U-Pass/Go-Pass schools ride free too — a program that carried more than 1.8 million youth and student trips in 2025. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-08-12T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-08-12T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [Finance Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/finance-committee/18642989/2026-08-12T15) at Riverside City Hall - [Riverside Mission Belles](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-mission-belles/18883483/2026-08-12T09) at Victoria Presbyterian Church - [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-12T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19516291/2026-08-12T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) ### Tomorrow - [Mobility and Infrastructure Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mobility-and-infrastructure-committee/19563223/2026-08-13T13) at Riverside City Hall - [Planning Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/planning-commission/19365439/2026-08-13T09) at Riverside City Hall - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19516284/2026-08-13T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) ## Save the Date - Aug 14: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-14T08) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 14: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-14T07) at Zacatecas Café - Aug 15: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-15T07) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 15: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-15T09) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 17: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-17T19) at Community Yoga Center - Aug 19: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-19T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - Sep 3: [Orange Street Mural Unveiling](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-street-mural-unveiling/19578974/2026-09-03T18) at Main Museum Pedestrian Walkway (Orange Street) - Sep 9: [FREE Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - Sep 18: [Open Mic Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/open-mic-night/19553682/2026-09-18T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - Oct 3: [Aquamotion Aquathon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/aquamotion-aquathon/19617601/2026-10-03T09) at Shamel Pool - Oct 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Disagreeing Better: Should Homeless Housing Require Treatment? URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/disagreeing-better-should-homeless-housing-require-treatment/ Last updated: 2026-08-13T12:00:33.000Z The Braver Angels Riverside Alliance asked two Riversiders the same question: how living without a secure home worsens mental health, and what Riverside's programs would look like if treatment came before permanent housing. One of them buried a son who spent years on the street. The other spent a career teaching children with disabilities. ## Mike Gardner: A Carrot and a Stick *Mike Gardner is a former Ward 1 councilmember who writes the Gardner Gauge for the Gazette.* I write this as the parent of a child who became a methamphetamine addict in junior high school. This caused or contributed to a mental health condition where he would not allow himself to succeed, suffered depression and acted compulsively. He lived on the streets off and on for many years. He took his own life at age 35. Simplistically, there are three basic types of homeless people: 1. Those who have fallen on hard times and want to return to a secure life. This population is fairly easy to help because they want services and to get back on their feet. 2. Those who, for whatever reason, choose to live outside the norms of society but are physically and mentally able to work. This population is harder to help, but services should continue to be offered. 3. Those who are unable to make rational decisions, work or take care of themselves. This population is the hardest to help and includes the people who are most visible and generally cause the most problems for the rest of society. I have always believed that dealing with the homeless populations requires both a carrot and a stick. We should provide housing and other needed services to those who will accept it. At the same time, the fact a person is homeless does not entitle them to violate the law, and the rest of the population deserves to be protected from illegal activity. I believe having a safe and secure place to live is important to a person's overall well-being and contributes to their ability to accept and gain from mental health and substance abuse treatment. I support the Housing First concept with the caveat that taxpayer-funded housing only be available to people willing to participate in ongoing treatment of any underlying condition that contributes to their situation, whether it be job training, education, mental health, substance abuse or something else. This is not to say that they cannot have relapses, only that they must actively participate in treatment. It is wrong to ask taxpayers to subsidize housing for people who will not try to address their own problems. Riverside lacks sufficient supportive housing and treatment options for much of the homeless population. We need the ability to move people from overnight shelters into intermediate and long-term housing, but those accepting those services must participate in programs to address their issues. For those who cannot make rational decisions or care for themselves we need laws and the political will to compel them to accept services, inpatient if needed. We currently lack both sufficient mental health and substance abuse treatment beds. [Proposition 1](https://calmatters.org/health/mental-health/2025/06/prop-1-mental-health-awards/?ref=raincrossgazette.com), which passed in 2024, provided substantial funding for this purpose and several new facilities are in various stages of permitting and construction in Riverside and the Inland Empire. [CARE Court](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/two-years-in-riversides-care-court-reaches-260-residents/) was supposed to assist people unable to care for themselves, but it is voluntary and only covers two years of treatment. We need state legislation that will allow compelling a person to accept services for as long as they need them, and the political will to use that law to move some people off the streets and into treatment. We can never eliminate homelessness, but we can absolutely make things better for those who are homeless and we can do much better at reducing the burden of homeless activity on the general population. ## Marty Ross: Recovery Requires Stability *Marty Ross is a retired Riverside Unified special education teacher.* My belief that housing is a human right does not erase the reality that solving homelessness requires a practical, balanced approach. Most people agree that a crisis exists, even if they disagree about its causes and solutions. The real challenge is not finding a perfect answer, but finding a workable one that people across the political divide can support and improve over time. I believe the most effective response is a partnership between government and nonprofit organizations, both faith-based and secular, working together to distribute resources responsibly. Government can provide funding and oversight, while community organizations often have the trust, experience and compassion needed to serve vulnerable people well. Neither can solve this crisis alone. These partnerships must be built on transparency, accountability and ethical decision-making. Special interests, financial pressures and politics can distort good intentions. That is why oversight committees and ongoing review are essential. Programs must remain focused on helping people, not on protecting institutions or interests. Housing First programs should also include embedded social service professionals and strong support systems. Housing is the first step, but it cannot be the only step. People need access to mental health care, addiction treatment, employment support and help rebuilding daily routines and personal responsibility. The goal is not simply to move someone indoors, but to help them move from crisis toward stability and community. At the same time, programs must have clear expectations. Rules of conduct should be established and enforced. People who repeatedly threaten the safety or well-being of others must be removed from participation. Compassion and accountability are not opposites; both are necessary. We also need to be honest about life on the street. It is extremely difficult, and often impossible, to begin recovery while living outside. When a person is focused on finding food, staying warm, avoiding violence, protecting their belongings and surviving the night, there is little room for therapy, treatment or long-term planning. Recovery requires stability. It requires sleep, safety, hygiene, transportation, a phone and the ability to keep appointments. It is very hard to join a program or stay engaged in treatment when every day is consumed by survival. This is why housing must be available without unreasonable barriers as the first step toward recovery and reintegration. A person living on the street is rarely in a position to navigate a complicated system before receiving help. Stability creates the foundation for change. In Riverside, we need to move beyond ideological battles and seek compromise. The ideal solution may require significant investment, but waiting for perfection only prolongs suffering. My view is that [the proposed Quality Inn conversion on University Avenue](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-rejects-20-million-state-grant-for-homeless-housing-project/), while far from perfect, represented an opportunity that could have meaningfully improved the circumstances of many people experiencing homelessness in our community. The loss of significant grant funding and [the possibility of future legal challenges](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/civil-rights-agency-is-investigating-riverside-over-rejected-permanent-supportive-housing-project/) resulting from inadequate solutions are deeply unfortunate. There have also been concerns about the influence of business and financial interests in decisions surrounding such projects. Regardless of the motivations involved, the result highlights the need for greater cooperation, transparency and willingness to compromise in the future. A practical solution that reduces street homelessness and helps people rebuild their lives is better than continued disagreement. Most importantly, we must change how we see people experiencing homelessness. They are not statistics or problems to be removed. They are members of our community who deserve dignity, respect and a real chance to recover. ## Gardner: A Step Further Marty Ross's most important point is that people without homes, regardless of how bad their issues and behavior may be, are still people, and I think most Riversiders would like to help them help themselves. I agree, and have seen firsthand, that people with no resources facing daily uncertainty in food, shelter and safety find it very difficult to focus on much of anything else. This is why I support Housing First programs. Marty says these programs should include embedded services, and I agree. But I would go a step further for taxpayer-funded programs and require active participation in mental health, substance abuse or job training as a condition of receiving publicly funded housing. I believe that had the [Quality Inn conversion project](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/why-four-councilmembers-voted-against-university-terrace/) included these requirements it would likely have been approved and been a positive step forward in Riverside's efforts to house and provide needed services to homeless people. Marty notes that "Compassion and accountability are not opposites; both are necessary." This comports with my position that being homeless does not entitle a person to break the law or impose unduly on the rest of the population. We must have compassion for both, and protection for both. The hardest cases remain those who cannot care for themselves or make rational decisions. We all see them every day. They walk into traffic. They are passed out on the sidewalk in the middle of the day. They cannot rationally process offers of help. We must have legislation that will permit mandatory treatment, including inpatient, for as long as is necessary. And we must have the political will to use these laws. Riverside must do better than it has in addressing homelessness. Together we can make it better for everyone. ## Ross: Contingency Becomes a Barrier Mike, first, I want to acknowledge the profound loss of your son. I am deeply sorry. His struggles with housing were only one part of a much larger tragedy, and no family should endure such suffering. While we share many goals, I differ on several key points. First, dividing people experiencing homelessness into three categories oversimplifies a complex, highly diverse population. Effective solutions must reflect that complexity. Second, although you recognize Housing First, making housing contingent on treatment weakens its effectiveness. Many unhoused individuals distrust systems after repeated trauma and avoid services tied to conditions. Contingency becomes a barrier. [Research has consistently shown](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519605/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Housing First outperforms treatment-first models in achieving long-term housing stability. From a stable position, individuals often seek and accept treatment. Third, accountability for criminal behavior absolutely should apply equally to everyone, regardless of housing status. Suggesting Housing First advocates oppose accountability mischaracterizes my position. Finally, while involuntary treatment has an important role during acute psychiatric crises, lasting recovery from addiction is more often driven by personal motivation, stable housing and ongoing support. We agree on much: Riverside needs more supportive housing and treatment capacity, public safety matters, some individuals require involuntary care, and relapse should never automatically disqualify someone from receiving help. Those shared values provide a strong foundation for effective, compassionate solutions. Thank you for joining me in discussion and working together toward such a solution. ## About the authors Mike Gardner spent more than two decades in environmental planning and has 35 years of experience in utility management, oversight and policy. He represented Ward 1 on the City Council from 2007 to 2019 and has served on the Western Municipal Water District Board of Directors since 2020, leading it as president in 2023 and 2024\. For more than a decade he was the governor's appointee to the California Seismic Safety Commission, serving under three governors. Mike's family is all over the place politically; he leans conservative. Mike has worked since he was 8 and had to earn half the cost of his first bicycle. He feels strongly that people should work for what they want in life. A hand up when warranted is a good thing, but an ongoing handout is not helpful. He is glad to help you help yourself, but expects you to be an active participant. Mike and his wife Joyce have been married 53 years. They have lived in the same house in the Grand Neighborhood for 52 years. Martin "Marty" Ross is a retired special education teacher with the Riverside Unified School District, where he was privileged to learn from — and hopefully give something back to — students with significant cognitive, intellectual and physical disabilities. He holds a bachelor's degree in developmental psychology and, over the years, has worked in a variety of industries and roles, giving him a fairly broad view of people, work and the communities we share. Politically, Marty has identified as both a Republican and a Democrat at different points in his life. These days, his philosophy is more closely aligned with liberal values. But he believes wisdom isn't owned by any political party. He believes progress comes from being willing to listen, question our assumptions, talk honestly about our differences and sometimes find solutions somewhere closer to the middle. Marty is married to Vicky and is happily owned by Harry, a little dog who has made it abundantly clear who actually runs the household. *The Braver Angels Riverside Alliance is the local chapter of* [*Braver Angels*](https://braverangels.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*, a national citizens' movement founded in 2016 that brings conservatives and liberals together through workshops, debates and community events. The Alliance selects each month's question and pairs the writers, who draft their opening arguments separately and exchange them before writing their responses.* ### Land Use Committee Eyes Crackdown on Pallet Yards Following Fire, Code Violations URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/land-use-committee-eyes-crackdown-on-pallet-yards-following-fire-code-violations/ Last updated: 2026-08-12T18:15:27.000Z City officials are considering tighter regulations on outdoor wooden pallet storage yards after a large fire at a pallet yard in March sent three Riverside firefighters to the hospital, renewing safety concerns. The Land Use Committee — made up of councilmembers Clarissa Cervantes, Philip Falcone and Sean Mill — on Monday directed city staff to return with more detailed regulations for pallet storage yards while the city's [moratorium on new or expanded pallet storage yards](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-enacts-45-day-freeze-on-pallet-yards-citing-fire-risk/) remains in effect [through May 1, 2027](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-extends-pallet-storage-moratorium-through-2027-amid-fire-concerns/). City staff presented three potential paths for permanent regulation: leave the zoning code unchanged, create use-specific regulations for pallet storage yards, or prohibit the use citywide. Use-specific regulations could address where the yards are allowed, what permits they require, who approves them and standards for stacking, screening, lighting, landscaping, security, fire suppression and emergency access. The committee ultimately asked staff to develop more detailed options and return for further discussion. The committee's regulation suggestions include restrictions on where storage yards can operate, conditional use permits, stronger requirements for fire safety and screening and separation from nearby properties. The city currently treats pallet storage yards as general outdoor storage under its zoning code rather than as a separate land use. Depending on the zoning district and whether the storage is a primary or ancillary use, a yard may require a minor conditional use permit. However, city staff told the committee that those general rules do not specifically address the hazards associated with large quantities of wooden pallets. Since January 2025, there have been 29 incidents involving pallet storage yards that required emergency response, according to the Riverside Fire Department. A March 2026 fire that originated at a pallet storage yard in the Northside neighborhood damaged and destroyed multiple businesses and sent three Riverside firefighters to the hospital, according to the city report. Code enforcement officials have also issued 36 notices of violation to 11 pallet storage businesses since 2023\. Nine of those businesses had ongoing code enforcement cases when the report was prepared. Violations and complaints have included inadequate screening, circulation, fencing, lighting, property maintenance and pest control, as well as unpermitted outdoor pallet assembly and disassembly. Mill, who serves as the committee chair, said he would like to ban pallet storage yards near residential neighborhoods, schools, parks and other sensitive areas and limit them to designated heavy and general industrial zones. He also supported requiring conditional use permits, substantial setbacks from structures and property lines, fire department standards for stack height and spacing, masonry walls and landscaping to screen pallets from view, paved or otherwise approved surfaces, stormwater compliance and controls on truck routes and operating hours. Cervantes agreed with many of those proposals and said the city should examine whether additional restrictions are needed in areas with higher fire risk, including areas near open space and higher fire hazard severity zones. Cervantes also raised concerns about businesses such as grocery stores that store pallets outdoors but are not dedicated pallet storage businesses. City staff said those uses could be examined as part of a broader review of combustible outdoor storage. Falcone said he favored banning pallet storage yards but questioned whether the city has enough enforcement power to make a more complicated regulatory system effective, saying existing fines and enforcement procedures have not always resulted in compliance and questioned what additional tools the city could use when businesses repeatedly violate regulations. "Our enforcement processes are so weak and so lackluster that a hundred dollar fine means nothing to these property owners who just will not comply," he said. "If I felt confident in our enforcement abilities, I would say yes to that. But the problem is I don't know how." Mill agreed, directing staff to work on enforcement that would get pallet yards to comply with regulations. "I do think we do need to work on the enforcement piece…It's very frustrating at times, but I think that's a bigger discussion that needs to be had on other issues," he said, adding that the city could exercise more control by making pallet yards get a conditional use permit that can be revoked. "And if that gets revoked, then they're out of business. Right now we currently don't have that," he said. The committee also heard from Mike McCarthy, conservation co-chair for the Sierra Club Box Springs Group, who urged the city to consider regulations covering combustible outdoor storage more broadly. McCarthy pointed to a 2022 fire on Opportunity Way involving about 10 acres of cardboard that injured a firefighter and said similar regulations should address materials including wood chips, wood scrap and cardboard, not just wooden pallets. He also called for stricter requirements in very high fire hazard severity zones. The city's current moratorium was adopted in May and extended in June as staff studied permanent regulations. The first ordinance established a 45-day moratorium on establishing or expanding wooden pallet storage yards, and second ordinance extended it for an additional 10 months and 15 days, through May 1, 2027. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- August 11, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-august-11-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-14T18:57:14.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/IMG_0133.jpeg) Mike and Dora d'Arcy take in a European vacation with a view of Funchal, Madeira, Portugal. ***Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and what you got up to](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **Tuesday Gazette: August 11, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Tuesday!** We're putting together a comprehensive Civic Engagement Guide to help make sense of how local government actually works, and we want your help shaping it. Is there a part of how the city operates that never quite made sense, no matter how many meetings you've sat through? A process you've wondered about but never found a clear answer to? A question you've been holding onto, waiting for the right moment to ask? Send it our way at [newsroom@raincrossgazette.com](mailto:newsroom@raincrossgazette.com). We'll use what you share to shape the guide around the questions Riverside actually has. Here's what else is happening around town... --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260811)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260811&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CITY HALL](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/city-hall/) ## Land Use Committee Eyes Crackdown on Pallet Yards Following Fire, Code Violations Staff outlined three options, from no changes to a citywide ban, as officials weigh fire safety and enforcement concerns. [![a pile of wooden pallets stacked on top of each other](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1631630935045-bcf9f5872335?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDN8fHdvb2QlMjBwYWxsZXR8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzg2Mzk4OTc5fDA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/land-use-committee-eyes-crackdown-on-pallet-yards-following-fire-code-violations/) ([Dylan Hunter](https://unsplash.com/@dylhunter?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) Riverside could ban or tightly regulate pallet storage yards after a fire sent three firefighters to the hospital. **Why it matters:** If you own or operate a pallet yard, new rules could require conditional permits, fire suppression standards and screening — or ban the use in your area entirely. **Driving the news:** The Land Use Committee directed city staff Monday to draft detailed regulations for pallet storage yards, citing repeated fire and code violations. - A March fire at a Northside pallet yard damaged multiple businesses and sent three firefighters to the hospital. **By the numbers:** Pallet yards have triggered 29 emergency responses since January 2025, according to the Riverside Fire Department. - Code enforcement has issued 36 violation notices to 11 pallet businesses since 2023, with nine cases still open. **What they're saying:** Councilmember Philip Falcone questioned whether the city can actually enforce tougher rules. - "Enforcement processes are so weak and so lackluster," Falcone said. **What's next:** Staff will return with more detailed options. The moratorium on new pallet yards continues through May 1, 2027. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/land-use-committee-eyes-crackdown-on-pallet-yards-following-fire-code-violations/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260811) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600811&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## NORA to Celebrate Jane Block's 97th Birthday and Decades of Advocacy The nonprofit will honor Jane Block, a founding member of the Riverside Area Rape Crisis Center, with an event Aug. 12\. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/Jane-Block-Day-2026-1.png)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/nora-to-celebrate-jane-blocks-97th-birthday-and-decades-of-advocacy/) NORA will celebrate the 97th birthday of founding member Jane Block with a community event 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 12, marking more than five decades since she helped establish the organization, then known as the [Riverside Area Rape Crisis Center](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/meet-nora-a-new-name-for-riversides-51-year-old-rape-crisis-center/), on the belief that survivors deserved to be heard, believed, supported and treated with dignity. That vision is still at the heart of NORA today, the organization said. What began as a response to a need in the community has grown into an organization that provides free advocacy, counseling, crisis intervention, prevention education and supportive services to survivors and families throughout Western Riverside County, according to NORA. Block's advocacy extended beyond the crisis center. She helped organize efforts around the Riverside County Commission on the Status of Women and pushed for shelters and resources for women experiencing abuse throughout the county. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/nora-to-celebrate-jane-blocks-97th-birthday-and-decades-of-advocacy/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260811)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260811&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [SPONSORED STORY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/sponsored/) ## Tour de Arcade: Three Cafes, One Coffee Quest This summer, a rewards quest walks Arcade Coffee regulars from the Chicago Avenue roastery to a Canyon Crest patio to a Main Street brunch counter — with a food stop at each, and a different Riverside at every turn. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-8.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tour-de-arcade-three-cafes-one-coffee-quest/) The tote earned by completing Tour de Arcade, Arcade Coffee Roasters' summer challenge to visit all three of its Riverside cafes. Courtesy of Arcade Coffee Roasters) For a long time, the move for a good cup of coffee in Riverside was to leave town. Stevie Hasemeyer, co-founder and owner of Arcade Coffee Roasters, remembers making the drive himself. As a student, he'd point the car toward Los Angeles or Orange County, because that's where the good coffee and the good food were. It bugged him. "I was tired of LA and Orange County having all the good coffee and food and felt like we deserved to have good things too," he said. What began about 13 years ago as a [tiny roastery](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/where-to-find-the-best-coffee-in-riverside-arcade-coffee-roasters-has-spent-13-years-earning-that-answer/) — a pop-up Hasemeyer ran out of a roasting warehouse with co-founder Shane Levario — grew out of a plain desire to serve the community he was tired of driving away from. Hasemeyer said he knew it might actually become something the day strangers started showing up. "The test," he said, "was whether I could get people other than my friends and family to believe in what we were doing." Today, Arcade is three cafes, and this summer it's making the opposite case: that there's more than enough reason to stay. The pitch is called Tour de Arcade, and it's built to walk regulars through all three rooms. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tour-de-arcade-three-cafes-one-coffee-quest/) --- ## Noteworthy A reminder that antifreeze, batteries, motor and cooking oil, and paint should never go in curbside trash or recycling bins, but instead be dropped off at [authorized household hazardous waste collection sites](https://rcwaste.org/household-hazardous-waste?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to prevent safety hazards. For Breastfeeding Awareness Month, UCR Health's Dr. Brenda Ross-Shelton is [debunking common breastfeeding myths](https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/08/07/breastfeeding-awareness-separating-facts-myths?ref=raincrossgazette.com), from colostrum misconceptions to concerns about medication and diet compatibility. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [Cleveland Wedge Clinic and Fitting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/cleveland-wedge-clinic-and-fitting/19472197/2026-08-11T14) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($250) - [Mayor's Nominating and Screening Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mayors-nominating-and-screening-committee/19563222/2026-08-11T11) at Riverside City Hall - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-08-11T19) at The Hideaway ### Tomorrow - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-08-12T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-08-12T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [Finance Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/finance-committee/18642989/2026-08-12T15) at Riverside City Hall - [Riverside Mission Belles](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-mission-belles/18883483/2026-08-12T09) at Victoria Presbyterian Church - [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-12T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19516291/2026-08-12T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) ### Save the Date - August 14: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-14T08) at Community Yoga Center - August 14: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-14T07) at Zacatecas Café - August 15: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-15T07) at Community Yoga Center - August 15: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-15T09) at Community Yoga Center - August 17: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-17T19) at Community Yoga Center - August 19: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-19T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - September 9: [Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - September 18: [Open Mic Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/open-mic-night/19553682/2026-09-18T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Tour de Arcade: Three Cafes, One Coffee Quest URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tour-de-arcade-three-cafes-one-coffee-quest/ Last updated: 2026-08-12T13:15:19.000Z For a long time, the move for a good cup of coffee in Riverside was to leave town. Stevie Hasemeyer, co-founder and owner of Arcade Coffee Roasters, remembers making the drive himself. As a student, he'd point the car toward Los Angeles or Orange County, because that's where the good coffee and the good food were. It bugged him. "I was tired of LA and Orange County having all the good coffee and food and felt like we deserved to have good things too," he said. What began about 13 years ago as a [tiny roastery](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/where-to-find-the-best-coffee-in-riverside-arcade-coffee-roasters-has-spent-13-years-earning-that-answer/) — a pop-up Hasemeyer ran out of a roasting warehouse with co-founder Shane Levario — grew out of a plain desire to serve the community he was tired of driving away from. Hasemeyer said he knew it might actually become something the day strangers started showing up. "The test," he said, "was whether I could get people other than my friends and family to believe in what we were doing." Today, Arcade is three cafes, and this summer it's making the opposite case: that there's more than enough reason to stay. The pitch is called Tour de Arcade, and it's built to walk regulars through all three rooms. The mechanics are simple. Join Arcade Rewards, opt into the Tour de Arcade quest in the app, and it maps you to all three cafes in whatever order you like. The only ask is that you try a food item at each stop. "Every cafe has a menu curated to its strength, so this is really an invitation to taste what each one does best," said Shane Correia, Arcade's marketing director. Finish the tour and you earn a tote — but the real point, Correia said, is discovery: "If you love us for one thing, there are two more places waiting for you." The timing is deliberate. Summer is when people scatter — vacations, road trips, hauling kids from one thing to the next — and Arcade wanted to give them a reason to point that energy inward instead. "Riverside isn't a flyover town anymore," Correia said. "There's so much to do here, places to try, food to eat, drinks to discover." Tour de Arcade, in other words, is as much a case for the city as it is for the company. It only works because the three rooms are different — same coffee program at each, but no two cafes built for the same reason. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/Tour_Social-Media-18--1-.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/Tour_Social-Media-21--1-.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/Tour_Social-Media-19--1-.jpg) ### **The Tasting Room: where it all started** Pull up to the Tasting Room on Chicago Avenue and the sign out front still reads "Video Town." That's on purpose. The building was a video store in a previous life, and Arcade kept the old signage rather than scrap it. "We want to recognize how the store originated and how it allowed us to grow into what we are today," said Jasmine Hirdler, Arcade's marketing coordinator. This is the origin room in more ways than one. The roaster and the production space live here, which means the whole company's coffee — every cup at every location, plus the wholesale accounts — comes off the machine on Chicago Avenue. Co-founder Shane Levario said the team roasts Sunday through Wednesday and never sits on inventory: "Always roasted weekly, so you get the freshest of the fresh." You feel the production in the room. Hirdler said the Tasting Room draws the true coffee people — the ones who want to know where the beans came from and how they were handled — along with the work-from-home crowd, students grinding through homework and commuters grabbing a pick-me-up on the way to the office. It's the most hands-on of the three, too: the Tasting Room occasionally runs pour-overs, and every Tuesday it hosts a public coffee cupping, the same tasting ritual the team uses for quality control. It's a natural place to begin the tour, where the coffee does — and the bite to check off here is the chicken Caesar wrap. ### **The Bakehouse: the family table** The team has a nickname for the Bakehouse, the Canyon Crest location that opened in 2021\. They call it "Bakehome." The name fits. Tucked into the Canyon Crest Towne Centre with a big patio, the Bakehouse is the one built for lingering — families, kids, a slower Saturday. "It matches the attraction of the entire Town Center," Hirdler said. "Just a place for fellowship and creating shared moments." Here too, Arcade held onto the past: the "Jammin Bread" sign from the spot's earlier life stayed up as long as the team could keep it, a nod to regulars who knew the corner before Arcade arrived. It's the same instinct that led the company to[ take over the longtime Backstreet restaurant in 2023](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/beloved-backstreet-restaurant-gets-the-arcade-treatment/) rather than replace it. The Bakehouse is also[ the company's actual bakery](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-coffeehouse-and-bakery-voted-la-times-best-in-inland-empire/): every pastry and loaf served across all three cafes is baked here. The pastry case runs deeper than at the other rooms, and on weekends you can take home fresh sourdough— which makes the tour's food stop the easy part here. The menu is short but ambitious, and the picks are a breakfast burrito the staff swear by and a steak sandwich on house-made focaccia. ### **Arcade Downtown: the brunch table** The newest of the three, Arcade Downtown opened in 2022 on Main Street and leans hardest into food: a coffee bar, an open kitchen, a sit-down brunch menu and, on weekends, cocktails. Hasemeyer calls it Arcade's newest brunch concept. Its regulars match the address: in the heart of downtown, the cafe fills with councilmembers and people working in the offices nearby. "You will always see a business meeting occurring over an amazing plate and cup of coffee," Hirdler said. Save this stop for last and the weekend cocktail menu makes a natural close; the plate to close the tour on is the steak and eggs — a top seller, and, Correia said, a very intentional play at that classic diner feel. ### **One roaster, three reasons** Walk all three and the logic clicks into place. "Each cafe serves a different purpose," Hasemeyer said. The Tasting Room roasts. The Bakehouse bakes. Downtown brings food and coffee together. That bite-at-every-stop rule is no accident: the tour routes you straight through the three plates Levario is most protective of. Pull any one of them, he said, and "we would have a riot on our hands. I would be scared for my life." The coffee is personal, too — he calls the house-made vanilla and lavender lattes the "core" of the program — the devotion extends to things you can't order anymore: a seasonal confetti latte that surfaces only in January (Levario's wife, he admits, is annoyed it isn't year-round) and a couple of retired Bakehouse items, the "arcmuffin" and the original steak sandwich. His standing offer: "If you bug us enough, we may just bring it back." For all the growth, the founders are careful not to take full credit for the neighborhoods they landed in. Asked how his corners of Riverside had changed since Arcade arrived, Levario pointed both directions. The areas have grown and shifted, he said — but "we have also been changed by the neighbors we have in each area." That give-and-take shows up in the smallest stories. Hasemeyer's favorite happened at the warehouse: he and Levario introduced two strangers at the bar. A few days later, the pair came back — this time getting out of the same car. "It was our purpose fully expressed," he said. Two people who met at Arcade, driving off as friends. That's what Tour de Arcade is really selling this summer. Not a tote, and not three punches in an app — a reason to stay, and maybe to run into somebody while you do. **More information:* Tour de Arcade runs through Arcade Rewards. Join, then opt into the quest in the Arcade Coffee app and visit all three cafes, trying a food item at each. The Tasting Room is at 3672 Chicago Ave., Suite A, open daily 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Bakehouse is at 5225 Canyon Crest Drive, Unit 17A, open daily 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., with fresh bread loaves on weekends. Arcade Downtown is at 3870 Main St., Suite 101, open daily 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a cocktail menu on weekends. Learn more at* [*arcadecoffeeroasters.com*](https://www.arcadecoffeeroasters.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *or on Instagram.* ### NORA to Celebrate Jane Block's 97th Birthday and Decades of Advocacy URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/nora-to-celebrate-jane-blocks-97th-birthday-and-decades-of-advocacy/ Last updated: 2026-08-12T12:00:19.000Z NORA will celebrate the 97th birthday of founding member Jane Block with a community event 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 12, marking more than five decades since she helped establish the organization, then known as the [Riverside Area Rape Crisis Center](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/meet-nora-a-new-name-for-riversides-51-year-old-rape-crisis-center/), on the belief that survivors deserved to be heard, believed, supported and treated with dignity. That vision is still at the heart of NORA today, the organization said. What began as a response to a need in the community has grown into an organization that provides free advocacy, counseling, crisis intervention, prevention education and supportive services to survivors and families throughout Western Riverside County, according to NORA. Block's advocacy extended beyond the crisis center. She helped organize efforts around the Riverside County Commission on the Status of Women and pushed for shelters and resources for women experiencing abuse throughout the county. "Jane's impact reaches far beyond one organization," NORA said. "Her advocacy helped change the way our community responds to survivors and helped create resources that generations of people have been able to turn to." Block has said lasting change takes community, crediting her successes to the people she brought together, according to NORA. For those unable to attend, NORA is accepting tribute gifts in Block's honor. The gifts help sustain free, confidential, trauma-informed services for survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse throughout Western and Southwest Riverside County, including 24-hour crisis intervention, advocacy and accompaniment, counseling, case management, prevention education and connections to medical, legal and housing resources. NORA said the support is needed as rape crisis centers and domestic violence programs across California face funding reductions and continued uncertainty in government and grant funding. Private contributions, the organization said, help bridge those gaps and allow NORA to retain trained advocates and counselors. **More information:* Jane Block Day is 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 12 at NORA. Email* [*info@callnora.org*](mailto:info@callnora.org) *or call (951) 686-7273 to RSVP; NORA's 24-hour confidential hotline is also available at that number for anyone in need of support. Tribute gifts can be made at* [*givebutter.com/RiversideHopeBuilders*](http://givebutter.com/RiversideHopeBuilders?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### 🗞️ Riverside News- August 10, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-august-10-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-10T12:00:25.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/Dublin_Trinity_Library.jpg) Lea Aragon calls the Book of Kells experience at Trinity College Dublin's Long Room "amazing." ***Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and what you got up to](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **Monday Gazette: August 10, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday!** It's Update Your Bio Day! Today's a nudge to revisit how you introduce yourself online, whether that's a social media bio or a work profile that hasn't caught up with everything you've accomplished lately. A few minutes of updating can make your online snapshot feel a little more like you. Here's what else is happening around town. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260810)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260810&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## This Week in City Hall: August 10, 2026 Council weighs Fairmount Park Armory contract, crosswalk signal funding and a 3.7-acre land sale, while committees take up pallet storage safety rules, library donations and a Linden Street lane reduction pilot. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/5.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-august-10-2026/) Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### City Council City Council will meet in closed and open sessions on Tuesday, August 11, in afternoon sessions at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1428596&GUID=D1CD5E9E-C7B6-450A-8E3A-28CE43364E67&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). The agenda includes: - Considering a [resolution](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=faad80bc-5690-48b1-a759-761282bd154f.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) affirming City support for Proposition 1, a $11.25 billion statewide affordable housing and veterans' housing bond on the November 2026 ballot, with no cost to the City ([item 15](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5423-city-council-successor-agency-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a6bf6e97d79658ebc01bcfe-15-mayor-lock-dawson-requests-city-council-affirm?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Approving a $3 million design-build [contract](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=ec330332-1cf4-4128-a700-020b4465660f.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to renovate the Fairmount Park Armory building, which will be leased to a private operator for a beer garden and community event space ([item 16](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5423-city-council-successor-agency-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a6bf6e97d79658ebc01bd00-16-approve-design-build-agreement-from-request-fo?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Approving a $289,700 [contract](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=55aa87bf-4638-40c0-8147-e9d0328265f6.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to install a pedestrian-activated crosswalk signal at Third Street and Anderson Avenue, funded largely through reimbursement from the Riverside Transit Agency ([item 21](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5423-city-council-successor-agency-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a6bf6e97d79658ebc01bd06-21-approve-request-for-bid-8259-agreement-with-es?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Establishing a [pilot program](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=a7daa0aa-9fbc-4e4d-83ef-db503234c2f9.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) allowing art crosswalks and pavement murals as a traffic-safety option, citing a study reporting reduced injury crashes at similar sites elsewhere, though no dedicated funding is being created ([item 25](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5423-city-council-successor-agency-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a6bf6e97d79658ebc01bd0a-25-establish-new-art-crosswalk-and-pavement-mural?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering the [sale](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=3913ffbd-2a9e-44e7-b11a-9a14d3c298da.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) of a 3.7-acre City-owned property for $650,000 to a developer proposing four affordable homes and a self-storage facility, at a price below the property's appraised value ([item 27](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5423-city-council-successor-agency-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a6bf6e97d79658ebc01bd0d-27-adopt-a-resolution-of-the-city-council-of-the?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Land Use Committee The Land Use Committee (Councilmembers Mill, Falcone, and Cervantes) meets on Monday, August 10, at 9 a.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1429033&GUID=95EEDE2D-2776-4F13-BDC0-89372D8A1899&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review options — ranging from new safety regulations to an outright ban — for [wooden pallet storage yards](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15731851&GUID=0C87039D-A0F7-4E35-9E45-4BA6288CB6AD&ref=raincrossgazette.com)following 29 emergency responses and a fire that hospitalized three firefighters ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5418-land-use-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a6a88057d7965f825008ba9-3-outdoor-wooden-pallet-storage-yard-regulation-o?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Board of Library Trustees The Board of Library Trustees meets on Monday, August 10, at 5 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1432479&GUID=75A94586-9803-45F4-8312-F6BCF9A0378D&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to accept [donations](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=9d57cab3-5e78-42e3-9f00-b9add9749c6d.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) of accessible technology equipment including a privacy booth, family workstations, light tables, and sewing machines from the California State Library ([item 7](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5432-board-of-library-trustees-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a726efc44253816a9001ac6-7-accept-donations-of-one-accessible-privacy-boot?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), accepting a [donation](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=f01b4b0a-f63f-4409-9fab-b5a01feab276.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) of mobile facility equipment, furniture, and instructional supplies from Demco for literacy programming spaces ([item 8](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5432-board-of-library-trustees-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a726efc44253816a9001ac7-8-accept-donation-for-the-literacy-spaces-project?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and reviewing an [update](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=f01b4b0a-f63f-4409-9fab-b5a01feab276.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on the statewide Every Story Counts Library survey ([item 9](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5432-board-of-library-trustees-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a726efc44253816a9001ac8-9-receive-and-file-an-update-on-the-every-story-c?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Board of Public Utilities The Board of Public Utilities meets on Monday, August 10, at 6:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1429066&GUID=2BA1E87C-EF80-4C21-8289-C7D32023A0BA&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to [extend](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=ee4e1b84-62b5-490c-aa4b-88e0ebbcd1b3.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) the Service Lateral Replacement Program for three years with $350,000 in annual funding ([item 5](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5420-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a6a8e484425383bfe01397e-5-approve-three-year-extension-of-service-lateral?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), recommend City Council approval of a cost reimbursement [agreement](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=75ffbeda-91a2-48c2-8155-add6bb53eaff.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) with a property owner for holding tank expenses pending sewer connection ([item 6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5420-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a6a8e484425383bfe01397f-6-recommend-that-city-council-approve-holding-tan?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and award [contracts](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=88839add-0cdb-4837-b750-b1c347bce46f.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for transformer procurement and substation expansion projects totaling more than $20 million ([item 7](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5420-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a6a8e484425383bfe013980-7-award-bid-sub-872-transformers-procurement-to-d?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Mayor’s Nominating and Screening Committee The Mayor’s Nominating and Screening Committee meets on Tuesday, August 11, at 11 a.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1429035&GUID=F0EAA65D-71BF-446D-9A07-25F4F0D7A91A&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider [committee assignments](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15734634&GUID=866302E0-0F63-4DB8-8A76-82D201B7C5B5&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for City Council members that would remain in place only temporarily until being revisited following a November 2026 runoff election ([item 2)](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5421-mayors-nominating-and-screening-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a6bd31ff2b6709fd900fc68-2-consideration-of-city-council-standing-committe?ref=raincrossgazette.com). ### Finance Committee The Finance Committee (Councilmembers Hemenway, Robillard, and Falcone) meets on Wednesday, August 12, at 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1429037&GUID=7370FBB3-65FE-4B96-8DE6-08B0C37FC271&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to recommend the City Council approve an [updated Investment policy](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=be1d12bb-d971-48a2-9304-2a73a9a4d806.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) governing how City funds are invested ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5427-finance-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a6d22947d79652f0b00e452-2-recommend-city-council-approve-updated-investme?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and to recommend City Council receive a [report](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=794f8bc4-78f9-47dd-a7c8-859e3625539d.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on Financial Health Indicators used to assess the City's overall fiscal condition ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5427-finance-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a6d22947d79652f0b00e453-3-recommend-city-council-receive-financial-health?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Planning Commission The Planning Commission meets on Thursday, August 13, at 9 a.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1417109&GUID=2CECEAC9-0BF2-4ED0-9F52-10BEEC873079&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider an [amendment](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=5b5cdbeb-d09b-49d6-8102-d5f98fc4cf01.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to the General Plan's Public Safety Element to update its reference to the City's Local Hazard Mitigation Plan in compliance with a state law requirement ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5428-planning-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a6d21e5f2b670e0aa00946a-2-planning-case-pc-2026-00796-gpa-proposal-by?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Mobility and Infrastructure Committee The Mobility and Infrastructure Committee meets on Thursday, August 13, at 1:00 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1429039&GUID=690AF1D9-39F8-4711-8A6C-F7BEF00415F3&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review a [pilot project](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=dac59f4c-de3e-45bc-82be-e424931a3c0a.doc&From=Granicus&Format=doc&ref=raincrossgazette.com)that would temporarily reduce Linden Street between Chicago and Iowa Avenues from four lanes to two lanes and add buffered bike lanes ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5425-mobility-and-infrastructure-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a6cf9cd442538395400d397-2-linden-street-restriping-pilot-project?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-august-10-2026/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260810) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600810&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [EDUCATION](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/education/) ## Riverside Unified Superintendent Selected for Yale Leadership Fellowship Dr. Sonia Llamas is one of 26 education leaders nationwide chosen for the Broad Center's fellowship at Yale School of Management. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RUSD_YALE2-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-unified-superintendent-selected-for-yale-leadership-fellowship/) Riverside Unified Superintendent Dr. Sonia Llamas will join senior public education leaders from across the country in the 2026-27 Fellowship for Public Education Leadership, where participants will collaborate on innovative strategies to strengthen public schools and improve outcomes for students. (RUSD) RUSD Superintendent Sonia Llamas joins a national leadership fellowship, one of just 26 educators selected this year. **Why it matters:** Llamas will spend a week this fall at Yale, bringing leadership strategies back to Riverside Unified's 51 schools and 38,000 students as the district rolls out its new five-year Strategic Plan. **What's new:** Llamas was chosen for the 2026-27 Fellowship for Public Education Leadership, hosted by The Broad Center at Yale School of Management. - Fellows take part in week-long leadership residencies at Yale this fall, working alongside faculty and peer superintendents nationwide. **By the numbers:** Llamas became RUSD's 13th superintendent in July 2025 after more than 30 years in public education. - She's a first-generation college graduate, bilingual educator and licensed clinical social worker. **What they're saying:** Llamas said the fellowship lets her exchange ideas and apply them to Riverside Unified's Strategic Plan. - "Leadership begins with learning," Llamas said. **What's next:** The 2026-27 cohort begins week-long residencies at Yale this fall as RUSD rolls out its new five-year Strategic Plan. - The plan, approved by the Board of Education in June 2026, targets student outcomes, college pathways, well-being and district systems. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-unified-superintendent-selected-for-yale-leadership-fellowship/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260810)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260810&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [Interfaith Prayer Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/interfaith-prayer-meeting/19553357/2026-08-10T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Board of Public Utilities](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/board-of-public-utilities/19400682/2026-08-10T18) at Riverside City Hall - [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-10T19) at Community Yoga Center - [Land Use Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/land-use-committee/19524074/2026-08-10T09) at Riverside City Hall - [Zen Educate Riverside Hiring event: Teach Substitute and Thrive](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/zen-educate-riverside-hiring-event-teach-substitute-and-thrive/19382258/2026-08-10T08) at Riverside Convention Center ### Tomorrow - [Cleveland Wedge Clinic and Fitting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/cleveland-wedge-clinic-and-fitting/19472197/2026-08-11T14) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($250) - [Mayor's Nominating and Screening Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mayors-nominating-and-screening-committee/19563222/2026-08-11T11) at Riverside City Hall - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-08-11T19) at The Hideaway ### Save the Date - August 12: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-12T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - August 14: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-14T08) at Community Yoga Center - August 14: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-14T07) at Zacatecas Café - August 15: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-15T07) at Community Yoga Center - August 15: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-15T09) at Community Yoga Center - August 17: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-17T19) at Community Yoga Center - September 9: [Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - September 18: [Open Mic Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/open-mic-night/19553682/2026-09-18T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### This Week in City Hall: August 10, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-august-10-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-12T00:00:53.000Z Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### City Council City Council will meet in closed and open sessions on Tuesday, August 11, in afternoon sessions at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1428596&GUID=D1CD5E9E-C7B6-450A-8E3A-28CE43364E67&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). The agenda includes: - Considering a [resolution](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=faad80bc-5690-48b1-a759-761282bd154f.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) affirming City support for Proposition 1, a $11.25 billion statewide affordable housing and veterans' housing bond on the November 2026 ballot, with no cost to the City ([item 15](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5423-city-council-successor-agency-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a6bf6e97d79658ebc01bcfe-15-mayor-lock-dawson-requests-city-council-affirm?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Approving a $3 million design-build [contract](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=ec330332-1cf4-4128-a700-020b4465660f.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to renovate the Fairmount Park Armory building, which will be leased to a private operator for a beer garden and community event space ([item 16](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5423-city-council-successor-agency-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a6bf6e97d79658ebc01bd00-16-approve-design-build-agreement-from-request-fo?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Approving a $289,700 [contract](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=55aa87bf-4638-40c0-8147-e9d0328265f6.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to install a pedestrian-activated crosswalk signal at Third Street and Anderson Avenue, funded largely through reimbursement from the Riverside Transit Agency ([item 21](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5423-city-council-successor-agency-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a6bf6e97d79658ebc01bd06-21-approve-request-for-bid-8259-agreement-with-es?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Establishing a [pilot program](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=a7daa0aa-9fbc-4e4d-83ef-db503234c2f9.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) allowing art crosswalks and pavement murals as a traffic-safety option, citing a study reporting reduced injury crashes at similar sites elsewhere, though no dedicated funding is being created ([item 25](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5423-city-council-successor-agency-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a6bf6e97d79658ebc01bd0a-25-establish-new-art-crosswalk-and-pavement-mural?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering the [sale](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=3913ffbd-2a9e-44e7-b11a-9a14d3c298da.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) of a 3.7-acre City-owned property for $650,000 to a developer proposing four affordable homes and a self-storage facility, at a price below the property's appraised value ([item 27](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5423-city-council-successor-agency-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a6bf6e97d79658ebc01bd0d-27-adopt-a-resolution-of-the-city-council-of-the?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Land Use Committee The Land Use Committee (Councilmembers Mill, Falcone, and Cervantes) meets on Monday, August 10, at 9:00 a.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1429033&GUID=95EEDE2D-2776-4F13-BDC0-89372D8A1899&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review options — ranging from new safety regulations to an outright ban — for [wooden pallet storage yards](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15731851&GUID=0C87039D-A0F7-4E35-9E45-4BA6288CB6AD&ref=raincrossgazette.com) following 29 emergency responses and a fire that hospitalized three firefighters ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5418-land-use-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a6a88057d7965f825008ba9-3-outdoor-wooden-pallet-storage-yard-regulation-o?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Board of Library Trustees The Board of Library Trustees meets on Monday, August 10, at 5:00 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1432479&GUID=75A94586-9803-45F4-8312-F6BCF9A0378D&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to accept [donations](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=9d57cab3-5e78-42e3-9f00-b9add9749c6d.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) of accessible technology equipment including a privacy booth, family workstations, light tables, and sewing machines from the California State Library ([item 7](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5432-board-of-library-trustees-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a726efc44253816a9001ac6-7-accept-donations-of-one-accessible-privacy-boot?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), accepting a [donation](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=f01b4b0a-f63f-4409-9fab-b5a01feab276.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) of mobile facility equipment, furniture, and instructional supplies from Demco for literacy programming spaces ([item 8](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5432-board-of-library-trustees-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a726efc44253816a9001ac7-8-accept-donation-for-the-literacy-spaces-project?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and reviewing an [update](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=f01b4b0a-f63f-4409-9fab-b5a01feab276.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on the statewide Every Story Counts Library survey ([item 9](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5432-board-of-library-trustees-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a726efc44253816a9001ac8-9-receive-and-file-an-update-on-the-every-story-c?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Board of Public Utilities The Board of Public Utilities meets on Monday, August 10, at 6:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1429066&GUID=2BA1E87C-EF80-4C21-8289-C7D32023A0BA&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to [extend](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=ee4e1b84-62b5-490c-aa4b-88e0ebbcd1b3.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) the Service Lateral Replacement Program for three years with $350,000 in annual funding ([item 5](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5420-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a6a8e484425383bfe01397e-5-approve-three-year-extension-of-service-lateral?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), recommend City Council approval of a cost reimbursement [agreement](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=75ffbeda-91a2-48c2-8155-add6bb53eaff.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) with a property owner for holding tank expenses pending sewer connection ([item 6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5420-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a6a8e484425383bfe01397f-6-recommend-that-city-council-approve-holding-tan?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and award [contracts](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=88839add-0cdb-4837-b750-b1c347bce46f.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for transformer procurement and substation expansion projects totaling more than $20 million ([item 7](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5420-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a6a8e484425383bfe013980-7-award-bid-sub-872-transformers-procurement-to-d?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Mayor’s Nominating and Screening Committee The Mayor’s Nominating and Screening Committee meets on Tuesday, August 11, at 11:00 a.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1429035&GUID=F0EAA65D-71BF-446D-9A07-25F4F0D7A91A&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider [committee assignments](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15734634&GUID=866302E0-0F63-4DB8-8A76-82D201B7C5B5&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for City Council members that would remain in place only temporarily until being revisited following a November 2026 runoff election ([item 2)](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5421-mayors-nominating-and-screening-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a6bd31ff2b6709fd900fc68-2-consideration-of-city-council-standing-committe?ref=raincrossgazette.com). ### Finance Committee The Finance Committee (Councilmembers Hemenway, Robillard, and Falcone) meets on Wednesday, August 12, at 3:00 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1429037&GUID=7370FBB3-65FE-4B96-8DE6-08B0C37FC271&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to recommend the City Council approve an [updated Investment policy](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=be1d12bb-d971-48a2-9304-2a73a9a4d806.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) governing how City funds are invested ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5427-finance-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a6d22947d79652f0b00e452-2-recommend-city-council-approve-updated-investme?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and to recommend City Council receive a [report](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=794f8bc4-78f9-47dd-a7c8-859e3625539d.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on Financial Health Indicators used to assess the City's overall fiscal condition ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5427-finance-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a6d22947d79652f0b00e453-3-recommend-city-council-receive-financial-health?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Planning Commission The Planning Commission meets on Thursday, August 13, at 9:00 a.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1417109&GUID=2CECEAC9-0BF2-4ED0-9F52-10BEEC873079&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider an [amendment](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=5b5cdbeb-d09b-49d6-8102-d5f98fc4cf01.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to the General Plan's Public Safety Element to update its reference to the City's Local Hazard Mitigation Plan in compliance with a state law requirement ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5428-planning-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a6d21e5f2b670e0aa00946a-2-planning-case-pc-2026-00796-gpa-proposal-by?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Mobility and Infrastructure Committee The Mobility and Infrastructure Committee meets on Thursday, August 13, at 1:00 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1429039&GUID=690AF1D9-39F8-4711-8A6C-F7BEF00415F3&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review a [pilot project](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=dac59f4c-de3e-45bc-82be-e424931a3c0a.doc&From=Granicus&Format=doc&ref=raincrossgazette.com)that would temporarily reduce Linden Street between Chicago and Iowa Avenues from four lanes to two lanes and add buffered bike lanes ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5425-mobility-and-infrastructure-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a6cf9cd442538395400d397-2-linden-street-restriping-pilot-project?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Riverside Unified Superintendent Selected for Yale Leadership Fellowship URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-unified-superintendent-selected-for-yale-leadership-fellowship/ Last updated: 2026-08-11T12:00:59.000Z Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) Superintendent Dr. Sonia Llamas has been selected as one of 26 education leaders nationwide to join the 2026-27 Fellowship for Public Education Leadership, an executive leadership program hosted by The Broad Center at Yale School of Management. The fellowship brings together senior leaders from public school systems across the country to strengthen executive leadership practices and apply research-based strategies aimed at improving student outcomes. The program centers on peer learning, giving Fellows the chance to work alongside nationally recognized practitioners and Yale faculty. This fall, Dr. Llamas and the rest of the 2026-27 cohort will take part in week-long leadership residencies at Yale School of Management, designed to strengthen their leadership skills and connect management research to the challenges facing public education. "It is an incredible honor to join this community of leaders who share a deep commitment to serving students and strengthening public education," Dr. Llamas said in a statement. "Leadership begins with learning, and I am grateful to the Riverside Unified Board of Education for supporting opportunities that strengthen our work on behalf of students. This fellowship is an opportunity to learn alongside exceptional leaders from across the country, exchange ideas, and bring those insights back to Riverside Unified as we continue implementing our Strategic Plan and creating extraordinary opportunities for every scholar." Dr. Llamas has served as RUSD superintendent since July 2025, becoming the district's 13th superintendent. RUSD serves more than 38,000 students across 51 schools. A first-generation college graduate, bilingual educator, and licensed clinical social worker, Dr. Llamas has spent more than 30 years working in public education, focused on strengthening schools, developing leaders, and expanding opportunities for students. Since taking the role, Dr. Llamas has focused on advancing the district's vision for engaging, innovative, and equitable learning experiences, along with academic achievement, student well-being, family partnerships, and future-ready opportunities for students. The fellowship comes as RUSD begins implementing its newly adopted five-year Strategic Plan, approved by the Board of Education in June 2026\. The plan was developed with input from students, families, employees, and community partners, and sets four goals: accelerating student outcomes, expanding college and career pathways, supporting student well-being and belonging, and strengthening district systems, talent, and partnerships. "Partnership is one of our district's core values and a guiding principle throughout our Strategic Plan," Dr. Llamas said in a statement. "The fellowship reflects Riverside Unified's ongoing commitment to continuous improvement and ensuring every scholar benefits from innovative leadership, strong systems, and extraordinary learning opportunities." ### 🗞️ Riverside News- August 9, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-august-2-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T12:00:32.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/IMG_7801.jpeg) Matt Friedlander and his best friend of 40 years, Barry Tantlinger, pause in Redding during a 9-day road trip that also took them through Sacramento, Eugene, Portland, Hillsboro, and Seattle. ***Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and what you got up to](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **Sunday Gazette: August 9, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday!** Some of the best neighbors don't make noise about it. They're the ones quietly checking in on someone who's struggling, championing a cause without needing credit, speaking up for folks who can't speak for themselves, or simply showing up with a helping hand when it's needed most. If someone like that comes to mind, we'd love to hear about them. [Nominate a Neighbor of the Week](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help us shine a light on the people who make Riverside feel like home. See you tomorrow! --- 🧡 Thank you to the Subscribers who became paid supporters this week: Pamela Atkinson, Tim Gutierrez, Marshall Lee, Mien, Matthew S Mortimer, and Karen Norton. [Your ongoing financial support](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-march-15-2026-2/#/portal/account/plans) is vital to our success in serving Riverside with the news it deserves! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260809)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260809&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GARDENING](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/gardening/) ## From the Kitchen Garden: August, The Keep It or Pull It Edition Tips on what to plant, when to pick, and what to watch out for in your home garden. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/7-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-the-kitchen-garden-august-the-keep-it-or-pull-it-edition/) Kim enjoying some shade with her dog Tucker under her loofah vine arch. (Kim Malstrom) ### When Do You Call It? Knowing When to Keep a Plant—and When to Pull It August is when I start asking a very important question in the garden: Is this plant still worth saving? By this point in the summer, some of our plants are still producing like champions, while others are tired, stressed, covered in pests, or simply finished for the season. And sometimes the hardest gardening decision isn't what to plant—it's knowing when to let something go. Tomatoes are a perfect example. If a tomato plant is still producing, has healthy new growth, and is putting out new flowers, keep it going! But if production has slowed dramatically, the plant is struggling, or you're seeing spider mites moving into the fresh, new growth at the top of the plant, it's time to take a hard look. If the mites are only on some of the older, lower leaves, you can often try to save the plant. But if the newest growth is infested and there isn't healthy growth pushing out, I would pull the plant. Removing a heavily infested plant can also help prevent those spider mites from moving into your beans, squash, cucumbers, and other plants. In August, sometimes the best thing you can do for your garden is make room for what's next. Before you pull anything, though, check your water. August heat can make a healthy plant look terrible. Check that your emitters are working, your soil is actually getting wet where the roots are, and that you're watering consistently. If your tomatoes are developing brown or black, sunken spots on the blossom end, you're likely seeing blossom-end rot. It isn't usually because your soil is missing calcium; inconsistent watering can prevent the plant from moving calcium where it needs to go. [Read and share the complete August Garden Guide...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-the-kitchen-garden-august-the-keep-it-or-pull-it-edition/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260809)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260809&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CREATIVE PROMPTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/creative-prompts/) ## Taking Turns A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns. [![a traffic light hanging from a metal pole](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1638759811641-1f9296d8f606?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDE0fHx0cmFmZmljJTIwbGlnaHR8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzg1OTY3MDY4fDA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/taking-turns/) ([CARTER SAUNDERS](https://unsplash.com/@cdsaunders04?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) Summer is a great time for a road trip. This week, we’re getting into the car and telegraphing our desire to take a new direction by turning our attention to the turn signal. The turn signal is one of the few features in my early-2000s car that seems designed just for me. Sometimes I leave it blinking long after I’ve turned or merged. After thirty seconds, seems reasonable, the car dings to ask if this is really the way I want to present myself to other commuters. Consider a turn signal as a small public statement about the future. Until that near future where you no longer have to watch the road while driving, we still need ways to keep each other in the loop. Brake lights tell everyone what is happening right now. A turn signal announces what you hope to do next: I intend to move several thousand pounds of metal at a high rate of speed in your direction. Please plan accordingly. [Read and share the complete prompt...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/taking-turns/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260809) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260809&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Sunday, August 9 - [Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bingo/18559024/2026-08-09T13) at Temple Beth El Social Hall ($25) - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-08-09T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Sunday Experiment After Dark](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sunday-experiment-after-dark/14528750/2026-08-09T21) at Downtown Experiment ### Monday, August 10 - [Interfaith Prayer Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/interfaith-prayer-meeting/19553357/2026-08-10T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Board of Public Utilities](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/board-of-public-utilities/19400682/2026-08-10T18) at Riverside City Hall - [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-10T19) at Community Yoga Center - [Land Use Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/land-use-committee/19524074/2026-08-10T09) at Riverside City Hall - [Zen Educate Riverside Hiring event: Teach Substitute and Thrive](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/zen-educate-riverside-hiring-event-teach-substitute-and-thrive/19382258/2026-08-10T08) at Riverside Convention Center ### Tuesday, August 11 - [Cleveland Wedge Clinic and Fitting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/cleveland-wedge-clinic-and-fitting/19472197/2026-08-11T14) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($250) - [Mayor's Nominating and Screening Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mayors-nominating-and-screening-committee/19563222/2026-08-11T11) at Riverside City Hall - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-08-11T19) at The Hideaway ### Wednesday, August 12 - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-08-12T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-08-12T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [Finance Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/finance-committee/18642989/2026-08-12T15) at Riverside City Hall - [Riverside Mission Belles](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-mission-belles/18883483/2026-08-12T09) at Victoria Presbyterian Church - [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-12T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19516291/2026-08-12T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) ### Thursday, August 13 - [Mobility and Infrastructure Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mobility-and-infrastructure-committee/19563223/2026-08-13T13) at Riverside City Hall - [Planning Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/planning-commission/19365439/2026-08-13T09) at Riverside City Hall - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19516284/2026-08-13T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) ### Friday, August 14 - [Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-and-heroes-walking-tour/19396626/2026-08-14T15) at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18) - [Little Shop of Horrors 40th Anniversary Screening](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/little-shop-of-horrors-40th-anniversary-screening/18799266/2026-08-14T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center ### Saturday, August 15 - [Arlington Heights Cleanup](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/arlington-heights-cleanup/19426805/2026-08-15T07) at Arlington Heights Sports Park - [The Zonta Club of Riverside presents Join me for a Cup of Coffee or Tea](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-zonta-club-of-riverside-presents-join-me-for-a-cup-of-coffee-or-tea/19513887/2026-08-15T13) at The Care Project Office - [Mt. Rubidoux Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mt-rubidoux-walking-tour/19390096/2026-08-15T08) at Mt. Rubidoux Trailhead, a short walk from Ryan Bonaminio Park. ($21.20) - [Plant Hope - A pottery decorating and planting event by DVAP](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/plant-hope-a-pottery-decorating-and-planting-event-by-dvap/19458258/2026-08-15T10) at Arlington Library ($15- $25) - [Mosaic Art Fundraiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mosaic-art-fundraiser/19516335/2026-08-15T10) at Mission Inn Foundation ($100) - [The Hayds](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-hayds-garden-room-rma/19438774/2026-08-15T19) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium- Garden Room - [Los Yonics Zamacona](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/los-yonics-zamacona/19346710/2026-08-15T20) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [MAGIC UNDERGROUND](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/magic-underground/19568202/2026-08-15T18) at Back to the Grind ($30- $45) - [Twilight Tours](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/twilight-tours/19260751/2026-08-15T18) at UCR Botanic Gardens ($15- $20) ## Save the Date - August 16: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-16T08) at Community Yoga Center - August 17: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-17T19) at Community Yoga Center - August 19: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-19T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - August 21: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-21T07) at Zacatecas Café - August 22: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-22T07) at Community Yoga Center - August 22: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-22T09) at Community Yoga Center - September 9: [Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### From the Kitchen Garden: August, The Keep It or Pull It Edition URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-the-kitchen-garden-august-the-keep-it-or-pull-it-edition/ Last updated: 2026-08-11T11:59:55.000Z ### When Do You Call It? Knowing When to Keep a Plant—and When to Pull It August is when I start asking a very important question in the garden: Is this plant still worth saving? By this point in the summer, some of our plants are still producing like champions, while others are tired, stressed, covered in pests, or simply finished for the season. And sometimes the hardest gardening decision isn't what to plant—it's knowing when to let something go. Tomatoes are a perfect example. If a tomato plant is still producing, has healthy new growth, and is putting out new flowers, keep it going! But if production has slowed dramatically, the plant is struggling, or you're seeing spider mites moving into the fresh, new growth at the top of the plant, it's time to take a hard look. If the mites are only on some of the older, lower leaves, you can often try to save the plant. But if the newest growth is infested and there isn't healthy growth pushing out, I would pull the plant. Removing a heavily infested plant can also help prevent those spider mites from moving into your beans, squash, cucumbers, and other plants. In August, sometimes the best thing you can do for your garden is make room for what's next. Before you pull anything, though, check your water. August heat can make a healthy plant look terrible. Check that your emitters are working, your soil is actually getting wet where the roots are, and that you're watering consistently. If your tomatoes are developing brown or black, sunken spots on the blossom end, you're likely seeing blossom-end rot. It isn't usually because your soil is missing calcium; inconsistent watering can prevent the plant from moving calcium where it needs to go. So here's my August rule: Don't automatically save a struggling plant, and don't automatically pull one that's having a bad day. Look at the whole plant. Is it producing? Is there healthy new growth? Can the problem be corrected? Or is the plant simply finished? Sometimes pulling one tired plant is exactly what the rest of your garden needs. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/1-2.jpg) Example of blossom-end rot on a tomato plant that had a broken irrigation system. (Kim Malstrom) ### What Are We Picking? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/2-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/4.jpg) **Vegetables:** Tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, summer and winter squash, cucumbers, green beans, eggplant, okra, onions **Herbs:** Basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley **Flowers:** Zinnias, sunflowers, marigolds, cosmos, dahlias, roses, salvia **Fruits:** Figs, grapes, melons, early apples, and any remaining stone fruit (if you are lucky) *A note about stone fruit:* If you're looking for peaches, nectarines, plums, or apricots this year and you're not finding many, you're not alone! Many Riverside gardeners (including me) didn't get much, if any, stone fruit this year because our warm winter didn't provide enough chill hours for some trees to bloom properly. No chill hours = no blooms. No blooms = no fruit. No fruit = sad gardeners. In preparation for next year, the best thing we can do is focus on keeping the tree healthy. During these hot summer months, provide deep, consistent watering and maintain a layer of organic mulch around the root zone to protect the roots and conserve moisture. Moderate, balanced fertilization can help support healthy leaves and root growth, but avoid heavy nitrogen, which encourages excessive late-season growth. While we can't control winter chill, we can make sure the tree is healthy and well-prepared when the next growing season arrives. ### What Are We Planting? In August, Riverside gardeners need to respect the heat, but this is also a perfect time for a second round of warm-season crops. If your early tomato plants are finishing, you can still plant a fresh seedling now for a late harvest. Likewise, there's still time to plant corn; if you get it in now, you could have fresh corn by Thanksgiving. Green beans are another great option for a second planting—they grow quickly on these warm days. One golden rule: never leave soil exposed. If you remove a finished plant, like a tired tomato or spent squash, fill that gap. Add a quick-growing cover crop, like bush beans, or at least mulch heavily to keep the soil from drying out and weeds from taking over. Every open space is an opportunity, so fill it with something productive, or at least keep it covered. ### What to Watch Out For **Spider Mites** Hot, dry August weather is perfect for spider mites. Look closely at the new growth and tips of tomatoes, beans, squash, and cucumbers. Leaves may look speckled, yellowed, dusty, or eventually develop fine webbing. ***Solution:*** If they're only affecting a small portion of the plant, try knocking them off with a strong stream of water and monitor closely. But if spider mites have moved into the newest growth and the plant isn't producing healthy new growth, it may be time to pull it. Removing a heavily infested plant can help protect the rest of your garden. **Blossom-End Rot on Tomatoes** Seeing a brown, black, or sunken spot developing on the bottom of your tomatoes? That's often blossom-end rot. It's associated with calcium uptake problems, but inconsistent watering is a major contributor because the plant needs consistent access to water to move calcium into developing fruit. ***Solution:*** Keep watering consistent. Don't flood a dry garden one day and let it dry out completely the next. Mulch can also help maintain more consistent soil moisture. **Heat-Stressed Plants** A plant that wilts during the hottest part of the afternoon isn't necessarily dying. If it perks back up in the evening, it may simply be responding to the heat. ***Solution:*** Check the soil and irrigation before pulling the plant. If it's still wilted the following morning, investigate your watering. August is the month to make sure every emitter is actually doing its job. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/5-2.jpg) Keep vs. take out: Kim kept the tomato plant on the left because it still had healthy new growth at the top; she removed the one on the right, which was dead or infested with spider mites from top to bottom. ## From the Garden: August Recipe ### Stella's Tomato & Cucumber Summer Salad ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/6.jpg) August gardens are overflowing with tomatoes and cucumbers, making this fresh and simple salad a perfect way to enjoy the summer harvest. Crisp cucumbers, juicy garden tomatoes, and thinly sliced red onion are tossed in a light apple cider vinegar and olive oil dressing, then finished with fresh herbs. **Ingredients:** - 3–4 garden-fresh tomatoes, sliced or cut into wedges - 2 cucumbers, sliced - ¼ red onion, thinly sliced - 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar - 3 tablespoons olive oil - Salt and black pepper, to taste - Fresh basil and parsley, chopped - Optional: Feta cheese, avocado, or olives **Directions:** Place tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onion in a bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pour over the vegetables and gently toss. Garnish with fresh basil and parsley. Add feta, avocado, or olives if desired. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. Leftovers can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to two days. This recipe is especially delicious when the tomatoes and cucumbers come straight from the garden. ### Gardener's To-Do List 1. **Inspect your plants before deciding to pull them.** Look for healthy new growth, production, flowering, and overall vigor. If the newest growth is unhealthy or pests have taken over, it's probably time to let the plant go. 2. **Check every irrigation zone.** Run your system and physically check the soil. Look for clogged emitters, broken lines, leaks, and dry areas. Don't assume your irrigation is working just because the timer is running. 3. **Remove finished summer plants.** Once tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, beans, or other crops have finished producing and aren't showing signs of healthy new growth, pull them out. Don't let tired plants become a home for pests. 4. **Harvest frequently.** Keep picking tomatoes, peppers, beans, cucumbers, and squash. Regular harvesting encourages continued production. 5. **Mulch!** Add or refresh mulch around your plants to help conserve soil moisture, moderate soil temperature, and keep weeds under control. ### Closing Tip August is the month to stop being sentimental about your garden. I know, we grew it from a tiny seed. We watched it flower. We picked our first tomato. We want to save every single plant! But sometimes the best thing you can do for your garden is pull the plant. If it's finished producing, heavily infested, or no longer capable of producing healthy new growth, take it out. Remove it, clean up the area, refresh your soil, and plant something new. You're not giving up on your garden—you're making room for the next season. And remember, Riverside gardening is a marathon, not a sprint. August may feel like the end of summer, but it's actually the beginning of our transition into another growing season. Keep harvesting, keep watching your water, and start making room for fall. **More information:* Kim Malstrom is the owner of Kitchen Gardens by Kim, a Riverside-based business that designs, installs, and teaches vegetable gardens for beginners and families. Find her on Instagram at @kitchengardensbykim or visit* [*kitchengardensbykim.com*](http://kitchengardensbykim.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *to get growing this fall.* ### Taking Turns URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/taking-turns/ Last updated: 2026-08-10T22:02:08.000Z Welcome back, you creative human beans! [Last week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/bean-there/), we dug into the pantry and spilled beans across our imaginations. Did you sort beans by leadership potential, invent a no-cook summer recipe or curl your body into the shape of a sprout? Even if all you did was open a can, I hope one small idea grew into something nourishing. Summer is a great time for a road trip. This week, we’re getting into the car and telegraphing our desire to take a new direction by turning our attention to the turn signal. The turn signal is one of the few features in my early-2000s car that seems designed just for me. Sometimes I leave it blinking long after I’ve turned or merged. After thirty seconds, seems reasonable, the car dings to ask if this is really the way I want to present myself to other commuters. Consider a turn signal as a small public statement about the future. Until that near future where you no longer have to watch the road while driving, we still need ways to keep each other in the loop. Brake lights tell everyone what is happening right now. A turn signal announces what you hope to do next: I intend to move several thousand pounds of metal at a high rate of speed in your direction. Please plan accordingly. Of course, a turn signal is only a promise. Some drivers make that promise moments before turning. Others announce their plans three intersections in advance. The indicator light is only one of the signals telling us what to expect in the (very) near future. We encounter painted arrows, traffic lights, and GPS instructions from the build world around us. Drivers, cyclists and pedestrians also signal with arms, eye contact, and position. Transportation is a creative endeavor that engages your mind and your body in a sometimes exciting, sometimes dangerous, fashion. Getting anywhere requires reading a collaborative artwork made from light, movement and educated guesses about what the rest of us are thinking. These activities may work best while riding as a passenger or exploring with a carload of creative collaborators. Feel free to try it out while playing a driving video game or simulator. Keep your hands at ten and two, and use these prompts to make something uniquely you: 1. **Turn by Turn:** From the passenger seat, count every signal about direction: Blinkers, arrows, purposefully arranged cones, pedestrian hand gestures. Turn your findings into a field guide to local navigation for your vlog. 2. **Lean Into It:** As a passenger on a familiar stretch of road, close your eyes for a few safe minutes and feel the turns. Notice your balance shifting, the pressure against the seat, changes in engine sound and sunlight moving across your face. After the car is parked, draw the route from bodily memory. Accuracy is less important than discovering what your inner compass thinks happened. 3. **What a Twist:** Begin telling a story aloud with your passengers. Every time the car makes a turn, the story must also change direction. A left turn introduces a new character. A right turn reveals a secret. A U-turn triggers a flashback. Reaching the destination ends the story, whether the characters are emotionally prepared or not. 4. **More Than Turn:** Design signals for messages cars cannot currently communicate. We have horns for danger and blinkers for direction, but what about “Sorry,” “I’m lost,” “Beautiful dog” or “Yes, I know my turn signal is still on and I like it that way?” Sketch the dashboard symbols, assign each one a light pattern and decide which one you will use the most. Creativity is also a signal of intention. It doesn’t guarantee where we are going; it merely says that we would like to change direction. This week, notice the flashing arrows and the gentle internal dings asking you to reconsider your route. *This column was written with help from ChatGPT, happy to help me direct traffic in the busy interchange of my human imagination.* ### 🍊Your Riverside Weekend- August 8, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/your-riverside-weekend-august-8-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:11:23.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/02/_DSC5738.jpg) **Your Riverside Weekend- August 8, 2026** **Happy Saturday, Riverside!** We hope your week treated you well. Before you head into your weekend, we've gathered the stories that defined life in our city this week — from City Hall to community happenings. You're in the right place to catch up — your weekend starts here. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260808)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260808&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [Latino Network Weighs Path Forward for César Chávez MemorialMonths after Dolores Huerta’s abuse allegations against the labor leader, the nonprofit is surveying the community on the downtown statue’s future.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-974ede1c-8f84-44cd-aa7d-5349fa92fc73.png)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-9f2c302c-9dc6-4c4f-8f9b-914db7646a33.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/latino-network-weighs-path-forward-for-cesar-chavez-memorial/) [Opinion: What We’re Really Doing About HomelessnessHousing alone won’t solve homelessness. It takes safety, partnerships, prevention and investment, the city’s four-part approach.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-ad203c67-4091-4db6-b8ed-9c6c2a835d9c.png)The Raincross GazettePatricia Lock Dawson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/Caltrans-Partnership---Lawrence-C-29-99135761-8a86-4636-a77f-e1747dd42131.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-what-were-really-doing-about-homelessness/) [Runoff Election Prompts Faster Charter Review Appointment ProcessThe Governmental Processes Committee says a Wards 2 and 4 runoff has squeezed the timeline for seating the next Charter Review Committee.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-5cf356ed-289c-4afb-a6e1-5176554c4946.png)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/Screenshot-2026-07-18-at-4.57.28---PM-f654ef1d-442e-4d49-b5f1-64eae741c8b4.png)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/runoff-election-prompts-faster-charter-review-appointment-process/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260808)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260808&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [Raincross Rundown: The Best of Riverside in August 2026The heat’s still on and backpacks are out, but August isn’t slowing down. From walking tours to trivia nights to a fundraiser for young musicians, here’s what’s worth your time this month.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-dc925c60-ae87-41d1-80a2-c766bc64e687.png)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-5-1-fb55602d-8992-4995-a0d7-9355ae290288.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-rundown-the-best-of-riverside-in-august-2026/) [Neighbor of the Week: Mauryce A. KennonNeighbor of the Week is a series profiling the hidden heroes of Riverside, doing incredible works of service throughout our different neighborhoods.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-9a76b310-a75b-40d7-a518-ab51dbad5e00.png)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/Mauryce-Kennon--A-e50beae4-9e90-48ff-bb0a-6085f3af10fe.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-mauryce-a-kennon/) [New Magnolia AvenueHow a 1912 fill project connected Riverside’s grandest avenue to its downtown core.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-1483918f-0eaa-4028-96f9-5c1ccedab6a2.png)The Raincross GazetteGlenn Wenzel![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/8-Riv-City-Str-III-11-Elmwood-Court---Magnolia-Ave.-CLD1-179-c16b8056-0830-4bb3-bb0d-be511dad8436.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/new-magnolia-avenue/) [For Children in Foster Care, CASA Volunteers Help Make Summer Feel Like ChildhoodWith nearly 6,000 kids expected in foster care this year, the nonprofit Voices for Children says summer is when kids need CASA volunteers most.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-19be2351-87e1-4a7a-90e2-132406ca5562.png)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1603430732749-290c38a19c4b-32adc33c-0d0f-43f3-bbca-0382143cf163)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/for-children-in-foster-care-casa-volunteers-help-make-summer-feel-like-childhood/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260808) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260808&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Weather Forecast ☀️ Sun, Aug 9 — 101° / 71° · Mostly Sunny ⛅ Mon, Aug 10 — 97° / 69° · Partly Cloudy ⛅ Tue, Aug 11 — 96° / 68° · Partly Cloudy ☀️ Wed, Aug 12 — 94° / 66° · Mostly Sunny ☀️ Thu, Aug 13 — 91° / 64° · Mostly Sunny ⛅ Fri, Aug 14 — 90° / 64° · Partly Cloudy ☀️ Sat, Aug 15 — 92° / 65° · Sunny 👏 Good news, neighbors — we're finally coming down off that triple-digit ledge. Sunday's the last real scorcher at 101°, then it eases toward the low 90s by the weekend. Still hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk, so keep that water bottle glued to your hand through midweek. **Fair warning:* we're not meteorologists! Our forecasts are pulled from public weather data as a little extra for our readers. For the most current conditions, your favorite weather app knows more than we do — but we'll always do our best to help you plan your weekend.* ☀️ --- ## 💬 Staff Picks — What we're talking about around the Gazette this week 🏝️ **Justin** is excited to live it up for one last weekend before all his kiddos start school again next week. 😅 **Amy** has reached peak "too much good stuff happening at once." It's the nicest problem to have, and she's not complaining, just slightly out of breath. --- ## Save the Date - August 9: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-09T08) at Community Yoga Center - August 10: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-10T19) at Community Yoga Center - August 10: [Interfaith Prayer Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/interfaith-prayer-meeting/19553357/2026-08-10T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - August 12: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-12T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - August 14: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-14T07) at Zacatecas Café - September 9: [Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- August 7, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-july-31-2026-3/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:11:24.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/san_diego.jpg) Elizabeth Adame and friends take a trip to San Diego, stopping at the fountain outside Wells Fargo Plaza. ***Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and tell us a bit of what you experienced](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/r/424cf20a?m=09861f3a-0a1b-4ab5-a764-af397b913fe4). **Friday Gazette: August 7, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Friday!** It's International Beer Day! Where's your favorite spot to clink glasses when celebrating a milestone or just the end of the week? Whether it's a cold pint or a non-alcoholic pour, today's about good company and good conversation. [Let us know where your go-to spot is](mailto:newsroom@raincrossgazette.com)! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260807)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260807&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [TRANSPORTATION](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/transportation/) ## City's 2026 Signal Priority List Highlights Top Traffic Needs Staff say the list is a planning tool, not a construction plan, as Victoria Avenue's top-ranked intersection stays signal-free. [![traffic light with red light](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1584649525122-8d6895492a5d?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDN8fHRyYWZmaWMlMjBzaWduYWxzfGVufDB8fHx8MTc4NjA0Nzg5MHww&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/citys-2026-signal-priority-list-highlights-top-traffic-needs/) ([Eliobed Suarez](https://unsplash.com/@eliobedsuarez?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) Riverside's new signal priority list shows which intersections may eventually get traffic signals — but it's not a construction plan. **Why it matters:** If your intersection tops the list, don't expect a signal soon — funding, engineering judgment and city priorities determine whether projects actually move forward. **Driving the news:** Transportation staff presented the 2026 rankings Wednesday, evaluating 51 unsignalized intersections using state traffic-signal warrants plus local factors like collision history and pedestrian activity. - Principal Transportation Planner Ethan Sun said the city evaluates every request using the same objective criteria. **By the numbers:** Washington Street and Victoria Avenue topped the list with **112 points**, followed by Spruce Street and Rustin Avenue (95) and Palm Avenue and Dewey Avenue (88). **Yes, but:** The top-ranked Washington/Victoria intersection won't get a signal — city policy preserves the historic Victoria Avenue corridor, so staff would weigh other traffic-control options instead. **The backstory:** The ranking has no maximum score because it's designed to compare intersections against each other, not against a fixed benchmark. - Meeting a warrant doesn't guarantee a signal — funding, right-of-way and environmental limits also factor in. - Staff said medians, turn restrictions or neighborhood traffic circles sometimes work better than a signal. **What's next:** Riverside runs more than 400 signalized intersections and holds quarterly meetings with Caltrans on freeway-ramp congestion, staff told the board. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/citys-2026-signal-priority-list-highlights-top-traffic-needs/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260807)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260807&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [Adoptable Pet of the Week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag//) ## Meet Windsor! Meet this week’s featured furry friend from the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center. Dedicated to eliminating pet homelessness, the center provides compassionate care and facilitates adoptions for animals in need of loving homes. Find your new companion and help support their mission of humane care and responsible pet ownership. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-5.jpg)](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Some dogs ask for big adventures. Windsor is simply hoping for someone to come for her. At 5 years old, Windsor has the sweetest soul. She knows sit, takes treats with the gentlest touch, and has done well with other dogs. Her favorite things are simple: spending time with her people, soaking up affection, finding a cozy place to rest... and, of course, enjoying a little cheese whenever she can. Windsor doesn't need a perfect home, just a loving one. A place where she can finally exhale, feel safe, and know that she's exactly where she belongs. Every day she waits, hoping the next person through the door will be the one who sees the incredible companion she truly is. If you've been looking for a loyal friend with a gentle heart and so much love to give, Windsor is waiting to meet you at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center. Please help us share Windsor's story. Her future family could be just one share away. Visit [petsadoption.org](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to learn more. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260807) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260807&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Noteworthy The Janet Goeske Foundation invites volunteers to [spread mulch and share the love](https://www.instagram.com/p/DbWP2nyNzip/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) at its senior center garden this Saturday, August 8, from 7–11 a.m.; tools and extra hands welcome. RTA is [seeking public input](https://sites.google.com/pathvu.com/rta/home?ref=raincrossgazette.com) on its Bus Stop Enhancement Plan through an online survey, open to riders and non-riders alike, even after recent in-person and virtual meetings concluded. CicloRiverside kicks off its Ambassador Program with a [community meeting Thursday, August 27](https://www.instagram.com/p/DbtZl8TvfVd/?ref=raincrossgazette.com), 6–7:30 p.m. at 3850 Vine Street, ahead of the city's first open-streets event. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Friday, August 7 - [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-07T07) at Zacatecas Café - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-08-07T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Reading Assistance Program (RAP)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-assistance-program-rap/19240859/2026-08-07T10) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Multiplication Madness (MM)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/multiplication-madness-mm/19240907/2026-08-07T00) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Creative Arts](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/creative-arts/19240864/2026-08-07T11) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-07T08) at Community Yoga Center - [Jo Jo Jorge Falcon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/jo-jo-jorge-falcon/19346703/2026-08-07T20) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [Murder Mystery Co. Dinner Theater Show](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/murder-mystery-co-dinner-theater-show/18734751/2026-08-07T19) at The Old Spaghetti Factory ($69) ### Saturday, August 8 - [Low-Cost Vaccination Clinic](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/lowcost-vaccination-clinic/19030194/2026-08-08T09) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($10- $28) - [Reading Comprehension Group](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-comprehension-group/19240809/2026-08-08T16) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Foundational Skills (RFS)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-foundational-skills-rfs/19240857/2026-08-08T09) at My Learning Studio ($196) - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-08-08T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [Casino Night with CARE](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/casino-night-with-care/19476771/2026-08-08T18) at Riverside Airport Cafe ($50) - [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-08T07) at Community Yoga Center - [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-08T09) at Community Yoga Center - [Joyas Prestadas - The Jenni Rivera Tribute Band](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/joyas-prestadas-the-jenni-rivera-tribute-band/19346705/2026-08-08T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [Off the Block on the Screen](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/off-the-block-on-the-screen/19498723/2026-08-08T14) at Culver Center of the Arts - [Summer-Ween RIP Summer Comedy Sip and Paint Event](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summerween-rip-summer-comedy-sip-and-paint-event/18114790/2026-08-08T11) at BACK TO THE GRIND ($23.18) - [Surely Tempo - Garden Room](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/surely-tempo-garden-room-rma/19346706/2026-08-08T19) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ### Sunday, August 9 - [Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bingo/18559024/2026-08-09T13) at Temple Beth El Social Hall ($25) - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-08-09T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Sunday Experiment After Dark](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sunday-experiment-after-dark/14528750/2026-08-09T21) at Downtown Experiment ### Save the Date - August 10: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-10T19) at Community Yoga Center - August 10: [Interfaith Prayer Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/interfaith-prayer-meeting/19553357/2026-08-10T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - August 12: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-12T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - August 14: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-14T07) at Zacatecas Café - September 9: [Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### City's 2026 Signal Priority List Highlights Top Traffic Needs URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/citys-2026-signal-priority-list-highlights-top-traffic-needs/ Last updated: 2026-08-10T12:00:07.000Z Riverside transportation officials presented the city's updated 2026 traffic signal priority rankings [Wednesday](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1428926&GUID=08E0536D-A53F-47A8-8503-64C16A91F5A2&ref=raincrossgazette.com), outlining how staff evaluate requests for new traffic signals and emphasizing that the list is intended as a planning tool rather than a construction plan. The annual ranking identifies 51 unsignalized intersections throughout Riverside that staff monitor based on resident requests and observed operational or safety concerns. Public Works staff said the list helps the city consistently evaluate where future traffic signals may be warranted but is not a recommendation to construct new signals. Principal Transportation Planner Ethan Sun said the city receives routine requests from residents seeking traffic signals at intersections throughout Riverside. "Because constructing a traffic signal is a significant investment, it is important that we evaluate each location using the same objective criteria," Sun told the Transportation Board. The city's ranking system is based on traffic signal warrants outlined in the [California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices](https://dot.ca.gov/programs/safety-programs/camutcd/camutcd-2026?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and incorporates additional local factors, including traffic volumes, collision history, pedestrian and bicycle activity, posted speed limits, proximity to nearby signals and other operational conditions. Staff said the ranking system has no maximum score because it is intended to compare intersections relative to one another based on overall need. This year's highest-ranked intersection is Washington Street and Victoria Avenue with 112 points, followed by Spruce Street and Rustin Avenue with 95 points and Palm Avenue and Dewey Avenue with 88 points. Sun noted that despite its top ranking, the Washington Street and Victoria Avenue intersection remains on the list only for tracking purposes because previous City Council direction and the city's Victoria Avenue policy call for preserving the historic corridor. Rather than installing a traffic signal there, staff would consider alternative traffic-control measures if future improvements become necessary. Staff also emphasized that satisfying a traffic signal warrant does not automatically result in a new signal. Engineering judgment, available funding, right-of-way needs, environmental constraints and broader city priorities all factor into whether a project moves forward. In many cases, staff said, other improvements — such as median modifications, turn restrictions or neighborhood traffic circles — may provide more effective safety and operational benefits than installing a traffic signal. During the discussion, board members asked about the city's traffic signal system and congestion at freeway ramps. Sun said Riverside has more than 400 signalized intersections, excluding those controlled by Caltrans. Public Works staff said the city regularly coordinates with Caltrans regarding traffic signal timing at freeway ramps and recently established quarterly meetings with agency staff to address ongoing concerns. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- August 6, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-august-6-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:17.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/unnamed.jpg) The McIntyre family in Rouen, France, in front of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen, the Gothic landmark famously painted by Claude Monet more than 30 times. The family took in the sites and the history together this summer. (And to clarify from yesterday's caption: no gin was involved, just a bit of a translation mix-up.) ***Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and tell us a bit of what you experienced](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **Thursday Gazette: August 6, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Thursday!** Today is Farmworker Appreciation Day! Today's a good day to think about the hands behind our meals: the farmworkers whose long hours in the fields keep produce on our tables and shelves across the Inland Empire. If you're headed to a farmers market this week, it's a fitting moment to say thanks to the people who grow what we eat. See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260806)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260806&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CITY HALL](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/city-hall/) ## Runoff Election Prompts Faster Charter Review Appointment Process The Governmental Processes Committee says a Wards 2 and 4 runoff has squeezed the timeline for seating the next Charter Review Committee. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-07-18-at-4.57.28---PM-1.png)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/runoff-election-prompts-faster-charter-review-appointment-process/) (File photo/Raincross Gazette) The Governmental Processes Committee wants council members to directly appoint the next Charter Review Committee, skipping the usual interview and screening process. **Why it matters:** The panel shapes what charter changes reach your ballot — this recommendation aims to keep the review on track for the March 2028 election. **Driving the news:** The Governmental Processes Committee backed the change Wednesday after a possible November runoff in Wards 2 and 4 pushed the election calendar later, shrinking the time to recruit members. - Councilmember Chuck Conder proposed recruitment starting Oct. 1, with appointments finalized by early December — or by newly elected members soon after taking office. **The backstory:** The charter requires a review committee every eight years to study possible amendments and gather public input. - City rules give council three appointment options — the mayor's screening committee, direct councilmember appointments, or another process council chooses; GPC picked the direct route to save time. **What they're saying:** Former committee member Malissa McKeith urged the city to start recruiting right away, saying the review "takes a long time to do." - Falcone said incoming council candidates should know appointing a charter panel member could be one of their first duties in office. **What's next:** Recruitment would begin in October, with a committee seated by January 2027 and final ballot language due by November 2027\. The full City Council takes up the recommendation next. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/runoff-election-prompts-faster-charter-review-appointment-process/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260806)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260806&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## For Children in Foster Care, CASA Volunteers Help Make Summer Feel Like Childhood With nearly 6,000 kids expected in foster care this year, the nonprofit Voices for Children says summer is when kids need CASA volunteers most. [![silhouette of man and woman standing on beach during sunset](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1603430732749-290c38a19c4b?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDE3fHxwYXJlbnQlMjBjaGlsZHxlbnwwfHx8fDE3ODU5NTY1Nzl8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/for-children-in-foster-care-casa-volunteers-help-make-summer-feel-like-childhood/) ([Harika G](https://unsplash.com/@harika1017?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) For many children, summer means trips to the beach, bike rides, summer camp and family vacations — but for some children in the foster care system, summer break can come with isolation, less opportunity for fun activities and fewer adults checking in on their well-being. That's where Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers step in. Voices for Children — a nonprofit that recruits and trains CASA volunteers for Riverside County's juvenile dependency courts — said its volunteers play a key role during the summer by helping foster youth stay connected and experience activities and the joy of being a kid. Sharon Morris, managing director of Voices for Children in Riverside County, previously served as a CASA volunteer herself, recalled one child she first met at age 5 and still keeps in touch with today as an adult. "She'll tell you foster care was not a fun time for her," Morris said. "But the one thing that made it bearable was she knew that I was coming to visit her. She knew exactly when I was coming, and \[that\] she could get out of the home and just be a kid for a little while." [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/for-children-in-foster-care-casa-volunteers-help-make-summer-feel-like-childhood/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260806) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260806&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Noteworthy Clear out clutter at this Saturday's [bulky item drop-off event](https://riversideca.gov/publicworks/trash-recycling/clean-riverside?ref=raincrossgazette.com), 8 a.m.–noon at the Riverside City Corporation Yard, accepting appliances, e-waste, tires, and more. Young residents ages 15–24 can apply for the [Youth Climate Action Fund](https://riversideca.gov/sustainability/ycaf?ref=raincrossgazette.com), receiving $1,000–$5,000 to lead local sustainability projects; applications open August 17 through September 25. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [FREE ADMISSION - First Thursday of every month during Riverside ArtsWalk](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-admission-first-thursday-of-every-month-during-riverside-artswalk/13230799/2026-08-06T18) at Riverside Art Museum ### Tomorrow - [Murder Mystery Co. Dinner Theater Show](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/murder-mystery-co-dinner-theater-show/18734751/2026-08-07T19) at The Old Spaghetti Factory ($69) - [Jo Jo Jorge Falcon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/jo-jo-jorge-falcon/19346703/2026-08-07T20) at Fox Performing Arts Center ## Save the Date - August 8: [Casino Night with CARE](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/casino-night-with-care/19476771/2026-08-08T18) at Riverside Airport Cafe ($50) - August 8: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-08T07) at Community Yoga Center - August 8: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-08T09) at Community Yoga Center - August 9: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-09T08) at Community Yoga Center - August 10: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-10T19) at Community Yoga Center - August 10: [Interfaith Prayer Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/interfaith-prayer-meeting/19553357/2026-08-10T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - August 12: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-12T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - August 14: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-14T07) at Zacatecas Café - September 9: [Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### For Children in Foster Care, CASA Volunteers Help Make Summer Feel Like Childhood URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/for-children-in-foster-care-casa-volunteers-help-make-summer-feel-like-childhood/ Last updated: 2026-08-10T11:59:31.000Z For many children, summer means trips to the beach, bike rides, summer camp and family vacations — but for some children in the foster care system, summer break can come with isolation, less opportunity for fun activities and fewer adults checking in on their well-being. That's where Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers step in. Voices for Children — a nonprofit that recruits and trains CASA volunteers for Riverside County's juvenile dependency courts — said its volunteers play a key role during the summer by helping foster youth stay connected and experience activities and the joy of being a kid. Sharon Morris, managing director of Voices for Children in Riverside County, previously served as a CASA volunteer herself, recalled one child she first met at age 5 and still keeps in touch with today as an adult. "She'll tell you foster care was not a fun time for her," Morris said. "But the one thing that made it bearable was she knew that I was coming to visit her. She knew exactly when I was coming, and \[that\] she could get out of the home and just be a kid for a little while." Each CASA volunteer is appointed by a juvenile dependency court judge to advocate for a child in foster care. Volunteers visit at least once a month, build relationships with the children and submit reports to the court every six months outlining what each child needs to thrive. Unlike social workers, attorneys or foster parents, CASA volunteers are unpaid community members who choose to spend time with a child simply because they want to, according to Morris — and that consistency often helps children open up about their experiences. "Because they're volunteers, the children tend to be more open, more trusting," she said. "Because here is someone who is here because they want to be, rather than because they're paid to be. Even their foster parents are paid to have them in the home, and so the CASA \[volunteer\] is the only unpaid person, and it means a lot to the kids." Morris also said it's important that children in foster care have an adult to check in on their well-being while school is out for the summer. "Teachers are the number one reporters of suspected child abuse and neglect," said Morris. "When kids aren't at school, it really worries us. Who's keeping an eye on these kids?" Summer presents other challenges for children in foster care, Morris said, since opportunities to participate in activities or chances to spend time with family can become even more scarce without the structure of school. Additionally, many kids have been separated from siblings, moved away from friends or enrolled in new schools. CASA volunteers try to help bridge those gaps in a variety of ways. Some take children on bike rides, hikes or visits to local parks and lakes. Others help siblings meet up for outings or take kids to explore museums, libraries and community events. For some children in foster care, those experiences are entirely new. "We have a lot of kids who say, 'No one's ever taught me how to ride a bike,'" Morris said. Volunteers also advocate for educational opportunities that might otherwise be overlooked. While they do not tutor children, they can work with caregivers, social workers and the courts to ensure children have access to summer camps, tutoring programs or enrichment activities that fit their individual needs. Sometimes that means helping remove barriers such as transportation or funding. "The CASA's role really is to make sure everyone is on the same page," Morris said, "so the child doesn't get forgotten and fall through the cracks with something as simple as summer camp." The organization currently serves hundreds of Riverside County children each year, but demand continues to outpace the number of available volunteers, according to Morris. Nearly 6,000 children are expected to spend time in Riverside County's foster care system this year, Morris said, with Voices for Children serving about 800 of those kids last fiscal year — and between 150 to 200 kids still on the organization's waiting list. The nonprofit is continuing to recruit volunteers — with a particular need for male advocates and bilingual English-Spanish speakers, [a need the organization highlighted earlier this year](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/187-riverside-county-children-in-foster-care-are-waiting-for-an-advocate/). Prospective volunteers attend a virtual information session before completing an application, interview and four-week online training program, a commitment Morris said typically requires about two hours a week. "These are kids who someone has determined desperately need an advocate in their corner, and the only obstacle between us helping those kids is getting more volunteers," Morris said. **More information:* Visit* [*speakupnow.org*](https://speakupnow.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### Runoff Election Prompts Faster Charter Review Appointment Process URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/runoff-election-prompts-faster-charter-review-appointment-process/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T12:00:07.000Z The Governmental Processes Committee (GPC) on Wednesday backed a faster process for selecting members of the city's next Charter Review Committee – recommending that City Council members make appointments directly instead of using the city's traditional interview and screening process – to keep the review on schedule ahead of the March 2028 mayoral election. The recommendation, approved by GPC Chair Philip Falcone and Councilmember Chuck Conder, now heads to the full City Council for consideration. City Clerk Donesia Gause said staff brought the appointment process back to the committee after the 2026 election calendar extended to include a potential November runoff election in Wards 2 and 4. After the new council members take office, one of their first tasks will be appointing a Charter Review Committee member. The GPC had previously [postponed](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/committee-delays-charter-review-appointments-to-avoid-lame-duck-selections/) the appointments in 2025 so the newly elected council members could participate in selecting committee members. However, the runoff election shortened the time available to recruit committee members, conduct public outreach and complete the charter review process. Under the city's current rules, the council could choose from three appointment methods: the Mayor's Nominating and Screening Committee interview process, direct appointments by each councilmember with the mayor appointing two at-large members or any other process desired established by the City Council. Conder said he favored allowing council members to make appointments directly rather than relying on the screening committee. "I don't want to reinvent the wheel," Conder said, proposing recruitment begin October 1, with applications reviewed in November and appointments made by early December or – if necessary, by newly elected council members after taking office. He said the committee could be seated by early January 2027. Falcone agreed, saying incoming council candidates should be made aware that appointing a Charter Review Committee member could be among their first responsibilities if elected. During public comment, former Charter Review Committee member Malissa McKeith urged the city to begin the process as soon as possible, arguing the committee needs adequate time to study complex issues and gather public input before making recommendations. McKeith, who said she has served on two previous charter review commissions, said the committee has historically examined issues such as the city's transfer tax, inspector general proposals and other governance questions that require months of discussion. She also encouraged the city to appoint members who are familiar with the city's governmental processes and major policy issues. "The charter commission is really the one opportunity that the public has to learn about and take a hard look at our charter and also to familiarize staff and new council and new attorneys with some of the most foundational issues of our city," she said. "I think that takes a long time to do and several meetings." Under the city charter, the City Council is required to appoint a Charter Review Committee every eight years. The committee reviews the charter, holds public meetings to gather community input and recommends potential charter amendments to the City Council. While the committee develops the recommendations, the City Council decides whether to place any proposed amendments before voters at the next regular mayoral election. The council may also convene a charter review committee more frequently if it chooses. Under the proposed timeline, recruitment would begin in October, with appointments made in early 2027\. The committee would hold its first meeting in March 2027, provide its required report to the City Council in May, deliver additional updates throughout the year and submit final ballot language recommendations by November 2027. Any charter amendments approved by the City Council would appear on the March 7, 2028 municipal ballot, with voter-approved changes taking effect after certification and filing with the California Secretary of State. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- August 5, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-august-5-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:18.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/IMG_1115.jpeg) The McIntyre family spent the summer touring France, taking in the sites and history — with adventures mixed in. (Jess McIntyre) ***Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and what you got up to](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com)! **Wednesday Gazette: August 5, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Wednesday!** While summer break is already wrapping up here, plenty of other states are still soaking up their last few weeks of it — and your vacation photos are proof. We'll keep sharing them through August, then shift back to Riverside-focused snapshots come September. Thanks to everyone who's sent one in so far. Haven't yet? [Now's your chance — send yours in](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260805)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260805&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [ARTSWALK](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/artswalk/) ## August ArtsWalk Has Painting Prodigies, A Call for Artists, Robots and A Hot Summer Night The first class of Kadir Nelson's academy shows Downtown, an RSVP-only opening leads the night, and school starts Monday. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/DSC02305-1.JPG)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/august-artswalk-has-painting-prodigies-a-call-for-artists-robots-and-a-hot-summer-night/) Kadir Nelson demonstrates painting technique for students in the first class of the Kadir Nelson Institute for Young and Emerging Artists, during a two-week intensive that began July 25\. (Courtesy of Kadir Nelson and Dr. Jungmiwha Bullock N.) Riverside's ArtsWalk returns Thursday, Aug. 6, from 6 to 9 p.m. School starts back Aug. 10, so this is the last First Thursday of summer break for a lot of Riverside families. This month's Artswalk has a lot to offer. Come early, stay hydrated, and remember our museums and galleries are air conditioned. [Read and share the complete ArtsWalk Guide...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/august-artswalk-has-painting-prodigies-a-call-for-artists-robots-and-a-hot-summer-night/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260805)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260805&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [SPONSORED STORY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/sponsored-story/) ## Riverside's Drowning Rate Runs Higher Than the State's; Here's What Every Pool Owner Should Know A hotter county, more pools and a largely preventable toll — what the numbers show, and what owners are required to do [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-4.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-drowning-rate-runs-higher-than-the-states-heres-what-every-pool-owner-should-know/) Casey Johnson, a partner at Aitken Aitken Cohn, has represented Riverside County families in pool injury cases for years. (Courtesy of Aitken Aitken Cohn) Riverside County's drowning death rate is nearly seven times California's, and a Riverside attorney says most deaths are preventable. **Why it matters:** If you own, manage or swim in a pool here, county data show children under 5 face the highest drowning risk in the region. **By the numbers:** Riverside County's age-adjusted drowning death rate was about 7.5 per 100,000 residents from 2018 to 2022, compared with California's roughly 1.1 per 100,000 rate over a similar span. - From 2020 to 2024, 430 county children under 18 were treated for drowning injuries — 84% of them under 5 — and 24 died. **What they're saying:** Casey Johnson, a partner at personal injury firm Aitken Aitken Cohn, says most pool deaths don't have to happen. - "Many of the tragedies we see are preventable," Johnson said. **The backstory:** California's Swimming Pool Safety Act sets minimum safety standards for residential pools, including 60-inch barriers and self-latching gates. - Pools built or remodeled since 2018 must add at least two of seven approved drowning-prevention features, like alarms or safety covers. **What's next:** Free water-safety resources are available before pools open for summer. - First 5 Riverside County offers survival-swim lessons for kids as young as 6 months at 20+ locations; the city's aquatics program runs free swim Wednesdays this summer. **The bottom line:** Johnson recommends walking around your pool before swim season starts — checking gates, drain covers and depth markers for wear. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-drowning-rate-runs-higher-than-the-states-heres-what-every-pool-owner-should-know/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260805) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260805&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Noteworthy Bar Ni Modo [announced on social media Monday](https://www.instagram.com/p/DbmT4UFGpyb/?img%5Findex=1&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that it will close its doors August 16, thanking Farmhouse and the Arcade community for their support. UC Riverside historian Steven Hackel received a [$350,000 NEH grant](https://news.ucr.edu/index%2ephp/articles/2026/08/03/ucr-historian-awarded-neh-grant-expand-early-california-population-project?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to expand the Early California Population Project, adding 20,000 immigrant records to its database of early Californians. Mark your calendars: Riverside's remaining 2026 Clean Up events run August 15, September 19, and October 17, offering residents [free bulky item and e-waste disposal](https://www.instagram.com/p/DaA7FS1Eh1P/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) from 8 a.m. to noon with proof of residency. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-08-05T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-08-05T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-05T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - [How Will California Educate Its Future Workforce?](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/how-will-california-educate-its-future-workforce/19487830/2026-08-05T18) at Riverside Convention Center - [The Wonders of Waste with Riverside Public Works](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-wonders-of-waste-with-riverside-public-works/19416879/2026-08-05T18) at Cactus Cantina ### Tomorrow - [FREE ADMISSION - First Thursday of every month during Riverside ArtsWalk](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-admission-first-thursday-of-every-month-during-riverside-artswalk/13230799/2026-08-06T18) at Riverside Art Museum ## Save the Date - August 7: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-07T08) at Community Yoga Center - August 7: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-07T07) at Zacatecas Café - August 8: [Casino Night with CARE](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/casino-night-with-care/19476771/2026-08-08T18) at Riverside Airport Cafe ($50) - August 8: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-08T07) at Community Yoga Center - August 8: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-08T09) at Community Yoga Center - August 10: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-10T19) at Community Yoga Center - August 10: [Interfaith Prayer Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/interfaith-prayer-meeting/19553357/2026-08-10T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - August 12: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-12T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - September 9: [Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### August ArtsWalk Has Painting Prodigies, A Call for Artists, Robots and A Hot Summer Night URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/august-artswalk-has-painting-prodigies-a-call-for-artists-robots-and-a-hot-summer-night/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T12:00:39.000Z Riverside's ArtsWalk returns Thursday, Aug. 6, from 6 to 9 p.m. School starts back Aug. 10, so this is the last First Thursday of summer break for a lot of Riverside families. This month's Artswalk has a lot to offer. Come early, stay hydrated, and remember our museums and galleries are air conditioned. **The JKBN Gallery**\- 3544 University Ave. - RSVP by Wednesday, Aug. 5, to [info@thejkbngallery.com](mailto:info@thejkbngallery.com). Space is limited and only confirmed RSVPs will be admitted. The gallery is otherwise open by appointment only. - "Bright Lights," 7 to 9 p.m. Original oil paintings by the first class of the Kadir Nelson Institute for Young and Emerging Artists. - Ten artists, ages 17 to 22, came from around the country and abroad for a two-week intensive that began July 25\. Kadir Nelson and Dr. Jungmiwha Bullock N. picked the class themselves and taught it themselves, oil painting alongside the business of making a living. - Every painting on the wall was made here, in the last two weeks, by someone seeing Riverside for the first time. Sales benefit the student artists and the institute. **RCAA Gallery**\- 3860 Lemon St. - The gallery's Hot Time in the City Anniversary Show, featuring spotlight artist Jim Behrman, aka Dr. Strangebot, is on view Thursday, Aug. 6, from 6 to 9 p.m. during ArtsWalk. - Behrman has become a local icon building robots out of found metal, industrial technique in service of a whimsical vision. Longtime shoppers will know his work from MADE, where he was a popular vendor before the store closed. - Behrman's solo show runs Aug. 5 through 28, with an opening reception Wednesday, Aug. 5, the night before ArtsWalk. Regular gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. **Artists on Main**\- Main St. between Fifth and Tenth - The vendor rows fill Main Street from 6 to 9 p.m. They have run more than 100 artists a month this year. - Beverly Salas is the Riverside Arts Council's August Artist Spotlight. The Anaheim illustrator works mostly from nature, has been a fixture at the Santa Ana ArtWalk for more than 12 years, and has done Riverside ArtsWalk every month since July 2025. **Benjamin Franklin Stage**\- City Hall Breezeway - Live music starts at 6 p.m. with Mindless Dreams, a SoCal alternative indie rock band. The show is free, all ages and dog friendly. **Inlandia Institute**\- Main Library Community Room, 3900 Mission Inn Ave. - Native Authors in Action: Conversation with Native Writers runs 5 to 7:30 p.m. It starts an hour before ArtsWalk and wraps at 7:30, so go there first. **Riverside Art Museum**\- 3425 Mission Inn Ave. - Janet Wheeler opened Aug. 1 in the Taylor Gallery, showing five lithographs and a collagraph made between 1973 and 1975, while she was a master's student at Cal State Long Beach. Several render women's bodies as stiff-limbed dolls dropped into surreal suburban rooms. - Admission is free during ArtsWalk. **The Cheech**\- 3581 Mission Inn Ave. - Our Empire, a community show, holds its orientation at 6 p.m. upstairs in the Auditorium. That is the same minute ArtsWalk opens, so go straight there if you want in and save Main Street for after. - This is a call for artists, an opportunity to participate with your own work of art and show it in the Altura Community Gallery. - An Our Empire project by James McClung and Marcus Mercado. Admission is free all night. ### Riverside's Drowning Rate Runs Higher Than the State's; Here's What Every Pool Owner Should Know URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-drowning-rate-runs-higher-than-the-states-heres-what-every-pool-owner-should-know/ Last updated: 2026-08-07T12:00:08.000Z In a county that sees roughly 140 days a year above 90 degrees, a pool is closer to a necessity than a luxury. Riverside's long, hot summers are exactly why backyard, HOA and community pools are woven into daily life across the Inland Empire — and why the water is never far from a child. That constant proximity to water carries a cost. ### A problem worse than the state's Between 2018 and 2022, Riverside County's age-adjusted drowning death rate climbed to about 7.5 per 100,000 residents, according to a Riverside University Health System report. California's statewide rate over a comparable period was roughly 1.1 per 100,000 — meaning the county's rate runs several times higher than the state's. The youngest residents bear the heaviest share. Drowning was the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4 in Riverside County from 2018 to 2022, county public health officials reported. Newer figures tell the same story: between 2020 and 2024, 430 county children under 18 visited emergency departments for drowning and submersion injuries — nearly 84% of them younger than 5 — and 24 died, 19 of them under age 5\. Riverside University Health System and First 5 Riverside County released the data this year, citing California Department of Public Health figures. County data also shows fatal pool drownings clustering at the two ends of life — among the youngest children and older adults. Casey Johnson, a partner at Aitken Aitken Cohn, a personal injury firm with an office in Riverside, has spent years representing families after severe pool injuries. He points to the density of pools in the region — backyard, HOA and community — which exposes people, especially young children, to water far more often. But exposure alone isn't the whole story. "Every pool owner and operator has a responsibility to make sure those pools are properly maintained, clearly marked, and equipped with the safety features required by law," Johnson said. "While every case is different, many of the tragedies we see are preventable." ### Drowning doesn't look like the movies Contrary to the thrashing, shouting struggle shown on screen, drowning is usually silent and fast — a person slipping under in less time than it takes a nearby adult to look up from a phone. Johnson said the misconceptions run deeper than that. People sometimes assume a drowning is simply a tragic accident, or that the injured person must have been at fault. "One of the first questions we ask is whether the pool owner or operator complied with all applicable safety codes and industry standards," he said. "Those requirements aren't just technicalities — they're designed to prevent tragedies." "The biggest failures are often the simplest ones," he said — missing warnings, faded markings, a pool that doesn't meet code. The visual cues most swimmers never consciously register are exactly what let them spot a hazard; when they're gone, people wander into danger without knowing it. What Johnson notices at a pool, an ordinary family or HOA board would walk right past — a checklist most people have never run. Are there clearly visible "No Diving" signs? Can depth markers be read easily from both the deck and in the water? Is the layout intuitive, or does the design itself invite a mistake? In one case the firm handled, he said, the absence of required warning signs, faded depth markers and an unusual pool design combined to create a hazard no swimmer would have anticipated — the kind of overlooked detail behind a catastrophic spinal cord injury. ### What the law actually requires — and where pools fall short California's Swimming Pool Safety Act sets a minimum standard. For residential pools and spas, it requires an enclosure barrier at least 60 inches tall, gates that are self-closing and self-latching, and drain covers that meet federal anti-entrapment standards. Pools built or substantially remodeled since 2018 must add at least two of seven approved drowning-prevention features, from alarms to safety covers. Those are minimums every owner should take seriously, Johnson said. "Too often, owners assume that because a pool has been there for years, it's compliant," he said. Barriers and gates are only the start; visible depth markers, legible warning signs and other required features matter just as much, and they deteriorate. Regular inspection and maintenance, he said, aren't optional. When a pool doesn't meet code and someone is seriously hurt, responsibility turns on who owned, controlled or maintained the property — a homeowner, an HOA, a property manager — and the same expectation applies to all of them. "Pool owners and operators are expected to comply with applicable safety codes and industry standards," he said. "When they fail to do so, and someone is seriously injured as a result, they can be held legally responsible for the harm caused." ### What Riverside families can do before summer Johnson's core message is that most of these deaths don't have to happen — and that prevention starts with something anyone can do this weekend. "Take a walk around your pool before anyone gets in the water," he said. "Small maintenance issues that seem insignificant can have life-changing consequences if they're ignored." For HOA boards, the message is the same with higher stakes, since a single community pool serves dozens of families. "Pool safety requirements exist because they save lives," Johnson said. "They're not optional recommendations or paperwork." Before opening a community pool for the season, he said, boards should confirm that every required safety feature is in place and working. Beyond the checklist, the county offers families help. First 5 Riverside County provides [survival-swim and group lessons](https://rccfc.org/about-community-programs/drowning-prevention?ref=raincrossgazette.com) for children as young as 6 months at more than 20 locations across the county. The [City of Riverside's aquatics program](https://www.riversideca.gov/park%5Frec/aquatics?ref=raincrossgazette.com) runs Red Cross-certified swim lessons at low cost and opens its public pools for the summer season with free swim days on summer Wednesdays through a partnership with the Riverside Police Foundation. Riverside University Health System's water safety program also offers free "water watcher" tags at [rivcowatersafety.org](http://rivcowatersafety.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com), a simple tool for designating one undistracted adult to keep eyes on the water. None of it replaces the oldest rule at any pool: watch the water, and don't assume someone else is. **More information:* Aitken Aitken Cohn's Riverside office is at 7121 Magnolia Ave., Suite A, near the 91 Freeway at Magnolia and Arlington. The office can be reached at 951-534-4006, and* [*aitkenlaw.com*](http://aitkenlaw.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### 🗞️ Riverside News- August 4, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-august-4-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:20.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/PXL_20260615_172347738.jpg) Vince Allen shared this shot at the Eiffel Tower, capturing the end of a road trip through Northern France with friends. The group closed out the trip in Paris with a dinner cruise down the Seine River. **Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and what you got up to](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com)! **Tuesday Gazette: August 4, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Tuesday!** It's Hooray for Kids Day, a nice excuse to notice the young ones in your life — the kid who narrates their entire day to you in the checkout line, the one who's convinced a cardboard box is actually a spaceship. And if someone comes to mind who pours their heart into fundraising or volunteering for a cause, [nominate them for Neighbor of the Week](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260804)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260804&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Latino Network Weighs Path Forward for César Chávez Memorial Months after Dolores Huerta's abuse allegations against the labor leader, the nonprofit is surveying the community on the downtown statue's future. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/latino-network-weighs-path-forward-for-cesar-chavez-memorial/) The César Chávez monument on the Main Street Mall depicts Chávez standing above a group of farmworkers in the fields. The words "Sí Se Puede" — Spanish for "Yes, we can" — are inscribed in the plaza pavement at the statue's base. (File photo/Raincross Gazette) The Riverside Latino Network is surveying the community on whether to keep, modify or remove its César Chávez memorial. **Why it matters:** The push follows Dolores Huerta's March statement alleging Chávez sexually abused her in the 1960s — reopening debate over how Riverside honors him, including a separate city review of a University Avenue community center. **The backstory:** Huerta, 95, alleged in a March statement that Chávez abused her in the 1960s, resulting in two children raised by other families. - Chávez, who co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) with Huerta, died in 1993; the network says the allegations "rocked our community." **Driving the news:** The network's July 29 statement described a wave of reactions — anger, sadness, confusion — as it works to decide the memorial's fate. - Board member Art Alcaraz says the group is being "deliberate and intentional," noting the statue took three and a half years to fund. **By the numbers:** The 2013 memorial cost between $350,000 and $400,000 to build, funded through years of community fundraising. - A majority of respondents so far favor keeping the memorial but broadening it to honor farmworkers generally, rather than centering Chávez alone, Alcaraz said. **What's next:** The network has asked the memorial's original sculptor to draft concepts honoring farmworkers, then plans another public survey before a final decision. - Any changes require new fundraising — no timeline has been set. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/latino-network-weighs-path-forward-for-cesar-chavez-memorial/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260804) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600804&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [MUSIC](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/music/) ## Mariachi Campana Becomes First California Ensemble to Win Nationals The Riverside Arts Academy ensemble took the 2026 Mariachi Nationals title in Anaheim after a strong spring showing at the Tucson International Mariachi Conference. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/08/RG-Feat-Image-Template-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mariachi-campana-becomes-first-california-ensemble-to-win-nationals/) Mariachi Campana de Riverside performs at the OC Fair's Command Performance. (Riverside Arts Academy) Mariachi Campana de Riverside became the first California ensemble to win the Mariachi Nationals championship. **Why it matters:** The Riverside Arts Academy youth ensemble's win puts the city's mariachi programs in the national spotlight, highlighting years of investment in youth music education here. **What's new:** Mariachi Campana topped this week's Mariachi Nationals competition in Anaheim, the first title for a California ensemble in the contest's history. - The group is directed by Alex Treviño II, with assistant directors Yamila de la Rosa and Angel Chavez. **Driving the news:** The win follows a third-place finish this spring at the Tucson International Mariachi Conference — the best showing by a California ensemble there, according to the academy. **What they're saying:** Academy leaders credited community investment in young people. - Treviño called it "far more than a trophy," in a statement; executive and artistic director Adam Karelin-Anderson said it shows "what is possible" when a community backs its youth. **What's next:** The ensemble performed a Command Performance at the OC Fair alongside Embajadores del Mariachi: Sol de México, according to the academy. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mariachi-campana-becomes-first-california-ensemble-to-win-nationals/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260804)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260804&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [ScotSurplus Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/scotsurplus-sale/19040309/2026-08-04T11) at Corporation Yard - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-08-04T19) at The Hideaway ### Tomorrow - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-08-05T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-08-05T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-05T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - [How Will California Educate Its Future Workforce?](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/how-will-california-educate-its-future-workforce/19487830/2026-08-05T18) at Riverside Convention Center - [The Wonders of Waste with Riverside Public Works](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-wonders-of-waste-with-riverside-public-works/19416879/2026-08-05T18) at Cactus Cantina ### Save the Date - August 7: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-07T07) at Zacatecas Café - August 8: [Casino Night with CARE](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/casino-night-with-care/19476771/2026-08-08T18) at Riverside Airport Cafe ($50) - August 8: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-08T07) at Community Yoga Center - August 8: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-08T09) at Community Yoga Center - August 10: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-10T19) at Community Yoga Center - September 9: [Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Latino Network Weighs Path Forward for César Chávez Memorial URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/latino-network-weighs-path-forward-for-cesar-chavez-memorial/ Last updated: 2026-08-06T11:59:26.000Z The Riverside Latino Network is asking the community to weigh in on the future of its César Chávez memorial statue in downtown Riverside – months after Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers, publicly accused the late labor leader of sexual abuse. Huerta, 95, released a [statement](https://medium.com/@dolores%5Fhuerta/march-18-2026-e74c20430555?ref=raincrossgazette.com) in mid-March alleging that Chávez sexually abused her in the 1960s, resulting in two children who were raised by other families. Chávez, who co-founded the United Farm Workers with Huerta, died in 1993. The allegations "rocked our community," the network said in a July 29 [statement](https://www.facebook.com/riversidelatinonetwork/posts/pfbid0DnUaBiZJA4iTvmhzXbURdqCf7eg4BgLVGWHKmWthtsrrbCQy7CdD8CgizYqPGyaQl), describing waves of "anger, frustration, confusion, sadness, empathy, hate, hurt, compassion for victims and many questions about what to do next." Board member Art Alcaraz told the Gazette the organization has been trying to be “deliberate and intentional” in their next steps regarding the statue. “It took us three and a half years to raise the money to create the statue and the memorial, and it's not something you can just change overnight," Alcaraz said. "We have to ultimately do what's best for our community and our interests." The network postponed its annual [César Chávez Breakfast, originally scheduled for March 30](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-responds-to-chavez-allegations-latino-network-postpones-annual-event/), and replaced it in May with a Celebración de la Comunidad y Justicia event honoring farmworkers, youth and education. actor Tony Plana delivered the keynote, focused on the value of education. The network called the event "a resounding success." Since then, the network has gathered community input through a QR-code survey — shared on its Facebook and Instagram pages and asking whether to keep, modify or remove the memorial — as well as through in-person outreach: a table at the Thursday night ArtWalks in downtown Riverside, an appearance at Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson's multicultural forum, and comments at a City Council meeting. The memorial, on the Main Street Mall in downtown Riverside, was unveiled June 13, 2013, after a fundraising effort Alcaraz estimated brought in between $350,000 to $400,000. Alcaraz said feedback so far breaks down into three camps: some residents want the memorial left as is, some want it removed, and a majority favor keeping it but modifying it to honor farmworkers more broadly, rather than centering Chávez alone. "You can't deny the farmworker contribution to our area — it's been significant," Alcaraz said. "We need to keep that focus as we look at what we're going to do with the memorial." The network has consulted the memorial's original sculptor, who is drafting concept options that would add tributes to farmworkers, Alcaraz said. Once the concepts are ready, the network plans another round of public input — likely another QR-code survey or community forums — before making a final decision. Any changes would require fundraising: five or six pillars at the site would need to be modified, at a cost of several thousand dollars each, Alcaraz said, and the network has not set a timeline. The memorial is privately owned by the network, but its future is being weighed alongside a separate, city-led review of the César Chávez Community Center on University Avenue. Mayor Lock Dawson called for public input on both sites in March, after the city [pulled a César Chávez Day proclamation from its March 24 council agenda](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-pulls-cesar-chavez-honors-calls-for-review-of-chavez-named-facilities/) and instead observed United Farmworkers Day. The city's [Park and Recreation Commission is reviewing options for the community center](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-to-seek-public-input-on-cesar-chavez-community-center-name/); the city [held public forums on the potential renaming July 30 and Aug. 1](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/public-forums-set-on-renaming-chavez-community-center/) at the Youth Opportunity Center, 2060 University Ave. ### Riverside's Mariachi Campana Wins 2026 National Mariachi Championship URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mariachi-campana-becomes-first-california-ensemble-to-win-nationals/ Last updated: 2026-08-05T23:15:31.000Z Mariachi Campana de Riverside, an ensemble of the Riverside Arts Academy, has won the 2026 Mariachi Nationals championship. The group secured the honor this week at the Mariachi Nationals competition in Anaheim. The win caps a landmark year for the youth ensemble, which is based in Riverside and represents the city on national stages. Local arts leaders say the title reflects years of investment in youth music education and puts Riverside's mariachi programs in the national spotlight. Mariachi Campana is led by Alex Treviño II, the Riverside Arts Academy's Director of Programs and Partnerships, along with assistant directors Yamila de la Rosa and Angel Chavez. "This championship represents far more than a trophy," Treviño said in a statement. "It reflects the countless hours our students have dedicated to their craft, the support of their families, and the belief that music has the power to transform lives. We are incredibly proud of every student who stepped onto that stage and represented Riverside with excellence." The national title follows a third-place finish earlier this spring at the Tucson International Mariachi Conference, the highest placement by a California ensemble at that competition, according to the Riverside Arts Academy. Adam Karelin-Anderson, the academy's executive and artistic director, said in a statement that the championship shows what is possible when a community invests in its young people. "This national championship shows what is possible when we truly believe in our community's young people and support them with everything we've got," Karelin-Anderson said in a statement. Following the win, Mariachi Campana performed in a Command Performance at the OC Fair alongside Embajadores del Mariachi: Sol de México. **More information:* Visit* [*riversideartsacademy.com*](http://www.riversideartsacademy.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* *Riverside Arts Academy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides accessible music education programs for young people in partnership with community organizations.* **Correction- Tues. Aug. 4, 10am** An earlier version of this story, based on information provided in the Riverside Arts Academy's press release, stated that Mariachi Campana was the first ensemble from California to win the Mariachi Nationals championship. The Riverside Arts Academy has since said that claim was inaccurate and should not have been included. The Gazette regrets the error. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- August 3, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-july-27-2026-copy/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:21.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/PXL_20260726_132359568.jpg) Larry Burns' summer trip took him to Dave's Rock Garden in Encinitas, a beloved roadside attraction since 2015 featuring hand-painted rocks, succulents, and a mosaic mural by artists Kevin Anderson, Svetlana Kozak, and Ray Simmonds. ***Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and what you got up to](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **Monday Gazette: August 3, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday!** This week, we are thinking about the teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and counselors who keep our schools running. With back to school just around the corner, it felt like the right week to send a shout out to all the families and educators getting ready for a new year. Whether you're shopping for supplies, prepping a classroom, or just bracing for earlier mornings, we're thinking of you. Know a super special educator or school worker? [Nominate them](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as our next Neighbor of the Week. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260803)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260803&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## This Week in City Hall: August 3, 2026 A citizen panel that could reshape the city charter, a new ranking system for traffic signal requests, and an annual checkup on the city's ethics code. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-14-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-august-3-2026/) (File photo/Raincross Gazette) Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### Governmental Processes Committee The Governmental Processes Committee (Councilmembers Falcone, Perry, and Conder) meets on Wednesday, August 5, at 9 a.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1429031&GUID=D3B50B28-4FE8-421A-BED2-6377DCA6CA20&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review the process for forming a [Charter Review Committee](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15709374&GUID=2BF519F2-00E3-4374-AC7D-79DB280D2258&ref=raincrossgazette.com) — a citizen panel required every eight years to recommend potential charter amendments — with the City Council needing to decide how members will be appointed ahead of a possible March 2028 ballot measure ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5414-governmental-processes-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a623ffb44253887a4001b9f-2-proposed-charter-review-committee-timeline-and?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and [reviewing amendments](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15709375&GUID=38850ACD-3011-42CF-AC54-B95B0B29A6CC&ref=raincrossgazette.com)adopted last year to the City Council's meeting rules — including revised meeting schedules, new time limits for council debate and updated public comment procedures ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5414-governmental-processes-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a623ffb44253887a4001ba0-3-city-council-rules-of-procedures-and-order-of-b?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Transportation Board The Transportation Board meets on Wednesday, August 5, at 5:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1428926&GUID=08E0536D-A53F-47A8-8503-64C16A91F5A2&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to [review an updated ranking system](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15708130&GUID=B9BF9870-F4AD-46E5-B3A1-3C3BC3C0DB12&ref=raincrossgazette.com)used to evaluate requests for new traffic signals at unsignalized intersections, which the city says will guide future planning but does not itself authorize construction of any signals. ### Board of Ethics The Board of Ethics meets on Thursday, August 6, at 6 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1428345&GUID=D72D8DD6-8612-4D45-9680-7D8635D5A374&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review the [annual assessment](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15703319&GUID=70E9D97E-0C63-4E51-9E21-2D553FA18BE1&ref=raincrossgazette.com) of the City's Code of Ethics and Conduct, including a rule barring officials from endorsing products or services for compensation, ahead of recommendations being forwarded to the City Council's Governmental Processes Committee. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-august-3-2026/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260803) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600803&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [FROM THE MAYOR'S DESK](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/from-the-mayors-desk/) ## Opinion: What We're Really Doing About Homelessness Housing alone won't solve homelessness. It takes safety, partnerships, prevention and investment, the city's four-part approach. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/Caltrans-Partnership---Lawrence-C-29-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-what-were-really-doing-about-homelessness/) Members of Riverside's Public Safety and Engagement Team and Code Enforcement conduct outreach along a freeway underpass as part of the city's partnership with Caltrans. (Courtesy of the Office of Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson) Why can’t we “solve” homelessness? The answer is not as simple as many people think. While [we are building more homes](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-riverside-state-lawmakers-target-missing-middle-housing-to-boost-homeownership/), solving homelessness requires more than just housing, it requires helping people move from crisis to stability, breaking the cycle and preventing it before it starts. In February of this year [I addressed common misconceptions](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-homelessness-in-riverside-what-we-can-do-what-we-cant-and-why-we-wont-give-up/) regarding homelessness and explained the legal, financial and systemic constraints our cities face in addressing this challenge. While we have some limitations, we can also be creative when coming up with solutions. Our approach rests on four principles: safety, partnerships, prevention and investment in solutions that work. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-what-were-really-doing-about-homelessness/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260803)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260803&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CITY HALL](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/city-hall/) ## Utility Board Approves $5 Million Battery Storage Rebate Plan Rebate would offer up to $10,000 per household, with a higher tier for low-income customers, pending City Council approval. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/3-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/utility-board-approves-5-million-battery-storage-rebate-plan/) (File photo/Raincross Gazette) Homeowners could get up to $10,000 to install home battery storage under a new city rebate program. **Why it matters:** If you pair batteries with rooftop solar — or install one on its own — you could get $500 per kilowatt-hour back, or $850 if you qualify through the SHARE low-income program. **What's new:** The Board of Public Utilities unanimously recommended the $5 million program Monday, sending it to City Council for final approval. - Rebates run $500 per kilowatt-hour, up to $10,000 per project, or $850 per kilowatt-hour, up to $17,000, for SHARE-qualified customers. **By the numbers:** Staff estimated battery storage delivers about $465 per kilowatt-hour in value over 10 years, based on avoided energy and infrastructure costs. - The proposed rebate is set slightly higher, at $500 per kilowatt-hour. **Yes, but:** The $10,000 per-project cap could limit the program to roughly 500 participants, and board members questioned how fast the $5 million could run out. - Assistant General Manager Tracy Sato said any funding shift would come with advance notice to the board. **What's next:** If City Council approves, Riverside Public Utilities plans to start marketing the program immediately and adjust rebates as battery costs decline. - The rebate would also apply retroactively to qualifying systems installed since July 1, 2026. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/utility-board-approves-5-million-battery-storage-rebate-plan/) --- ## Noteworthy Cool Centers activate at City facilities when temperatures reach [97°F or higher](https://riversideca.gov/readyriverside/be-informed/hazards/extreme-heat?ref=raincrossgazette.com), offering water and snacks, while City pools provide another way to beat the heat; residents are also urged to watch for heat exhaustion and heat stroke symptoms like dizziness, heavy sweating and confusion, and to call 911 if symptoms worsen. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-03T08) at Community Yoga Center ### Tomorrow - [ScotSurplus Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/scotsurplus-sale/19040309/2026-08-04T11) at Corporation Yard - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-08-04T19) at The Hideaway ### Save the Date - August 5: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-05T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - August 7: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-07T07) at Zacatecas Café - August 8: [Casino Night with CARE](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/casino-night-with-care/19476771/2026-08-08T18) at Riverside Airport Cafe ($50) - August 8: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-08T07) at Community Yoga Center - August 8: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-08T09) at Community Yoga Center - August 10: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-10T19) at Community Yoga Center - September 9: [Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### This Week in City Hall: August 3, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-august-3-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-05T12:00:27.000Z Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### Governmental Processes Committee The Governmental Processes Committee meets on Wednesday, August 5, at 9 a.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1429031&GUID=D3B50B28-4FE8-421A-BED2-6377DCA6CA20&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review the process for forming a [Charter Review Committee](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15709374&GUID=2BF519F2-00E3-4374-AC7D-79DB280D2258&ref=raincrossgazette.com) — a citizen panel required every eight years to recommend potential charter amendments — with the City Council needing to decide how members will be appointed ahead of a possible March 2028 ballot measure ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5414-governmental-processes-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a623ffb44253887a4001b9f-2-proposed-charter-review-committee-timeline-and?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and [reviewing amendments](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15709375&GUID=38850ACD-3011-42CF-AC54-B95B0B29A6CC&ref=raincrossgazette.com)adopted last year to the City Council's meeting rules — including revised meeting schedules, new time limits for council debate and updated public comment procedures ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5414-governmental-processes-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a623ffb44253887a4001ba0-3-city-council-rules-of-procedures-and-order-of-b?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Transportation Board The Transportation Board meets on Wednesday, August 5, at 5:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1428926&GUID=08E0536D-A53F-47A8-8503-64C16A91F5A2&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to [review an updated ranking system](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15708130&GUID=B9BF9870-F4AD-46E5-B3A1-3C3BC3C0DB12&ref=raincrossgazette.com)used to evaluate requests for new traffic signals at unsignalized intersections, which the city says will guide future planning but does not itself authorize construction of any signals. ### Board of Ethics The Board of Ethics meets on Thursday, August 6, at 6 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1428345&GUID=D72D8DD6-8612-4D45-9680-7D8635D5A374&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review the [annual assessment](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15703319&GUID=70E9D97E-0C63-4E51-9E21-2D553FA18BE1&ref=raincrossgazette.com) of the City's Code of Ethics and Conduct, including a rule barring officials from endorsing products or services for compensation, ahead of recommendations being forwarded to the City Council's Governmental Processes Committee. ### Opinion: What We're Really Doing About Homelessness URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-what-were-really-doing-about-homelessness/ Last updated: 2026-08-05T11:59:04.000Z Why can’t we “solve” homelessness? The answer is not as simple as many people think. While [we are building more homes](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-riverside-state-lawmakers-target-missing-middle-housing-to-boost-homeownership/), solving homelessness requires more than just housing, it requires helping people move from crisis to stability, breaking the cycle and preventing it before it starts. In February of this year [I addressed common misconceptions](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-homelessness-in-riverside-what-we-can-do-what-we-cant-and-why-we-wont-give-up/) regarding homelessness and explained the legal, financial and systemic constraints our cities face in addressing this challenge. While we have some limitations, we can also be creative when coming up with solutions. Our approach rests on four principles: safety, partnerships, prevention and investment in solutions that work. **Restoring Safety, Creating Stability** The Magnolia Corridor, particularly between Van Buren and La Sierra, is an area of the city heavily impacted by homelessness. Over time, deteriorating motels in this area have become magnets for criminal activity like drug use and sex trafficking. Vulnerable individuals living in these hotels have little opportunity to connect to the help they need. So addressing homelessness requires more than connecting people to services—it also requires addressing the conditions that keep people trapped in crisis. Untreated substance use can make the path to stability difficult. A [study](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11840688/?ref=raincrossgazette.com#abstract1) published last year in the *Journal of the American Medical Association* found that 37% of surveyed Californians experiencing homelessness reported regularly using illicit substances.This underscores why our response must address both the immediate conditions people are living in and the underlying barriers that prevent them from achieving long-term housing stability. Along the Magnolia Corridor, the City launched a coordinated effort to hold negligent hotel owners accountable. Five hotel owners were billed for costs arising from repeated police responses to their properties. The Riverside Police Department increased enforcement through regular patrols and targeted operations, while the City's Public Safety and Engagement Team (PSET) continued connecting homeless individuals with shelter, treatment, and supportive services. After more than two years of investigation and legal work, [the City secured a court-appointed receivership](https://riversideca.gov/press/riverside-successfully-argues-court-name-receiver-address-crime-and-drug-problems-motel?ref=raincrossgazette.com) for the Riverside Inn & Suites on Magnolia Avenue, allowing a receiver to take control of this troubled property, oversee operations, and complete necessary repairs. The Riverside Inn & Suites is the first of five properties where the City is pursuing similar legal remedies. This milestone reflects years of collaboration and the leadership of former Councilmember Jim Perry, who championed this effort throughout the process. By combining accountability with outreach and services, the City is working to disrupt the cycles of instability that contribute to homelessness. **A New Approach to Freeway Encampments** Another example of this coordinated approach is our work to address encampments along state freeways. For years, people have lived in unsafe conditions along freeway corridors, while cities were unable to intervene because those areas are state property. This limited our ability to provide outreach, remove hazardous conditions, and connect people with services. Riverside helped change that. We became [one of the first cities in California to partner with Caltrans on an agreement](https://riversideca.gov/press/city-riverside-will-proactively-clear-encampments-freeway-ramps-following-one-first?ref=raincrossgazette.com) that allows our Public Safety and Engagement Team (PSET) to work directly along state freeway property to provide outreach, remove debris, and connect homeless individuals with available resources. This partnership allows us to respond more quickly and compassionately while ensuring the state helps support the work happening in our community. Since this agreement took effect, City crews have: - Mitigated 728 encampment locations - Removed more than 91 tons of debris - Issued 246 code violations - Made 48 arrests **Shared Responsibility, Better Outcomes** Another important step has been the adoption of a [new ordinance](https://riversideca.gov/press/new-city-riverside-ordinance-requires-advance-notice-dropping-unhoused-person-within-city?ref=raincrossgazette.com) requiring organizations to notify the City before transporting homeless individuals into Riverside. The goal is simple: to ensure services can be coordinated *before* someone is dropped off, rather than after the fact. Despite significant investments by both the City and State, the supply of emergency shelter beds and affordable housing remains limited. At the same time, Riverside serves as a regional hub for hospitals, behavioral health facilities, shelters, recuperative care programs, and the county jail. Because of this, too often individuals are transported into Riverside without prior coordination or a plan for supportive services, placing additional strain on already limited local resources and reducing our ability to respond effectively to those already here. The new ordinance is intended to improve coordination, not prevent people from receiving care. Organizations transporting homeless individuals into Riverside must provide written notification at least 24 hours in advance. This allows City staff and service providers to coordinate available resources, identify the jurisdiction of origin, and ensure individuals are connected to appropriate services rather than released onto the street without support. Just as importantly, the ordinance reinforces that homelessness is a regional challenge requiring regional solutions. By tracking where individuals are being transported from, Riverside can work more effectively with neighboring jurisdictions and service providers to improve coordination, strengthen accountability, and ensure responsibility is shared rather than shifted from one community to another. That coordination matters because homelessness response requires significant resources. According to City estimates, it costs approximately **$63,000** to provide the shelter, rental assistance, housing navigation, case management, and outreach services needed to stabilize one unsheltered individual. Better coordination helps ensure those limited resources are used wisely while improving continuity of care for the people who need them most. **Bringing State Resources Home and Investing in Solutions that Work** While we continue taking enforcement action here at home, addressing homelessness also requires sustained investment. That's why we are fighting in Sacramento to ensure Riverside has the resources needed to keep making progress. Each year, cities across California rely on the state's Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) program to fund many of the outreach, shelter, housing, and prevention services that help move people off the streets and keep others from experiencing homelessness in the first place. This year, as Chair of the California Big City Mayors Coalition, I led mayors from across the state in successfully advocating to restore this funding to the state budget. We secured $900 million for HHAP Round 7\. We also strengthened accountability by ensuring unspent HHAP dollars stay dedicated to homelessness solutions and are redirected to communities putting them to work, rather than sitting idle or reverting to the State's General Fund. Similarly, we cut unnecessary red tape so funding can reach local communities faster. Of that $900M in funding, Riverside County, the City of Riverside, and the Riverside City & County Continuum of Care are anticipated to receive approximately $18 million, including roughly $9 million directly for the City of Riverside. So what does that investment mean for our community? For Riverside, it means real people getting a second chance. Through the first five rounds of HHAP funding, Riverside has reached nearly 500 people through street outreach, helping connect them with services and support. We created 133 shelter beds so folks slept on a bed rather than the street, helped 125 individuals quickly move from homelessness into housing, and prevented more than 200 households from becoming homeless by helping them remain in their homes. Just as importantly, we are using these dollars where they will make the greatest difference. In Riverside, [one in five](https://riversideca.gov/press/city-riverside-has-stemmed-growth-homelessness-new-data-shows?ref=raincrossgazette.com) of our unsheltered individuals have experienced homelessness for less than a year, and one of the leading causes is simply not having enough income to afford housing. Seniors over the age of 55 represent the largest group of people newly experiencing homelessness. Those realities are shaping our investments. HHAP funds are being reallocated to maximize their impact, including expanding rental assistance, supporting 25 units at Mulberry Gardens Senior Apartments, and investing in other eligible homelessness response efforts. Helping someone *remain* housed is not only life-changing for that individual but is also one of the most effective and fiscally responsible ways to reduce homelessness. So, what are we doing about homelessness? We are taking action on every front: building more housing, expanding outreach, creating shelter opportunities, preventing homelessness before it happens, holding bad actors accountable, strengthening partnerships, and fighting for the resources our community needs. There is no single solution and no overnight fix, but every person we help move toward housing, every family we help keep housed, and every barrier we remove represents meaningful progress. The work ahead is significant, but so is our commitment. Riverside will continue leading with compassion, accountability, and action, because every resident deserves a safe community, and every person deserves the opportunity to find a place to call home. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- August 2, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-august-2-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:22.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/IMG_8809.jpeg) Marlene Allen touched down in Honolulu to clear skies — no sign of Tropical Storm Fausto as she arrived in Hawaii. **Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and what you got up to](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **Sunday Gazette: August 2, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday!** Today's National Friendship Day, and it's got us thinking — we text our friends constantly, but when's the last time one of them got something from us in the mail? A little sentimental, sure, but there's something nice about a friend opening an actual envelope instead of another meme. Might be a fun way to spend a few minutes today. See you tomorrow! --- 🧡 Thank you to the Subscribers who became paid supporters this week: William S Willis. [Your ongoing financial support](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-march-15-2026-2/#/portal/account/plans) is vital to our success in serving Riverside with the news it deserves! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260802)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260802&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HISTORY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/history/) ## New Magnolia Avenue How a 1912 fill project connected Riverside's grandest avenue to its downtown core. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/8-Riv-City-Str-III-11-Elmwood-Court---Magnolia-Ave.-CLD1-179-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/new-magnolia-avenue/) Through postcards, stereoviews, and other advertising and promotional material, Magnolia Avenue became famous even outside of Riverside. Extending southwest from Arlington Avenue, the picturesque avenue with a tree-lined center strip showcased the homes of early citrus growers. However, the street was not directly connected to downtown Riverside. For example, the Riverside and Arlington Electric Railway ran up Magnolia, turned right at Arlington Avenue, then left onto Brockton Avenue before proceeding north to downtown. A more direct route was wished for by many. By 1908, plans were underway to accomplish this. The newspaper announced that rights-of-way were secured from Arlington Avenue to Thirteenth Street. The only question was whether to build a bridge over Arroyo, such as was built on Victoria Avenue, or to fill in the ravine. The decision was made to fill in the Tequesquite Arroyo as the new road approached the mile square of downtown Riverside. A new road was built from Arlington Avenue to Jurupa Avenue through the Government Land Tract. The new route made a slight right bend as it left Arlington and, at Jurupa, joined Cypress Avenue, which was renamed Magnolia Avenue. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/new-magnolia-avenue/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260802)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260802&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [NEIGHBOR OF THE WEEK](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/neighbor-of-the-week/) ## Mauryce A. Kennon Neighbor of the Week is a series profiling the hidden heroes of Riverside, doing incredible works of service throughout our different neighborhoods. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/Mauryce-Kennon--A-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-mauryce-a-kennon/) Mauryce A. Kennon outside Stratton Community Center, the building he calls the most beautiful in Riverside, surrounded by the kids his work is all for. (Brenda Flowers) Mauryce A. Kennon has served the Riverside community for more than 32 years, working along the way as a youth counselor, violence intervention specialist, recreational leader, mentor, coach, and entrepreneur. Born and raised in Riverside, he founded [FeedDemKids](https://feeddemkids.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com), a nonprofit that started small, with a group of friends adopting families for Christmas. Over the years it has grown to include back to school giveaways and holiday activities, along with support from several major sponsors, all while Mauryce stays hands on with the kids and families the organization serves. He also makes a point of including seniors in the community in his work. Mauryce says he's guided by transparency, compassion, empathy, work ethos, and love, and by a belief that "the stronger the citizens, the stronger the community." [Get to know Mauryce...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-mauryce-a-kennon/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260802) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260802&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [RAINCROSS RUNDOWN](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/raincross-rundown/) ## The Best of Riverside in August 2026 The heat's still on and backpacks are out, but August isn't slowing down. From walking tours to trivia nights to a fundraiser for young musicians, here's what's worth your time this month. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-5-2.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-rundown-the-best-of-riverside-in-august-2026/) Riverside Arts Academy students shine on the national stage at YOLA National Festival and Mariachi Nationals. (Riverside Arts Academy) Summer's not done with us yet — the heat's still hanging around and those first "back to school" signs are popping up on lawns and storefronts. But before the routines of fall settle back in, there's still plenty of August left to enjoy. Whether you're squeezing in one more walking tour, testing your trivia knowledge on a Wednesday night, or coming out to support Riverside Arts Academy's young musicians at their summer fundraiser, there's a little something for everyone this month. Here's what's on our radar. [Read and share the complete rundown...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-rundown-the-best-of-riverside-in-august-2026/) --- #### [CREATIVE PROMPTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/creative-prompts/) ## Bean There A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns. [![A bunch of different types of seeds in a box](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1737735633629-f9ed8408a176?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDEwMHx8YmVhbnN8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzg1NDQzNjU4fDA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/bean-there/) ([wei](https://unsplash.com/@chanwei%5Fsnap?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) This week, we are reaching into the pantry for a creative staple: the bean. I’m picturing the prototypical bean—kidney, pinto or black—but “bean” covers an enormous family of edible seeds and bean-adjacent legumes. We also use the shape to describe swimming pools, bags, or a slang term for someone’s head. Change the spelling and it becomes a word containing everything that has already happened. Beans also occupy a durable place in storytelling. In fairytales, beans are counted, planted, spilled, and transformative. They can represent abundance or scarcity, depending on whether you have a pantry full of them or a handful of them after selling your cow. As a kid, my best friends Robert and Erick lived in a house where a cast-iron skillet of fresh refried beans seemed permanently available in the kitchen. Sadly, I was a picky eater and maintained a diet with all the adventurous range of a fast food menu. I didn’t appreciate those beans until adulthood. [Read and share the complete prompt...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/bean-there/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Sunday, August 2 - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-08-02T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Architectural Walking Tour of Downtown Riverside](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/architectural-walking-tour-of-downtown-riverside/19390093/2026-08-02T10) at Mission Inn Foundation & Visitor Center ($21.20) - [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-02T08) at Community Yoga Center - [Volunteer Orientation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-orientation/19328343/2026-08-02T09) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [Gardening for Butterflies](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/gardening-for-butterflies/19328170/2026-08-02T09) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [Learn Origami](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/learn-origami/18025240/2026-08-02T11) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [Origami with Michelle](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/origami-with-michelle/18094962/2026-08-02T11) at Botanic Gardens - [Storytime in the Gardens](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/storytime-in-the-gardens/18025386/2026-08-02T10) at UCR Botanic Gardens ### Monday, August 3 - [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-03T08) at Community Yoga Center ### Tuesday, August 4 - [ScotSurplus Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/scotsurplus-sale/19040309/2026-08-04T11) at Corporation Yard - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-08-04T19) at The Hideaway ### Wednesday, August 5 - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-08-05T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-08-05T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-05T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - [How Will California Educate Its Future Workforce?](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/how-will-california-educate-its-future-workforce/19487830/2026-08-05T18) at Riverside Convention Center - [The Wonders of Waste with Riverside Public Works](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-wonders-of-waste-with-riverside-public-works/19416879/2026-08-05T18) at Cactus Cantina ### Thursday, August 6 - [FREE ADMISSION - First Thursday of every month during Riverside ArtsWalk](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-admission-first-thursday-of-every-month-during-riverside-artswalk/13230799/2026-08-06T18) at Riverside Art Museum ### Friday, August 7 - [Murder Mystery Co. Dinner Theater Show](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/murder-mystery-co-dinner-theater-show/18734751/2026-08-07T19) at The Old Spaghetti Factory ($69) - [Jo Jo Jorge Falcon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/jo-jo-jorge-falcon/19346703/2026-08-07T20) at Fox Performing Arts Center ### Saturday, August 8 - [Off the Block on the Screen](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/off-the-block-on-the-screen/19498723/2026-08-08T14) at Culver Center of the Arts - [Casino Night with CARE](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/casino-night-with-care/19476771/2026-08-08T18) at Riverside Airport Cafe ($50) - [Joyas Prestadas - The Jenni Rivera Tribute Band](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/joyas-prestadas-the-jenni-rivera-tribute-band/19346705/2026-08-08T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [Summer-Ween RIP Summer Comedy Sip and Paint Event](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summerween-rip-summer-comedy-sip-and-paint-event/18114790/2026-08-08T11) at BACK TO THE GRIND ($23.18) - [Surely Tempo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/surely-tempo-garden-room-rma/19346706/2026-08-08T19) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium- Garden Room ## Save the Date - August 10: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-10T19) at Community Yoga Center - September 9: [Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### New Magnolia Avenue URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/new-magnolia-avenue/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:03:58.000Z Through postcards, stereoviews, and other advertising and promotional material, Magnolia Avenue became famous even outside of Riverside. Extending southwest from Arlington Avenue, the picturesque avenue with a tree-lined center strip showcased the homes of early citrus growers. However, the street was not directly connected to downtown Riverside. For example, the Riverside and Arlington Electric Railway ran up Magnolia, turned right at Arlington Avenue, then left onto Brockton Avenue before proceeding north to downtown. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/1-1905-Directory-Map-cropped.jpg) Map from 1905 City Directory. (Courtesy of the Main Library Local History Archives) A more direct route was wished for by many. By 1908, plans were underway to accomplish this. The newspaper announced that rights-of-way were secured from Arlington Avenue to Thirteenth Street. The only question was whether to build a bridge over Arroyo, such as was built on Victoria Avenue, or to fill in the ravine. The decision was made to fill in the Tequesquite Arroyo as the new road approached the mile square of downtown Riverside. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/2-1908-Proposed-Map.jpg) ****Map from the December 24, 1908,** ***Riverside Daily Press** **, showing Proposed Route** A new road was built from Arlington Avenue to Jurupa Avenue through the Government Land Tract. The new route made a slight right bend as it left Arlington and, at Jurupa, joined Cypress Avenue, which was renamed Magnolia Avenue. Cypress Avenue was an early street below the mile square of downtown. According to historian Tom Patterson, Cypress Avenue "originally crossed Tequesquite Arroyo by a tortuous route, slanting downward and eastward along the south bank of the Arroyo within the present Riverside Community College campus. A remnant of old Cypress remains today under the name of Stadium Way, climbing from the RCC athletic field to Fourteenth Street," (see above 1905 map). The *1892-93 History and Directory of Riverside County* lists about twenty homes with a Cypress address. Two prominent names of the day were Deloraine Chapman and Ernst A. Meacham. In 1887, Chapman built his home at 257 Cypress Avenue (today 5081 Magnolia Avenue) on twenty acres, where he planted citrus trees. After his death, his daughters deeded a portion of the land through his property to the city for a street so the land could be subdivided for homes. That street is Chapman Place. The old Chapman home sits on the corner of Magnolia Avenue and Chapman Place. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/3-Chapman-House.JPG) Photo of the Chapman Home at 5081 Magnolia Avenue. (Photo by Author) Meacham moved to Riverside in 1887 with his parents. He was an early director of the Pachappa Orange Growers Association. He also invented a Frost Protection Apparatus and held a patent on a security ladder for use in the orange groves. He ran his business out of his home at 224 Cypress Avenue, which was set on thirty acres of grove property. Meacham was a strong supporter of the Magnolia extension and willingly donated land for the widening of the avenue. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/4-Meachum.jpg) Cartoon Drawing of E. A. Meacham from **Who's Who in Riverside*. (Author's Collection) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/5-Riverside_Daily_Press_1908-01-02_7--1-.jpg) January 2, 1908, ad from the **Riverside Daily Press* Another supporter of the Magnolia Avenue extension was Gustav O. Newman. He had married Emma Miller, the sister of Frank A. Miller of the Mission Inn. Newman stated that "the proposed extension was one of the greatest things ever attempted for the benefit of the city." However, he was vehemently opposed to the fill, claiming it would be unattractive and spoil the entrance to the city. Instead, he felt a concrete bridge was the correct answer. Part of Newman's objection was probably that the fill required seven acres of his property located on the south side of Fourteenth Street. The south side of his ranch property was bordered by Emma Street, a street named for his wife, which no longer exists. On the last day of December 1908, City Attorney Purington began condemnation proceedings against Newman to acquire the right-of-way through his property. By the end of July 1909, the *Daily Press* reported that a gift to the city by G. O. Newman transferred the deed of a 100-foot strip of land from G. O. Newman near Fourteenth and Main Street for the completion of the extension of Magnolia Avenue. A small triangular portion of land bounded by the splitting of Magnolia Avenue to join both Market and Main Streets and with Fourteenth Street at the north end became what is now Newman Park, the site of the Juan Bautista De Anza statue. Planning work and property acquisition continued for the extension through 1910, with the first actual shovels of dirt turned on January 22, 1912\. The Star Cement Company, a local Riverside company, obtained the contract and had over 200 men on the job. The contract paid about 18 cents for every cubic yard of dirt used for the fill. A disastrous event almost occurred on July 18, 1912, when the 70-ton steam shovel used on the project partially tipped over, narrowly missing a teamster and his horses. The newspaper reported that "the accident was due to so innocent a thing as a gopher hole or a pocket caused by irrigation." The crew was able to get the shovel back in its upright position and work commenced the next day. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/6-Riv-City-Bus-Con-I-5-A-longshot-of-the-Magnolia-Fill-Project-CLD1-101.jpg) Photo of Construction Work on the Fill with Mt. Rubidoux in upper left corner. (Courtesy of the Main Library Local History Archives) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/7-Riv-City-Bus-Con-II-6-Another-look-at-the-Magnolia-Fill-Project-CLD1-102.jpg) Photo of Construction Work with the Steam Shovel on the Fill. (Courtesy of the Main Library Local History Archives) The *Daily Press* announced that the steam shovel work on the fill would be finished and that the last wagonload of dirt would be dumped on October 1, 1912\. Street Superintendent Darling announced that work would not start on graveling and oiling the street, but it would take a year for the street to properly settle before final work could be carried out. Riversiders then had a direct link along Magnolia Avenue from the southern tip of the city to the downtown area. There was some talk of renaming Main Street to Magnolia Avenue and extending it north to create a 25-mile corridor from Corona to Rialto. This would necessitate a new numbering system for all of Magnolia, with the number 100 beginning at First Street. This plan did not come to fruition. Instead, New Magnolia Avenue originally split shortly before Fourteenth Street, connecting with both Market Street and Main Street, both of which kept their historic names. The extension of Magnolia also accelerated the development of the area, which became the Wood Streets. After the completion of the fill, the Pacific Electric, which had bought out the old Riverside and Arlington Electric Railway, opened negotiations to obtain a right-of-way along the extended Magnolia Avenue all the way to Corona. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/9-1917-Map.jpg) 1917 Map of Riverside Showing the New Magnolia Avenue connecting to both Market Street and Main Street, just to the right of Evans Athletic Field. (Courtesy of the Main Library Local History Archives) Today, Magnolia Avenue has seen countless changes. Many of the old homes have been replaced with smaller homes, apartment complexes, and numerous commercial enterprises. Various businesses grouped together to form shopping and business districts, such as Magnolia Center, centered around the intersection of Magnolia, Central, and Brockton Avenues, which emerged by the early 1920s. What remains is that Magnolia Avenue is the Backbone of the City, extending from the downtown area at Fourteenth Street to the southern boundary of Riverside and even beyond. ### Neighbor of the Week: Mauryce A. Kennon URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-mauryce-a-kennon/ Last updated: 2026-08-04T00:15:21.000Z Mauryce A. Kennon has served the Riverside community for more than 32 years, working along the way as a youth counselor, violence intervention specialist, recreational leader, mentor, coach, and entrepreneur. Born and raised in Riverside, he founded [FeedDemKids](https://feeddemkids.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com), a nonprofit that started small, with a group of friends adopting families for Christmas. Over the years it has grown to include back to school giveaways and holiday activities, along with support from several major sponsors, all while Mauryce stays hands on with the kids and families the organization serves. He also makes a point of including seniors in the community in his work. Mauryce says he's guided by transparency, compassion, empathy, work ethos, and love, and by a belief that "the stronger the citizens, the stronger the community." --- **What does Riverside mean to you?** Riverside means HOME! There's never any place like it! I carry an awful lot of pride for this city! It's where I was filled with hope and ambition, lost it all and was able to regain it! It means goals can be accomplished here, the hills can be hurdled, mountains removed and the opportunity to rebuild is alive and well! It also means that, I too must give it back to those in need of that same, but often very different, hope! **What is your Mt. Rubidoux summit count (estimated)?** 15 times **What is the most beautiful building in Riverside?** Stratton Center! The memories of the innocent childhood alone keeps this the most absolute beautiful building in ALL of Riverside. **What is your favorite Riverside non-profit organization?** Aidan's Army, FeedDemKids, MLK Senior Club **The Festival of Lights: Every year on opening night or maybe on a Tuesday?** Maybe on a Tuesday. **What is your go-to sandwich in town?** D'Elia's Grinders or The Sub Station **What is your idea of a perfect weekend day in Riverside?**Nice BBQ/Soul Food gathering with the family and friends! **Do you call it the Galleria or Tyler Mall?** Tyler Mall **If you could put one message on a billboard on the 91, what would it be?** Kindness Cures! Try It And Be Healed! **Finally, tell us what you're working on right now and how our readers can support your efforts.** Actively working on Motivational Madness 3! It's a Going Back To School Event designed to encourage and motivate our youth to chase their dream and to set goals. We use local prominent figures like Justices, Judges, Athletes and Businesses to inspire DemKids! We feed families and elders in need bi monthly by specific dietary needs. The families we feed we provide endless resources too and MORE. *Neighbor of the Week is our way of celebrating the hidden heroes of Riverside—those who go above and beyond to make our community stronger, kinder, and more vibrant. We believe every remarkable Riversider deserves their story told. Know someone who’s making a difference?* [*Nominate a Neighbor of the Week*](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) ### Raincross Rundown: The Best of Riverside in August 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-rundown-the-best-of-riverside-in-august-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-03T12:00:10.000Z Summer's not done with us yet — the heat's still hanging around and those first "back to school" signs are popping up on lawns and storefronts. But before the routines of fall settle back in, there's still plenty of August left to enjoy. Whether you're squeezing in one more walking tour, testing your trivia knowledge on a Wednesday night, or coming out to support Riverside Arts Academy's young musicians at their summer fundraiser, there's a little something for everyone this month. Here's what's on our radar. ### Upcoming Opportunities for Your Radar [**Centerpiece Challenge: Design to Win!**](https://form.jotform.com/261806472595062?ref=raincrossgazette.com) The Mission Inn Foundation invites artists to submit proposals for original centerpiece designs to be featured at the Frank Miller Civic Achievement Award Dinner, honoring Kathy Wright & Dwight Tate. Submission deadline: August 10. [**Cheech Film Program & Residency**](https://riversideartmuseum.org/the-cheech-film-program-and-residency/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Calling Inland Empire filmmakers: selected projects receive a stipend of up to $10,000 and a year-long production cycle, culminating in a premiere at The Cheech in June 2027\. Submission deadline: August 15. [**Riverside Mission Belles**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-mission-belles/18883483/2026-08-26T09) An all-women's chorus is looking for new singers. No audition necessary, though a knowledge of reading music is preferred. Meets Wednesdays, August 12, 19, and 26, 9:30–11:30 am, Victoria Presbyterian Church. ## Arts & Culture [**Summer Zine Workshop Series with Brookes Reeder**](https://riversideartmuseum.org/event/summer-zine-workshop-series-with-brookes-reeder-3/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Saturday, August 30, 1–4 pm, Riverside Art Museum. Free. Learn how to make your own zine with Brookes Reeder of [@lunchtimeprinthouse](https://www.instagram.com/lunchtimeprinthouse/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). Come to one, two, or all three sessions. [**Little Shop of Horrors 40th Anniversary Screening**](https://www.ticketmaster.com/little-shop-of-horrors-40th-anniversary-riverside-california-08-14-2026/event/0B00648F99E42EFD?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Friday, August 14, 7 pm. Forty years ago, Frank Oz brought the off-Broadway musical by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman to the big screen, itself a twist on Roger Corman's 1960 original. Rick Moranis stars as a mild-mannered flower shop worker whose bloodthirsty, fast-talking plant turns his life upside down, with Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia, and Steve Martin along for the ride. Catch the cult classic on the big screen for its 40th anniversary. [**Amor Prohibido - Tribute to Selena**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/amor-prohibido-tribute-to-selena/19438780/2026-08-29T19) Saturday, August 29, doors 7 pm, show 8 pm, Riverside Municipal Auditorium. Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, known simply as Selena, remains one of the most influential figures in Tejano music, earning her the title "Queen of Tejano." Her genre-blending sound reshaped Latin music in the early '90s, and her career was cut short when she died at just 23\. Ages 3+ welcome, everyone requires a ticket regardless of age. ### Community Events [**The Wonders of Waste with Riverside Public Works**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-wonders-of-waste-with-riverside-public-works/19416879/2026-08-05T18) Wednesday, August 5, 6–7 pm, Cactus Cantina, 151 Alessandro Blvd. Free. Meet the Riverside Public Works team and learn about caring for your community. Community service hours available. [**Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-and-heroes-walking-tour/19396626/2026-08-28T15) Fridays, August 14 & 28, 3:30 pm, starting at Mission Inn Foundation, 3598 Main Street. $23.18\. A downtown walking tour covering the Riverside County Courthouse exterior, historic architecture, murals, and the Main Street Freedom Walk. [**Mt. Rubidoux Walking Tour**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mt-rubidoux-walking-tour/19390096/2026-08-29T08) Saturdays, August 1, 15, & 29, 8 am, Mt. Rubidoux Trailhead near Ryan Bonaminio Park. $21.20\. A guided walk up the mountain covering its history and panoramic views, suitable for all fitness levels. [**ScotSurplus Sale**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/scotsurplus-sale/19040309/2026-08-29T08) Tuesday, August 4, 11 am–4 pm, and Saturday, August 29, 8 am–1 pm, Corporation Yard. Furniture, electronics, clothing, books, bikes, office supplies, lab equipment, and more, priced to move. Credit/debit or mobile pay only. ### Health & Wellness [**Free Yoga Series**](https://communityyogacenter.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) These free sessions are hosted by Community Yoga Center, a volunteer-run nonprofit dedicated to making yoga education and practice accessible to everyone in the community. Ongoing throughout August, varying locations: - [**The Art of Vinyasa**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-01T07) - [**Yin Yoga**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-01T09) - [**The Evolution of Ashtanga**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-02T08) - [**Moody Mondays**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-03T19) - [**Seated Yoga**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-05T17) [**Standard First Aid with CPR/AED Adult/Pediatric**](https://events.ucr.edu/event/standard%5Ffirst%5Faid%5Fwith%5Fcpraed%5Fadultpediatric?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Sunday, August 30, 9:30–11:30 am, UCR Student Recreation Center Conference Room. Blended in-person/virtual course resulting in a 2-year certification. Open to the general public. ### Get Outdoors / Recreation [**Lawn Bowling**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/lawn-bowling/19094996/2026-08-15T08) Saturdays, August 1, 8, 15, & 22, 8–10 am, Fairmont Park. Free. Fun and casual, all welcome. ### Out & About [**Riverside Light Parade Ride**](https://riversidelightparade.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Saturday, August 29\. Meets 4050 Main Street, 2 hours before ride time; ride starts at sunset (8 pm in summer). 10–12 miles, open to pedal bikes, e-bikes, scooters, and cargo bikes. Bike rentals available via the site's "Rent a Bike" tab. [**Plant Bingo**](https://thegreenprintco.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Plants, prizes, and a little friendly competition — Plant Bingo brings a fresh twist to game night. Gather your crew, grab a card, and see who can spot and match plants the fastest as you play. It's part scavenger hunt, part trivia, and all fun, with a chance to learn something new about the green world around you along the way. - [**8/19 @ Taco Station**](https://thegreenprintco.com/products/plant-bingo-8-19-26-taco-station-riverside-ca?ref=raincrossgazette.com) - [**8/23 @ Thomson Brewing Co. (Noon Session)**](https://thegreenprintco.com/products/plant-bingo-8-23-26-thomson-brewing-co-riverside-ca-noon-session?ref=raincrossgazette.com) - [**8/23 @ Thomson Brewing Co. (Evening Session)**](https://thegreenprintco.com/products/plant-bingo-8-23-26-thompson-brewing-co-riverside-ca-evening-session?ref=raincrossgazette.com) [**King Trivia at Food Lab**](https://www.instagram.com/p/DbWLT8pGMsy/?img%5Findex=1&ref=raincrossgazette.com) Wednesdays, 7 pm, Food Lab, 3605 Market Street. Free to play, prizes for winners. ### Live Music [**Egyptian Lover**](https://wl.eventim.us/event/egyptian-lover/695409?afflky=FarmHouseCollective&ref=raincrossgazette.com) Farm House Collective presents, Friday, August 14, with special guests Funk Freaks. A pioneering figure in West Coast electro, Egyptian Lover has spent over four decades crafting a signature sound built on driving 808 beats, funk, and hip-hop energy. Funk Freaks join the bill with their own mix of funk, boogie, disco, and rare groove classics for a night of heavy bass and packed dance floors. [**La Luz**](https://wl.eventim.us/event/la-luz/692170?afflky=FarmHouseCollective&ref=raincrossgazette.com) Presented by (((folkYEAH!))) at Farm House Collective, Friday, August 28\. Doors/show 7 pm, ends 10 pm. With opener Marinero. Formed in Seattle in 2012 and fronted by guitarist and vocalist Shana Cleveland, La Luz has built a following for its moody, reverb-drenched sound often described as "surf noir," blending dreamy harmonies with a psychedelic garage-rock edge. ### Summer Break for the Kids [**Little LandUse Learners**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/little-landuse-learners-spring-summer-programming/18501508/2026-08-29T10) Saturday, August 29, 10–11 am, LandUse Learning Center, 4500 Glenwood Drive. Free. A one-hour children's nature program held the last Saturday of each month, with story time, crafts, demonstrations, and nature walks in the garden. ### Get Your Tickets Now [**Sueño de Verano — Featuring Mariachi Campana de Riverside**](https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/sueno-de-verano-featuring-mariachi-campana-de-riverside?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Hosted by Riverside Arts Academy, Saturday, August 29, 6:30–8:30 pm. Set beneath a warm summer evening, this salon-style gathering brings together thoughtfully paired food and drink with a live performance by Mariachi Campana de Riverside, the Riverside Arts Academy's flagship ensemble. It's an intimate evening built around music, connection, and community. Every ticket goes directly toward the RAA Scholarship Fund, helping keep music education within reach for local students regardless of their family's financial circumstances. With limited seating, this is a rare chance to support the next generation of young musicians while enjoying an unforgettable night out. ### Save the Date [**Riverside Arts & Music Festival**](https://www.instagram.com/p/DXX1Sy8j9UX/?img%5Findex=1&ref=raincrossgazette.com) — returning this year, with applications for artist vendors, performers, and volunteers coming soon. [**Mission Inn Festival of Lights (34th Annual)**](https://riversideca.gov/fol/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) — Switch-on Ceremony Saturday, November 21, 5 pm, Orange St. and Mission Inn Ave. Festival runs November 22–December 31 (closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day). *The Raincross Rundown is published monthly by the Raincross Gazette staff. Know about an event we should include?* [*Add it to our Community Calendar*](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### 🍊Your Riverside Weekend- August 1, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/your-riverside-weekend-july-25-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:23.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/02/_DSC5738.jpg) **Your Riverside Weekend- August 1, 2026** **Happy Saturday, Riverside!** We hope your week treated you well. Before you head into your weekend, we've gathered the stories that defined life in our city this week — from City Hall to community happenings. You're in the right place to catch up — your weekend starts here. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260801)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260801&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [City Council Taps Tom Hatch as Interim City ManagerHatch, who has led interim transitions in four Southern California cities, begins the role July 31.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-6ba95d76-ff42-43c4-8411-0b1777854f02.png)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-8-908ab0dd-b26b-40eb-a8d2-1da763984176.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-taps-tom-hatch-as-interim-city-manager/) [CPRC Extends Racial Profiling Review Committee to 2027The extension gives the ad hoc committee more time to meet with police staff on stop-data disparities affecting Black residents before recommendations reach City Council.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-60367347-b741-4da9-9ee9-b42bdf459eed.png)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1596132532297-3027a3c28d82-0afdf091-3c50-451a-a50e-55c156d1b5b1)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/cprc-extends-racial-profiling-review-committee-to-2027/) [Third-Quarter Budget Update Reports Stable Finances Despite Cannabis Tax, Development Fee ShortfallsOfficials say the city remains financially stable, though cannabis tax revenue and development-related income continue to lag.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-8ce43826-43b3-432a-a76a-f7c8e6377446.png)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/4-5c016fce-a685-42d4-83d8-8afa27542b88.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/third-quarter-budget-update-reports-stable-finances-despite-cannabis-tax-development-fee-shortfalls/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260801)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260801&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [Jaylen Clark shows Riverside kids success starts before the NBANBA guard Jaylen Clark brought his community camp home to Riverside for a fifth year, proving the price of good coaching doesn’t have to be steep.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-fa7c0d17-8711-4a7a-9394-7caa68a41a82.png)The Raincross GazetteAnthony Solorzano![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-3-5-316cfe77-521a-4b53-974e-8311341ef13e.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/jaylen-clark-shows-riverside-kids-success-starts-before-the-nba/) [Mikey G’s Feeling at Home in MidtownThe Elizabeth Street shop is thriving, and its new bagel line, inherited from the bakery it once shared a kitchen with, has customers coming in for reasons beyond the coffee.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-bfabd87e-3b5d-476f-88f7-7a2eb823424e.png)The Raincross GazetteKen Crawford![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/DFOUTS_MIKEY_GS_OPENINGDAY_0009-b656fa84-f8e2-4676-afcd-11cae66bd461.JPEG)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mikey-gs-feeling-at-home-in-midtown/) [Riverside Airport Cafe to Host Private Casino Night Fundraiser for Breast Cancer PatientsThe event on August 8 will raise money for The CARE Project’s assistance programs for local men and women diagnosed with breast cancer.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-8c399898-5204-4bde-b37a-5d4375e265fd.png)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-4-2-e9d3f370-9d8f-43cb-ae2d-fff7c5ab2b5f.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-airport-cafe-to-host-private-casino-night-fundraiser-for-breast-cancer-patients/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260801) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260801&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Weather Forecast ☀️ Sunday, August 2 — 104° / 70° · Sunny ☀️ Monday, August 3 — 102° / 70° · Sunny ☀️ Tuesday, August 4 — 100° / 70° · Sunny 🌤️ Wednesday, August 5 — 99° / 69° · Mostly Sunny 🌤️ Thursday, August 6 — 99° / 70° · Mostly Sunny 🌤️ Friday, August 7 — 99° / 70° · Mostly Sunny 🌤️ Saturday, August 8 — 98° / 70° · Mostly Sunny 🥵 We're kicking off August the way Riverside knows best — full sun and triple digits, though the numbers do ease down nicely from 104 to 98 by Saturday. Good news: no muggy nights this time, just classic dry desert heat. Save the yard work for early morning and let the AC do the heavy lifting midday. **Fair warning:* we're not meteorologists! Our forecasts are pulled from public weather data as a little extra for our readers. For the most current conditions, your favorite weather app knows more than we do — but we'll always do our best to help you plan your weekend.* ☀️ --- ## 💬 Staff Picks — What we're talking about around the Gazette this week 📰 *Justin is stepping away from the newsroom for the month of July, so our amazing reporters and freelancers will be taking over his staff picks — a fun chance to get to know them through their random thoughts and one-liners!* 🌵 **Norm** is trading blazingly hot Riverside for even hotter Tucson this weekend, headed to the Botany 2026 conference — a plan that made a lot more sense back when he registered. 🥵 **Amy's** figured out she doesn't love summer. She loved having her kids off with nothing but time to kill. Now that they're grown, summer's lost its magic trick — now she's just hot. --- ## Save the Date - August 3: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-03T08) at Community Yoga Center - August 5: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-05T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - August 7: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-07T07) at Zacatecas Café - August 8: [Casino Night with CARE](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/casino-night-with-care/19476771/2026-08-08T18) at Riverside Airport Cafe ($50) - August 8: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-08T07) at Community Yoga Center - August 8: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-08T09) at Community Yoga Center - August 10: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-10T19) at Community Yoga Center - September 9: [Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Bean There URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/bean-there/ Last updated: 2026-08-01T12:00:37.000Z Welcome back, you trash-talking creatives! [Last week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/trash-novel/), we lifted the lid on the trashcan and considered what our waste reveals about us. Did you compose a trashcan percussion score, recognize an award-worthy recyclable or interview an object refusing to become anything other than refuse? Whether you produced less waste or merely paid more attention to it, I just hope nothing followed you home. This week, we are reaching into the pantry for a creative staple: the bean. I’m picturing the prototypical bean—kidney, pinto or black—but “bean” covers an enormous family of edible seeds and bean-adjacent legumes. We also use the shape to describe swimming pools, bags, or a slang term for someone’s head. Change the spelling and it becomes a word containing everything that has already happened. Beans also occupy a durable place in storytelling. In fairytales, beans are counted, planted, spilled, and transformative. They can represent abundance or scarcity, depending on whether you have a pantry full of them or a handful of them after selling your cow. As a kid, my best friends Robert and Erick lived in a house where a cast-iron skillet of fresh refried beans seemed permanently available in the kitchen. Sadly, I was a picky eater and maintained a diet with all the adventurous range of a fast food menu. I didn’t appreciate those beans until adulthood. These days, one domestic source of my happiness is a pantry stacked with canned goods. Beans helped nourish civilizations long before anyone drew a bean-shaped swimming pool. Can beans (no pun) also nourish our creative spirits? Play, after all, is one of the ways humans and many other animals explore, learn and practice being alive. Let’s spill a few beans and see what grows from some time spent with one or more of these creative exercises: 1. **Cool Beans:** Invent a no-cook recipe for a hot summer day. Begin with a drained can of beans and add whatever seems refreshing: tomatoes, corn, herbs, cheese, avocado, peppers or those tasty yet meager leftovers. Give your creation an impressive restaurant name like “Sunset Cannellini Mosaic.” 2. **Beanologist:** Pour a handful of dried beans onto a table. Sort them using a classification system of your own invention: trustworthiness, leadership potential, or a predisposition for criminal behavior. All beans are equal, but some beans are more equal than others. 3. **Human Bean:** Curl your body into the most bean-like shape you can manage safely. Slowly uncurl as though you are sprouting. Pay attention to balance, tension and the space your body occupies. Turn the movement into a ten-second dance, or the jumping off point for your new series of exercise videos, “Bean Body Blow Out!” Create a suitable list of celebrity spokespersons. 4. **Been Counter:** Make a list beginning with “I have been…” Include places, emotional states, occupations, mistakes, and identities you once tried on. Choose one item and rewrite it as “I am becoming…” Let the sound shared by *bean*, *been* and *being* carry you into a short poem, monologue or wildly biased autobiography. A single bean contains stored energy and the possibility of becoming something much larger. Creativity often begins the same way: one small idea waiting for attention, nourishment and a little time to grow. This week, plant one if you like, eat several if you can and give at least one ridiculous idea the chance to sprout. *This column was written with help from ChatGPT, which has never tasted a bean but spills plenty of them.* ### Utility Board Approves $5 Million Battery Storage Rebate Plan URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/utility-board-approves-5-million-battery-storage-rebate-plan/ Last updated: 2026-08-03T11:59:20.000Z The Board of Public Utilities unanimously recommended a new $5 million residential energy storage rebate program Monday that would offer incentives for homeowners to install battery storage systems to improve grid reliability and customer resiliency. The recommendation now heads to the City Council for final approval. The proposed program would be funded through the utility's Public Benefits Cash Reserves and is the first initiative funded under the city's [$34 million Public Benefits Fund spending plan](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/rpu-board-advances-34m-plan-for-solar-battery-and-efficiency-programs/). Under the proposal, residential customers could receive rebates of $500 per kilowatt-hour of battery storage capacity, up to $10,000 per project. Low-income customers who qualify through Riverside Public Utilities' Sharing Households Assist Riverside's Energy (SHARE) program could receive $850 per kilowatt-hour, up to $17,000. To qualify, customers must participate in an applicable residential time-of-use electric rate. The program would be available to customers installing standalone battery systems as well as those pairing batteries with new or existing rooftop solar systems. The rebate would also apply retroactively to qualifying systems installed on or after July 1, 2026. Staff [calculated that battery storage provides an estimated value of about $465 per kilowatt-hour](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=12991735&GUID=B5B36E27-BCAC-4F36-BA20-3698F32FE789&ref=raincrossgazette.com) over a 10-year period, based on avoided energy and infrastructure costs. Officials proposed setting the rebate slightly higher at $500 per kilowatt-hour. Board members questioned how quickly the $5 million allocation could be exhausted if demand exceeds expectations. Vice Chair Peter Wohlgemuth asked whether the city could add funding if the program proves popular. Assistant General Manager Tracy Sato acknowledged that the $5 million allotted for the program may not last five years. She said any future expansion would require shifting money from other programs within the Public Benefits Fund spending plan because all available funding has already been allocated. "But that's a decision that can be made with plenty of forewarning so that we can make sure successful and beneficial programs are continued to be offered with these public benefit dollars," she said. Board members noted the $10,000 cap could limit the program to roughly 500 participants. Staff said that rebate amounts could be adjusted over time as battery costs decline, similar to previous solar incentive programs. Officials said outreach would be conducted in English and Spanish, with additional language assistance available as needed. Staff also plans to work with community organizations and target neighborhoods where low-income households have already received rooftop solar installations. If approved by the City Council, Riverside Public Utilities expects to begin marketing the program immediately and will monitor participation to guide future adjustments. Staff is also evaluating separate energy storage rebate programs for commercial and multifamily customers. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- July 31, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-july-31-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:24.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/IMG_5981.jpeg) Reader Lori Raffy spotted this black bear foraging along the Yampa River in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, while looking out from the Yampa River Icehouse restaurant. ***Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and tell us a bit of what you experienced](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/r/424cf20a?m=09861f3a-0a1b-4ab5-a764-af397b913fe4). **Friday Gazette: July 31, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Friday!** Somehow it's already the last day of July — some months seem to fly, others crawl, and this one probably did a little of both depending on what you had going on. Either way, here's to turning the page on a brand new month tomorrow. What's one thing you're hoping August brings? Hit reply and let us know. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260731)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260731&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [BUDGET](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/budget/) ## Third-Quarter Budget Update Reports Stable Finances Despite Cannabis Tax, Development Fee Shortfalls Officials say the city remains financially stable, though cannabis tax revenue and development-related income continue to lag. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/4-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/third-quarter-budget-update-reports-stable-finances-despite-cannabis-tax-development-fee-shortfalls/) (File photo/Raincross Gazette) The general fund holds record reserves, but rising costs and Measure Z shortfalls threaten future budgets. **Why it matters:** The city says finances are stable now, but Measure Z money is already committed through 2028, leaving no funding available for community nonprofit requests. **Driving the news:** Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the third-quarter financial update and a $701,234 adjustment for the Fire Mutual Aid program. - Budget and Revenue Manager Peter Kakos said reserves remain strong, though he flagged rising costs and federal policy changes as risks. **By the numbers:** General fund reserves total about $228 million, including $76.4 million in policy reserves that meet the city's 20% target. - Measure Z is projected to end the year with $28.86 million in fund balance, though that's expected to shrink in coming years. **Yes, but:** Voters rejected a June measure that would have raised the Measure Z sales tax and removed its 2036 expiration date. - Measure Z revenue is now projected to fall $9.9 million short of expenses in the 2026-27 budget year and $12.4 million short in 2027-28. **What's next:** The city's new two-year budget already closes projected deficits of $27.1 million and $34 million through cost cuts and reserve draws. - Cuts include reductions to Public Works and Parks, alongside a boost to public safety spending. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/skatepark-pool-and-park-projects-to-get-1-265-million-in-unspent-federal-grant-funds/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260731)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260731&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Riverside Airport Cafe to Host Private Casino Night Fundraiser for Breast Cancer Patients The event on August 8 will raise money for The CARE Project's assistance programs for local men and women diagnosed with breast cancer. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-4-3.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-airport-cafe-to-host-private-casino-night-fundraiser-for-breast-cancer-patients/) The CARE Project, Inc. helps breast cancer patients and survivors. Breast cancer survivors, from left to right. Jennie Espinosa, Diana Jaurigue, Gina Fitzsimmons, Christina Villanueva, Michelle Macias, Maddy Paxton, Carrie Madrid, Sophia Sanchez, Heidi Cox, Rhonda Schmechel, Christina Madrid, Margaret Lesh. (Courtesy of The CARE Project, Inc.) The CARE Project, Inc. will hold its annual "Casino Night with CARE" fundraiser on Saturday, August 8, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Riverside Airport Cafe, 6951 Flight Road. The fundraiser benefits The CARE Project, a nonprofit that provides financial and emotional support to breast cancer patients, both men and women, across the Inland Empire. Proceeds help cover treatment co-pays, rent, utilities, groceries and other everyday needs for patients navigating a diagnosis. Riverside Airport Cafe owner Leimamo Taylor is supplying the venue, finger foods and a cash bar for the event. Taylor's connection to The CARE Project began after the organization nominated her for a Business of Excellence Award; she attended that event alongside her sister, who was battling breast cancer at the time. The CARE Project has since supported her sister through her cancer battle. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-airport-cafe-to-host-private-casino-night-fundraiser-for-breast-cancer-patients/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260731) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260731&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Friday, July 31 - [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-31T07) at Zacatecas Café - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-07-31T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Summer Seed Exchange](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summer-seed-exchange/19394403/2026-07-31T10) at Marcy Library - [Creative Arts](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/creative-arts/19240864/2026-07-31T11) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Multiplication Madness (MM)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/multiplication-madness-mm/19240907/2026-07-31T00) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Assistance Program (RAP)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-assistance-program-rap/19240859/2026-07-31T10) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-and-heroes-walking-tour/19396626/2026-07-31T15) at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18) - [Calle 24 - Eterno Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/calle-24-eterno-tour/19346697/2026-07-31T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center ### Saturday, August 1 - [Low-Cost Vaccination Clinic](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/lowcost-vaccination-clinic/19030194/2026-08-01T09) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($10- $28) - [Mt. Rubidoux Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mt-rubidoux-walking-tour/19390096/2026-08-01T08) at Mt. Rubidoux Trailhead, a short walk from Ryan Bonaminio Park. ($21.20) - [Big Farma Workshop: What Can I Grow for That?](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/big-farma-workshop-what-can-i-grow-for-that/19299882/2026-08-01T10) at LandUse Learning Center - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-08-01T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [Reading Comprehension Group](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-comprehension-group/19240809/2026-08-01T16) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Foundational Skills (RFS)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-foundational-skills-rfs/19240857/2026-08-01T09) at My Learning Studio ($196) - [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-01T07) at Community Yoga Center - [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-01T09) at Community Yoga Center - [Riverside Off-Road & Jeep Nights](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-offroad-jeep-nights/18477720/2026-08-01T17) at D'Elia's Grinders - [Concrete (18+)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/concrete-18/18009464/2026-08-01T18) at Fox Performing Arts Center ### Sunday, August 2 - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-08-02T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Architectural Walking Tour of Downtown Riverside](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/architectural-walking-tour-of-downtown-riverside/19390093/2026-08-02T10) at Mission Inn Foundation & Visitor Center ($21.20) - [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-02T08) at Community Yoga Center - [Volunteer Orientation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-orientation/19328343/2026-08-02T09) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [Gardening for Butterflies](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/gardening-for-butterflies/19328170/2026-08-02T09) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [Learn Origami](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/learn-origami/18025240/2026-08-02T11) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [Origami with Michelle](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/origami-with-michelle/18094962/2026-08-02T11) at Botanic Gardens - [Storytime in the Gardens](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/storytime-in-the-gardens/18025386/2026-08-02T10) at UCR Botanic Gardens ### Save the Date - August 3: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-03T08) at Community Yoga Center - August 5: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-05T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - August 7: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-07T07) at Zacatecas Café - August 8: [Casino Night with CARE](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/casino-night-with-care/19476771/2026-08-08T18) at Riverside Airport Cafe ($50) - August 8: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-08T07) at Community Yoga Center - August 8: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-08T09) at Community Yoga Center - August 10: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-10T19) at Community Yoga Center - September 9: [Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/beginning-square-dance-lessons-with-line-dancing/19511049/2026-09-09T18) at Cowtown Square Dance Center - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Riverside Airport Cafe to Host Private Casino Night Fundraiser for Breast Cancer Patients URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-airport-cafe-to-host-private-casino-night-fundraiser-for-breast-cancer-patients/ Last updated: 2026-07-31T11:59:50.000Z The CARE Project, Inc. will hold its annual "Casino Night with CARE" fundraiser on Saturday, August 8, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Riverside Airport Cafe, 6951 Flight Road. The fundraiser benefits The CARE Project, a nonprofit that provides financial and emotional support to breast cancer patients, both men and women, across the Inland Empire. Proceeds help cover treatment co-pays, rent, utilities, groceries and other everyday needs for patients navigating a diagnosis. Riverside Airport Cafe owner Leimamo Taylor is supplying the venue, finger foods and a cash bar for the event. Taylor's connection to The CARE Project began after the organization nominated her for a Business of Excellence Award; she attended that event alongside her sister, who was battling breast cancer at the time. The CARE Project has since supported her sister through her cancer battle. "The CARE Project is strongly committed to supporting the small businesses who step up to support our small nonprofit," CARE Project Founder and CEO Carrie A. Madrid said in a statement. The Riverside Airport Cafe has a history of hosting community fundraisers, including events supporting an electoral candidate in their ward, the Bike Parade fundraiser and the Arthritis Foundation. Beyond financial assistance, The CARE Project offers peer mentoring through its Survivor Social Club, lymphedema care through a partnership with LymphaDivas that provides compression garments at no cost, and end-of-life doula services for patients who are terminally ill. **More information:* Tickets for the event can be purchased directly online at* [*GiveButter.com*](http://givebutter.com/tcpcasino?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### Third-Quarter Budget Update Reports Stable Finances Despite Cannabis Tax, Development Fee Shortfalls URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/third-quarter-budget-update-reports-stable-finances-despite-cannabis-tax-development-fee-shortfalls/ Last updated: 2026-08-02T12:00:54.000Z Riverside officials said the city's finances remain stable despite continued economic uncertainty as the City Council unanimously approved the third-quarter financial update and a series of budget adjustments Tuesday. Budget and Revenue Manager Peter Kakos told council members the city "continues to maintain a strong financial position with record level reserves," while cautioning that geopolitical tensions, evolving federal policies and the possibility that expenditures could continue to outpace ongoing revenue growth remain risks to the city's financial outlook. The general fund has approximately $76.4 million in policy reserves, meeting the city's 20 percent reserve policy, along with $152.1 million in other reserves designated for specific purposes, for a total of about $228 million in general fund reserves, Kakos said. Measure Z is projected to end the fiscal year with approximately $28.86 million in fund balance, including its $5 million policy reserve, although that balance is expected to decline over the next several years. Staff recommended a $701,234 increase to both general fund revenues and expenditures to account for an end-of-year adjustment to the Fire Mutual Aid program. Because the revenue increase is offset by matching expenditures, the adjustment keeps the general fund budget balanced, according to the report. No budget adjustments were recommended for Measure Z. As of the third quarter, general fund revenues were at 60.6 percent of budget, a pace officials said generally aligns with the previous fiscal year because much of the city's revenue is received during the second half of the year. General fund expenditures were at 71.4 percent of budget, with personnel spending tracking within expectations after overtime adjustments approved during the second quarter budget update. The report notes that while most revenue categories are expected to meet budget projections, some development-related revenues remain soft. Cannabis tax revenue is also expected to underperform revised estimates because only one dispensary operated during the fiscal year. The city also continues to monitor rising personnel costs, including those associated with recently negotiated labor agreements and public safety overtime, which staff said continue to place pressure on the general fund. Despite those trends, officials said expenditures are expected to remain within current budget appropriations. The financial update also reviewed the city's enterprise funds. Staff reported electric, water, refuse and parking funds are generally performing in line with budget expectations, while the sewer fund continues to experience lower revenues because of reduced development activity and fewer new sewer connections. In addition to receiving the financial update, the council approved several accounting and budget actions, including nearly $1.64 million in fiscal year 2025-26 revenue adjustments and supplemental appropriations, $10.96 million in interfund transfers to the General Liability Trust Fund, $110,435 in FY 2026-27 supplemental appropriations and $624,686 in interdepartmental transfers. No members of the public spoke on the item. Council members approved the staff recommendations on a unanimous vote after a brief presentation and without council discussion. The financial update comes after Riverside voters in June [rejected a ballot measure that would have raised the Measure Z sales tax from 1 percent to 1.25 percent](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/measure-z-appears-headed-for-defeat-as-voters-reject-sales-tax-increase/) and [eliminated its 2036 sunset clause](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/measure-z-explained-the-sales-tax-increase-on-riversides-june-ballot/). Measure Z revenue is projected to fall short of expenditures by $9.9 million in fiscal year 2026-27 and $12.4 million in 2027-28 compared to earlier forecasts. Even before the June ballot measure failed, [Measure Z funds were already fully committed through 2028](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/budget-commission-questions-its-authority-as-measure-z-locked-through-2028/). The Budget Engagement Commission, which is chartered to help recommend how Measure Z dollars are spent, raised concerns earlier this year that no funding was available for community nonprofits seeking support. The interfund transfers to the General Liability Trust Fund approved Tuesday stem from deficit-reduction measures built into [the city's newly adopted two-year budget](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-approves-1-57-billion-budget-with-cuts-to-public-works-boost-to-public-safety/). That budget, approved by the council last month, [closes projected general fund deficits of $27.1 million in fiscal year 2026-27 and $34 million in 2027-28 through a combination of cost reductions and reserve draws](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-budget-plan-trims-spending-taps-reserves-to-cover-27m-shortfall/) — though Deputy Finance Director Sergio Aguilar told the council the city still holds "a strong position with record level reserves," most of which remain untouched under the plan. The two-year budget approved last month includes some cuts to Public Works alongside a boost to public safety spending, with reductions coming from unfilled vacant positions, adjusted construction material spending and lower-than-expected crossing guard contract costs. [The city's Parks Department also proposed cuts](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/parks-department-proposes-2-7m-in-cuts-to-close-budget-gap/) to help close the shortfall. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- July 30, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-july-30-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:25.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/20260725_094709.jpg) Steve and Christal Pennington had a memorable trip to Alaska, capturing this shot at Endicott Arm. The couple said they were especially blessed with clear weather that let them get close to the glistening blue glacier. **Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and tell us a bit of what you experienced](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **Thursday Gazette: July 30, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Thursday!** Some days just feel like a good one to pause and notice the people who make this city warmer — the neighbor who waves every morning, the coworker who always checks in on you, even the server who remembers your order. We're big believers that a little extra kindness on an ordinary Thursday can go a long way, so today, tell someone you appreciate them. It costs nothing, but it could mean everything to someone. See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260730)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260730&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CITY HALL](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/city-hall/) ## Midweek Update: City Hall Moves on Housing, Roads, and Leadership The city tapped an interim city manager, cleared the way for new housing and road work, and rolled out a rebate program for home energy storage. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-13-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/midweek-update-city-hall-moves-on-housing-roads-and-leadership/) (File photo/Raincross Gazette) A quick check-in on what's happened so far this week at City Hall and what's still ahead. ### New Interim City Manager At Tuesday's City Council meeting, councilmembers approved the appointment of Tom Hatch as interim city manager, following former manager Mike Futrell's voluntary departure last month. Hatch brings more than 36 years of experience and has previously served as interim city manager for Orange, Santa Fe Springs, Santa Ana, and Placentia. ### Also at Tuesday's Meeting **Road Funding (SB-1 Gas Tax)**\- The council adopted a resolution allocating the city's roughly $9 million in FY 2026–27 SB-1 gas tax funds to road projects, covering: - Columbia Avenue (215 Freeway bridge to Chicago) - University Avenue (Mt. Rubidoux to Pine; Market to Lime) - Chicago Avenue (Alessandro to Central) - Adams Street (California to Arlington) - Tyler Street (Magnolia to the 91 Freeway westbound ramps) - La Sierra Avenue (Cypress to Arlington) - Several residential streets in La Sierra: Fairfield Court, Darien Court, Cypress Avenue, Palm Terrace Lane, Golden Avenue, Anaheim Street, Reid Court, and Knoefler Drive Timeline: Pre-construction begins this September; construction runs June–November 2027. **Annual Paving Budget**\- Approved a $26 million road work budget for FY 2026–27. - Boosted by Measure A sales tax funds after Measure Z revenue fell $3.2 million short amid the city's broader budget shortfall - Citywide pavement condition has slipped slightly — about 21% of streets now rated "poor" or "very poor" **Land Use Actions**\- Two separate approvals: 1. Rezoning of the 7.03-acre former Riverside Scrap Iron & Metal brownfield site to enable a 300-unit multi-family residential development, incorporating the historic Barley Mills Building for resident amenities. 2. Historic district removal — two parcels at 4472 and 4480 Orange St. were removed from the Prospect Place Historic District after it was found their original historic structures had been demolished. **Homeless Shelter Funding**\- Approved an $836,089 increase to the agreement with Mercy House Living Centers, extending funding through December 31, 2026 for the Bridge Housing Program (a 23-bed non-congregate shelter at 2881 Hulen Place). - Funded via HHAP Round 4 grant money - Maintains 24-hour staffing, case management, and housing navigation services - A new competitive bidding process for the program's future operator will run in 2027 - Results so far: 315 people served; 109 (\~35%) moved into permanent housing — a rate staff say beats typical regional shelter benchmarks ### Also This Week **New Energy Storage Rebate Program**\- The Board of Public Utilities approved a new Energy Storage Rebate Program for residential customers on Monday, funded by a $5 million supplemental appropriation from the Electric Public Benefits Fund's Public Benefits Cash Reserves. - General residential customers: $500 per kWh of storage capacity, up to $10,000 - Low-income customers (SHARE program): $850 per kWh of storage capacity, up to $17,000 - Developed with input from a Public Benefits Charge Community Working Group (formed 2025) - Participants must be on a time-of-use electric rate - Rebates apply retroactively to installations dating back to July 1, 2026 - First of six initiatives totaling $34 million approved earlier this year to spend down accumulated Public Benefits Charge reserves on storage, solar, and efficiency programs **Other Notes** - The Housing and Homelessness Committee's Monday meeting was canceled. ### What to Watch The council received a presentation on the City's third-quarter financial results — more on that to come. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/midweek-update-city-hall-moves-on-housing-roads-and-leadership/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260730)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260730&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CITY HALL](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/city-hall/) ## City Council Taps Tom Hatch as Interim City Manager Hatch, who has led interim transitions in four Southern California cities, begins the role July 31\. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-9.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-taps-tom-hatch-as-interim-city-manager/) Tom Hatch addresses the City Council on Tuesday after being unanimously appointed interim city manager, following Mike Futrell's resignation last month. (The City of Riverside) Riverside hired a veteran interim city manager Tuesday, filling a vacancy left after Mike Futrell's resignation. **Why it matters:** Hatch takes over during a search for a permanent city manager, following a leadership shakeup that included a possible censure and a defamation claim against the city. **Driving the news:** Council voted unanimously Tuesday to appoint Hatch and authorize the mayor pro tem to sign his employment agreement. - Assistant city manager Edward Enriquez had served as acting, then interim, city manager while the city searched for a professional candidate. - Hatch brings more than 36 years in local government, including seven years as Costa Mesa's city manager. **The backstory:** Futrell resigned June 16 after a possible censure appeared on a closed-session meeting agenda, days after his wife filed a defamation claim against the city. - Susan Freeman's June 10 claim alleges defamation, reputational harm and First Amendment retaliation tied to a Dec. 11 city letter. **By the numbers:** Hatch will earn $195.05 an hour, capped at 960 hours a year under CalPERS retiree rules, with no city benefits beyond workers' compensation. **What's next:** Hatch's contract runs July 31, 2026 through July 31, 2027, or until a permanent city manager is hired. The city's recruitment page is already live. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-taps-tom-hatch-as-interim-city-manager/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260730) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260730&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [SPORTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/sports/) ## Jaylen Clark shows Riverside kids success starts before the NBA NBA guard Jaylen Clark brought his community camp home to Riverside for a fifth year, proving the price of good coaching doesn't have to be steep. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-3-6.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/jaylen-clark-shows-riverside-kids-success-starts-before-the-nba/) Before the drills start, Clark takes in the gym he once trained in, now teaching the next generation of Riverside players what it takes to make it out. (Anthony Solorzano) Jaylen Clark split the young basketball players into two groups and pitted them against each other in a series of one-on-one drills. One group attacked the basket while the other played defense. The losing team had to run suicides down the court, under 30 seconds. Each player battled for points and a chance to impress the Riverside native, now a shooting guard for the Minnesota Timberwolves. When it was time to pay the price for losing, one of the kids didn't make the run under the set time. Instead of letting it slide, Clark had the team run again, until every player finished their suicide run under 30 seconds. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/jaylen-clark-shows-riverside-kids-success-starts-before-the-nba/) --- ## Noteworthy UCR [admitted a record 74,340 undergraduates](https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/07/29/ucr-sets-another-admission-record?ref=raincrossgazette.com) for fall 2026, surpassing last year's mark and leading the UC system in first-year California resident admissions. Councilmember Sean Mill will host a [Community Connection town hall](https://www.instagram.com/p/DbG-NVdFOvM/?img%5Findex=2&ref=raincrossgazette.com) today, July 30, from 6-8 p.m. at the Bourns Family Youth Innovation Center, open to all Ward 5 residents. Euryale Brewing Co. will [close its doors after 10 years](https://www.instagram.com/p/DbPHVueNZVi/?ref=raincrossgazette.com), hosting a farewell celebration July 31 from 3–10 p.m. with beer specials and prizes to thank the community. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19390098/2026-07-30T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($65.50 - $71.21) ### Tomorrow - [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-31T07) at Zacatecas Café - [Creative Arts](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/creative-arts/19240864/2026-07-31T11) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Assistance Program (RAP)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-assistance-program-rap/19240859/2026-07-31T10) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-and-heroes-walking-tour/19396626/2026-07-31T15) at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18) - [Calle 24 - Eterno Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/calle-24-eterno-tour/19346697/2026-07-31T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center ## Save the Date - August 1: [FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-art-of-vinyasa-with-catherine-murray/19503669/2026-08-01T07) at Community Yoga Center - August 1: [FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-yin-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19503829/2026-08-01T09) at Community Yoga Center - August 2: [FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-the-evolution-of-ashtanga-with-kristin-varner/19060739/2026-08-02T08) at Community Yoga Center - August 3: [FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-moody-mondays-with-cherie-amour/19504166/2026-08-03T19) at Community Yoga Center - August 5: [FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-yoga-seated-yoga-with-kristin-varner/19504145/2026-08-05T17) at All Saints Episcopal Church - August 7: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-08-07T07) at Zacatecas Café - August 8: [Casino Night with CARE](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/casino-night-with-care/19476771/2026-08-08T18) at Riverside Airport Cafe ($50) - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Jaylen Clark shows Riverside kids success starts before the NBA URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/jaylen-clark-shows-riverside-kids-success-starts-before-the-nba/ Last updated: 2026-08-07T18:09:14.000Z Jaylen Clark split the young basketball players into two groups and pitted them against each other in a series of one-on-one drills. One group attacked the basket while the other played defense. The losing team had to run suicides down the court, under 30 seconds. Each player battled for points and a chance to impress the Riverside native, now a shooting guard for the Minnesota Timberwolves. When it was time to pay the price for losing, one of the kids didn't make the run under the set time. Instead of letting it slide, Clark had the team run again, until every player finished their suicide run under 30 seconds. The redo wasn't meant to embarrass the young athlete. It wasn't meant to make a fool out of anyone. It was meant to demonstrate the work ethic needed to be successful in basketball. In today's world of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), families often spend thousands of dollars chasing lessons like this. At the JRock Community Camp, an annual basketball clinic, that kind of wisdom came free. Just the right lesson for the NBA player to pass along to the community that shaped who he is. "I love giving back," Clark said. "I think when you run into blessings or money or whatever you want to call it, that just amplifies who you are as a person." Learning from a professional made choosing the camp over the summer's biggest AAU tournaments an easy choice. "A lot of \[the kids\] missed out on going to their tournament event in Vegas, which is a big \[AAU\] tournament, to come here," Brian Hooks said. Hooks, who helped Clark run the camp, is a trainer at Norte Vista High School. He brought some of his players to gain the experience that will help them during the high school season. "The kids relate to him because of his demeanor," Hooks said. "He has a really good demeanor for this type of thing." The camp has grown alongside Clark's career. He started the training session while playing basketball at UCLA. During its first year, he relied on money raised through a GoFundMe campaign. In its fifth year, the shooting guard funds the camp himself, with support from the Riverside Sports Commission, a partner since day one, and Adidas. Each attendee left with a backpack full of supplies, a new pair of shoes and a plate of food. More importantly, they left believing they could make it to the NBA. "We want every kid to leave camp believing in their potential," Clark said. "This is about more than basketball—it's about showing up, putting in the work, and building a mindset that carries into everything they do." A lesson far better heard from someone who played ball in the same parks they did and made it to the pinnacle of the game, said Robert Marrow, the father of one of the attendees. "First of all, \[this camp\] is pretty much free," he said. "You don't have the financial drain on most parents that already pay a lot of money for whatever. …There's some pretty good talent here on the higher level." Rather than paying a lot of money for travel ball, Marrow relies on camps like these to elevate his son's basketball skills. Marrow, who's the assistant coach of the women's team at Mt. San Jacinto College, understands his son won't want to hear it from him. If Marrow says anything, his son will just brush him off. But when he hears it from someone like Clark after missing a shot from the three-point line during the drill, it carries weight. "I'm happy Jaylen Clark puts it on, and is giving back to the community," he said. Too often, youth sports rely on how much a family can afford. Clark's camp demonstrates that affordability doesn't mean the lessons get diluted. Sometimes, all it takes is a local kid who made it to the NBA, a basketball court, and a few sprints to show the next generation what they are capable of. **Correction- Fri. Aug. 7, 11:08 a.m.** An earlier version of this story stated that the JRock Community Camp costs $25\. The camp is free. It is funded by Jaylen Clark with support from the Riverside Sports Commission, which has backed the camp since its first year, and Adidas. ### Midweek Update: City Hall Moves on Housing, Roads, and Leadership URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/midweek-update-city-hall-moves-on-housing-roads-and-leadership/ Last updated: 2026-08-01T13:15:38.000Z A quick check-in on what's happened so far this week at City Hall and what's still ahead. ### New Interim City Manager At Tuesday's City Council meeting, council members approved the appointment of Tom Hatch as interim city manager, following former manager Mike Futrell's voluntary departure last month. Hatch brings more than 36 years of experience and has previously served as interim city manager for Orange, Santa Fe Springs, Santa Ana, and Placentia. ### Also at Tuesday's Meeting **Road Funding (SB-1 Gas Tax)**\- The council adopted a resolution allocating the city's roughly $9 million in FY 2026–27 SB-1 gas tax funds to road projects, covering: - Columbia Avenue (215 Freeway bridge to Chicago) - University Avenue (Mt. Rubidoux to Pine; Market to Lime) - Chicago Avenue (Alessandro to Central) - Adams Street (California to Arlington) - Tyler Street (Magnolia to the 91 Freeway westbound ramps) - La Sierra Avenue (Cypress to Arlington) - Several residential streets in La Sierra: Fairfield Court, Darien Court, Cypress Avenue, Palm Terrace Lane, Golden Avenue, Anaheim Street, Reid Court, and Knoefler Drive Timeline: Pre-construction begins this September; construction runs June–November 2027. **Annual Paving Budget**\- Approved a $26 million road work budget for FY 2026–27. - Boosted by Measure A sales tax funds after Measure Z revenue fell $3.2 million short amid the city's broader budget shortfall - Citywide pavement condition has slipped slightly — about 21% of streets now rated "poor" or "very poor" **Land Use Actions**\- Two separate approvals: 1. Rezoning of the 7.03-acre former Riverside Scrap Iron & Metal brownfield site to enable a 300-unit multi-family residential development, incorporating the historic Barley Mills Building for resident amenities. 2. Historic district removal — two parcels at 4472 and 4480 Orange St. were removed from the Prospect Place Historic District after it was found their original historic structures had been demolished. **Homeless Shelter Funding**\- Approved an $836,089 increase to the agreement with Mercy House Living Centers, extending funding through December 31, 2026 for the Bridge Housing Program (a 23-bed non-congregate shelter at 2881 Hulen Place). - Funded via HHAP Round 4 grant money - Maintains 24-hour staffing, case management, and housing navigation services - A new competitive bidding process for the program's future operator will run in 2027 - Results so far: 315 people served; 109 (\~35%) moved into permanent housing — a rate staff say beats typical regional shelter benchmarks ### Also This Week **New Energy Storage Rebate Program**\- The Board of Public Utilities approved a new Energy Storage Rebate Program for residential customers on Monday, funded by a $5 million supplemental appropriation from the Electric Public Benefits Fund's Public Benefits Cash Reserves. - General residential customers: $500 per kWh of storage capacity, up to $10,000 - Low-income customers (SHARE program): $850 per kWh of storage capacity, up to $17,000 - Developed with input from a Public Benefits Charge Community Working Group (formed 2025) - Participants must be on a time-of-use electric rate - Rebates apply retroactively to installations dating back to July 1, 2026 - First of six initiatives totaling $34 million approved earlier this year to spend down accumulated Public Benefits Charge reserves on storage, solar, and efficiency programs **Other Notes** - The Housing and Homelessness Committee's Monday meeting was canceled. ### What to Watch The council received a presentation on the City's third-quarter financial results — more on that to come. ### City Council Taps Tom Hatch as Interim City Manager URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-taps-tom-hatch-as-interim-city-manager/ Last updated: 2026-07-31T21:15:31.000Z The City Council on Tuesday appointed Tom Hatch as interim city manager after former manager Mike Futrell voluntarily stepped down from the position last month. The council voted unanimously to approve the appointment and authorize the mayor pro tem to execute the employment agreement. Hatch, who comes with more than 36 years of experience, has served as interim city manager for the cities of Orange, Santa Fe Springs, Santa Ana and Placentia. His broader career includes roles with Walnut, Brea, South Pasadena, West Covina, El Monte, Costa Mesa and the County of Orange, where he served as chief human resources officer overseeing roughly 16,000 employees. He spent more than seven years as Costa Mesa's city manager, following five years as assistant city manager, and currently resides in Costa Mesa. At the meeting, Councilmember Steven Robillard said the council's intention after Futrell departed was to find an experienced executive to guide the transition. In the meantime, assistant city manager Edward Enriquez served as acting city manager, then interim city manager, while the city engaged a search firm to recruit a professional interim candidate. "The role of a professional interim city manager is different from simply filling the position," Robillard said. "An experienced interim city manager brings an independent perspective and seasoned city management experience, and the ability to focus exclusively on organizational stability while giving the council the necessary time to conduct a thoughtful search for a permanent city manager." Robillard said that throughout Hatch's career, he earned a reputation for strengthening organizations during periods of transition "while maintaining operational excellence." "That experience aligns directly with Riverside's needs today," Robillard said. "Hatch understands that as an interim city manager's role is not to redefine the city's direction. The city council establishes policies and sets priorities. His responsibilities are to implement that direction, provide organizational stability, and support our employees, and ensure Riverside is well positioned to attract an outstanding permanent city manager." At the meeting, Hatch thanked the council. "It's a big decision. You can tell that by the callers that called into the meeting. You can see it in your faces as I've met each of you," Hatch said. "I'm going to work very hard to make you very proud of that vote and work very closely with you. And I'm excited about the opportunity." He also shared his three key priorities for his time as Riverside's interim city manager. The first, he said, is to "keep projects that you already have and priorities moving forward." "You've already made many policy decisions on what Riverside needs," he said. "The staff worked hard to bring those forward. My role is to work with staff, provide them support, and ensure that those continue to move forward. Sometimes in transition periods, things can slow down. We don't want that to happen." Number two, Hatch said, is to make good long-term decisions for the city of Riverside. "This position is required to do that if you want to keep moving forward," he said. "I'm a very decisive person, but I'm decisive because I'm confident in the fact that I'm going to assess the situation, assess the organization, learn from the organization, learn from staff, listen to the community, listen to you, and make decisions that are in the best long-term interest of the city of Riverside." Hatch's third key priority is to assist in preparing the organization for a new permanent city manager. "That is a key thing that ensures that my work here helps the next person be as successful as possible," said Hatch. Hatch also told the council he was "proud and excited about working with you in terms of your approach and style." He said he previously worked in some cities that had "difficult" council dynamics, making every decision and discussion difficult. "You're respectful to each other. You're cordial to each other. You don't agree on everything, but you work through it because I think the focus that you all have is working together for the betterment of Riverside," Hatch said. "Not all councils do that at times, and so I'm excited about that opportunity because I have other choices too. But you're a group that I want to spend some time \[getting\] to know and work hard for, and so I'm excited about that." Hatch begins his position on July 31, 2026, and his contract is set to end no later than July 31, 2027 or earlier upon the hiring of a permanent city manager or termination by either party. His compensation is set to $195.05 per hour, a reflective hourly equivalent of the city manager's salary listed on the city's publicly available salary schedule, according to Robillard at the meeting, and Hatch may work no more than 960 hours per fiscal year, as a retiree under the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS). State law governing such retired-annuitant appointments requires the city to keep the permanent city manager recruitment open during his tenure — a process already underway ahead of Tuesday's vote. The agreement provides no city benefits — including no health, dental, vision, life, or legal insurance, retirement, deferred compensation, leave accruals, or stipends, except workers' compensation coverage and reimbursement for authorized non-community work-related travel expenses. At the meeting, the council also gave direction to city staff to post the recruitment page for permanent city manager — noting that it was already live on the city's website. Hatch's appointment closes out a leadership shakeup that began in April, when Futrell announced he'd [accepted Pasadena's city manager job](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-city-manager-mike-futrell-leaving-for-pasadena/), only to [reverse course 10 days later](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mike-futrell-to-remain-as-city-manager/) and stay in Riverside. However, Futrell voluntarily resigned from his position during a council meeting on June 16 after the City Council's closed session meeting agenda listed a possible censure for him – and after his wife, entrepreneur Susan Freeman, [filed a defamation claim against the city](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/susan-freeman-files-claim-against-city-alleging-defamation-retaliation/) amid conflict between her and city officials. Freeman had [filed a government claim against the city on June 10](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/susan-freeman-files-claim-against-city-alleging-defamation-retaliation/), alleging defamation, reputational harm and First Amendment retaliation. The claim was filed through her attorney, Carol Sobel of the Law Office of Carol Sobel in Santa Monica. The claim stems from a Dec. 11 letter the city sent her in response to her Dec. 4 letter to the City Council asserting her First Amendment rights. The city's letter alleged she contacted city employees through "unwanted and harassing calls, texts, emails, comments, social media posts and other communications to city employees." The council accepted Futrell’s resignation and approved an agreement that he would be placed on paid administrative leave effective immediately until July 5, according to a city press release. The city also agreed to pay Futrell's severance in a lump sum equal to nine months of regular salary and 401(a) contributions and one month of health benefits. The agreement provides that there are no pending claims or actions between the city and city manager, with both parties releasing each other from any claims during Futrell's employment, which began January 2023. ### Public Forums Set on Renaming Chávez Community Center URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/public-forums-set-on-renaming-chavez-community-center/ Last updated: 2026-07-31T11:59:24.000Z Riverside is seeking the community's help when it comes to renaming the [César Chávez Community Center](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-to-seek-public-input-on-cesar-chavez-community-center-name/) in response to sexual abuse allegations against the labor union and civil rights activist, who died in 1993. The city will host two community forums at the Youth Opportunity Center at 2060 University Ave. this week: Thursday, July 30, from 6 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, Aug. 1, from 10 a.m. to noon. The city's actions come after Dolores Huerta, 95 – co-founder of the United Farm Workers alongside Chávez – published a [statement in March](https://medium.com/@dolores%5Fhuerta/march-18-2026-e74c20430555?ref=raincrossgazette.com) alleging Chávez sexually abused her in the 1960s. After Huerta's statement back in March, Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson called for community input on the future of the community center and the César Chávez statue on the Main Street Mall. The city in March also [removed a César Chávez Day item](https://riversideca.gov/sites/default/files/press/pdf/City%20of%20Riverside%20Will%20Not%20Honor%20Cesar%20Chavez%20at%20City%20Council%20Meeting,%20Will%20Instead%20Celebrate%20United%20Farmworkers%20Day%20This%20Year.pdf?ref=raincrossgazette.com) from its agenda and [instead observed Farmworkers Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-pulls-cesar-chavez-honors-calls-for-review-of-chavez-named-facilities/). In a statement sent to the Gazette on Monday, Lock Dawson said the community center has been "a gathering place for many Eastside residents for decades," long before the city became aware of "the issues surrounding its namesake." "Given the strong feelings people have about the center, I am glad we are taking the time to hear the community, and I encourage residents to attend a forum and give us their feedback," she said. After the allegations went public, [the Latino Network of Riverside also postponed its annual César Chávez celebration](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-responds-to-chavez-allegations-latino-network-postpones-annual-event/), originally scheduled for March 30. Meanwhile, the César Chávez statue, which sits on public land Downtown, is owned by the Latino Network of Riverside, not the city; the city said in March that it is working together with the group to determine the statue's future. The Latino Network of Riverside was not immediately available for comment on the statue's future. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- July 29, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-july-29-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:27.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/IMG_1681.jpeg) Lauretta Cortez and her grandson James at the helm of the Bluenose II in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, during an 11-day road trip around the province. **Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and what you got up to](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com)! **Wednesday Gazette: July 29, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Wednesday!** We want to know how you're beating the heat this week. Maybe it's a favorite cold drink at a spot Downtown, a go-to ice cream or paleta stand, or a place with air conditioning strong enough to make you forget it's summer at all. Maybe it's somewhere with a mister fan set up just right on the patio. Whatever your go-to cool down spot is, send it our way at [newsroom@raincrossgazette.com](mailto:newsroom@raincrossgazette.com). Bonus points for a photo. We'll share your favorites from the neighborhood soon. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260729)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260729&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Public Forums Set on Renaming Chávez Community Center Two community forums this weekend will gather feedback following sexual abuse allegations against the late labor union activist. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/Cesar-Chavez-Building-2-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/public-forums-set-on-renaming-chavez-community-center/) Riverside's César Chávez Community Center, whose future name is now up for public discussion following abuse allegations against its namesake. (Brenda Flowers/Raincross Gazette) Riverside will gather public feedback this weekend on renaming the César Chávez Community Center amid sexual abuse allegations against its namesake. **Why it matters:** Eastside residents who rely on the community center can share their input at two forums this week, before the city decides on a new name. **Driving the news:** United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta, 95, alleged in a March statement that Chávez sexually abused her in the 1960s. - The City responded by pulling Chávez's name from March's agenda and observing Farmworkers Day instead. **What's next:** The city hosts two forums at the Youth Opportunity Center, 2060 University Ave. - Thursday, July 30, from 6 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, Aug. 1, from 10 a.m. to noon. **What they're saying:** Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson called the center "a gathering place for many Eastside residents for decades." **Yes, but:** The César Chávez statue Downtown belongs to the Latino Network of Riverside, not the city, which is working with the group on the statue's future. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/public-forums-set-on-renaming-chavez-community-center/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260729)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260729&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HOMELESSNESS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/homelessness/) ## Riverside Now Requires 24-Hour Notice Before Dropping Off Unhoused Individuals New ordinance targets organizations that transport unhoused people into the city without coordinating shelter or services first. [![grayscale photo of a store](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1613499778029-821ee24db39d?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDU4fHx1bmhvdXNlZHxlbnwwfHx8fDE3ODUyNzEzMTZ8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-now-requires-24-hour-notice-before-dropping-off-unhoused-individuals/) ([Gunnar Ridderström](https://unsplash.com/@gunnarridder?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) Riverside now requires 24 hours' notice before any agency transports an unhoused person into city limits, officials said in a release Tuesday. **Why it matters:** Hospitals, government agencies and other institutions dropping someone off in Riverside must coordinate with the city first — or face citations — under the new ordinance. **What's required:** - Written notice submitted online at least 24 hours before drop-off - Notice goes to the City Manager's office and the Director of Housing and Human Services - Drop-offs limited to 8 a.m.–5 p.m., when staff and service providers are available **Driving the news:** Officials cited a recent case in the release: a Riverside County Sheriff's deputy dropped off a person experiencing homelessness from Jurupa Valley outside the Riverside Access Center without coordinating with the city beforehand. - The city says stabilizing one unsheltered person costs roughly $63,000 in shelter, rental assistance and case management. **Yes, but:** The ordinance doesn't apply to people relocating on their own, and it doesn't restrict charities from providing basic survival assistance, per state law. **What's next:** First violations draw a warning. A second can bring an administrative citation, with a hearing and appeal process, and the city says it may pursue civil action to collect unpaid fines. **By the numbers:** Riverside counted 614 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the county's 2025 Point-in-Time Count. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-now-requires-24-hour-notice-before-dropping-off-unhoused-individuals/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260729) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260729&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## 40 Years On, Project Food's Mission Remains Unfinished The First Congregational Church program has served weekly meals for over 40 years, but volunteers say the need it addresses hasn't faded. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-19.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/40-years-on-project-foods-mission-remains-unfinished/) A musician performs from the stage at First Congregational Church's basement hall as volunteers and guests share a weekly meal at Project Food. (Erik Chen) Descending the narrow staircase below the First Congregational Church, visitors are greeted by an unexpectedly lively scene: volunteers hurriedly carrying trays between tables, aromatic scents drifting about, and a DJ playing soft, ambient music beneath glowing chandeliers. Project Food is a social service project of the First Congregational Church, aiming to serve the immediate needs of the homeless in Riverside. For over 40 years, they have been providing weekly hot meals, clothes, and sanitary supplies. Even so, Project Food's longevity also reflects an uncomfortable reality: four decades later, the need it was created to address still exists. Since [The Raincross Gazette last covered Project Food in 2025](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/project-food-and-riverside-free-clinic-serve-to-bridge-food-health-gaps/), some aspects of the program have changed while its mission has remained the same. "What stands out to me is that we're still filling a need," cofounder Barbara Wilson said. "When we started, we hoped we would eventually work ourselves out of a job, that someday Project Food wouldn't be needed anymore. But here we are, 40 years later, and that need still exists. It shows that the problem is still there, and we're doing what we can to help." [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/40-years-on-project-foods-mission-remains-unfinished/) --- ## Noteworthy American Legion Riverside Post 79 hosts a [Veterans Resource Fair](https://www.facebook.com/riversideveteransservices/photos/veterans-resource-fair-calling-all-veterans-active-duty-service-members-military/1663183025815165/) Thursday, July 30, from 6 to 8 p.m., connecting veterans and military families with local, state, and federal benefits, healthcare, and employment resources. The Santa Ana River Trail at Mission Boulevard will close on weekdays through August 12 for [bridge construction](https://www.instagram.com/p/DbUNm-5AZpX/?ref=raincrossgazette.com), remaining open weekends, with trail users rerouted at Carlson Park or turned back near the bridge's north side. Mark your calendars: Riverside's remaining 2026 Clean Up events run August 15, September 19, and October 17, offering residents [free bulky item and e-waste disposal](https://www.instagram.com/p/DaA7FS1Eh1P/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) from 8 a.m. to noon with proof of residency. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-07-29T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-07-29T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center ### Tomorrow - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19390098/2026-07-30T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($65.50 - $71.21) ## Save the Date - July 31: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-07-31T08) at Community Yoga Center - July 31: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-31T07) at Zacatecas Café - August 8: [Casino Night with CARE](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/casino-night-with-care/19476771/2026-08-08T18) at Riverside Airport Cafe ($50) - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### 40 Years On, Project Food's Mission Remains Unfinished URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/40-years-on-project-foods-mission-remains-unfinished/ Last updated: 2026-07-30T11:59:31.000Z Descending the narrow staircase below the First Congregational Church, visitors are greeted by an unexpectedly lively scene: volunteers hurriedly carrying trays between tables, aromatic scents drifting about, and a DJ playing soft, ambient music beneath glowing chandeliers. Project Food is a social service project of the First Congregational Church, aiming to serve the immediate needs of the homeless in Riverside. For over 40 years, they have been providing weekly hot meals, clothes, and sanitary supplies. Even so, Project Food's longevity also reflects an uncomfortable reality: four decades later, the need it was created to address still exists. Since [The Raincross Gazette last covered Project Food in 2025](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/project-food-and-riverside-free-clinic-serve-to-bridge-food-health-gaps/), some aspects of the program have changed while its mission has remained the same. "What stands out to me is that we're still filling a need," cofounder Barbara Wilson said. "When we started, we hoped we would eventually work ourselves out of a job, that someday Project Food wouldn't be needed anymore. But here we are, 40 years later, and that need still exists. It shows that the problem is still there, and we're doing what we can to help." "We've noticed a slight decline recently in the number of people we are serving, although we don't know if it's temporary," said volunteer Russell Turner, who helps coordinate the weekly meals. "We've seen attendance fluctuate before. Part of it may be because the city is doing a better job connecting people with services. There are also more food programs available than there used to be. It's hard to know whether this trend will continue." Project Food's remarkable longevity has, in large part, to do with their consistent volunteers, who show up week after week to help. "There are at least 30 to 35 people helping," volunteer Jan Gustafson-Corea said. "They come from everywhere. Some are members of the church, which started this program about 40 years ago, and others are high school students or people from the community." Many volunteers describe their time with Project Food as a humbling, yet fulfilling experience. "I can only speak for myself, but volunteering helps me better understand our community," Gustafson-Corea said. "It's easy to go through life focused on your own routine, but there are parts of our community we don't always see. Coming here lets me understand the needs that exist, and it gives me a way to give back in a meaningful way." However, even with dedicated volunteers, keeping Project Food running has become difficult as of late. "Inflation has definitely affected food banks," Turner said. "When I visit Feeding America's warehouse, I see fewer nutritious foods available. There is simply less food than before, and that's concerning. Fortunately, our local community has been incredibly generous. Farms, warehouses, churches, and volunteers continue finding ways to get food to organizations like ours." Through their service, Project Food symbolizes communal altruism at its core, with people across Riverside pitching in to support a shared commitment towards human compassion. Yet the ongoing need for their work serves as a sobering reminder of the persistent homelessness in our community. "I like to call Project Food the corner of Lemon and Little Miracles. If one day there were no longer a need for Project Food because hunger had been solved, I'd be perfectly happy," Turner said. "I don't know if that's possible, but I'm idealistic enough to keep working toward that goal. Ultimately, our goal is really to work ourselves out of a job." **More information:* Project Food is run entirely by volunteers and serves meals every Wednesday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at 3504 Mission Inn Ave. Those looking to donate can find needed items on Project Food's* [*Amazon wishlist*](https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3HJ9EJ61SYMOG?ref%5F=wl%5Fshare&utm%5Fsource=ig&utm%5Fmedium=social&utm%5Fcontent=link%5Fin%5Fbio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPOTM2NjE5NzQzMzkyNDU5AAGnYxkjYZHdd6FVRZmGy4j6Nq91mw8V-G6JbapH19605w-ttYHw7ewnGFdjPPQ%5Faem%5F%5FWtGQr%5FL%5FSWEQ0qweWGScA)*.* *By Erik Chen* ### Riverside Now Requires 24-Hour Notice Before Dropping Off Unhoused Individuals URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-now-requires-24-hour-notice-before-dropping-off-unhoused-individuals/ Last updated: 2026-07-30T00:15:03.000Z Riverside has adopted a new ordinance requiring organizations to give 24 hours' notice before transporting an unhoused person into city limits, city officials announced Tuesday. The rule applies to any organization — including government agencies, hospitals or other institutions — that plans to bring someone without stable housing into Riverside. City officials say the new rule is to make sure shelter beds, behavioral health services and other resources are lined up before someone arrives, rather than scrambling to respond afterward. “Ensuring an unhoused person has the best chance at success requires coordination of services, and that is made infinitely more difficult when an individual is brought to our city in a haphazard way,” Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said in the release. “Riverside is committed to assisting unhoused people living in our city on the path to self-reliance, and this ordinance will give us the best opportunity to do that.” Organizations must submit written notice through an online form at least 24 hours before a planned drop-off. The notice goes to the City Manager's office and the city's Director of Housing and Human Services, giving staff time to coordinate shelter placement, behavioral health care and housing navigation services. Drop-offs must also happen during normal business hours — 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. — so city staff and service providers are available to help. The ordinance does not apply to individuals traveling or relocating on their own, and it doesn't restrict charitable organizations from providing basic survival assistance, citing protections under state law, according to the release. Organizations that violate the ordinance for the first time will get a warning. A second violation could result in an administrative citation, which may include a hearing and appeal process. The city says it can also pursue civil action to collect unpaid fines, though the ordinance does not specify fine amounts. Riverside officials point to the city's role as a regional hub — home to the Robert Presley Detention Center, several hospitals, behavioral health facilities and motels used as shelters — as a factor drawing people experiencing homelessness from outside city boundaries, sometimes without any coordinated housing or service plan in place. In the press release, city officials cited one recent example: a Riverside County Sheriff's deputy dropped off a person experiencing homelessness from Jurupa Valley outside the Riverside Access Center without coordinating with city staff or service providers beforehand. The city says stabilizing one unsheltered person costs roughly $63,000 in shelter, rental assistance, case management and outreach services — a cost officials say shouldn't fall disproportionately on Riverside when the person's ties are to another jurisdiction. The city's most recent Point-in-Time Count, conducted by the Riverside County Continuum of Care in 2025, identified 614 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Riverside. The ordinance is part of a broader set of city efforts on homelessness, including its Homelessness Action Plan, expanded shelter capacity, and outreach conducted by the city's Public Safety and Engagement Team. The city also works with nonprofit providers and Riverside County agencies on shelter, recuperative care and permanent housing placement. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- July 28, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-july-21-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:28.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/Laguna_Daycation.jpg) Bob Sirotnik took a daycation to beautiful Laguna Beach to escape the inland heat. ***Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and what you got up to](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com)! **Tuesday Gazette: June 28, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Tuesday!** A big thanks to everyone submitting summer vacation photos. Readers are loving them and looking forward to a new one each morning, so keep them coming. They're a nice bit of brightness as we sit in the middle of the [dog days of summer](https://www.almanac.com/content/what-are-dog-days-summer?ref=raincrossgazette.com). Fun fact: the name has nothing to do with panting pups. It actually comes from Sirius, the Dog Star, which the ancient Greeks and Romans blamed for summer's heat. See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260728)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260728&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CITY HALL](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/city-hall/) ## Inspector General Search Narrows to Two Candidates The watchdog position, created by voters in 2024, has drawn both support and criticism as the search continues. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-16.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/inspector-general-search-narrows-to-two-candidates/) (File photo/Raincross Gazette) The City Council is weighing two finalists for inspector general after closed-door interviews last week. **Why it matters:** The inspector general will investigate fraud, waste and abuse in city government — this hiring decision shapes who holds City Hall accountable. **Driving the news:** Council interviewed candidates in two closed sessions last Monday and Tuesday morning, Councilmember Steven Robillard said. - "At this point, the Council is deliberating and considering the candidates," Robillard told the Gazette in an email Friday. **The backstory:** Voters approved Measure L in November 2024 with 64% support, creating an inspector general office to probe fraud, waste and abuse. - Council formally established the office in November 2025 on a 6-1 vote after months of debate over its independence. **Yes, but:** Critics question whether an inspector general appointed by elected officials can independently investigate those same officials. - Resident Keith Nelson told the council Monday: "That is not independent oversight." - Councilmember Philip Falcone, the lone vote against creating the role, called it "expensive, untested, and unnecessary." **What's next:** Council resumes closed-session deliberations Tuesday, July 28, according to the meeting agenda. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/inspector-general-search-narrows-to-two-candidates/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260728) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600728&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [FOOD & DRINK](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/food-drink/) ## Mikey G's Feeling at Home in Midtown The Elizabeth Street shop is thriving, and its new bagel line, inherited from the bakery it once shared a kitchen with, has customers coming in for reasons beyond the coffee. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/DFOUTS_MIKEY_GS_OPENINGDAY_0009-1.JPEG)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mikey-gs-feeling-at-home-in-midtown/) A line forms outside Mikey G's Elizabeth Street storefront on opening day this spring. (David Fouts) Four months into its [Elizabeth Street location](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mikey-gs-finally-has-a-home-and-it-was-worth-the-wait/), Mikey G's is among the first food and drink businesses to open in Midtown. **Why it matters:** If you want coffee and bagels without downtown parking hassles, Mikey G's now offers both under one roof after absorbing Parzel's Bagelry. **The backstory:** Magnolia Center — now increasingly called Midtown — has been a Riverside business hub for more than 50 years. - The Sire has endured on Magnolia Avenue for decades, while Condron Coffee and The Outpost are among Sunnyside Drive's newer successes. **What's new:** Mikey G's acquired Parzel's Bagelry from founder Kali Hathaway, who once shared a kitchen with the shop at Harvest Christian Fellowship on Arlington. - Owner Jake Driscoll said some customers come in just for bagels, then discover the espresso tonics and matcha on tap. **What they're saying:** Driscoll isn't fazed by Riverside's ongoing wave of new coffee shops. - "More coffee in Riverside helps coffee in Riverside as a whole," he said. **What's next:** Driscoll wouldn't confirm additional locations but said Mikey G's is "always open to other opportunities." - The original Arlington Avenue location still opens Sundays, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mikey-gs-feeling-at-home-in-midtown/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260728)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260728&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [MUSEUM MONDAYS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/museum-mondays/) ## Museum of Riverside Expands Community Programs Ahead of 2028 Reopening Heritage House hosts new nature programs, fall events and school tours while the museum's Downtown site awaits renovation. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/IMG_9500-1.JPG)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/museum-of-riverside-expands-community-programs-ahead-of-2028-reopening/) Children paint paper lanterns at the Museum of Riverside's Moon Festival at Heritage House. (The Museum of Riverside) The Museum of Riverside’s Education Division has been on the go, engaging with the community throughout Riverside. As we eagerly await the reopening of our rehabilitated and expanded main site in downtown Riverside, we are offering new programs at Heritage House. We are creating connections with local libraries and community centers, and popping up at events such as Artswalk and First Sundays. The Museum has also grown its volunteer program and developed exhibitions and programs for our spring 2028 reopening. Heritage House, an 1890s historic house museum, has provided the backdrop for new highlight exhibitions, exciting new programs, and special tours. Natural history programming makes up some of these new offerings with after-dark hunts for insects and spiders and the celebration of World Snake Day all taking place in Heritage House’s gardens. Save the date for two events happening at Heritage House this fall: one an anticipated event, Moon Festival, and one just in its second year: Dark Carnival. Both are free and open to the public. Moon Festival will be held on September 25, from 6-9 p.m. and Dark Carnival on October 17,from noon-4 p.m. We’ve also expanded our school tours s at Heritage House with a new hands-on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) program exploring the importance of bringing water to early Riverside’s citrus groves. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/museum-of-riverside-expands-community-programs-ahead-of-2028-reopening/) --- ## Noteworthy Riverside Public Utilities is urging residents to set thermostats to 78° or higher, close windows to trap cooled air, and [visit a community cooling center](https://www.riversideca.gov/press/be-aware-flex-alerts-summer?ref=raincrossgazette.com) during Flex Alerts triggered by summer heat. Registration is open for the Second Annual Riverside Turkey Trot, a Thanksgiving morning 5K through Midtown benefiting Olive Crest, which drew [more than 600 runners, walkers and neighbors](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-riverside-turkey-trot-tickets-1993772447060?ref=raincrossgazette.com) last year. UCR computer scientists led by doctoral student Rohit Kundu unveiled SAGA, a new tool that not only detects AI-generated fake videos but also [pinpoints which of 19 different AI systems created them](https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/07/24/new-tool-identifies-sources-fake-videos?ref=raincrossgazette.com). 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [MSRPAC's Monthly Community Cat Spay/Neuter Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/msrpacs-monthly-community-cat-spayneuter-day/17790235/2026-07-28T06) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($45) - [Summer Seed Exchange](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summer-seed-exchange/19394403/2026-07-28T10) at Marcy Library - [Civics Summer Camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/civics-summer-camp/19305301/2026-07-28T09) at Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California - [The Art of Reading & Writing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-art-of-reading-writing/19240974/2026-07-28T16) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Multiplication Madness (MM)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/multiplication-madness-mm/19240907/2026-07-28T00) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Comprehension Group](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-comprehension-group/19240809/2026-07-28T10) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Foundational Skills (RFS)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-foundational-skills-rfs/19240857/2026-07-28T09) at My Learning Studio ($196) - [Seed to Scale: Explore Controlled Environment Agriculture at UCR](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/seed-to-scale-explore-controlled-environment-agriculture-at-ucr/18864709/2026-07-28T18) at University of California, Riverside - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition at the Hideaway](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-07-28T19) at The Hideaway ### Tomorrow - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-07-29T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-07-29T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center ### Save the Date - July 29: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-07-29T08) at Community Yoga Center - July 31: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-31T07) at Zacatecas Café - August 8: [Casino Night with CARE](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/casino-night-with-care/19476771/2026-08-08T18) at Riverside Airport Cafe ($50) - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Mikey G's Feeling at Home in Midtown URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mikey-gs-feeling-at-home-in-midtown/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:04:04.000Z Four months into [its Elizabeth Street location](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mikey-gs-finally-has-a-home-and-it-was-worth-the-wait/), Mikey G's is among the first food and drink businesses to open since the business corridors inside Magnolia Center started going by Midtown. Mikey G's is not the first business to find success in Magnolia Center. The area has been a vibrant hub of business in Riverside for over half a century. The Sire has endured on Magnolia Avenue for decades, and Condron Coffee and The Outpost are among the wave of successes on Sunnyside Drive. What Mikey G's represents is a continuation, not a beginning. Still, the shop is open and thriving. It opened this spring and has become a go-to for people looking for an excellent product without downtown parking hassles. "This location has really exceeded our expectations," said Jake Driscoll, an owner. "The flow of traffic that has come through, the people who are excited, not only about the drinks, but about the bagels." Driscoll said the Midtown name struck him as a good look for what is happening in Riverside. It is already one of the places people use to explain where Midtown is. That it sits a few blocks from Condron does not seem to trouble him, and neither do the ones opening downtown. A new coffee shop in Riverside has stopped being news and become something closer to a running joke. "There's always going to be more coffee shops that open up, and if that's a reality, we see that as a good thing," Driscoll said. "More coffee in Riverside helps coffee in Riverside as a whole. We're always going to be Mikey G's." Some of the traffic is not there for coffee at all. Mikey G's acquired Parzel's Bagelry, the bakery it once shared a kitchen with at Harvest Christian Fellowship on Arlington, from founder Kali Hathaway, and the bagels have built a following of their own. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/DFOUTS_MIKEY_GS_BAGELS_0081.JPEG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/DFOUTS_MIKEY_GS_BAGELS_0131.JPEG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/DFOUTS_MIKEYGS_BAGELS_DAY_2_0084.JPEG) The bagels that built their own following - Driscoll says some customers come in for these alone, then discover the drinks. (David Fouts) "We owe a lot to Kali," Driscoll said. "She was down to hand off her dream of bagels to us." "We wanted to have a food option, but it seems like we have even a customer base who will come in just to grab a bagel, which is amazing," Driscoll said. "So we have to let them know that we also have delicious drinks as well." They do. The espresso tonics and matcha on tap are worth the trip on a hot afternoon. The original location at Harvest still opens Sundays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., though the bulk of the business now runs out of Elizabeth Street. What the corridor has is a handful of businesses that opened at different times, for different reasons, and ended up serving the same few blocks. The older ones kept it going through years before the Midtown designation. The newest are opening into a neighborhood that has just been handed a name. "We just get the benefit off of the energy, the momentum that's happening in this side of town," Driscoll said. Driscoll would not say whether more locations are coming. "At the end of the day, we're dreamers," he said. "We're always open to other opportunities, but at this very moment, we're very grateful to be in Midtown." **More information:* Mikey G's is located at 3780 Elizabeth St. and is open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The original location, 6115 Arlington Ave., is open Sundays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Follow the shop on Instagram at* [*@bigmikeygs*](https://www.instagram.com/bigmikeygs/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### Inspector General Search Narrows to Two Candidates URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/inspector-general-search-narrows-to-two-candidates/ Last updated: 2026-07-29T12:00:53.000Z After conducting [interview sessions last week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/inspector-general-search-advances-to-interview-stage/), the City Council is currently deliberating between two candidates for the new inspector general—a position intended to hold the city government accountable. The City Council met in two special closed sessions last week on Monday and Tuesday morning to interview the candidates. "At this point, the Council is deliberating and considering the candidates," Councilmember Steven Robillard told the Gazette in an email Friday. Robillard said the council has not yet made a final decision, but will share additional information when the process is complete. The council is set to discuss the matter again in closed session during its Tuesday, July 28 meeting, according to the council agenda. The role was created after 64 percent of Riverside voters approved [Measure L](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/eight-months-after-voter-approval-inspector-general-implementation-finally-begins/) in November 2024. The measure amended the city charter to create an Office of the Inspector General, charged with investigating fraud, waste, abuse and inefficiency within city government. The City Council formally established the office in November 2025 on [a 6-1 vote](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-approves-inspector-general-after-resolving-independence-concerns/) after months of debate over how to structure the position and ensure its independence. Under the city charter, the inspector general will have access to city records, authority to review public complaints and the ability to place matters on council agendas and make recommendations for council action. The city sought candidates with significant executive, investigative, legal and/or administrative experience. The position's [annual salary ranges from about $161,000 to $217,000](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-opens-search-for-inspector-general-a-new-watchdog-role/). The role is being selected by the mayor and city council, and will report directly to those offices, but maintain its own independent operation, according to the city charter. Implementation of the office has drawn both support and criticism since voters approved the measure. Supporters, including Councilmember Steven Robillard—who led the council subcommittee overseeing its development—argue that the position will strengthen accountability and improve public trust in city government. However, some have questioned whether an inspector general appointed by elected officials can remain fully independent from the officials it may be asked to investigate. "Riverside does not need another employee who answers to the very people that they're supposed to oversee," said resident Keith Nelson during last Monday's meeting. "That is not independent oversight. It's simply another layer of bureaucracy dressed up to look like accountability." Councilmember Philip Falcone—who wrote the ballot argument against Measure L and cast the only dissenting vote against creating the role—has criticized the role, [calling it](https://riversideca.gov/cityclerk/sites/riversideca.gov.cityclerk/files/pdf/Measure%20L%20-%20Ballot%20Argument%20Written%20Against%20Ballot%20Measure%20L%5FWEB%5F0.pdf?ref=raincrossgazette.com) "expensive, untested, and unnecessary." ### Museum of Riverside Expands Community Programs Ahead of 2028 Reopening URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/museum-of-riverside-expands-community-programs-ahead-of-2028-reopening/ Last updated: 2026-07-29T00:15:24.000Z The Museum of Riverside’s Education Division has been on the go, engaging with the community throughout Riverside. As we eagerly await the reopening of our rehabilitated and expanded main site in downtown Riverside, we are offering new programs at Heritage House. We are creating connections with local libraries and community centers, and popping up at events such as Artswalk and First Sundays. The Museum has also grown its volunteer program and developed exhibitions and programs for our spring 2028 reopening. Heritage House, an 1890s historic house museum, has provided the backdrop for new highlight exhibitions, exciting new programs, and special tours. Natural history programming makes up some of these new offerings with after-dark hunts for insects and spiders and the celebration of World Snake Day all taking place in Heritage House’s gardens. Save the date for two events happening at Heritage House this fall: one an anticipated event, Moon Festival, and one just in its second year: Dark Carnival. Both are free and open to the public. Moon Festival will be held on September 25, from 6-9 p.m. and Dark Carnival on October 17,from noon-4 p.m. We’ve also expanded our school tours s at Heritage House with a new hands-on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) program exploring the importance of bringing water to early Riverside’s citrus groves. If you haven’t made it to Heritage House, don’t worry, there are plenty of other opportunities to see us! We’re taking the show on the road and coming to a library or community space near you. Many Riverside city and county libraries have hosted outreach events. We’ve also visited students at K-12 schools and summer and spring break camps at Riverside parks. These programs feature fossils, insects, local history, and more. Find us every first Thursday at Riverside Artswalk at Main Street and University Avenue and, starting in October, every first Sunday through May, at the corner of Main Street and Mission Inn Avenue. Don’t miss out on our educational offerings! Be sure to follow the Museum of Riverside on Facebook and Instagram (@museumofriverside) or visit our website at [www.museumofriverside.org](http://www.museumofriverside.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to learn more about these and other upcoming programs. If you have questions about the Museum’s educational programming or want more information about becoming a volunteer, please reach out to Teresa Woodard at [twoodard@riversideca.gov](mailto:twoodard@riversideca.gov). ### 🗞️ Riverside News- July 27, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-july-27-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:29.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/IMG_0316.jpeg) Suzy and Gary Clem found a great close-to-home getaway at Heisler Park in Laguna Beach. **Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and what you got up to](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **Monday Gazette: July 27, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday!** Whether your style is starting slow and taking the to do list bite by bite, or hitting the ground running the second that alarm chimes, we wish you a great one this week. Take a minute to notice the beauty around you, tell someone they're doing great, and don't forget to hydrate. Here's to a good week ahead. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260727)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260727&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## This Week in City Hall: July 27, 2026 Council considers an agreement to appoint an interim city manager, weighs Bridle Ridge bonds, historic property protections. Housing panel reviews state density laws, prohousing funding. Utilities board weighs battery rebates, turf rules. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/FullSizeRender-12.jpeg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-july-27-2026/) (File photo/Raincross Gazette) Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### City Council City Council will meet in closed and open sessions on Tuesday, July 28, in an afternoon session 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1426642&GUID=D83C58B9-C4B4-48D6-8065-1AE32C083A65&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). The agenda includes: - Reviewing a [proposal](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=0fd572c2-00a1-4da3-82de-d52dbdaf4bc0.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to remove historic Structure of Merit protections from two Orange Street properties and adjust the Prospect Place Historic District boundary ([item 5](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5409-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a599a45f395e70f89003e54-5-approve-case-pc-2026-00128-historic-designation?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering a [zoning change](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=8cf9dc72-d9bf-47f5-8b69-2e4a5f603f9a.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for about 7 acres near Mission Inn Avenue and Commerce Street from business and manufacturing use to mixed use ([item 11](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5409-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a599a46f395e70f89003e5e-11-adopt-an-ordinance-amending-the-zoning-map-of?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering an [amendment](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=ea5b3c0c-5f3a-4314-ac01-f927240a3ea2.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to extend a homeless services agreement with Mercy House through December 2026 and increase funding by $836,089.35 for a 23-bed shelter program ([item 15](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5409-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a599a46f395e70f89003e65-15-approve-first-amendment-to-subrecipient-agreem?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering an [agreement](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=70c87583-07ee-46be-9e6e-adf3c8b82a22.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) with Riverside University Health System to establish a team dedicated to evaluating child abuse cases countywide ([item 19](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5409-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a599a46f395e70f89003e6c-19-approve-memorandum-of-understanding-with-river?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Reviewing a [list of road repair projects](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=83de1bf2-e912-4fbb-bcde-ee55d4ea7a70.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for the 2026-27 budget year funded through a state transportation program, spanning multiple wards ([item 23](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5409-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a599a46f395e70f89003e72-23-adopt-a-resolution-adopting-a-list-of-projects?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering an [agreement](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=8f296614-6558-4115-97eb-9458e86b1af2.pdf&From=Granicus&Format=pdf&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to appoint a retired official as interim City Manager starting July 31, 2026, at an hourly rate of $195.05 ([item 38](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5409-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a599a47f395e70f89003e83-38-councilmember-robillard-recommends-city-counci?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Reviewing an [update on the City's paving program](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=8861e2c2-0da5-45f2-bbdd-4e3c108bc304.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com), including a list of street repaving projects planned for the 2026-27 budget year ([item 39](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5409-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a599a47f395e70f89003e84-39-receive-and-file-pavement-management-program-o?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - [Reviewing the City's third-quarter financial results](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=8bb7b3c4-f488-4f44-8e2c-b5cbddb5420b.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) and considering related budget adjustments, including changes to Measure Z spending ([item 40](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5409-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a599a47f395e70f89003e85-40-receive-fiscal-year-2025-2026-third-quarter-fi?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering approval of up to [$5 million in bonds](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=b333d743-3c8f-4984-80ee-90779d43f81b.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for a special taxing district in the Bridle Ridge area to fund infrastructure improvements ([item 41](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5409-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a599a47f395e70f89003e86-41-adopt-a-resolution-of-the-city-council-acting?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Housing and Homelessness Committee The Housing and Homelessness Committee meets on Monday, July 27, at 3:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1428056&GUID=C1D66286-0C71-49E8-93B4-BB29761B37DC&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review [new state housing laws](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=39be0671-b38c-4d94-aca1-60d027e14dc8.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that could require Riverside to allow more units on single-family lots ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5405-housing-and-homelessness-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a581b5df395e7f50800277a-2-california-housing-legislative-2025-2026-update?ref=raincrossgazette.com)); to decide whether to [reapply for a state program](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=206ac9f4-c903-4737-b2bf-70975da1753d.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that has brought the city millions in housing funding before it expires in 2027 ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5405-housing-and-homelessness-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a581b5df395e7f50800277b-3-california-prohousing-designation-program-reapp?ref=raincrossgazette.com)); and to [review an update](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=c6cd223c-e948-4088-8953-88d8ab4afcf3.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on the city's 401 affordable housing units currently being built or planned ([item 4](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5405-housing-and-homelessness-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a581b5df395e7f50800277c-4-housing-authoritys-projects-update?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Board of Public Utilities The Board of Public Utilities meets on Monday, July 27, at 6:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1426969&GUID=FF9BD825-D9FB-4259-96C9-B117A4ED4490&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider a $5 million [residential rebate program](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=d1e30c12-e1c5-4d1f-b1f2-b8faa411d0d1.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) offering up to $10,000 toward home battery energy storage systems installed on or after July 1, 2026 ([item 8](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5407-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a58288a7d7965919f003054-8-recommend-city-council-approve-implementation-o?ref=raincrossgazette.com)),and to review an [ordinance amendment](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=37d8a932-de3a-4342-8b83-275824fe85a6.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that would update city rules to comply with a state law phasing out potable water use for irrigating decorative turf on commercial, institutional, and homeowners' association properties starting in 2027 ([item 10](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5407-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a58288a7d7965919f003056-10-recommend-city-council-introduce-an-ordinance?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-july-27-2026/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260727) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600727&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [PUBLIC SAFETY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/public-safety/) ## CPRC Extends Racial Profiling Review Committee to 2027 The extension gives the ad hoc committee more time to meet with police staff on stop-data disparities affecting Black residents before recommendations reach City Council. [![blue and white car in a parking lot](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1596132532297-3027a3c28d82?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDQwfHxwb2xpY2V8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzg0OTMwMDk4fDA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/cprc-extends-racial-profiling-review-committee-to-2027/) ([Joshua Hoehne](https://unsplash.com/@joshua%5Fhoehne?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) The Community Police Review Commission (CPRC) will spend six more months reviewing stop data before advancing profiling reforms. **Why it matters:** Recommendations addressing why Black residents accounted for more than double their population share in police stops won't reach City Council until at least next year. **Driving the news:** Commissioners voted Wednesday to extend the ad hoc committee reviewing RIPA data through January 2027, rather than forward recommendations now. - The three-member panel — Commissioners Teichert, Ward and Lundy — will meet with police staff before resubmitting anything. **By the numbers:** Black residents make up 6.6% of the city's population but accounted for a three-year average of 14.44% of police stops. - The commission's report states all other races were stopped at or below their population share. **What they're saying:** Commissioner Teichert said she was "frankly pretty shocked" by the request for further review. - Commissioner Lundy noted two of the three ad hoc members are former law enforcement, questioning the need for more ride-alongs. **What's next:** The ad hoc committee meets with Riverside police staff, then reports findings to the full commission in public session before resubmitting recommendations to the Safety, Wellness and Youth Committee. - No meeting date has been set. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/cprc-extends-racial-profiling-review-committee-to-2027/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260727)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260727&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CULTURE](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/culture/) ## Museum Board Approves Removal of Victorian Laundry Collection, Bird Specimens Board unanimously approved removing washing machines, wringers, and other Victorian-era items from Heritage House, along with bird specimens and animal bones no longer suited for the permanent collection. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-3-4.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/museum-board-approves-removal-of-victorian-laundry-collection-bird-specimens/) Heritage House, where the Victorian-era laundry items were used in docent tours before Wednesday's board vote. (Courtesy of the Museum of Riverside) Historic laundry tools and old animal specimens no longer count as protected museum artifacts, clearing the way for their continued hands-on use. **Why it matters:** If you've toured Heritage House, you've likely seen these pieces — they'll keep showing up in docent demonstrations instead of sitting under preservation rules. **What's new:** The Museum of Riverside Board voted Wednesday to remove several Victorian-era household items from its permanent collection. - The items: a washing machine, clothes wringer, washboard, laundry boiler, laundry agitator, 24 clothespins and a pie safe. **Behind the change:** A staff review found the items were donated for hands-on demonstration and education, not preservation. - Donors include Dorothy Knopf, who gave the washboard, and former staff member Carlos Fowler, who gave the laundry agitator. **What they're saying:** Board member Cynthia Zdilor said the pieces are "handled quite a bit" during docent tours. **Also approved:** The board removed two Brewer's blackbirds, a Costa's hummingbird and an animal bone collection without discussion. - Federal law requires the damaged bird specimens be incinerated; staff say the species are already represented in the museum's holdings. **What's next:** The laundry items and specimens move to the museum's prop collection, where staff can keep using them until they're too worn or unsafe. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/museum-board-approves-removal-of-victorian-laundry-collection-bird-specimens/) --- ## Noteworthy Cool Centers activate at City facilities when temperatures reach [97°F or higher](https://riversideca.gov/readyriverside/be-informed/hazards/extreme-heat?ref=raincrossgazette.com), offering water and snacks, while City pools provide another way to beat the heat; residents are also urged to watch for heat exhaustion and heat stroke symptoms like dizziness, heavy sweating and confusion, and to call 911 if symptoms worsen. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-07-27T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Zen Educate Riverside Hiring event: Teach Substitute and Thrive](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/zen-educate-riverside-hiring-event-teach-substitute-and-thrive/19382258/2026-07-27T08) at Riverside Convention Center - [Camp Highlander 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-highlander-2026/18094967/2026-07-27T00) at Student Recreation Center (SRC) - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-07-27T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [Sip with a Scientist](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/19411805/2026-07-27T17) at Bar Ni Modo ### Tomorrow - [MSRPAC's Monthly Community Cat Spay/Neuter Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/msrpacs-monthly-community-cat-spayneuter-day/17790235/2026-07-28T06) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($45) - [Summer Seed Exchange](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summer-seed-exchange/19394403/2026-07-28T10) at Marcy Library - [Civics Summer Camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/civics-summer-camp/19305301/2026-07-28T09) at Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California - [The Art of Reading & Writing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-art-of-reading-writing/19240974/2026-07-28T16) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Multiplication Madness (MM)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/multiplication-madness-mm/19240907/2026-07-28T00) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Comprehension Group](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-comprehension-group/19240809/2026-07-28T10) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Foundational Skills (RFS)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-foundational-skills-rfs/19240857/2026-07-28T09) at My Learning Studio ($196) - [Seed to Scale: Explore Controlled Environment Agriculture at UCR](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/seed-to-scale-explore-controlled-environment-agriculture-at-ucr/18864709/2026-07-28T18) at University of California, Riverside - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition at the Hideaway](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-07-28T19) at The Hideaway ### Save the Date - July 27: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-07-27T08) at Community Yoga Center - July 27: [Sip with a Scientist](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/19411805/2026-07-27T17) at Bar Ni Modo - July 31: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-31T07) at Zacatecas Café - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### This Week in City Hall: July 27, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-july-27-2026/ Last updated: 2026-07-28T21:15:07.000Z Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### City Council City Council will meet in closed and open sessions on Tuesday, July 28, in an afternoon session 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1426642&GUID=D83C58B9-C4B4-48D6-8065-1AE32C083A65&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). The agenda includes: - Reviewing a [proposal](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=0fd572c2-00a1-4da3-82de-d52dbdaf4bc0.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to remove historic Structure of Merit protections from two Orange Street properties and adjust the Prospect Place Historic District boundary ([item 5](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5409-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a599a45f395e70f89003e54-5-approve-case-pc-2026-00128-historic-designation?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering a [zoning change](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=8cf9dc72-d9bf-47f5-8b69-2e4a5f603f9a.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for about 7 acres near Mission Inn Avenue and Commerce Street from business and manufacturing use to mixed use ([item 11](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5409-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a599a46f395e70f89003e5e-11-adopt-an-ordinance-amending-the-zoning-map-of?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering an [amendment](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=ea5b3c0c-5f3a-4314-ac01-f927240a3ea2.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to extend a homeless services agreement with Mercy House through December 2026 and increase funding by $836,089.35 for a 23-bed shelter program ([item 15](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5409-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a599a46f395e70f89003e65-15-approve-first-amendment-to-subrecipient-agreem?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering an [agreement](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=70c87583-07ee-46be-9e6e-adf3c8b82a22.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) with Riverside University Health System to establish a team dedicated to evaluating child abuse cases countywide ([item 19](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5409-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a599a46f395e70f89003e6c-19-approve-memorandum-of-understanding-with-river?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Reviewing a [list of road repair projects](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=83de1bf2-e912-4fbb-bcde-ee55d4ea7a70.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for the 2026-27 budget year funded through a state transportation program, spanning multiple wards ([item 23](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5409-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a599a46f395e70f89003e72-23-adopt-a-resolution-adopting-a-list-of-projects?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering an [agreement](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=8f296614-6558-4115-97eb-9458e86b1af2.pdf&From=Granicus&Format=pdf&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to appoint a retired official as interim City Manager starting July 31, 2026, at an hourly rate of $195.05 ([item 38](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5409-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a599a47f395e70f89003e83-38-councilmember-robillard-recommends-city-counci?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Reviewing an [update on the City's paving program](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=8861e2c2-0da5-45f2-bbdd-4e3c108bc304.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com), including a list of street repaving projects planned for the 2026-27 budget year ([item 39](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5409-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a599a47f395e70f89003e84-39-receive-and-file-pavement-management-program-o?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - [Reviewing the City's third-quarter financial results](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=8bb7b3c4-f488-4f44-8e2c-b5cbddb5420b.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) and considering related budget adjustments, including changes to Measure Z spending ([item 40](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5409-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a599a47f395e70f89003e85-40-receive-fiscal-year-2025-2026-third-quarter-fi?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering approval of up to [$5 million in bonds](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=b333d743-3c8f-4984-80ee-90779d43f81b.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for a special taxing district in the Bridle Ridge area to fund infrastructure improvements ([item 41](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5409-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a599a47f395e70f89003e86-41-adopt-a-resolution-of-the-city-council-acting?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Housing and Homelessness Committee The Housing and Homelessness Committee meets on Monday, July 27, at 3:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1428056&GUID=C1D66286-0C71-49E8-93B4-BB29761B37DC&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review [new state housing laws](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=39be0671-b38c-4d94-aca1-60d027e14dc8.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that could require Riverside to allow more units on single-family lots ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5405-housing-and-homelessness-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a581b5df395e7f50800277a-2-california-housing-legislative-2025-2026-update?ref=raincrossgazette.com)); to decide whether to [reapply for a state program](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=206ac9f4-c903-4737-b2bf-70975da1753d.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that has brought the city millions in housing funding before it expires in 2027 ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5405-housing-and-homelessness-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a581b5df395e7f50800277b-3-california-prohousing-designation-program-reapp?ref=raincrossgazette.com)); and to [review an update](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=c6cd223c-e948-4088-8953-88d8ab4afcf3.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on the city's 401 affordable housing units currently being built or planned ([item 4](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5405-housing-and-homelessness-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a581b5df395e7f50800277c-4-housing-authoritys-projects-update?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Board of Public Utilities The Board of Public Utilities meets on Monday, July 27, at 6:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1426969&GUID=FF9BD825-D9FB-4259-96C9-B117A4ED4490&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider a $5 million [residential rebate program](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=d1e30c12-e1c5-4d1f-b1f2-b8faa411d0d1.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) offering up to $10,000 toward home battery energy storage systems installed on or after July 1, 2026 ([item 8](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5407-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a58288a7d7965919f003054-8-recommend-city-council-approve-implementation-o?ref=raincrossgazette.com)),and to review an [ordinance amendment](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=37d8a932-de3a-4342-8b83-275824fe85a6.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that would update city rules to comply with a state law phasing out potable water use for irrigating decorative turf on commercial, institutional, and homeowners' association properties starting in 2027 ([item 10](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5407-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a58288a7d7965919f003056-10-recommend-city-council-introduce-an-ordinance?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Museum Board Approves Removal of Victorian Laundry Collection, Bird Specimens URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/museum-board-approves-removal-of-victorian-laundry-collection-bird-specimens/ Last updated: 2026-07-28T11:59:22.000Z A washboard, a laundry boiler, two beetle-damaged blackbirds and a collection animal bones all lost their official museum status Wednesday, when the Museum of Riverside Board voted to strike them from its [permanent collection](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/return-of-44-cultural-objects-to-morongo-band-stalled-at-museum-of-riverside/). The decision followed a staff review that found many items were never meant for permanent-collection status in the first place. According to a [staff report](https://app.notion.com/p/CC-TK-MoR-Board-3a2ef165d2ee8025b056ed2fbc8c46f7?pvs=21&ref=raincrossgazette.com), the collection of tools and home appliances from the Victorian era included one washing machine, one clothes wringer, one washboard, one laundry boiler, one laundry agitator, 24 clothespins and one pie safe. The collection was exhibited in the Heritage House kitchen or on the back porch during open hours. "These items have been in use at Heritage House, and this is an appropriate decision to be made because they are handled quite a bit and they're used in docent historical \[tours\]," said board member Cynthia Zdilor. Most of the laundry appliances were acquired by the Riverside Museum Associates and donated to the museum with the intent of being displayed at Heritage House, according to the staff report, with the washboard donated by Dorothy Knopf and the laundry agitator donated by former museum staff member Carlos Fowler. However, there was no indication that the items were intended to be a part of the museum's permanent collection. City staff said recently-available records indicate the objects were "always intended to be hands-on, education-related, and demonstration objects, not subject to the preservation demands of the permanent collection." "These objects have been used for more than 15 years in accordance with what is now clear to have been donor intent," the staff report stated. "While they are historic artifacts, they lack strong Riverside-based provenance that would justify permanent collection status." The items will remain in Heritage House "contributing to the historic atmosphere," and will be transferred in the records to the prop collection, where they can continue their use by [docents](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/blooms-and-backstories-at-heritage-house/) until they are too dilapidated or unsafe to continue to be useful, according to the staff report. The board also approved without discussion [removing a collection](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=e0bab7ed-17cf-4232-8ad1-da70879d8e80.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) of two Brewer's blackbirds purchased for the museum in 1970, one Costa's hummingbird and a collection of small animal bones donated by Mrs. A. W. Stitt — possibly in connection with Brownie Scout Troop No. 59. The bird specimens have suffered irreversible damage and, per federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act regulations, must be incinerated; staff noted the birds are already well-represented in the permanent collection, so their removal won't affect its scientific value. The collection of animal bones, which lacks corresponding data, was determined to have little scientific value and will be transferred to the museum's prop collection. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- July 26, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-july-19-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:30.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/FB_IMG_1774920426686.jpg) Debbie Schwartz and friends turned out for Savannah Bananas Night at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. ***Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and what you got up to](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **Sunday Gazette: July 26, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday!** Today we are sharing a guide that rounds up upcoming back to school drives around town, and it got us thinking about the village it takes to educate our community's children. Teachers, administrators, janitors, meal staff, tutors, crossing guards, school nurses, coaches, the list goes on. If you know someone in that village who goes above and beyond, consider [nominating them for Neighbor of the Week](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). See you tomorrow! --- 🧡 Thank you to the Subscribers who became paid supporters this week: Robyn Peterson. [Your ongoing financial support](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-march-15-2026-2/#/portal/account/plans) is vital to our success in serving Riverside with the news it deserves! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260726)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260726&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Riverside Is Filling Backpacks for Back-to-School From backpacks to school supply wish lists, here's a list of local drives collecting donations before the bell rings. [![a box of candy](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1661732017125-f425c3e86467?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDI0fHxzY2hvb2wlMjBzdXBwbGllc3xlbnwwfHx8fDE3ODQ5MjEyNDJ8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-is-filling-backpacks-for-back-to-school/) ([Kelly Sikkema](https://unsplash.com/@kellysikkema?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) School's almost back in session, and across Riverside, local businesses and organizations are stepping up to make sure kids have what they need on day one. That preparation matters more than it might seem. Showing up with the right supplies helps students settle in and keep pace with their class right away, instead of starting the year already feeling behind. It's also a confidence thing: most educators report a real boost in a student's self-esteem when they're not the one without a notebook or a pencil case. And it's not just kids who feel the pinch. Most public school teachers still end up covering classroom gaps out of their own pocket, often several hundred dollars a year. Community drives like these help take some of that weight off everyone's shoulders. With the first day of school just around the corner, now's the time to drop off what you can. [Here's where you can donate or drop off...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-is-filling-backpacks-for-back-to-school/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260726)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260726&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CREATIVE PROMPTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/creative-prompts/) ## Trash Novel A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns. [![green trash bin on sidewalk](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1595418130437-641018a1b248?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDUyfHx0cmFzaCUyMHxlbnwwfHx8fDE3ODQ5MjMxNjR8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/trash-novel/) ([Claudio Schwarz](https://unsplash.com/@purzlbaum?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) This week, we’ll take a few more steps away from the front door and visit another domestic landmark: the trashcan. As an assemblage artist who uses discarded objects to create site-specific abstract sculptures, I pay attention to trashcans. I find them most interesting when they are failing: overflowing onto the sidewalk, evolving into insect friendly ecosystems, and inscrutable instructions about how to successfully complete your transaction. Have we gamified trash? Outside my house, three different trashcans are collected by three different trucks. I assume this separation results in better health for our waste-disposal system, although the parade of enormous vehicles required to remove the evidence can feel slightly absurd. Manufacturing industries come and go, but our ability to manufacture, distribute, and store trash appears endlessly innovative. Three years ago, I watched a trash truck (the solid waste one) dump my entire trashcan into itself. Can, contents and all disappeared into its crushing jaws. Before I had a chance to send a complaint through 311, a new trashcan magically appeared at my curb. The city had answered a question I didn’t know I was asking: How do you throw away a trashcan? [Read and share the complete prompt...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/trash-novel/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260726) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260726&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Sunday, July 26 - [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-07-26T08) at Community Yoga Center - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-07-26T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Tea & Tarot Fundraiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/tea-tarot-fundraiser/19396643/2026-07-26T16) at Mission Inn Foundation ($80) - [Sunday Experiment After Dark](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sunday-experiment-after-dark/14528750/2026-07-26T21) at Downtown Experiment ### Monday, July 27 - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-07-27T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Zen Educate Riverside Hiring event: Teach Substitute and Thrive](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/zen-educate-riverside-hiring-event-teach-substitute-and-thrive/19382258/2026-07-27T08) at Riverside Convention Center - [Camp Highlander 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-highlander-2026/18094967/2026-07-27T00) at Student Recreation Center (SRC) - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-07-27T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [Sip with a Scientist](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/19411805/2026-07-27T17) at Bar Ni Modo ### Tuesday, July 28 - [MSRPAC's Monthly Community Cat Spay/Neuter Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/msrpacs-monthly-community-cat-spayneuter-day/17790235/2026-07-28T06) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($45) - [Summer Seed Exchange](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summer-seed-exchange/19394403/2026-07-28T10) at Marcy Library - [Civics Summer Camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/civics-summer-camp/19305301/2026-07-28T09) at Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California - [The Art of Reading & Writing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-art-of-reading-writing/19240974/2026-07-28T16) at My Learning Studio ($57.00) - [Multiplication Madness (MM)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/multiplication-madness-mm/19240907/2026-07-28T00) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Comprehension Group](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-comprehension-group/19240809/2026-07-28T10) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Foundational Skills (RFS)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-foundational-skills-rfs/19240857/2026-07-28T09) at My Learning Studio ($196) - [Seed to Scale: Explore Controlled Environment Agriculture at UCR](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/seed-to-scale-explore-controlled-environment-agriculture-at-ucr/18864709/2026-07-28T18) at University of California, Riverside - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition at the Hideaway](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-07-28T19) at The Hideaway ### Wednesday, July 29 - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-07-29T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-07-29T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center ### Thursday, July 30 - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19390098/2026-07-30T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($65.50 - $71.21) ### Friday, July 31 - [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-31T07) at Zacatecas Café - [Creative Arts](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/creative-arts/19240864/2026-07-31T11) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Assistance Program (RAP)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-assistance-program-rap/19240859/2026-07-31T10) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-and-heroes-walking-tour/19396626/2026-07-31T15) at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18) - [Calle 24 - Eterno Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/calle-24-eterno-tour/19346697/2026-07-31T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center ### Saturday, August 1 - [Low-Cost Vaccination Clinic](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/lowcost-vaccination-clinic/19030194/2026-08-01T09) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($10- $28) - [Big Farma Workshop: What Can I Grow for That?](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/big-farma-workshop-what-can-i-grow-for-that/19299882/2026-08-01T10) at LandUse Learning Center - [RCC Dance Summer Show Case 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rcc-dance-summer-show-case-2026/19432170/2026-08-01T07) at Landis Performing Arts Center - [Mt. Rubidoux Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mt-rubidoux-walking-tour/19390096/2026-08-01T08) at Mt. Rubidoux Trailhead, a short walk from Ryan Bonaminio Park. ($21.20) - [Concrete (18+)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/concrete-18/18009464/2026-08-01T18) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [Riverside Off-Road & Jeep Nights](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-offroad-jeep-nights/18477720/2026-08-01T17) at D'Elia's Grinders ## Save the Date - July 27: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-07-27T08) at Community Yoga Center - July 27: [Sip with a Scientist](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/19411805/2026-07-27T17) at Bar Ni Modo - July 31: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-31T07) at Zacatecas Café - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Riverside Is Filling Backpacks for Back-to-School URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-is-filling-backpacks-for-back-to-school/ Last updated: 2026-07-28T00:45:22.000Z School's almost back in session, and across Riverside, local businesses and organizations are stepping up to make sure kids have what they need on day one. That preparation matters more than it might seem. Showing up with the right supplies helps students settle in and keep pace with their class right away, instead of starting the year already feeling behind. It's also a confidence thing: most educators report a real boost in a student's self-esteem when they're not the one without a notebook or a pencil case. And it's not just kids who feel the pinch. Most public school teachers still end up covering classroom gaps out of their own pocket, often several hundred dollars a year. Community drives like these help take some of that weight off everyone's shoulders. With the first day of school just around the corner, now's the time to drop off what you can. ### Here's where you can donate or drop off [**Tower Agency**](https://www.instagram.com/p/Da0tT1cmHbt/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Tower Agency is collecting supplies through July 31st. Shop their curated Amazon Wish List or drop off supplies at their office, and if you bring in $50 worth of supplies, they'll thank you with 2 Regal movie tickets. [**Blue Zones Project Riverside**](https://www.instagram.com/p/DaymeRIj-cO/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Blue Zones is running a School Supply Drive through July 31st, collecting notebooks, folders, pencils, pens, paper, Chromebook chargers, shoes, and hygiene products. Drop off at Cookie Tin Cafe (1485 Spruce St Ste O, Monday–Friday 10 AM–4 PM) or at their office at 3850 Vine Street on July 30th and 31st, 10 AM–4 PM. [**Tilden-Coil Constructors**](https://www.instagram.com/p/Da0l1xzmqWw/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Tilden-Coil CARES is running their annual Back-to-School Supplies Drive, collecting backpacks, notebooks, pencils, and more, with a donation deadline of Monday, August 3rd. Drop off at their main office, 3612 Mission Inn Ave, or donate online via QR code. [**All Saints' Episcopal Church**](https://allsaintsriverside.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) All Saints is collecting school supplies for learners in the Riverside community who don't have access to everything they need. Backpacks, headphones, calculators, pencils, erasers, pens, crayons, markers, scissors, tape, glue sticks, pencil pouches, binders, folders, and lined paper are especially useful, though the list isn't exhaustive. Supplies can be dropped off at the church office, 3847 Terracina Dr, Sundays from 8 AM–11 AM or Monday through Thursday from 8 AM–3 PM. Everything collected will go to community partners, including TRF Child Development Center, Laundry Love Riverside, Family Promise, and St. Michael's Apartment families, who'll distribute it directly to learners as needed. Backpacks and supplies will be blessed during a Blessing of the Backpacks service on Sunday, August 9th. ### Trash Novel URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/trash-novel/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T12:00:50.000Z Welcome back, you threshold-crossing creatives! [Last week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mat-ter-of-fact/), we studied where we step, giving the lowly doormat its due. Did you raise the act of entering and exiting into performance art that expresses where you are going and where you have been? Perhaps you gave a doormat a good shake and searched the debris for some artistically minimalist motivation. No mat-ter the result, I hope your doormat provided a warm welcome—or at least refrained from blabbing about you to the homeowner’s association. This week, we’ll take a few more steps away from the front door and visit another domestic landmark: the trashcan. As an assemblage artist who uses discarded objects to create site-specific abstract sculptures, I pay attention to trashcans. I find them most interesting when they are failing: overflowing onto the sidewalk, evolving into insect friendly ecosystems, and inscrutable instructions about how to successfully complete your transaction. Have we gamified trash? Outside my house, three different trashcans are collected by three different trucks. I assume this separation results in better health for our waste-disposal system, although the parade of enormous vehicles required to remove the evidence can feel slightly absurd. Manufacturing industries come and go, but our ability to manufacture, distribute, and store trash appears endlessly innovative. Three years ago, I watched a trash truck (the solid waste one) dump my entire trashcan into itself. Can, contents and all disappeared into its crushing jaws. Before I had a chance to send a complaint through 311, a new trashcan magically appeared at my curb. The city had answered a question I didn’t know I was asking: How do you throw away a trashcan? While traveling in Japan, I was struck by how clean the urban streets were despite the rarity of visible public trashcans. It seemed counterintuitive. Wouldn’t more trashcans mean less litter? Maybe the most effective trashcan is the one we have learned not to need. I learn more about a community by studying what it throws away than by studying what it makes, buys, consumes, or watches. Please consider that an artistic observation, not permission to pick through your neighbor’s bins. Stay curious, stay creative, and wear gloves at all times while we lift the lid on one or more of these disposable distractions: 1. **Bin’s Bestest:** Examine your recycling and select the best example of something: best aluminum can, most sincere cardboard box or most complicatedly designed water bottle cap. Make the winner a tiny award on a sticky note. Photograph it like a Time’s “Person of the Year.” Prepare a brief acceptance speech on its behalf. 2. **Wasted Measures:** Save one day’s worth of clean, non-food waste. Weigh it, count it, sort it by color, or arrange it end to end and measure the distance. Stack it as high as possible. Turn your findings into a chart, abstract drawing, or quarterly report for the shareholders: “Cardboard sector continues to outperform, aluminum can deposits continue to run lower as our organization transitions to Powerade.” 3. **Can Score:** Listen when the trashcan lid opens and closes. Tap different safe, clean areas with your fingers and notice how the sounds change. Record a short rhythm or write a percussion score and play it for your favorite crow or squirrel. 4. **Space Waste:** Imagine an invention that eliminates waste. Maybe produce travels in edible packaging, restaurants share one endlessly circulating takeout container or imagine a trash-based economy where your hometown pollution can be converted into cash. Sketch out that future, write its billboard, or create a list of unintended consequences. Even a perfect solution deserves a few design flaws. 5. **Rebel Without a Bin:** Write a poem, monologue, or flash fiction about a recyclable object that refuses to be recycled. Perhaps an old tire doesn’t want to be turned into a gym mat. A cardboard box dreads going back into the truck for one more same day delivery. A plastic bottle insists it is not emotionally prepared to become a park bench. What does your object want to become—and what is it willing to throw away to get there? Trashcans are designed to make things disappear, but creativity often begins by looking again at whatever everyone else has decided to ignore. This week, pause before you toss something away. You don’t have to keep it. Just give it a few moments of attention before allowing the trashcan to help everyone move on. *This column was written with help from ChatGPT, a tool that generates no banana peels but leaves behind a significant amount of digital debris.* ### 🍊Your Riverside Weekend- July 25, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/your-riverside-weekend-july-18-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:31.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/02/_DSC5738.jpg) **Your Riverside Weekend- July 25, 2026** **Happy Saturday, Riverside!** We hope your week treated you well. Before you head into your weekend, we've gathered the stories that defined life in our city this week — from City Hall to community happenings. You're in the right place to catch up — your weekend starts here. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260725)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260725&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [Royalty Visits the Mission InnIn July 1926, Swedish royalty stopped at the Mission Inn for a concert, a banquet, and an impromptu tribute to California oranges.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-4eb62854-920d-4b6c-9ac3-22c40a96dfa4.png)The Raincross GazetteGlenn Wenzel![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/1-Mission-Inn-Swedish-Royalty-PC-GW-e2ee30a4-1dd2-42d7-90a6-18a89eea6b36.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/royalty-visits-the-mission-inn/) [A Culture Change Could Be the Reset UCR Baseball NeedsGregg Wallis wants to change how UCR baseball thinks before he changes how it wins.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-6d8e7152-755d-44a5-a231-316d73192efd.png)The Raincross GazetteAnthony Solorzano![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-11-9ecf1244-d8f3-40d8-8eac-7adc927f80b5.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-culture-change-could-be-the-reset-ucr-baseball-needs/) [Father-Son Duo Drives Family Legacy at Riverside Transit AgencySteven Sparks Sr. and Jr. both work as coach operators for the Riverside-based transit agency.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-df606b4d-d92f-4572-8cab-c501bbda0357.png)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RTA-Father-and-Son-Coach-Operators-30cc5aed-173a-4601-93aa-9eb30e7084bf.JPEG)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/father-son-duo-drives-family-legacy-at-riverside-transit-agency/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260725)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260725&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [Inspector General Search Continues as Council Holds Second Closed SessionTwo residents weighed in on the closed-door process as the council’s search for an inspector general continues.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-a56fc633-2123-45cd-ae37-1835e6b8ea0b.png)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/FullSizeRender-5-4ef11213-30e9-42ab-965c-c2305c07a99e.jpeg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/inspector-general-search-continues-as-council-holds-second-closed-session/) [Council Extends Path of Life Shelter Contract Through 2027Rising costs prompted the funding increase, which will push the total contract value to about $2.32 million.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-07ced8c1-bbe2-444a-ace9-3dc81dec2399.png)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-6-9eaddabc-be41-4221-b1d9-d5346b712e51.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-extends-path-of-life-shelter-contract-through-2027/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260725) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260725&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Weather Forecast ☀️ Sun, July 26 — 103° / 73° · Mostly Sunny ☀️ Mon, July 27 — 100° / 71° · Mostly Sunny ⛅ Tue, July 28 — 99° / 71° · Partly Cloudy ⛅ Wed, July 29 — 99° / 73° · Partly Cloudy ☀️ Thu, July 30 — 100° / 73° · Mostly Sunny ☀️ Fri, July 31 — 102° / 73° · Sunny ☀️ Sat, Aug 01 — 102° / 72° · Mostly Sunny 🥵 We're basically living inside a sauna this week — triple digits by day, and even the "cool down" overnight feels sticky rather than crisp. Get outdoor stuff done early, keep those blinds shut, and stay on top of the water. Stay cool out there! **Fair warning:* we're not meteorologists! Our forecasts are pulled from public weather data as a little extra for our readers. For the most current conditions, your favorite weather app knows more than we do — but we'll always do our best to help you plan your weekend.* ☀️ --- ## 💬 Staff Picks — What we're talking about around the Gazette this week 📰 *Justin is stepping away from the newsroom for the month of July, so our amazing reporters and freelancers will be taking over his staff picks — a fun chance to get to know them through their random thoughts and one-liners!* 🍅 **Larry** is picking the last of the melons, tomatoes, and squashes from the garden and building more boxes to grow even more food in the fall. He sees mason jars in his future. 🌺 Amy's turning a year older next week, and her family's throwing her a tiki-themed dinner — and the weather had the same idea, delivering a muggy, sweaty heat wave right on cue. --- ## Save the Date - July 27: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-07-27T08) at Community Yoga Center - July 27: [Sip with a Scientist](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/19411805/2026-07-27T17) at Bar Ni Modo - July 31: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-31T07) at Zacatecas Café - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### CPRC Extends Racial Profiling Review Committee to 2027 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/cprc-extends-racial-profiling-review-committee-to-2027/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T23:15:20.000Z The Community Police Review Commission (CPRC) voted Wednesday to extend its [Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA)](https://oag.ca.gov/ab953/board?ref=raincrossgazette.com) ad hoc committee through January 2027, following a lengthy debate over whether additional review requested by the Safety, Wellness and Youth Committee would unnecessarily delay recommendations on police stop data. The extension gives the ad hoc committee — which consists of Commissioners Eileen Teichert, Jeffery Ward and Robert Lundy — six more months to meet with [Riverside Police Department staff](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/crime-rates-drop-significantly-in-riverside-police-report-shows/) to review the department's RIPA data before bringing any revised recommendations back to the commission. The committee had originally been scheduled to expire this month after spending nine months reviewing recommendations from [California's annual RIPA report](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/community-police-review-commission-files-ripa-report-amid-concerns-over-racial-disparities/), which analyzes traffic and pedestrian stop data submitted by law enforcement agencies statewide. The committee [in May](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-commission-acts-on-data-showing-black-residents-stopped-at-twice-their-population-share/) approved recommendations saying the city should adopt clearer standards and more detailed analysis to better understand persistent disparities affecting the city's Black residents after RIPA data showed Black residents accounted for a disproportionately high share of police stops over the past three years. Those recommendations were sent to the Safety, Wellness and Youth Committee, whose chair and vice chair asked the commission to delay forwarding its recommendations to the city council until the ad hoc committee met with the Police Department to better understand the underlying data. They also recommended commissioners complete required [police ride-alongs](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/your-neighbors-are-shaping-riversides-future-and-theres-room-for-you/) before final recommendations advance. Several commissioners argued those steps would add little value after [years of discussion](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-police-review-commission-delays-recommendations-on-racial-disparities-in-stops/). "I was frankly pretty shocked when I saw what happened after almost five years of effort at trying to raise this issue," Teichert said, noting the commission has repeatedly discussed RIPA data with police leadership over the past several years. "I don't see how any further ride alongs gives any clarity on what hard data tells us," Teichert said. Lundy noted that two of the three people on the ad hoc committee are former law enforcement. "I got 32 years of pushing a black and white," he said. "Do I need another ride along? Not really, but I'll do it. But I got 32 years doing the real deal and I've ridden with a lot of guys in 32 years and I see stuff that happens every day. And the gentleman sitting to my right has got 20 years doing it. We've got members on this committee that have been on this committee for a long time and have had other ride alongs. Sometimes I think they're blowing smoke personally. I've said my piece." Ultimately, commissioners agreed that meeting directly with Police Department staff could help resolve questions about specific elements of the data, including how certain calls-for-service information is collected and reported. Ward said he was willing to compromise if it helped move the recommendations forward. "I'm happy to meet with them," he said. "If this moves it along." Under the approved motion, the committee will meet in person with Riverside Police Department personnel familiar with the department's RIPA reporting, report its findings back to the full commission in public session and determine whether any changes to its recommendations are warranted before resubmitting them for consideration by the Safety, Wellness and Youth Committee. According to the committee's recommendations, Black residents make up 6.6 percent of Riverside's population but accounted for 14.46 percent of police stops in 2024, 13.85 percent in 2025 and 15.02 percent in 2026\. The three-year average was 14.44 percent — more than double the city's Black population share. "All other races are stopped at a rate at or below their percentage of population," the commission's report stated. The commission recommended the city pursue four key actions: conduct additional data analysis, establish standards for interpreting disparities, create a formal audit process when data exceeds certain thresholds and set reduction goals if profiling is identified. As part of data analysis, the commission suggested the city manager's office analyze whether certain categories — including calls for service, "flag down" encounters and stops involving non-residents — might be skewing the data. However, Riverside police officials previously argued those factors could affect the numbers, according to the commission report. The proposal also recommends creating a framework for determining when disparities should trigger further investigation. ### Council Extends Path of Life Shelter Contract Through 2027 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-extends-path-of-life-shelter-contract-through-2027/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T12:00:17.000Z The City Council on July 14 approved a one-year extension and funding increase for its agreement with Path of Life Ministries, an Riverside-based emergency shelter that offers 90 beds to individuals and families in crisis. The extension adds $362,900 to continue operating emergency shelter beds for people experiencing homelessness through June 30, 2027 — raising the total contract value from $1.96 million to about $2.32 million using state [Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP)](https://www.hcd.ca.gov/funding/hhap?ref=raincrossgazette.com) grant funds. Path of Life has partnered with the city since 2005, according to the staff report, and currently operates a 90-bed community shelter that provides meals, case management and around-the-clock services. Under the HHAP-funded agreement approved last year, the nonprofit operates 53 beds dedicated specifically to Riverside residents experiencing homelessness. City staff said the additional funding reflects rising operating costs and will increase the reimbursement rate from $100 to $120 per occupied bed-night. According to the [staff report](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=bd1bda11-3e52-4e17-8ef8-6a81c99b0160.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com), inflation has driven up expenses for transportation, cybersecurity, legal compliance, security improvements and other operational needs. Officials noted that the new rate remains competitive with emergency shelter programs across Southern California, where bed-night costs generally range from about $80 to more than $160. [Chris Oberg](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-libraries-double-as-social-service-hubs-as-homeless-outreach-program-eyes-expansion/), CEO of Path of Life Ministries, told the Gazette that the increased funding from the city "assists us in keeping pace with escalating costs of goods and services." "From trash service, to groceries, to cleaning supplies, to service and repair of equipment for commercial space – just about everything you need to own and operate a home, we must provide at the emergency shelter," Oberg said. "The increased funding gets us closer to our expenses, and our donor-friends make up the difference, so Path of Life continues to be an option in Riverside. We are grateful for the long-term partnership with the City of Riverside and are committed to solving the experience of unsheltered homelessness in our city." Oberg said a variety of services are needed for people experiencing homelessness. The emergency shelter offers a safe space to coordinate that care, with food, showers, shelter, sleep and skilled helpers among the first and urgent needs. "Connecting people to medical, behavioral health, and addiction recovery providers happens at the emergency shelter," she said. "Identifying workforce training and job placement is also a priority. And what everyone needs most urgently, connection to affordable year-round housing, is the most challenging need of all." Between July 1, 2025, and May 31, 2026, the shelter served 394 people, with 343 leaving the program during that period, according to the report. Twenty-one people, or about 6 percent of those exits, moved into permanent housing. Most exits — roughly 75 percent — returned to places not meant for human habitation. Officials said the shelter continues to provide critical stabilization services, including housing navigation, behavioral health referrals, healthcare connections and assistance securing income and benefits. With the extension, the city expects the shelter to serve at least 270 single adults and 48 transitional-aged youth over the next year, assuming an average stay of 60 days. City staff also said Path of Life remains the only emergency shelter provider within Riverside serving single adults and the only organization able to guarantee dedicated shelter beds reserved for Riverside residents. Because the nonprofit owns and operates its facility, the city avoids the capital, leasing and maintenance costs associated with operating a comparable shelter itself, according to the report. The $362,900 increase will be paid through existing HHAP Round 4 grant funding, with sufficient funds already budgeted in the city's Development Grants Fund, according to the staff report. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- July 24, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-july-17-2026-copy/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:32.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/IMG_0556.jpeg) Scott M. Rich found a way to beat the Riverside heat — with a trip to Greenland. ***Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and tell us a bit of what you experienced](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/r/424cf20a?m=09861f3a-0a1b-4ab5-a764-af397b913fe4). **Friday Gazette: July 24, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Friday!** If you're looking for something to do indoors this weekend, here are a few options. Start Friday at the [Marcy Library](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/show?search=Marcy+Library&format=all), 6927 Magnolia Ave, from 10am to 6pm for the Summer Seed Exchange. Grab a seed packet to plant at home, and if you have extras of your own, bring them to share. Also this weekend, the [Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/show?search=Civil+Rights+Institute+of+Inland+Southern&format=all), 3933 Mission Inn Ave, is hosting a community conversation inspired by the book "Banished Citizens," reflecting on the Mexican Repatriation of the 1930s and inviting those with family stories of that era to share and connect. Then on Sunday at 4pm, head to the [Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/show?search=Mission+Inn+Foundation&format=all), 3598 Main St, for a Tea & Tarot Fundraiser with DragonMarsh Apothecary & Teas, featuring tea tastings, a group sound bath, a lecture on Eliza Tibbets, and tarot readings. Ages 18 and up. [Check out our community calendar](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/) for even more happening around town this weekend. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260724)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260724&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [PARKS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/parks/) ## Skatepark, Pool and Park Projects to Get $1.265 Million in Unspent Federal Grant Funds The unanimous vote moves $1.265 million in unspent federal grant funds to skatepark, senior center, pool and park improvements before the grant money could be forfeited. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-3-5.38.59---PM.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/skatepark-pool-and-park-projects-to-get-1-265-million-in-unspent-federal-grant-funds/) A brick sign marks the entrance to Tim Strack Park. (City of Riverside/[Facebook](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/planning-commission-approves-10-home-development-on-mary-street/)) Riverside will spend $1.265 million in unspent federal funds on park upgrades across three wards. **Why it matters:** Bobby Bonds Skatepark, the Janet Goeske Senior Center, the Bobby Bonds Sippy Woodhead Pool Pump Room and Tim Strack Park all get funded fixes, with work aimed at benefiting Wards 1, 3 and 6. **Driving the news:** Council approved the funding shift July 14 without discussion, after a staff presentation and no public comment. - Staff said unspent Community Development Block Grant funds could be recaptured by HUD if the city didn't reprogram them. **By the numbers:** - $500,000 — Bobby Bonds Sippy Woodhead Pool Pump Room rehab - $340,000 — lighting and outdoor fitness equipment at Tim Strack Park - $250,000 — new flooring at Janet Goeske Senior Center - $175,000 — Bobby Bonds Skatepark improvements **What they're saying:** Senior Project Manager Michelle Guzman said excess funds "could be subject to recapture by HUD." **Yes, but:** Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes recused herself, citing property she owns within 1,000 feet of one project site. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/skatepark-pool-and-park-projects-to-get-1-265-million-in-unspent-federal-grant-funds/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260724)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260724&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HOMELESSNESS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/homelessness/) ## Council Extends Path of Life Shelter Contract Through 2027 Rising costs prompted the funding increase, which will push the total contract value to about $2.32 million. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-7.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-extends-path-of-life-shelter-contract-through-2027/) Path of Life Ministries operates anemergency shelter in Riverside. (File photo/Raincross Gazette) The city added $362,900 to its Path of Life shelter contract, raising the per-bed reimbursement rate to $120 a night. **Why it matters:** Path of Life is Riverside's only shelter serving single adults, and the deal guarantees 53 beds reserved for local residents through June 2027 as unsheltered homelessness persists. **Driving the news:** Council voted July 14 to extend the nonprofit's contract one year, lifting its total value from $1.96 million to about $2.32 million. - The reimbursement rate rises from $100 to $120 per occupied bed-night, which officials say still falls within the region's $80–$160 range. **By the numbers:** - 90 total shelter beds, including 53 reserved for Riverside residents - 394 people served between July 2025 and May 2026, with just 21 — about 6% — moving into permanent housing **What they're saying:** Path of Life CEO Chris Oberg said the added funding "gets us closer to our expenses," with donors covering the rest. **What's next:** The extension runs through June 30, 2027\. The city expects the shelter to serve at least 270 single adults and 48 transitional-aged youth, assuming 60-day average stays. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-extends-path-of-life-shelter-contract-through-2027/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260724) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260724&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [ENTERTAINMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/entertainment/) ## The Wiz Comes to Fox Theater for Two Shows This Fall Tickets go on sale Friday, and group sales will help fund arts education for local students. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-14.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-wiz-comes-to-fox-theater-for-two-shows-this-fall/) "The Wiz," the Tony Award-winning musical retelling of "The Wizard of Oz," will play two performances at the Fox Performing Arts Center in Downtown Riverside this fall. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 30, and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1\. Tickets go on sale Friday, July 24 at 10 a.m. at [foxriverside.com](http://foxriverside.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). The touring production is part of an ongoing partnership between the City of Riverside, Live Nation and the Fox Riverside Theater Foundation, now in its 13th year. Under a new arrangement, a portion of proceeds from group ticket purchases of 10 or more will go directly to the Foundation. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-wiz-comes-to-fox-theater-for-two-shows-this-fall/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Friday, July 24 - [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-24T07) at Zacatecas Café - [Creative Arts](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/creative-arts/19240864/2026-07-24T11) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Multiplication Madness (MM)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/multiplication-madness-mm/19240907/2026-07-24T00) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Assistance Program (RAP)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-assistance-program-rap/19240859/2026-07-24T10) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Movies on the Lawn - 250th Edition: "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/movies-on-the-lawn-250th-edition-mr-smith-goes-to-washington/19429988/2026-07-24T20) at Heritage House - [Tina & The Stones - Tribute to Tina Turner & The Rolling Stones](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/tina-the-stones-tribute-to-tina-turner-the-rolling-stones/19346684/2026-07-24T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [Club90sMJ Night Summer 2026Tour (18+)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/club90smj-night-summer-2026tour-18/19346687/2026-07-24T20) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ### Saturday, July 25 - [ScotSurplus Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/scotsurplus-sale/19040309/2026-07-25T08) at Corporation Yard - [Little LandUse Learners Spring/Summer Programming](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/little-landuse-learners-springsummer-programming/18501508/2026-07-25T10) at LandUse Learning Center - [Low-Cost Vaccination Clinic](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/lowcost-vaccination-clinic/19030194/2026-07-25T09) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($10- $28) - [Water Smarts 101](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/water-smarts-101/18485737/2026-07-25T10) at Western Municipal Water District - [Reading Foundational Skills (RFS)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-foundational-skills-rfs/19240857/2026-07-25T09) at My Learning Studio ($196) - [Banished Citizens Community Stories & Conversation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/banished-citizens-community-stories-conversation/19305136/2026-07-25T11) at Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California - [Zonta’s Club of Riverside Christmas in July Bunco](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/zontas-club-of-riverside-christmas-in-july-bunco/19015476/2026-07-25T13) at Riverside Arlington Library Community Room ($20) - [The Charities w/ Cafe Canela](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-charities-w-cafe-canela/19346689/2026-07-25T18) at Farm House Collective - [The JRock Community Camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-jrock-community-camp/19081924/2026-07-25T10) at UCR Student Recreational Center North - [Rewind: The Ultimate 2000s Rave (18+)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rewind-the-ultimate-2000s-rave-18/19346691/2026-07-25T20) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ### Sunday, July 26 - [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-07-26T08) at Community Yoga Center - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-07-26T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Tea & Tarot Fundraiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/tea-tarot-fundraiser/19396643/2026-07-26T16) at Mission Inn Foundation ($80) - [Sunday Experiment After Dark](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sunday-experiment-after-dark/14528750/2026-07-26T21) at Downtown Experiment ### Save the Date - July 27: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-07-27T08) at Community Yoga Center - July 27: [Sip with a Scientist](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/19411805/2026-07-27T17) at Bar Ni Modo - July 31: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-31T07) at Zacatecas Café - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### The Wiz Comes to Fox Theater for Two Shows This Fall URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-wiz-comes-to-fox-theater-for-two-shows-this-fall/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T11:59:47.000Z "The Wiz," the Tony Award-winning musical retelling of "The Wizard of Oz," will play two performances at the Fox Performing Arts Center in Downtown Riverside this fall. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 30, and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1\. Tickets go on sale Friday, July 24 at 10 a.m. at [foxriverside.com](http://foxriverside.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). The touring production is part of an ongoing partnership between the City of Riverside, Live Nation and the Fox Riverside Theater Foundation, now in its 13th year. Under a new arrangement, a portion of proceeds from group ticket purchases of 10 or more will go directly to the Foundation. Fox Riverside Theater Foundation Board President Mike Vanderpool said the funding will support "Students at the Fox," the Foundation's program that provides free or discounted tickets to students in Riverside's school districts, Sherman Indian High School, neighboring communities, and nonprofits serving youth experiencing homelessness, at-risk teens and foster youth. Vanderpool said demand for the program has grown beyond what the Foundation can currently fund. Each year, thousands of students request tickets and educational programming such as assemblies and artist master classes, and the Foundation is sometimes forced to turn away schools and organizations. "For many students, attending a performance at the Fox is their only opportunity to experience professional live theater and arts education," Vanderpool said in a statement. "The Wiz" premiered on Broadway in 1975 and won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The show features a book by William F. Brown and a score by Charlie Smalls, with additional music by Luther Vandross and Timothy Graphenreed. The current touring production is directed by Schele Williams, with choreography by JaQuel Knight and additional material by Amber Ruffin. The musical is based on L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" and reimagines the story with an all-Black cast. **More information:* For tickets visit* [*foxriverside.com*](http://foxriverside.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### Skatepark, Pool and Park Projects to Get $1.265 Million in Unspent Federal Grant Funds URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/skatepark-pool-and-park-projects-to-get-1-265-million-in-unspent-federal-grant-funds/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T00:45:17.000Z The City Council approved an amendment to the city's 2025-26 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Annual Action Plan at its July 14 meeting, redirecting $1.265 million in unprogrammed federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to park and recreation improvement projects. The approved allocations include $175,000 for improvements to Bobby Bonds Skatepark; $250,000 to replace flooring at the Janet Goeske Senior Center; $500,000 for rehabilitation of the Bobby Bonds Sippy Woodhead Pool Pump Room; and $340,000 for lighting and outdoor fitness equipment installation at Tim Strack Park. Council members approved the measure without discussion after hearing a staff presentation and receiving no public comment on the item. Council member Clarissa Cervantes recused herself from the discussion and vote, citing ownership of real property within 1,000 feet of one of the project sites. Housing and Human Services Senior Project Manager Michelle Guzman told the council the move was necessary to program excess Community Development Block Grant funds that could otherwise be subject to recapture by HUD if left unallocated. "HUD regulations allow that the city of Riverside retain a CDBG balance of 1.5 times the most recent allocation amount. Any funds in excess of this threshold could be subject to recapture by HUD," Guzman said. "The balance is made up of program funds, which are to be used on current ongoing projects and unprogrammed funds which are comprised of remaining unspent funds from numerous projects over the past several years." She said the funding consists of unspent balances from projects completed over several years and will be redirected to projects that benefit Wards 1, 3 and 6. According to the [staff report](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=6cef4568-83c0-4216-a113-582706086519.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com), the projects are located in income-eligible census tracts and are intended to provide direct benefits to low- and moderate-income residents. The city previously published a public notice and conducted the required 30-day public comment period before bringing the amendment to the council for approval. ### Planning Commission Approves 10-Home Development on Mary Street URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/planning-commission-approves-10-home-development-on-mary-street/ Last updated: 2026-07-23T12:00:58.000Z The Planning Commission approved a residential development on July 16, advancing plans for 10 single-family residential units on a 2-acre lot located on the east side of Mary Street between Frances Street and De Grazia Road, in Ward 4. The proposed new single-family residences will range in size from 2,651 square feet to 3,121 square feet. The two-story homes will include four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a loft, office, porch and attached two- or three-car garages. Each new residence will feature private open space ranging from 1,547 to 2,263 square feet while the existing residence will have 16,513 square feet of private open space, according to the [staff report](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=ecda0d11-cea6-4051-bfe9-fd00907ef4d3.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com). The project, brought by Burke Construction, currently consists of a single parcel developed with a 2,404-square-foot single-family residence, a detached two-car garage and multiple smaller accessory structures that were previously used for animal keeping. The current residence and garage will remain intact while the smaller accessory structures will be demolished in development, the report said. The development will also contain nine on-street guest parking spaces and an internal pedestrian network of sidewalks with a seating area, with vehicular access provided from a private street via Mary Street. However, the project drew opposition from residents living near the site, who argued the development would worsen already congested intersections, increase cut-through traffic on neighborhood streets and create additional safety hazards for pedestrians and schoolchildren. Resident Clark Taylor, who lives right next to the planned development, questioned why residents didn't have the opportunity to give input. "We live in Hawarden Hills, which is a very beautiful, old, traditional Riverside neighborhood," he said. "And all of a sudden this high density tenement is coming into our property right in our neighborhood. There'd be traffic issues. There's going to be privacy issues. There's going to be noise issues. All sorts of different things are going to be happening because this is a high density place." Another resident told commissioners he was concerned that the added electrical and plumbing infrastructure needed for such a development would "break up the road," causing extra traffic in an already congested area. The resident also said there is an active red-tailed hawk nest in the area — a protected species — and urged the area to be looked at by a biologist. Planning commissioners spent much of their discussion examining whether the proposed density was appropriate for the site and asking staff about traffic operations, emergency vehicle access and compatibility with adjacent homes. Staff responded that the project met applicable city development standards. Several commissioners acknowledged residents' concerns about traffic but said those issues extend beyond a single development and would require broader citywide transportation improvements. In supporting the project, commissioners cited the city's need for additional housing and noted that infill development along major transportation corridors aligns with Riverside's long-term planning goals. **Correction Wed. July 22, 1:07 p.m.** An earlier version of this story, titled "Planning Commission OKs Magnolia Center Townhomes, La Sierra Subdivision," incorrectly identified this project as a 36-unit townhome development by Melia Homes at Magnolia and Jackson streets. It is a 10-unit single-family residential development on Mary Street, brought by Burke Construction. The story has been updated to reflect the correct information. ### Planning Commission Approves 56-Home Subdivision Near La Sierra Hills URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/planning-commission-approves-56-home-subdivision-near-la-sierra-hills/ Last updated: 2026-07-23T12:00:26.000Z The Planning Commission on July 16 approved a proposal for a 56-lot single-family subdivision on 9.88 acres on the southwest corner of La Sierra and Alhambra Avenues in the La Sierra Hills neighborhood of Ward 7. The project, brought by Meritage Homes, proposes two distinct residential types within the same subdivision: four semi-rural residences on lots over 20,000 square feet along Alhambra Avenue, while the remaining 52 lots will consist of typical planned residential development lots ranging in size from 3,555 square feet to 7,397 square feet. The proposed semi-rural 3,175 square foot homes would be single-story and will feature four bedrooms, three bathrooms, an open kitchen/living room area, a three-car garage, a covered patio and porch. Vehicular and pedestrian access to these residences will be from Alhambra Avenue. The two-story detached homes range in size from 2,453 square feet to 2,848 square feet and will include four or five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a two-car garage and a porch. Vehicular and pedestrian access to this portion of the subdivision is from La Sierra Avenue. The project site currently consists of six contiguous parcels developed with three single-family residences that are accessed from La Sierra and Alhambra Avenues. The proposal represents a significant reduction from earlier concepts for the site. According to the applicant, previous plans called for more than 90 homes before revisions prompted by neighborhood feedback reduced the project to 56 larger lots with additional open space and landscaping. Residents living near the property nevertheless continued to express concerns about traffic on La Sierra Avenue, emergency evacuation during wildfires, school crowding and the loss of open space. "We want to say we're not trying to block this development. We're supportive of new homes in Riverside, but just done responsibly," said one resident. "And we're here today to advocate for the safe traffic environment and legal protections of our existing rural lifestyle." The resident said he was concerned that the development's design will force pedestrians and students to cross La Sierra "without any safe infrastructure in place." Commissioners asked detailed questions about evacuation planning, access points, grading, drainage and the project's consistency with the city's General Plan. Planning staff said the environmental review and traffic studies concluded the project would not create significant unavoidable impacts and that required roadway improvements would accompany development. However, before voting, commissioners amended the conditions of approval to require construction of a median opening on La Sierra Avenue aligned with the project's primary entrance. The staff report had recommended against adding a median break, citing a traffic study that said there are no traffic operation benefits to adding such a break. Commissioners, however, said the median is intended to improve traffic circulation and access for residents entering and leaving the neighborhood. The commission then voted unanimously to approve the subdivision. With Thursday's approval, the project will move forward through the city's development process under the conditions adopted by the Planning Commission. The approvals come as Riverside continues to fall short of its [state-mandated housing targets](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-falls-far-short-of-state-housing-mandate-report-shows/). The city has permitted no new very-low-income housing since 2021 and has met less than 20 percent of its overall obligation under the state's regional housing needs allocation, which requires Riverside to plan for 18,458 new homes between 2021 and 2029. **Correction Wed. July 22, 2:34 p.m.** An earlier version of this story, titled "Planning Commission OKs Magnolia Center Townhomes, La Sierra Subdivision," misstated the size of this project site as roughly 16 acres. The site is 9.88 acres. The story has been updated to reflect the correct information. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- July 23, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-july-23-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:34.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/IMG_6438.jpeg) Alex Arana, executive director of Meals on Wheels Riverside, caught this shot in Times Square on the eve of the FIFA World Cup final. ***Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and tell us a bit of what you experienced](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **Thursday Gazette: July 23, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Thursday!** Today's the day to ask the obvious question, since it's officially Hot Enough For Ya Day. And with the forecast pushing 105 today, the answer isn't really in doubt. Fill up some water balloons or a bucket for quick backyard splash rounds, find a public pool or splash pad for a casual dip, or grab some ice pops to hand out to your mail carrier, delivery driver, or any neighbor who looks like they need one. A little cold treat goes a long way on a day like this. ✏️ ****A note on accuracy** A story published earlier this week, "Planning Commission OKs Magnolia Center Townhomes, La Sierra Subdivision," got key facts about one of the two projects wrong, including the developer, location and scope of the development. We've corrected the record with two standalone stories, each reported with the correct facts. We hold ourselves to a high standard of accuracy, and we fell short here. We're sorry, and we thank readers who flagged it. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260723)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260723&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HOUSING](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/housing/) ## Planning Commission Approves 10-Home Development on Mary Street Neighbors in Hawarden Hills raised traffic and density concerns, but commissioners cited the city's need for housing. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/FullSizeRender-9.jpeg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/planning-commission-approves-10-home-development-on-mary-street/) (File photo/Raincross Gazette) Planning Commission approved a 10-unit single-family development on Mary Street despite neighbor opposition over traffic and density. **Why it matters:** If you live near Mary Street in Ward 4, expect construction traffic as Burke Construction turns one property into 10 homes, with access limited to a single private street. **What's new:** The Planning Commission approved 10 new single-family homes on a 2-acre lot on Mary Street, between Frances Street and De Grazia Road. - The two-story homes will range from 2,651 to 3,121 square feet, with four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a loft and two- or three-car garages. **Yes, but:** Neighbors in Hawarden Hills opposed the project, warning of worsened traffic, cut-through driving and pedestrian safety risks near schools. - "This high density tenement is coming into our neighborhood," resident Clark Taylor said. - Another resident flagged an active red-tailed hawk nest, a protected species, and asked for a biologist's review. **By the numbers:** The development adds 10 houses and nine on-street guest parking spaces to a lot that currently holds one home. - The existing residence and its detached garage will stay; smaller accessory structures once used for animal keeping will be demolished. **The bottom line:** Commissioners acknowledged the traffic concerns but called them a citywide issue, backing the project as infill housing along a major corridor. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/planning-commission-approves-10-home-development-on-mary-street/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260723)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260723&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HOUSING](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/housing/) ## Planning Commission Approves 56-Home Subdivision Near La Sierra Hills Commissioners added a median-opening requirement over staff's objection before unanimously approving the Meritage Homes project. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/FullSizeRender-11.jpeg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/planning-commission-approves-56-home-subdivision-near-la-sierra-hills/) (File photo/Raincross Gazette) Planning Commission approved a 56-home subdivision on La Sierra Avenue, down from more than 90 homes originally proposed. **Why it matters:** If you live in La Sierra Hills, expect construction and a new median break on La Sierra Avenue meant to ease traffic in and out of the neighborhood. **Driving the news:** The Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve Meritage Homes' 56-lot subdivision on 9.88 acres at La Sierra and Alhambra avenues. - The project shrank from more than 90 originally proposed homes after neighborhood feedback added open space and larger lots. - The subdivision splits into four larger semi-rural homes fronting Alhambra Avenue and 52 smaller homes accessed from La Sierra Avenue. **Yes, but:** Nearby residents pushed back over La Sierra Avenue traffic, wildfire evacuation routes, school crowding and lost open space. - "We're supportive of new homes... just done responsibly," one resident said, warning of unsafe street crossings for students. **Between the lines:** Commissioners added a median break on La Sierra Avenue at the project's entrance, overriding staff's recommendation against it. - A traffic study found no operational benefit, but commissioners said the break would ease access for residents. **The big picture:** The approval comes as Riverside falls far short of state housing targets, having permitted no new very-low-income housing since 2021. - The city has met less than 20% of its obligation to plan for 18,458 homes between 2021 and 2029. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/planning-commission-approves-56-home-subdivision-near-la-sierra-hills/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260723) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260723&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Father-Son Duo Drives Family Legacy at Riverside Transit Agency Steven Sparks Sr. and Jr. both work as coach operators for the Riverside-based transit agency. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RTA-Father-and-Son-Coach-Operators-1.JPEG)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/father-son-duo-drives-family-legacy-at-riverside-transit-agency/) Steven Sparks Sr. and Steven Sparks Jr. (Courtesy of Riverside Transit Agency) Steven Sparks Sr. and his son, Steven Sparks Jr., share more than a name. Both work as coach operators for the Riverside Transit Agency (RTA), spending thousands of hours behind the wheel of buses that carry riders across the Inland Empire. For Riverside residents who rely on RTA to get to work, school or appointments, the Sparks family's story is a reminder of the people behind the wheel, drivers who see the region up close, route after route, year after year. Sparks Sr. joined the RTA in March 2019\. He said in a statement that he encouraged his son to apply for a job with the agency after learning he was interested in a career change. "When I got hired, I told my son he should apply for a job with the agency, too," Sparks Sr. said in a statement. "He was a cross-country trucker, and I told him he should get off the road so he could spend more time with his family." [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/father-son-duo-drives-family-legacy-at-riverside-transit-agency/) --- ## Noteworthy [Ward 5's next community town hall](https://www.instagram.com/p/DbG-NVdFOvM/?img%5Findex=2&ref=raincrossgazette.com) brings city staff to the Bourns Family Youth Innovation Center on Thursday, July 30, 6–8 p.m., for resident updates and an open Q&A on quality-of-life issues. A [proposed regional stormwater permit](https://riversideca.gov/press/proposed-regional-stormwater-permit-what-it-means-riverside?ref=raincrossgazette.com) could cost Riverside up to $2.32 billion over 20 years, with a Santa Ana Water Board public hearing on the plan set for Friday, July 24. UC Riverside synthetic biologist Sonali Chaturvedi has received a $2.1 million NIH grant to study how cells maintain stability while adapting to stress, aiming to uncover [rules governing gene regulation](https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/07/21/why-our-cells-almost-never-fail?ref=raincrossgazette.com) tied to diseases like cancer and diabetes. Eight La Sierra University students, including math grad Aaron Hernandez, received $2,500 [Edison International STEM scholarships](https://lasierra.edu/article/edison-scholarship-lights-up-opportunities-for-la-sierra-stem-students/?ref=raincrossgazette.com), bringing the university's total since 2014 to $157,000. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Archiving IE Black History: Stories and Maps that Bring the Past to Life](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/archiving-ie-black-history-stories-and-maps-that-bring-the-past-to-life/19350024/2026-07-23T18) at Riverside Main Library (Community Room) - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19390098/2026-07-23T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($65.50 - $71.21) ### Tomorrow - [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-24T07) at Zacatecas Café - [Creative Arts](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/creative-arts/19240864/2026-07-24T11) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Multiplication Madness (MM)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/multiplication-madness-mm/19240907/2026-07-24T00) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Assistance Program (RAP)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-assistance-program-rap/19240859/2026-07-24T10) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Movies on the Lawn - 250th Edition: "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/movies-on-the-lawn-250th-edition-mr-smith-goes-to-washington/19429988/2026-07-24T20) at Heritage House - [Tina & The Stones - Tribute to Tina Turner & The Rolling Stones](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/tina-the-stones-tribute-to-tina-turner-the-rolling-stones/19346684/2026-07-24T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [Club90sMJ Night Summer 2026Tour (18+)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/club90smj-night-summer-2026tour-18/19346687/2026-07-24T20) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ## Save the Date - July 26: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-07-26T08) at Community Yoga Center - July 27: [Sip with a Scientist](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/19411805/2026-07-27T17) at Bar Ni Modo - July 31: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-31T07) at Zacatecas Café - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Father-Son Duo Drives Family Legacy at Riverside Transit Agency URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/father-son-duo-drives-family-legacy-at-riverside-transit-agency/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T11:59:29.000Z Steven Sparks Sr. and his son, Steven Sparks Jr., share more than a name. Both work as coach operators for the Riverside Transit Agency (RTA), spending thousands of hours behind the wheel of buses that carry riders across the Inland Empire. For Riverside residents who rely on RTA to get to work, school or appointments, the Sparks family's story is a reminder of the people behind the wheel, drivers who see the region up close, route after route, year after year. Sparks Sr. joined the RTA in March 2019\. He said in a statement that he encouraged his son to apply for a job with the agency after learning he was interested in a career change. "When I got hired, I told my son he should apply for a job with the agency, too," Sparks Sr. said in a statement. "He was a cross-country trucker, and I told him he should get off the road so he could spend more time with his family." Sparks Jr. took his father's advice and joined the RTA a few months later, in October 2019\. The RTA employs roughly 350 drivers. "There's a camaraderie with the other drivers that makes the RTA a great place to work," Sparks Jr. said in a statement. Both father and son describe an easygoing approach to a job that requires patience with traffic and the public alike. "I treat every rider the way I'd like to be treated," Sparks Sr. said in a statement. "I like to think I'm their chauffeur." The two occasionally cross paths on their routes during the workday, exchanging a wave or a smile. Outside of work, they get together as a family for barbecues and other gatherings. Both are fathers themselves. Looking back, Sparks Sr. said the moment carries a certain symmetry. "I remember when I used to take my son to the bus stop for his trips to kindergarten, and he'd get on that big bus," Sparks Sr. said in a statement. "Now he's driving it, and that's really amazing." ### 🗞️ Riverside News- July 22, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-july-15-2026-copy/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:35.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/IMG_9598.jpeg) Colton holds his stuffed bison in Yellowstone National Park, with a herd of real bison grazing in the field behind him. (Lindsey Galbraith) ***Spending time somewhere special this summer?** We'd love to see it — [send your vacation photos and a note about where you went and what you got up to](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com)! **Wednesday Gazette: July 22, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Wednesday!** Yesterday we asked where you go for a junk food fix, and reader Amy Gaines wrote in with a sweet answer: Sweet Mood Candy on Iowa Avenue. The shop lets you buy candy in just enough sizes instead of committing to a whole bulk bag, so you can actually try the stuff you'd normally pass up. Amy says the owner, a single mom who built the business from a candy buffet side hustle into a storefront and online shop, has a huge online following but not nearly enough local love. Sounds like a spot worth checking out for yourself. Got a favorite local business you think Riverside should know about? [Send it our way](mailto:newsroom@raincrossgazette.com). --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260722)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260722&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260722)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260722&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CITY HALL](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/city-hall/) ## Inspector General Search Continues as Council Holds Second Closed Session Two residents weighed in on the closed-door process as the council's search for an inspector general continues. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/FullSizeRender-6.jpeg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/inspector-general-search-continues-as-council-holds-second-closed-session/) City Council spent a second day weighing inspector general candidates without reaching a decision. **Why it matters:** The inspector general post, an oversight role costing about $500,000 a year, remains unfilled as council continues closed-door talks with no set decision date. **Driving the news:** Council held a second day of closed-session deliberations Tuesday, continuing from Monday's special meeting, and returned without any reportable action. **What they're saying:** Two residents phoned in before closed session began, offering different takes on the pace. - Pete Benavidez, who chaired the Charter Review Committee that recommended the post, said: "this is a chance to get it right." **Yes, but:** Ward 4 resident Rich Gardner questioned the roughly $500,000 annual cost and pushed for more urgency. - Gardner said he hopes the eventual hire can help address the city's budget challenges. **What's next:** Council's next regular meeting is Tuesday, July 28. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/inspector-general-search-continues-as-council-holds-second-closed-session/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260722)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260722&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [SPORTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/sports/) ## A Culture Change Could Be the Reset UCR Baseball Needs Gregg Wallis wants to change how UCR baseball thinks before he changes how it wins. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-12.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-culture-change-could-be-the-reset-ucr-baseball-needs/) Gregg Wallis spent 13 seasons at Grand Canyon University before taking over as UCR's head coach. (Courtesy of UCR) A new era is upon UCR baseball. After finishing the season 15-37 overall and 10-20 in Big West play, while hitting .236 as a team and posting an 8.43 ERA, it was time for the Highlanders to rebuild from the ground up. UCR needed more than a quick fix. It needed a reason to believe it could climb out of the hole. Enter Gregg Wallis, the new head coach of the Highlanders, who's hoping to lead UCR to its first winning season since 2010 by changing the culture of the team. Just the kind of reset the program desperately needs. From the get-go, Wallis wants to establish a culture where the players believe they are winners. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-culture-change-could-be-the-reset-ucr-baseball-needs/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260722) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260722&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Noteworthy [Amateur boxing returns to Bryant Park](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/amateur-boxing-show-returns-to-bryant-park-july-24/) Friday, July 24, at 7 p.m., as USA Boxing-sanctioned bouts featuring roughly 12 matchups hit the Arlanza Community Center, with tickets $20 for adults and $5 for kids 5-10. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-07-22T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-07-22T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [Strawberry Tote Bags](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/strawberry-tote-bags/19394561/2026-07-22T11) at Marcy Library - [Community Police Review Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/community-police-review-commission/18051652/2026-07-22T17) at Riverside City Hall - [County Planning Commission Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/county-planning-commission-meeting/19339604/2026-07-22T09) at 4080 Lemon St., 1st Floor ### Tomorrow - [Archiving IE Black History: Stories and Maps that Bring the Past to Life](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/archiving-ie-black-history-stories-and-maps-that-bring-the-past-to-life/19350024/2026-07-23T18) at Riverside Main Library (Community Room) - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19390098/2026-07-23T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($65.50 - $71.21) ## Save the Date - July 24: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-07-24T08) at Community Yoga Center - July 24: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-24T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 27: [Sip with a Scientist](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/19411805/2026-07-27T17) at Bar Ni Modo - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### A Culture Change Could Be the Reset UCR Baseball Needs URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-culture-change-could-be-the-reset-ucr-baseball-needs/ Last updated: 2026-07-26T12:00:13.000Z A new era is upon UCR baseball. After finishing the season 15-37 overall and 10-20 in Big West play, while hitting .236 as a team and posting an 8.43 ERA, it was time for the Highlanders to rebuild from the ground up. UCR needed more than a quick fix. It needed a reason to believe it could climb out of the hole. Enter Gregg Wallis, the new head coach of the Highlanders, who's hoping to lead UCR to its first winning season since 2010 by changing the culture of the team. Just the kind of reset the program desperately needs. From the get-go, Wallis wants to establish a culture where the players believe they are winners. He wants his players to believe they can be contenders in the Big West. He wants his pitching staff to attack the strike zone, his offense to put the ball in play and the defense to play impeccably behind the pitchers. If UCR baseball grasps on to his philosophy, the wins will take care of themselves, Wallis said. It's the kind of mentality that builds programs, rather than salvaging a season. If Wallis can convince his players they belong among the Big West's contenders, UCR's rebuild will have a foundation for more than the season ahead. After spending 13 seasons with Grand Canyon University, the last four at the helm of the baseball program, Wallis understands that winning baseball needs to rely on the fundamentals of baserunning, pitching, fielding and hitting. These ideas aren't just taught — a true leader allows his players to understand his passion for each lesson. That's why Wallis took the time to speak to the entire team, as a whole and individually to each player. Even before any pitch had been thrown, Wallis immediately jumped on Zoom calls with the whole team, set up individual meetings with the players and called the returning students. He showed his passion. He demonstrated what leadership looks like. He established the culture even before any drills. "Building relationships with them where we can get to work on the field and they understand that I care about them and that we're all in this together," he said. "I'm going to be a coach that wraps my arms around the current group of returners and is just excited to get to work with them." It's the kind of patience a program that hasn't had a winning season since the Obama administration desperately needs. But his philosophy isn't about the season ahead of him. It's about the future. As the program grows, Wallis wants to take advantage of the talent within the baseball hotbed of Southern California. Having the opportunity to scout from high schools and travel ball teams from around the area was one of the selling points for him to sign on as manager of the Highlanders. It's not just about the season ahead — it's about setting up the future. It's about setting up a philosophy that can be interchangeable with any group of ball players. But success isn't just built on fundamentals. Wallis understands it's more than just baseball. In order for his team to be successful on the field, he needs to remind them of the joy of the game. He wants his players to come to the yard ready to have fun. Whether it's doing drills before a game, playing a game or dealing with the grueling travel of the season, he wants his team to have fun. "We're gonna play hard, hopefully win a lot of baseball games, but \[my hope is\] that everyone has a great experience doing it." Sure, building a bedrock of joy and belief won't erase the amount of losing the program has endured. But if Wallis is able to build a culture based on accountability, relationships and fundamentals, UCR will have something it hasn't had in years — a reason to believe the future can be different. ### Amateur Boxing Show Returns to Bryant Park July 24 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/amateur-boxing-show-returns-to-bryant-park-july-24/ Last updated: 2026-07-21T21:45:51.000Z The City of Riverside Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department is hosting an amateur boxing show at Bryant Park on Friday, July 24, starting at 7 p.m. The event, sanctioned by USA Boxing, will feature about 12 bouts across various weight categories, with boxing clubs traveling in from around Southern California. It's held at the Arlanza Community Center, 7950 Philbin Ave. Tickets cost $20 for spectators 11 and older, and $5 for children ages 5 to 10\. Kids 4 and under get in free with a paying adult. A snack bar will be open during the show. **More information:* Contact Raymond Aguirre, recreation services coordinator, at 951-351-6135 or* [*raguirre@riversideca.gov*](mailto:raguirre@riversideca.gov)*.* ### Inspector General Search Continues as Council Holds Second Closed Session URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/inspector-general-search-continues-as-council-holds-second-closed-session/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T22:45:52.000Z The City Council wrapped up a second day of closed-session deliberations on inspector general candidates [Tuesday](https://riversideca.granicus.com/player/clip/6798?view%5Fid=2&redirect=true&ref=raincrossgazette.com)without any reportable action, extending discussions that began during [Monday's special meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-weighs-inspector-general-candidates-in-closed-session-deliberations-continue-tuesday/). During public comment, two residents phoned in with remarks on the process. Pete Benavidez, who chaired the Charter Review Committee that recommended creating the inspector general post, praised the council's pace. "Whether you choose one this week or in weeks to come, I don't have a problem with the time you're taking to do this work because this is a chance to get it right," he said. Rich Gardner, a Ward 4 resident, pushed for more urgency and questioned the position's roughly $500,000 annual cost. "It seems like it's taken an extremely long time to get to this point," he said, adding he hopes the eventual hire can help address the city's budget challenges. Council entered closed session after public comment concluded and returned without action to share, adjourning the special meeting. **More information:* The City Council's next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 28.* ### City Council Approves Overnight Parking Zone for Larkin Court, Pilot for Monroe Street URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-approves-overnight-parking-zone-for-larkin-court-pilot-for-monroe-street/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T12:00:11.000Z The City Council approved a resolution on July 14 establishing a new overnight preferential parking zone on Larkin Court and launching a yearlong pilot project to increase on-street parking along a nearby portion of Monroe Street. The action creates a two-hour preferential parking zone on Larkin Court between Monroe Street and the street's eastern terminus. Parking will be limited to two hours from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily, except for residents with permits and their guests. Council members also approved a 12-month pilot project converting the Monroe Street frontage road between Ouida Drive and Monroe Street to one-way northbound traffic while adding diagonal parking stalls along the west side of the roadway. City staff estimate the changes will increase parking capacity on the street segment by 50 percent, creating five additional parking spaces. The measures are intended to address longstanding neighborhood parking concerns while accommodating parking demand generated by the nearby Lorraine Terrace Apartments. According to the [staff report](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15671470&GUID=407F5451-6A49-411A-8EF3-C41E2D87B17A&ref=raincrossgazette.com), residents on Larkin Court submitted a petition meeting the city's requirement that at least 75 percent of affected households support creation of a preferential parking zone, with nine of the street's 12 households signing the petition. Residents reported that apartment overflow parking frequently left little room for neighborhood parking, interfered with driveway access and trash collection, generated late-night noise, and contributed to parking violations and litter. The city's preferential parking program is designed to help residential neighborhoods affected by outside parking demand by reserving overnight parking for permit holders while still allowing limited short-term parking during restricted hours. Outside of the overnight restrictions, normal parking rules will remain in effect. City staff said the newly approved Larkin Court parking restrictions are expected to push some apartment overflow parking farther south onto the Monroe Street frontage road. The city approved a similar preferential parking zone on Ouida Drive in January, part of the same pattern of overflow parking shifting from one block to the next as restrictions take effect nearby. Because parking is currently prohibited along the west side of that roadway due to its width, the city proposed the temporary one-way traffic pattern and diagonal parking configuration to create additional parking supply before considering permanent changes. The pilot will allow officials to evaluate impacts on both traffic circulation and parking availability over the next year. The proposal previously received unanimous support from the city's Transportation Board in March, with all five members present voting to recommend both the preferential parking zone and the Monroe Street pilot project. Implementation of the resolution is expected to cost approximately $3,500 for fabrication of new parking signs, with funding available through the Public Works Department's streets maintenance budget. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- July 21, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-july-21-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:36.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-4.jpg) The Gazette's own Norm Ellstrand, who writes [Naturally Riverside](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/naturally-riverside/), recently stopped by the world-famous Zingerman's in Ann Arbor, Michigan for lox and a bagel. ***Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and what you got up to](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com)! **Tuesday Gazette: June 21, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Tuesday!** Today is National Junk Food Day, so we're asking: where's your go-to spot when a craving hits and you know it's not exactly good for you? Or, if you're the type who sticks to a plan, what's your favorite place that's actually good for you and still feels like a treat? Hit reply and [let us know](mailto:newsroom@raincrossgazette.com), we might feature your pick in an upcoming edition. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260721)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260721&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CITY HALL](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/city-hall/) ## Council Weighs Inspector General Candidates in Closed Session, Deliberations Continue Tuesday No decision was made Monday as council members continue vetting candidates for the independent oversight role; deliberations resume Tuesday morning. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/FullSizeRender-1.jpeg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-weighs-inspector-general-candidates-in-closed-session-deliberations-continue-tuesday/) (File photo/Raincross Gazette) Riverside's search for its first inspector general enters final interviews, conducted entirely behind closed doors. **Why it matters:** The new inspector general will investigate fraud, waste and misconduct in city government — but critics say closed-door interviews and council appointment power undermine the independence residents were promised. **Driving the news:** The council interviewed candidates in a special closed session Monday and will resume deliberations in another closed session Tuesday morning. - The council narrowed the applicant pool to finalists in June after an executive recruitment process. **The backstory:** Council created the inspector general role as part of a broader push for city accountability, after resolving earlier concerns about the position's independence. - Under the adopted framework, the inspector general reports to the City Council while operating independently on investigations. **Yes, but:** Resident Keith Nelson told the council an appointee who answers to elected officials isn't independent oversight. - "That is not independent oversight," Nelson said. "It's simply another layer of bureaucracy dressed up to look like accountability." **What's next:** The council reconvenes in closed session Tuesday morning. Any appointment and each member's vote must be reported publicly afterward, as required under the Brown Act. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-weighs-inspector-general-candidates-in-closed-session-deliberations-continue-tuesday/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260721) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600721&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CITY HALL](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/city-hall/) ## City Council Approves Overnight Parking Zone for Larkin Court, Pilot for Monroe Street Yearlong pilot will test one-way traffic and diagonal parking on the Monroe Street frontage road. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/FullSizeRender-4.jpeg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-approves-overnight-parking-zone-for-larkin-court-pilot-for-monroe-street/) (File photo/Raincross Gazette) Larkin Court will restrict overnight parking to permit holders, addressing years of overflow from a nearby apartment complex. **Why it matters:** If you live on Larkin Court or park near the Lorraine Terrace Apartments, overnight parking rules just changed — non-permit vehicles now face a two-hour limit from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. **Driving the news:** Council approved the new preferential parking zone Tuesday, responding to a petition from nine of Larkin Court's 12 households. - Residents cited apartment overflow parking blocking driveways, interfering with trash pickup and generating late-night noise. **What's new:** Larkin Court between Monroe Street and its eastern end becomes a two-hour zone overnight, with permit holders and guests exempted. **What's next:** A separate 12-month pilot converts the Monroe Street frontage road to one-way traffic with new diagonal parking, adding five spaces. - Staff expect the change to push overflow parking farther south onto that stretch. - The work costs about $3,500, funded through the city's streets maintenance budget. **The backstory:** The city approved a similar permit zone on nearby Ouida Drive in January, part of a pattern of overflow shifting block to block. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-approves-overnight-parking-zone-for-larkin-court-pilot-for-monroe-street/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260721)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260721&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [SPONSORED](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/sponsored/) ## Riverside's Second Dispensary Opens on University Avenue Embarc's University Avenue store opened July 13 under the city rule that caps dispensaries at one per council ward, spreading them across the city. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/MJE_0987-2.JPG)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-second-dispensary-opens-on-university-avenue/) A friendly Embarc Guide works the front desk at Embarc's second Riverside dispensary, which opened July 13 on University Avenue. (Courtesy of [**Embarc Riverside University*](https://goembarc.com/location/riverside-dispensary-university-ave?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) Riverside's second licensed cannabis dispensary is now open at 1601 University Ave., having opened Monday, July 13\. Its location was shaped as much by the city as by the company's desire to serve new parts of the Riverside community while staying compliant with the city's plan for cannabis retail zoning: Riverside [caps dispensaries at one per council ward](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-finalizes-cannabis-rules-clearing-path-for-first-retail-dispensaries/), a rule meant to keep stores from clustering in any one neighborhood. Embarc [opened Riverside's first store](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-moratorium-to-magnolia-ave-riversides-first-dispensary-opens-its-doors/) on Magnolia Avenue in March, and its second will serve a different ward on University Avenue. The store runs daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. It moved into a space that most recently held a health-food restaurant; a former manager there connected the company to the property owner. A Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting and a grand-opening party follow later in the month. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-second-dispensary-opens-on-university-avenue/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [The Art of Reading & Writing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-art-of-reading-writing/19240974/2026-07-21T16) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Comprehension Group](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-comprehension-group/19240809/2026-07-21T10) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Study Skills- Test Taking](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/study-skills-test-taking/19240880/2026-07-21T19) at My Learning Studio ($57.00) - [Summer Seed Exchange](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summer-seed-exchange/19394403/2026-07-21T10) at Marcy Library - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition at the Hideaway](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-07-21T19) at The Hideaway ### Tomorrow - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-07-22T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-07-22T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [Strawberry Tote Bags](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/strawberry-tote-bags/19394561/2026-07-22T11) at Marcy Library - [Community Police Review Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/community-police-review-commission/18051652/2026-07-22T17) at Riverside City Hall - [County Planning Commission Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/county-planning-commission-meeting/19339604/2026-07-22T09) at 4080 Lemon St., 1st Floor ### Save the Date - July 23: [Archiving IE Black History: Stories and Maps that Bring the Past to Life](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/archiving-ie-black-history-stories-and-maps-that-bring-the-past-to-life/19350024/2026-07-23T18) at Riverside Main Library (Community Room) - July 24: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-07-24T08) at Community Yoga Center - July 24: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-24T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 27: [Sip with a Scientist](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/19411805/2026-07-27T17) at Bar Ni Modo - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Riverside's Second Dispensary Opens on University Avenue URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-second-dispensary-opens-on-university-avenue/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:04:11.000Z Riverside's second licensed cannabis dispensary is now open at 1601 University Ave., having opened Monday, July 13\. Its location was shaped as much by the city as by the company's desire to serve new parts of the Riverside community while staying compliant with the city's plan for cannabis retail zoning: Riverside [caps dispensaries at one per council ward](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-finalizes-cannabis-rules-clearing-path-for-first-retail-dispensaries/), a rule meant to keep stores from clustering in any one neighborhood. Embarc [opened Riverside's first store](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-moratorium-to-magnolia-ave-riversides-first-dispensary-opens-its-doors/) on Magnolia Avenue in March, and its second will serve a different ward on University Avenue. The store runs daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. It moved into a space that most recently held a health-food restaurant; a former manager there connected the company to the property owner. A Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting and a grand-opening party follow later in the month. ### One store to a ward The city spent years working through moratoriums, competing proposals and council debate[ before allowing retail sales at all](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-votes-5-2-to-legalize-retail-cannnabis-sales-in-riverside/), and[ the one-per-ward cap](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-halves-cannabis-permits-tightens-rules/) — adopted by the City Council in July 2025 — was part of a deliberately limited rollout. Embarc came through that process as the operator of[ Riverside's first dispensary](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-moratorium-to-magnolia-ave-riversides-first-dispensary-opens-its-doors/), which opened on Magnolia Avenue in March. "We're grateful to have the opportunity to operate in locations that are convenient for folks from all over the city," Embarc said of the ward system. The company says the second opening is a continuation rather than a fresh start. It says it committed to Riverside early, and that Magnolia's opening confirmed what it had heard — a community that wanted, in its words, operators who "continue to show up past the ribbon cutting." ### The people on the floor The day-to-day at University Avenue runs through general manager Sarah Bauer, whom the company describes as community-oriented down to her off-hours: a mountain hiker who reportedly never hits a trail without a trash grabber. Bauer has spent the run-up getting to know the corridor's businesses and residents and planning the store's community work. That door-knocking is a repeat of a play Embarc ran before Magnolia, when it hit the businesses and residents of a neighborhood still weighing cannabis retail. Along University Avenue, the company says, the reception has been warm — especially from neighbor Tacos Che Taqueria, which will host Embarc's grand-opening party. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/MJE_0983-1.JPG) Ready to help, an Embarc Guide at the front desk of the new University Avenue location, which opened its doors July 13\. (Courtesy of [**Embarc Riverside University*](https://goembarc.com/location/riverside-dispensary-university-ave?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### A room built like a market Walk in, and Embarc wants the space to read less like a dispensary than a neighborhood market. Customers grab a basket and browse at their own pace; products and prices sit out on the shelves to be compared without a counter between shopper and stock. The company calls it a "bodega-style" experience, and pitches it as low-pressure — staff it calls "guides" are nearby for questions, but the design assumes you might just want to look. Embarc says daily deals and 5% back on every purchase are part of the model. University Avenue will be Embarc's smallest Riverside store, and the company says its size suits the personal, guide-driven style. It opened with a team of 10 to 15 guides, hired, as at every location, from the local community. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/MJE_1027-1.JPG) Products line the shelves inside Embarc's University Avenue location, designed to read more like a market than a traditional dispensary counter. (Courtesy of [**Embarc Riverside University*](https://goembarc.com/location/riverside-dispensary-university-ave?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Where the giveback goes Embarc donates 1% of sales back to each store's community, and in Riverside that fund has been accruing since Magnolia's first sale in March. It has not yet paid out. Rather than cut fast checks "for photo ops," the company says, it routes the money through a community advisory board — local voices deciding where the dollars land. Embarc says its Community Advisory Board is in active conversations with Riverside organizations now, including groups working on family homelessness and youth prevention, and expects its first donations in August. Every sale adds to it, and, Embarc says, "it stays in Riverside." The community emphasis traces back to the company's origins. Embarc was founded by a husband and wife at their dining-room table, opening its first handful of stores into the teeth of the pandemic; members of the team had worked on Proposition 64, the 2016 measure that legalized adult-use cannabis in California. The company casts each new opening as part of that same arc — "policy development come to life," as it puts it, and the slower civic work of a community moving past stigma. ### Who it's for Ask Embarc who the University Avenue store is really for, on a commuter corridor near UC Riverside, and it describes the audience broadly. One of the things the listening tour taught the company, it says, is that a lot of people carry a mental picture of the cannabis customer that the data doesn't bear out. "Cannabis consumers are just like you and me," Embarc says — friends, neighbors, colleagues and parents stopping in between the grocery run, the gas station and summer-camp drop-off. Opening week is deliberately quiet — Embarc says it will spend the first stretch dialing in its flow before the formal celebrations, which arrive later in the month: a Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting with Cheba Hut on hand, followed by a grand-opening party hosted by neighbor Tacos Che Taqueria, where the first 200 guests get a doorbuster bag. First-time customers can take 25% off their first pickup order with the code RAINCROSS25, a standing offer. ***More information:***[ *Embarc Riverside University*](https://goembarc.com/location/riverside-dispensary-university-ave?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *is at 1601 University Ave., Riverside, and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting is Friday, July 24 at 11:30 a.m.; the grand-opening party, hosted by Tacos Che Taqueria, is Saturday, July 25 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Details, hours and current deals are at goembarc.com. Reach the store at (951) 465-3420 or riverside@goembarc.com, and follow @embarcriversideuniversity on Instagram.* ### Council Weighs Inspector General Candidates in Closed Session, Deliberations Continue Tuesday URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-weighs-inspector-general-candidates-in-closed-session-deliberations-continue-tuesday/ Last updated: 2026-07-22T00:00:04.000Z The City Council began interviewing candidates for [the city's first inspector general position](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/inspector-general-search-advances-to-interview-stage/) during a special meeting closed session Monday, with discussions set to continue during another closed session Tuesday morning as the search nears its final stage. According to a [memorandum](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15693673&GUID=CC05C378-37EF-4A94-BFF3-C06EADBC1F57&ref=raincrossgazette.com) from Mayor Pro Tem Clarissa Cervantes, the special closed session was called for the "public employee appointment" of an inspector general; the agenda states the council would consider candidates for appointment to the position and report any final action taken during the public meeting following the closed session, as required by state law. No appointment was announced Monday, and the council is scheduled to reconvene in closed session Tuesday to continue deliberations. The interviews mark the latest step in Riverside's effort to hire [an independent oversight official charged with investigating allegations of fraud, waste, abuse and misconduct within city government](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-opens-search-for-inspector-general-a-new-watchdog-role/). In June, the City Council narrowed a pool of applicants to finalists following an executive recruitment process, setting the stage for this week's interviews. The inspector general position was created as part of [the city's broader push to strengthen accountability and public oversight](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-approves-inspector-general-after-resolving-independence-concerns/). Under Riverside's adopted framework, [the inspector general will report directly to the City Council while maintaining operational independence in conducting investigations](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-approves-inspector-general-after-resolving-independence-concerns/). However, [some have questioned whether an inspector general appointed by elected officials can remain fully independent from the officials it may be asked to investigate](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/inspector-general-approval-delayed-nearly-year-after-voter-mandate-council-cites-independence-language/). "Riverside does not need another employee who answers to the very people that they're supposed to oversee," said resident Keith Nelson during Monday's meeting. "That is not independent oversight. It's simply another layer of bureaucracy dressed up to look like accountability." He also argued the council has increasingly relied on special meetings to handle significant public business with limited public notice. "Special meetings are intended to address genuine emergencies or matters that could not reasonably wait," Nelson told the council. "That should not become a management tool for conducting important public business with reduced notice, reduced public awareness, and reduced scrutiny." Under California's Brown Act, city councils may meet in closed session to consider appointments of public employees, including interviews of prospective candidates. Any final appointment and each council member's vote must be publicly reported following the closed session. The continued closed session is scheduled for Tuesday morning. If the council reaches a decision, the appointment would be announced in open session following the meeting. ### Riverside OKs $4.3M Contract for Gage Canal Trail's First Phase URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-oks-4-3m-contract-for-gage-canal-trails-first-phase/ Last updated: 2026-07-21T20:45:12.000Z The City Council approved on Tuesday a $4.3 million construction contract to begin the long-awaited first phase of the Gage Canal recreational trail, advancing plans to transform a roughly two-mile stretch of the historic canal corridor into a walking and biking trail connecting neighborhoods with UC Riverside. Plans for the trail include a paved bicycle path, a parallel decomposed granite trail for pedestrians and runners, landscaping, irrigation, lighting, interpretive signage and trail amenities, including fitness equipment. The first phase of the project will extend from Palmyrita Avenue southwest along the edge of the Box Springs Mountain Reserve before crossing Spruce Street and ending at Blaine Street near the UC Riverside campus. The project has been in the making since 2019, when the City Council authorized applying for a $3.7 million Urban Greening grant to help fund the first phase of the trail. The city secured the grant in 2020 and later hired Alta Planning + Design to complete planning and engineering work. Progress stalled in 2023 when construction bids exceeded available funding. The City Council rejected all bids and directed staff to rebid the project after Riverside secured an additional $1.4 million in state Recreational Trails Program funding. The city later expanded the design contract to complete additional environmental studies required by the state before receiving the grant agreement in April 2026. Construction is funded through a combination of state grants, Measure Z funds and Measure A transportation funding. The largest funding sources include a $2.93 million Urban Greening Program grant and a $1.4 million Recreational Trails Program grant awarded by the State of California. The council awarded the construction bid to Rancho Cucamonga-based H L Hitchcock Construction Inc. for $4.3 million, which the [staff report](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15671488&GUID=EA7C3CBC-373E-40B9-B94D-4E5CF21832CA&ref=raincrossgazette.com) found to be "the lowest responsive and responsible bid." The council also authorized a 10% contingency of up to $430,432.50, bringing the total contract authority to approximately $4.73 million. Once completed, the trail will create a new recreational and commuter corridor for bicyclists, pedestrians, skaters and scooter riders while improving access to the Box Springs Mountain Reserve and UC Riverside. The city estimates the completed trail will require approximately $75,000 annually for ongoing maintenance, which will be requested through future city budgets. City staff has not specified a construction start date or detailed the scope of a potential second phase. The Gage Canal, built in the late 19th century by citrus pioneer Matthew Gage, remains one of Riverside's defining pieces of infrastructure and has long been envisioned as a continuous recreational corridor. The city has gradually pursued plans to convert portions of the utility corridor into a multi-use trail while preserving canal operations. ### This Week in City Hall: July 20, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-july-20-2026/ Last updated: 2026-07-21T12:00:51.000Z Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### City Council City Council will meet in two special meeting sessions: one on Monday, July 20, at 9 a.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1428409&GUID=15A949F2-C522-4E29-B741-1FED853BA173&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and another on Tuesday, July 21, at 9 a.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1428410&GUID=316A1300-B825-41B8-91A1-EE68277FD0B1&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) in a continued special meeting to discuss the recruitment process for a City Inspector General in closed session ([item 2](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=272f9873-f817-40ea-9833-097ea17e344e.pdf&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Park and Recreation Commission The Park and Recreation Commission meets on Monday, July 20, at 6:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1425424&GUID=2E7F12A6-61AB-456E-9E94-6151A12863FE&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to recognize Park and Recreation Month with a department [presentation](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=dca894a3-6bab-468c-bb16-7076d6c64ff8.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) and staff recognition ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5397-park-and-recreation-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a4d46eef395e7ff2900391b-2-july-is-park-and-recreation-month-the-power?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Museum of Riverside Board The Museum of Riverside Board meets on Wednesday, July 22, at 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1423297&GUID=9C4C270D-F5F7-4E18-8E02-BA1C0B5E9909&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review recommendations to add various [archival](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=e107effe-7e51-4830-ab20-b23ea36f5630.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) and [historic](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5408-museum-of-riverside-board-art-pick-city-council-chambers/agenda%5Fitems/6a592adb7d7965cf02003b70-7-recommend-accession-into-the-permanent-collecti?ref=raincrossgazette.com) items to its collections, (items [6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5408-museum-of-riverside-board-art-pick-city-council-chambers/agenda%5Fitems/6a592adb7d7965cf02003b6f-6-recommend-accession-into-the-permanent-collecti?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and [7](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5408-museum-of-riverside-board-art-pick-city-council-chambers/agenda%5Fitems/6a592adb7d7965cf02003b70-7-recommend-accession-into-the-permanent-collecti?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), add twenty-six avian [study skins](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=d9b77cef-4d93-4d86-bde0-10b675977f0b.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) and one mammalian skin ([item 8](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5408-museum-of-riverside-board-art-pick-city-council-chambers/agenda%5Fitems/6a592adb7d7965cf02003b71-8-recommend-accession-into-the-permanent-collecti?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and recommend to City Council the removal of two Brewer's blackbirds, one Costa's hummingbird, and a collection of animal bones from the [permanent collection](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=e0bab7ed-17cf-4232-8ad1-da70879d8e80.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 10](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5408-museum-of-riverside-board-art-pick-city-council-chambers/agenda%5Fitems/6a592adb7d7965cf02003b73-10-recommend-to-city-council-to-approve-deaccessi?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Community Police Review Commission The Community Police Review Commission meets on Wednesday, July 22, at 5:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1417111&GUID=FD2BD2BF-5A0E-4B2D-AA76-0860ABB09213&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider a three-month [extension](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=2e363123-98f8-4fc5-9316-87fe09e8cb29.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) of the commission's ad hoc committee reviewing police stop data under the state's Racial and Identity Profiling Act, after the committee acknowledged it had not yet met with the Riverside Police Department or finished required ride-alongs before proposing recommendations ([item 5](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5399-community-police-review-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a50151f7d7965329b010d6d-5-extension-of-racial-and-identity-profiling-act?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### 🗞️ Riverside News- July 20, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-29-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:37.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/Lion-Sticking-out-tongue.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/Gorillas-at-attention.jpg) A lion lounging on its rock and a pair of gorillas holding court — just two of the characters Bob Sirotnik met on a recent family trip to the Santa Barbara Zoo. ***Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and what you got up to](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **Monday Gazette: July 20, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday!** It was a hot one out there this weekend, and if you found any shade, a pool, or a spot with good air conditioning, we hope you took full advantage. For some, that meant slow mornings and staying indoors until the sun eased up. For others, it was early walks before the heat kicked in or just an excuse to stay in pajamas a little longer. However you spent it, we hope you got some real rest in before the week picks back up. Let's ease into Monday together. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260720)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260720&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## This Week in City Hall: July 20, 2026 City Council meets twice on Inspector General recruitment, museum board reviews collection additions, police review panel considers extending stop-data probe. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-18-at-4.57.28---PM.png)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-july-20-2026/) Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### City Council City Council will meet in two special meeting sessions: one on Monday, July 20, at 9 a.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1428409&GUID=15A949F2-C522-4E29-B741-1FED853BA173&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and another on Tuesday, July 21, at 9 a.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1428410&GUID=316A1300-B825-41B8-91A1-EE68277FD0B1&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) in a continued special meeting to discuss the recruitment process for a City Inspector General in closed session ([item 2](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=272f9873-f817-40ea-9833-097ea17e344e.pdf&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Park and Recreation Commission The Park and Recreation Commission meets on Monday, July 20, at 6:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1425424&GUID=2E7F12A6-61AB-456E-9E94-6151A12863FE&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to recognize Park and Recreation Month with a department [presentation](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=dca894a3-6bab-468c-bb16-7076d6c64ff8.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) and staff recognition ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5397-park-and-recreation-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a4d46eef395e7ff2900391b-2-july-is-park-and-recreation-month-the-power?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Museum of Riverside Board The Museum of Riverside Board meets on Wednesday, July 22, at 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1423297&GUID=9C4C270D-F5F7-4E18-8E02-BA1C0B5E9909&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review recommendations to add various [archival](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=e107effe-7e51-4830-ab20-b23ea36f5630.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) and [historic](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5408-museum-of-riverside-board-art-pick-city-council-chambers/agenda%5Fitems/6a592adb7d7965cf02003b70-7-recommend-accession-into-the-permanent-collecti?ref=raincrossgazette.com) items to its collections, (items [6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5408-museum-of-riverside-board-art-pick-city-council-chambers/agenda%5Fitems/6a592adb7d7965cf02003b6f-6-recommend-accession-into-the-permanent-collecti?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and [7](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5408-museum-of-riverside-board-art-pick-city-council-chambers/agenda%5Fitems/6a592adb7d7965cf02003b70-7-recommend-accession-into-the-permanent-collecti?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), add twenty-six avian [study skins](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=d9b77cef-4d93-4d86-bde0-10b675977f0b.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) and one mammalian skin ([item 8](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5408-museum-of-riverside-board-art-pick-city-council-chambers/agenda%5Fitems/6a592adb7d7965cf02003b71-8-recommend-accession-into-the-permanent-collecti?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and recommend to City Council the removal of two Brewer's blackbirds, one Costa's hummingbird, and a collection of animal bones from the [permanent collection](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=e0bab7ed-17cf-4232-8ad1-da70879d8e80.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 10](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5408-museum-of-riverside-board-art-pick-city-council-chambers/agenda%5Fitems/6a592adb7d7965cf02003b73-10-recommend-to-city-council-to-approve-deaccessi?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Community Police Review Commission The Community Police Review Commission meets on Wednesday, July 22, at 5:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1417111&GUID=FD2BD2BF-5A0E-4B2D-AA76-0860ABB09213&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider a three-month [extension](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=2e363123-98f8-4fc5-9316-87fe09e8cb29.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) of the commission's ad hoc committee reviewing police stop data under the state's Racial and Identity Profiling Act, after the committee acknowledged it had not yet met with the Riverside Police Department or finished required ride-alongs before proposing recommendations ([item 5](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5399-community-police-review-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a50151f7d7965329b010d6d-5-extension-of-racial-and-identity-profiling-act?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-july-20-2026/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260720) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600720&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HOUSING](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/housing/) ## City Council Clears Path for Office-to-Housing Conversions New ordinance eases zoning and building rules for converting vacant offices and commercial buildings into housing. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-3.06.16---PM.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-clears-path-for-office-to-housing-conversions/) Riverside will let developers convert vacant offices and commercial buildings into housing without special approval. **Why it matters:** If you've watched empty office buildings sit downtown, expect more to become housing — part of the city's push to close a massive state-mandated housing gap. **Driving the news:** Council approved the adaptive reuse ordinance Tuesday on its consent calendar, without discussion, easing zoning and building rules for housing conversions. - Members added protections in June requiring Historic Preservation staff review before designated or eligible historic buildings can be altered or demolished. **By the numbers:** Riverside has permitted just **19.6%** of the 18,458 new homes the state says it must plan for between 2021 and 2029. - No very-low-income housing has been permitted since 2021, per a March Gazette report. **What's included:** Qualifying buildings — commercial, office and certain industrial, at least 15 years old — can convert without discretionary approval in most cases. - Incentives include no added parking requirements, higher density allowances, and no minimum unit size. **The bottom line:** The ordinance builds a lasting framework city officials hope makes future office-to-housing conversions easier and cheaper. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-clears-path-for-office-to-housing-conversions/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260720)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260720&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Riverside OKs $4.3M Contract for Gage Canal Trail's First Phase After years of delays, the city has secured funding and a contractor for the historic canal corridor's transformation into a trail. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-10.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-oks-4-3m-contract-for-gage-canal-trails-first-phase/) A stretch of the Gage Canal, which will be transformed into a two-mile recreational trail under the City Council's newly approved first phase. (File photo/Raincross Gazette) The Gage Canal is becoming a two-mile trail connecting Riverside neighborhoods to UC Riverside, after years of delay. **Why it matters:** If you live near Box Springs Mountain Reserve or bike to UCR, you'll gain a new car-free route — once a construction date is set. **Driving the news:** Council voted Tuesday to award a $4.3 million construction contract for the trail's first phase to Rancho Cucamonga-based H L Hitchcock Construction Inc. - The bid was the "lowest responsive and responsible bid," according to the staff report. **By the numbers:** - $4.3 million contract, plus a 10% contingency, brings total authority to about $4.73 million - $2.93 million comes from a state Urban Greening grant; $1.4 million comes from a state Recreational Trails grant - $75,000 a year is the city's estimate for ongoing maintenance once the trail is built **The backstory:** Council first pursued funding in 2019\. Bids came in over budget in 2023, forcing a rebid before the state finalized the grant agreement in April 2026. **What's next:** City staff haven't announced a construction start date or detailed a possible second phase. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-oks-4-3m-contract-for-gage-canal-trails-first-phase/) --- ## Noteworthy Cool Centers activate at City facilities when temperatures reach [97°F or higher](https://riversideca.gov/readyriverside/be-informed/hazards/extreme-heat?ref=raincrossgazette.com), offering water and snacks, while City pools provide another way to beat the heat; residents are also urged to watch for heat exhaustion and heat stroke symptoms like dizziness, heavy sweating and confusion, and to call 911 if symptoms worsen. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-07-20T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Animal Kids Camp - Summer Sessions](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/animal-kids-camp-summer-sessions/18779521/2026-07-20T08) at Mary S. Roberts pet Adoption Center ($240) - [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) - [Health Coverage Assistance](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/health-coverage-assistance/19269418/2026-07-20T10) at Martin Luther King Building - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-07-20T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [Park and Recreation Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/park-and-recreation-commission/18716858/2026-07-20T18) at Riverside City Hall ### Tomorrow - [The Art of Reading & Writing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-art-of-reading-writing/19240974/2026-07-21T16) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Comprehension Group](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-comprehension-group/19240809/2026-07-21T10) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Study Skills- Test Taking](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/study-skills-test-taking/19240880/2026-07-21T19) at My Learning Studio ($57.00) - [Summer Seed Exchange](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summer-seed-exchange/19394403/2026-07-21T10) at Marcy Library - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition at the Hideaway](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-07-21T19) at The Hideaway ### Save the Date - July 22: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-22T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) - July 22: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-07-22T08) at Community Yoga Center - July 23: [Archiving IE Black History: Stories and Maps that Bring the Past to Life](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/archiving-ie-black-history-stories-and-maps-that-bring-the-past-to-life/19350024/2026-07-23T18) at Riverside Main Library (Community Room) - July 24: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-24T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 27: [Sip with a Scientist](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/19411805/2026-07-27T17) at Bar Ni Modo - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Royalty Visits the Mission Inn URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/royalty-visits-the-mission-inn/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:04:13.000Z Over the years, many celebrities have visited and stayed at the Mission Inn. One hundred years ago, in July 1926, royalty stopped in for a quick visit with Frank Miller. Crown Prince Gustavus Adolphus and Princess Louise of Sweden undertook a world tour to promote Sweden. The couple set sail from Stockholm in the middle of May on board the *Gripsholm* bound for New York. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/2-MS-Gripshom.jpg) Postcard of the Swedish ship **Gripsholm*. (Author's Collection) From New York, the Prince and Princess traveled to Washington, D.C., for the dedication of the John Ericsson monument. Ericsson, a Swedish-born engineer, invented the screw propeller for ships and designed the plans for the iron-clad USS Monitor. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/3-Arriving-Washington-DC-GW.jpg) Photo of Prince Gustavus Adolphus and Princess Louise after arriving in Washington. (Author's Collection) With official duties in Washington finished, the royal pair embarked on a cross-country trip via private Pullman cars. After days of traveling and sightseeing, the party arrived in California. Here, the prince took the time to greet the engineer of the Santa Fe engine pulling his train consist of cars and to ask his name. When the engineer replied that his name was Julius Jensen, the prince exclaimed: "Oh, another Swede!" After shaking the man's hand, he climbed up into the engine cab for a photo. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/4-Prince---engineer-UCLA.jpg) Photo of Crown Prince Shaking the Hand of the Engineer. (Courtesy of the UCLA Library Special Collections) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/5-Prince-in-Engine-UCLA.jpg) Photo of Crown Prince in Cab of Santa Fe Engine. (Courtesy of the UCLA Library Special Collections) Upon the Swedish entourage's arrival in California, the California Fruit Growers Exchange greeted them and gave them a tour of various orange groves. The prince, his wife, and the rest of his party disembarked from the train in San Bernardino on July 21, 1926\. Traveling by automobile, they toured citrus groves in Redlands and then proceeded to Riverside. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/6-Orange-Grove-Riverside-UCLA.jpg) Photo of Crown Prince in an Orange Grove in Riverside. (Courtesy of the UCLA Library Special Collections) In Riverside, the royal party was welcomed to the Mission Inn by Frank Miller. They were escorted to the Presidential Suite, where they had an opportunity to freshen up before being led across the lobby to the Cloister Music Hall for a short concert of Swedish music. Highlighting the music were selections sung in Swedish by Miss Elsie Younggren, the young Mission Inn soloist. One number she sang was "Glad Season Fagelin in Morgonstunden" (Joyful as the Bird in the Morning House). The song had been composed by the prince's father, King Gustavus V. Miss Younggren was presented to the prince after her performance, and he complimented her on her beautiful voice. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/7-Elsie-Younggren-Carlstrom-about-1935.jpg) Photo of Miss Elsie Younggren. (Courtesy of Ted Carlstrom) Following the concert, California Governor Friend W. Robinson and C. C. Teague, president of the California Fruit Growers Exchange, escorted the royal couple and their party through the Spanish Art Gallery to the Spanish Patio where a sumptuous banquet had been prepared. Over the table hung the Swedish Coat of Arms flanked by two Swedish flags. Seated at the head table were Prince Eric of Denmark, Miss de Routersward, lady-in-waiting to the crown princess, Henry Robinson, Crown Princess Louise of Sweden, C. C. Teague, Crown Prince Gustavus Adolphus, Governor Friend Robinson, Princess Louise of Denmark, Wollmar Boström, Swedish Minister at Washington, and Mrs. Robinson, wife of the Governor. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/8-Mission-Inn-Gustavus-Adolphus-smaller.jpg) Photo by E. N. Fairchild of the Banquet in the Spanish Patio. Mrs. Alice Richardson, manager of the Mission Inn and sister of Frank Miller, is seen at right edge of photo. (Courtesy of the Museum of Riverside) At the banquet, Prince Gustavus Adolphus spoke to the assembly. Among his words, he declared: > There is an old saying in our country, which I think you all know, something to the effect that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. I don't know if it applies to oranges or not, but I am quite sure that it should, even if it does not. And if it does, California is one of the luckiest countries in all the world, as you have enough oranges here to keep all the doctors away. He also thanked Frank Miller for hosting the banquet and Governor Robinson and C. C. Teague for escorting him during this part of his trip. Leaving Riverside, the party proceeded to Los Angeles, where Henry Huntington hosted them. The Mission Inn has hosted many dignitaries and celebrities over the years, but there might not have been any more gracious, humble, and distinctive than Crown Prince Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- July 19, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-july-19-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:38.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/IMG_0478.jpeg) Jerry Goar recently visited Big Island, Hawaii, catching this shot with an active volcanic eruption in the background. ***Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and what you got up to](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **Sunday Gazette: July 19, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday!** Today we want to pull back the curtain on our [Neighbor of the Week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/neighbor-of-the-week/) feature, and what it's really about. Over the last few weeks, we've highlighted people who show up quietly. There was [the counselor](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-jill-johnson-young/) who has spent decades helping Riverside families navigate grief, dementia, and loss, work that grew out of her own losses and never once for the spotlight. There was [the coffee shop owner](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-darren-conkerite/) who opened his doors on University Avenue nearly thirty years ago and simply kept them open for whoever needed a place to gather. And there was [the longtime server](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-debbie-hodson/) at a Downtown restaurant who still remembers regulars' orders before they sit down. None of them set out to be recognized. This feature has never been about award winners or celebrities. It's about the unsung people who make Riverside feel like a neighborhood. Here's something we don't always share: when we reach out to a nominee, plenty of them hesitate. They ask if they really need to be featured, because they didn't do what they did for recognition. When that happens, we remind them why this feature exists at all. Our mission is simple: we publish news and events that increase the spirit of neighborliness in Riverside. What we know about our city determines what we believe about it, and what we believe about our city determines its future. If there's someone in your life who shows up for others without expecting anything back, we'd love to hear their name. [Nominate a neighbor](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). --- 🧡 Thank you to the Subscribers who became paid supporters this week: Carolyn Bolz, John E Brown, Sharon Burton, Judy Carpenter, Stephen D Cunnison Katherine Dewey Evans, Dorothy Gargan, Roert & Mary Lou Morton, and, Matthew Taylor. [Your ongoing financial support](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-march-15-2026-2/#/portal/account/plans) is vital to our success in serving Riverside with the news it deserves! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260719)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260719&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HISTORY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/history/) ## Royalty Visits the Mission Inn In July 1926, Swedish royalty stopped at the Mission Inn for a concert, a banquet, and an impromptu tribute to California oranges. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/1-Mission-Inn-Swedish-Royalty-PC-GW-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/royalty-visits-the-mission-inn/) Color Postcard of the Banquet at the Mission Inn. (Author's Collection) Over the years, many celebrities have visited and stayed at the Mission Inn. One hundred years ago, in July 1926, royalty stopped in for a quick visit with Frank Miller. Crown Prince Gustavus Adolphus and Princess Louise of Sweden undertook a world tour to promote Sweden. The couple set sail from Stockholm in the middle of May on board the *Gripsholm* bound for New York. From New York, the Prince and Princess traveled to Washington, D.C., for the dedication of the John Ericsson monument. Ericsson, a Swedish-born engineer, invented the screw propeller for ships and designed the plans for the iron-clad USS Monitor. With official duties in Washington finished, the royal pair embarked on a cross-country trip via private Pullman cars. After days of traveling and sightseeing, the party arrived in California. Here, the prince took the time to greet the engineer of the Santa Fe engine pulling his train consist of cars and to ask his name. When the engineer replied that his name was Julius Jensen, the prince exclaimed: "Oh, another Swede!" After shaking the man's hand, he climbed up into the engine cab for a photo. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/royalty-visits-the-mission-inn/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260719)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260719&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Food Bank's Health Partnership Model Draws National Praise A new national report shows how FARSB's FoodRx program is helping Inland Empire neighbors eat better and stay healthier close to home. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/Feeding-America-Riverside-San-Bernardino-1.JPG)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/food-banks-health-partnership-model-draws-national-praise/) (Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino) For families across Riverside and San Bernardino counties, a box of groceries can mean more than a full pantry. It can mean fewer trips to the emergency room and one less thing to worry about. That's the idea behind FoodRx, a program run by Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino (FARSB) that pairs local health clinics with fresh food and nutrition support for neighbors facing hunger. Since 2021, the program has connected thousands of patients to food boxes, nutrition education and other resources right where they already go for care. "\[FoodRx\] helps me a lot right now because my husband is working very little right now, and I have five kids, so it helps me make snacks and give them something to eat," one program participant, identified only as a FARSB neighbor, said in a statement. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/food-banks-health-partnership-model-draws-national-praise/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260719) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260719&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CREATIVE PROMPTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/creative-prompts/) ## Mat-ter of Fact A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns. [![a door mat that says well, hello there](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1672403393566-6a75b48e7951?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDEyfHxkb29ybWF0fGVufDB8fHx8MTc4NDMyNTkyMnww&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mat-ter-of-fact/) ([K Adams](https://unsplash.com/@kadams77?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) This week, we continue tracking the evidence of where we have been, but we’re moving from the kitchen counter to the front door. Our creative nudge this week is the doormat. A doormat is a staple of modern residence, a point of orientation and entrance. I just can’t climb into my neighbor’s window, even if I’m carrying fresh baked muffins. There are customs to observe. I knock, ring a bell, or wave at the camera. I wait outside until invited in and, without prompting, I wipe my feet on the doormat. The doormat helps encourage this civilized behavior. Some homes go one better: wipe your shoes, then remove them entirely before wandering around inside. The doormat is both greeter and bouncer. It says welcome, but also says, “You’re not bringing that drama in here.” [Read and share the complete prompt...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mat-ter-of-fact/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Sunday, July 19 - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-07-19T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Dancing for Fun](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/dancing-for-fun/18329491/2026-07-19T14) at Janet Goeske Center - [Architectural Walking Tour of Downtown Riverside](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/architectural-walking-tour-of-downtown-riverside/19390093/2026-07-19T10) at Mission Inn Foundation & Visitor Center ($21.20) - [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-07-19T08) at Community Yoga Center - [Gardening for Butterflies](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/gardening-for-butterflies/19328170/2026-07-19T09) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [Summer Zine Workshop Series with Brookes Reeder](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summer-zine-workshop-series-with-brookes-reeder/19149878/2026-07-19T13) at Riverside Art Museum - [Sunday Experiment After Dark](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sunday-experiment-after-dark/14528750/2026-07-19T21) at Downtown Experiment ### Monday, July 20 - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-07-20T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Animal Kids Camp - Summer Sessions](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/animal-kids-camp-summer-sessions/18779521/2026-07-20T08) at Mary S. Roberts pet Adoption Center ($240) - [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) - [Health Coverage Assistance](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/health-coverage-assistance/19269418/2026-07-20T10) at Martin Luther King Building - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-07-20T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [Park and Recreation Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/park-and-recreation-commission/18716858/2026-07-20T18) at Riverside City Hall ### Tuesday, July 21 - [The Art of Reading & Writing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-art-of-reading-writing/19240974/2026-07-21T16) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Comprehension Group](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-comprehension-group/19240809/2026-07-21T10) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Study Skills- Test Taking](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/study-skills-test-taking/19240880/2026-07-21T19) at My Learning Studio ($57.00) - [Summer Seed Exchange](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summer-seed-exchange/19394403/2026-07-21T10) at Marcy Library - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition at the Hideaway](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-07-21T19) at The Hideaway ### Wednesday, July 22 - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-07-22T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-07-22T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [Strawberry Tote Bags](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/strawberry-tote-bags/19394561/2026-07-22T11) at Marcy Library - [Community Police Review Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/community-police-review-commission/18051652/2026-07-22T17) at Riverside City Hall - [County Planning Commission Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/county-planning-commission-meeting/19339604/2026-07-22T09) at 4080 Lemon St., 1st Floor ### Thursday, July 23 - [Archiving IE Black History: Stories and Maps that Bring the Past to Life](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/archiving-ie-black-history-stories-and-maps-that-bring-the-past-to-life/19350024/2026-07-23T18) at Riverside Main Library (Community Room) - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19390098/2026-07-23T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($65.50 - $71.21) ### Friday, July 24 - [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-24T07) at Zacatecas Café - [Creative Arts](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/creative-arts/19240864/2026-07-24T11) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Multiplication Madness (MM)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/multiplication-madness-mm/19240907/2026-07-24T00) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Assistance Program (RAP)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-assistance-program-rap/19240859/2026-07-24T10) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Movies on the Lawn - 250th Edition: "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/movies-on-the-lawn-250th-edition-mr-smith-goes-to-washington/19429988/2026-07-24T20) at Heritage House - [Tina & The Stones - Tribute to Tina Turner & The Rolling Stones](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/tina-the-stones-tribute-to-tina-turner-the-rolling-stones/19346684/2026-07-24T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [Club90sMJ Night Summer 2026Tour (18+)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/club90smj-night-summer-2026tour-18/19346687/2026-07-24T20) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ### Saturday, July 25 - [ScotSurplus Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/scotsurplus-sale/19040309/2026-07-25T08) at Corporation Yard - [Little LandUse Learners Spring/Summer Programming](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/little-landuse-learners-springsummer-programming/18501508/2026-07-25T10) at LandUse Learning Center - [Low-Cost Vaccination Clinic](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/lowcost-vaccination-clinic/19030194/2026-07-25T09) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($10- $28) - [Water Smarts 101](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/water-smarts-101/18485737/2026-07-25T10) at Western Municipal Water District - [Reading Foundational Skills (RFS)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-foundational-skills-rfs/19240857/2026-07-25T09) at My Learning Studio ($196) - [Banished Citizens Community Stories & Conversation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/banished-citizens-community-stories-conversation/19305136/2026-07-25T11) at Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California - [Zonta’s Club of Riverside Christmas in July Bunco](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/zontas-club-of-riverside-christmas-in-july-bunco/19015476/2026-07-25T13) at Riverside Arlington Library Community Room ($20) - [The Charities w/ Cafe Canela](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-charities-w-cafe-canela/19346689/2026-07-25T18) at Farm House Collective - [The JRock Community Camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-jrock-community-camp/19081924/2026-07-25T10) at UCR Student Recreational Center North - [Rewind: The Ultimate 2000s Rave (18+)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rewind-the-ultimate-2000s-rave-18/19346691/2026-07-25T20) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ## Save the Date - July 26: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-07-26T08) at Community Yoga Center - July 27: [Sip with a Scientist](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/19411805/2026-07-27T17) at Bar Ni Modo - July 31: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-31T07) at Zacatecas Café - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Food Bank's Health Partnership Model Draws National Praise URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/food-banks-health-partnership-model-draws-national-praise/ Last updated: 2026-07-20T23:15:45.000Z For families across Riverside and San Bernardino counties, a box of groceries can mean more than a full pantry. It can mean fewer trips to the emergency room and one less thing to worry about. That's the idea behind FoodRx, a program run by Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino (FARSB) that pairs local health clinics with fresh food and nutrition support for neighbors facing hunger. Since 2021, the program has connected thousands of patients to food boxes, nutrition education and other resources right where they already go for care. "\[FoodRx\] helps me a lot right now because my husband is working very little right now, and I have five kids, so it helps me make snacks and give them something to eat," one program participant, identified only as a FARSB neighbor, said in a statement. That kind of everyday relief is now getting national attention. FARSB's FoodRx program is featured in the Food as Medicine 3.0 (FAM3) report, the largest national evaluation of its kind linking food banks and health care providers, released July 8 and funded by Anthem Blue Cross Foundation. The report found that pairing food assistance with health care support led to real health gains for participants nationwide, including a 14% drop in hospitalizations and an 11% drop in emergency room visit rates. Food security among participants rose nearly 7 percentage points, a 47% improvement over baseline. "FARSB's FoodRx program included in this report cements the need for better nutrition in food assistance and showcases that providing proper food for our communities is essential to better overall health," Vanesa Rangel-Mercado, FARSB's interim CEO, said in a statement. "Our neighbors deserve the food they need to be healthy, and this showcases the need for this model on a larger scale." Locally, FARSB partners with CareMore Health, Loma Linda VA Hospital, Riverside University Health System (RUHS) and Riverside Free Clinic (RFC) to screen patients for food insecurity and connect them to nutritious food, nutrition counseling and other community resources. "I am so honored to be leading the nutrition program at \[Riverside Free Clinic\] where we serve about 30 patients at each clinic, offered twice a month, providing them with nutrition counseling, workshops, and resources, which include information about other food pantries and the FoodRx boxes," Kianna Le, FoodRx partner at RFC, said in a statement. Between April 2023 and December 2025, 6,040 patients received food through FoodRx locally, and 10,237 were referred to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), according to FARSB. A survey of 48 local participants who completed both baseline and follow-up questionnaires found encouraging signs of progress: a 9% improvement in daily fruit and vegetable intake, a 7% drop in food insecurity, and 37% fewer emergency room visits. The share of participants who said they had delayed or missed medical care because of cost fell from 36% to 26%. "We've actually been featured in the national report for Food as Medicine from the national network, which is solidifying our healthcare partnerships as referral partners for our FoodRx program," Rachel Bonilla of FARSB said in a statement. "The final report for our particular program is showing great numbers for neighbors in the program." "We're very proud of how this program showed that food banks are trusted partners to healthcare clinics and cemented how food can be an aid to better health outcomes for individuals and their community as a whole," Bonilla said in a statement. FARSB has been a fixture of the Inland Empire since 1980, when it opened as Survive Food Bank. Today, the organization says it serves as the primary food source for nearly 250 local nonprofits, distributing more than 3.3 million pounds of food each month to pantries, soup kitchens, schools, senior centers and after-school programs across Riverside and San Bernardino counties. **More information:* Neighbors who want to get involved, whether through donating, volunteering or partnering with FARSB, can learn more at* [*feedingamericaie.org/getinvolved*](https://www.feedingamericaie.org/getinvolved?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### Mat-ter of Fact URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mat-ter-of-fact/ Last updated: 2026-07-18T12:00:34.000Z Welcome back, you crumbtastic wayfinders! [Last week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/crumdiddlyumptious/), we followed breadcrumbs through memory and metaphor. We tested the theory that we are what we eat by studying what our eating habits leave behind. Did you clean out your toaster and transform its contents into an abstract landscape? Did you write a ballad for burnt toast or leave a tiny trail toward some creative surprise? Even if all you did was notice the crumbs gathering on your shirtfront, I hope you found a few useful clues in what lifestyle leaves behind. This week, we continue tracking the evidence of where we have been, but we’re moving from the kitchen counter to the front door. Our creative nudge this week is the doormat. A doormat is a staple of modern residence, a point of orientation and entrance. I just can’t climb into my neighbor’s window, even if I’m carrying fresh baked muffins. There are customs to observe. I knock, ring a bell, or wave at the camera. I wait outside until invited in and, without prompting, I wipe my feet on the doormat. The doormat helps encourage this civilized behavior. Some homes go one better: wipe your shoes, then remove them entirely before wandering around inside. The doormat is both greeter and bouncer. It says welcome, but also says, “You’re not bringing that drama in here.” And this is a good time of year to appreciate them. Summer has officially begun in Riverside, which means I hope you’ll be crossing your thresholds often enough to enjoy our community centers, museums, unparalleled parks, and spaces where shade is a civic treasure. A solid, well-placed doormat can make sure at least some of those outdoor adventures stay outdoors. Doormats have also become tiny front-porch billboards. Some are sincere. Some are sarcastic. Some warn visitors about dogs, children, politics, or the level of enthusiasm they should expect from the people inside. My own doormat is as worn out and faded as the cultural catchphrase it references. So step outside, step back in, and engage your imagination for several minutes with one or more of these welcome distractions: 1. **Matagonia:** Study what your doormat has collected since the last shake out. Dust, leaves, sand, pet hair? Treat it like evidence, “just the facts ma’am.” Write a short field report about where everyone has been. What does the mat know about your household that no one else has noticed? 2. **Thrashold:** Use your sense of balance and body position. Step onto the mat. Step off. Turn around. Wipe one foot, then the other. Add a pause, a knock, a bow, or a dramatic glance over your shoulder. Turn the act of entering or leaving into a tiny performance. What changes in your body when you prepare to go out compared to coming back? 3. **Messenger Bag:** Read your doormat’s message, even if it only says “the housekeeper quit” in dusty letters. Improve it. Invent five new doormat messages for five different moods: cheerful, exhausted, mysterious, suspicious, and wildly overconfident. Design one as a sketch, poem, or warning label. Mine reads, “Tentatively Welcomed.” 4. **TouchGo:** Carefully touch the mat in sun and shade. Notice the temperature, texture, stiffness, or scratchiness. Does it hold heat like a sidewalk? Does it smell like rubber, rain, or a dog’s paws? Create a color palette, short weather report, or abstract drawing based entirely on what the mat feels like. 5. **Matoverse:** Look closely at the fibers, grooves, patterns, stains, and worn-down places. Is there a miniature landscape in there? A river delta of dirt? A canyon of shoe scrapes? A nation of dryer lint? Draw or photograph your doormat as if it were an aerial map of a place worth exploring. Name the landmarks. Give directions. Annex your neighbor’s porch. We make a lot of doors. We paint them dramatically, close them with feelings, open them when opportunity rings. This week, when you arrive at the next door in your life, take a second before looking up. Look down. The doormat may be trying to tell you something. Sometimes the best way to determine where you are is to study what you’re standing on. *This column was written with help from ChatGPT, a tool that knows the consequences of walking across your clean floor with muddy shoes.* ### 🍊Your Riverside Weekend- July 18, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/your-riverside-weekend-july-18-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:39.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/02/_DSC5738.jpg) **Your Riverside Weekend- July 18, 2026** **Happy Saturday, Riverside!** We hope your week treated you well. Before you head into your weekend, we've gathered the stories that defined life in our city this week — from City Hall to community happenings. You're in the right place to catch up — your weekend starts here. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260718)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260718&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [From the Kitchen Garden: July, The Summer Abundance EditionTips on what to plant, when to pick, and what to watch out for in your home garden.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-37521da3-6b8e-4251-9312-3bbbba3cc877.png)The Raincross GazetteCommunity Contributor![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-28-1-d15b9ec4-3bce-4f69-804d-e1d44e50de1b.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-the-kitchen-garden-july-the-summer-abundance-edition/) [Riverside Artists Among 54 to Win State Arts FellowshipsThe California Arts Council awarded $560,000 total to artists across Riverside, San Bernardino and Orange counties this year.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-86d5ab18-60d6-4c8e-9b6c-88d3367a55c0.png)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-2-b5d46521-59f6-47db-bcfc-49f81929fcc5.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-artists-among-54-to-win-state-arts-fellowships/) [The River In Riverside: An Unseen InheritanceFrom Wanish and Qota’inat to a symbol of wealth and control, the Santa Ana River’s history is also Riverside’s own.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-f93f4c88-9cb6-443b-b9fe-777e07cf452f.png)The Raincross GazetteCommunity Contributor![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/-1-A378-41--A-view-of-the-Santa-Ana-River--1896-30d7d580-f609-4040-9df9-3fa4891e29c0.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-river-in-riverside-an-unseen-inheritance/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260718)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260718&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [Riverside Fireworks Crackdown Yields 79 Citations, 51 Pounds SeizedDrone surveillance helped enforcement teams document violations across the city before and during the Fourth of July holiday.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-f5b123b4-ab48-4613-b8c1-a462862e00b9.png)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/Screenshot-2026-07-16-at-9.53.52---AM-ec2305cd-e17f-42d6-a1d9-b9c37cb0a4fb.png)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-fireworks-crackdown-yields-79-citations-51-pounds-seized/) [Downtown Valet Pilot Trims Stations, Days After Six MonthsAn 11-response business survey shows positive feedback, but the pilot’s losses have grown since launch.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-5f4fb998-fb3b-4274-a941-205f197c356a.png)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-0899946b-36ba-4306-b5a1-4d8db62dfc3a.png)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/downtown-valet-pilot-trims-stations-days-after-six-months/) [Sears Demolition, New Developer Mark Next Steps for Arlington Mixed-Use ProjectBridge Housing takes over residential portion of the long-stalled Arlington Village redevelopment as the city finalizes the project’s parcel map.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-316f17bb-8488-41b3-ad6c-c0d94176fa8c.png)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-5f216f1d-e130-4c03-95f3-79b278dabf8d.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/sears-demolition-new-developer-mark-next-steps-for-arlington-mixed-use-project/) [City Council Clears Path for Office-to-Housing ConversionsNew ordinance eases zoning and building rules for converting vacant offices and commercial buildings into housing.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-16bf7938-fe34-4429-b390-b3f9f93c6b70.png)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-8-65d873fb-7bc2-424c-9702-9a4dcfd177a8.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-clears-path-for-office-to-housing-conversions/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260718) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260718&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Weather Forecast ☀️ Sun, July 19 — 96° / 69° · Sunny ☀️ Mon, July 20 — 95° / 69° · Sunny ☀️ Tue, July 21 — 96° / 71° · Sunny ⛅ Wed, July 22 — 98° / 73° · Partly Cloudy ⛅ Thu, July 23 — 99° / 72° · Partly Cloudy ⛅ Fri, July 24 — 97° / 71° · Partly Cloudy ⛅ Sat, July 25 — 98° / 71° · Partly Cloudy 🥵 A stretch of serious summer heat ahead — upper 90s all week with mild overnight relief in the low 70s. Get outdoor stuff done early, keep those blinds shut in the afternoon, and stay on top of the water. Stay cool out there! **Fair warning:* we're not meteorologists! Our forecasts are pulled from public weather data as a little extra for our readers. For the most current conditions, your favorite weather app knows more than we do — but we'll always do our best to help you plan your weekend.* ☀️ --- ## 💬 Staff Picks — What we're talking about around the Gazette this week 📰 *Justin is stepping away from the newsroom for the month of July, so our amazing reporters and freelancers will be taking over his staff picks — a fun chance to get to know them through their random thoughts and one-liners!* 🌴 Micaela is looking forward to relaxing by the pool and finishing her summer read – East of Eden by John Steinbeck – this weekend. 🌍 Amy's the first to say she's not sporty, but the World Cup snuck up on her. What she'll miss isn't the scores — it's the unity and community that came with it. --- ## Save the Date - July 19: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-07-19T08) at Community Yoga Center - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) - July 23: [Archiving IE Black History: Stories and Maps that Bring the Past to Life](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/archiving-ie-black-history-stories-and-maps-that-bring-the-past-to-life/19350024/2026-07-23T18) at Riverside Main Library (Community Room) - July 24: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-24T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 27: [Sip with a Scientist](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/19411805/2026-07-27T17) at Bar Ni Modo - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### City Council Clears Path for Office-to-Housing Conversions URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-clears-path-for-office-to-housing-conversions/ Last updated: 2026-07-20T12:01:16.000Z Riverside is making it easier to turn vacant offices, commercial buildings and other underused properties into housing after the City Council gave final approval Tuesday to a new adaptive reuse ordinance. The [ordinance](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15670701&GUID=91AE957F-089F-4E83-885B-AD6942AB32E4&ref=raincrossgazette.com), which was approved as part of the council's consent calendar without discussion, updates the city's zoning and building codes to encourage the conversion of existing nonresidential buildings into apartments and mixed-use developments. City officials say the changes are intended to remove some of the regulatory hurdles that have historically made adaptive reuse projects difficult or too expensive to pursue, while helping Riverside meet its state-mandated housing goals. The push for adaptive reuse comes as Riverside continues to [fall short of such goals](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-falls-far-short-of-state-housing-mandate-report-shows/). A March report found the city had permitted just 19.6 percent of the 18,458 new homes state officials say it must plan for between 2021 and 2029, with no new very-low-income housing permitted since 2021. The council had already [voted to introduce the ordinance on June 23](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-clears-path-for-vacant-commercial-building-to-housing-conversions/) — but before doing so, council members directed staff to strengthen protections for historic buildings by requiring review from the city's Historic Preservation staff before designated or eligible cultural resources can be altered or demolished. Those changes were incorporated into the final ordinance approved Tuesday. Under the new rules, qualifying projects can convert existing commercial, office and certain industrial buildings into multifamily housing or mixed-use developments without going through discretionary approval in most cases. Buildings generally must be at least 15 years old and located within eligible commercial, office, mixed-use, multifamily or business manufacturing zoning districts. The ordinance also includes several incentives designed to make those projects more financially viable. Existing parking can remain without requiring additional spaces for converted residential units, projects may exceed current residential density limits if they meet height standards, and there is no minimum unit size requirement. Existing buildings that don't conform to today's zoning standards for height or floor area can also continue to be used, with opportunities for limited vertical additions. In addition, the ordinance authorizes the city's building official and fire marshal to develop alternative building standards tailored to adaptive reuse projects, providing greater flexibility when converting older buildings that may not meet modern construction standards. The ordinance stems from Riverside's 2021 Housing Element, which identified adaptive reuse as one strategy for expanding the city's housing supply while reducing barriers to development. The project was developed with technical assistance funded through the Southern California Association of Governments' REAP 2.0 housing program in partnership with the Western Riverside Council of Governments. Over the past year, city staff and consultants evaluated potential adaptive reuse sites, analyzed development regulations, met with developers and property owners, and hosted a public open house before bringing the proposal to the Planning Commission, which recommended approval in May. Staff noted that Riverside has already seen successful examples of adaptive reuse, pointing to projects such as the [Farm House Collective](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-farm-house-collective-breathes-new-life-into-historic-motel/) and The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture. The ordinance grew out of the ["Repurpose Riverside" initiative](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-developing-first-adaptive-reuse-ordinance-to-convert-empty-buildings-into-housing/), funded with roughly $300,000 in technical assistance through the Southern California Association of Governments' REAP 2.0 program. The new ordinance creates a formal framework intended to make similar redevelopment projects easier to pursue in the future. ### Riverside Artists Among 54 to Win State Arts Fellowships URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-artists-among-54-to-win-state-arts-fellowships/ Last updated: 2026-07-20T12:00:54.000Z Fifty-four artists across Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties have been awarded 2026 California Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowships, the agency announced July 13\. The fellowships, which provide unrestricted funding to support artists' individual practice, total $560,000 for the three-county area known as Region 7. Nineteen of the recipients are based in Riverside County, including Andrea Lopez, who received an Established Artist Fellowship. Lopez is known locally for her mural "Hija del Maíz," or "Daughter of Corn." The fellows were chosen from 328 artists who applied across the region. Awards fall into three tiers: Emerging Artist Fellows receive $5,000, Established Artist Fellows receive $10,000, and Legacy Artist Fellows receive $50,000. Peer review panels made up of artists, arts administrators, arts educators and arts funders from the three counties selected the fellows. The application period ran from April 2 to May 15, and free technical assistance was offered to applicants during that time. Review panels finished their selections by June 19. The Riverside Arts Council, the county's nonprofit arts council, coordinated local outreach as part of the Region 7 consortium alongside Arts Orange County and Arts Connection in San Bernardino County. Riverside County's 2026 fellows include Legacy Artist Fellow Loriann Hernandez; Established Artist Fellows Allyson Allen, Patrick Barwinski, Maryam Crogman, Cherie Hill, Andrea Lopez, Alejandro Mirandé, Juan Navarro and Carlos Puma; and Emerging Artist Fellows Matthew Balane, James Coats, Denise Cortes, Caroline Espinoza, Lenore Hamel, Wendi Johnson, Isabella Madrigal, Sophia Madrigal, Sarah Wilson and STUDIO X. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- July 17, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-july-3-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:40.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/PXL_20260613_013640296.NIGHT2.jpg) Jennifer O'Farrell captured the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial under a cloud-streaked night sky — his figure emerging from solid stone, arms crossed in quiet resolve — during a trip to Washington, D.C. ***Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and tell us a bit of what you experienced](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/r/424cf20a?m=09861f3a-0a1b-4ab5-a764-af397b913fe4). **Friday Gazette: July 3, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Friday!** [Blue Zones Project Riverside](https://www.instagram.com/p/DaaorlkhcXB/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) is in the middle of its 12 Days of Summer Giving, running through July 31, with 27 well-being prizes still up for grabs. Think gift cards to Blue Zones Project approved restaurants and markets, natural movement experiences, and a grand prize they promise is worth the wait. Follow their page, tag a friend who loves summer wellness, and check back on giveaway days for your next shot. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260717)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260717&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CITY HALL](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/city-hall/) ## City Council Approves New Distance Rules for Smoke Shops Existing stores get two years to relocate or close under ordinance rejecting a longer compliance window. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-7.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-approves-new-distance-rules-for-smoke-shops/) The City Council voted Tuesday to approve zoning regulations requiring new smoke shops to keep distance from schools, parks and residential areas, giving noncompliant existing businesses up to two years to relocate or close. (File photo/Raincross Gazette) Smoke shops now need 1,000 feet from schools, parks and homes, or two years to relocate. **Why it matters:** If you run one of the city's 41 standalone smoke shops, you could face relocation within two years — longer if you qualify for a hardship extension. **Driving the news:** Council approved staff's zoning plan Tuesday after rejecting a competing three-year compliance proposal. - New standalone smoke shops must sit 1,000 feet from parks, K-12 schools, childcare facilities, places of worship and other smoke shops, and 100 feet from homes. **By the numbers:** - **214** tobacco retailers operate citywide, including **41** standalone smoke shops. - **24** are believed to be operating without a valid permit. - Staff estimate up to **35** existing shops could eventually need to relocate. **Yes, but:** Some council members warned the rules could hurt long-established, family-owned shops, particularly along Magnolia Avenue. - Councilmember Hernandez pushed to extend compliance to three years and drop the hardship extension; that motion failed, opposed by Conder, Falcone and Robillard. **What's next:** Existing noncompliant shops have two years to relocate or close, with a possible one-year hardship extension. City staff plan to work with the Economic Development Division and Blue Zones Project Riverside to help owners transition to other retail models. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-approves-new-distance-rules-for-smoke-shops/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260717)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260717&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [PUBLIC SAFETY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/public-safety/) ## Riverside Fireworks Crackdown Yields 79 Citations, 51 Pounds Seized Drone surveillance helped enforcement teams document violations across the city before and during the Fourth of July holiday. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-16-at-9.53.52---AM-1.png)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-fireworks-crackdown-yields-79-citations-51-pounds-seized/) Aerial drone footage shows illegal fireworks exploding over a Riverside neighborhood during the department's July 4th enforcement effort. (Courtesy of the Riverside Police Department) The City issued 79 illegal fireworks citations this July 4th, up 22% from last year, aided by drone surveillance. **Why it matters:** Hot, dry conditions make illegal fireworks a wildfire risk — officials say one spark can threaten an entire neighborhood. **Driving the news:** Police, fire and code enforcement flew drones for the first time to catch violators before and on July 4th. - Five enforcement teams targeted known hot spots and locations flagged through dispatch and 311 complaints. **By the numbers:** - 79 citations issued at $1,500 each, up from 65 in 2025 - 51 pounds of fireworks seized across 62 extra patrols - 911 fireworks calls fell to 452, from 547 in 2025, while 311 complaints rose to 450 **What they're saying:** Fire Chief Steve Mckinster urged residents to "make safety their top priority" this summer. **What's next:** The city plans to keep pairing drones with ground patrols and community reporting. Fireworks stay illegal in Riverside year-round. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-fireworks-crackdown-yields-79-citations-51-pounds-seized/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260717) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260717&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [ARTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/arts/) ## Riverside Artists Among 54 to Win State Arts Fellowships The California Arts Council awarded $560,000 total to artists across Riverside, San Bernardino and Orange counties this year. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-3.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-artists-among-54-to-win-state-arts-fellowships/) Andrea Lopez stands in front of her mural "Hija del Maíz" ("Daughter of Corn"). Lopez was named an Established Artist Fellow in the 2026 California Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship Program. (Courtesy of Riverside Arts Council) **Nineteen Riverside County artists** just won 2026 California Arts Council fellowships worth up to $50,000 apiece. **Why it matters:** The awards hand local artists unrestricted money to support their own practice — no strings, no project proposal required. **Driving the news:** The California Arts Council announced the fellowships July 13, picking recipients from 328 applicants across Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. - The three-county region, known as Region 7, received $560,000 total. **By the numbers:** Fellowships come in three tiers — Emerging ($5,000), Established ($10,000) and Legacy ($50,000). - Riverside County's Loriann Hernandez won the county's sole Legacy fellowship; muralist Andrea Lopez, known for "Hija del Maíz" ("Daughter of Corn"), is among the county's eight Established fellows. **The backstory:** Peer panels of artists, administrators and funders reviewed applications submitted between April 2 and May 15, finishing selections June 19. - The Riverside Arts Council handled local outreach alongside Arts Orange County and Arts Connection in San Bernardino County. **The full list — Riverside County:** Legacy: Loriann Hernandez. Established: Allyson Allen, Patrick Barwinski, Maryam Crogman, Cherie Hill, Andrea Lopez, Alejandro Mirandé, Juan Navarro, Carlos Puma. Emerging: Matthew Balane, James Coats, Denise Cortes, Caroline Espinoza, Lenore Hamel, Wendi Johnson, Isabella Madrigal, Sophia Madrigal, Sarah Wilson, STUDIO X. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-artists-among-54-to-win-state-arts-fellowships/) --- #### [Adoptable Pet of the Week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag//) ## Meet Maui! Meet this week’s featured furry friend from the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center. Dedicated to eliminating pet homelessness, the center provides compassionate care and facilitates adoptions for animals in need of loving homes. Find your new companion and help support their mission of humane care and responsible pet ownership. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-5.jpg)](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Have you ever met a dog who can make you smile the moment you see her? Meet Maui! A lovable, happy-go-lucky girl with a heart as big as her personality! This sweet pup is the perfect combination of playful and affectionate. She loves staying active, exploring, playing with her favorite toys, and finding fun ways to keep herself entertained. But at the end of the day, nothing makes Maui happier than curling up next to her favorite people for some well-earned cuddle time. In her mind, she's the perfect lap dog, and she's always ready to shower you with love and companionship. Maui has so much joy to share and is simply waiting for someone to give her the chance she deserves. Whether you're looking for an adventure partner to join you on walks and weekend outings or a loyal best friend to snuggle with while relaxing at home, Maui is ready to fill your days with laughter, love, and unforgettable memories. After more than a month waiting, Maui is more than ready to start her next chapter with a family of her own. Come meet Maui and all the adoptable pets at the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center in person. Stop by any day except Tuesdays, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., or learn more at [petsadoption.org](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). --- ## Noteworthy Riverside Public Utilities is urging residents to [set thermostats to 78 degrees or higher](https://riversideca.gov/press/be-aware-flex-alerts-summer?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and conserve energy during Flex Alerts, which can trigger up to hour-long rotating outages if the state's grid operator declares an emergency. Police are seeking surveillance footage and tips after a fatal Sunday morning shooting in the Riverside Poly High School parking lot, urging anyone with information to [contact detectives or submit an anonymous tip](https://riversideca.gov/media?ref=raincrossgazette.com). 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Friday, July 17 - [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-17T07) at Zacatecas Café - [Multiplication Madness (MM)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/multiplication-madness-mm/19240907/2026-07-17T00) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Assistance Program (RAP)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-assistance-program-rap/19240859/2026-07-17T10) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Creative Arts](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/creative-arts/19240864/2026-07-17T11) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Eastside Library at Lincoln Park | Flower Origami Craft](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/eastside-library-at-lincoln-park-flower-origami-craft/18788517/2026-07-17T15) at SPC Jesus S. Duran Eastside Library - [Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-and-heroes-walking-tour/19396626/2026-07-17T15) at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18) - [Footloose](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/footloose/18790280/2026-07-17T12) at Landis Performing Arts Center ### Saturday, July 18 - [Miracles and Dreams Foundation Back-to-School Kickoff and Community Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/miracles-and-dreams-foundation-backtoschool-kickoff-and-community-fair/19194152/2026-07-18T09) at Downtown Riverside Main Library - [Low-Cost Vaccination Clinic](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/lowcost-vaccination-clinic/19030194/2026-07-18T09) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($10- $28) - [Mt. Rubidoux Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mt-rubidoux-walking-tour/19390096/2026-07-18T08) at Mt. Rubidoux Trailhead, a short walk from Ryan Bonaminio Park. ($21.20) - [Reading Foundational Skills (RFS)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-foundational-skills-rfs/19240857/2026-07-18T09) at My Learning Studio ($196) - [Plant-themed Scavenger Hunt](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/plantthemed-scavenger-hunt/19394461/2026-07-18T10) at Marcy Library - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-07-18T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [CHRISTMAS IN JULY TOY DRIVE](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/christmas-in-july-toy-drive/19332586/2026-07-18T10) at EVERGREEN MASONIC TEMPLE - [Losgothsco. Presents Gothicumbia (21+)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/losgothsco-presents-gothicumbia-21/19346674/2026-07-18T21) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium - [Olivewood Cemetery Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/olivewood-cemetery-tour/19390095/2026-07-18T10) at Olivewood Cemetery ($21.20) - [Twilight Tours](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/twilight-tours/19260751/2026-07-18T18) at UCR Botanic Gardens ($15- $20) - [Van Halen Tribute by The Atomic Punks!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/van-halen-tribute-by-the-atomic-punks/18771338/2026-07-18T21) at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($20.23) - [MAGIC UNDERGROUND](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/magic-underground/19302317/2026-07-18T18) at Back to the Grind ($30- $45) - [Botanic Gardens- Twilight Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/botanic-gardens-twilight-tour/19040310/2026-07-18T18) at Botanic Gardens ### Sunday, July 19 - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-07-19T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Dancing for Fun](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/dancing-for-fun/18329491/2026-07-19T14) at Janet Goeske Center - [Architectural Walking Tour of Downtown Riverside](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/architectural-walking-tour-of-downtown-riverside/19390093/2026-07-19T10) at Mission Inn Foundation & Visitor Center ($21.20) - [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-07-19T08) at Community Yoga Center - [Gardening for Butterflies](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/gardening-for-butterflies/19328170/2026-07-19T09) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [Summer Zine Workshop Series with Brookes Reeder](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summer-zine-workshop-series-with-brookes-reeder/19149878/2026-07-19T13) at Riverside Art Museum - [Sunday Experiment After Dark](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sunday-experiment-after-dark/14528750/2026-07-19T21) at Downtown Experiment ### Save the Date - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) - July 20: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-07-20T08) at Community Yoga Center - July 24: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-24T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 27: [Sip with a Scientist](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/19411805/2026-07-27T17) at Bar Ni Modo - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### City Council Approves New Distance Rules for Smoke Shops URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-approves-new-distance-rules-for-smoke-shops/ Last updated: 2026-07-19T12:00:54.000Z The City Council approved new zoning regulations Tuesday for smoke shops, imposing distance requirements from schools, parks, residential areas and other sensitive uses while giving many existing businesses up to two years to relocate or close if they do not comply. The ordinance, [approved after months of discussion](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-weighs-distance-limits-on-tobacco-shops-near-homes-schools/) by the City Council, Planning Commission and Land Use Committee, is intended to reduce the concentration of smoke shops near youth-oriented facilities and residential neighborhoods while advancing the city's Blue Zones health initiative. Council members rejected an alternative proposal that would have extended the compliance period to three years before approving staff's original recommendation. The new regulations amend the city's zoning code to treat standalone smoke shops as a separately regulated land use rather than as general retail. New smoke shops must be located at least 100 feet from residential uses and 1,000 feet from public parks, K-12 schools, childcare facilities, places of worship and other smoke shops. Existing businesses that do not meet those standards will have two years to relocate or cease operations, with the possibility of a one-year extension in cases of financial hardship. According to the staff report, Riverside has 214 known tobacco retailers, including 41 businesses that qualify as standalone smoke shops under the zoning code. Twenty-four are believed to be operating without a valid tobacco retail permit or otherwise violating permit requirements. Staff estimated that as many as 35 existing smoke shops could ultimately be subject to the amortization process because they do not meet the proposed separation requirements. Principal Planner Matthew Taylor said the ordinance builds on a temporary moratorium adopted in 2025 while the city developed permanent regulations. Staff also plans to work with the city's Economic Development Division and Blue Zones Project Riverside to help affected businesses relocate or transition to other retail models, including convenience stores or healthy food markets. All public commenters during the hearing spoke in support of the moratorium, arguing the ordinance would improve public health by reducing youth exposure to tobacco retailers. Representatives from Blue Zones Project Riverside urged council members to adopt the regulations, citing research linking higher tobacco retailer density to increased tobacco use among young people. Another caller, who gave his name as Adrian Cowboy Aros, echoed these sentiments, cautioning parents against exposing kids to tobacco retailers. "I want to make sure our business community is protected, but of course there are some businesses that I hope will invite some regulation and in this case, making it harder for them to be seen by the youth and hopefully to decrease usage," he said. Council members Sean Mill and Phillip Falcone both said during the meeting that they would prefer to go "draconian" with the moratorium — but that they ultimately supported the 1,000-foot restriction. "I was all in favor of a moratorium across the board," said Mill. "I didn't have a problem with that, but our friends on the Planning Commission and others thought that, well, let's not be so draconian. So I look at what's before us today and I support it…" Mill, who has also championed tighter regulations on kratom and nitrous oxide, said his office has repeatedly found such products during visits to local smoke shops. Several council members, however, raised concerns about the effect on long-established small businesses. Council member Clarissa Cervantes questioned whether business owners who had allowed permits to lapse because of personal hardships would have sufficient opportunity to continue operating, noting a business owner that spoke during the meeting to ask for a permit renewal, citing health issues and difficulty with the city. She also expressed concern about businesses facing closure during a difficult economy and asked staff how the city would help owners transition to other business models. Council member Chuck Conder also questioned how businesses with long operating histories would be affected if their permits had lapsed, arguing the city should provide more flexibility. Council member Luis Hernandez similarly said he supported the ordinance's public health goals but worried about the impact on family-owned businesses, particularly along the Magnolia Avenue corridor. He proposed extending the amortization period from two years to three years while eliminating the hardship extension. However, the alternate motion to establish a three-year amortization period without a hardship extension failed to receive majority support, with Council member Steven Robillard, as well as Conder and Falcone, voting "no". The council then approved staff's original recommendation — with a "no" from Conder and abstention from Hernandez — retaining the two-year compliance period and allowing businesses to seek a one-year extension based on financial hardship. The ordinance marks the culmination of nearly two years of city discussion that began after Riverside adopted a [moratorium on new tobacco retail permits in 2025](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-approves-emergency-moratorium-on-new-smoke-shop-permits/). The Planning Commission rejected an earlier proposal to prohibit smoke shops citywide, instead recommending minimum separation requirements and an amortization process for existing businesses. The [Land Use Committee later endorsed that approach](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/committee-directs-ban-on-standalone-smoke-shops-after-meth-pipe-findings/) before forwarding it to the City Council. ### Riverside Fireworks Crackdown Yields 79 Citations, 51 Pounds Seized URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-fireworks-crackdown-yields-79-citations-51-pounds-seized/ Last updated: 2026-07-18T16:15:25.000Z Riverside Police, Riverside Fire and the city's Code Enforcement Division issued 79 citations for illegal fireworks around this year's Fourth of July holiday, a 22% increase from the 65 citations issued in 2025\. Each citation carries a $1,500 fine. The enforcement push matters to Riverside residents because of the wildfire risk that comes with hot, dry summer conditions. Fireworks are illegal within city limits year-round, and officials say a single illegal firework can ignite a vegetation fire that threatens an entire neighborhood. To catch violations, the city used small unmanned aerial systems, or drones, in the days leading up to and on July 4th. The drones are authorized under amended sections of the Riverside Municipal Code and helped police, fire and code enforcement teams detect, record and document violations from the air. Five enforcement teams were positioned around the city, focusing on areas with a history of illegal fireworks activity as well as locations flagged through dispatch calls and 311 complaints. When a drone recorded a violation, teams gathered video evidence to trace it back to the property where it originated. Before any citation was issued, the case was reviewed by the drone operator, a visual observer, a code enforcement officer, and often police and fire personnel as well. Crews also responded to 62 extra patrol requests at city parks and other known hot spots, seizing a total of 51 pounds of fireworks. Calls for service tied to fireworks dropped during the crackdown. Between June 27 and July 4, Riverside's Public Safety Communications Center fielded 452 calls related to fireworks, down from 547 over the same period in 2025\. The city's 311 Call Center saw the opposite trend, logging 450 complaints compared with 431 last year, and handled 39% of all firework-related calls on July 4th alone. City officials have urged residents to route non-emergency fireworks reports through 311 rather than 911 to avoid overwhelming dispatchers. "With the continued hot and dry conditions, we ask every member of our community to make safety their top priority," Riverside Fire Chief Steve Mckinster said in a statement. "Every firework, especially illegal fireworks, has the potential to cause life changing injuries, ignite destructive fires, and put families, homes, businesses, and first responders at risk. In Riverside, a single firework can quickly spark a vegetation fire that threatens entire neighborhoods, particularly during our hot, dry summer conditions. By making responsible choices, we can protect lives, safeguard property, and ensure everyone enjoys a safe and memorable summer." "Drone technology has become an important public safety tool in addressing illegal fireworks," Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez said in a statement. "It allows our officers to safely identify violations, gather evidence, and hold individuals accountable, while reducing unnecessary risks to police officers, firefighters, and the community." City officials say the enforcement approach, combining drone surveillance with ground patrols and community reporting, will continue in future years. Fireworks remain illegal in Riverside year-round. Residents can report illegal fireworks through the 311 app, the city's website, or by calling 311. ### Downtown Valet Pilot Trims Stations, Days After Six Months URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/downtown-valet-pilot-trims-stations-days-after-six-months/ Last updated: 2026-07-17T18:00:15.000Z The city's Downtown valet parking pilot has cut back its stations, days and hours since [launching in January](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/downtown-valet-parking-launches-next-week-at-nine-locations/), even as a small survey of Downtown businesses shows positive feedback, city officials told City Council on Tuesday. Erik Lue, the city's public parking services manager, presented a six-month update on the Park Riverside Downtown Valet program during the council's discussion calendar. The item required no vote; council members received and filed the report. City Council approved the pilot Nov. 4, 2025, in a $334,597 agreement with ACE Parking III LLC that includes options for two one-year extensions. The council also authorized the city manager to make minor, non-substantive changes to the contract, held a public hearing amending the city's master fees and charges schedule, and adopted an ordinance adding a new Valet Parking category to the municipal code's parking fee schedule. The program officially launched Jan. 16 at five stations: southbound Market Street near the Food Lab, eastbound Mission Inn Avenue near Mission Galleria, northbound Lemon Street near the Riverside Municipal Auditorium and two stations on University Avenue, near The State and near Dragon Marsh. A soft launch was held the night before along University Avenue with Club RIV and Estrella serving as destination venues. In February and March, the city made weekly adjustments based on business feedback, station performance and traffic patterns; final changes were completed in April. The number of "core" stations dropped from five to three, and operating days were reduced from Friday through Sunday to Friday and Saturday only, from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. The three current core stations are on westbound University Avenue near Dragon Marsh, in the Cal Tower/Garage 3 alleyway between University and Mission Inn avenues, and on southbound Orange Street near Tilden Coil. For ticketed shows, the Orange Street station is relocated to serve the Fox Performing Arts Center or the Riverside Municipal Auditorium instead. The program also supported several daytime events, including the Lunar Festival, the Tamale Festival and the Insect Fair, but Lue said utilization was extremely low, and daytime valet service is not expected to continue. Financially, the pilot remains short of its cost-neutrality goal. The city budgeted $334,597 in expenses against $144,000 in revenue, projecting a $190,597 net loss over six months. Updated figures show expenses of $272,520 and revenue of $37,986, a net loss of $234,534, about $43,937 worse than budgeted. Operating costs came in below budget, but monthly revenue fell about $17,669 short of the $24,000 target. Because the program is funded through the city's enterprise fund, the shortfall can be absorbed, Lue said. A survey developed by Parking Services and ACE Parking, and distributed by the Riverside Downtown Partnership, drew 11 responses in its first week and remains open for more feedback. Among respondents, 91% said they were aware of the valet program and 67% said their customers' experience had improved because of it. Forty percent reported a moderate revenue increase of 5% to 10%, and 20% reported gains of more than 10%. Sixty-six percent said the program had a significant or moderate impact on customer access and convenience. Lue said most survey respondents want to join the city's business validation program, which lets businesses prepay for discounted valet service or pay per vehicle. Businesses can buy blocks of 100 validations for $1,800, or $18 per vehicle, a 10% discount off the standard $20 rate, or pay as they go at the standard $20 to $30 per-vehicle rate. A $1,000 monthly option lets businesses advertise on valet customer amenities such as bottled water. Businesses are waiting to see whether the program continues past the pilot period before committing, Lue said. Parking Services has also fielded inquiries from the cities of Encinitas and Newport Beach about replicating the program, Lue said. Councilmember Philip Falcone, Ward 1, said he had not heard complaints about evening parking Downtown. "The anecdotal evidence, for what it's worth, is that people are pleased with the operations of it," Falcone said. **More information:* The Park Riverside Downtown Valet program operates Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m. to 3 a.m., at three core stations Downtown, with additional stations activated for events at the Fox Performing Arts Center and the Riverside Municipal Auditorium. Valet costs $20 to $30 per vehicle. Details are available at* [*riversideca.gov/valet*](http://riversideca.gov/valet?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *or by contacting Parking Services at* [*parking@riversideca.gov*](mailto:parking@riversideca.gov)*.* ### 🗞️ Riverside News- July 16, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-july-15-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:41.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/IMG_4295.jpeg) Alison Presser recently returned from two weeks in Iceland, including this stop at the stunning Seljalandsfoss waterfall in Southern Iceland, just outside Vík. "We lucked out with beautiful weather," she said. ***Traveling somewhere memorable this season?** [Send us your vacation photos and tell us a bit of what you experienced](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **Thursday Gazette: July 16, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Thursday!** Today is Fresh Spinach Day, which feels like ironic timing given the cyclosporiasis outbreak spreading in other states this summer, with fresh produce among the suspected culprits. The good news for us: [California isn't among the states seeing a rise in cases](https://abc7.com/post/california-not-among-states-seeing-cyclosporiasis-increase-health-officials-say/19509364/?ref=raincrossgazette.com), and health officials say the state has actually reported fewer cases so far this year than at this same point in 2025\. However concerned you are (or aren't) about it, we hope you're staying well, hydrated, and cool out there during this heatwave. See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260716)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260716&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HOUSING](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/housing/) ## Council Extends Timeline for Downtown Student Housing Project Overland Pelican Riverside LLC takes over the project as the city extends deadlines for entitlement, escrow and construction. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-4-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-extends-timeline-for-downtown-student-housing-project/) Developers now have until 2029 to complete student housing planned for the long-vacant Downtown Terminal site. **Why it matters:** If you've watched the former Downtown Terminal site sit empty, the wait continues — the mixed-use housing and shops now aren't expected until October 2029. **Driving the news:** City Council unanimously approved the amendment Tuesday as part of its consent calendar, without discussion. - The agreement transfers from Pelican Communities LLC to Overland Pelican Riverside LLC, a new joint venture with Overland Development. **By the numbers:** The amendment pushes back nearly every deadline in the project's 2024 development agreement. - Entitlement applications due Feb. 28, 2027; entitlements approved by Sept. 29, 2027 - Escrow closes by Feb. 28, 2028; construction starts by March 29, 2028 - Certificate of occupancy expected by Oct. 29, 2029 **Yes, but:** Staff say no substantive terms changed — the $200 purchase price, project scope and 60-space parking commitment for the Main Library all stay the same. **What's next:** The city keeps ownership of the 2.7-acre site at 3911 University Ave. and 3775 Fairmount Blvd. until escrow closes. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-extends-timeline-for-downtown-student-housing-project/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260716)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260716&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [PARKING](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/parking/) ## Downtown Valet Pilot Trims Stations, Days After Six Months An 11-response business survey shows positive feedback, but the pilot's losses have grown since launch. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-1.png)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/downtown-valet-pilot-trims-stations-days-after-six-months/) A digital billboard at the Auto Center advertised the Downtown valet parking program ahead of its Jan. 16, 2026, launch. (Riverside Public Works/[Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTJUt3Ukqso/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) The city's Downtown valet pilot now runs half as many stations and days as it did at launch. **Why it matters:** If you've used Downtown valet, service now covers fewer nights and stations — though early business survey results are largely positive. **Driving the news:** Public parking services manager Erik Lue gave Council a six-month update Tuesday; the item required no vote, and members received and filed the report. - Council approved the pilot Nov. 4, 2025, in a $334,597 agreement with ACE Parking III LLC that allows two one-year extensions. **What's new:** Core stations dropped from five to three, and operating days shrank from Friday–Sunday to Friday and Saturday only, 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. - Remaining stations: University Avenue near Dragon Marsh, the Cal Tower/Garage 3 alleyway, and Orange Street near Tilden Coil (which relocates to the Fox or the Municipal Auditorium for ticketed shows). **By the numbers:** The pilot is running further behind its break-even goal than budgeted. - Net loss: **$234,534** over six months, about $43,937 worse than the budgeted $190,597 shortfall - Revenue: **$37,986** against a $144,000 target; costs came in under budget **What they're saying:** Councilmember Philip Falcone, Ward 1, said feedback has been positive. - "People are pleased with the operations of it," Falcone said. **What's next:** Businesses want in on the city's discounted validation program but are waiting to see if valet service continues past the pilot. Encinitas and Newport Beach have also asked about replicating it. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/downtown-valet-pilot-trims-stations-days-after-six-months/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260716) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260716&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [PARKS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/parks/) ## City Marks Park and Recreation Month With Funding Boost, Employee Honors Council approves HUD funding for four park projects as department celebrates July observance. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/748385488_1014286008058552_567260079945534295_n.png-1.jpeg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-marks-park-and-recreation-month-with-funding-boost-employee-honors/) Riverside Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department staff pose with City Council members in the council chambers after the department's Parks and Recreation Month presentation, with Director Pamela Galera and 2025 Employee of the Year Victoria Koo-Young holding a certificate at center. (City of Riverside Parks & Recreation/[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1496372289195747&set=pcb.1496373215862321)) Riverside's parks system reaches millions of residents annually, and the City Council approved new funding for four park upgrades. **Why it matters:** If you use community centers, pools or parks in Wards 1, 3 or 6, upgrades are headed to Bobby Bonds Skate Park, Janet Goeske Senior Center, Sippy Woodhead Pool and Tim Strack Park. **Driving the news:** Council amended the City's HUD Annual Action Plan, directing Community Development Block Grant funds to four Parks, Recreation and Community Services projects. - Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes recused herself, citing property she owns near one project site. - $175,000 goes to skate park improvements, $250,000 to senior center flooring, $500,000 to pool pump room work and $340,000 to park lighting and fitness equipment. **By the numbers:** The department runs 14 community centers and seven pools, and maintains more than 3,400 acres across 68 parks and trails. - Community centers logged nearly 1.8 million visits this year; Mount Rubidoux alone drew more than 1 million visitors. **What's next:** The department plans a full Patterson Park renovation, a new Dell Roberts Gym at Bordwell Park and library and community center upgrades at Bobby Bonds Park. - A broader master plan for Fairmont Park improvements returns for community input this fall. **What they're saying:** Pamela Galera, the department's director, named Victoria Koo-Young 2025 Employee of the Year for her work launching youth STEAM programming. - "A team win for everybody," Koo-Young said of the honor. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-marks-park-and-recreation-month-with-funding-boost-employee-honors/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [World Snake Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/world-snake-day/19304486/2026-07-16T10) at Heritage House - [Planning Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/planning-commission/19365439/2026-07-16T09) at Riverside City Hall - [The Art of Reading & Writing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-art-of-reading-writing/19240974/2026-07-16T16) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Study Skills- Test Taking](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/study-skills-test-taking/19240880/2026-07-16T19) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Comprehension Group](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-comprehension-group/19240809/2026-07-16T10) at My Learning Studio ($57.00) - [RPG 1-shot: "Pathfinder: Absalom" (GM Christian)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rpg-1shot-pathfinder-absalom-gm-christian/19228520/2026-07-16T18) at Nevermore Game Club ($5- $10) - [The Chemistry Lab: Speed Dating| Singles 39-51](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-chemistry-lab-speed-dating-singles-3951/19228521/2026-07-16T19) at El Patrón Downtown Riverside ($45) - [Good Surf Vibrations - Paint and Sip](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/good-surf-vibrations-paint-and-sip/19228522/2026-07-16T19) at Packinghouse Brewing Company ($49.87) - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19390098/2026-07-16T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($65.50 - $71.21) ### Tomorrow - [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-17T07) at Zacatecas Café - [Multiplication Madness (MM)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/multiplication-madness-mm/19240907/2026-07-17T00) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Assistance Program (RAP)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-assistance-program-rap/19240859/2026-07-17T10) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Creative Arts](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/creative-arts/19240864/2026-07-17T11) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Eastside Library at Lincoln Park | Flower Origami Craft](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/eastside-library-at-lincoln-park-flower-origami-craft/18788517/2026-07-17T15) at SPC Jesus S. Duran Eastside Library - [Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-and-heroes-walking-tour/19396626/2026-07-17T15) at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18) - [Footloose](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/footloose/18790280/2026-07-17T12) at Landis Performing Arts Center ## Save the Date - July 19: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-07-19T08) at Community Yoga Center - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) - July 24: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-24T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 27: [Sip with a Scientist](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/19411805/2026-07-27T17) at Bar Ni Modo - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### City Marks Park and Recreation Month With Funding Boost, Employee Honors URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-marks-park-and-recreation-month-with-funding-boost-employee-honors/ Last updated: 2026-07-17T12:01:00.000Z Riverside marked Park and Recreation Month with a presentation to the City Council last week outlining the reach of the City's parks system and honoring a staff member for her work developing youth programming. Later in the same meeting, the City Council approved an amendment to its 2025-26 HUD Annual Action Plan directing Community Development Block Grant funds toward four Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department projects serving income-eligible areas in Wards 1, 3 and 6\. Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes recused herself from the vote, citing property she owns within 1,000 feet of one of the sites. Michelle Guzman, of the Housing and Human Services Department, said the amendment allocates $175,000 to the Bobby Bonds Skate Park improvements, $250,000 to flooring replacement at the Janet Goeske Senior Center, $500,000 to a pump room rehabilitation at the Sippy Woodhead Pool and $340,000 to lighting and fitness equipment at Tim Strack Park. Pamela Galera, director of the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, told the City Council the City has marked the July observance since the City Council adopted a proclamation declaring it on July 10, 2018, in alignment with the National Recreation and Park Association's mission. This year's NRPA campaign theme, "The Power of Parks and Recreation," framed Galera's presentation on the department's programming and ongoing construction projects. The department operates 14 community centers and seven pools, and maintains more than 3,400 acres of developed and natural parkland across 68 parks, trails and community facilities, Galera said. It also employs more than 200 part-time summer staff, 80 of whom are returning employees, and its arts and cultural affairs division supported more than 100 community events and film permits over the past year, she said. Galera said the department has recently completed several capital projects and has others underway or planned. Nine new pickleball courts recently opened at Arlington Park, she said, while construction on the Gage Canal Trail is expected to begin soon. The east side of the City is undergoing a broader transformation, with a full renovation of Patterson Park and construction of a new Dell Roberts Gym at Bordwell Park. At Bobby Bonds Park, the City plans a new library, a renovation of the Cesar Chavez Community Center and upgrades to the skate park and Sippy Woodhead Pool. The department is also continuing improvements at Fairmont Park, including the Rose Garden and additional pickleball courts, while working on a broader master plan it expects to bring back for community input this fall. The department has fully replaced nine playgrounds so far, with two more planned, and expects to replace rubberized surfacing at more than a dozen additional playgrounds, Galera said. An NRPA campaign video shown during the meeting reported that the City's community centers logged nearly 1.8 million visits this year, with more than 47,000 program registrations and more than 30,000 residents served through pool programs. The video also credited the parks team with planting more than 650 plants, adding nearly 80 trees citywide and improving more than 5,000 feet of trail in Sycamore Canyon. Mount Rubidoux drew more than 1 million visitors over the year, according to the video. Galera also recognized Victoria Koo-Young as the department's 2025 Employee of the Year, an honor presented during the department's Employee Service Awards on May 27\. Koo-Young, who joined the department in 2021, helped launch the Bourns Family Youth Innovation Center during the COVID-19 pandemic and has since led its STEAM and STEM programming, Galera said. "I would not be the employee that I am without the support of my coworkers and upper management and city management and council," Koo-Young said. "So a team win for everybody, and I appreciate it." Councilmember Chuck Conder, Ward 4, praised the department's work, saying the City's parks provide a safe, low-cost alternative for children and families. "Our parks are the haven for those that can't afford the Disneylands and those kind of locations," Conder said. "They're safe, they're beautifully done, a lot of work on them." Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes, Ward 2, echoed the sentiment, saying the department's work reaches "children, families, parents, adults, seniors" across the City's wards. Mayor Pro Tem Steven Robillard, who represents Ward 3, also welcomed continued investment in Nichols Park, including a planned Deaf Cultural Center as part of the City's parks programming. ### Council Extends Timeline for Downtown Student Housing Project URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-extends-timeline-for-downtown-student-housing-project/ Last updated: 2026-07-16T20:15:59.000Z The City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved an amended development agreement that gives developers additional time to move forward with a mixed-use student housing project on the former Downtown Terminal property near Downtown. The amendment updates the project's schedule of performance and transfers the development agreement from Pelican Communities LLC to Overland Pelican Riverside LLC, a joint venture formed by Pelican Communities and Overland Development to carry out the project. The item was approved as part of the council's consent calendar without discussion. The project will be built on approximately 2.7 acres of city-owned land at 3911 University Ave. and 3775 Fairmount Blvd., the site of the former Downtown Terminal. The development plan, originally approved by the council in June 2024, calls for mixed-use student housing, ground-floor commercial space and structured parking. The agreement also requires the developer to provide 60 parking spaces for the city's Main Library. According to a [staff report](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15671561&GUID=FCA35C77-BC50-4C56-A69E-01B16D7A29D5&ref=raincrossgazette.com), the revised timeline reflects the need for additional time to complete entitlement processing, due diligence, design refinements and other predevelopment work common to large mixed-use projects. Under the revised schedule, the due diligence period and entitlement application deadline are both extended to Feb. 28, 2027\. The entitlement deadline moves to Sept. 29, 2027, while escrow is now scheduled to close by Feb. 28, 2028\. Construction is expected to begin by March 29, 2028, with completion and issuance of a certificate of occupancy anticipated by Oct. 29, 2029. City staff said in the report that the amendment does not change any substantive terms of the original agreement, including the project's scope, the $200 purchase price for the city-owned property, parking obligations or land-use assumptions. The city will retain ownership of the property until the close of escrow. Staff also said assigning the agreement to Overland Pelican Riverside LLC is permitted under the original contract and is consistent with the developers' planned joint-venture structure, ensuring that all rights and obligations remain in place. The staff report concluded that the revised schedule provides "a realistic and achievable timeline" to keep the redevelopment effort moving while preserving the city's objectives for transforming the long-vacant site. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- July 15, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-july-15-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:43.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/IMG_5901.jpeg) Gazette Managing Editor Amy López and her family soaked up the summer sun and cool breeze with a trip to Morro Bay, taking in the iconic view of Morro Rock along the coast. ***Spending time somewhere special this summer?** We'd love to see it — [send your vacation photos and a note about where you went and what you got up to](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com)! **Wednesday Gazette: July 15, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Wednesday!** Back in the day, kids didn't head to school until after Labor Day. That's not the case anymore: back to school season kicks off in early August, and stores are already stocked with everything students could need and want. We're putting together a guide to organizations running back to school supply drives and distribution events, and we need your help. If you're organizing one, know of one, or have seen info on one, please reply to this newsletter or reach out to [newsroom@raincrossgazette.com](mailto:newsroom@raincrossgazette.com). We'd love to add it to our guide. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260715)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260715&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [INDIGENOUS HISTORY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/indigenous-history/) ## The River In Riverside: An Unseen Inheritance From Wanish and Qota'inat to a symbol of wealth and control, the Santa Ana River's history is also Riverside's own. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/-1-A378-41--A-view-of-the-Santa-Ana-River--1896-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-river-in-riverside-an-unseen-inheritance/) A View of the Santa Ana River circa 1896\. (Courtesy of Museum of Riverside) I find it curious when I hear "people in Riverside don't know we have a river." After all, it is the largest riparian ecosystem in Southern California, flowing nearly 100 miles beginning in the San Bernardino Mountains to the ocean at Newport Beach. Winding its way through 2/3rds of the state's population under bridges and alongside freeways. For those paying attention, the river is a sustainer of life. An ecology that has been at the mercy of the dominant culture for over two centuries. This begs the questions; what does it mean to live alongside a river, what is our role in its caretaking and how do we balance infrastructure with restoration? Before the Spanish expedition of 1769 led by Gaspar de Portolá, when the first known recording of the river was made in writing, before Rio de Santa Ana became the familiar name, and before it was used to support colonial ambitions, the river had a different name to local tribes. Serrano people near Highland, California know it as Qota'inat. Cahuilla people near Riverside call it Wanish. As a child, the river and the mountain were a big part of my life. I know the river well. As does my mom, and her mom knew it and her mom before her knew it and so on and so forth for generations. We inherited its existence before the establishment of the city of Riverside because our ancestors had a relationship with the land and the water. A reciprocity that sustained their lifeways. Its use did not involve massive extraction, exploitation, or monetary gain. However, to the Spanish, water meant wealth and power. For them to maintain legitimacy in their territorial claims, they needed people living in California. Those people became the Native population. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-river-in-riverside-an-unseen-inheritance/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260715)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260715&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [UTILITIES](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/utilities//) ## Board of Public Utilities Votes to Close Agricultural Water Rate to New Applicants The 6-1 vote follows a 2025 staff decision to freeze new enrollment as the program nears its $684,000 subsidy cap. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/15-_DSC4174-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/board-of-public-utilities-votes-to-close-agricultural-water-rate-to-new-applicants/) The city's discounted agricultural water rate will close to new customers, capping a program approaching its funding limit. **Why it matters:** If you're not enrolled in WA-12, you won't get the discount — the program can't take new customers, though current participants keep their rate. **Driving the news:** The Board of Public Utilities voted 6-1 Monday to recommend the City Council formally close WA-12 to new applicants, following a September 2025 staff decision to stop new enrollment. - The program serves **245 customers** — 206 residential, 39 commercial — with **$597,000** of its **$684,000** annual cap already committed as of May 31. **Yes, but:** Vice Chair Peter Wohlgemuth cast the lone dissenting vote, arguing the city should expand the program rather than cap it. - Staff estimate roughly **12,800 parcels** in Riverside's sphere of influence could potentially qualify for the discount. **In other action:** The board unanimously recommended a five-year, **$1.72 million** contract with Ontaris USA for emissions testing and environmental compliance at Riverside's three power plants. - The no-bid deal, covering nine generating units, runs July 2027 through June 2032 and continues a 20-plus-year relationship staff say has avoided insurance claims. **What's next:** Both recommendations head to the City Council for final consideration. No hearing date has been set. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/board-of-public-utilities-votes-to-close-agricultural-water-rate-to-new-applicants/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260715) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260715&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/economic-development/) ## Riverside Earns International Accreditation for Economic Development The city is now one of three in California and fewer than 100 organizations worldwide to hold the AEDO designation. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-3-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-earns-international-accreditation-for-economic-development/) Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson (center left) and Community and Economic Development Director Miranda Evans (center right) pose with city staff and Economic Development team members in front of Riverside's landmark sign, celebrating the city's new Accredited Economic Development Organization (AEDO) designation. (Courtesy of the City of Riverside) Riverside just joined an elite group of internationally accredited economic development organizations, boosting its pitch to businesses. **Why it matters:** The AEDO credential gives Riverside an internationally vetted stamp of approval to court companies weighing relocation or expansion — meaning a stronger shot at new jobs and investment. **By the numbers:** Riverside is one of fewer than 100 IEDC-accredited organizations worldwide and just one of three in California. - Evaluators graded the city across 18 performance areas, from business retention to strategic planning and partnerships. **What they're saying:** Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson called Riverside "a premier destination for innovation," crediting the city's economic development team. **Between the lines:** Community and Economic Development Director Miranda Evans led the accreditation application after being named to the role in June. - Evans previously helped recruit six international companies to Riverside, adding more than 700 jobs and $142 million in investment. **What's next:** The International Economic Development Council formally recognizes Riverside at its Annual Conference in October. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-earns-international-accreditation-for-economic-development/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-07-15T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-07-15T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-07-15T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Animal Kids Camp - Summer Sessions](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/animal-kids-camp-summer-sessions/18779521/2026-07-15T08) at Mary S. Roberts pet Adoption Center ($240) - [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-15T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - [Cultural Heritage Board](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/cultural-heritage-board/18584292/2026-07-15T15) at Riverside City Hall - [About Writing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/about-writing/18335813/2026-07-15T10) at Janet Goeske Center - [Summer Seed Exchange](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summer-seed-exchange/19394403/2026-07-15T10) at Marcy Library - [Writing Skills](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/writing-skills/19240881/2026-07-15T16) at My Learning Studio ($57.00) - [Essay Writing 8th+](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/essay-writing-8th/19240899/2026-07-15T18) at My Learning Studio ($42) - [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-07-15T08) at Community Yoga Center ### Tomorrow - [World Snake Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/world-snake-day/19304486/2026-07-16T10) at Heritage House - [Planning Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/planning-commission/19365439/2026-07-16T09) at Riverside City Hall - [The Art of Reading & Writing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-art-of-reading-writing/19240974/2026-07-16T16) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Study Skills- Test Taking](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/study-skills-test-taking/19240880/2026-07-16T19) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Comprehension Group](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-comprehension-group/19240809/2026-07-16T10) at My Learning Studio ($57.00) - [RPG 1-shot: "Pathfinder: Absalom" (GM Christian)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rpg-1shot-pathfinder-absalom-gm-christian/19228520/2026-07-16T18) at Nevermore Game Club ($5- $10) - [The Chemistry Lab: Speed Dating| Singles 39-51](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-chemistry-lab-speed-dating-singles-3951/19228521/2026-07-16T19) at El Patrón Downtown Riverside ($45) - [Good Surf Vibrations - Paint and Sip](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/good-surf-vibrations-paint-and-sip/19228522/2026-07-16T19) at Packinghouse Brewing Company ($49.87) - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/19390098/2026-07-16T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($65.50 - $71.21) ## Save the Date - July 17: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-07-17T08) at Community Yoga Center - July 17: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-17T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) - July 27: [Sip with a Scientist](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/19411805/2026-07-27T17) at Bar Ni Modo - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### The River In Riverside: An Unseen Inheritance URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-river-in-riverside-an-unseen-inheritance/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:04:19.000Z I find it curious when I hear "people in Riverside don't know we have a river." After all, it is the largest riparian ecosystem in Southern California, flowing nearly 100 miles beginning in the San Bernardino Mountains to the ocean at Newport Beach. Winding its way through 2/3rds of the state's population under bridges and alongside freeways. For those paying attention, the river is a sustainer of life. An ecology that has been at the mercy of the dominant culture for over two centuries. This begs the questions; what does it mean to live alongside a river, what is our role in its caretaking and how do we balance infrastructure with restoration? Before the Spanish expedition of 1769 led by Gaspar de Portolá, when the first known recording of the river was made in writing, before Rio de Santa Ana became the familiar name, and before it was used to support colonial ambitions, the river had a different name to local tribes. Serrano people near Highland, California know it as Qota'inat. Cahuilla people near Riverside call it Wanish. As a child, the river and the mountain were a big part of my life. I know the river well. As does my mom, and her mom knew it and her mom before her knew it and so on and so forth for generations. We inherited its existence before the establishment of the city of Riverside because our ancestors had a relationship with the land and the water. A reciprocity that sustained their lifeways. Its use did not involve massive extraction, exploitation, or monetary gain. However, to the Spanish, water meant wealth and power. For them to maintain legitimacy in their territorial claims, they needed people living in California. Those people became the Native population. The process of depopulation involved coercion, kidnappings, violent dispossession and required a network of encampments, facilities, and military posts to observe, patrol, and enforce Spanish claims and jurisdiction over areas that the Native population could escape to. The missions served to restrict indigenous movement and although Mission Indians were never legally considered slaves, in many cases they worked in slavery-like conditions. The first infrastructure of the Santa Ana River included these settlements, all part of a larger project to claim ownership of the river and its lands, as Cooper Crane wrote in "The Unseen River: The Santa Ana River and Infrastructural Silences." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/-2-A399-28-Spring-Rancheria-circa-1880--C.T.-Collier-Print.jpg) Photo of Spring Rancheria circa 1880\. (Courtesy of Museum of Riverside) Colonial settlement fundamentally changed the natural fabric of Southern California. The way we interact with man-made infrastructure versus our relationship with land and water resources is slowly moving away from a once organic instinct to a foreign entity that leaves our river virtually unnoticed. Going down to the "river bottom" with my maternal grandmother, she would take us through Spring Rancheria and while we cooled off in the shallow water, she would be off picking nearby. Once she had her small bundle of, willow, tulle or whatever she gathered that day, she would call us back to head home. This memory of the river is one of many from my childhood. My memories are of water shallow enough that we did not worry about drowning. However, the river did not always stay shallow. In fact, there have been documented floodings with devastating outcomes as far back as 1862\. For this reason, the river has been dammed up, channelized, reconfigured and desecrated with man-made alterations for the purpose of protecting urban landscape and capital. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/-3-Map-of-River.jpg) Santa Ana River map. (Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons) Water diversions began with Mexican settlements in the 1840s to support their ranches. It was delivered either by hand or irrigation ditches called zanjas. Native people continued to be the primary labor force, further dispossessing them from their traditional ways. Then, after the Mexican-American War, American ranchers began arriving. They would litigate the land and water claims held by the Spanish in order to take control for their own agricultural ambitions. Unfortunately, the Spanish and later Mexican land grants were so vague and not clearly defined it became expensive and ultimately financially ruinous for them to defend their claims. In cases where they did win, Spanish ranchers ended up selling their land to the Americans to pay insurmountable legal fees. However, it was the arrival of the citrus industry that created construction of major irrigation canals in the 1870s. At the same time, The Southern California Colony Association and Riverside Land and Irrigating Company, along with the founding of the City of Riverside, accelerated suburban development. Water rights and greedy claims to who had the authority to harness the rivers flow progressed. Developers bought land between Prado and Riverside not because they needed it, but because they wanted the rights to the water. In 1886, litigations carried on, Crane writes, with some arguing in favor of a riparian doctrine, which permitted equal access to water. Others argued in favor of prior appropriation: first in line and first in right. Either way you spin it, water was a symbol of wealth and prestige, and the Santa Ana River turned into a commodity that only rich elites could benefit. This can be seen as a reason for the river's invisibility. Evidence of Man's obsession to dominate nature. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/-4-Riverside-Joins-the-Fight.jpg) News article, Riverside Press. (Courtesy of Riverside Main Library Archives) The topic of water and who can control its access continues today and has disconnected generations to our own stretch of the Santa Ana. Throughout the decades, the river has fought for its existence despite excessive water diversion, large-scale irrigation projects, dams for flood control, and drought. Even demands for this natural resource from lawsuits between counties cannot revoke the beauty it continues to display. The plant and animal life that resides along the river may not be as bountiful as before when Native people were the only stewards, but they have not abandoned it. Nor should Riversiders. We are fortunate to be able to access it right now if we so choose. During the writing process for this story, a friend and I took a trip to Anza Narrows to visit. What we found was a river quietly making its way West. The sound of birds vocalizing added to the tranquil ambience while willow, cottonwood, wild grape, water cress and tulle among other plant life flanked the water, supporting its defiance to still exist. These plants and many others are still used today in tribal communities for the same reasons our ancestors used them. Change is as inevitable as the river riparian community itself, but we keep our culture and traditional ways alive regardless of urbanization. There are more changes the river has endured: - Santa Ana was one of the first rivers to be tapped for a hydro-electric power line to Los Angeles 51 miles away. - In Sacramento, the courts hear more than 6,000 water rights cases every month. - The river provides drinking water for more than 5 million Californians and passes through a region that is home to 15 million. - Building the Prado Dam controlled the floods along the Santa Ana River but also marked the beginning of a much larger endeavor. A project of managing nature itself. - German settlers gave Anaheim its name, meaning "home on the Santa Ana River." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/-5-Santa-Ana-River-today.jpg) Santa Ana River today. (Rosy Aranda) I have heard "put the river back in Riverside." What does that look like to you? Is it private development of land and property, or is it respecting what is already there and tending to its needs? While the river goes unnoticed to many Riversiders, it is not without reason. It is a direct result of those who came before us capitalizing on a great body of water. Some may argue that it had to be done to accommodate growth and maintain sustainable water management. History teaches us about the motivations of the people that came to Southern California seeking land ownership and progress. It is human nature to cherish our history, but somewhere along the way, water inevitably became a public good beginning with the Santa Ana River. Is that the route we want to continue? The struggles of Native people during the Spanish Missions, Mexican ranches and American settlement makes me grateful to my mother and my grandmother for having raised me to know and understand the river and all the life that thrives alongside it. We cannot undo what has been done, nor is it ideal, but we can consider the kinds of changes we make for the future of Riverside, its residents and most importantly, for the River. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/-6-The-River-below-Mission-Blvd..jpg) The River below Mission Blvd. 2024, (Rosy Aranda) *By Rosy Aranda* --- The Unseen River: The Santa Ana River and Infrastructural Silences Cooper Crane *Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society*, vol. 7, November 1, 2018, pp. 40-58 Reconnecting Riverside with its River: Integrating Historical and Urban Ecology for a Healthier Future San Francisco Estuary Institute, October 2023 Riverside Press, Santa Ana River, January 18, 1967 ### Board of Public Utilities Votes to Close Agricultural Water Rate to New Applicants URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/board-of-public-utilities-votes-to-close-agricultural-water-rate-to-new-applicants/ Last updated: 2026-07-16T12:00:47.000Z The Board of Public Utilities on Monday recommended permanently closing the city's discounted agricultural water rate program to new customers after determining the program is nearing its financial cap, while also approving a five-year environmental consulting contract for the city's three power plants. The board voted 6-1 to recommend that the City Council formally close the WA-12 Agricultural Service Water Rate Schedule to new applicants, with Vice Chair Peter Wohlgemuth casting the lone dissenting vote after arguing the city should instead explore expanding the program. The recommendation formalizes a decision Utilities General Manager David Garcia made in September 2025 to stop accepting new customers into the WA-12 program after it approached its annual subsidy limit. Brian Seinturier, Assistant General Manager of Finance and Administration, told the board the discounted rate was created in 2019 after a 16-member Agricultural Water Rates Task Force spent more than a year developing a replacement for the city's previous agricultural water rates. Unlike traditional agricultural rates, WA-12 discounts only water used to irrigate qualifying crops. Household, commercial and ornamental landscape water use is billed at standard residential or commercial rates through a water allocation formula based on Riverside's climate, crop type, planted acreage and irrigation efficiency. When the program was established, officials capped annual financial assistance at $684,000 — roughly the amount the utility had historically under-collected from earlier agricultural rate programs. According to the staff report, the subsidy is funded through non-rate revenue to comply with Proposition 218, which requires water rates to reflect the actual cost of providing service. As of May 31, the program served 245 customers — 206 residential and 39 commercial — with approximately $597,000 of the annual allocation already committed. Staff projected that existing customers alone will consume nearly the full $684,000 cap by 2028 as scheduled water rate increases take effect. Because the program is approaching that limit, staff recommended permanently closing it to new applicants while allowing existing participants to remain enrolled. Two speakers urged the board to reconsider ending new enrollment. Kevin Dawson, who said he participated in several meetings of the original agricultural water task force, said the program deserves another review rather than being effectively frozen. "I think that it's been…six years going on seven \[since the last task force\] and it would be a good time for a review – and maybe to that end, a new task force empaneled and given a much shorter time period to do the work, say like three to six months to review the program," said Dawson. Gurumantra Kalsa, who served as the Ward 2 representative on the former task force, criticized the city for limiting a program intended to support agriculture. He questioned the city's reliance on Proposition 218 and argued infrastructure costs should be allocated differently rather than limiting agricultural customers. "I'm dismayed that after 10 years of Grow Riverside, all we've done is virtue signal and we have nothing virtually to show for it for the effort," Kalsa said. "Your best guess is $684,000 of undercollected monies. This is a perfect example of decision debt. The city lost its general fund transfer lawsuit because it violated Prop 218 and now you're using Prop 218 to cut off access to the folks in the city charter, which says agriculture is the primary use for our water supply." Wohlgemuth questioned staff about how the funding cap was established and whether it reflected the original intent of the task force. He noted that staff previously estimated roughly 12,800 parcels within Riverside's sphere of influence could potentially qualify for the agricultural rate if they met acreage and crop requirements, yet only 245 customers currently participate. "It strikes me as somewhat unfair that the program is now being limited by what seems to be an arbitrary cap," Wohlgemuth said. He asked whether the City Council could increase the subsidy if additional non-rate revenue became available. Assistant City Attorney Susan Wilson said the rate schedule allows the City Council to increase the program limit through a resolution if it identifies additional non-rate revenue that complies with Proposition 218. Wohlgemuth said he hoped the City Council would explore expanding the program rather than permanently limiting participation. "If the intent of the original program was to support and promote agriculture within the city of Riverside, I don't think it said, 'but only up to a cap of $684,000,'" he said. Despite his objections, the board approved staff's recommendation on a 6-1 vote. The proposal now heads to the City Council for final consideration. The board also on Monday unanimously recommended a five-year, $1.72 million consulting agreement with Ontaris USA for emissions testing and environmental compliance services at Riverside Public Utilities' three natural gas-fired power plants. Utilities Resource Analyst Jessica Spiking said the city's Springs, Clearwater and Riverside Energy Resource Center plants together provide up to 260 megawatts of generating capacity and must comply with extensive federal, state and local air quality regulations. The contract covers required emissions testing for all nine generating units and preparation of more than 3,300 regulatory reports each year. Spiking said Ontaris — formerly known as Montrose — is uniquely positioned because it provides both emissions testing and environmental consulting under a single contract and has supported Riverside's generating facilities for more than 20 years. She said the company negotiated annual price increases capped at 5% and offered testing costs well below prevailing market rates. The utility also expects additional savings by consolidating multiple required emissions tests into single site visits, reducing annual testing costs by more than $50,000. Board member Tom Evans asked whether the contractor carried sufficient professional liability insurance and whether the utility had experienced any significant errors during the company's two decades of service. Principal Resource Analyst Jim Perez said the city has never needed to file an insurance claim against the consultant and that any minor mistakes had been promptly corrected. Wohlgemuth said the company's long track record and competitive pricing justified continuing the relationship despite the absence of a competitive bidding process. "It seems that this is a no-brainer," he said. "Why would we change horses at this stage and go with somebody else when we have a proven track record of people who have done the job successfully?" The board unanimously recommended that the City Council approve the agreement, which would run from July 1, 2027, through June 30, 2032. Before adjourning the item, utilities staff recognized Perez, who is retiring this week after 17 years with Riverside Public Utilities. The WA-12 vote comes as Riverside Public Utilities navigates a broader set of water rate pressures. A judge ruled in April that the city had [billed water ratepayers unconstitutionally for years](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-billed-water-ratepayers-illegally-for-years-judge-rules/), a case that could require more than $46 million in refunds. Separately, the City Council in June [hired Carollo Engineers](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-hires-engineers-to-study-future-water-rates/) to study future water rates ahead of the current five-year rate plan's expiration in 2028. ### Riverside Earns International Accreditation for Economic Development URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-earns-international-accreditation-for-economic-development/ Last updated: 2026-07-16T11:59:46.000Z The City has earned the Accredited Economic Development Organization (AEDO) designation from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), a recognition considered one of the highest honors in the economic development field. Riverside now joins fewer than 100 accredited organizations worldwide and is one of only three in California to hold the distinction. The city will be formally recognized during the IEDC's Annual Conference this October. For Riverside residents, the designation is meant to signal that the city's approach to attracting businesses and jobs meets an internationally vetted standard, potentially strengthening its pitch to companies considering relocating or expanding here. Evaluators reviewed 18 performance areas as part of the accreditation process, including business attraction and retention, entrepreneurship, strategic planning, partnerships, and measurable economic development results. "This international recognition confirms what we already know: Riverside is a premier destination for innovation, job creation and next-generation industries," Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said in a statement. "Our Economic Development team is not just competing, they are setting the standard." Miranda Evans, the city's Community and Economic Development Director, said the accreditation reflects the work of city staff and their partners. Evans, [formally named to the role in June](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-names-miranda-evans-as-community-and-economic-development-director/) after serving as interim director since February, led the division's application for the AEDO designation. She previously helped recruit six international companies to Riverside, generating more than 700 direct jobs and over $142 million in investment, according to the city. "This accreditation is a powerful validation of the work happening across Riverside to build a stronger, more innovative economy," Evans said in a statement. "It reflects the dedication of our team, the strength of our partnerships and our commitment to providing world-class support for businesses. Riverside is competing nationally and globally for investment, and this recognition shows we belong among the best." City officials pointed to recent economic development activity as part of the broader push, including the opening of Voltu Motor Inc.'s global headquarters and manufacturing facility, Voltu Forge One - Riverside, where the company began commercial production of heavy-duty electric trucks and delivered its first vehicles to the City of Riverside. ### Sears Demolition, New Developer Mark Next Steps for Arlington Mixed-Use Project URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/sears-demolition-new-developer-mark-next-steps-for-arlington-mixed-use-project/ Last updated: 2026-07-15T23:15:36.000Z After years of sitting vacant, the former Sears building in Arlington is estimated to come down around the end of the year, according to city staff — a significant step in one of Riverside's largest redevelopment projects. For years, residents have described the abandoned department store at the [Arlington Village shopping center](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-acquires-arlington-village-property-to-create-new-redevelopment-fund/) as an eyesore and questioned when redevelopment would finally begin after [the project's entitlements were approved in 2024](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/former-sears-property-to-become-housing-despite-airport-proximity-concerns/). The Arlington Mixed-Use Development, planned for the former Sears property, cleared another milestone this spring when the City Council approved the project's final parcel map in April. The action formally divided the roughly 17.4-acre property into separate residential and commercial parcels, allowing the project to advance toward construction. The site is now divided into a 14.44-acre residential parcel and a 2.93-acre commercial parcel, consistent with the development approved by the City Council in 2024. Principal Planner Brian Norton said the parcel split is a technical but necessary step in the development process. During project approvals, developers submit a tentative parcel map showing the conceptual subdivision of the property. The final map, approved this year, includes the detailed legal descriptions, easements and survey information required before it can be officially recorded. "What happens after the entitlements \[were\] approved -in 2024\] ... is the applicant has been working with the city departments ... producing the final map," Norton told the Gazette. "The final map includes what's considered metes and bounds, and all easements on the map – all the technical stuff that needs to be on the map to be recorded." Although some residents questioned why nearly two years passed between project approval and the final map, Norton said the timeline is not unusual for a project of this size. "It depends on the complexity of the site," he said, explaining that final maps often go through multiple rounds of revisions as city departments review engineering details and request corrections before recording. The project also has a new residential developer. Norton said developer Foulger Pratt originally entitled the entire property before recently selling the residential portion to Bridge Housing, one of the West Coast's largest affordable housing developers. Seritage Growth Properties, which owns the commercial parcel, continues seeking a buyer for that portion of the site, according to Norton. Bridge Housing specializes in affordable housing, but Norton said the company has not yet determined what mix of affordable and market-rate housing will ultimately be built. "They have not given us a mix of whether it would be 100% affordable, whether there would be 100% market rate, or a mix in between," he said. The most immediate activity residents are likely to notice is demolition. According to Norton, demolition of the former Sears building is estimated to take place before the end of 2026. Before demolition can begin, the developer must complete environmental remediation and satisfy regional air quality requirements. The commercial portion of the project currently remains unchanged from what the city approved in 2024\. Plans still include a grocery store and a separate multi tenant retail building, although no grocery tenant has been secured, according to Norton. "There has not been one identified for the site," Norton said. "The plans that were approved are still the plans on file." Norton said city officials are encouraged to see visible progress after years of planning. "I think Bridge and city staff, city politicians are excited to see movement on the site," he said. "We're anticipating that getting going soon, so we're excited to see it be redeveloped." The full timeline for the project — as well as its affordable housing unit and project financing details — currently remains unknown. The Gazette reached out to Bridge Housing to inquire about such details, and a spokesperson for Bridge Housing told the Gazette in a statement that it will "share additional information as the process moves forward." "BRIDGE Housing looks forward to working with the City of Riverside and other stakeholders to provide long-term housing solutions at the Arlington Avenue site that meet the needs of the Riverside community," the statement said. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- July 14, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-30-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:44.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/Middle-of-the-Finale.jpg) The grand finale bursts over Mt. Rubidoux, lighting up the night sky in red, white and blue. (Bob Sirotnik) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Tuesday Gazette: June 14, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Tuesday!** Thanks for hanging in there with us during our short break. We're back, and we're kicking things off with something that made our whole week: Riversider Carolyn Bolz sent in a poem she wrote about the Gazette, and she topped it off by [becoming a paid subscriber](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/#/portal/account/plans). Here it is, in her words: > *Everybody reads* > *The Raincross Gazette,* > *Filled with local news* > *From Riverside, you bet.* > > *And now, I have decided* > *It's time for me to say:* > *"I'm a paid subscriber* > *Starting today!"* Thank you for the warm welcome back! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260714)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260714&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Sears Demolition, New Developer Mark Next Steps for Arlington Mixed-Use Project Bridge Housing takes over residential portion of the long-stalled Arlington Village redevelopment as the city finalizes the project's parcel map. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/sears-demolition-new-developer-mark-next-steps-for-arlington-mixed-use-project/) The vacant former Sears building at Arlington Village is expected to be demolished by the end of the year, clearing the way for a long-planned mixed-use redevelopment. (File photo/Raincross Gazette) The long-vacant Arlington Sears building will come down by year's end, advancing one of Riverside's largest redevelopment projects. **Why it matters:** If you've watched the empty Sears sit at Arlington Village, demolition means visible movement toward new housing and retail after years of delay. **Driving the news:** City Council approved the project's final parcel map in April, splitting the 17.4-acre site into residential and commercial parcels. - The 14.44-acre residential parcel and 2.93-acre commercial parcel match the development the council approved in 2024. **What's new:** Bridge Housing, an affordable housing developer, has taken over the residential portion from Foulger Pratt. - Bridge hasn't decided what mix of affordable and market-rate units it will build, Principal Planner Brian Norton said. **What's next:** Demolition is estimated before the end of 2026, pending environmental remediation and air quality clearance. - No grocery tenant has been secured for the commercial parcel's planned retail building. **Yes, but:** The project's full timeline, affordable unit count and financing details remain undisclosed. - Seritage Growth Properties still owns the commercial parcel and is seeking a buyer, Norton said. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/sears-demolition-new-developer-mark-next-steps-for-arlington-mixed-use-project/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260714) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600714&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Zonta Club Distributes Trafficking Hotline Soap to Local Hotels Volunteers labeled bars with the National Human Trafficking Hotline number and trained hospitality staff to spot warning signs. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/zonta-club-distributes-trafficking-hotline-soap-to-riverside-hotels/) Zonta Club of Riverside members with The Care Project after distributing Soap Project supplies to Riverside hotels, July 11, 2026\. (Carrie Madrid and Carl Dameron, The Care Project) The Zonta Club of Riverside gave hotel and motel staff a low-tech tool Saturday: soap bars printed with a national trafficking hotline number. **Why it matters:** If you work a front desk at a Riverside hotel or motel, you may now have the hotline number within reach — and training on what to do with it. **What's new:** Volunteers prepped hotline-labeled soap and delivered it to local hotels, motels and community centers, then met with staff to cover trafficking warning signs and safe response steps. - The number to report suspected trafficking: the National Human Trafficking Hotline, 1-888-373-7888. **What they're saying:** Zonta Club President Debbie Waltzer said the soap can carry "a lifeline for someone in desperate need." **The backstory:** Zonta regularly partners with the i5 Freedom Network and The SOAP Project to bring hotline-labeled supplies to venues considered high-risk for trafficking. **What's next:** Zonta hosts a Christmas in July Bunco fundraiser July 25 at 1 p.m. at the Arlington Library, benefiting the club's Charitable and Educational Fund, including RCC's Basic Needs Resource Center. Tickets: $20 per person, $80 per table. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/zonta-club-distributes-trafficking-hotline-soap-to-riverside-hotels/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260714)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260714&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Noteworthy Nearly 850 confirmed U.S. cases of the parasite-borne illness cyclosporiasis have been reported since May 1, prompting a UC Riverside epidemiologist to share [what he learned firsthand after contracting the illness in 2018](https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/07/13/what-know-about-rise-cyclosporiasis-cases?ref=raincrossgazette.com). Student writers and actors marked the 19th year of Playworks with 21 original 10-minute plays performed over two nights, exploring themes like ICE, AI, grief, and love in [an intimate black-box theater setting](https://news.ucr.edu/index%2ephp/articles/2026/07/02/celebrating-two-decaades-playworks?ref=raincrossgazette.com). La Sierra University constituents elected eight new trustees to serve through 2030, as President Christon Arthur reported [a 26% jump in new freshmen](https://lasierra.edu/article/constituents-vote-eight-new-trustees-president-highlights-opportunities-challenges/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) reversing a decade-long enrollment decline. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-07-14T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Volunteer Orientation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-orientation/19328343/2026-07-14T09) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-14T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - [Animal Kids Camp - Summer Sessions](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/animal-kids-camp-summer-sessions/18779521/2026-07-14T08) at Mary S. Roberts pet Adoption Center ($240) - [The Art of Reading & Writing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-art-of-reading-writing/19240974/2026-07-14T16) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Money Money Money](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/money-money-money/19240904/2026-07-14T16) at My Learning Studio ($27) - [Study Skills- Test Taking](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/study-skills-test-taking/19240880/2026-07-14T19) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Comprehension Group](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-comprehension-group/19240809/2026-07-14T10) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Summer Seed Exchange](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summer-seed-exchange/19394403/2026-07-14T10) at Marcy Library - [City Council](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/city-council/18431185/2026-07-14T13) at Riverside City Hall - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-07-14T19) at The Hideaway ### Tomorrow - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-07-15T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-07-15T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [Essay Writing 8th+](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/essay-writing-8th/19240899/2026-07-15T18) at My Learning Studio ($42.00) - [Writing Skills](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/writing-skills/19240881/2026-07-15T16) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [About Writing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/about-writing/18335813/2026-07-15T10) at Janet Goeske Center - [Cultural Heritage Board](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/cultural-heritage-board/18584292/2026-07-15T15) at Riverside City Hall - [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-07-15T08) at Community Yoga Center ### Save the Date - July 17: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-07-17T08) at Community Yoga Center - July 17: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-17T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) - October 7: [Fifty & Better Health Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fifty-better-health-fair/19338673/2026-10-07T10) at Janet Goeske Center 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Zonta Club Distributes Trafficking Hotline Soap to Local Hotels URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/zonta-club-distributes-trafficking-hotline-soap-to-local-hotels/ Last updated: 2026-07-14T11:59:50.000Z The Zonta Club of Riverside carried out a community outreach effort Saturday as part of The SOAP Project, a national initiative aimed at combating human trafficking. Volunteers spent the morning preparing bars of soap labeled with the National Human Trafficking Hotline number before delivering them to local hotels, motels and community centers. The effort is meant to give Riverside's hospitality industry tools to recognize and respond to signs of trafficking, an issue advocates say can be difficult to detect in transient lodging settings where victims may have few safe ways to ask for help. Club members met with hotel and motel staff throughout the day to discuss warning signs of trafficking and how employees can safely respond if they suspect a guest is in danger. Several participating businesses also received informational materials and training resources along with the soap supplies. "The Soap Project is a powerful reminder that even the smallest item can carry a lifeline for someone in desperate need," Debbie Waltzer, president of the Zonta Club of Riverside, said in a statement. "At the Zonta Club of Riverside, we are committed to using this initiative to raise awareness, connect victims of human trafficking to help, and inspire our community to take action." The Zonta Club of Riverside regularly hosts educational meetings on human trafficking and partners with advocacy organizations, including the i5 Freedom Network and The SOAP Project, to distribute hotline-labeled supplies to venues considered high-risk for trafficking activity. Anyone who suspects trafficking activity is encouraged to contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. The Soap Project distribution is one of several community initiatives the club has planned this year. The Zonta Club of Riverside is also hosting a Christmas in July Bunco fundraiser on July 25 at 1 p.m. at the Arlington Library, with proceeds benefiting the Zonta Club of Riverside Charitable and Educational Fund, including the Basic Needs Resource Center at Riverside City College. Tickets are $20 per person or $80 per table. [More event details are available on the Gazette's calendar](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/zonta-s-club-of-riverside-christmas-in-july-bunco/19015476/2026-07-25T13). **More information:* Visit* [*zontariverside.org*](https://zontariverside.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### 🗞️ Riverside News- July 13, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-july-13-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:45.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/IMG_6679.jpeg) Sunbeams break through the clouds over Hawarden Hills. (Rosalyn Anderson) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Monday Gazette: July 13, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday!** We're back in the newsroom today, rested up and ready to cover what matters most. Thanks for the grace and the space while we took a little time away. It means a lot, and we're glad to be back. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260713)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260713&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## This Week in City Hall: July 13, 2026 City Council weighs a Downtown Terminal housing deal, an office-to-housing conversion ordinance and more shelter beds, while other boards take up historic preservation, water rates and new subdivisions across the city. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/DSC05316.jpeg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-week-in-city-hall-july-13-2026/) Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### City Council City Council will meet in closed and open sessions on Tuesday, July 14, in afternoon sessions at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1411445&GUID=61F3C672-5E37-4DB2-B455-EE8688588066&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). The agenda includes: - Reviewing an [amendment](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=b6a595ec-5505-4eaa-bf1c-470374e31dda.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to the 2024 agreement selling City-owned land at the former Downtown Terminal Property for $200 to developers planning a mixed-use student housing project, which extends project deadlines by more than two years and formally transfers the agreement to a new development partnership, Overland Pelican Riverside, LLC. ([item 13](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5393-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a4722a2f395e7482d0016ac-13-approve-revised-schedule-of-performance-within?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Adopting an [ordinance](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=e8d512b4-3cd5-4cb3-a3ea-e81598a27207.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that would allow developers to convert older vacant office, retail, and industrial buildings into housing without a rezoning process, using incentives such as waived parking requirements and additional building height, as part of the City's plan to meet state-mandated housing goals. ([item 15](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5393-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a4722a2f395e7482d0016ae-15-case-pc-2025-00427-adopt-an-ordinance-amendi?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Considering a [one-year extension](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=bd1bda11-3e52-4e17-8ef8-6a81c99b0160.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) and $362,900 increase to the City's contract with Path of Life Ministries, raising the nightly rate the City pays per shelter bed to $120 to keep 53 shelter beds open for homeless single adults and youth through June 2027\. ([item 27](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5393-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a4722a2f395e7482d0016be-27-approve-first-amendment-to-subrecipient-agreem?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Awarding a $4.3 million construction [contract](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=978ca9b0-9b6b-4a87-8a76-f1b572913fda.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to build a two-mile paved recreational trail along the Gage Canal from Box Springs Mountain Reserve to UC Riverside, funded primarily through state grants. ([item 31](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5393-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a4722a3f395e7482d0016c4-31-award-bid-8216-to-h-l-hitchcock-construction-i?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Considering a permit-only overnight [parking restriction](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=0e7635b3-c2cb-42d8-a5ff-afb710e794f0.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on Larkin Court, requested by residents citing overflow parking from a nearby apartment complex, paired with a 12-month pilot project converting part of Monroe Street to one-way traffic to add five parking spaces nearby. ([item 36](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5393-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a4722a3f395e7482d0016cc-36-adopt-a-resolution-amending-resolution-no-224?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Reviewing an [update](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=55f7f481-d09c-4104-86e3-12fb6e6e6a02.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on the City's ability to bill property owners for costly, repeated emergency responses to their properties — with staff reporting that distinguishing nuisance properties from legitimate high-need locations such as hospitals and schools remains a key implementation challenge. ([item 41](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5393-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a4722a3f395e7482d0016d2-41-implementation-update-of-recently-adopted-amen?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Considering zoning and general plan [changes](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=88a6c30e-7896-4cb3-b438-7929b8a679c2.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to allow a 300-unit apartment and live/work development on a former scrap metal yard near Mission Inn Avenue, including rehabilitation of the historic Barley Mills Building, following unanimous recommendations for approval from the Planning Commission and Cultural Heritage Board. ([item 46](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5393-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a4722a3f395e7482d0016d9-46-approve-planning-case-pr-2023-001469-determi?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Introducing [new zoning rules](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=14a1f94b-250d-4468-bd87-a0de7238d801.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that would require smoke shops to relocate away from schools, parks, and other sensitive locations within two years. ([item 47](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5393-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a4722a3f395e7482d0016da-47-approve-planning-case-pc-2025-01190-determin?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Reallocating $1.265 million in unused federal housing grant funds to four park and senior center [improvement projects](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=6cef4568-83c0-4216-a113-582706086519.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) — including skatepark upgrades, senior center flooring, pool room rehabilitation, and park lighting — in lower-income neighborhoods across three city wards. ([item 48](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5393-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a4722a3f395e7482d0016db-48-approve-amendment-to-fiscal-year-2025-2026-uni?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Board of Public Utilities The Board of Public Utilities meets on Monday, July 13, at 6:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1423814&GUID=65FBC19D-B38A-4C0C-9941-225E8916EDDD&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review a [resolution](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=dba0f7be-b8c5-465a-8a24-c5e23f5f7044.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to close the WA-12 Agricultural Service Water Rate Schedule to new customers, retroactive to September 2025 ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5391-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a45b7367d7965d57400a725-2-public-hearing-to-receive-public-input-related?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), consider a recommendation to City Council for a five-year $1.7 million [agreement](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=b7269c60-3e96-4a70-b354-a70c72af340d.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for emissions testing and environmental consulting services at three city power plants ([item 8](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5391-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a45b7377d7965d57400a72e-8-recommend-city-council-approve-professional-con?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Cultural Heritage Board The Cultural Heritage Board meets on Wednesday, July 15, at 3:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1427786&GUID=C3109C02-D6CB-4DB7-9858-F516D31ED3E5&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review a second-quarter [report](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=864c611a-cee4-480c-8584-457d7d079d14.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on the city's historic preservation activity ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5398-cultural-heritage-board-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a4ecba7f395e77a6a00d8c4-3-2nd-quarter-report-on-historic-preservation-act?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and to discuss a proposed [Point of Cultural Interest program](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=6003ac95-d95a-439e-906e-add495e670c4.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that would create a designation and signage system for sites of cultural significance in Riverside ([item 7](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5398-cultural-heritage-board-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a4ecba7f395e77a6a00d8ca-7-point-of-cultural-interest-program?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Planning Commission The Planning Commission meets on Thursday, July 16, at 9 a.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1416320&GUID=5A31597D-86DD-498C-B016-0CD4DD37AADD&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review a [proposal](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=ecda0d11-cea6-4051-bfe9-fd00907ef4d3.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to subdivide a 2-acre Mary Street property into 10 single-family lots as part of a planned residential development in Ward 4 ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5392-planning-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a46a1eb4425385b52000ca8-3-planning-case-pc-2025-00983-tm-prd-dr-propos?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and to review a [proposal](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=49e8429a-f62d-406b-bdd9-7028f90f3028.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to subdivide a 9.88-acre site near Alhambra Avenue and La Sierra Avenue into 56 single-family lots in Ward 7 ([item 4](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5392-planning-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a46a1eb4425385b52000ca9-4-planning-case-pr-2024-001711-tm-prd-dr-propo?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-week-in-city-hall-july-13-2026/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260713) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600713&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Council Swears in Hernandez to Represent Ward 6, Appoints Interim City Manager Hernandez won his seat outright in June, while two other ward races head to a November runoff. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/740741282_1535248078142672_2767082205053328234_n.png-1.jpeg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-swears-in-hernandez-to-represent-ward-6-appoints-interim-city-manager/) Newly sworn-in Ward 6 Councilmember Luis Hernandez addresses the council during the July 7 meeting. Hernandez won the Ward 6 race outright in the June 2 election with more than 50 percent of the vote. (City of Riverside/[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1517339117099567&set=pcb.1517345440432268)) Ward 6 has its first elected councilmember, and Riverside has a new interim city manager. **Why it matters:** Ward 6 residents now have a voice on the dais, while City Hall gains settled leadership after [Mike Futrell's June resignation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/futrell-steps-down-as-city-manager-as-wife-settles-defamation-claim-against-city/). **Driving the news:** Council certified Luis Hernandez's outright win — he cleared 50% in the June 2 election — then state Sen. Sabrina Cervantes swore him in July 7. - Hernandez was the only council candidate to win outright; other contested wards head to a November runoff. **By the numbers:** Two council seats remain unsettled until November. - Ward 2: Gracie Torres (37.99%) faces Aram Ayra (35.72%). - Ward 4: incumbent Chuck Conder (45.63%) faces Rich Vandenberg (28.34%). **What they're saying:** Hernandez called his win more than a campaign win. - "This turned into a movement," he said, thanking volunteers, family and endorsers including Supervisor Jose Medina and Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes. **What's next:** Council also promoted Edward Enriquez from acting to interim city manager, effective immediately, following Futrell's June 16 resignation. - The Ward 2 and Ward 4 runoffs are decided Nov. 3. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-swears-in-hernandez-to-represent-ward-6-appoints-interim-city-manager/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260713)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260713&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside This is just a sample of what's happening around town — [visit our full community calendar for more](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/). ### Save the Date - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### The Week in City Hall: July 13, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-week-in-city-hall-july-13-2026/ Last updated: 2026-07-15T12:00:25.000Z Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### City Council City Council will meet in closed and open sessions on Tuesday, July 14, in afternoon sessions at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1411445&GUID=61F3C672-5E37-4DB2-B455-EE8688588066&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). The agenda includes: - Reviewing an [amendment](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=b6a595ec-5505-4eaa-bf1c-470374e31dda.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to the 2024 agreement selling City-owned land at the former Downtown Terminal Property for $200 to developers planning a mixed-use student housing project, which extends project deadlines by more than two years and formally transfers the agreement to a new development partnership, Overland Pelican Riverside, LLC. ([item 13](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5393-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a4722a2f395e7482d0016ac-13-approve-revised-schedule-of-performance-within?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Adopting an [ordinance](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=e8d512b4-3cd5-4cb3-a3ea-e81598a27207.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that would allow developers to convert older vacant office, retail, and industrial buildings into housing without a rezoning process, using incentives such as waived parking requirements and additional building height, as part of the City's plan to meet state-mandated housing goals. ([item 15](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5393-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a4722a2f395e7482d0016ae-15-case-pc-2025-00427-adopt-an-ordinance-amendi?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Considering a [one-year extension](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=bd1bda11-3e52-4e17-8ef8-6a81c99b0160.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) and $362,900 increase to the City's contract with Path of Life Ministries, raising the nightly rate the City pays per shelter bed to $120 to keep 53 shelter beds open for homeless single adults and youth through June 2027\. ([item 27](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5393-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a4722a2f395e7482d0016be-27-approve-first-amendment-to-subrecipient-agreem?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Awarding a $4.3 million construction [contract](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=978ca9b0-9b6b-4a87-8a76-f1b572913fda.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to build a two-mile paved recreational trail along the Gage Canal from Box Springs Mountain Reserve to UC Riverside, funded primarily through state grants. ([item 31](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5393-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a4722a3f395e7482d0016c4-31-award-bid-8216-to-h-l-hitchcock-construction-i?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Considering a permit-only overnight [parking restriction](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=0e7635b3-c2cb-42d8-a5ff-afb710e794f0.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on Larkin Court, requested by residents citing overflow parking from a nearby apartment complex, paired with a 12-month pilot project converting part of Monroe Street to one-way traffic to add five parking spaces nearby. ([item 36](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5393-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a4722a3f395e7482d0016cc-36-adopt-a-resolution-amending-resolution-no-224?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Reviewing an [update](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=55f7f481-d09c-4104-86e3-12fb6e6e6a02.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on the City's ability to bill property owners for costly, repeated emergency responses to their properties — with staff reporting that distinguishing nuisance properties from legitimate high-need locations such as hospitals and schools remains a key implementation challenge. ([item 41](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5393-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a4722a3f395e7482d0016d2-41-implementation-update-of-recently-adopted-amen?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Considering zoning and general plan [changes](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=88a6c30e-7896-4cb3-b438-7929b8a679c2.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to allow a 300-unit apartment and live/work development on a former scrap metal yard near Mission Inn Avenue, including rehabilitation of the historic Barley Mills Building, following unanimous recommendations for approval from the Planning Commission and Cultural Heritage Board. ([item 46](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5393-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a4722a3f395e7482d0016d9-46-approve-planning-case-pr-2023-001469-determi?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Introducing [new zoning rules](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=14a1f94b-250d-4468-bd87-a0de7238d801.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that would require smoke shops to relocate away from schools, parks, and other sensitive locations within two years. ([item 47](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5393-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a4722a3f395e7482d0016da-47-approve-planning-case-pc-2025-01190-determin?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Reallocating $1.265 million in unused federal housing grant funds to four park and senior center [improvement projects](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=6cef4568-83c0-4216-a113-582706086519.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) — including skatepark upgrades, senior center flooring, pool room rehabilitation, and park lighting — in lower-income neighborhoods across three city wards. ([item 48](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5393-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a4722a3f395e7482d0016db-48-approve-amendment-to-fiscal-year-2025-2026-uni?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Board of Public Utilities The Board of Public Utilities meets on Monday, July 13, at 6:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1423814&GUID=65FBC19D-B38A-4C0C-9941-225E8916EDDD&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review a [resolution](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=dba0f7be-b8c5-465a-8a24-c5e23f5f7044.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to close the WA-12 Agricultural Service Water Rate Schedule to new customers, retroactive to September 2025 ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5391-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a45b7367d7965d57400a725-2-public-hearing-to-receive-public-input-related?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), consider a recommendation to City Council for a five-year $1.7 million [agreement](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=b7269c60-3e96-4a70-b354-a70c72af340d.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for emissions testing and environmental consulting services at three city power plants ([item 8](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5391-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a45b7377d7965d57400a72e-8-recommend-city-council-approve-professional-con?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Cultural Heritage Board The Cultural Heritage Board meets on Wednesday, July 15, at 3:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1427786&GUID=C3109C02-D6CB-4DB7-9858-F516D31ED3E5&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review a second-quarter [report](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=864c611a-cee4-480c-8584-457d7d079d14.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on the city's historic preservation activity ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5398-cultural-heritage-board-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a4ecba7f395e77a6a00d8c4-3-2nd-quarter-report-on-historic-preservation-act?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and to discuss a proposed [Point of Cultural Interest program](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=6003ac95-d95a-439e-906e-add495e670c4.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that would create a designation and signage system for sites of cultural significance in Riverside ([item 7](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5398-cultural-heritage-board-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a4ecba7f395e77a6a00d8ca-7-point-of-cultural-interest-program?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Planning Commission The Planning Commission meets on Thursday, July 16, at 9 a.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1416320&GUID=5A31597D-86DD-498C-B016-0CD4DD37AADD&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review a [proposal](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=ecda0d11-cea6-4051-bfe9-fd00907ef4d3.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to subdivide a 2-acre Mary Street property into 10 single-family lots as part of a planned residential development in Ward 4 ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5392-planning-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a46a1eb4425385b52000ca8-3-planning-case-pc-2025-00983-tm-prd-dr-propos?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and to review a [proposal](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=49e8429a-f62d-406b-bdd9-7028f90f3028.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to subdivide a 9.88-acre site near Alhambra Avenue and La Sierra Avenue into 56 single-family lots in Ward 7 ([item 4](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5392-planning-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a46a1eb4425385b52000ca9-4-planning-case-pr-2024-001711-tm-prd-dr-propo?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### 🗞️ Riverside News- July 12, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-july-12-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:46.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-25.jpg) ****First Raincross scavenger hunt submission is in, and it's a good one.** Cambry Pardee took the City with him all the way to London, England, in the form of a Raincross tattoo. Talk about permanent Riverside pride. **Got your own Raincross sighting?* [Send your photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com), the location, and how you found it. We'll keep featuring submissions all summer. **Sunday Gazette: July 12, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday!** Today is National Simplicity Day, a nod to Henry David Thoreau and his idea that life gets better when we clear out the clutter and focus on what actually matters. No grand gestures needed: maybe it's a slower cup of coffee, a walk without your phone, or just letting the to-do list wait an hour. Whatever your Sunday looks like, we hope there's a little room in it for simple. See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260712)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260712&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [FROM THE KITCHEN GARDEN](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/gardening/) ## July, The Summer Abundance Edition Tips on what to plant, when to pick, and what to watch out for in your home garden. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-28.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-the-kitchen-garden-july-the-summer-abundance-edition/) July is the month when Riverside gardens either thrive or struggle, and the difference often comes down to water management. Tomatoes are producing by the basketful, peppers are finally hitting their stride, and zucchini seems determined to take over the entire garden. At the same time, our intense summer heat can stress plants quickly if irrigation isn't adjusted. If your plants are wilting in the afternoon but perk back up by evening, that's often just a normal response to the heat. If they're still wilted the following morning, it's time to increase your watering. One of the most common questions I'm getting right now is about shade cloth. It can be an excellent tool during extreme heat waves, especially when temperatures climb above 100°F for several days. Shade cloth helps reduce sunburn on tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers while lowering overall plant stress. However, using it too early or leaving it up all summer can actually reduce flowering and slow production. Tomatoes and peppers still need plenty of sunlight to produce a good harvest. If your garden receives morning sun and temperatures are staying in the 90s, I'd skip the shade cloth for now. Save it for those true heat events when the forecast is calling for several consecutive days of triple-digit temperatures. Like most things in gardening, there are trade-offs. Too much shade can lead to lower yields, slower ripening, and weaker plant growth. On the other hand, the right amount of temporary shade during a heat wave can help prevent blossom drop, sunscald, and severe heat stress. Think of shade cloth as a seasonal tool, not a permanent part of your garden. If you're unsure what will work best in your space, try experimenting. Shade only half of your garden for a couple of weeks and compare the results. Watch the differences in plant stress, fruit production, and overall growth. One of the things I love most about gardening is that there isn't just one right way to do it. Every garden is different, and sometimes the best teacher is simply trying something new. And here's the funny part — even if you figure out exactly what works this year, next season may throw you an entirely different challenge! [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-the-kitchen-garden-july-the-summer-abundance-edition/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260712) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600712&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CREATIVE PROMPTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/creative-prompts/) ## Crumdiddlyumptious A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns. [![brown round cookie on white surface](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1597733153203-a54d0fbc47de?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDN8fGNydW1ic3xlbnwwfHx8fDE3ODM2OTkzMjh8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/crumdiddlyumptious/) Photo by [Vyshnavi Bisani](https://unsplash.com/@vyshnavibisani?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) Now that the smoke has cleared from Mt Rubidoux and the cake’s been consumed, let’s return to a more traditional creative nudge. This week, we turn our attention to…breadcrumbs. I never use the singular “breadcrumb.” A breadcrumb alone is barely a thing. Solo it can pass itself off as lint or a grain of sand. Breadcrumbs really thrive in groups. They gather on cutting boards (why am I the only person in the house that cleans them), in toaster trays (again, does anyone else know these can be cleaned out), and carried on shirt fronts. This makes them perfectly findable for creative contemplation. I know breadcrumbs well because I eat buttered sourdough toast as a late night snack. Not every night, because I am a person of discipline and restraint. Just nearly every night, which is completely different. Sourdough toast is one of life’s reliable pleasures: crisp, aromatic, and gone too soon. The crumbs remain, where they wait to become evidence or creative prompt. Breadcrumbs are excellent metaphors. They suggest clues, paths, memory, and shoddy housekeeping. We leave breadcrumbs when we want to find our way back. We follow breadcrumbs when we’re trying to understand how we got here in the first place. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/crumdiddlyumptious/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260712)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260712&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## This Week in Riverside This is just a sample of what's happening around town — [visit our full community calendar for more](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/). ### Save the Date - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### From the Kitchen Garden: July, The Summer Abundance Edition URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-the-kitchen-garden-july-the-summer-abundance-edition/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:04:23.000Z July is the month when Riverside gardens either thrive or struggle, and the difference often comes down to water management. Tomatoes are producing by the basketful, peppers are finally hitting their stride, and zucchini seems determined to take over the entire garden. At the same time, our intense summer heat can stress plants quickly if irrigation isn't adjusted. If your plants are wilting in the afternoon but perk back up by evening, that's often just a normal response to the heat. If they're still wilted the following morning, it's time to increase your watering. One of the most common questions I'm getting right now is about shade cloth. It can be an excellent tool during extreme heat waves, especially when temperatures climb above 100°F for several days. Shade cloth helps reduce sunburn on tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers while lowering overall plant stress. However, using it too early or leaving it up all summer can actually reduce flowering and slow production. Tomatoes and peppers still need plenty of sunlight to produce a good harvest. If your garden receives morning sun and temperatures are staying in the 90s, I'd skip the shade cloth for now. Save it for those true heat events when the forecast is calling for several consecutive days of triple-digit temperatures. Like most things in gardening, there are trade-offs. Too much shade can lead to lower yields, slower ripening, and weaker plant growth. On the other hand, the right amount of temporary shade during a heat wave can help prevent blossom drop, sunscald, and severe heat stress. Think of shade cloth as a seasonal tool, not a permanent part of your garden. If you're unsure what will work best in your space, try experimenting. Shade only half of your garden for a couple of weeks and compare the results. Watch the differences in plant stress, fruit production, and overall growth. One of the things I love most about gardening is that there isn't just one right way to do it. Every garden is different, and sometimes the best teacher is simply trying something new. And here's the funny part — even if you figure out exactly what works this year, next season may throw you an entirely different challenge! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-03-at-4.03.15---PM.png) Shade cloth on Kim's home garden in 2024 during a stretch of over a week of 100+ degree heat. (Kim Malstrom) And if you're suddenly wondering what to do with all those tomatoes... congratulations! July is salsa season. This is the perfect time to make fresh pico de gallo, caprese salads, tomato sandwiches, roasted tomato sauce, stuffed peppers, zucchini bread, grilled vegetables, and freezer-ready pasta sauces. Enjoy the abundance now, and don't forget to preserve a little of summer to enjoy long after the season has passed. ### What Are We Picking? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-03-at-4.04.45---PM.png) Tomato bounty from Kim's home garden. (Kim Malstrom) **Vegetables:** Tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, green beans, eggplant, basil, Swiss chard, kale **Herbs:** Basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley, mint, lemon balm, sage **Flowers:** Zinnias, sunflowers, cosmos, marigolds, dahlias **Fruits:** Peaches, figs, blackberries, strawberries, early apples, citrus **A Note About Stone Fruit:** If you're wondering where the peaches, nectarines, plums, and apricots are this year, you're not alone. Many Riverside gardeners, including me, won't be harvesting any stone fruit this summer. Our unusually warm winter didn't provide enough chill hours (temperatures below 40°F) for many trees to set flower buds. No chill hours means no blooms, no blooms means no fruit, and no fruit means some very sad gardeners! If your tree stayed healthy but never bloomed this spring, the weather, not you, is to blame. ### What Are We Planting? July is not the time to give up on planting. While many gardeners assume planting season is over, Riverside's long growing season allows us to continue adding warm-season crops for a fall harvest. Focus on heat-loving vegetables and keep beds full to prevent weeds from moving in. **Plant now:** Tomato transplants, pepper transplants, green beans (seeds), onions (transplants), garlic (save for fall if possible), basil, eggplant, sweet potatoes, summer squash, melons, and even corn. Remove tired cucumbers, lettuce, broccoli, celery, and other cool-season crops that are struggling in the heat. Add compost, refresh mulch, and immediately replant empty spaces. Remember: open soil invites weeds into your garden. Bush beans or radishes are easy fillers! ### What to Watch Out For **Leaf-Footed Bugs** These large brown insects love tomatoes and pomegranates and can quickly damage ripening fruit. Look for rows of bronze-colored eggs on stems and leaves, along with orange-red nymphs gathering in clusters. *Solution:*Hand-remove egg clusters whenever you find them. Knock nymphs into a bucket of soapy water before they mature. Early intervention makes a huge difference because adults are much harder to control. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-03-at-4.06.19---PM.png) The three life stages of the leaf-footed bug — adult, nymph, and eggs. Don't ignore this pest if you spot it; early action is essential. **Blossom Drop** When temperatures consistently exceed 95°F, tomatoes and peppers may drop flowers instead of setting fruit. *Solution:* Maintain consistent moisture, mulch heavily, and use shade cloth only during extreme heat events. Production often resumes once temperatures moderate. **Spider Mites** Hot, dry weather creates ideal conditions for spider mites. Leaves may appear dusty, stippled, or bronzed, with fine webbing visible underneath. *Solution:* Spray leaf undersides with a strong stream of water several times per week and avoid letting plants become drought stressed. ### Gardener's To-Do List - Adjust irrigation schedules by increasing watering frequency during heat waves while still watering deeply to encourage strong root systems. - Mulch exposed soil with 2–3 inches of compost, straw, or shredded leaves to reduce evaporation and keep roots cooler. - Harvest tomatoes, squash, and beans frequently to encourage continued production throughout summer. - Inspect plants twice weekly for leaf-footed bug eggs and nymphs and remove them before populations explode. - Remove exhausted cool-season crops such as lettuce, cucumbers, broccoli, and celery, then replant warm-season vegetables immediately. - Install shade cloth only when necessary during prolonged periods above 100°F or when plants show signs of severe heat stress. July is all about maintaining momentum. Your spring work is paying off now, and a little maintenance goes a long way toward keeping your garden productive through the hottest months of the year. ## Closing Tip Riverside gardeners have one major advantage: our growing season is far from over. While many parts of the country are winding down, we're still planting, harvesting, and planning for another productive season ahead. **Pro tip:** If your tomatoes are producing faster than you can eat them, wash, core, and freeze them whole. When you're ready to make sauce later, the skins slip right off after thawing. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-03-at-4.07.49---PM.png) Kim prunes a zucchini plant during a coaching session, demonstrating proper maintenance techniques to help clients grow healthy, productive gardens. (Kim Malstrom) If you need help in your garden this summer, I'd be honored to work alongside you. At Kitchen Gardens by Kim, I design, install, and teach vegetable gardens for beginners and families right here in Riverside. Whether it's one simple pot on a patio or multiple raised beds in your backyard, I believe everyone can grow food in the space they have. As a Riverside-based small business, I'm passionate about teaching as many people as possible how to grow fresh, healthy food at home. Remember that gardening is a marathon, not a sprint. Keep harvesting, keep planting, and don't be afraid of the summer heat — it brings some of the best harvests of the entire year. 🌿🍅☀️ ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-03-at-4.09.27---PM.png) Despite its modest size, Karen Hawkins' kitchen garden is filled with thriving plants, demonstrating the productivity of a well-planned raised-bed garden. **More information:* Kim Malstrom designs, installs, and teaches vegetable gardens for beginners and families in Riverside. To learn more, visit* [*kitchengardensbykim.com*](https://kitchengardensbykim.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*or follow along on Instagram at* [*@kitchengardensbykim*](https://www.instagram.com/kitchengardensbykim/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### Crumdiddlyumptious URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/crumdiddlyumptious/ Last updated: 2026-07-11T12:00:57.000Z Welcome back, you independently oriented sensory explorers! [Last week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/independent-streak/), we celebrated America’s 250th birthday by letting the Fourth of July light up more than the sky. Did you invent a mood enhancing fragrance from sunscreen, barbecue smoke, and lite beer? Did you record a cooler lid concerto or move your arms like fireworks disappearing into the dark? Even if all you did was eat a hot dog while silently judging someone else’s flag-themed swim trunks, I hope the big celebration gave your senses a reason to cry “freedom!” Now that the smoke has cleared from Mt Rubidoux and the cake’s been consumed, let’s return to a more traditional creative nudge. This week, we turn our attention to…breadcrumbs. I never use the singular “breadcrumb.” A breadcrumb alone is barely a thing. Solo it can pass itself off as lint or a grain of sand. Breadcrumbs really thrive in groups. They gather on cutting boards (why am I the only person in the house that cleans them), in toaster trays (again, does anyone else know these can be cleaned out), and carried on shirt fronts. This makes them perfectly findable for creative contemplation. I know breadcrumbs well because I eat buttered sourdough toast as a late night snack. Not every night, because I am a person of discipline and restraint. Just nearly every night, which is completely different. Sourdough toast is one of life’s reliable pleasures: crisp, aromatic, and gone too soon. The crumbs remain, where they wait to become evidence or creative prompt. Breadcrumbs are excellent metaphors. They suggest clues, paths, memory, and shoddy housekeeping. We leave breadcrumbs when we want to find our way back. We follow breadcrumbs when we’re trying to understand how we got here in the first place. The most famous breadcrumb story? *Hansel and Gretel*. The Brothers Grimm gave us one of the stickiest images in literature: children dropping breadcrumbs through the forest to find their way home. The breadcrumbs failed because birds ate them. I actually forgot that detail until I had ChatGPT do some digging. That’s a detail worth recalling…sometimes our best laid plans are just a meal (or source material) to someone else. What I don’t understand is why we cannot reverse engineer a pile of breadcrumbs back into a fresh loaf. The alchemy to turn toast dust into tomorrow’s breakfast has eluded the greatest minds of the 21st century. While science sets about solving real problems, shake out that toaster, then follow the trail left by these crumby little nudges: **1\. Crumbscape:** Unplug your toaster. Now clean out the crumb tray. Spread the crumbs across a piece of paper, a plate, or a paper towel. Study the colors: pale gold, deep brown, beyond-burnt black. Arrange them into an abstract landscape or pattern. Photograph it before a breeze, ants, or a tidy family member critiques your masterpiece. **2\. Toasty Tracks:** Crush toast over a plate. Shake crumbs across wax paper. Scrape off those burnt edges. Shake a jar filled with croutons to keep the crumbs off the counter. Make a bossa nova breakfast beat, a ballad for burnt toast, or a soundtrack for a midnight snack. **3\. Snack Attract:** Toast a piece of bread and let the smell do its work. Before eating, write down the first three memories the smell brings up. Breakfast before the bus? A diner? That time at the hotel when someone took your bagel off that conveyer belt contraption? Turn one memory into a short paragraph, poem, or voice memo. **4\. Other Toasty Tracks:** Create a tiny breadcrumb trail indoors or outside and make it your performance stage. Use the trail to lead yourself or someone else to a small creative surprise: a drawing, flower, or maybe a broom and dustpan. Then consider the trails you already leave behind. What would someone learn by following your breadcrumbs through a day? What are you trying to find your way back to? Creativity doesn’t always arrive as a full loaf, warm and perfect from the oven. Sometimes it shows up scattered, uneven, and stuck to the counter. Breadcrumbs remind us we leave proof of our path everywhere we go, and some of it gets eaten by birds. This week, let the crumbs remain for a few extra minutes. Study what’s left behind. Follow the trail. Make the mess useful before you sweep it away. This column was written with help from ChatGPT, a tool trained to turn pieces of words into entirely new sentences. ### Council Swears in Hernandez to Represent Ward 6, Appoints Interim City Manager URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-swears-in-hernandez-to-represent-ward-6-appoints-interim-city-manager/ Last updated: 2026-07-14T23:45:45.000Z The City Council officially welcomed its newest member on July 7, swearing in Luis Hernandez to represent Ward 6 after certifying the results of the June 2 municipal election—and later, unanimously appointing Edward Enriquez as Riverside's interim city manager. Hernandez, who [won the Ward 6 race outright](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/luis-hernandez-to-be-sworn-in-as-ward-6-councilmember/) with more than 50 percent of the vote in the June election, was sworn into office during a special City Council meeting by state Sen. Sabrina Cervantes. The council first unanimously adopted a resolution certifying the results of the June 2 election, formally declaring Hernandez the winner. Hernandez was the only City Council candidate elected outright in the June 2 election after receiving just over 50 percent of the vote. The city's [other council races](https://voteinfo.net/sites/g/files/aldnop371/files/ElectionResults/2026/Jun26/ElectionSummaryReportRPT%5FJune022026%5FFinal-Certified-Results.pdf?ref=raincrossgazette.com) will be decided in November. In Ward 2, Gracie Torres and Aram Ayra advanced to the general election after receiving 37.99 percent and 35.72 percent of the vote, respectively. In Ward 4, incumbent Chuck Conder led the field with 45.63 percent and will face Rich Vandenberg, who received 28.34 percent, in the Nov. 3 runoff. The ceremony drew a crowded council chamber with supporters celebrating Hernandez's victory. Several speakers during public comment congratulated Hernandez and characterized his election as an important moment for Ward 6. Resident Aurora Chavez said she was pleased the ward would have official representation and expressed hope the city would embrace positive changes. "I'm so happy that Luis Hernandez won," Chavez said. "We have representation now." Resident Nancy Jimenez described Hernandez as "an amazing steward of goodwill" and said his decisive victory reflected strong community support. "You got a good one," Jimenez told the council. Pete Benavidez reflected on Hernandez's years of community involvement and said voters had chosen "a homegrown guy who loves this town, who loves his neighborhood." After taking the oath of office, Hernandez thanked supporters, volunteers, family members and elected officials who backed his campaign, describing the effort as more than an election. "This journey wasn't just about a race. It wasn't just about a city council seat," Hernandez said. "...this turned into a movement that brought a lot of people together from different wards, different organizations, unions, community groups \[and\] leaders who all had a desire to make a positive change here in Riverside." Hernandez specifically thanked his partner, children, campaign volunteers and local leaders, including Supervisor Jose Medina, Council member Clarissa Cervantes and Sen. Sabrina Cervantes, saying their endorsements helped build momentum for his campaign. "As the underdog in this race, I couldn't have done it without all of you, without the community," Hernandez said. "You invested a lot of time, energy and more importantly, your trust. And I take that very seriously and will do my best to keep my promises and follow through with everything that we did in the campaign." Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson welcomed Hernandez to the dais, calling the swearing-in a special occasion for the city. "We don't get to do that too often, so it's a fun night for us too," the mayor said at the start of the meeting. Following the ceremony, the council recessed into closed session. When the meeting reconvened, Council member Chuck Conder announced the council had unanimously appointed Edward Enriquez from acting city manager to interim city manager, effective immediately. Enriquez had been serving as acting city manager following the [departure of former City Manager Mike Futrell](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/futrell-steps-down-as-city-manager-as-wife-settles-defamation-claim-against-city/), who voluntarily resigned from his position June 16, agreeing to release all claims against the city after conflict between city leaders and his wife, entrepreneur Susan Freeman. ### Tonight's the Night: Full Circle Players' Twelfth Night Tour Hits Riverside Parks URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tonights-the-night-full-circle-players-twelfth-night-tour-hits-riverside-parks/ Last updated: 2026-07-14T12:00:42.000Z Riverside's very own California Citrus State Historic Park and Fairmount Park will host Shakespeare's classic comedy, Twelfth Night, this July. Twelfth Night continues tonight and Saturday at the California Citrus State Historic Park, with doors opening at 7 p.m. Fairmount Park will hold the play Thursday, July 16, and Friday, July 17, with doors opening at 7 p.m. Riverside's production of Twelfth Night is being put on by the [Full Circle Players](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/full-circle-players-to-debut-the-tempest-at-california-citrus-state-historic-park/). The Full Circle Players is a local nonprofit theater company, spearheaded by Wendi Johnson, that specializes in producing plays on a range of scales. Twelfth Night is a part of the free Shakespeare in the Park tour. The tour will make its final stops at The Sun City Civic Association Amphitheater in Menifee on Friday, July 24, and Lake Perris State Park on Saturday, July 25\. Shakespeare on a nice summer night under the stars was the way it was meant to be seen. The summer of 2026 will be the fourth summer the Full Circle Players have been producing Shakespearean theater. Johnson founded the theater company with the intentions of "Making theater and arts easily accessible to the Inland Empire." Johnson loves her community as she serves as the theater director at Henry J. Kaiser High School. This year, Johnson is putting on her educator hat to lead a youth Shakespeare theater camp. The youth program is funded by community donations, city sponsorship, and an arts & parks grant. This means the campers can pay what they can. "Money should never be a reason to not participate in something that interests you," says Johnson. Camp will take place at the California Citrus State Historic Park from July 6-10, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The five days at camp will be devoted to preparing the campers to perform their own rendition of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night on July 10. Johnson knew she had to launch a youth theater camp for this summer: "Theater gives children an opportunity to gain confidence; kids are able to come out of their shells and make new friends through theater." The first day, each camper learned the story of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Johnson will guide the children in devising their own interpretation of the play through various activities that help them flesh out their own version of the story. One of the first activities had the campers doing acting exercises with puppetry. Playing with puppets in a theater setting will teach them how to create their own character and stay focused while in character. The puppets will help campers develop their own characters that could fit into the Twelfth Night story. This is one of many activities designed to enhance the camper's creative senses. There were more than a dozen kids participating on the first day of camp. Amy Lopez, 13, describes the camp, "I joined because I wanted to learn my first piece of Shakespeare. It's great here, and I'm already making new friends." Full Circle Players are providing a safe space for theater kids to meet peers who share their passion. Twelfth Night will be performed by a troupe of local actors selected through auditions held by the Full Circle Players. Auditions were in April, finding local theater actors Stephanie Yglesias, Cigourney Vielman, Julian Carasco, and many more. Rehearsals kicked off in May to prepare for the July shows. The play is a big celebration of life, filled with laughter and love. To keep up that positive energy, actors will interact with the audience by dancing with them. The audience will feel that they have a role to play in the show. At every performance, there will be a pre-show before the performance of Twelfth Night. Most of the pre-shows will have a local artist entertaining the crowd. On July 10, the devised interpretation of Twelfth Night, performed by the youthful campers, will be the pre-show treat. The camp performance will start at 6:30 p.m. on July 10\. Every show this July will offer free entry, and attendees are encouraged to bring friends, family, dogs, and a picnic. **More information:* Twelfth Night is free and open to the public. Performances continue tonight and Saturday at California Citrus State Historic Park, followed by July 16-17 at Fairmount Park, July 24 at Sun City Civic Association Amphitheater in Menifee, and July 25 at Lake Perris State Park in Perris, with doors opening at 7 p.m. each night. Details:* [*fullcircleplayers.com*](http://fullcircleplayers.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* *By Maxen Olvera* ### 🗞️ Riverside News- July 6, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-28-2026-copy/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:48.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/Red-tailed_hawk_over_Riverside-1.jpg) A red-tailed hawk perches on a boulder atop Mt. Rubidoux, with downtown Riverside spread out below. (Dan Torres) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Monday Gazette: July 6, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday!** Quick reminder: the newsroom is on a short summer break this week, so there won't be a newsletter Tuesday, July 7 through Saturday, July 11\. See you back here on the 12th! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260706)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260706&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## This Week in City Hall: July 6, 2026 Council certifies election results, seats a new member, and weighs an interim city manager; Finance Committee eyes investment policy and fiscal health. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-26-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-july-6-2026/) Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### City Council City Council will hold a special meeting in closed and open sessions on Tuesday, July 7, in an evening session at 6:15 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1423680&GUID=36833B81-1C67-4FCB-ADA4-3E150B81DDE2&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). The agenda includes: - Adopting resolutions [certifying the June 2026 election results](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15664977&GUID=D1041F40-2922-4CBF-9ADE-B8ADFED7A120&ref=raincrossgazette.com) and calling a runoff election for the Second and Fourth Ward council seats to be held November 3, 2026, since no candidate won a majority in those races. (item 2) - Swearing in Luis Hernandez as the newly elected Ward 6 councilmember. (item 3) - Discussing in closed session the [appointment of an interim City Manager](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15660723&GUID=E2427A5B-B2B1-4981-A86D-8809882DE7AA&ref=raincrossgazette.com). (item 4) ### Finance Committee The Finance Committee (Councilmembers Hemenway, Robillard, and Falcone) meets on Wednesday, July 8, at 3:00 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1423379&GUID=A24D28CC-18A7-4494-9C36-730F52690197&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review proposed updates to the [city's investment policy](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15656448&GUID=6B8E2147-8F9A-4E21-8391-A04CF73B00C0&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that extend allowable holding periods for certain short-term investments ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5386-finance-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a3ec476f395e740af001812-2-investment-portfolio-performance-market-and-po?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and reviewing a set of [financial health indicators](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15656266&GUID=8CEBDB5A-C600-4083-9D33-C583656739C3&ref=raincrossgazette.com) comparing Riverside's fiscal condition, credit ratings, and income levels to similar California cities ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5386-finance-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a3ec476f395e740af001813-3-assessing-citys-financial-health-maintain-fi?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-july-6-2026/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260706)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260706&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [FROM THE MAYOR'S DESK](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/mayors-desk/) ## Opinion: Riverside, State Lawmakers Target Missing Middle Housing to Boost Homeownership Mayor Lock Dawson points to nearly 3,000 homes in the pipeline and backs AB 1903 as tools to close Riverside's homeownership gap. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/Aerial-Photos-April-2025-170-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-riverside-state-lawmakers-target-missing-middle-housing-to-boost-homeownership/) (Courtesy of the Office of Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson) As Mayor of Riverside, I hear from families, working professionals, and recent graduates-(including my own children!) who are asking the same question: Will I ever be able to afford a home in the community I love? For generations, the California Dream included the opportunity to buy a home, build equity, and put down roots. Today, for too many that dream feels increasingly out of reach with only [55.3%](https://usafacts.org/answers/what-is-the-homeownership-rate/state/california/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) of households in California owning their home and homeownership in Riverside faring slightly better with a 56.3% homeownership rate. That’s far less than the 63.5% national rate. One of the biggest barriers is that California stopped building enough starter homes. The state's "missing middle" housing: condominiums, townhomes, and other ownership opportunities that bridge the gap between renting and purchasing a single-family home. These have become increasingly difficult to build due to rising costs but also legal uncertainty and regulatory complexity. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-riverside-state-lawmakers-target-missing-middle-housing-to-boost-homeownership/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260706) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260706&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Board of Ethics Considers Overhaul of Complaint Process Board members say the changes, still in early discussion, aim to reduce political influence over ethics investigations. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-27-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-considers-overhaul-of-ethics-complaint-process/) Board of Ethics Vice Chair Luis Hernandez during the board's July 2 meeting, where members discussed proposed reforms to the city's ethics complaint process. (File photo/Raincross Gazette) The **Board of Ethics** is weighing charter changes that would shield preliminary complaints from public view. **Why it matters:** If you've filed — or plan to file — an ethics complaint against a council member, early reviews could soon happen behind closed doors before any public hearing. **Driving the news:** An ad hoc committee presented the proposals at the board's July 2 meeting, after members reviewed ethics systems in other cities. - Members stressed the ideas remain in the discussion stage; no formal action was taken. **What's new:** The committee's plan would place the ethics board in the city charter, expand the future inspector general's investigative role, and let pre-hearing reviews stay private. - Charter placement "would basically cement the Board of Ethics" as part of the city, Vice Chair Luis Hernandez said. **Yes, but:** City staff warned the private pre-hearing proposal may conflict with California's Brown Act, which requires open meetings for local governing bodies. - Board member Kathleen Fanning questioned shifting appointment power to the inspector general: "Why wouldn't we be beholden?" **What's next:** The Charter Review Committee, expected to be appointed next year, would decide whether to recommend any changes to the City Council for a future ballot. - The discussion was Hernandez's final meeting on the board; he was elected to the City Council's Ward 6 seat, and Chair Newman has resigned. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-considers-overhaul-of-ethics-complaint-process/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Monday, July 6 - [Animal Kids Camp - Summer Sessions](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/animal-kids-camp-summer-sessions/18779521/2026-07-06T08) at Mary S. Roberts pet Adoption Center ($240) - [BCOE High School Summer Camps](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bcoe-high-school-summer-camps/18974373/2026-07-06T08) at Winston Chung Hall - [Jr Titan Youth Summer Camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/jr-titan-youth-summer-camp/19150092/2026-07-06T08) at Notre Dame High School ($160) - [Volleyball Youth Summer Camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volleyball-youth-summer-camp/19150418/2026-07-06T12) at Notre Dame High School ($160) - [Human Resources Board](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/human-resources-board/19045880/2026-07-06T17) at Riverside City Hall ### Tuesday, July 7 - [ScotSurplus Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/scotsurplus-sale/19040309/2026-07-07T11) at Corporation Yard - [Resume & Cover Letter](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/resume-cover-letter/19240869/2026-07-07T00) at My Learning Studio ($42) - [Money Money Money](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/money-money-money/19240904/2026-07-07T16) at My Learning Studio ($27) - [The Art of Reading & Writing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-art-of-reading-writing/19240974/2026-07-07T16) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [City Council](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/city-council/18431185/2026-07-07T18) at Riverside City Hall - [Reading Comprehension Group](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-comprehension-group/19240809/2026-07-07T10) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Trivia Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/trivia-night/18543070/2026-07-07T19) at Back to the Grind - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-07-07T19) at The Hideaway ### Wednesday, July 8 - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-07-08T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-07-08T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [Essay Writing 8th+](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/essay-writing-8th/19240899/2026-07-08T18) at My Learning Studio ($42) - [Writing Skills](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/writing-skills/19240881/2026-07-08T16) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Finance Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/finance-committee/18642989/2026-07-08T15) at Riverside City Hall - ["I Beg Your Garden" Oops, All Druids (D&D) - Adult Summer Reading Program](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/i-beg-your-garden-oops-all-druids-dd-adult-summer-reading-program/18886270/2026-07-08T18) at Main Library ### Thursday, July 9 - [Miss Nelson is Missing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/miss-nelson-is-missing/19040286/2026-07-09T12) at Landis Performing Arts Center - [Leveraging AI: Stronger Neighborhood Groups with AI](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/leveraging-ai-stronger-neighborhood-groups-with-ai/18954592/2026-07-09T18) at Empire Underground - [The Dead of Summer Author Ryan La Sala and Drag Queen Story Hour Combine!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-dead-of-summer-author-ryan-la-sala-and-drag-queen-story-hour-combine/19180379/2026-07-09T18) at Cellar Door Bookstore ($42.80) - [Paint and Sip -Citrus and Chardonnay - Riverside - One Drink Included](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-and-sip-citrus-and-chardonnay-riverside-one-drink-included/19180380/2026-07-09T18) at ($60.54) ### Friday, July 10 - [Courthouse, Murals, & Heroes Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-heroes-tour/19092616/2026-07-10T15) at Mission Inn Foundation & Museum ($23.18) - [Live Rock en Español classics in Riverside!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/live-rock-en-espaol-classics-in-riverside/19228497/2026-07-10T21) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($12.51) - [Murder Mystery Co. Dinner Theater Show](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/murder-mystery-co-dinner-theater-show/18734751/2026-07-10T19) at The Old Spaghetti Factory ($69) ### Saturday, July 11 - [Low-Cost Vaccination Clinic](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/lowcost-vaccination-clinic/19030194/2026-07-11T09) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($10- $28) - [K-POP Superstars](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/kpop-superstars/18799265/2026-07-11T14) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [Olivewood Cemetery Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/olivewood-cemetery-tour/19228498/2026-07-11T10) at Olivewood Memorial Park ($23.18) - [Painting Pop Stars Comedy Sip and Paint Event](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/painting-pop-stars-comedy-sip-and-paint-event/18114789/2026-07-11T11) at BACK TO THE GRIND ($23.18) - [Reading Foundational Skills (RFS)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-foundational-skills-rfs/19240857/2026-07-11T09) at My Learning Studio ($196) - [Ripperside Cinema Galore Presents: Black Roses](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/ripperside-cinema-galore-presents-black-roses/19180392/2026-07-11T19) at Back to the Grind ($12.51) - [Songs From the Big Screen](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/songs-from-the-big-screen/19088194/2026-07-11T18) at Antioch Church ($7.18) - [Speed Dating for Ages 50+](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/speed-dating-for-ages-50/19180389/2026-07-11T13) at Cactus Cantina ($28.52 - $33.85) - [The Stars and Pipes Forever](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-stars-and-pipes-forever/19188125/2026-07-11T19) at First United Methodist Church of Riverside - [DSB The Tribute to Journey!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/dsb-the-tribute-to-journey/19180393/2026-07-11T21) at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($25.35 - $53.48) ### Sunday, July 12 - [Celebration for Cheech's 80th Birthday!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/celebration-for-cheechs-80th-birthday/19294650/2026-07-12T12) at The Cheech Center for Chicano Art & Culture - [Quiet Mind, Creative Heart](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/quiet-mind-creative-heart/19088195/2026-07-12T13) at Cupid's Coven Wedding Chapel ($44) ### Monday, July 13 - [Basketball Youth Summer Camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/basketball-youth-summer-camp/19150937/2026-07-13T12) at Notre Dame High School ($160) - [Leadership Youth Summer Camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/leadership-youth-summer-camp/19150590/2026-07-13T08) at Notre Dame High School ($160) - [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) ### Tuesday, July 14 - [Study Skills- Test Taking](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/study-skills-test-taking/19240880/2026-07-14T19) at My Learning Studio ($57) ## Save the Date - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### This Week in City Hall: July 6, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-july-6-2026/ Last updated: 2026-07-13T12:00:23.000Z Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### City Council City Council will hold a special meeting in closed and open sessions on Tuesday, July 7, in an evening session at 6:15 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1423680&GUID=36833B81-1C67-4FCB-ADA4-3E150B81DDE2&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). The agenda includes: - Adopting resolutions [certifying the June 2026 election results](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15664977&GUID=D1041F40-2922-4CBF-9ADE-B8ADFED7A120&ref=raincrossgazette.com) and calling a runoff election for the Second and Fourth Ward council seats to be held November 3, 2026, since no candidate won a majority in those races. (item 2) - Swearing in Luis Hernandez as the newly elected Ward 6 council member. (item 3) - Discussing in closed session the [appointment of an interim City Manager](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15660723&GUID=E2427A5B-B2B1-4981-A86D-8809882DE7AA&ref=raincrossgazette.com). (item 4) ### Finance Committee The Finance Committee (Councilmembers Hemenway, Robillard, and Falcone) meets on Wednesday, July 8, at 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1423379&GUID=A24D28CC-18A7-4494-9C36-730F52690197&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review proposed updates to the [city's investment policy](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15656448&GUID=6B8E2147-8F9A-4E21-8391-A04CF73B00C0&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that extend allowable holding periods for certain short-term investments ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5386-finance-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a3ec476f395e740af001812-2-investment-portfolio-performance-market-and-po?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and reviewing a set of [financial health indicators](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15656266&GUID=8CEBDB5A-C600-4083-9D33-C583656739C3&ref=raincrossgazette.com) comparing Riverside's fiscal condition, credit ratings, and income levels to similar California cities ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5386-finance-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a3ec476f395e740af001813-3-assessing-citys-financial-health-maintain-fi?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Opinion: Riverside, State Lawmakers Target Missing Middle Housing to Boost Homeownership URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-riverside-state-lawmakers-target-missing-middle-housing-to-boost-homeownership/ Last updated: 2026-07-12T13:16:57.000Z As Mayor of Riverside, I hear from families, working professionals, and recent graduates-(including my own children!) who are asking the same question: Will I ever be able to afford a home in the community I love? For generations, the California Dream included the opportunity to buy a home, build equity, and put down roots. Today, for too many that dream feels increasingly out of reach with only [55.3%](https://usafacts.org/answers/what-is-the-homeownership-rate/state/california/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) of households in California owning their home and homeownership in Riverside faring slightly better with a 56.3% homeownership rate. That’s far less than the 63.5% national rate. One of the biggest barriers is that California stopped building enough starter homes. The state's "missing middle" housing: condominiums, townhomes, and other ownership opportunities that bridge the gap between renting and purchasing a single-family home. These have become increasingly difficult to build due to rising costs but also legal uncertainty and regulatory complexity. That is why I am proud to have worked with Assemblymember Buffy Wicks and am advocating for her bill, [Assembly Bill 1903](https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca%5F202520260ab1903?ref=raincrossgazette.com). AB 1903 would reduce costly litigation, lower insurance burdens, and help make ownership housing financially feasible again. Most importantly, it would encourage the construction of the kinds of condominiums and townhomes that have long served as an entry point into homeownership for working families. But while we’re working with Sacramento on statewide reforms, Riverside isn’t waiting. We’re moving forward with our own solutions. Our city is actively removing barriers to housing production through innovative local policies such as our [housing density transfer pilot program](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-approves-pilot-program-to-redistribute-unused-housing-capacity-along-university-avenue/), recently adopted [adaptive reuse ordinance](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-developing-first-adaptive-reuse-ordinance-to-convert-empty-buildings-into-housing/), and award-winning [Vehicle Miles Traveled Mitigation Bank program](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-vmt-bank-earns-regional-sustainability-award/), all designed to streamline development and create more housing opportunities faster. We are also investing in innovative solutions to help expand missing middle housing opportunities. Riverside recently developed pre-approved duplex and bungalow housing plans that will be available to property owners free of charge, reducing design costs and making it easier to add housing in existing neighborhoods. These types of homes help bridge the gap between renting and homeownership and create more attainable options for working families and first-time buyers. And we are building. Across Riverside, more than 400 affordable housing units are currently in the development pipeline, including housing for working families, seniors, individuals experiencing homelessness, and those transitioning into permanent housing. Projects like Mulberry Gardens, just outside downtown, will provide homes for more than 200 working families and seniors. Developments like Sunrise at Bogart in the Five Points neighborhood pair permanent supportive housing with on-site services, helping residents achieve long-term stability. But affordable housing is only one part of Riverside's broader housing strategy. Altogether, nearly 3,000 homes are under construction, entitled, or proposed across the city, including market-rate neighborhoods, townhomes, condominiums, and mixed-use developments that expand opportunities for first-time homebuyers and growing families. Projects like The Exchange on the Northside are transforming underutilized sites into vibrant mixed-use neighborhoods with new housing, retail, and community spaces. At the former Sears site, a planned redevelopment will bring approximately 80 townhomes and more than 300 additional residential units to the heart of the city. New student housing developments downtown are also helping meet the needs of our growing university population while supporting a more vibrant, walkable urban core. Together, these projects reflect Riverside's commitment to creating housing at every income level and every stage of life ensuring that young professionals can build their careers here, families can put down roots, and longtime residents can continue to call Riverside home. Homeownership remains one of the most important pathways to economic stability and generational wealth. If California wants to retain its workforce, support its economy, and keep the next generation here, we must make it easier to build the missing middle housing that has long served as the foundation of attainable homeownership. State reforms like AB 1903 and local action in cities like Riverside must work hand in hand. Together, they can help restore the promise of homeownership. But housing is only one part of the conversation. In communities across California, we must also address the challenges facing those who have already lost housing and are struggling to regain stability. In my next column, I will discuss Riverside's approach to homelessness and why creating pathways out of homelessness is just as important as creating pathways into homeownership. In Riverside, we are committed to doing both. ### The Sesquicentennial in Riverside: 1926's Most Talked-About Fourth URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-sesquicentennial-in-riverside-1926s-most-talked-about-fourth/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:04:25.000Z From June 1 to December 31, 1926, the United States celebrated 150 years of American Independence. The main Sesquicentennial Celebration took place in Philadelphia and featured an International Exposition. President Calvin Coolidge delivered a speech on July 5, 1926, at the Philadelphia site, emphasizing the principles of the Declaration of Independence. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/1-Sesquicentennial.jpg) Ad for the Sesquicentennial in Philadelphia Celebrations transpired across the nation, especially around the Fourth of July. Riverside and its people joined in commemorating our country's 150th anniversary with events, especially on July 5\. Merchants used the event to tie together their businesses with the historical occasion. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/2-Riverside_Daily_Press_1926-07-03_5.jpg) Ad for Security Savings Bank in the July 3, 1926, issue of the **Riverside Daily Press* With July 4 falling on a Sunday, some local ministers joined in by preaching sermons connected to the celebration. Dr. W. C. Selleck of All Souls Universalist Church spoke on "The Achievement of American Independence," focusing on the works of Thomas Jefferson. G. H. Hillmer, pastor at Immanuel Lutheran, delivered a sermon titled "Why We Love Our Country." Calvary Presbyterian Church and the First Congregational Church held a joint union service that Sunday morning with patriotic music and a sermon. On Sunday evening at the Y.M.C.A. city-wide patriotic service featured representatives from many of the Riverside churches with music beginning with "America" and ending with the "Star-Spangled Banner." Dr. Ira W. Barnett of Calvary Presbyterian delivered the sermon on "The Patriotism of Jesus." The main celebratory events occurred on Monday, July 5, with what the *Daily Press* called "one of the most interesting celebrations that has been held in Riverside for many years." But even before that, Fairmount Park was filled with picnickers and vendors selling ripe watermelons, hot dogs, ham sandwiches, and cold bottles of soda. The row boats on Fairmount Lake were in continuous use, so much so that the lake "nearly achieved waves so vigorously was it stirred by the oars of those piloting the fleet." The plunge was described as one big splash with so many swimmers in attendance. The day's organized events began at 2 p.m. with a Water Carnival on Lake Evans featuring thirty prizes. Competitions were divided for men, women, boys, and girls. The long-distance swim was from the island to the American Legion Clubhouse—diving contests, rowboat races, jostling contests, and life-saving demonstrations. The most entertaining event was a greased pole climb, with only one contestant, Harley Barnum, reaching the top. The Riverside Military Band, under the direction of Gustav Hilverkus, performed two concerts in the Fairmount Park Bandshell, one in the afternoon and one in the evening. Both featured appropriate music, most of which was patriotic. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/4-Military-Band-MofR.jpg) Undated Photo of the Riverside Military Band with Hilverkus standing behind the drum, at the Bandshell. (Courtesy of the Museum of Riverside) The day culminated with fireworks shot off over Lake Evans from in front of the American Legion Hall. The shots over the lake enthralled the spectators who lined the lake and the nearby hills. Set displays lit up in front of the Legion building included images of President Coolidge, the Statue of Liberty, and Old Glory. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/5-Fairchild0042.png) Undated Fireworks Shot over Lake Evans taken by E. N. Fairchild. (Courtesy of the Museum of Riverside) The final act at 10 p.m. was by Roman Warren, the Cowboy Aviator, who earlier that year had captivated Riverside by flying under the Mission Bridge at the base of Mount Rubidoux, and again performed a daredevil flight that delighted the crowd. A report colorfully described the stunt. > Like a comet from the southern sky, so high that the hum of the motor was hardly distinguishable, came the plane with fireworks attached. It made a stream of red and white light against the blackness of the night. Circling downward, Warren brought his plane directly over the park, and then began a series of loops, spins, and rolls which were breath-taking to the crowd as the colorful fire died out, powerful searchlight from the plane illuminated the entire scene — the lake looking like a sheet of silver under its glare, and the crowd on hillsides and lake shores making an unusual picture as people stood with upturned faces to watch the flyer. Then, as suddenly as he had come, Warren extinguished the searchlight and flew away into the night, having added another unique stunt to his list of achievements in the air. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/6-Warren-overRubidoux-RPPC-GW.jpg) Photo of Roman Warren Flying Stunts over Mt. Rubidoux. (Author's Collection) One hundred years ago, on the Sesquicentennial celebration of the United States, the people of Riverside enjoyed a splendid time joining in the festivities of the city. With picnics, contests, music, fireworks, and the stunt flying of Roman Warren, the people did what Riverside does so well — celebrate together a historic event. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- July 5, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-july-5-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:49.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/PXL_20260530_003429688.jpg) A "Take One, Leave One" kindness rock garden invites passersby to share a little joy. (Jennifer O'Farrell) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Sunday Gazette: July 5, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday!** This week will look a little different around here. The newsroom is taking a short summer break, so you won't see a newsletter Tuesday, July 7 through Saturday, July 11\. We'll be back Sunday, July 12 with a light edition, and Monday, July 13 with This Week in City Hall. Consider it a breather, for us and hopefully a little extra sunshine time for you too. Thanks for your support and understanding**.** --- 🧡 Thank you to the Subscribers who became paid supporters this week: Kara Shea and Davis Crohn, Amy Gaines, Patricia D Holub, Karen Jakpor, Jill A Johnson-Young, Christine Martin, Sharon Mateja, Aidan McGloin, Faye Merchant, Riverside Interfaith Council, Joanne Viafora, and Shari Yates. [Your ongoing financial support](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-march-15-2026-2/#/portal/account/plans) is vital to our success in serving Riverside with the news it deserves! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260705)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260705&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HISTORY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/history/) ## The Sesquicentennial in Riverside: 1926's Most Talked-About Fourth From rowboat races on Fairmount Lake to Roman Warren's fireworks-laced flight over Mt. Rubidoux, Riverside marked the nation's 150th birthday in unforgettable fashion. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/3-Riv-Par-3-Map-Case-Fairmount-Park-July-4--1912-Boats-CLD1-795-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-sesquicentennial-in-riverside-1926s-most-talked-about-fourth/) Rowboats on Fairmount Lake from an earlier July 4 celebration in 1912\. (Courtesy of the Riverside Main Library Local History Archives) From June 1 to December 31, 1926, the United States celebrated 150 years of American Independence. The main Sesquicentennial Celebration took place in Philadelphia and featured an International Exposition. President Calvin Coolidge delivered a speech on July 5, 1926, at the Philadelphia site, emphasizing the principles of the Declaration of Independence. Celebrations transpired across the nation, especially around the Fourth of July. Riverside and its people joined in commemorating our country's 150th anniversary with events, especially on July 5\. Merchants used the event to tie together their businesses with the historical occasion. With July 4 falling on a Sunday, some local ministers joined in by preaching sermons connected to the celebration. Dr. W. C. Selleck of All Souls Universalist Church spoke on "The Achievement of American Independence," focusing on the works of Thomas Jefferson. G. H. Hillmer, pastor at Immanuel Lutheran, delivered a sermon titled "Why We Love Our Country." Calvary Presbyterian Church and the First Congregational Church held a joint union service that Sunday morning with patriotic music and a sermon. On Sunday evening at the Y.M.C.A. city-wide patriotic service featured representatives from many of the Riverside churches with music beginning with "America" and ending with the "Star-Spangled Banner." Dr. Ira W. Barnett of Calvary Presbyterian delivered the sermon on "The Patriotism of Jesus." [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-sesquicentennial-in-riverside-1926s-most-talked-about-fourth/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260705)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260705&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [NEIGHBOR OF THE WEEK](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/neighbor-of-the-week/) ## We The People... This Independence Day, we set aside our usual single profile to gather the voices of nine Riversiders: different ages, different roots, different neighborhoods, all reflecting on what this city means to them. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/photo_grid_collage-3.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-we-the-people/) Top row, left to right: Bob Smith, Evelyn Shea, J Pash. Middle row: Jonathan Tejeda, the Reverend Canon Kelli Grace Kurtz, Paul Knopf. Bottom row: Rohini Acharya, Rosy Aranda, Surekha Acharya. (Brenda Flowers) Riverside is not one story. It is eleven relatives resting beneath Mt. Rubidoux, a carriage ride circling the Mission Inn on Christmas Eve, a pole vaulter clearing the bar at Martin Luther King High School, a classroom full of students still teaching their teacher something new. It is a city built by people who came from somewhere else and people whose families have never left, and somehow, we all call it home. This week, in the spirit of the holiday that asks us to remember who "we" actually are, we set aside our usual single Neighbor of the Week and instead gathered the voices of nine Riversiders, different ages, different roots, different corners of the city, and asked them what Riverside means to them, who shaped them, and what they hope comes next. Their answers, together, are a small portrait of a big-little city. [Get to know We The People...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-we-the-people/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260705) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260705&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CREATIVE PROMPTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/creative-prompts/) ## Independent Streak A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns. [![boy wearing American flag print eyeglasses sticking his mouth open](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1483489571097-0ca295ba3d08?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDI5fHw0dGglMjBvZiUyMEp1bHl8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzgzMDMwODY4fDA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/independent-streak/) ([frank mckenna](https://unsplash.com/@frankiefoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) This week, we put down the ruler and pick up something much harder to measure: the sights, smells, and sounds of the Fourth of July. And not just any Fourth of July. This one lands on America’s 250th birthday, which means our nation has officially reached the age where it should start stretching before getting out of bed. Two hundred and fifty years is a lot of history and argument. Maybe that’s why this year’s smells include the usual summer suspects—sunscreen, chlorinated pools, barbecue smoke, fireworks haze—and also, in honor of the semi quincentennial, let’s add birthday cake icing and melting candle wax. That is a load of candles. That is also a serious fire safety concern; it’s not shooting-fireworks-from-a-dry-hillside concerning, but still. [Read and share the complete prompt...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/independent-streak/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Sunday, July 5 - [Special Tours](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/special-tours-heritage-house/19187294/2026-07-05T10) at Riverside Heritage House - [Learn Origami](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/learn-origami/18025240/2026-07-05T11) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [Storytime in the Gardens](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/storytime-in-the-gardens/18025386/2026-07-05T10) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-07-05T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Antenna Releasing Roadshow - Film: Coroner to the Stars](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/antenna-releasing-roadshow-film-coroner-to-the-stars/19240032/2026-07-05T16) at Mission Grove ($12.49) - [Sunday Experiment After Dark](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sunday-experiment-after-dark/14528750/2026-07-05T21) at Downtown Experiment ### Monday, July 6 - [Animal Kids Camp - Summer Sessions](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/animal-kids-camp-summer-sessions/18779521/2026-07-06T08) at Mary S. Roberts pet Adoption Center ($240) - [BCOE High School Summer Camps](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bcoe-high-school-summer-camps/18974373/2026-07-06T08) at Winston Chung Hall - [Jr Titan Youth Summer Camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/jr-titan-youth-summer-camp/19150092/2026-07-06T08) at Notre Dame High School ($160) - [Volleyball Youth Summer Camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volleyball-youth-summer-camp/19150418/2026-07-06T12) at Notre Dame High School ($160) - [Human Resources Board](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/human-resources-board/19045880/2026-07-06T17) at Riverside City Hall ### Tuesday, July 7 - [ScotSurplus Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/scotsurplus-sale/19040309/2026-07-07T11) at Corporation Yard - [Resume & Cover Letter](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/resume-cover-letter/19240869/2026-07-07T00) at My Learning Studio ($42) - [Money Money Money](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/money-money-money/19240904/2026-07-07T16) at My Learning Studio ($27) - [The Art of Reading & Writing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-art-of-reading-writing/19240974/2026-07-07T16) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [City Council](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/city-council/18431185/2026-07-07T18) at Riverside City Hall - [Reading Comprehension Group](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-comprehension-group/19240809/2026-07-07T10) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Trivia Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/trivia-night/18543070/2026-07-07T19) at Back to the Grind - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-07-07T19) at The Hideaway ### Wednesday, July 8 - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-07-08T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-07-08T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [Essay Writing 8th+](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/essay-writing-8th/19240899/2026-07-08T18) at My Learning Studio ($42) - [Writing Skills](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/writing-skills/19240881/2026-07-08T16) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Finance Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/finance-committee/18642989/2026-07-08T15) at Riverside City Hall - ["I Beg Your Garden" Oops, All Druids (D&D) - Adult Summer Reading Program](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/i-beg-your-garden-oops-all-druids-dd-adult-summer-reading-program/18886270/2026-07-08T18) at Main Library ### Thursday, July 9 - [Miss Nelson is Missing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/miss-nelson-is-missing/19040286/2026-07-09T12) at Landis Performing Arts Center - [Leveraging AI: Stronger Neighborhood Groups with AI](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/leveraging-ai-stronger-neighborhood-groups-with-ai/18954592/2026-07-09T18) at Empire Underground - [The Dead of Summer Author Ryan La Sala and Drag Queen Story Hour Combine!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-dead-of-summer-author-ryan-la-sala-and-drag-queen-story-hour-combine/19180379/2026-07-09T18) at Cellar Door Bookstore ($42.80) - [Paint and Sip -Citrus and Chardonnay - Riverside - One Drink Included](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-and-sip-citrus-and-chardonnay-riverside-one-drink-included/19180380/2026-07-09T18) at ($60.54) ### Friday, July 10 - [Courthouse, Murals, & Heroes Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-heroes-tour/19092616/2026-07-10T15) at Mission Inn Foundation & Museum ($23.18) - [Live Rock en Español classics in Riverside!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/live-rock-en-espaol-classics-in-riverside/19228497/2026-07-10T21) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($12.51) - [Murder Mystery Co. Dinner Theater Show](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/murder-mystery-co-dinner-theater-show/18734751/2026-07-10T19) at The Old Spaghetti Factory ($69) ### Saturday, July 11 - [Low-Cost Vaccination Clinic](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/lowcost-vaccination-clinic/19030194/2026-07-11T09) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($10- $28) - [K-POP Superstars](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/kpop-superstars/18799265/2026-07-11T14) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [Olivewood Cemetery Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/olivewood-cemetery-tour/19228498/2026-07-11T10) at Olivewood Memorial Park ($23.18) - [Painting Pop Stars Comedy Sip and Paint Event](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/painting-pop-stars-comedy-sip-and-paint-event/18114789/2026-07-11T11) at BACK TO THE GRIND ($23.18) - [Reading Foundational Skills (RFS)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-foundational-skills-rfs/19240857/2026-07-11T09) at My Learning Studio ($196) - [Ripperside Cinema Galore Presents: Black Roses](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/ripperside-cinema-galore-presents-black-roses/19180392/2026-07-11T19) at Back to the Grind ($12.51) - [Songs From the Big Screen](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/songs-from-the-big-screen/19088194/2026-07-11T18) at Antioch Church ($7.18) - [Speed Dating for Ages 50+](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/speed-dating-for-ages-50/19180389/2026-07-11T13) at Cactus Cantina ($28.52 - $33.85) - [The Stars and Pipes Forever](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-stars-and-pipes-forever/19188125/2026-07-11T19) at First United Methodist Church of Riverside - [DSB The Tribute to Journey!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/dsb-the-tribute-to-journey/19180393/2026-07-11T21) at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($25.35 - $53.48) ## Save the Date - July 6: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-07-06T08) at Community Yoga Center - July 10: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-10T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 11: [The Stars and Pipes Forever](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-stars-and-pipes-forever/19188125/2026-07-11T19) at First United Methodist Church of Riverside - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Neighbor of the Week: We The People... URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-we-the-people/ Last updated: 2026-07-10T16:15:46.000Z Riverside is not one story. It is eleven relatives resting beneath Mt. Rubidoux, a carriage ride circling the Mission Inn on Christmas Eve, a pole vaulter clearing the bar at Martin Luther King High School, a classroom full of students still teaching their teacher something new. It is a city built by people who came from somewhere else and people whose families have never left, and somehow, we all call it home. This week, in the spirit of the holiday that asks us to remember who "we" actually are, we set aside our usual single Neighbor of the Week and instead gathered the voices of nine Riversiders, different ages, different roots, different corners of the city, and asked them what Riverside means to them, who shaped them, and what they hope comes next. Their answers, together, are a small portrait of a big-little city. ### Roots and Inheritance For **Rosy Aranda**, mother, wife, RCC educator, basket weaver, and self-described life-long learner, Riverside is inheritance in the most literal sense. As a little girl, she would go to Evergreen Cemetery with her family, find the resting places of relatives, and sit with them to watch the fireworks. Eleven of her family members rest there now, below the mountain. "Riverside represents a solid foundation built on deep roots," she says, "an inheritance not of my choosing but one I hold close to the core of my being." Knowing her ancestors walked these hills, tended the land, and lived in reciprocity with nature, she says, is a connection she doesn't take for granted. **Surekha Acharya** came to that same inheritance a different way. An immigrant who built her career and raised her family in Riverside, she calls it, without qualification, home, a place she connects with "emotionally." Along the way, she found kinship with people like Rose Mayes, with whom her husband, Lalit Acharya, helped create the Civil Rights Institute, and former Mayor Ron Loveridge, people she says embody the vision and dedication that make Riverside thrive. Her daughter, **Rohini Acharya**, an interdisciplinary dance scholar, practitioner, and educator, inherited that same sense of purpose from her father. "When I think of Riverside, or what Riverside means to me, I think of my dad, Lalit Acharya," she says. "He showed me that Riverside is a community built on relationships, service, opportunity, and the belief that together we can create something extraordinary." Watching him find purpose in serving the city, she says, she's been lucky to see Riverside grow and flourish through his example. ### The People Who Shape a City **Jonathan Tejeda** shapes the city in a literal sense. To him, Riverside feels like home, a place, he says, "where people look out for one another and take pride in where they live." He works in construction, and says the people he's worked alongside have had the biggest impact on him. "Working in construction has taught me the value of hard work, teamwork, and helping build the community one project at a time," he says. "It's rewarding to know that my work helps improve the city for families and future generations." **Paul Knopf**, a pole vaulter at Martin Luther King High School, says simply that Riverside means "friends and family, along with having good food." Asked what shaped him, he doesn't point to a landmark or an institution, he points to his school. "I have grown as a person because of all the people and teachers I have met at school, helping me to become the person I am today." To **the Reverend Canon Kelli Grace Kurtz**, Riverside "epitomizes the feel of community," she says, a city that strives to bring people together and provide for the well-being of its residents, pointing to efforts like the Blue Zone initiative as an example. It's Riverside's interfaith community that has shaped her personally. "Riverside has a vibrant interfaith community, which I find refreshing and hopeful," she says, noting she's especially grateful for the "active and vibrant faithful living" she's found at All Saints Episcopal Church, where she has served as rector for nearly 16 years and been associated with the parish for nearly 28\. She adds that she's thankful most anyone in Riverside can find a community of spirit to belong to. To **J Pash**, of Passion Net Productions, Riverside means "a place of possibilities, progress and culture," he says, one he believes can only reach its potential when businesses, educators, government, and corporations work together. Asked what shaped him, he points to something broader than any one tradition or institution: the sheer range of what the city holds. "Riverside's variety of industries, cultures and traditions is what makes it so unique," he says. He's currently documenting some of that history through profiles of community leaders like Adrian Dell and Carmen Roberts. Through his work building a "PreCTE" pipeline, exposing students as young as fourth grade to creative career paths, he's served more than four hundred students in RUSD alone, working across seven districts and four colleges and universities. ### Traditions That Bind Us **Mother Kelli Grace's** family has always appreciated two major events in Riverside: Fourth of July fireworks watched from Mt. Rubidoux, best seen, she notes, from the All Saints parking lot, and Christmas downtown around the Mission Inn. Her Christmas Eve follows its own well-worn path: early Mass, dinner, and a carriage ride around the Mission Inn for her husband and children while she returns to church for Midnight Mass. It's the same instinct that drew **Rosy Aranda's** family to Evergreen Cemetery as a girl, watching fireworks beside the resting places of relatives. Different traditions, same idea: some of Riverside's most meaningful moments happen in the same handful of places, year after year. ### What They Hope Comes Next Nearly everyone, asked what should carry forward, answered with some version of the same wish: *don't let us lose each other.* **Rosy** hopes the next generation inherits a clean, safe, prosperous Riverside that never loses its "big-little city charm," and if anything must change, she hopes it's a shift toward valuing people over progress. **Surekha** already sees that hope taking shape in the young people she's met through her classroom and community, whose "spirit to build and carry on the values of inclusiveness, openness to innovation" she says defines the city's ethos. **Rohini** hopes to help build "a community where people know their neighbors, welcome newcomers, and embrace new ideas." **Paul** hopes his generation grows enough to admit its faults, and that Riverside makes real progress on homelessness. **Mother Kelli Grace** hopes for the same, in more pointed terms: better relationships between police and the community, and solutions for those experiencing homelessness "that respect dignity and provide healing," alongside a hope that Riverside can heal from the "rancor and toxic public discord" of recent years, without losing sight of caring for creation and neighbor alike. **J Pash** hopes the next generation inherits Riverside's professionalism and poise, while he does his own part now: "bringing the unity back to CommUnity. No gatekeeping, but being a resource to those who need it." And **Jonathan** hopes the next generation inherits Riverside's strong sense of community and respect, and keeps finding new ways to make the city "even better," with more opportunities for young people and a welcome that extends to everyone. *Neighbor of the Week is our way of celebrating the hidden heroes of Riverside—those who go above and beyond to make our community stronger, kinder, and more vibrant. We believe every remarkable Riversider deserves their story told. Know someone who’s making a difference?* [*Nominate a Neighbor of the Week*](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) ### Independent Streak URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/independent-streak/ Last updated: 2026-07-04T12:00:54.000Z Welcome back, you straight-edge rebels! [Last week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ruling-class/), we measured twice and created once. Did you creatively reuse a ruler to tap out a soundtrack or build a bridge between two stacks of books? Perhaps you randomly underlined a borrowed book without permission. However you ruled your creative kingdom, I hope it reminded you that even a straight line can lead somewhere unexpected. This week, we put down the ruler and pick up something much harder to measure: the sights, smells, and sounds of the Fourth of July. And not just any Fourth of July. This one lands on America’s 250th birthday, which means our nation has officially reached the age where it should start stretching before getting out of bed. Two hundred and fifty years is a lot of history and argument. Maybe that’s why this year’s smells include the usual summer suspects—sunscreen, chlorinated pools, barbecue smoke, fireworks haze—and also, in honor of the semi quincentennial, let’s add birthday cake icing and melting candle wax. That is a load of candles. That is also a serious fire safety concern; it’s not shooting-fireworks-from-a-dry-hillside concerning, but still. The Fourth of July has always been a multisensory stew. It is not our humble holiday. It arrives wearing American flag-themed everything. There are flags on porches, flags on T-shirts, flags on paper plates, flags on swim trunks, flags on cupcakes, flags on trucks, and flags printed on things that make you wonder “how” but never “why.” Then come the lights spectacular. Creativity is encouraged. Burning down a palm tree is not. For a few bright minutes, the sky becomes a shared screen we all look up to watch together. Fireworks shooting high above Mt. Rubidoux. Laser and drone shows drawing temporary constellations in the sky. Sparklers make every kid feel like a wizard and every adult feel nostalgic. I can’t see one without remembering my childhood in Chino and the alley behind our house catching fire; someone (we refused to tattle on Erick) launched several sparklers over our fence at a block party. Related fact: Chino still permits “safe and sane” personal fireworks use in 2026! And the sounds? They put any earplug on the market to the test. “Fireworks season” commences July 1 and, in some neighborhoods, continues until Labor Day. Grills sizzle. Soccer balls get kicked too hard into another yard. Someone rustles around in an ice chest for a really cold one. Kids laugh, splash, shriek, fight, recover, and splash again. As America celebrates 250 years of becoming, hoping, revising, and lighting things up, let’s take a few minutes to celebrate our own sensory independence. You don’t need a studio. You don’t need permission. You need a few minutes and maybe a squirt of mustard on one or more of these star-spangled nudges: 1. **Scentennial Suggestion:** Build an imaginary fragrance from the scents around you: sunscreen, barbecue smoke, chlorine, watermelon juice, warm asphalt, grilled onions. Write the description as if you are selling it at a pop-up street market. What is it called? *Liberty No. 250? Eau de Hot Dog Burp? Founding Mother’s Aftershave?* Who wears it, and what revolution are they starting? 2. **Backtrack:** Record or simply listen to the day’s sounds: flipflops on concrete, ice shifting in a cooler, a grill lid closing, kids at a splash pad, a volleyball bouncing away. Turn those sounds into a rhythm, poem, or voice memo. 3. **Flag Field Notes:** Look for all the red, white, and blue around you. Clothing, decorations, lawn chairs, glowing bracelets. Sketch or photograph a color study of the day. Don’t draw the flag itself unless you want to. Draw the way the colors travel through the crowd, across a picnic table, or over a neighborhood street. 4. **Cake of the Nation:** Invent a new official food for America’s 250th birthday. Is it cake with barbecue sauce? A hot dog rolled in pop rocks? Write the recipe, draw the dessert, or create a menu description so dramatic it belongs in a museum café. Be brave. Be unreasonable. Be American. 5. **Sparks:** Use your body to draw fireworks in the air. Move your arms like rockets, fountains, spirals, bursts, and slow-falling sparks. Use ribbon, a flashlight, a glow stick, or just your hands. Make a 30-second movement piece called *Things That Light Up and Disappear.* Perform it for yourself or a friend. Post it then delete it to create drama in your digital day. The Fourth of July is joyful, loud, sticky, bright, and beautiful all at once. That makes it a pretty good metaphor for creativity, and maybe our culture too. At 250 years old, America is still improvising. Still inventing the past and the present and arguing about the future. Still asking who gets to be seen, celebrated, and included in the picture. Artists have always helped us ask and answer these democratic questions. Celebrate safely, celebrate creatively, and give thanks for all the revolutionaries—political, artistic, personal, and backyard barbecue-adjacent—who remind us that freedom is not only something we inherit. It is something we practice. *This column was written with help from ChatGPT, which has never smelled sunscreen or eaten a hot dog in a flag shirt, but remains honored to help light a few creative fuses.* ### 🍊Your Riverside Weekend- July 4, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/your-riverside-weekend-june-27-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:50.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/02/_DSC5738.jpg) **Your Riverside Weekend- July 4, 2026** **Happy Saturday, Riverside!** We hope your week treated you well. Before you head into your weekend, we've gathered the stories that defined life in our city this week — from City Hall to community happenings. You're in the right place to catch up — your weekend starts here. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260704)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260704&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [Neighbor of the Week: Andrew and Samantha MelendrezNeighbor of the Week is a series profiling the hidden heroes of Riverside, doing incredible works of service throughout our different neighborhoods.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-c4b99575-1f06-4f3b-bff6-cf069d53e5f6.png)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/NotW---Melendrez-Youth---Flags--3--d1200e5e-05eb-4201-90f6-ad52a29a9a65.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-andrew-and-samantha-melendrez/) [Riverside’s Centennial: How a Young City Marked the Nation’s 100th BirthdayOn July 4, 1876, a town of 1,000 threw a celebration fit for the ages — carriages, concerts, toasts and all.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-d682491b-132d-4fb0-82ee-38f64fde3914.png)The Raincross GazetteGlenn Wenzel![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/1-Early-Riverside-1875-looking-se-from-8th-and-Main-1-3ecee5ff-5442-4b53-93d4-c5c04e47ed1c.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-centennial-how-a-young-city-marked-the-nations-100th-birthday/) [Heritage House Marks America’s 250th With Special July 5 ToursThe historic Victorian home hosts its final day of the season with period music, living history and free lemonade on the lawn.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-97c7ccca-193c-4973-95fb-87f7fd5aa70c.png)The Raincross GazetteCommunity Contributor![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-19-1-228d75bd-53ff-4738-b741-7671b3358de2.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/heritage-house-marks-americas-250th-with-special-july-5-tours/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260704)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260704&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [The World Cup Is Here - Riverside’s Soccer Future Is NextWatch parties, colorful jerseys and conga lines are filling Riverside during the World Cup. The question is whether that passion carries over when the city’s first pro soccer team takes the field.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-a0f7a70c-5a6e-40e9-9236-9fbab1dce387.png)The Raincross GazetteAnthony Solorzano![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-10-2-86a5d491-fd6b-423d-a120-3a3fbea1f9f0.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-world-cup-is-here-riversides-soccer-future-is-next/) [Raincross Rundown: The Best of Riverside in July 2026A rooftop screening of Bill & Ted, Cheech turning 80, and a World Cup final on the big screen — July in Riverside goes all in on America’s 250th and still finds room for everything else.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-9a76c162-0d52-45c9-9e3f-786e2effada7.png)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/71-EM3A4474-7ed02492-11a8-4044-9dd5-85081a0add2b.jpeg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-rundown-the-best-of-riverside-in-july-2026/) [Presidential Helicopter Arrives at March Field for RestorationThe Sikorsky SH-3, flown by four presidents including Nixon, will be restored and displayed at the Riverside museum while a new hangar is built at the Nixon Library.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-dff1fc51-e21c-4ca2-a06f-6fa229ea1b1b.png)The Raincross GazetteAidan McGloin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-20-4678ddf3-ea48-4c87-88e2-a1781559115b.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/presidential-helicopter-arrives-at-march-field-for-restoration/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260704) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260704&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Weather Forecast ☀️ Sun, July 05 — 92° / 63° · Mostly Sunny ☀️ Mon, July 06 — 94° / 64° · Sunny ☀️ Tue, July 07 — 95° / 65° · Sunny ☀️ Wed, July 08 — 96° / 66° · Sunny ☀️ Thu, July 09 — 96° / 65° · Sunny ☀️ Fri, July 10 — 94° / 65° · Sunny ⛅ Sat, July 11 — 93° / 66° · Partly Cloudy 🏖️ A stretch of steady summer sunshine ahead, with warm afternoons and mild evenings all week long. **Fair warning:* we're not meteorologists! Our forecasts are pulled from public weather data as a little extra for our readers. For the most current conditions, your favorite weather app knows more than we do — but we'll always do our best to help you plan your weekend.* ☀️ --- ## 💬 Staff Picks — What we're talking about around the Gazette this week 📰 *Justin is stepping away from the newsroom for the month of July, so our amazing freelancers will be taking over his staff picks — a fun chance to get to know some of our reporters and writers through their random thoughts and one-liners!* ⚽ **Anthony** has learned that every four years, when the beautiful game puts on its biggest spectacle, the World Cup reminds him what it's like to root for Mexico: hope, followed by heartbreak. On Sunday, he'll watch them play a second knockout-stage match with faith and his daughter, and no score can take that memory away. ⛺ **Amy** is counting down the minutes until she can ditch her laptop and her to-do list for some coastal camping with her favorite humans. --- ## Save the Date - July 4: [Fourth of July Water Fun and Fireworks](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fourth-of-july-water-fun-and-fireworks/19248234/2026-07-04T17) at First United Methodist Church of Riverside (free- $5) - July 4: [Front Row Fireworks - Celebrating America 250](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/front-row-fireworks-celebrating-america-250/18824158/2026-07-04T17) at Evergreen Memorial Historic Cemetery (free- $10) - July 5: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-07-05T08) at Community Yoga Center - July 5: [Special Tours - Heritage House](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/special-tours-heritage-house/19187294/2026-07-05T10) at Riverside Heritage House - July 10: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-10T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 11: [The Stars and Pipes Forever](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-stars-and-pipes-forever/19188125/2026-07-11T19) at First United Methodist Church of Riverside - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Board of Ethics Considers Overhaul of Complaint Process URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/board-of-ethics-considers-overhaul-of-complaint-process/ Last updated: 2026-07-06T12:00:51.000Z The Board of Ethics is considering a series of changes that could reshape how the city investigates ethics complaints against elected officials. The proposals include making the board a permanent part of the city charter, giving the future inspector general a greater role in investigations and appointments, and shielding preliminary complaint reviews from public view. The proposals, discussed during the board's July 2 meeting, are intended to strengthen the board's independence while improving public confidence in the city's ethics process. Board members stressed that the ideas remain in the discussion stage and no formal action was taken. The concepts were developed by [an ad hoc committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/board-of-ethics-explores-charter-protections-independent-appointments/) after members reviewed ethics systems in other cities and reflected on Riverside's own complaint process. According to the committee's report, the proposals focus on strengthening the city's ethics framework while preserving fairness and due process rather than changing how complaints, hearings or appeals are handled. Among the proposals is placing the Board of Ethics in the City Charter rather than leaving it established through the municipal code. Supporters said doing so would make the board more independent because it could only be eliminated by voters instead of by the City Council. "Having the Board of Ethics on the city charter would basically cement the Board of Ethics as part of the city of Riverside," Vice Chair Luis Hernandez said. Hernandez said the change would reassure residents that the board can independently review complaints involving elected officials. "For the City Council to appoint members and then for them to vote on what the penalties should be based on the violation of the prohibited conduct just doesn't really inspire confidence in the residents that we truly are a body that holds the City Council accountable for their actions," he said. The ad hoc committee also proposed allowing [the future inspector general](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/inspector-general-search-advances-to-interview-stage/) to appoint Board of Ethics members instead of the City Council. Supporters argued the change could reduce perceptions of political influence, lessen the need for recusals and create a more standardized appointment process. City Clerk Donesia Gause said the board's workload has largely involved complaints against elected officials. "I can say that the majority of the claims filed since 2021 have been directed toward the City Council," Gause said. "I believe one or two were directed at board members or commissioners." Board members questioned whether shifting appointment authority to the inspector general would simply replace one potential conflict with another. "Why wouldn't we be beholden?" board member Kathleen Fanning asked during the discussion. "Right now one of the concerns is that we are potentially beholden to whomever appointed us." Hernandez acknowledged the concern but said he believes relying on a single independent inspector general presents fewer potential conflicts than the current system, under which ethics complaints frequently involve council members who appoint the board. Several of the proposed reforms would expand the inspector general's role once the office is filled. Under the concepts presented, the inspector general could investigate evidence and use subpoena authority with approval from a majority of the Board of Ethics. Members said those changes could help the board make more informed decisions before determining whether a complaint should proceed to a formal hearing. Another proposal would allow preliminary pre-hearing proceedings to occur in private before a complaint advances to a public hearing. Supporters argued the change could reduce reputational harm caused by complaints that ultimately lack merit and discourage the ethics process from being used for political purposes. "It eliminates the possibilities of politicizing and weaponizing any information," board member Gil Vega said. However, city staff cautioned that the proposal may conflict with [California's Brown Act](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes%5FdisplayText.xhtml?division=2.&chapter=9.&part=1.&lawCode=GOV&title=5.%29&ref=raincrossgazette.com), which generally requires meetings of local legislative bodies to be held publicly. The final proposal would allow the board to extend its pre-hearing timeline when additional investigation is needed, giving the inspector general time to gather evidence before members decide whether a formal hearing is warranted. City staff explained that the proposals would face several layers of review before reaching voters. If ultimately endorsed by the Board of Ethics, they would first go to the Charter Review Committee, which is expected to be appointed next year. The committee would determine whether to recommend the changes to the City Council, which would then decide whether to place any charter amendments on a future ballot. The discussion also marked Hernandez's final meeting on the board after [his election to represent Ward 6 on the City Council](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/luis-hernandez-to-be-sworn-in-as-ward-6-councilmember/). Chair Newman has also resigned, leaving the board to elect new leadership at a future meeting. Before discussing the proposed reforms, the board received a training presentation from the City Attorney's Office on Riverside's ethics code, including rules prohibiting elected officials and appointed commissioners from advocating on behalf of the private interests of third parties before their own governing bodies. Staff also reviewed who may file ethics complaints and outlined exceptions that allow officials to advocate on broader public policy issues or perform routine constituent services without violating the city's ethics code. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- July 3, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-july-3-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:52.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/Sunrise_Sept_6_2017_6th_floor_630am.jpg) A breathtaking sunrise breaking over the mountains, taken from the top of the Utility parking garage at 9th and Orange in Downtown. (La Vaun Johns) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Friday Gazette: July 3, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Friday!** We've got a summer game for you, and it starts with our own name. The Raincross symbol has been tied to Riverside since 1907, when Frank Miller gave the city a design he created for the Mission Inn: a replica of the mission bell paired with a double cross Native American tribes used in prayers for rain. You'll spot it on light posts, buildings, freeway signs, and the city flag itself, and the word shows up on plenty of local business signs too. *So here's the challenge:* find a sign with the word "Raincross" on it, or an actual Raincross symbol, and snap a photo of yourself next to it. Downtown landmarks count. So does the random spot you never noticed until today. [Send your photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) along with the location and a little about how you found it to, and we'll feature our favorites, unusual finds and neighborhood classics alike. Consider it your excuse to wander Riverside a little differently this summer. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260703)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260703&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HIGHER EDUCATION](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/higher-education/) ## Dr. Eric Bishop Trained as a Journalist. Now He's Running Riverside City College Like One. A year after stepping in at a college that had run through presidents, RCC's new permanent leader keeps returning to one idea: that everyone deserves a fair hearing, whatever their record. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-22-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/dr-eric-bishop-trained-as-a-journalist-now-hes-running-riverside-city-college-like-one/) RCC President Dr. Eric Bishop. (Courtesy of Riverside City College | Riverside Community College District) Before the questions start, Dr. Eric Bishop nods at the recorder on the table. When student reporters from [Viewpoints](https://viewpointsonline.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com), the campus paper at Riverside City College, call to interview him, he tells them to do something most reporters learn only on the job. Start the recording, then ask permission. "Start the recording, and then ask me if you can record me. If I say no, you stop. If I say yes, you have it on record." He learned it teaching journalism. The president of the college still thinks like a newsman. The habit is close to the center of how Bishop, [whom the board voted on June 9 to make RCC's permanent president](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/rcc-names-eric-bishop-as-permanent-president-after-year-as-interim/), effective July 1, after a year in the job on an interim basis, understands the work he now does. He trained as a journalist, believed early and seriously in the press as a voice for people who do not have one, and has carried that belief into an open-access institution built on a similar promise. He arrives at that conviction by way of a college that had run through presidents, and that tapped him to steady it on an interim basis, then kept him on after he spent a year proving he intended to stay. He did not set out to lead anything. School came easily to Bishop until it didn't, and his first year and a half of college were rough, because school had been easy enough that he never built study habits. He was flailing, by his own account, and casting around. He had thought for a while about law, which is part of what drew him to a journalism class at the University of La Verne, where he would eventually earn all three of his degrees, a bachelor's in [journalism in 1988](https://lvcampustimes.org/2020/05/former-ulv-administrator-named-president-of-ohlone-community-college/?ref=raincrossgazette.com), then a master's in communications and a doctorate in organizational leadership. "There was this belief in the fourth estate, in the checks and balances on government and big business, in being the voice for the voiceless. Protecting the citizenry, being their representative voice. That really resonated with me." He stayed, and he loved it. He came back to La Verne as a journalism professor and the adviser to its student paper. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/dr-eric-bishop-trained-as-a-journalist-now-hes-running-riverside-city-college-like-one/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260703)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260703&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Merrill K. Nelson 1943-2026 Riverside says goodbye to the Peanut King, whose decades on Tyler Avenue gave the city far more than peanuts. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-24-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/merrill-k-nelson-1943-2026/) Merrill Nelson, the Peanut King, in the wide grin that greeted customers on Tyler Avenue for decades. (Merrill Nelson/[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1894564895289282&set=pb.100042073703105.-2207520000&type=3)) Every man needs a mission. Merrill Nelson, the Peanut King, sold peanuts from his wheelchair in front of a procession of retail stores on Tyler Avenue, but he gave the community much more than peanuts. Merrill K. Nelson, 83, died Friday, June 26, 2026\. Born March 13, 1943, he lived his whole life with cerebral palsy. He started his peanut business in 1975\. Within two years he was paying his own way. The personality of a city is not held in its leadership alone. It lives in the familiar exceptions. Nelson was an institution, and an institution can rob a man of his personality. We can still tell his story. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/merrill-k-nelson-1943-2026/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260703) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260703&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [PUBLIC SAFETY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/public-safety/) ## Riverside to Expand Drone Fireworks Enforcement for Fourth of July City will add fire department ground teams and deploy upgraded drones after last year's program generated nearly $60,000 in fines. [![A firework is seen in the sky above a rooftop](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1723990726085-b62d18338287?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDJ8fGhvbWUlMjBmaXJld29ya3N8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzgzMDMxODM3fDA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-to-expand-drone-fireworks-enforcement-for-fourth-of-july/) ([Leo Okuyama](https://unsplash.com/@okuyama%5Fleo?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) Riverside will again send police drones after illegal fireworks users this Fourth of July, building on a program that more than doubled citations last year. **Why it matters:** Illegal fireworks carry fines up to $1,500, and last year's drone footage held up so well that none of 14 appealed citations got overturned. **Driving the news:** Police officials briefed the City Council on June 16, saying this year's operation will largely repeat last year's approach. - "It was very successful last year," Police Lt. Chad Chinchilla told the council. **By the numbers:** Citations jumped from **24** in 2024 to **65** in 2025 after the drone program launched, and the city collected nearly **$60,000** in fines. - 311 complaints about fireworks climbed from 160 to 431 over the past three years. **What's new:** Fire department ground teams grow from two to between three and five, and newer drones with longer flight times replace equipment that arrived too late for last year's holiday. **Between the lines:** Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes said Sycamore Canyon residents saw little enforcement despite repeated complaints, and Councilmember Steven Robillard pushed for spotters near high fire-risk wildland areas. - The concern echoes the 2024 Hawarden Fire, sparked by illegal fireworks and Riverside's largest wildfire on record. **What's next:** Enforcement runs June 27 through July 4, targeting neighborhoods based on complaint data and 311 reports. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-to-expand-drone-fireworks-enforcement-for-fourth-of-july/) --- #### [Adoptable Pet of the Week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag//) ## Meet CeeCee! Meet this week’s featured furry friend from the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center. Dedicated to eliminating pet homelessness, the center provides compassionate care and facilitates adoptions for animals in need of loving homes. Find your new companion and help support their mission of humane care and responsible pet ownership. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-23.jpg)](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Meet CeeCee, a charming and affectionate cat with a big personality and an even bigger heart! This social sweetheart loves people and is always the first to say hello, greeting everyone she meets with cheerful meows and adorable conversations. CeeCee thrives on attention and enjoys spending her days close to her favorite humans, whether she's soaking up gentle pets, requesting cuddles, or simply keeping you company as you go about your day. Her friendly, outgoing nature and curious spirit make her a constant source of joy, and her happy chatter is sure to bring a smile to your face. If you're searching for a loving companion who will greet you at the door, keep you company, and truly become part of the family, CeeCee is ready to win your heart. Come meet CeeCee and all the adoptable pets at the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center in person. Stop by any day except Tuesdays, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., or learn more at [petsadoption.org](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Friday, July 3 - [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-03T07) at Zacatecas Café - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-07-03T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Reading Assistance Program (RAP)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-assistance-program-rap/19240859/2026-07-03T10) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Multiplication Madness (MM)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/multiplication-madness-mm/19240907/2026-07-03T00) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Creative Arts](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/creative-arts/19240864/2026-07-03T11) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [EMO PROM - WARPED TOUR](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/emo-prom-warped-tour/19180374/2026-07-03T21) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($10- $15) - [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-07-03T08) at Community Yoga Center - [Painting Pets Night, a Comedy Paint and Sip](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/painting-pets-night-a-comedy-paint-and-sip/18671863/2026-07-03T19) at Carbon Nation Brewing ($28.52 - $55.20) - [The Cottage by Sandy Rustin](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-cottage-by-sandy-rustin/19102230/2026-07-03T19) at Riverside Community Players ($20- $25) ### Saturday, July 4 - [Donuts & Dragsters](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/donuts-dragsters/19263056/2026-07-04T07) at Target Store Riverside-Arlington - [Fourth of July Water Fun and Fireworks](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fourth-of-july-water-fun-and-fireworks/19248234/2026-07-04T17) at First United Methodist Church of Riverside (free - $5) - [Front Row Fireworks - Celebrating America 250](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/front-row-fireworks-celebrating-america-250/18824158/2026-07-04T17) at Evergreen Memorial Historic Cemetery (free- $10) - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-07-04T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) ### Sunday, July 5 - [Special Tours](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/special-tours-heritage-house/19187294/2026-07-05T10) at Riverside Heritage House - [Learn Origami](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/learn-origami/18025240/2026-07-05T11) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [Storytime in the Gardens](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/storytime-in-the-gardens/18025386/2026-07-05T10) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-07-05T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Antenna Releasing Roadshow - Film: Coroner to the Stars](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/antenna-releasing-roadshow-film-coroner-to-the-stars/19240032/2026-07-05T16) at Mission Grove ($12.49) - [Sunday Experiment After Dark](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sunday-experiment-after-dark/14528750/2026-07-05T21) at Downtown Experiment ### Save the Date - July 6: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-07-06T08) at Community Yoga Center - July 10: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-10T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 11: [The Stars and Pipes Forever](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-stars-and-pipes-forever/19188125/2026-07-11T19) at First United Methodist Church of Riverside - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Dr. Eric Bishop Trained as a Journalist. Now He's Running Riverside City College Like One. URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/dr-eric-bishop-trained-as-a-journalist-now-hes-running-riverside-city-college-like-one/ Last updated: 2026-07-06T12:00:09.000Z Before the questions start, Dr. Eric Bishop nods at the recorder on the table. When student reporters from [Viewpoints](https://viewpointsonline.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com), the campus paper at Riverside City College, call to interview him, he tells them to do something most reporters learn only on the job. Start the recording, then ask permission. "Start the recording, and then ask me if you can record me. If I say no, you stop. If I say yes, you have it on record." He learned it teaching journalism. The president of the college still thinks like a newsman. The habit is close to the center of how Bishop, [whom the board voted on June 9 to make RCC's permanent president](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/rcc-names-eric-bishop-as-permanent-president-after-year-as-interim/), effective July 1, after a year in the job on an interim basis, understands the work he now does. He trained as a journalist, believed early and seriously in the press as a voice for people who do not have one, and has carried that belief into an open-access institution built on a similar promise. He arrives at that conviction by way of a college that had run through presidents, and that tapped him to steady it on an interim basis, then kept him on after he spent a year proving he intended to stay. He did not set out to lead anything. School came easily to Bishop until it didn't, and his first year and a half of college were rough, because school had been easy enough that he never built study habits. He was flailing, by his own account, and casting around. He had thought for a while about law, which is part of what drew him to a journalism class at the University of La Verne, where he would eventually earn all three of his degrees, a bachelor's in [journalism in 1988](https://lvcampustimes.org/2020/05/former-ulv-administrator-named-president-of-ohlone-community-college/?ref=raincrossgazette.com), then a master's in communications and a doctorate in organizational leadership. "There was this belief in the fourth estate, in the checks and balances on government and big business, in being the voice for the voiceless. Protecting the citizenry, being their representative voice. That really resonated with me." He stayed, and he loved it. He came back to La Verne as a journalism professor and the adviser to its student paper. He still carries the proof of what that training made of him. As a student columnist, Bishop wrote an opinion piece that angered a new campus president, and his own faculty adviser, loyal to that president, pressed him to publish a retraction. Bishop refused. He met with the president, told him the column was an opinion and that he stood by it, and would not take it back. "I said no. I stand by what I write, and what I wrote is an opinion piece. To stand up to the president like that was a really big deal. I refused. I am not writing a retraction." The president did not force the issue. "He understood the nature of the beast, and the nature of students. He understood that you can let a story die or you can make it bigger, and that certain moves give it more life than if you just let it go." The two later became friends. Bishop tells the story now without bravado, but it is plainly a moment he measures himself against. That instinct turned out to be portable. There are days, Bishop says, when he thinks the journalism degree was the one he was always meant to have. "One of the things I carry from that is the need to see all sides, to think from everyone's perspective and keep that objectivity. I don't have to win. What's the right decision?" He describes a discipline that is reportorial. He will reconsider any decision on its merits, he says, and say plainly if he is keeping it anyway. What he will not do is shut someone down to protect his own authority. It is the student columnist's lesson, grown up and turned around. He needed some version of it when he arrived. In 2020 he became the [seventh president of Ohlone College](https://www.ohlone.edu/article/ohlone-college-board-trustees-announce-new-college-president?ref=raincrossgazette.com) in the Bay Area, [its first Black president](https://www.postnewsgroup.com/ohlone-community-college-welcomes-first-black-superintendent-president/?ref=raincrossgazette.com), hired entirely over video during the shutdown, before he returned to Southern California in 2022\. Bishop walked out of the board meeting that confirmed him at RCC on the night of August 19, 2025, and started the next morning, the first day of faculty flex. "I was approved August 19th, and my first day was August 20th. I walked out of that board meeting saying, my interview starts tomorrow. And that morning I told myself, my interview starts today. Meaning I just need to come do the job, and do it the best I can." He came into a college that had asked, more than anything, for stability. The two presidents before him had each lasted about two years, and each left under pressure. Gregory Anderson was [removed in 2022](https://viewpointsonline.org/2022/06/riverside-city-college-president-dismissed-district-chancellor-announces/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) after the district's faculty association voted no confidence in his leadership. His successor, Claire Oliveros, was [terminated by a unanimous board vote in June 2025](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/rccd-board-unanimously-terminates-rcc-president-claire-oliveros/), with no public reason given. "I can want to give stability, and I can try to give stability. But the previous two presidencies lasted two years. So until I cross that two-year threshold, there is no stability." The words people reached for to describe the place when he got there were not gentle ones. "Some of the words that were used when I got here were 'traumatized,' 'stability,' 'trust.'" So he [spent his first months trying to be known](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-february-25-2026/). On his desk he keeps a short reminder he reads every morning. "There is a quote on my board that I look at every day. It says, 'Stay within yourself.' It is real easy to get egotistical and think you have done something, so I remind myself regularly." The same discipline shows up in a smaller rule he gives the campus. If you see the president and he is not smiling, you are supposed to tell him so. "If I'm on campus and you see me and I'm not smiling, you have a responsibility to come tell me. I may get caught in my head. But I want people to know that I love what I do, and I love where I do it." He explains it as part psychology, part message. A president who looks like he would rather be elsewhere transmits exactly that, so he makes himself smile. "Once you do it, you cannot help but feel a certain way, because you are making yourself smile." The same idea, scaled up, is the initiative his chancellor singled out in naming him permanent president, what RCC calls its Standard of Care. Announcing the appointment, RCCD Chancellor Wolde-Ab Isaac called Bishop [a driving force behind raising the standard of care](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/rcc-names-eric-bishop-as-permanent-president-after-year-as-interim/) at the college. Bishop's version is plain. "It's to ensure that every student belongs, and knows who they belong to. They know who their counselor is, who their educational advisor is, who their department chair is, so they don't slip through the cracks. Sometimes people just want to know if anyone actually sees that they're not here anymore." That is harder at a community college than at a university, he argues. A four-year campus screens its students in. An open-access college takes everyone, the full-time student and the person here for a single class, and cannot wait for them to ask for help. It has to reach them first. Where that reach is going next is partly a matter of concrete and steel. RCC is spending the [Measure CC bond](https://www.rccd.edu/measurecc/index.html?ref=raincrossgazette.com), and Bishop is most animated about the Inland Empire Technical Trade Center planned for Jurupa Valley. "It is an opportunity for us to change economic narratives. We can work with our labor markets and create new ways to get our community into the workforce, cheaper and faster." He talks about meeting employers where they are, asking what skills they need so the training exists locally. He has made the center's earn-and-learn model central — paid apprenticeships meant to remove the tuition barriers that keep people out. When people say trade school, he wants the term claimed, not ducked. RCC trains for the trades and everything else, he argues, and the schools worth resisting are the for-profit ones that load students with debt to do what RCC does for the same [$46 a unit](https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5005?ref=raincrossgazette.com). "I hate that definition, because I will argue that we are that, and we are everything. We can prepare you if you want to be a doctor. We can prepare you if you want to be a mechanic, a chef, a paralegal. You don't have to go to a school that's going to charge you and put you in debt." One of his guiding aims is simply to shorten the time. "You don't have to have a bachelor's to be a lawyer. So if we can do an associate's and get you into law school, you save two years of cost, and you add two years to your lifelong earnings. How do we remove the time and the hurdles it takes students to get there, so they can get there faster?" He is wary, too, of the easy story about the Inland Empire economy. When the conversation turns to logistics, the warehouse-and-distribution engine that drove a decade of regional growth and has lately been shedding jobs, Bishop pushes back on the framing. "I don't know that it's declining. I think it's declining in people. We're still moving goods. It's the need for so many individuals to move them that's changing." What that demands of a community college, in his telling, is nimbleness: reading where the city is heading and building training for the jobs that are coming rather than the ones that are leaving. He frames it as a question of equity as much as economics — whether a fast-growing Riverside grows in a way that reaches everyone — and points to the hundreds of thousands of adults across the region who started college without finishing or never went at all. "If our job and our mission is economic mobility, pulling people out of poverty, then there is a lot of work, and a lot of opportunity to do it." The [UCR housing partnership](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/pioneering-ucr-rccd-partnership-opens-1500-bed-student-housing-complex-to-community-college-students/) is the same idea in another form. The first year of the arrangement, which for the first time opened a University of California campus's residence halls to community college students, is behind them now. The district holds about 326 of the complex's below-market beds, Bishop says, shared across RCC, Norco and Moreno Valley, and it placed 248 students there in the first year. He calls it a collaboration still finding its footing, two institutions on different academic calendars learning each other's rhythms, and he frames its low-income housing as something that can change a life, because a student who is not scrambling for a place to live can put that energy into a degree. "Because of its low-income requirement, it can be a game changer for someone who would otherwise be scrambling to find a place to live. The longer it takes someone to get there, the harder it gets. This gives access to a degree." Running an open-access college also means leading an unusually wide crowd. Counting students alongside staff, Bishop notes, RCC spans something like five generations at once, from the last of the boomers through the youngest students now arriving, each with its own assumptions about how to work and how to learn. "That is a real interesting mix in how people approach the way they want to work, and the way they want to learn. The institutions that are most adaptable can look at that and understand it, instead of just getting frustrated with people." The better instinct, he says, is to understand the difference and meet it — the same adaptability the institution has to practice as the economy and the city shift underneath it. If there is a single phrase that organizes how Bishop thinks about the college's place in the city, it is one he says more than once, almost word for word. RCC should be part of the community, not apart from it. "One of my models is that we are a part of the community, not apart from the community. We are a community member. We support the community. We are not an institution that just sits and takes up space." He means it geographically and pointedly. The college should not be the downtown college or the Wood Streets college but Riverside's college, present in all seven wards, seen and known on the east side and the north end and the west, not just inside what he calls the half-mile moat around the campus. "We need to be everywhere, so everyone recognizes we are their college. It doesn't matter the ward. We need to be in all seven." He has noticed, as a relative newcomer, how sharply Riverside draws its own internal lines. "There are clear lines and boundaries drawn in the city that separate the communities. You can feel it among the electeds. They draw their lines to their wards." He is careful to say he has not decided yet whether those divisions are a strength or a problem. "Riverside has so much development and growth ahead of it that it has a choice. It can be a bunch of enclaves, or it can be one city." The college, present everywhere, might be one of the things that helps it choose. Ask him to write next year's headline about his own first year and he does not reach for a building or a budget. "A year from now, RCC will have transformed the perception of access to higher education." As the father of a 16-year-old, he has a parent's close view of high school, of his daughter and her friends and the pressures bearing down on that whole age, and it has sharpened how he thinks about who the system leaves behind. The path to a four-year university is unforgiving, he says, and a student who finds their footing a little later — who is simply living through the ordinary turbulence of being a teenager — can discover that on paper they are no longer admissible to a UC, through no failure of ability. That, he says, is where a community college earns its existence. "When you start here, you start at zero. It doesn't matter what you did in high school. It doesn't matter your history. You get to be judged on your work here, not on what you did when you were thirteen or fourteen." The dream is still available, because the place exists to keep it available. It is, in the end, the same faith he found in a journalism class, that everyone deserves to be heard and accounted for, no one written off, turned now toward every student who walks through an open door. As the interview wound down, he said he does not much like to talk about himself. "I'm not someone who likes to talk about myself." He would rather talk about the college, and the city, and the work. "I want people to see us, and to see me. That is my mission. To have a thriving community here, and to be part of the thriving community we belong to." A community member, not a building that takes up space. ### Riverside to Expand Drone Fireworks Enforcement for Fourth of July URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-to-expand-drone-fireworks-enforcement-for-fourth-of-july/ Last updated: 2026-07-05T12:00:27.000Z Riverside officials will again deploy drones to identify people setting off illegal fireworks this Fourth of July, building on [a program](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-police-deploy-drones-for-fireworks-enforcement-with-1-500-fines/) city leaders say more than doubled citations last year and generated nearly $60,000 in collected fines. The City Council received an update on the city's enforcement strategy during its June 16 meeting, when police officials said the city will largely replicate last year's operation while expanding its ability to respond to complaints across more neighborhoods. The enforcement effort comes as the city continues emphasizing that all fireworks are illegal within Riverside city limits and carry administrative fines of up to $1,500. "We're going to be doing the relatively same program this year," Riverside Police Lt. Chad Chinchilla told the council. "It was very successful last year." The city's enforcement strategy relies on small flying drones to identify people using illegal fireworks and gather video evidence that code enforcement officers can use to issue administrative citations. Last year, Riverside deployed five drone teams to neighborhoods selected based on 311 complaints and calls for service. Each team included two Riverside police drone pilots, a Riverside Fire Department representative and a code enforcement officer, Chinchilla said. Fire officials also operated two ground contact teams that confiscated fireworks and contacted violators. According to city data, calls reporting illegal fireworks have steadily increased over the past three years, rising from 437 in 2023 to 477 in 2024 and 547 in 2025 during the June 27 through July 4 enforcement period. Meanwhile, 311 requests climbed from 160 to 307 and then 431 over the same period. Citations increased from 24 in 2024 to 65 in 2025 after the drone program was introduced. "Our citations were remaining relatively stagnant until we implemented the drone program," Chinchilla said. "We were able to more than double the amount of citations that we issued for violations of fireworks." Of the 65 citations issued last year, 52 came from drone teams, 12 from fire personnel and one from patrol officers, according to city data. Two citations were later dismissed after officials determined they lacked sufficient evidence, leaving 63 cases for prosecution. Chinchilla said 14 citations were appealed but none were overturned because of the quality of the drone footage. "The state of the evidence that we have — the video is just too good," he said. "There's no question at that point as to who was involved in the activity." City officials reported collecting nearly $60,000 in fines, with additional unpaid citations referred to the state's Franchise Tax Board Intercept Program. This year's operation will continue using five police drone teams, but officials have reorganized staffing to increase the number of fire department ground teams from two to between three and five. Each drone team will now consist of two police drone pilots and one code enforcement officer, while fire personnel focus on responding to locations identified by the drones. Chinchilla said the city also recently received newer drones funded by the City Council that arrived too late to be used during last year's holiday. The upgraded equipment offers longer flight times and no longer requires operators to remain near electrical outlets to recharge batteries. "We should be able to take those drones and keep them up in the air longer and be able to move the locations where we're not stuck to a wall outlet," Chinchilla said. Enforcement locations will continue to be based on historical complaint data, active emergency calls and 311 reports received during the holiday. Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes said residents in the Sycamore Canyon area were frustrated last year after repeatedly reporting illegal fireworks but seeing little enforcement presence. "I would love to just see if we can assure that there will be some type of response into that community neighborhood if possible this year," she said. Chinchilla said the improved drone technology should allow crews to reach neighborhoods that were difficult to cover last year. Councilmember Steven Robillard also urged the city to position personnel near wild-land areas where fireworks pose elevated fire risks. "We just need, if they're getting close to these high-burn areas or threat areas, to have a spotter in there to at least get someone over there real quickly to stop that activity," Robillard said. The concern reflects Riverside's experience with the [2024 Hawarden Fire](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/one-year-after-hawarden-what-riverside-learned-and-whats-next/), the largest wildfire in city history. Investigators determined the blaze, which broke out in the Hawarden Hills neighborhood, was sparked by illegal fireworks set off by two teenagers, ultimately burning nearly 600 acres, destroying six structures and costing the city an estimated $11 million in damages and response costs. The fire pushed the fire department to [revamp its emergency staffing and response protocols](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/one-year-after-hawarden-how-riverside-strengthened-its-fire-response/), including preemptive staffing increases during high fire-risk conditions. Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson thanked city staff for continuing the program and also recognized Councilmember Jim Perry for advocating stronger fireworks enforcement. In addition to enforcement, the city has launched a public education campaign warning residents about the fireworks ban and associated penalties. The campaign includes social media posts from the city, police and fire departments, digital billboards, electronic signs, videos displayed at City Hall and Riverside Public Utilities facilities, website banners and messaging through the city's 311 app. ### Merrill K. Nelson 1943-2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/merrill-k-nelson-1943-2026/ Last updated: 2026-07-05T11:59:53.000Z Every man needs a mission. Merrill Nelson, the Peanut King, sold peanuts from his wheelchair in front of a procession of retail stores on Tyler Avenue, but he gave the community much more than peanuts. Merrill K. Nelson, 83, died Friday, June 26, 2026\. Born March 13, 1943, he lived his whole life with cerebral palsy. He started his peanut business in 1975\. Within two years he was paying his own way. The personality of a city is not held in its leadership alone. It lives in the familiar exceptions. Nelson was an institution, and an institution can rob a man of his personality. We can still tell his story. Buying peanuts from him never felt like charity. As a kid it was a treat, and he was a superstar. His whole body smiled. And I thought he had cool hair. His sales territory was the front walk on Tyler, outside the store that was Zody's, then HomeClub, then HomeBase and so on. The stores came and went. He stayed. His sales pitch was on a recorded loop, but a hand made sign told his story: “I know that those who can work should!! Those who can but don't have a crippled spirit, and that is worse than having a crippled body. God made a paying job. I don't work hard: I work steady and long… it pays. This world can tie me down, but it can't keep me down!” Across the top ran Luke 1:37: “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” The joy he showed in the work tells us how he wanted to be remembered: not for his hardship, but for his hard work. Work made harder by circumstance. With what he had, he built an enduring institution, and the service he provided went far beyond a sack of peanuts. In retrospect, the thing to know about him was how tough he was. The fact he was ever there proves he never took the easy way. The well-worn path on the storefront concrete is now unrecognizable from the days when Merril Nelson was there. Decades later, many of us still think of that small strip on Tyler as belonging to the Peanut King. He leaves his family and a whole city of friends. *A Celebration of Life will be held at Crest Avenue Baptist Church on July 8, 2026, at 2 p.m.* ### City Clears Path for Vacant Commercial Building-to-Housing Conversions URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-clears-path-for-vacant-commercial-building-to-housing-conversions/ Last updated: 2026-07-03T23:15:47.000Z The City Council approved a long-awaited [adaptive reuse ordinance](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-developing-first-adaptive-reuse-ordinance-to-convert-empty-buildings-into-housing/) on June 23 that aims to make it easier to convert vacant offices, commercial buildings and industrial properties into housing and mixed-use developments. The ordinance creates new zoning and building code regulations intended to remove barriers that have historically made adaptive reuse projects financially difficult or impossible. Associate Planner Daniel Palafox said the ordinance is one of several housing initiatives stemming from Riverside's [sixth-cycle Housing Element](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-general-plan-housing-element-an-update/), which the city adopted in 2021. "This afternoon the council will consider the adaptive reuse ordinance, another key action that advances the goals of the housing element," Palafox told the council. The ordinance allows eligible nonresidential buildings that are at least 15 years old to be converted by right into residential or mixed-use projects in commercial, office, mixed-use, multifamily and business manufacturing park zoning districts. Developers would not have to add parking beyond what already exists for the building, and projects would receive reduced open-space requirements, height flexibility and other incentives designed to improve project feasibility. Palafox said adaptive reuse has become an increasingly common strategy across California. "Cities throughout California have used adaptive reuse as a strategy to encourage housing production by repurposing vacant or underutilized buildings," he said. The approach, he added, can reduce development costs, make better use of existing infrastructure and preserve architecturally significant buildings while creating new housing. The ordinance also authorizes the city's building official and fire marshal to develop alternative building standards through a technical manual to help applicants navigate building and fire code requirements unique to adaptive reuse projects. The ordinance comes as Riverside continues to fall behind on its state-mandated housing targets. A city report this year showed Riverside has permitted less than 20 percent of its goal of 18,458 new homes for the 2021-2029 cycle, with no new very-low-income housing built since 2021, prompting continued scrutiny from state regulators. The city has [applied for state grants](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-applies-for-1-44-million-pro-housing-grant-amid-state-scrutiny/) aimed at closing that gap. Only one resident spoke during the public hearing. Carol McDoniel said she supported adaptive reuse but urged the city to strengthen protections for historic buildings. "Adaptive reuse is an excellent way to utilize vacant buildings, provide housing and improve neighborhoods," McDoniel said. "However, for any building of architectural significance that retains unique features, following the guidelines of this ordinance and the technical advisory jeopardizes state and federal financial incentives." McDoniel argued that buildings more than 45 years old should receive preservation staff review before qualifying for adaptive reuse incentives and said projects should retain enough of the original structure to remain eligible for historic tax credits. "The bottom line is that adaptive reuse is a community benefit, but a few important safeguards do not appear to be integrated into this proposed process," she said. "The issues I've mentioned will negatively impact projects and their financial viability, but a few amendments can bring about the positive outcomes that we're looking for." Councilmember Philip Falcone largely agreed with McDoniel's concerns and questioned why the ordinance had not been reviewed by the Cultural Heritage Board before reaching the council. Planning staff responded that they had worked with the historic preservation officer to ensure that adaptive reuse projects involving historic resources would still be required to comply with the city's historic preservation regulations under Title 20. Historic Preservation Officer Scott Watson said existing city code already requires designated or eligible historic structures to undergo the certificate of appropriateness process and allows preservation staff to require additional cultural resource review when necessary. Falcone ultimately proposed adding language to ensure the historic preservation officer is involved "as appropriate" on adaptive reuse projects rather than imposing an automatic review based on building age. Councilmember Sean Mill said he had been advocating for an adaptive reuse ordinance since joining the Planning Commission a decade earlier. "In 2016 when I got appointed to the Planning Commission…the very first question I asked was, 'Where are we at on getting an adaptive reuse ordinance here in the City of Riverside?'" Mill said. "Ten years later we are here." Mill said the ordinance would help revitalize aging commercial corridors while making better use of existing infrastructure. "This is going to allow us to transform underutilized commercial buildings. It's going to help us revitalize a place like the Magnolia Corridor, bring life back to it," he said. "It's going to save time for developers, it's going to save folks money. I think it's a win across the board." Mill opposed requiring every building older than 45 years to receive additional historic review, arguing that doing so would undermine one of the ordinance's central goals. "I think that would just add another step, which leads to time and which leads to money," he said. Councilmember Chuck Conder said he had broader concerns about allowing housing in commercial and industrial areas where residents could later complain about existing businesses. "If you're going to allow housing to go into industrial commercial areas, many of those go around the clock," Conder said, citing truck deliveries, forklifts and entertainment districts as examples. "So expect a lot of phone calls..." Despite those concerns, Conder said he generally supported adaptive reuse where appropriate. The council voted to approve the ordinance, with Robillard abstaining, including Falcone's amendment directing staff to include the historic preservation officer "as appropriate" in the ordinance before its final adoption. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- July 2, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-25-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:54.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/IMG_3130.jpeg) With the sun setting through the trees on Benbow Place, an American flag stands ready for the Fourth of July — and the nation's 250th birthday. (M M Hughes) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Thursday Gazette: July 2, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Thursday!** It's Thirsty Thursday, and with the Fourth of July weekend coming up, we're on the hunt for a fun, fizzy drink to bring to the party, and the buzz around town says the Hugo Spritz is this summer's go-to. Why not run a test batch on Thirsty Thursday so you've got it dialed in by Saturday? The classic version: muddle a few mint leaves in a glass, add 2 oz elderflower liqueur, top with 3 oz chilled prosecco, then a splash of soda water. Stir gently and garnish with lime. Prefer to skip the alcohol? Swap the elderflower liqueur for elderflower syrup and the prosecco for sparkling white grape juice, then top with soda water the same way. Same floral, fizzy sip, just as easy to make ahead for the weekend. Cheers! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260702)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260702&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## City Clears Path for Vacant Commercial Building-to-Housing Conversions New zoning rules aim to turn vacant offices and industrial buildings into housing, with a late amendment addressing concerns about historic structures. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/3-_DSC4127-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-clears-path-for-vacant-commercial-building-to-housing-conversions/) Council voted June 23 to let old offices, stores and industrial buildings convert into housing by right. **Why it matters:** Riverside has permitted under 20% of its 18,458-home state housing goal, and this ordinance opens vacant office, retail and industrial buildings to conversion without added parking requirements. **What's new:** Nonresidential buildings at least 15 years old can convert to housing or mixed-use by right in commercial, office, mixed-use, multifamily and business manufacturing park zones. - Projects get reduced open-space rules, height flexibility and no requirement to add parking beyond what already exists. **By the numbers:** Riverside has permitted **less than 20%** of its 2021-2029 goal of 18,458 new homes, with no very-low-income units built since 2021. **Yes, but:** Resident Carol McDoniel and Councilmember Philip Falcone warned the rules could jeopardize historic buildings' tax credits and preservation status. - Falcone's amendment requires the historic preservation officer's involvement "as appropriate," rather than automatic review for older buildings. **What's next:** Staff will fold Falcone's historic-review amendment into the ordinance before final adoption. No date was given in source material. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-clears-path-for-vacant-commercial-building-to-housing-conversions/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260702)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260702&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Court Orders Receiver to Take Over Crime-Plagued La Sierra Motel Riverside Inn & Suites has been the site of drug sales, assaults and unrepaired code violations for years, according to city court filings. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-18-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/court-orders-receiver-to-take-over-crime-plagued-la-sierra-motel/) The Riverside Inn & Suites, located at 10705 Magnolia Avenue, is now under a court-appointed receiver following years of documented crime and code violations. (Courtesy of the City of Riverside) A judge cleared the way for a court-appointed manager to take over a crime-plagued Magnolia Avenue motel. **Why it matters:** If you live in the West End, this is the first of five city crackdowns targeting Magnolia Avenue motels blamed for years of crime and neglect. **Driving the news:** A Riverside Superior Court judge ruled the city can appoint a receiver to run the Riverside Inn & Suites at 10705 Magnolia Avenue, near Polk Street. - City attorneys say the motel has drawn attempted murder, sexual assault, child endangerment and fentanyl sales, among dozens of other crimes and code violations. **What they're saying:** One person who admitted buying fentanyl there called it "the drug capital of the world," according to court filings. **The backstory:** Councilmember Jim Perry, who represents the area, said the city pursued the receivership after other enforcement efforts — including invoicing owners for extraordinary police responses — failed to fix the property. **The big picture:** The Riverside Inn & Suites is the first of five Magnolia Avenue corridor properties the city plans to target for similar action, Assistant City Attorney Jack Liu said. **What's next:** A court-appointed manager now controls the property's bills, taxes, insurance and repairs, and must hire licensed contractors to fix structural and safety hazards. No timeline was given for when conditions must improve. [](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/fireworks-photos-the-dslr-and-mirrorless-method/) [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/court-orders-receiver-to-take-over-crime-plagued-la-sierra-motel/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260702) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260702&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Presidential Helicopter Arrives at March Field for Restoration The Sikorsky SH-3, flown by four presidents including Nixon, will be restored and displayed at the Riverside museum while a new hangar is built at the Nixon Library. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-20-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/presidential-helicopter-arrives-at-march-field-for-restoration/) The Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King, marked "United States of America," is transported by flatbed truck through Riverside en route to the March Field Air Museum. (Aiden McGloin) A helicopter that carried four U.S. presidents arrived at March Field Air Museum for restoration. **Why it matters:** Riversiders can see a piece of presidential history up close — the Sikorsky Sea King will be on display during restoration before returning to the Nixon Library. **The backstory:** The Sea King, built in 1961 for **$1 million**, carried Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford — including **181 trips** with Nixon alone. - Nixon flew it to the Vatican in 1969 and rode it home after his 1972 trip to China. **Driving the news:** The helicopter arrived **June 29** after a highway detour near the 60 and Jurupa Avenue, since it was too short for some overpasses. - About **100 people** attended a reception, where museum President Jamil Dada called it a "momentous occasion" for the Inland Empire. **What's next:** Ponsford Ltd. — a six-person team led by conservator Gordon Ponsford — will restore the aircraft, funded by Sikorsky Aircraft, the Nixon Library and donor Charles Keller. - It will stay in March Field's restoration hangar until the Nixon Library finishes building a new hangar for permanent display. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/presidential-helicopter-arrives-at-march-field-for-restoration/) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Threads of HERstory: Boutique and Mission Inn Foundation Debut Historical Fashion Show Toni Moore Clothing and the Mission Inn Foundation debuted "Threads of HERstory" on June 28, pairing historical garments with contemporary style. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/07/RG-Feat-Image-Template-21-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/threads-of-herstory-boutique-and-mission-inn-foundation-debut-historical-fashion-show/) From left, Patti Koesling, director of audience development for the Mission Inn Foundation, introduces Sorrelle Williams, coordinator of the fashion show, for a final strut closing the Threads of HERstory show on June 28; members of the Mission Inn Foundation walk the runway earlier in the event. (Marissa Perez) "Clothing has never been about covering ourselves, it tells a story," Sorrelle Williams said. "It says, 'Today I feel confident, today I am celebrating, today I am beginning again.'" Toni Moore Clothing, located Downtown, hosted its first fashion show in collaboration with the Mission Inn Foundation on June 28 through conversation and sparking ideas. The foundation has collected historical clothing pieces over time. Williams, coordinator of the show, questioned how a modern-day boutique that sells contemporary clothing could connect with Japanese kimonos and mid-century fashion. The connection was women. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/threads-of-herstory-boutique-and-mission-inn-foundation-debut-historical-fashion-show/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Board of Ethics](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/board-of-ethics/18812402/2026-07-02T18) at Riverside City Hall - [FREE ADMISSION - First Thursday of every month during Riverside ArtsWalk](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-admission-first-thursday-of-every-month-during-riverside-artswalk/13230799/2026-07-02T18) at Riverside Art Museum - [Rooftop Screening of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, with Ripperside Cinema Galore](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rooftop-screening-of-bill-and-teds-excellent-adventure-with-ripperside-cinema-galore/19113902/2026-07-02T18) at Riverside Art Museum - [UCR ARTS Celebrates America 250](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/ucr-arts-celebrates-america-250/19080636/2026-07-02T18) at UCR ARTS ### Tomorrow - [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-03T07) at Zacatecas Café - [Creative Arts](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/creative-arts/19240864/2026-07-03T11) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Assistance Program (RAP)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-assistance-program-rap/19240859/2026-07-03T10) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [4th of July Weekend BBQ Specials](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/4th-of-july-weekend-bbq-specials/19059216/2026-07-03T11) at Canyon Crest Country Club - [Pacific Southwest Open 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/pacific-southwest-open-2026/18612480/2026-07-03T08) at Riverside Convention Center ($125- $165) - [Painting Pets Night, a Comedy Paint and Sip](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/painting-pets-night-a-comedy-paint-and-sip/18671863/2026-07-03T19) at Carbon Nation Brewing ($28.52 - $55.20) - [EMO PROM - WARPED TOUR](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/emo-prom-warped-tour/19180374/2026-07-03T21) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($10- $15) ## Save the Date - July 4: [Fourth of July Water Fun and Fireworks](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fourth-of-july-water-fun-and-fireworks/19248234/2026-07-04T17) at First United Methodist Church of Riverside (free- $5) - July 4: [Front Row Fireworks - Celebrating America 250](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/front-row-fireworks-celebrating-america-250/18824158/2026-07-04T17)at Evergreen Memorial Historic Cemetery (free- $10) - July 5: [Patriotic Tours](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/patriotic-tours-heritage-house/19187294/2026-07-05T10) at Riverside Heritage House - July 11: [The Stars and Pipes Forever](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-stars-and-pipes-forever/19188125/2026-07-11T19) at First United Methodist Church of Riverside - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Threads of HERstory: Boutique and Mission Inn Foundation Debut Historical Fashion Show URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/threads-of-herstory-boutique-and-mission-inn-foundation-debut-historical-fashion-show/ Last updated: 2026-07-03T12:00:11.000Z "Clothing has never been about covering ourselves, it tells a story," Sorrelle Williams said. "It says, 'Today I feel confident, today I am celebrating, today I am beginning again.'" Toni Moore Clothing, located Downtown, hosted its first fashion show in collaboration with the Mission Inn Foundation on June 28 through conversation and sparking ideas. The foundation has collected historical clothing pieces over time. Williams, coordinator of the show, questioned how a modern-day boutique that sells contemporary clothing could connect with Japanese kimonos and mid-century fashion. The connection was women. The show was originally scheduled for Women's History Month but resulted in unveiling in late June. Williams connected with the foundation to find common ground between the two. "The fun is discovering what connects seemingly different ideas," Williams said. "Once we found that common thread— celebrating women through cloth, craftsmanship and culture– the entire event came together naturally." The show was named "Threads of HERstory." "Every garment you see this afternoon carries a fingerprint, if not literally then certainly metaphorically," Williams said. "Each stitch represents patience, each repair represents perseverance, each textile reminds us that beauty is worth preserving." Some of the models that walked the runway were women who contributed to the Mission Inn Foundation and they were styled by Williams. Williams' objective in the clothing selection was to highlight pieces already in store while also showing off trends in the fashion realm. Williams enjoys seeing how clothing styles allow women to express who they are. So when styling the models she chooses clothing pieces to match the model's personality, hair and style. "Five women can wear the exact same garment and each will bring something completely different to it," she said. "Confidence, personality and individuality are what truly complete an outfit." Susan Wassman, a docent for the foundation, was styled in clothing that she wasn't used to wearing. "It's not my style, but I needed to try something new," Wassman said. "I felt comfortable in it, I felt like a model." Nicete Hernandez, a guest of the show, said it served as a reminder that there are styles outside her own. "It reminds you that fashion goes beyond just aesthetics, there's a lot more that plays into it," said Yareli Olazabel, a guest of the show. "Fashion can be the means of cultural expression, political expression, it can be used to tell a story." The fashion show sold out, a sign to Williams that her community is excited to embrace fashion, history and local collaboration. *By Marissa Perez* ### Presidential Helicopter Arrives at March Field for Restoration URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/presidential-helicopter-arrives-at-march-field-for-restoration/ Last updated: 2026-07-03T11:59:31.000Z The Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King helicopter used by four presidents will be within a short drive for Riversiders at the March Field Air Museum. The helicopter arrived at the museum via highway on June 29, where it will undergo both restoration and display. "This is a momentous occasion, not just for the museum, but for the Inland Empire, because we have never had a presidential aircraft here," said Jamil Dada, President of the March Field Air Museum, at the unveiling. Museum staff had restored the helicopter 21 years ago, but since then, it has been on display at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda. This time, after the restoration is done and while a new hangar is built at the library, the helicopter will be exhibited in the March Field Air Museum's restoration hangar. The Sea King was manufactured in 1961, at a cost of $1 million. Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford used it. It took Nixon to the Vatican City in 1969, to meet Pope Paul VI. It landed on Liberty Island, home of the Statue of Liberty, the same year, to open the now-defunct Immigration Museum. Nixon took it to the pyramids of Cairo, where it ferried Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, and he returned to the White House on it after his visit to China in 1972\. The helicopter took Nixon on 181 trips. The museum held a reception for the helicopter, attended by roughly 100 people. The event was slightly delayed because the helicopter was too short for some highway overpasses, forcing a detour off the 60 at Jurupa Avenue before rejoining at Mission Inn Avenue. Among the attendees were Riverside City Councilmember Chuck Conder, 452nd Air Mobility Wing Commander Bryan Bailey, and former Restoration Manager Rudy Lerma, who conducted the restoration in 2005\. Lerma, who still volunteers on the museum's restoration team, started the program by sharing stories about the work he did on the helicopter. The helicopter was mothballed on a Rhode Island marine base after President Gerald Ford retired it. The Nixon Library wanted to acquire it, but the project was stymied by the cost of transporting it from Rhode Island to California. That's until Brigadier General Jim Rubeor, then-Commander of the 452nd Air Refueling Wing, told Dada they could transport it with the museum's own Boeing C-17 Globemaster III. The helicopter safely arrived, but without the tailpiece, propellers, wheels or tires. Each had gone missing since the helicopter arrived at the base. Sikorsky Aircraft provided the missing pieces, and is funding this restoration as well, with additional funds from the Nixon Library and a donation by Charles Keller. Keller said he funded the restoration because he reached the point of life where he gives back. He is a fan of Nixon, having known his Chief of Staff, and having had the opportunity to meet him while in college. "I just have an admiration for the president and his whole team," Keller said. This time, the restoration will be done by Ponsford Ltd., run by Gordon Ponsford, a third-generation conservator who previously worked at Arlington National Cemetery, and on artifacts from the Titanic. He'll have a team of six, with three on the Sea King's exterior, and three on the interior, with his daughter, Samantha Ponsford, leading the interior team. "It's a hell of an honor," said March Field Restoration Manager Alex La Monte. "We're going to help and learn. We're all going to learn." The situation is a full circle moment for even the museum's new Executive Director, Michael Ellzey, who previously held the same role for the Nixon Library. "I'm privileged to do this. It's a blessing," Ellzey said. Ellzey isn't the only recent hire. Keegan Chetwynd joined as curator in February, having previously served as chief executive officer of Virginia Beach's Military Aviation Museum, and Pamela Baird joined as director of operations. "We know it's in good hands," said Joe Lopez, chief operating officer of the Richard Nixon Foundation. ### Court Orders Receiver to Take Over Crime-Plagued La Sierra Motel URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/court-orders-receiver-to-take-over-crime-plagued-la-sierra-motel/ Last updated: 2026-07-02T22:15:59.000Z A Riverside Superior Court judge ruled that the city can appoint a receiver to take over the Riverside Inn & Suites — a property that has racked up dozens of crimes and code violations over the years — the city announced on Wednesday. "We've even gone through the efforts of invoicing them for extraordinary police responses," Councilmember Jim Perry, who represents the area, said in a [video statement](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2uhcE1ry7Y&ref=raincrossgazette.com) outside the motel. He said the city pursued the receivership through Riverside Superior Court after other enforcement efforts failed to resolve the problems. The motel, located at 10705 Magnolia Avenue near Polk Street, has drawn police responses for years over what Deputy City Attorney Jacob Castrejon described in court filings as ongoing "narcotic, criminal, and nuisance activity" that poses a danger to guests, neighbors and the wider public. The receivership means a court-appointed manager — not the motel's current owners — will now be responsible for running the property, paying its bills and fixing years of neglected repairs. City attorneys argued that without that change, "the extremely unsafe criminal and substandard conditions will continue." Offenses documented at the property include drug possession, sales and overdoses, assaults, prostitution, weapons violations, attempted murder, sexual assault and child endangerment, according to the city's court filings. Officials say many people found at the motel had outstanding felony warrants, were on probation or post-release supervision, or had known histories of drug use. In one instance cited in the filings, a person who admitted buying fentanyl at the motel called it "the drug capital of the world" and said someone there was known to sell the drug to homeless residents in the area. City code enforcement officers who inspected the property over the past 18 months found building and safety violations that went largely unaddressed, including structural problems, unpermitted construction, mold, cockroach infestations, and plumbing, fire and electrical hazards. "The failure of the Defendants to properly maintain the Subject Property has resulted in an unceasing flow of criminal activity at the motel and within its rooms as well," Castrejon wrote in the filings, adding that conditions included "feces and urine throughout the area." Perry, who has pushed for stronger code enforcement at the Riverside Inn & Suites and four other motels along the Magnolia Avenue corridor, said the receivership caps off a two-year effort. "This property is well-known to law enforcement on the West End of our city," Perry said in a statement. "I am gratified to see two years of work result in the granting of a receivership that will begin turning this property around." In the video, Assistant City Attorney Jack Liu said the Riverside Inn & Suites is the first of five Magnolia corridor properties the city is targeting for similar action. "This will allow the city not only to ensure that the safety of its residents and guests here at the Riverside Inn are \[ensured\], but also the community as a whole," Liu said. "This is just one of five properties we're taking this action... This is just step one of five, and this is our effort to clean up and improve the quality of life in this neighborhood." Perry put it more bluntly in the video statement: the city has warned other problem properties along the corridor to clean up on their own. "If you don't clean up your act, the city will do it for you," he said, "and if the city does it for you, you're not going to like it." Under the receivership, the court-appointed manager will take full control of the property, covering expenses such as taxes, insurance, utilities and debt payments, and will hire licensed contractors to address the building's structural problems. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- July 1, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-july-1-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:55.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/IMG_3552.jpeg) Gazette founder Justin Pardee launched his summer vacation deliciously with a family stop at Du-par's Restaurant. ***Spending time somewhere special this summer?** We'd love to see it — [send your vacation photos and a note about where you went and what you got up to](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com)! **Wednesday Gazette: July 1, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Wednesday!** We did it! I asked for 44 new supporters before my birthday, and you got us there. Asking people to pay for something they can read for free is a strange thing to do. But 49 of you said yes, this newsroom is worth a few dollars a month because you believe in Riverside. That's a neighborly way of being and I'm glad to have you as one of mine. To all of our supporters, thank you. Now, we're back to work. There's a city to cover. – Justin --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260701)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260701&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Heritage House Marks America's 250th With Special July 5 Tours The historic Victorian home hosts its final day of the season with period music, living history and free lemonade on the lawn. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-19-2.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/heritage-house-marks-americas-250th-with-special-july-5-tours/) Heritage House, a two-story Queen Anne Victorian home at 8193 Magnolia Ave., is decorated with bunting ahead of its July 5 event marking America's 250th anniversary. Inset: A silk ribbon bookmark from 1892 commemorates the 400th anniversary of Columbus's arrival in the Americas, part of the collection on display during Heritage House's July 5 tour. (Courtesy of the Museum of Riverside) Heritage House closes out its public season July 5 with immersive patriotic tours — then goes dark until fall. **Why it matters:** It's your last chance to tour the 1891 Victorian before summer closure, with living history performers, period music, and free lemonade on the lawn. **What's happening:** Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution will roam the property fully in character, interacting with visitors on special tours spotlighting the museum's collection. - Period music plays both inside and outside, including an 1890s-era piano in the home's music room. **The backstory:** Built in 1891–92 for citrus heiress Catherine Bettner, Heritage House dates to an era when Riverside was reportedly the wealthiest city per capita in the U.S. **What's next:** July 5 tours run 10 a.m.–4 p.m. at 8193 Magnolia Ave. On July 24 at 8 p.m., the lawn hosts a free screening of *Yankee Doodle Dandy* (1942) — the site's only summer event before fall reopening. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/heritage-house-marks-americas-250th-with-special-july-5-tours/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260701)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260701&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [ART & ENTERTAINMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/art-entertainment/) ## July ArtsWalk Has Art, Music and Wonderful Weather Two openings, a rooftop movie, live music and a hands-on sculpture project headline Thursday's ArtsWalk in Downtown. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-16-3.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/july-artswalk-has-art-music-and-wonderful-weather/) Two dancers share a moment during Salsa Dancing at The Cheech on June 28\. The typically cool museum heated up with movement as silhouettes played against the gallery's colorful backdrop. (Ken Crawford) Riverside's ArtsWalk returns Thursday, July 2, from 6 to 9 p.m., and this month it comes with something you rarely get in July: a comfortable evening. Forecasts put the night in the 70s, a real break from the usual summer heat. The lineup matches the weather. Two gallery openings, a hands-on sculpture project, live music, a free rooftop movie and one last ArtsWalk chance to catch one of the region's most talked about exhibitions. [Read and share the complete July ArtsWalk Guide...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/july-artswalk-has-art-music-and-wonderful-weather/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260701) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260701&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [RAINCROSS RUNDOWN](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/raincross-rundown/) ## Raincross Rundown: The Best of Riverside in July 2026 A rooftop screening of Bill & Ted, Cheech turning 80, and a World Cup final on the big screen — July in Riverside goes all in on America's 250th and still finds room for everything else. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/71-EM3A4474-1.jpeg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-rundown-the-best-of-riverside-in-july-2026/) Just before sunset, Golden Hour fills Café Oro Dos Aztecas with warm light — and the 3521 Main St. café fills with people. Community members packed the welcoming space for market night, exactly the kind of gathering the café was made for. (Café Oro Dos Aztecas) July doesn't ease in. It arrives with fireworks already lit, a drone show lighting up Fairmount Park, and a city leaning all the way into America's 250th birthday. Heritage House goes red, white, and blue for the occasion. Evergreen Memorial Historic Cemetery turns into one of the best seats in town for a Founders' Day show. The Riverside Festival Orchestra plays patriotic standards under the stars at the National Cemetery. It's a month that knows exactly what it's celebrating. But July isn't only about the holiday. There's a poetry mic at Café Oro with a chair waiting for you, a lotería night built for community, Shakespeare on the lawn at Fairmount Park, and a rooftop screening of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure for anyone who wants their movie night with a view. Cheech Marin turns 80, and the whole city's invited to the party. There's a World Cup final watched together over snow cones and a beer garden. The kids have their own summer running in the background — library lunches, storytimes, movies that start at dusk. Take a look below and find your version of the month. [Read and share the complete July Raincross Rundown...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-rundown-the-best-of-riverside-in-july-2026/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-07-01T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [RCCD/UCR Residential Scholars Information Session](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rccducr-residential-scholars-information-session/19215559/2026-07-01T10) at Riverside City College - [Transportation Board](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/transportation-board/18982107/2026-07-01T17) at Riverside City Hall - [Writing Skills](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/writing-skills/19240881/2026-07-01T16) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Writing Skills- 8th+](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/writing-skills-8th/19240894/2026-07-01T18) at My Learning Studio ($42) - [Riverside Off-Road & Jeep Nights](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-offroad-jeep-nights/18477720/2026-07-01T17) at D'Elia's Grinders ### Tomorrow - [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-03T07) at Zacatecas Café - [Board of Ethics](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/board-of-ethics/18812402/2026-07-02T18) at Riverside City Hall - [FREE ADMISSION - First Thursday of every month during Riverside ArtsWalk](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-admission-first-thursday-of-every-month-during-riverside-artswalk/13230799/2026-07-02T18) at Riverside Art Museum - [Rooftop Screening of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, with Ripperside Cinema Galore](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rooftop-screening-of-bill-and-teds-excellent-adventure-with-ripperside-cinema-galore/19113902/2026-07-02T18) at Riverside Art Museum - [UCR ARTS Celebrates America 250](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/ucr-arts-celebrates-america-250/19080636/2026-07-02T18) at UCR ARTS ## Save the Date - July 4: [Fourth of July Water Fun and Fireworks](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fourth-of-july-water-fun-and-fireworks/19248234/2026-07-04T17) at First United Methodist Church of Riverside (free- $5) - July 4: [Front Row Fireworks - Celebrating America 250](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/front-row-fireworks-celebrating-america-250/18824158/2026-07-04T17)at Evergreen Memorial Historic Cemetery (free- $10) - July 5: [Patriotic Tours](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/patriotic-tours-heritage-house/19187294/2026-07-05T10) at Riverside Heritage House - July 11: [The Stars and Pipes Forever](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-stars-and-pipes-forever/19188125/2026-07-11T19) at First United Methodist Church of Riverside - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### July ArtsWalk Has Art, Music and Wonderful Weather URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/july-artswalk-has-art-music-and-wonderful-weather/ Last updated: 2026-07-02T12:00:57.000Z Riverside's ArtsWalk returns Thursday, July 2, from 6 to 9 p.m., and this month it comes with something you rarely get in July: a comfortable evening. Forecasts put the night in the 70s, a real break from the usual summer heat. The lineup matches the weather. Two gallery openings, a hands-on sculpture project, live music, a free rooftop movie and one last ArtsWalk chance to catch one of the region's most talked about exhibitions. **The Cheech** 3581 Mission Inn Ave. - Our Empire: James McClung and Marcus Mercado, a two-artist exhibition built around the Inland Empire, is on view in the community gallery. Both artists were raised in Redlands. - McClung is the Riverside Arts Council's July Artist Spotlight. He was recently featured in the Los Angeles Times for his work in the show. - Out front from 6 to 9 p.m., McClung and Mercado invite the public to help transform two large letter sculptures, each 42 by 42 inches. Bring your own supplies. Chalk, spray paint, acrylic, charcoal, markers and stickers all work, and a limited selection of materials will be on hand. The finished sculptures will go on display inside The Cheech. **Riverside Art Museum** 3425 Mission Inn Ave. - Ripperside at the RAM presents a rooftop screening of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the movie starts at 7:30\. The event is free. - The screening comes from Francisco Ochoa, who has built his Ripperside Cinema Galore series up from the basement of Back to the Grind. Riverside is thin on independent and arthouse film, and Ochoa has found a steady audience. **Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California** 3933 Mission Inn Ave., Ste. 103 - Out in the I.E. surveys the Inland Empire's LGBTQ+ history across 10 themes, from art and AIDS to drag and nightlife, faith and queer futures. - The exhibition has been extended through July 12\. This is the last ArtsWalk to see the incredible exhibition. **Division 9 Gallery** 3850 Lemon St. - Unreal, a two-artist show featuring Lisabeth Mertins and Amy Ning, opens from 6 to 9 p.m. A closing reception follows on Sunday, July 26. **RCAA Gallery** 3860 Lemon St. - The Patron & Photography Inspired Members Show is on view from 6 to 9 p.m., with Kathryn Baca Llano as the featured artist. **Benjamin Franklin Stage** City Hall Breezeway - Live music starts at 6 p.m. with The Oakks and Crystal and the Sassy Cats. The show is free, all ages and dog friendly. ### Raincross Rundown: The Best of Riverside in July 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-rundown-the-best-of-riverside-in-july-2026/ Last updated: 2026-07-02T11:59:31.000Z July doesn't ease in. It arrives with fireworks already lit, a drone show lighting up Fairmount Park, and a city leaning all the way into America's 250th birthday. Heritage House goes red, white, and blue for the occasion. Evergreen Memorial Historic Cemetery turns into one of the best seats in town for a Founders' Day show. The Riverside Festival Orchestra plays patriotic standards under the stars at the National Cemetery. It's a month that knows exactly what it's celebrating. But July isn't only about the holiday. There's a poetry mic at Café Oro with a chair waiting for you, a lotería night built for community, Shakespeare on the lawn at Fairmount Park, and a rooftop screening of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure for anyone who wants their movie night with a view. Cheech Marin turns 80, and the whole city's invited to the party. There's a World Cup final watched together over snow cones and a beer garden. The kids have their own summer running in the background — library lunches, storytimes, movies that start at dusk. Take a look below and find your version of the month. ### America's 250th [**4th of July Spectacular**](https://www.flipbook.thesaucecs.com/RiversideSummer/mobile/index.html?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Saturday, July 4 | 9 pm | La Sierra Park & Mt. Rubidoux | Free Two locations, one big show. The City of Riverside and AEA America light up the sky over both La Sierra Park and Mt. Rubidoux. Access to La Sierra and Carlson Dog Park is restricted all day, and Mt. Rubidoux access closes after 7 pm on the 4th, so plan your spot early. [**Founders' Day Fireworks: America's 250th Birthday**](https://evergreen-cemetery.info/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Saturday, July 4 | 5–9:30 pm | Evergreen Memorial Historic Cemetery, 4414 14th Street Some of the best seats in town for the fireworks, with a full afternoon built around them: live music from Shameless Dawgs, face painting by Sparkles the Clown, balloon art from Chris Cross Magic, bounce houses, guided tours, a scavenger hunt, and food vendors. $10 general admission (free for military with ID and kids 12 and under). Bring your own chairs and blankets. Tickets also available at [Eventbrite](https://www.eventbrite.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) (search "Front Row Fireworks 2026"). [**Special Tours: Heritage House**](https://museumofriverside.org/calendar/patriotic-tours-heritage-house/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Sunday, July 5 | 10 am–2 pm | Riverside Heritage House, 8193 Magnolia Avenue | Free, free parking See the patriotic side of Heritage House on a guided tour through the first floor, with the grounds decked out in red, white, and blue for the nation's 250th. The Sons of the American Revolution will be on site to talk through the founding principles behind it all. All ages welcome. [**America's 250th Special Concert & Drone Show**](https://www.flipbook.thesaucecs.com/RiversideSummer/mobile/index.html?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Wednesday, July 1 | 6–9 pm | Fairmount Park, 2601 Fairmount Blvd. | Free Missed the first drone show? This is round two. The Convertibles and the Riverside Concert Band take the stage, with food vendors, a beer garden, and a Power Hour during intermission. ASL and voice interpretation available at the stage. Drone show starts at 9 pm, so early arrival is the move. [**Concert for Heroes**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-new-conductor-brings-pops-patriotism-and-personal-stakes-to-concert-for-heroes/) Friday, July 3 | 7 pm | Riverside National Cemetery, 22495 Van Buren Blvd. | Free A new ensemble takes the podium this year: the Riverside Festival Orchestra, formed specifically for this concert and led by conductor Ruth Noemy Wheeler. The program leans more pops than past years, mixing patriotic standards with selections from Star Wars, Superman, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Free admission and parking, picnicking welcome beforehand. ### Arts & Culture [**Out in the I.E.**](https://www.facebook.com/CRIISC) Through July 10 | Wednesday–Friday, 12–5 pm | Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California, 3933 Mission Inn Ave, Suite 102 This exhibition honoring LGBTQ+ creativity, activism, and community across Riverside and San Bernardino counties has been extended through July 10\. Free admission, free tours available. [**Full Circle Players presents Twelfth Night**](https://www.fullcircleplayers.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Thursday, July 16 & Friday, July 17 | 7 pm | Fairmount Park Shakespeare under the open sky. [**Rooftop Screening of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure**](https://riversideartmuseum.org/event/rooftop-screening-of-bill-and-teds-excellent-adventure-in-collaboration-with-ripperside-cinema-galore/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Thursday, July 2 | 6–9 pm (rooftop opens 7 pm, movie starts 7:30 pm) | Riverside Art Museum, 3425 Mission Inn Ave. | Free A rooftop movie night in collaboration with Ripperside Cinema Galore. Lowback chairs allowed, thick blankets welcome for the ground, and chairs are also provided. [**Celebration for Cheech's 80th Birthday!**](https://riversideartmuseum.org/event/celebration-for-cheechs-80th-birthday/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Sunday, July 12 | Noon–5 pm | The Cheech Center for Chicano Art & Culture, 3581 Mission Inn Ave. | Free An outdoor birthday celebration for Cheech Marin himself, free and open to the public. Want to step inside The Cheech and Riverside Art Museum during the party? Register for a Free Summer Sunday ticket. ### Community Events [**Family Bingo Night**](https://www.flipbook.thesaucecs.com/RiversideSummer/mobile/index.html?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Tuesday, July 14 | 5:30 pm | Orange Terrace Community Center | $10–$30 [**24th Annual Backpack Giveaway & Resource Fair**](https://www.flipbook.thesaucecs.com/RiversideSummer/mobile/index.html?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Saturday, July 11 | 8 am–noon | Bordwell Park | Free [**Ice Cream Socials**](https://www.flipbook.thesaucecs.com/RiversideSummer/mobile/index.html?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Friday, July 10 | 11 am | Ameal Moore Nature Center | Free [**Masc Mixer: Lotería de las Plantas**](https://www.instagram.com/p/DaL6vsDmtUX/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Tuesday, July 14 | 6–9 pm | Back to the Grind, 3575 University Ave. A plant-themed lotería night for the community, hosted by Transgender Health & Wellness Center and St. John's Community Health. Whether you're new to the community or a familiar face, this one's built to be welcoming. All Parks & Rec events also listed in the [City of Riverside summer guide](https://www.flipbook.thesaucecs.com/RiversideSummer/mobile/index.html?ref=raincrossgazette.com). ### Health & Wellness [**Family Hikes**](https://www.flipbook.thesaucecs.com/RiversideSummer/mobile/index.html?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Saturday, July 18 | 9 am | Ameal Moore Nature Center | Free [**Summer Carnival (Eldertainment)**](https://www.flipbook.thesaucecs.com/RiversideSummer/mobile/index.html?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Thursday, July 23 | 2–5 pm | La Sierra Senior Center | $3 [**Riverside Front Runner & Walkers 3-Year Anniversary Run/Walk**](https://www.instagram.com/p/DaKK18Lz8r%5F/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Thursday, July 2 | 6:30 pm | VIP Nightclub and Restaurant This local run/walk group is marking three years strong, and they're hoping for their biggest turnout yet. All paces and walkers welcome. ### Make Something [**Weekend Wonders: Makerspace Workshop**](https://www.flipbook.thesaucecs.com/RiversideSummer/mobile/index.html?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Saturday, July 25 | 10 am–noon | Bourns Family Youth Innovation Center | $10, ages 18+ 3D printing, laser engraving, Cricut machines, and more for the hands-on crowd. [**Summer Zine Workshop Series with Brookes Reeder**](https://riversideartmuseum.org/event/summer-zine-workshop-series-with-brookes-reeder-2/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Saturday, July 19 | 1–4 pm | Riverside Art Museum, 3425 Mission Inn Ave. | Free Learn to make your own zine with Brookes Reeder of @lunchtimeprinthouse. All supplies provided, and you're welcome to bring extras from home. ### Live Music [**Golden Hour Music & Poetry Open Mic**](https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ%5FcdSzqPoE/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Wednesday, July 1 | 4–6 pm (sign-ups at 4:30, mic 5–6 pm) | Café Oro Dos Aztecas, 3521 Main St. Hosted by Ulises from El Santo Golpe, this is an evening built for sharing — poetry, music, or just a seat to listen from. [**Concerts in the Park**](https://www.flipbook.thesaucecs.com/RiversideSummer/mobile/index.html?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Wednesdays, 6–9 pm | Fairmount Park - July 8 — Bumptown (Old School & Latin) - July 15 — Vilma Diaz y La Sonora (Salsa & Cumbia) - July 22 — Pop Gun Rerun (80s Music) - July 29 — B.I.G. (R&B & Oldtown) ### Out & About [**Movies in the Park**](https://www.flipbook.thesaucecs.com/RiversideSummer/mobile/index.html?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Free, all movies begin at dusk - July 10 — G-Force at Reid Park - July 17 — Encanto at Bryant Park - July 24 — The Bad Guys at Hunter Hobby Park - July 31 — Incredibles 2 at La Sierra Park Bring a chair or blanket. [**Free Swim Days**](https://www.flipbook.thesaucecs.com/RiversideSummer/mobile/index.html?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Wednesdays, 1–3 pm - July 1 — Islander Pool - July 8 — Arlington Park - July 15 — Shamel Park - July 22 — Reid Park - July 29 — Villegas Park [**FIFA World Cup Final Watch Party**](https://www.instagram.com/p/DaBeGXRyeEx/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Sunday, July 19 | Noon | Ysmael Villegas Park, 3091 Esperanza St. | Free The big screen, the beer garden, the snow cones, and the biggest game in the world. Bring your team spirit. ### Summer Break for the Kids [**Lunch at the Library**](https://riversideca.gov/Library?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Tuesday–Friday, 11:30 am–12:30 pm | La Sierra Library, Main Library, SPC. Jesus S. Duran Eastside Library at Lincoln Park (no service July 3) Free food and activities for kids 18 and under. Select performer dates include July 8 (Lego Build at La Sierra), July 17 (Kyle's Draw Along at Main), July 21 (Dino Party at Lincoln Park), and July 29 (Doodlebug: Wild About Animals at La Sierra). [**Park Visits**](https://riversideca.gov/Library?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 11:30 am–12:30 pm | Tuesdays at Bordwell Park, Wednesdays at Villegas Park, Thursdays at Bryant Park, Fridays at Hunt Park Free activities and food for kids on the go. [**Storytimes**](https://riversideca.gov/Library?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Weekly across Riverside Public Library branches, including Preschool Storytime, Baby Bee Storytime, Twilight Tales, Family Storytime, and Bilingual Storytime at various locations and times. [**Summer Reading Program**](https://riversideca.gov/SRP?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Free themed performances continue at library branches throughout July, from puppet shows and magic acts to bubble parties and reptile encounters. A few highlights: Aztec Culture and Dance at La Sierra (July 10), Christopher's Circus Acts & More at Lincoln Park (July 11), and Bilingual Interactive Storytime with Brillantina at Main (July 25). Space is limited and first-come, first-served. Haven't signed up yet? Join the all-ages Summer Reading Challenge at [RiversideCA.gov/Library](http://riversideca.gov/Library?ref=raincrossgazette.com). ### Get Your Tickets Now [**Super Smash Bros. Tournament**](https://rivreg.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Saturday, July 25 | Noon–3 pm | Bourns Family Youth Innovation Center | $10 ($15 non-resident), ages 18+ Prizes on the line. *The Raincross Rundown is published monthly by the Raincross Gazette staff and offers just a glimpse of everything going on in this wonderful city. Check out our* [*community calendar*](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/) *for even more events and happenings, and* [*let us know*](mailto:newsroom@raincrossgazette.com) *when you spot something coming up you'd love to see covered.* ### Heritage House Marks America's 250th With Special July 5 Tours URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/heritage-house-marks-americas-250th-with-special-july-5-tours/ Last updated: 2026-07-03T00:15:42.000Z The historic Heritage House is celebrating the 250th birthday of the United States of America with an event fit for the whole family. The big celebration will take place on July 5\. The Heritage House will host special tours that spotlight items from another part of the museum's collection. Doors will open at 10 a.m. and close at 2 p.m. The lawn of the Heritage House will host the Sons of the American Revolution and the Daughters of the American Revolution. The two organizations will be programming live history that gives visitors a peek into the personalities that inhabited America's early years. They will be fully in character 100 percent of the time, interacting with guests on the special tours. It's part of a fully immersive experience that takes you back to a specific point in Riverside and American history. Families are bound to learn something new that will help them appreciate Riverside's role in America's 250-year-long legacy. Most likely it'll be a hot day, but lucky for guests, Riverside Museum Associates will be stationed on the front lawn, handing out free cups of fresh-squeezed lemonade. There will be patriotic music playing on the lawn. Inside, a piano from the era will be on display in a music room alongside period-specific books. Some of America's favorite tunes, originally recorded in the late 1800s, will play in the music room. The museum's goal is to give you a peek at Riverside life during America's pioneering time. It gives you a snapshot of America's culture during that time and how it bled into Southern California. The Heritage House holds ground as the cornerstone of Riverside history. The lavish Victorian home was built in 1891-1892 for Catharine Bettner, a widow whose family had invested in local citrus groves. During these times, Riverside was said to be the wealthiest city per capita in the United States due to its expansive citrus industry. The citrus investments she and her late husband had made allowed her to build the massive Victorian home. At the time, Bettner was considered among Riverside's wealthy elite. Throughout the home, there is furniture from that time, fine china, paintings, and original woodwork that make up the wood finishing found in various places within the Heritage House. Each room reflects the affluence of the Victorian era. It's a special time to visit the Heritage House, as this will be the last day to visit before they close for the season. Tours won't be happening in the heat of the summer. However, on Friday, July 24, Riverside locals will have a movie night on the lawn. At 8 p.m., doors will open for a screening of Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942). **More information:** Heritage House, 8193 Magnolia Ave., is open July 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Yankee Doodle Dandy screening takes place July 24 at 8 p.m. For more, visit the [Heritage House event page](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/special-tours-heritage-house/19187294/2026-07-05T10). ### 🗞️ Riverside News- June 30, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-30-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:56.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/img464.JPEG) Even as a kid, Justin Pardee dressed like he had somewhere important to be. Happy birthday to the founder and publisher of the Raincross Gazette — **from your newsroom family*. **Tuesday Gazette: June 30, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and happy birthday to me!** I'm 44 years old today. Two weeks ago I asked for a strange birthday present: 44 new supporters before today. I wasn't sure it would happen, asking people to pay for something I give away for free is a bit counterintuitive. As I write this, we're at 41. Three to go. After everything I've told you these two weeks about why free to read doesn't mean free to make, and about strangers who are neighbors, this goal (and the long-term sustainability of this newsroom) comes down to three people reading this right now who've been meaning to, and just haven't yet. If that's you, I'd be honored if you'd join the 737 other Riversiders who don't just subscribe to the Gazette, they support it. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to spend today at the beach with my family! [Become a Member](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/#/portal/account/plans) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/author_banner-justin-pardee-2.jpg) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260630)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260630&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Council Approves New City Fee Schedule, Adds Contamination Charge The annual update adds new fees for public records, refuse contamination and late fire inspections, and is projected to generate $862,000 in additional revenue. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/2-_DSC4124-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-approves-new-city-fee-schedule-adds-contamination-charge/) Most city user fees rise 5.7% starting this budget year, covering everything from building permits to fire inspections — while several new fees debut for the first time. **Why it matters:** You'll pay more for city services ranging from dog licenses to recreation programs. The increase affects residents and businesses that use specific city services, not general taxpayers. **Driving the news:** Council voted unanimously June 23 to adopt the annual fee schedule update, citing two years of inflation that outpaced city costs without a corresponding fee adjustment. - Deputy Finance Director Sergio Aguilar called it a "catch-up" intended to maintain cost-recovery levels, not replace the city's comprehensive fee studies. **What's new:** Several fees are added or restructured this cycle. - A new $49 contamination fee hits recycling and organics bins after three documented violations, tied to California's Senate Bill 1383 organic waste requirements. Residents receive a warning letter after the first incident and a cart tag after the second before any charge applies. - Fire inspection late payments now carry escalating penalties — 20% after 30 days, 40% after 60, 60% after 90. **Yes, but:** Councilmember Sean Mill questioned whether fines are the right tool for recycling compliance. Public Works staff said the fee targets behavioral change, not revenue. Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes confirmed scholarship assistance through the Riverside Foundation remains available for residents affected by recreation fee increases. **The backstory:** The proposed 2026–27 budget assumes $862,000 in new revenue from the adjustment. Aguilar warned that rejecting it would require identifying other ways to close the city's budget gap. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-approves-new-city-fee-schedule-adds-contamination-charge/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260630) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600630&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Council Approves Transit-Oriented Development Plan for Downtown Metrolink Area The Transit Oriented Development Action Plan sets a path for housing, jobs and investment around the 4066 Vine St. station but stops short of approving construction or rezoning. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/721119025_1490676863099126_967139035082129264_n-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-approves-transit-oriented-development-plan-for-downtown-metrolink-area/) Downtown Metrolink Station at 4066 Vine St. ([City of Riverside](https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1490676853099127&set=pcb.1490676966432449)) Council approved a framework to spur housing and jobs around the Downtown Metrolink Station, the city's most underused transit asset. **Why it matters:** The station area has sat largely unchanged since 1991 — before Metrolink existed. This plan is meant to clear the path for housing, jobs, and better bike and pedestrian access to the station. **Driving the news:** Council approved the Transit Oriented Development Action Plan June 23 on its consent calendar, meeting a requirement under the Regional Early Action Planning (REAP) 2.0 grant program. - The planning effort was funded through the Western Riverside Council of Governments and the Southern California Association of Governments. **The backstory:** The station at 4066 Vine St. has faced repeated setbacks. The Riverside County Transportation Commission terminated an expansion project in March 2023 after historic preservation groups objected to demolition of the nearby FMC Building. **What's next:** The plan itself doesn't rezone land, approve construction, or commit city funding — but city staff say it will shape the ongoing General Plan update and future grant applications. Implementation work continues through future planning efforts. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-approves-transit-oriented-development-plan-for-downtown-metrolink-area/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260630)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260630&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Riverside's Chief Innovation Officer Explores AI's Promise and Peril George Khalil's presentation at the Main Library asked the community to lean into the conversation about artificial intelligence rather than away from it. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-15-2.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-chief-innovation-officer-explores-ais-promise-and-peril/) The room was silent. Audience members held their breath as the Chief Innovation Officer of the city of Riverside, George Khalil, discussed the current state of artificial intelligence (AI) and forecasted the road ahead. A quick scan of the room revealed immense curiosity in the eyes of some and subtle fear in the eyes of others, reflecting society's current divide on the issue. However, the message was undeniably clear: these are the conversations we must be having to better understand what lies ahead. It seems as though the one headline news broadcasts cannot get enough of is AI, and justifiably so. The exponential rise of this new technology has already transformed our lives on both an individual and global scale. In fact, according to Stanford University's Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, AI is poised to become "the most transformative technology of the 21st century." With an emerging technology spreading into nearly every corner of society, countless questions arise: What will the future look like? How will we be affected? Most importantly, where are we even going? [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-chief-innovation-officer-explores-ais-promise-and-peril/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [Illusions by Allen](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/eastside-library-at-lincoln-park-illusions-by-allen/18788371/2026-06-30T11) at SPC Jesus S. Duran Eastside Library at Lincoln Park - [Multiplication Madness (MM)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/multiplication-madness-mm/19240907/2026-06-30T00) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Comprehension Group](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-comprehension-group/19240809/2026-06-30T10) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Foundational Skills (RFS)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-foundational-skills-rfs/19240857/2026-06-30T09) at My Learning Studio ($196) - [Summer Seed Exchange at the Marcy Library](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summer-seed-exchange-at-the-marcy-library/19218002/2026-06-30T11) at Marcy Library - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-06-30T19) at The Hideaway ### Tomorrow - [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-07-01T08) at Community Yoga Center - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-07-01T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [RCCD/UCR Residential Scholars Information Session](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rccducr-residential-scholars-information-session/19215559/2026-07-01T10) at Riverside City College - [Transportation Board](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/transportation-board/18982107/2026-07-01T17) at Riverside City Hall - [Writing Skills](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/writing-skills/19240881/2026-07-01T16) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Writing Skills- 8th+](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/writing-skills-8th/19240894/2026-07-01T18) at My Learning Studio ($42) - [Riverside Off-Road & Jeep Nights](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-offroad-jeep-nights/18477720/2026-07-01T17) at D'Elia's Grinders ### Save the Date - July 3: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-03T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 4: [Fourth of July Water Fun and Fireworks](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fourth-of-july-water-fun-and-fireworks/19248234/2026-07-04T17) at First United Methodist Church of Riverside (free- $5) - July 4: [Front Row Fireworks - Celebrating America 250](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/front-row-fireworks-celebrating-america-250/18824158/2026-07-04T17)at Evergreen Memorial Historic Cemetery (free- $10) - July 5: [Patriotic Tours](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/patriotic-tours-heritage-house/19187294/2026-07-05T10) at Riverside Heritage House - July 11: [The Stars and Pipes Forever](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-stars-and-pipes-forever/19188125/2026-07-11T19) at First United Methodist Church of Riverside - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Council Approves New City Fee Schedule, Adds Contamination Charge URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-approves-new-city-fee-schedule-adds-contamination-charge/ Last updated: 2026-07-01T19:15:42.000Z The City Council unanimously approved an update June 23 that adopts a 5.7% increase to most city user fees while adding several new fees for services, ranging from public records requests to refuse contamination and late fire inspections. The annual update affects fees paid by residents and businesses for specific city services rather than taxes or utility rates. The schedule includes inflationary adjustments, new department-specific fees and several fee restructurings. Deputy Finance Director Sergio Aguilar said user fees help ensure the people using certain city services — not the general public — cover the costs of providing them. "For the most part, general tax dollars like property tax and sales tax are used to fund essential core services available to all citizens like police, fire protection or parks," Aguilar told the council at the meeting. "However, user fees are charged to individuals and businesses requesting additional specific services and activities to ensure that those individuals and businesses that benefit from these specific services contribute to their cost. And this in turn reduces the burden on general taxpayers who may not utilize these services." Examples include building permits, dog licenses, fire safety inspections and city-sponsored recreation programs. The city is proposing a [5.7% Consumer Price Index adjustment](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-proposes-5-7-fee-hike-automatic-inflation-increases/) for most fees because the last comprehensive fee studies were based on 2023-24 costs, Aguilar said. Since then, inflation has increased the city's cost of providing services. "Costs have continued to grow without a corresponding increase in fees," he said. "So the general fund would, in essence, pick up additional subsidy costs of these services if there were no changes in fees." Aguilar described the adjustment as "in essence a catch-up of about two years," adding that it is intended to maintain the cost-recovery levels previously adopted by the council rather than replace the city's comprehensive fee studies, which are conducted every three to five years. The proposed budget for fiscal year 2026-27 assumes about $862,000 in additional revenue from the CPI adjustment. Aguilar warned that rejecting the increase would require the council to identify other ways to [close the city's budget gap](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-approves-1-57-billion-budget-with-cuts-to-public-works-boost-to-public-safety/). The fee schedule also adds two new City Clerk fee categories for notary services and public records duplication, updates Parks and Recreation programming fees, creates a new $18.02 contamination fee for recycling and organics bins after three documented contamination incidents, establishes late fees for parking citations and revises several animal services fees. The Fire Department also added a new escalating late-payment penalty structure for defensible space inspections and fire safety inspections. Property owners who fail to pay inspection fees within 30 days will be charged an additional 20 percent of the base fee, increasing to 40 percent after 60 days and 60 percent after 90 days. Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes asked Fire Marshal Kevin Shin how residents would be notified before penalties begin accumulating. "Our inspectors go out and conduct the inspections. If there is a violation, they're provided the bill... and the report," Shin said during the meeting. "They're given a 30-day window to make those corrections, and if they continue to not make those corrections, this is where we're looking to capture that staff time, recovery time for the inspections." Much of the council's discussion centered on the new refuse contamination fee, which is intended to help the city comply with California's organic waste recycling requirements under Senate Bill 1383. Councilmember Sean Mill said he understood the city's need to comply with state law but questioned whether fines were the best approach. "I understand our desire, we need to comply with SB 1383, but I'm skeptical that this fee is the right approach," Mill said. Mill questioned how contamination would be documented, how residents would be educated before fines were issued and what appeal process would be available. Public Works staff said residents will receive a warning letter after the first documented contamination, followed by tags placed on the cart after subsequent violations before any fee is assessed. Collection drivers photograph contaminated bins and upload the images into the city's tracking system. Asked whether the fee was intended primarily to generate revenue, Public Works staff responded, "It is definitely about behavioral change." During public comment, resident Aurora Chavez urged the council to avoid relying on higher fees while trying to attract businesses to Riverside. "If we have lowered our charges because we were trying to attract businesses... then it must be something else that we need to improve on. Probably our policies," Chavez said. "Charging us more is not going to help." Resident Jason Hunter asked the city to clarify that the new public records duplication fee applies only to physical copies rather than digital records sent by email. He also urged the city to conduct extensive public outreach before implementing the refuse contamination fee. "Before you get a thousand angry phone calls," Hunter said, "probably at least... get something in there a couple of times before you start fining people." Councilmember Cervantes also asked Parks Director Pamela Galera whether financial assistance would remain available for residents affected by increased recreation fees. Galera said the department carefully considered affordability while developing the fee schedule. "We really considered our users," Galera said. "We do have a scholarship program through our Riverside Foundation, and so we do give scholarships to families, youth and seniors that need that extra help." Cervantes said the council was mindful of residents facing rising living costs. "I think we are trying to be very mindful as a council as we look at these user fees and don't take it very lightly during these challenging times," she said. ### Council Approves Transit-Oriented Development Plan for Downtown Metrolink Area URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-approves-transit-oriented-development-plan-for-downtown-metrolink-area/ Last updated: 2026-07-01T12:00:27.000Z The City Council last week approved a new planning framework aimed at advancing a decades-old vision of turning the area around the Downtown Metrolink Station into a center with housing, jobs and transit. The City Council approved the item June 23 on its consent calendar, receiving an update on preparation of a Transit Oriented Development Action Plan and adopting a resolution required under Regional Early Action Planning (REAP) 2.0 grant guidelines. While the action plan does not approve construction, rezone land or commit city funding, officials say it is intended to create a clearer path for future investment around one of Riverside's most significant regional transit assets. The plan focuses on the area surrounding the Downtown Metrolink Station at 4066 Vine St., where city staff say development policy has not kept pace with changes in transportation patterns or broader housing goals. According to the [staff report](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15579399&GUID=E1442D52-A26B-447B-BEC1-75BED45D28F9&ref=raincrossgazette.com), the area is still shaped largely by the Marketplace Specific Plan adopted in 1991 before the Metrolink station existed and before transit-oriented development became a major planning focus. That plan emphasized industrial and commercial uses and included limited opportunities for housing. The station has faced other planning setbacks in recent years. In March 2023, the [Riverside County Transportation Commission voted to terminate an expansion project](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/expansion-plans-for-metrolinks-downtown-station-terminated/) that would have added new tracks, a platform and a parking lot on the station's east side. The project, funded through the Southern California Optimized Rail Expansion program, was intended to reduce delays caused by freight train activity, but community and historic preservation groups opposed it over concerns about demolition of the nearby FMC Building. The new action plan is intended to emphasize preserving the area's industrial and cultural identity while creating opportunities for future housing, employment and public amenities, according to the staff report. Recommendations include strengthening partnerships among public agencies and private developers, updating or replacing the Marketplace Specific Plan, improving pedestrian and bicycle connections to the station area and identifying realistic redevelopment opportunities based on current market conditions and infrastructure capacity. The planning effort was funded through Regional Early Action Planning 2.0 technical assistance coordinated through the Western Riverside Council of Governments and the Southern California Association of Governments. City staff said the adopted framework will help inform Riverside's ongoing General Plan update and future grant applications tied to transit-oriented housing and infrastructure. Public comment submitted ahead of Tuesday's meeting reflected broader frustrations about transportation and economic development in Riverside. "What the…old Council did to Riverside's transportation capabilities should not have gone this long," resident Aurora Chavez wrote in comments submitted online before the vote. "We wonder why business people don't know where Riverside is? We were cut off from the world! We need to correct this now!" Chavez also suggested that converting part or all of the Mission Inn into a casino could attract transportation activity and generate additional revenue for the city. No proposal involving the Mission Inn or casino development was included in the agenda item. Tuesday's vote closes out the grant-funded planning process, but city staff said work to implement the plan and reshape the station area over time will continue through future planning efforts and funding opportunities. ### Riverside's Chief Innovation Officer Explores AI's Promise and Peril URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-chief-innovation-officer-explores-ais-promise-and-peril/ Last updated: 2026-07-01T12:00:00.000Z The room was silent. Audience members held their breath as the Chief Innovation Officer of the city of Riverside, George Khalil, discussed the current state of artificial intelligence (AI) and forecasted the road ahead. A quick scan of the room revealed immense curiosity in the eyes of some and subtle fear in the eyes of others, reflecting society's current divide on the issue. However, the message was undeniably clear: these are the conversations we must be having to better understand what lies ahead. It seems as though the one headline news broadcasts cannot get enough of is AI, and justifiably so. The exponential rise of this new technology has already transformed our lives on both an individual and global scale. In fact, according to Stanford University's Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, AI is poised to become "the most transformative technology of the 21st century." With an emerging technology spreading into nearly every corner of society, countless questions arise: What will the future look like? How will we be affected? Most importantly, where are we even going? These are the very questions Khalil set out to explore during his presentation "The Fifth Spark: AI and the Next Chapter of Human Evolution" at the Riverside Main Library on Thursday, June 25\. Turning the community room into a metaphorical time machine, he guided the audience from the dawn of human civilization through the progression of technology, from language and writing to steam and electricity, then computing and the internet. When the room finally returned to the present day, one new technology stood awaiting: AI. Khalil illustrated the next Space Race unfolding before the world. Only this time, humanity is not racing toward the moon, but toward artificial general intelligence (AGI). Throughout the presentation, he examined both the promises and challenges of AI. Even so, his outlook remained optimistic. "I see AI as a way to help people do more within our finite time," Khalil said. "For example, if a writer takes years to articulate a book, AI can help bring that same vision to life in months instead. That creates more value and allows us to live richer lives." Additionally, Khalil predicts AI will have its greatest impact in the biological sciences. "I think biological sciences will see the biggest impact—particularly in addressing diseases and advancing treatments for conditions like cancer and infectious diseases," Khalil said. "We are already seeing potential in areas like gene editing and medical research that could significantly improve human life." One of the biggest concerns surrounding AI is its effect on the labor market. With layoffs in certain industries making headlines, it is natural for people to wonder whether they will be next, especially amid so much uncertainty about the skills future jobs will require. Although many view AI as a threat to their jobs, it is also important to consider the broader pattern of history. With every major technological breakthrough, some jobs disappear while many new ones emerge. Ultimately, it boils down to whether individuals are willing to embrace change and adapt to it. As the old saying goes, the only constant in life is change. After the presentation concluded, audience members left with different takeaways. One recurring theme among several attendees was the enormous amounts of energy AI infrastructure requires. "The future is scary," Riverside resident Pamela Dogan said. "It made me think more about data centers—especially the amount of energy it will take to build them in cities, and whether we will prioritize them over people or the environment. That's concerning to me." Conversations like these, however, can help ease many of the concerns surrounding AI by encouraging discussion and understanding. "I would definitely recommend this event to others," Dogan said. "I think it's something everyone should be aware of—this is the future we are moving toward, and people should be prepared to the best of their ability." At a time when uncertainty often seems to be the only answer, it is up to us to decide whether the room will remain silent, or whether we will openly engage in the conversations that shape our future. *By Erik Chen* ### 🗞️ Riverside News- June 29, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-29-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:58.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-11-3.jpg) The sun rises over Riverside as seen from atop the Buena Vista Bridge. (Luke López) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Monday Gazette: June 29, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday!** A few weeks ago, [we introduced you to Jill Johnson-Young](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-jill-johnson-young/), a counselor and advocate whose work quietly sustains so many in our community. Her story clearly resonated: reader James W. Chung was moved to put pen to paper. James is a Canyon Crest resident, sales executive, published author, and CEO of Fellowship Sales LLC, and his poem, "Hidden Hero," captures something we don't always say out loud: that connection to the right people and resources can change the course of a life. We're honored to share it with you today. **"Hidden Hero – Jill Johnson-Young"** > As I gaze into the growing cityscape, > Here in Riverside. > I’m saddened by those who face challenges, > This means the most of us who have been tried. > Whether it’s dementia or grief, or a trial that can’t be > Shared. I want my city to know that we have services, > And that we care. Connection to resources and people > With solutions, can brighten up a life. > So life can be lived at a higher level, above the agony and strife. > I travel to the local area and sometimes nationwide. > With a message of hope and healing to help those by my side. > Let’s support one another from the cradle to the grave. > And know that we were created to live a life meaningfully and brave. Thank you, James, for this generous tribute to Jill and to the spirit of neighborly care. If you know someone making a quiet difference in Riverside, we'd love to hear about them. [Nominate a Neighbor of the Week.](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260629)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260629&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## This Week in City Hall: June 29, 2026 Board of Ethics meets Thursday to review city ethics rules and consider proposed changes to oversight and accountability structures. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-13-3.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-june-29-2026/) Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### Board of Ethics The Board of Ethics meets on Thursday, July 2, at 6 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1417115&GUID=0A01AE86-BCF7-47C2-9BE1-5BB15BAF71CA&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review a [presentation](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=4ef7de68-cfc7-4504-9b54-0860cf17e734.pdf&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on the City rule prohibiting board and commission members from advocating for private third-party interests in certain circumstances ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5385-board-of-ethics-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a347d53f2b6704ea900e618-2-overview-of-riverside-municipal-code-2-dot-78-dot-060-dot-d?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and discussing [six proposed concepts](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=9cc57bfd-22bd-4200-afe8-147a575da6e0.pdf&ref=raincrossgazette.com) — including potentially embedding the Board of Ethics in the City Charter and expanding the Inspector General's investigative authority — developed by an ad hoc committee for possible future consideration by a Charter Review Commission ([item 6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5385-board-of-ethics-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a347d53f2b6704ea900e61e-6-ad-hoc-committee-recommends-proposed-charter-am?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-june-29-2026/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260629) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600629&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [2026 ELECTION](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/2026-election/) ## Luis Hernandez To Be Sworn In As Ward 6 Councilmember Luis Hernandez wins the Ward 6 Riverside City Council seat outright with 50.38% of the vote and is expected to be sworn in on July 7\. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/ChatGPT-Image-Jun-26--2026-at-01_46_54-PM-1.png)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/luis-hernandez-to-be-sworn-in-as-ward-6-councilmember/) Ward 6 candidate Luis Hernandez speaks with attendees at the Raincross Gazette's candidate forum at the Altura Credit Union Magnolia Branch on April 30\. (Bob Sirotnik) Luis Hernandez will join the City Council as Ward 6's representative July 7, becoming the first Latino elected to represent the ward. **Why it matters:** Ward 6 has a new voice at the table — one who has lived in Riverside for 30+ years and brings firsthand experience navigating public services through his work at a local nonprofit. **Driving the news:** Hernandez cleared the 50% threshold needed to win outright — avoiding a runoff — after results tightened over several weeks of ballot counting. - He started election night at 46.43%, crossed 50% on June 10, and declared victory June 18. **By the numbers:** Hernandez finished at **50.29%**; opponents Oz Puerta and Norma Berrellez trailed at **28.25%** and **21.26%**, respectively. **The backstory:** Hernandez succeeds Councilmember Jim Perry, who announced his resignation earlier this month to pursue a family opportunity. Hernandez has served on the city's Board of Ethics Commission, including as its vice chair. **What's next:** Hernandez is expected to be sworn in at the July 7 council meeting. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/luis-hernandez-to-be-sworn-in-as-ward-6-councilmember/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260629)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260629&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Return of 44 Cultural Objects to Morongo Band Stalled at Museum of Riverside A missing quorum pushed back a board vote on deaccessioning 44 objects — including Cahuilla baskets collected by a Sherman Indian School superintendent — tied to the Morongo Band of Mission Indians. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-14-3.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/return-of-44-cultural-objects-to-morongo-band-stalled-at-museum-of-riverside/) Forty-four Cahuilla cultural objects tied to the Morongo Band of Mission Indians can't be returned yet — the Museum of Riverside board failed to meet quorum Wednesday before voting on the matter. **Why it matters:** The delay pushes back a process already years in the making. The objects — 33 brownware potsherds and 11 Cahuilla baskets — are subject to a formal repatriation request under federal law, and the tribe has been waiting. **Driving the news:** The board canceled its scheduled meeting for lack of quorum, postponing a recommendation that would send the deaccession to City Council for final approval. - The Collections Committee had already voted unanimously in May to advance the recommendation. **The backstory:** The 44 objects entered the museum's collection over several decades through donations and acquisitions dating to the early-to-mid 20th century. The potsherds were removed from Morongo Canyon and donated in 1964; several baskets were collected by Harwood Hall, a former Sherman Indian School superintendent, and donated by his widow in 1951. **By the numbers:** 44 objects total — 33 potsherds, 11 baskets — are slated for return under the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). **What's next:** The item returns to the Museum Board before advancing to City Council. No new meeting date has been announced. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/return-of-44-cultural-objects-to-morongo-band-stalled-at-museum-of-riverside/) --- ## Noteworthy The city is marking the nation's [250th birthday with a full year of celebrations](https://riversideca.gov/press/america-250?ref=raincrossgazette.com), including patriotic lighting on City Hall, the Municipal Auditorium, and the Cheech Marin Center, 250 trees planted citywide, and dozens of events spanning Fourth of July fireworks at Mt. Rubidoux, a Veterans Parade Downtown, and much more. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-06-29T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Reading + Math = FUN](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-math-fun/19240814/2026-06-29T11) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Camp Highlander 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-highlander-2026/18094967/2026-06-29T00) at Student Recreation Center (SRC) - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-06-29T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20.00 - $100) ### Tomorrow - [Illusions by Allen](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/eastside-library-at-lincoln-park-illusions-by-allen/18788371/2026-06-30T11) at SPC Jesus S. Duran Eastside Library at Lincoln Park - [Multiplication Madness (MM)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/multiplication-madness-mm/19240907/2026-06-30T00) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Comprehension Group](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-comprehension-group/19240809/2026-06-30T10) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Foundational Skills (RFS)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-foundational-skills-rfs/19240857/2026-06-30T09) at My Learning Studio ($196) - [Summer Seed Exchange at the Marcy Library](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summer-seed-exchange-at-the-marcy-library/19218002/2026-06-30T11) at Marcy Library - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-06-30T19) at The Hideaway ### Save the Date - July 1: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-07-01T08) at Community Yoga Center - July 3: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-03T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 4: [Fourth of July Water Fun and Fireworks](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fourth-of-july-water-fun-and-fireworks/19248234/2026-07-04T17) at First United Methodist Church of Riverside (free- $5) - July 4: [Front Row Fireworks - Celebrating America 250](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/front-row-fireworks-celebrating-america-250/18824158/2026-07-04T17)at Evergreen Memorial Historic Cemetery (free- $10) - July 5: [Patriotic Tours](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/patriotic-tours-heritage-house/19187294/2026-07-05T10) at Riverside Heritage House - July 11: [The Stars and Pipes Forever](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-stars-and-pipes-forever/19188125/2026-07-11T19) at First United Methodist Church of Riverside - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### This Week in City Hall: June 29, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-june-29-2026/ Last updated: 2026-06-30T22:15:40.000Z Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### Board of Ethics The Board of Ethics meets on Thursday, July 2, at 6 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1417115&GUID=0A01AE86-BCF7-47C2-9BE1-5BB15BAF71CA&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review a [presentation](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=4ef7de68-cfc7-4504-9b54-0860cf17e734.pdf&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on the City rule prohibiting board and commission members from advocating for private third-party interests in certain circumstances ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5385-board-of-ethics-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a347d53f2b6704ea900e618-2-overview-of-riverside-municipal-code-2-dot-78-dot-060-dot-d?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and discussing [six proposed concepts](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=9cc57bfd-22bd-4200-afe8-147a575da6e0.pdf&ref=raincrossgazette.com) — including potentially embedding the Board of Ethics in the City Charter and expanding the Inspector General's investigative authority — developed by an ad hoc committee for possible future consideration by a Charter Review Commission ([item 6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5385-board-of-ethics-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a347d53f2b6704ea900e61e-6-ad-hoc-committee-recommends-proposed-charter-am?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Return of 44 Cultural Objects to Morongo Band Stalled at Museum of Riverside URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/return-of-44-cultural-objects-to-morongo-band-stalled-at-museum-of-riverside/ Last updated: 2026-06-30T12:00:07.000Z Forty-four cultural objects slated to begin their journey back to the Morongo Band of Mission Indians remained in limbo on Wednesday — not because of opposition, but because there weren't enough board members in the room. The Museum of Riverside Board canceled its scheduled meeting for lack of a quorum, delaying consideration of a recommendation to deaccession — the formal removal from a museum collection — dozens of Indigenous cultural items from the museum's permanent collection. The postponed item would have asked the board to recommend City Council approval of the removal of 44 objects tied to Morongo from the museum's holdings, including 33 brownware potsherds and 11 Cahuilla baskets. The action is part of the museum's ongoing compliance work under the [Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, or NAGPRA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/how-repatriation-and-museums-can-work-together/), the federal law governing the repatriation of Native American human remains and certain cultural and sacred objects. According to a [staff report](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15580148&GUID=110506D0-CBD0-4136-A9C9-0A4DD3ABACC3&ref=raincrossgazette.com), the objects entered the museum's collection over several decades through donations and acquisitions dating to the early to mid-20th century. The potsherds were removed from Morongo Canyon before being donated in 1964. Several baskets were collected by Harwood Hall, a former superintendent of Sherman Indian School in Riverside, and donated by his widow in 1951\. Others came through donations connected to Banning families or were later acquired by the museum. Museum staff said historical research, correspondence and consultation with tribal representatives determined the objects are culturally affiliated with the Morongo Band. Representatives from the tribe, including members of its Tribal Council, met with museum staff in March. The museum later received a formal repatriation request from Morongo Tribal Council Chairman Charles Martin. In that request, the tribe wrote that the objects represent "significant contributions to our traditional lifeways and culture" and affirmed the need for their return. Under the museum's collections policy, compliance with state and federal law is the primary basis for deaccession decisions. The policy also states that sacred Indigenous objects should not be exhibited or interpreted against the wishes of tribal representatives. Staff also omitted photographs of the items from public materials out of respect for Indigenous preferences surrounding the publication of culturally significant artifacts. The recommendation previously received unanimous support from the museum's Collections Committee in May and will return to the Museum Board before advancing to City Council. The Morongo Band of Mission Indians did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ### Riverside's Centennial: How a Young City Marked the Nation's 100th Birthday URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-centennial-how-a-young-city-marked-the-nations-100th-birthday/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:04:32.000Z Riverside was not even six years old when our country marked its Centennial celebration on July 4, 1876\. Festivities, parades, speeches, fireworks, picnics, and other events across the United States proclaimed our freedom. Riverside and its citizens knew they had to join in and show that they were part of this joyous occasion. Having grown to a population of approximately 1,000 people, the town was ready to join in the patriotic celebrations. An enthusiastic group of citizens met at the schoolhouse on Sixth Street on Wednesday, May 17, 1876, to plan the Centennial and the Fourth of July arrangements. Judge John W. North, one of the city's founders, was the meeting's chairman, and Walter Lyon served as secretary. North "stated in the meeting how important it was for our people to display our patriotism and celebrate in a becoming manner the Centennial anniversary of our country's independence." Committees were formed for arrangements, music, and finances. The names listed only gave the last name, but with other early accounts, many can be identified. Among the members of the Committee of Arrangements were Walter Lyon, Henry Rudisill, George Cunningham, and C.C. Miller. Walter Lyon, with Emil Rosenthal, in 1876, had built an ornate two-story merchandise store, Lyon & Rosenthal, on the southwest corner of Eighth (University) and Main Streets. Henry Rudisill arrived in Riverside in 1874, along with his brother-in-law, Samuel C. Evans Sr., and served as a director of the Riverside Land and Irrigation Company. Later in 1889, he wrote the small booklet, *Riverside Illustrated: A City among the Orange Groves.* Christopher Columbus Miller arrived in Riverside in 1874 as a surveyor, and one of his early jobs was laying out the path for the Lower Canal. In 1876, Miller was building the family adobe home, which became the Glenwood Cottage, the forerunner of the Mission Inn. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/2---Lyon---Rosenthal-Bldg-and-Burt-Bldg.jpg) Photo of Main Street in 1876 – the building on the left is the Lyon & Rosenthal Store, and the building on the right is the B. D. Burt and Bro. Store. (Courtesy of Local History Archives of the Main Library) The members of the Music Committee were Judge Ebenezer G. Brown, George Leach, and John McCreary. Judge Brown, along with John W. North and Dr. James Greves, was a leader of the Southern California Colony Association, which founded Riverside. He built his home, the Anchorage Park Inn, just outside of the Mile Square. John McCreary was a junior member of A. McCreary and Son, a contracting firm. More importantly, he led the newly organized Riverside Concert Band, which first performed at the Fourth of July Centennial Celebration. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/3-RCB-History-Formatted-with-Pictures-2020---2---R.jpg) Photo of the Riverside Concert Band from about 1880. The three members of the Finance Committee were John W. North, B. D. Burt, and Emil Rosenthal. John W. North is well known as the leading founder of Riverside. B. D. Burt, with his brother Frank, built the first brick building in the city at the northwest corner of Eighth and Main and opened B. D. Burt and Bro., a general merchandise store. As already mentioned, Emil Rosenthal was the co-owner of Lyon and Rosenthal. Burt and Rosenthal ran competing merchandise stores across the street from each other. The committee met again on Thursday, June 15, to complete assignments and discuss arrangements. The grand day of celebration arrived on Tuesday, July 4, 1876\. The festivities kicked off with an "anvil chorus" which awoke our slumbering city and announced in thundering tones the Centennial anniversary of American Independence." (*Riverside News*, July 8, 1876) A procession of fifty carriages, accompanied by the newly formed Riverside Concert Band, formed at the schoolhouse at 9 a.m. and proceeded to the grove of cottonwood trees in the river bottom (location later became Fairmount Park), where Henry Rudisill presided over the activities. At 10 a.m., the ceremonies were opened with a prayer by the Rev. F. H. Wales, the second pastor of the First Congregational Church. Judge E. G. Brown followed with a brilliant reading of the Declaration of Independence. John W. North responded with a toast for our nation, R. L. Daniels with a toast for the Flag, and Walter Lyon with a toast for the ladies. The Rev. C. Day Noble gave an eloquent oration on the rise and progress of our country, which brought forth a hearty applause from those in attendance. Dr. James Greves, one of Riverside's founders, read a historical summary of the first six years of the city. F. F. Cranz then delivered a poem which he had written for the occasion, and the ceremonies were closed with a Benediction by the Rev. F. W. Bovard of the First Methodist Church. The program was interspersed with music performed by W. L. Sherrill and others. James Greves closed his historical remarks with this lofty testimony: > On this auspicious day, the centennial jubilee, the citizens of Riverside and the whole colony certainly have grand cause for thankfulness to the Supreme Father of All for the many mercies we enjoy. While so many in all parts of our beloved country are suffering for the necessaries of life and are thrown out of honest labor we are enjoying comparative prosperity and everyone willing to work can have full employment at remunerative wages. The future of this colony is assured. Property has steadily appreciated and while other towns who have rashly run prices beyond their true value are now suffering the consequences of their folly, Riverside is saved from a ruinous depreciation of property and with prudence a few years ahead there will be more diffused wealth in this community than in any other part of California. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/4-BIO-Greves--M.D.-I-1-Formal-portrait-of-James-P.-Greves--M.D.-CLD1-020.jpg) Portrait of James Greves. (Courtesy of Local History Archives of the Main Library) Following the ceremonies, many people remained for basket picnics, and the *Riverside News* described the joyful events. > In a few minutes could be seen groups of happy families seated upon the greensward, beneath the wide spreading branches of that beautiful grove, engaged in hilarious conversation and singing patriotic songs while supplying the inner man with delicacies prepared for the joyous occasion. Lovers, engaged in that particular, inaudible conversation, best understood by themselves, could be seen promenading in the cooling shade, little girls and boys romped in childish innocence, while those of maturer years engaged themselves in rendering the occasion happy to all present, and taking it all in…we don't remember having viewed a happier scene or enjoyed ourselves better. That evening, brilliant displays of fireworks lit up the sky across the city. The night ended with a grand ball, with dancing enjoyed by all. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/5-Bird-s-Eye-View.jpg) Bird's Eye View of Riverside in 1877 – In Lower Left is Grove of Trees Along the Santa Ana River. (Courtesy of Local History Archives of the Main Library) ### 🗞️ Riverside News- June 28, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-28-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:12:59.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/IMG_9892.jpeg) A magical moment at Fairmount Park, where the lake shimmers through a canopy of sweeping trees. (Vicky Ross) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Sunday Gazette: June 28, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday!** For nearly two weeks, I've been telling you why I do this work. My 44th birthday is this Tuesday (the last time you'll hear from me about this membership drive), and I asked 44 of you to become paid supporters before I blow out the candles. We're close. But today I don't want to talk about me. I want to talk about our neighbors who've said yes. Every Sunday we publish the names of the readers who became supporters that week, and you'll find this week's list right below this note. I hope you'll actually read it, because it's the most Riverside thing I can show you. Look at who's on it. Former elected officials, leaders of local nonprofits, students and educators, executives who run some of the largest institutions in this city. And a whole lot of names I'm guessing you won't recognize, sitting right next to the ones you will. Our system sends me an email every single time someone chooses to move from being a free subscriber to a paid supporter, and for the first several years of this newsroom's life, I knew every single person who chose to support it. Every name. They were friends, colleagues, neighbors, people who knew me and decided to take a chance on a guy with no journalism experience and a big idea. This week, I looked down the list and I know almost none of them. I cannot tell you what a gift that is. It means the Gazette no longer simply runs on the goodwill of people who know me. It's building momentum powered by the trust of people who know the work. Neighbors, yes, but strangers, mostly. Riversiders who have never met me, reading the Gazette every morning, deciding this is worth paying for so their neighbors can keep reading free. That is the makings of a newsroom that belongs to its city instead of to its founder, and that is honestly the real thing I've been aiming to build. So, please, today: read the names below. I'd be honored to include your name in next Sunday's. There's still room before Tuesday. The Gazette stays free for all of Riverside, always. Supporters are just the neighbors who keep it that way. [Become a Member](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/#/portal/account/plans) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/author_banner-justin-pardee-1.jpg) --- 🧡 Thank you to the Subscribers who became paid supporters this week: Tish Bradley, Jim Alexander, Rusty Bailey, Deborah Barles, Suzanne Breault, Courtney Budicin, Sue Ottosen Carter, Simone Decruyenaere, Heather Dickenson, Richard Lemire, Marie Lipa Cote, Andrew Plumley, David Radtke, Nate Rauba, Larry Robillard, Doug Robinson, Kevin Sherrell, and Ruthan Smith. [Your ongoing financial support](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-march-15-2026-2/#/portal/account/plans) is vital to our success in serving Riverside with the news it deserves! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260628)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260628&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HISTORY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/history/) ## Riverside's Centennial: How a Young City Marked the Nation's 100th Birthday On July 4, 1876, a town of 1,000 threw a celebration fit for the ages — carriages, concerts, toasts and all [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/1-Early-Riverside-1875-looking-se-from-8th-and-Main-2.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-centennial-how-a-young-city-marked-the-nations-100th-birthday/) Photo of Riverside in 1875, looking southeast from Main and Eighth (University).(Courtesy of Local History Archives of the Main Library) Riverside was not even six years old when our country marked its Centennial celebration on July 4, 1876\. Festivities, parades, speeches, fireworks, picnics, and other events across the United States proclaimed our freedom. Riverside and its citizens knew they had to join in and show that they were part of this joyous occasion. Having grown to a population of approximately 1,000 people, the town was ready to join in the patriotic celebrations. An enthusiastic group of citizens met at the schoolhouse on Sixth Street on Wednesday, May 17, 1876, to plan the Centennial and the Fourth of July arrangements. Judge John W. North, one of the city's founders, was the meeting's chairman, and Walter Lyon served as secretary. North "stated in the meeting how important it was for our people to display our patriotism and celebrate in a becoming manner the Centennial anniversary of our country's independence." Committees were formed for arrangements, music, and finances. The names listed only gave the last name, but with other early accounts, many can be identified. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-centennial-how-a-young-city-marked-the-nations-100th-birthday/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260628)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260628&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [NEIGHBOR OF THE WEEK](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/neighbor-of-the-week/) ## Neighbor of the Week: Andrew and Samantha Melendrez Neighbor of the Week is a series profiling the hidden heroes of Riverside, doing incredible works of service throughout our different neighborhoods. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/NotW---Melendrez-Youth---Flags--3--1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-andrew-and-samantha-melendrez/) Andrew and Samantha Melendrez stand on a Wood Streets side street lined with the American flags they installed on light poles throughout the neighborhood. (Brenda Flowers) On a Saturday morning earlier this summer, Andrew and Samantha Melendrez were up early and on the job – climbing ladders and installing American flags on more than 100 light poles along the side streets of the Wood Streets, including Beechwood Place, Castle Reagh Place, and, new this year, Larchwood Place. When summer ends, they take the flags down and store them in the backyard shed until next year. Andrew will be a sophomore at Poly High School in the fall. He plays soccer and runs cross country and track. Samantha will be a seventh grader at Woodcrest Christian. Together, they took over the effort from their father, Aurelio, and his friend, [former Neighbor of the Week Dominic Luna](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-dominic-luna/), who continue to watch over them as they work. Aurelio said it all simply: "They are doing this out of love for the city and community." And it appears to have taken root. The evening after this year's installation, Andrew told his dad that flag day has become one of his favorite days of the year. In this 250th year of American independence, these two early-teen siblings are finding their own way to mark it – one light pole at a time. [Get to know Andrew and Samantha...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-andrew-and-samantha-melendrez/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260628) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260628&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [SPORTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/sports/) ## The World Cup Is Here - Riverside's Soccer Future Is Next Watch parties, colorful jerseys and conga lines are filling Riverside during the World Cup. The question is whether that passion carries over when the city's first pro soccer team takes the field. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-10-3.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-world-cup-is-here-riversides-soccer-future-is-next/) World Cup watch party crowds fill the Farm House Collective as Mexico faces South Africa in its opening match. (Ken Crawford) A conga line breaks out, winding through the [Farm House Collective](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-farm-house-collective-breathes-new-life-into-historic-motel/) in Riverside. Fans dance, throw their hands in the air, sing along to the music and, yes, enjoy a few drinks as the celebration weaves through a sea of green jerseys. The viewing of Mexico's opening match against South Africa at the World Cup turned into more than just a soccer game. It turned into a carne asada, a barbecue with fans ready to kick off the tournament. As the song underscoring the chain dance, "El Za Za Za," declares in its opening line: "Que comiense la fiesta!" Let the festivities begin. Soccer fever is moving through the United States as relentlessly as Lionel Messi charging at a back line, and Riverside is feeling it. From jerseys representing countries across the tournament seen all around town to watch parties popping up around the city, the World Cup is physically making itself felt. This is the kind of vibe Riverside needs to continue once its professional team [joins the United Soccer League](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/professional-mens-and-womens-soccer-coming-to-riverside-through-usl-expansion/). [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-world-cup-is-here-riversides-soccer-future-is-next/) --- #### [CREATIVE PROMPTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/creative-prompts/) ## Ruling Class A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns. [![brown wooden ruler](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1502043150060-b01aa3030556?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDd8fHJ1bGVyfGVufDB8fHx8MTc4MjUwMDIwM3ww&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ruling-class/) ([Christian Kaindl](https://unsplash.com/@christiankaindl?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) This week, we move from holding our place to holding our beverages. Our creative nudge is an aluminum can. Or, if you are reading this outside of North America, the aluminium can. I admit I enjoy that extra “i” tucked into the British spelling. It feels fancy, like the word accessorized to impress at the party. As someone who spends plenty of time scouring the outdoors for found objects to make art, I come across aluminum cans regularly. Roadsides, desert trails, parking lots—cans are everywhere. They are among the most common objects (chip bags is still far and away #1) littered by people. I don’t find them interesting as raw material. A brand-new can is nothing special. But give that can a few months in the sun… Let our semi-arid desert climate fade the colorful print, add a few dents, let a spider or three move in. Then I start paying attention. They are really only interesting once they’ve aged, shown some wear and tear. I hope the same can be said for me. [Read and share the complete prompt...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ruling-class/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Sunday, June 28 - [UC Yoga Teacher Training Pre-Sale Pay in Full](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/uc-yoga-teacher-training-presale-pay-in-full/19233071/2026-06-28T00) at University of California, Riverside - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-06-28T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Local Riverside Designer's Retirement Sale Furniture, Décor, Fashion & More](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/local-riverside-designers-retirement-sale-furniture-dcor-fashion-more/19209654/2026-06-28T09) at Mission Grove Shopping Center - Former KMart - [Out In Print Zine Workshop](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/out-in-print-zine-workshop/19038315/2026-06-28T12) at Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California - [Summer Zine Workshop Series with Brookes Reeder](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summer-zine-workshop-series-with-brookes-reeder/19149878/2026-06-28T13) at Riverside Art Museum - [Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bingo/18559024/2026-06-28T13) at Temple Beth El Social Hall ($25) - [The Cottage by Sandy Rustin](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-cottage-by-sandy-rustin/19102230/2026-06-28T14) at Riverside Community Players ($20- $25) - [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-28T08) at Community Yoga Center - [NO QUESTION COMEDY SHOW](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/no-question-comedy-show-at-the-hideaway-cafe-lounge/19190056/2026-06-28T18) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($15) - [Salsa Dancing at The Cheech](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/salsa-dancing-at-the-cheech/19113901/2026-06-28T12) at Riverside Art Museum - [Sunday Experiment After Dark](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sunday-experiment-after-dark/14528750/2026-06-28T21) at Downtown Experiment ### Monday, June 29 - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-06-29T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Reading + Math = FUN](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-math-fun/19240814/2026-06-29T11) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Camp Highlander 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-highlander-2026/18094967/2026-06-29T00) at Student Recreation Center (SRC) - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-06-29T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20.00 - $100.00) ### Tuesday, June 30 - [Illusions by Allen](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/eastside-library-at-lincoln-park-illusions-by-allen/18788371/2026-06-30T11) at SPC Jesus S. Duran Eastside Library at Lincoln Park - [Multiplication Madness (MM)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/multiplication-madness-mm/19240907/2026-06-30T00) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Comprehension Group](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-comprehension-group/19240809/2026-06-30T10) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Foundational Skills (RFS)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-foundational-skills-rfs/19240857/2026-06-30T09) at My Learning Studio ($196) - [Summer Seed Exchange at the Marcy Library](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summer-seed-exchange-at-the-marcy-library/19218002/2026-06-30T11) at Marcy Library - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-06-30T19) at The Hideaway ### Wednesday, July 1 - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-07-01T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [RCCD/UCR Residential Scholars Information Session](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rccducr-residential-scholars-information-session/19215559/2026-07-01T10) at Riverside City College - [Transportation Board](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/transportation-board/18982107/2026-07-01T17) at Riverside City Hall - [Writing Skills](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/writing-skills/19240881/2026-07-01T16) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Writing Skills- 8th+](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/writing-skills-8th/19240894/2026-07-01T18) at My Learning Studio ($42) - [Riverside Off-Road & Jeep Nights](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-offroad-jeep-nights/18477720/2026-07-01T17) at D'Elia's Grinders ### Thursday, July 2 - [Board of Ethics](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/board-of-ethics/18812402/2026-07-02T18) at Riverside City Hall - [FREE ADMISSION - First Thursday of every month during Riverside ArtsWalk](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-admission-first-thursday-of-every-month-during-riverside-artswalk/13230799/2026-07-02T18) at Riverside Art Museum - [Rooftop Screening of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, with Ripperside Cinema Galore](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rooftop-screening-of-bill-and-teds-excellent-adventure-with-ripperside-cinema-galore/19113902/2026-07-02T18) at Riverside Art Museum - [UCR ARTS Celebrates America 250](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/ucr-arts-celebrates-america-250/19080636/2026-07-02T18) at UCR ARTS ### Friday, July 3 - [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-03T07) at Zacatecas Café - [Creative Arts](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/creative-arts/19240864/2026-07-03T11) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [Reading Assistance Program (RAP)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-assistance-program-rap/19240859/2026-07-03T10) at My Learning Studio ($57) - [4th of July Weekend BBQ Specials](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/4th-of-july-weekend-bbq-specials/19059216/2026-07-03T11) at Canyon Crest Country Club - [Pacific Southwest Open 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/pacific-southwest-open-2026/18612480/2026-07-03T08) at Riverside Convention Center ($125- $165) - [Painting Pets Night, a Comedy Paint and Sip](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/painting-pets-night-a-comedy-paint-and-sip/18671863/2026-07-03T19) at Carbon Nation Brewing ($28.52 - $55.20) - [EMO PROM - WARPED TOUR](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/emo-prom-warped-tour/19180374/2026-07-03T21) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($10- $15 ### Saturday, July 4 - [Front Row Fireworks - Celebrating America 250](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/front-row-fireworks-celebrating-america-250/18824158/2026-07-04T17) at Evergreen Memorial Historic Cemetery (free- $10) - [Fourth of July Water Fun and Fireworks](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fourth-of-july-water-fun-and-fireworks/19248234/2026-07-04T17) at First United Methodist Church of Riverside (free - $5) ### Save the Date - July 5: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-07-05T08) at Community Yoga Center - July 5: [Patriotic Tours](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/patriotic-tours-heritage-house/19187294/2026-07-05T10) at Riverside Heritage House - July 10: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-10T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 11: [The Stars and Pipes Forever](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-stars-and-pipes-forever/19188125/2026-07-11T19) at First United Methodist Church of Riverside - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Neighbor of the Week: Andrew and Samantha Melendrez URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-andrew-and-samantha-melendrez/ Last updated: 2026-06-30T11:58:03.000Z On a Saturday morning earlier this summer, Andrew and Samantha Melendrez were up early and on the job -- climbing ladders and installing American flags on more than 100 light poles along the side streets of the Wood Streets, including Beechwood Place, Castle Reagh Place, and, new this year, Larchwood Place. When summer ends, they take the flags down and store them in the backyard shed until next year. Andrew will be a sophomore at Poly High School in the fall. He plays soccer and runs cross country and track. Samantha will be a seventh grader at Woodcrest Christian. Together, they took over the effort from their father, Aurelio, and his friend, [former Neighbor of the Week Dominic Luna](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-dominic-luna/), who continue to watch over them as they work. Aurelio said it all simply: "They are doing this out of love for the city and community." And it appears to have taken root. The evening after this year's installation, Andrew told his dad that flag day has become one of his favorite days of the year. In this 250th year of American independence, these two early-teen siblings are finding their own way to mark it – one light pole at a time. *Neighbor of the Week is our way of celebrating the hidden heroes of Riverside—those who go above and beyond to make our community stronger, kinder, and more vibrant. We believe every remarkable Riversider deserves their story told. Know someone who’s making a difference?* [*Nominate a Neighbor of the Week*](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) ### The World Cup Is Here - Riverside's Soccer Future Is Next URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-world-cup-is-here-riversides-soccer-future-is-next/ Last updated: 2026-06-29T12:00:21.000Z A conga line breaks out, winding through the [Farm House Collective](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-farm-house-collective-breathes-new-life-into-historic-motel/) in Riverside. Fans dance, throw their hands in the air, sing along to the music and, yes, enjoy a few drinks as the celebration weaves through a sea of green jerseys. The viewing of Mexico's opening match against South Africa at the World Cup turned into more than just a soccer game. It turned into a carne asada, a barbecue with fans ready to kick off the tournament. As the song underscoring the chain dance, "El Za Za Za," declares in its opening line: "Que comiense la fiesta!" Let the festivities begin. Soccer fever is moving through the United States as relentlessly as Lionel Messi charging at a back line, and Riverside is feeling it. From jerseys representing countries across the tournament seen all around town to watch parties popping up around the city, the World Cup is physically making itself felt. This is the kind of vibe Riverside needs to continue once its professional team [joins the United Soccer League](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/professional-mens-and-womens-soccer-coming-to-riverside-through-usl-expansion/). Consider this your yellow card, Riverside. The moment the community doesn't show up, some other city will take its place. Pro teams love to move cities, just ask Oakland. When the referee blows its whistle during the inaugural season of the unnamed team, Riverside will be a part of USL's new three-tiered men's professional soccer system, where "teams earn promotion to a higher division or face relegation to a lower division based on their performance during the season," [according to USL](https://www.uslsoccer.com/promotion-relegation?ref=raincrossgazette.com). The city's first professional team will be playing in the second tier, the Championship division. The USL will be the first American league to implement a relegation system, used by leagues from around the world like the English Premier League in England and La Liga in Spain. USL partnered with Riverside Pro Soccer to bring the first professional team to one of the largest cities in Southern California. For the World Cup, Greg Scott, founder of Riverside Pro Soccer, is hosting community watch-parties at Route 30 Brewery, disguised as community outreach programs for his new team. [He recently told the Gazette](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-pro-soccer-hosts-world-cup-watch-party-series/) his goal is to showcase the beautiful game of soccer and demonstrate what a pro team can look like. Not a single "goal" has been roared by the crowd yet, but the team is already establishing its roots in Riverside. If the community came together as one for an opening match of a tournament that happens every four years, imagine the amount of champagne bottles that will be popped in front of the Mission Inn when its first professional team earns promotion to the USL Premier... Pandemonium. I'm not going to lie, [I'd probably get a Raincross tattoo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-mortgage-already-branded-me/), across the street from the Cheech, the moment they win their first Premier League championship. With two universities that play in Division I of the NCAA, soccer has been a part of the culture in Riverside. The University of California, Riverside continuously draws big crowds during their home games, according to Tim Cupello, the head coach at UCR. "Our home games are fantastic," Cupello said. "If you've ever been to our stadium, it's small, it's intimate, the bleachers and the fans are basically right on top of the field with very little separation from the field itself. When we're there under the lights at nighttime, the students are around, the communities out - it's a great environment." That's the kind of energy that can motivate promotion. Mix in some of that "Za Za Za," and Riverside Pro Soccer can become a showstopping, must-visit, championship-star-filled emblem of the city. "Our guys love playing in front of the energized fans that are there," Cupello said. "You can tell in a spring exhibition game where the fans aren't there, there's a little bit of a different vibe." Regardless of the division the team plays, the city of innovations needs to stay invested in the game. Demotion can be demoralizing for any city, but Riverside needs to keep the same energy from the World Cup as soon as the first whistle is blown, and beyond. "If you're willing to invest and earn some success, then you should be rewarded for that success," Cupello said. In other words, keep the conga line going, Riverside. Soccer is here to stay. *Ken Crawford contributed to this article.* ### Ruling Class URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ruling-class/ Last updated: 2026-06-27T19:09:41.000Z Welcome back, you can-do creatives! Last week we gave a recycling reprieve to an aluminum can with some innovative reuse ideas. Did you build a lightweight windchime, stack a wobbly pyramid taller than you are, or start a new backyard bowling league? However you popped the tab on creative possibility, I hope it reminded you that an empty container is a great place to put a new idea. This week, we move from an object that holds liquid to an object that holds the line: the ruler. The ruler makes a great nudge because it is already halfway between tool and metaphor. It measures. It marks. It draws straight lines. It helps us compare one thing to another, which is useful until we start doing it to ourselves. A ruler can help you make a clean edge, a margin, a border, a box, a grid, a map, a tiny architectural plan, or a very official-looking underline beneath a sentence that did not deserve that much authority. It can also be used as a stick, a percussion instrument, a paint stirrer, a back scratcher in a pinch, or a dramatic pointer when you are explaining something very important to a houseplant. Rulers come in all kinds of shapes, sizes, and materials. Plastic rulers, wooden rulers, metal rulers, folding rulers, yardsticks, tape measures, those bendy promotional rulers handed out by businesses hoping geometry will make you remember their phone number. But for many of us, the classic ruler is still twelve inches long and still somehow carries the emotional weight of a school supply list. In the hierarchy of school supplies, where does the ruler rank? Not as glamorous as the new box of crayons. Not as essential as pencils. Not as fun as the eraser shaped like a strawberry. Not as dangerous as the compass, which always felt like it required adult supervision and maybe a tetanus shot. But the ruler has quiet staying power. It is the dependable one. The straight-line specialist. The supply that never gets invited to the party but is always needed when someone decides to make a poster board. My daughter has had a ruler in her school bag since first grade. I could probably scrounge up four around the house if properly motivated, though I’ve rarely needed more than one at a time. That’s the thing about rulers: they multiply, but not in a way that makes them more useful. They are like umbrellas, scissors, and phone chargers. Everywhere until the exact moment you need one. Now that summer is here and school is out, those rulers are probably sitting around in backpacks, pencil boxes, and desk drawers, wondering what happened to their sense of purpose. After months of measuring worksheets, underlining vocabulary words, and being asked to produce straight lines under fluorescent lights, they deserve a summer activity. And so do we. It’s interesting that rulers have survived the digital takeover. I have phone apps that can measure a wall, estimate the height of a chair, or help me hang a picture. I have digital tools that will draw a perfectly straight line every time, provided I click the correct mysterious icon. And yet the ruler still appears on the school supply checklist every fall. That is perseverance. The ruler endures because there is something satisfying about placing one hand on a physical edge and drawing a line with the other. The ruler asks us to pay attention to scale. To notice distance. To decide where something begins and ends. It reminds us that creativity can be wild and unruly, but sometimes it also benefits from a little structure. So grab a ruler—wooden, plastic, metal, cracked, bent, branded with the name of a bank that no longer exists—and see what it can measure in your creative life. Try one or more of these properly measured creative nudges: **1\. Line Dancing:** Use your ruler to draw a page full of straight lines. Horizontal, vertical, diagonal, parallel, intersecting. Now break the order. Turn the lines into a city map, a nervous system, a quilt pattern, a robot blueprint, or a road trip you have not taken yet. Let the ruler provide the discipline, then let your imagination misbehave inside it. **2\. Twelve-Inch Soundtrack:** Hold the ruler over the edge of a table and flick it. Change how much hangs off the edge and listen to the pitch change. Tap it against a cup, a book, a countertop, or the bottom of your shoe. Build a ruler rhythm. Record it if you like. Congratulations, you have transformed a school supply into an instrument, which is exactly the kind of summer enrichment program I support. **3\. Measure of a Memory:** Use the ruler to measure five objects near you: a book, a spoon, a plant leaf, your hand, the distance between your coffee mug and your ambition. Write down the measurements, then write one sentence about each object that has nothing to do with its size. Notice how measuring something precisely does not tell the whole story. That’s true of objects, days, and people too. **4\. Straightedge Painting:** Use a ruler as a paint mixer, scraper, stamp, or drag tool. Pull paint across paper or cardboard with the ruler’s edge. Make stripes, smears, hard edges, accidental skies, or abstract landscapes. If the ruler gets messy, even better. A tool that spends all year behaving deserves a chance to get paint on its shoes. **5\. Unruly Ruler Challenge:** Build something using one or more rulers as the main material. A bridge between two stacks of books. A tiny balance beam for action figures. A sculpture. A puppet. A sign. A flagpole for a country you invent. See how much form, balance, and drama you can create with a tool designed to make things orderly. The ruler is a reminder that limits are not always limitations. A line can divide, but it can also guide. A measurement can restrict, but it can also reveal. A straightedge can make a clean border, or it can become the first mark in a much stranger picture. Maybe that’s why the ruler keeps showing up. Even in a digital world full of apps, grids, templates, and automatic alignment, this simple object still offers something useful: a physical way to begin. This week, let the ruler help you measure less of what you lack and more of what you can make. Draw the line, cross the line, blur the line, or use it to stir paint. Creativity does not always need to be precise, but it does benefit from showing up—inch by inch. *This column was written with help from ChatGPT, which cannot draw a straight line without assistance but remains willing to measure its contribution in puns per inch.* ### 🍊Your Riverside Weekend- June 27, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/your-riverside-weekend-june-27-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:00.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/02/_DSC5738.jpg) **Your Riverside Weekend- June 27, 2026** **Happy Saturday, Riverside!** We hope your week treated you well. Before you head into your weekend, we've gathered the stories that defined life in our city this week — from City Hall to community happenings. You're in the right place to catch up — your weekend starts here. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260627)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260627&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [Neighbor of the Week: Lisa DiggsNeighbor of the Week is a series profiling the hidden heroes of Riverside, doing incredible works of service throughout our different neighborhoods.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-9612666b-c6dd-44b6-945e-7ebff87211d2.png)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/NotW---Lisa-Diggs--1--7ecfc245-f62d-4b05-ac0a-a30e7544488e.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-lisa-diggs/) [The Cowboy Aviator’s Daring FeatOne hundred years ago, a barnstorming pilot flew under a 16-foot bridge span and into Riverside history.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-5de61b81-b5d5-45a3-90d4-4b7aae6102d9.png)The Raincross GazetteGlenn Wenzel![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/4-Roman-flying-under-bridge--June-13--1926-ad98acb6-a321-4132-b868-a372d31d1350.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-cowboy-aviators-daring-feat/) [City Investigation Finds Director Created Hostile Workplace, City Manager Discouraged ComplaintsThe 901-page report found former director Jennifer Lilley retaliated against employees who complained, and that then-city manager Mike Futrell discouraged them from coming forward.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-4a501812-8d99-473a-aa48-c27b5ed092da.png)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-3-4-016bab5c-1638-4ba6-ae52-1e4a55c1ce98.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-investigation-finds-director-created-hostile-workplace-city-manager-discouraged-complaints/) [Council Approves $9 Million in Federal Funding for Housing, Homelessness and HealthNonprofit leaders and service providers testified Tuesday that HUD entitlement funding keeps critical programs running as federal support shrinks.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-96834402-4673-46f5-84d7-1c9139e55c56.png)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-8-4-af657f9f-8908-4eda-8342-2d7825a19954.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-approves-9-million-in-federal-funding-for-housing-homelessness-and-health/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260613)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260613&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [From Chone to Main Street: ProAbition’s New Executive ChefRoddy Barberan, who joined the downtown restaurant in 2025, draws on family cooking traditions from coastal Ecuador.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-c28f6d70-cec1-4e10-9f0f-1ddb1c8bc532.png)The Raincross GazetteSponsored Story![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/1-10-e49e3a29-71d2-42b1-a4c1-0776b160d9b9.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-chone-to-main-street-proabitions-new-executive-chef/) [A New Conductor Brings Pops, Patriotism and Personal Stakes to Concert for HeroesA new conductor, a new orchestra and a pops-heavy program bring fresh energy to the July 3 concert at Riverside National Cemetery.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-a39f5f67-412c-4918-86a5-2795b47da823.png)The Raincross GazetteKen Crawford![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/IMG_1096-068d4870-7b91-478c-ad3d-6b559b4a9142.JPEG)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-new-conductor-brings-pops-patriotism-and-personal-stakes-to-concert-for-heroes/) [Fireworks Photos: The Smartphone MethodBefore the show starts, most of the work is already done. Here’s how to set up for fireworks photos that actually work.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-2eb49ff7-7629-4118-9561-08c891462777.png)The Raincross GazetteCommunity Contributor![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-4-7-2bb34f19-ddb8-4517-b16b-25ef07e5569f.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/fireworks-photos-the-smartphone-method/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260627) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260627&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Weather Forecast ⛅ Sun, June 28 — 79° / 57° · AM Clouds, PM Sun 🌤️ Mon, June 29 — 83° / 57° · Partly Cloudy 🌤️ Tue, June 30 — 84° / 57° · Partly Cloudy ☀️ Wed, July 1 — 84° / 57° · Sunny ☀️ Thu, July 2 — 86° / 59° · Sunny 🌤️ Fri, July 3 — 90° / 61° · Mostly Sunny 🌤️ Sat, July 4 — 93° / 64° · Mostly Sunny A lovely week ahead, with temperatures building to a warm Fourth of July celebration. 🎆 **Fair warning:* we're not meteorologists! Our forecasts are pulled from public weather data as a little extra for our readers. For the most current conditions, your favorite weather app knows more than we do — but we'll always do our best to help you plan your weekend.* ☀️ --- ## 💬 Staff Picks — What we're talking about around the Gazette this week 😎 **Justin** is wondering if he can still say, with integrity, he’s “in his early 40s” after he turns 44 next week. 🥳 **Amy** is in full celebration mode this weekend — her husband's birthday means friends, family, good food, good drinks, a baseball game, and a bike ride. --- ## Save the Date - June 28: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-28T08) at Community Yoga Center - July 3: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-03T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 4: [Fourth of July Water Fun and Fireworks](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fourth-of-july-water-fun-and-fireworks/19248234/2026-07-04T17) at First United Methodist Church of Riverside (free- $5) - July 4: [Front Row Fireworks - Celebrating America 250](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/front-row-fireworks-celebrating-america-250/18824158/2026-07-04T17) at Evergreen Memorial Historic Cemetery (free- $10) - July 5: [Patriotic Tours](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/patriotic-tours-heritage-house/19187294/2026-07-05T10) at Riverside Heritage House - July 11: [The Stars and Pipes Forever](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-stars-and-pipes-forever/19188125/2026-07-11T19) at First United Methodist Church of Riverside - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Luis Hernandez To Be Sworn In As Ward 6 Councilmember URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/luis-hernandez-to-be-sworn-in-as-ward-6-councilmember/ Last updated: 2026-06-29T11:59:52.000Z Luis Hernandez is expected to be sworn in as the new City Council representative for Ward 6 at the July 7 council meeting, a city spokesperson confirmed. As of [June 24](https://voteinfo.net/sites/g/files/aldnop371/files/ElectionResults/2026/Jun24/ElectionSummaryReportRPT25.pdf?ref=raincrossgazette.com), Hernandez has 50.29% of the vote — just over the 50% threshold needed to win the seat outright — with his opponents Oz Puerta and Norma Berrellez trailing at 28.25% and 21.26%, respectively. [Initial results](https://voteinfo.net/sites/g/files/aldnop371/files/2026-06/ElectionSummaryReportRPT%5FJune022026%5FUpdate1.pdf?ref=raincrossgazette.com) came in on June 2 with Hernandez at 46.43% of the vote – but as ballots were counted over the next several days, his vote climbed to 50 percent on June 10. He declared victory in a statement released June 18. "I am deeply honored by the trust that Riverside Ward 6 voters have placed in me," Hernandez said. "I believe that every Riverside resident deserves a seat at the table, and I promise to work hard every day to make our city government more transparent, equitable, responsive, and inclusive." Hernandez is now Councilmember-Elect and will succeed Councilmember Jim Perry, who [announced earlier this month](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ward-6-councilmember-jim-perry-resigns-citing-family-opportunity/)that he will leave office due to a family opportunity. In his statement, Hernandez also acknowledged his predecessor. "I also want to thank Councilmember Jim Perry for his years of diligent service to our city," he said. Hernandez said he will be the first Latino elected to represent Ward 6 on the Riverside City Council. Hernandez, a Riverside resident for more than 30 years, works as a Disability Services Specialist for Blindness Support Services, a local nonprofit where he helps clients gain independence, find employment, and navigate public services. He has also served on the city's Board of Ethics Commission, including as its vice chair. ### Council Approves $9 Million in Federal Funding for Housing, Homelessness and Health URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-approves-9-million-in-federal-funding-for-housing-homelessness-and-health/ Last updated: 2026-06-28T12:00:12.000Z City officials approved a more than $9 million federal housing and community development spending plan on Tuesday after a public hearing in which many nonprofit leaders, healthcare providers and service organizations said the funding helps keep critical local programs running. The City Council unanimously adopted Riverside's 2026-27 Annual Action Plan, authorizing the city to apply for and distribute an estimated $9.05 million in federal entitlement funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The money comes through four HUD programs – Community Development Block Grants, Emergency Solutions Grants, Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS and the HOME Investment Partnerships Program – and supports affordable housing, homelessness programs, health services and assistance for low- and moderate-income residents. City staff said Riverside has participated in HUD entitlement funding programs for more than three decades and uses the annual action plan as its required application for federal dollars. This year's projected allocation includes approximately $5.07 million in Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS funding; $2.75 million in Community Development Block Grant funding; $981,734 through HOME and $250,428 in Emergency Solutions Grant funding. Tuesday's hearing drew extensive public testimony from organizations that rely on the funding and described growing demand for services. Representatives from groups including Smile Unto Him Dental Clinic, Voices for Children, NORA (formerly Riverside Area Rape Crisis Center), Girls on the Run Inland Empire, California Baptist University's Mobile Health Clinic, Catholic Charities, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire, the Diaper Bank of the Inland Empire and Human Migration Institute spoke in support. Several speakers described serving residents facing rising housing costs, economic instability and reduced availability of other public assistance. Crystal Gonzalez of the Diaper Bank of the Inland Empire said the organization served 524 Riverside households and nearly 700 diaper-dependent children during the past year. She said city funding would support a potty-training assistance program intended to help families transition children out of diapers earlier and lower household expenses. Allison Severns of Human Migration Institute said anticipated reductions in federal refugee support later this year could leave organizations increasingly dependent on local partnerships and funding streams. "Federal funding cuts are arriving at the end of September, and as a result, 80 percent of \[Human Migration Institute's\] team is facing layoffs," Severns said. "The staff who spent years earning trust of these families, who know their children's names, saw them graduate high school and now are at risk of disappearing from their lives precisely when the need is the greatest. So local funding is not supplemental right now for the families who rely on \[this team\] to help them integrate. \[Community Development Block Grants\] may be the only bridge that remains." Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes thanked speakers for illustrating how the dollars translate into services on the ground before moving approval. The city must submit the adopted plan to HUD by Aug. 14. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- June 26, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-19-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:03.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/IMG_1452.jpeg) A summer sky frames the tree line near Lincoln Avenue. (Janine Pourroy) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Friday Gazette: June 26, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Friday!** The weekend is here, and there is no shortage of ways to enjoy it. Whether you're looking to get out and explore, Riverside has plenty going on. Check out our [community calendar](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/) to find something that catches your eye. And if this weekend calls for staying in, soaking up the sun from your own backyard, or just doing a whole lot of nothing, we hope it's full of rest and good laughs. However you spend it, have a great one, Riverside! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=202606026)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260626&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Council Approves $9 Million in Federal Funding for Housing, Homelessness and Health Nonprofit leaders and service providers testified Tuesday that HUD entitlement funding keeps critical programs running as federal support shrinks. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-8-5.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-approves-9-million-in-federal-funding-for-housing-homelessness-and-health/) Crystal Gonzalez of the Diaper Bank of the Inland Empire addresses the City Council during a public hearing on Riverside's 2026-27 Annual Action Plan on Tuesday. Riverside's City Council unanimously approved a $9.05 million federal spending plan Tuesday, keeping critical housing, health and homelessness programs funded for another year. **Why it matters:** The money flows directly to dozens of local nonprofits serving low-income residents — from dental clinics to refugee support — at a moment when federal cuts are squeezing organizations citywide. **By the numbers:** The 2026–27 allocation breaks down across four HUD programs: - $5.07M — Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS - $2.75M — Community Development Block Grants - $981K — HOME Investment Partnerships - $250K — Emergency Solutions Grants **Driving the news:** Tuesday's public hearing drew representatives from more than a dozen local organizations, many describing rising demand and shrinking alternatives. - Human Migration Institute warned that 80% of its staff faces layoffs when federal refugee funding cuts hit in September, leaving Community Development Block Grant dollars as "the only bridge that remains." **Yes, but:** These are projected allocations — the city must submit the adopted plan to HUD by Aug. 14 before funds are released. **What's next:** City staff will finalize and submit the Annual Action Plan to HUD ahead of the August 14 deadline. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-approves-9-million-in-federal-funding-for-housing-homelessness-and-health/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260626)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260626&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## A New Conductor Brings Pops, Patriotism and Personal Stakes to Concert for Heroes A new conductor, a new orchestra and a pops-heavy program bring fresh energy to the July 3 concert at Riverside National Cemetery. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-6-7.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-new-conductor-brings-pops-patriotism-and-personal-stakes-to-concert-for-heroes/) Ruth Noemy Wheeler conducts. Wheeler will lead the Riverside Festival Orchestra at the July 3 Concert for Heroes at Riverside National Cemetery. (Courtesy Ruth Noemy Wheeler) A newly formed community orchestra will perform for the first time at Riverside National Cemetery's annual July 4th-eve concert, replacing the Riverside Philharmonic. **Why it matters:** Concert for Heroes is the only regular symphonic event held at a national cemetery in the country — and it's free. If you've attended before, expect a different sound: more film scores, less traditional classical. **Driving the news:** The Riverside Philharmonic stepped away following a leadership transition, prompting Producing Director John Collins to bring in a new ensemble — the Riverside Festival Orchestra — built from scratch by conductor Ruth Noemy Wheeler. **Who's leading it:** Wheeler is a violin instructor and conductor with roots across CBU, the Corona Symphony, and Riverside Unified schools. - An Army wife and Riverside resident, she called the assignment "perfect" — both professionally and personally. **What's on the program:** The lineup leans toward crowd-pleasing film scores — "Star Wars," "Superman," "Pirates of the Caribbean" — alongside patriotic staples and an armed forces salute honoring each military branch. - Wheeler said the film selections are intentional, aimed at keeping younger audiences engaged. **Yes, but:** Orchestra musicians are currently performing without pay. Wheeler says the ensemble's future — including potential holiday and school concerts — depends on donor support. **What's next:** Concert for Heroes runs July 3, 7–9 p.m. at Riverside National Cemetery, 22495 Van Buren Blvd. Admission and parking are free. Picnicking opens in the late afternoon. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-new-conductor-brings-pops-patriotism-and-personal-stakes-to-concert-for-heroes/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260626) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260626&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## City Adopts Water Management Plans; No New Restrictions for Residents Riverside's updated water management and contingency plans project adequate supply through 2050, with no new conservation rules for residents. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-9-3.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-adopts-water-management-plans-no-new-restrictions-for-residents/) City officials approved two long-range water planning documents Tuesday — and officials say residents shouldn't expect new watering restrictions anytime soon. **Why it matters:** These plans set the framework for how RPU manages your water supply through 2050, including how the city would ration water during a drought. **Driving the news:** Council approved the 2025 Urban Water Management Plan and an updated Water Shortage Contingency Plan on the consent calendar — no discussion, no vote breakdown. **By the numbers:** Riverside used about 74,900 acre-feet of water in 2025 — below prior forecasts. Demand is projected to climb to nearly 97,600 acre-feet annually by 2050 as the city grows. - Current projections show supply outpacing demand through 2050, with recycled water and future projects filling the gap. **Yes, but:** The contingency plan reorganizes Riverside's existing conservation framework to match state classifications — it doesn't create new shortage stages, new restrictions, or expand enforcement authority. Any future policy changes, including rules on non-functional turf, would require a separate ordinance. **What's next:** The water plans land amid broader financial turbulence at RPU. A rate increase of 5.7% was set for a public hearing before Council this week. A separate cost-of-service study will run through 2028\. And a judge ruled in May that the city billed ratepayers unconstitutionally for years — a final judgment that could require more than $46 million in refunds is expected within weeks. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-adopts-water-management-plans-no-new-restrictions-for-residents/) --- #### [SPONSORED STORY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/sponsored/) ## From Chone to Main Street: ProAbition's New Executive Chef Roddy Barberan, who joined the downtown restaurant in 2025, draws on family cooking traditions from coastal Ecuador. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/1-11.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-chone-to-main-street-proabitions-new-executive-chef/) Roddy Barberan, executive chef at ProAbition on Main Street, brings a background rooted in Latin American culinary tradition and a philosophy built on three principles: respect the ingredient, honor technique, and create memorable experiences. (Courtesy of ProAbition) ProAbition has been on Main Street since 2012\. When Roddy Barberan arrived in 2025 as executive chef, the restaurant entered a new chapter — one that aims to keep the identity that made it a downtown fixture while updating the kitchen. "I saw tremendous potential in the kitchen and an opportunity to contribute to a restaurant that already had an established reputation while helping shape its future," Roddy said. He was looking for a restaurant that valued creativity, quality and hospitality equally — one that had earned community trust but still had room to grow. Riverside, he found, was that place. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-chone-to-main-street-proabitions-new-executive-chef/) --- #### [Adoptable Pet of the Week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag//) ## Meet Luke! Meet this week’s featured furry friend from the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center. Dedicated to eliminating pet homelessness, the center provides compassionate care and facilitates adoptions for animals in need of loving homes. Find your new companion and help support their mission of humane care and responsible pet ownership. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-7-5.jpg)](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Luke has been learning that the world isn't as scary as he once thought. This 3 year old came to us unsure of new people, leashes, and unfamiliar surroundings, but a foster home has helped him make incredible progress. He's gone from being nervous about walks to looking forward to exploring the neighborhood, and his confidence continues to grow each day. Once Luke gets to know someone, he's loyal and affectionate, and happily enjoys being around his people. He also does well with other dogs and would likely enjoy having a canine buddy in his future home. Luke is looking for a patient adopter who will continue helping him build confidence and celebrate all the little victories along the way. Come meet Luke and all the adoptable pets at the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center in person. Stop by any day except Tuesdays, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., or learn more at [petsadoption.org](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). ****Alumni update:** Thomas and Montana have been adopted! 🙌 --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Friday, June 26 - [Eastside Library at Lincoln Park | Full Spectrum: Foam Party](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/eastside-library-at-lincoln-park-full-spectrum-foam-party/18788344/2026-06-26T15) at SPC Jesus S. Duran Eastside Library at Lincoln Park - [Jumanji (1995) - Movies on the Lawn](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/jumanji-1995-movies-on-the-lawn/19030051/2026-06-26T20) at Riverside Heritage House - [Noche de Cumbia](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/noche-de-cumbia-the-hideaway-riverside/19180354/2026-06-26T21) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($12.51) - [The Steven Universe Tableread for Charity: The Raincross District](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-steven-universe-tableread-for-charity-the-raincross-district/19088172/2026-06-26T19) at The Raincross District ($17.85) ### Saturday, June 27 - [ScotSurplus Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/scotsurplus-sale/19040309/2026-06-27T08) at Corporation Yard - [Little LandUse Learners Spring/Summer Programming](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/little-landuse-learners-springsummer-programming/18501508/2026-06-27T10) at LandUse Learning Center - [Painting Nature: Art in the Garden](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/painting-nature-art-in-the-garden/19129900/2026-06-27T12) at Heritage House - [AC/DC & QUIET RIOT TRIBUTES by Sin City & Metal Health!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/acdc-quiet-riot-tributes-by-sin-city-metal-health/19180363/2026-06-27T21) at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($14.85 - $41.98) - [LISTOS Aware & Prepare Emergency Preparedness Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/listos-aware-prepare-emergency-preparedness-class/18907566/2026-06-27T09) at City of Riverside Emergency Operations Center - [Madd Hatter Tea](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/madd-hatter-tea/19023283/2026-06-27T13) at Riverside Woman's Club ($40) - [The Untold Stories of Latinos in the IE: A Plática with Gustavo Arellano](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-untold-stories-of-latinos-in-the-ie-a-pltica-with-gustavo-arellano/19189110/2026-06-27T12) at Culver Center Screening Room ### Sunday, June 28 - [UC Yoga Teacher Training Pre-Sale Pay in Full](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/uc-yoga-teacher-training-presale-pay-in-full/19233071/2026-06-28T00) at University of California, Riverside - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-06-28T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Local Riverside Designer's Retirement Sale Furniture, Décor, Fashion & More](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/local-riverside-designers-retirement-sale-furniture-dcor-fashion-more/19209654/2026-06-28T09) at Mission Grove Shopping Center - Former KMart - [Out In Print Zine Workshop](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/out-in-print-zine-workshop/19038315/2026-06-28T12) at Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California - [Summer Zine Workshop Series with Brookes Reeder](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summer-zine-workshop-series-with-brookes-reeder/19149878/2026-06-28T13) at Riverside Art Museum - [Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bingo/18559024/2026-06-28T13) at Temple Beth El Social Hall ($25) - [The Cottage by Sandy Rustin](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-cottage-by-sandy-rustin/19102230/2026-06-28T14) at Riverside Community Players ($20- $25) - [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-28T08) at Community Yoga Center - [NO QUESTION COMEDY SHOW at THE HIDEAWAY CAFE & LOUNGE](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/no-question-comedy-show-at-the-hideaway-cafe-lounge/19190056/2026-06-28T18) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($15) - [Salsa Dancing at The Cheech](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/salsa-dancing-at-the-cheech/19113901/2026-06-28T12) at Riverside Art Museum - [Sunday Experiment After Dark](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sunday-experiment-after-dark/14528750/2026-06-28T21) at Downtown Experiment ### Save the Date - June 29: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-29T08) at Community Yoga Center - July 3: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-07-03T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 4: [Fourth of July Water Fun and Fireworks](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fourth-of-july-water-fun-and-fireworks/19248234/2026-07-04T17) at First United Methodist Church of Riverside (free- $5) - July 4: [Front Row Fireworks - Celebrating America 250](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/front-row-fireworks-celebrating-america-250/18824158/2026-07-04T17) at Evergreen Memorial Historic Cemetery (free- $10) - July 5: [Patriotic Tours](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/patriotic-tours-heritage-house/19187294/2026-07-05T10) at Riverside Heritage House - July 11: [The Stars and Pipes Forever](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-stars-and-pipes-forever/19188125/2026-07-11T19) at First United Methodist Church of Riverside - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235.00) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### A New Conductor Brings Pops, Patriotism and Personal Stakes to Concert for Heroes URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-new-conductor-brings-pops-patriotism-and-personal-stakes-to-concert-for-heroes/ Last updated: 2026-06-28T11:59:29.000Z For more than two decades, the evening of July 3 has drawn the same crowd to the same hillside: families with picnic blankets spread among the headstones at Riverside National Cemetery, a symphony orchestra striking up patriotic standards as the light fades, and fireworks bursting over the lake by the amphitheater. It is, in every sense, a place to reflect, on the holiday, on the country, on the people who served it. The setting adds weight, but it does not take away from the joyful pomp of Independence Day. This year, the music will come from a new ensemble and a new conductor. Concert for Heroes returns July 3 at 7 p.m. at the cemetery's amphitheater, with picnicking open in the late afternoon and early evening beforehand. Admission and parking are free. The event has run since 2001. For the first time, the Riverside Festival Orchestra, formed specifically for this concert, will perform in place of the Riverside Philharmonic, which played the show for years under conductor Tomasz Golka. Producing Director John Collins said a leadership transition at the Philharmonic opened the door for something new this year. Collins said the event holds a distinction worth protecting regardless of who's on the podium. "There is no other regular symphonic event at a national cemetery," he said. Leading the new orchestra is Ruth Noemy Wheeler, a violin instructor and conductor who has spent more than a decade building a career in Inland Empire classical music. Reached by phone, Wheeler talks fast and laughs often, the energy of someone who had just been handed the biggest opportunity of her career and intended to make the most of it. Wheeler said Collins called and asked her to put the concert together, then asked if she'd also build an orchestra from scratch. "I love challenges. I love new ideas," Wheeler said. "I've been a Riverside resident for many years, and I'm also an Army wife. So this was perfect for me, and it's just so wonderful." Wheeler was born in El Salvador and raised in Spain before coming to the United States in 2005 to pursue graduate studies at California Baptist University. She has taught there since 2010, won an international conducting competition in Los Angeles in 2021, and currently holds assistant conductor posts with both the CBU orchestra and the Corona Symphony. She is also married to a U.S. Army reservist, a fact, she said, that makes the assignment feel personal. Asked about building an orchestra from nothing in a matter of weeks, she answered without a trace of hesitation. Her program includes Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man" and an armed forces salute honoring each military branch, alongside Independence Day staples like "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "Stars and Stripes Forever." But the lineup leans further into film and pops repertoire than past years have, with selections from "Star Wars," "Superman" and "Pirates of the Caribbean." Wheeler said the shift is deliberate, aimed at keeping younger audience members engaged at a show that draws families by the thousands. "I am between 14 and 15 pieces, and every one of them has a good length, and is entertaining," Wheeler said. "I'm choosing music that is attractive for younger people too." "I respect the Philharmonic very much, and I know Tomasz Golka as well," Wheeler said. "But this is the organization putting together this concert, and they wanted to go a different way." Wheeler is also navigating a field where women conductors remain rare. She pointed to the Redlands Symphony and the San Francisco Symphony, both of which recently named women to their top conducting posts, as part of a broader shift. "It's hard for us to have opportunities like this," Wheeler said. "This year there are a lot of women conductors in California rising up and getting positions." Beyond CBU, Wheeler teaches at the Riverside Arts Academy and coaches strings for Riverside Unified School District students at Poly High School, Gage Middle School and Sierra Middle School. La Sierra University is providing instrument rentals and rehearsal space for the new orchestra, which Wheeler said has come together entirely through community connections. "I'm a professional in this field, and I have a lot of connections," Wheeler said. "So I knew this wasn't going to be too hard for me." Wheeler said the orchestra's future beyond this concert depends on donor support. She has ideas if it continues, including holiday concerts and performances for Riverside Unified schools. For now, the focus is one night by the lake, lineup set, fireworks waiting at the end. "All the engines are on," Wheeler said. "We are very excited for this opportunity." **More information:* Concert for Heroes takes place July 3 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Riverside National Cemetery, 22495 Van Buren Blvd. Admission is free. For more information, visit* [*raincrossgazette.com*](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/concert-for-heroes/19247439/2026-07-03T19)*.* ### City Adopts Water Management Plans; No New Restrictions for Residents URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-adopts-water-management-plans-no-new-restrictions-for-residents/ Last updated: 2026-06-28T00:15:45.000Z City officials approved updated long-range water planning documents Tuesday that map out how the city expects to meet future demand and respond to shortages — though they said residents should not expect any immediate changes to watering rules or conservation requirements. The City Council approved both the city's 2025 Urban Water Management Plan and its updated Water Shortage Contingency Plan on the consent calendar without discussion. Together, the documents are required under California law and serve as Riverside's blueprint for managing water supplies over the next 25 years. The updated Urban Water Management Plan projects how much water Riverside customers are expected to use through 2050 and whether the city will have enough supply to meet that demand. Despite concerns about drought and long-term water reliability across California, Riverside Public Utilities says current projections show the city maintaining a supply cushion throughout the planning period. The report estimates Riverside used about 74,900 acre-feet of water in 2025 — lower than the city had forecast in its previous plan. Demand is expected to rise over time, reaching nearly 97,600 acre-feet annually by 2050 as population growth, development and climate conditions continue to shape consumption. To keep pace, Riverside projects expanding available supplies, including increased use of recycled water and future supply projects that will be evaluated further in a forthcoming Integrated Water Supply and Demand Management Plan. Under the current outlook, projected supplies would remain above projected demand through 2050. RPU staff pointed to Riverside's history of weathering drought periods without major supply disruptions and said the city has not experienced significant water shortages to date. Council members also adopted Riverside's 2025 Water Shortage Contingency Plan — a document staff clarified is primarily a compliance and planning update rather than a policy shift. The contingency plan is required under state law and outlines how Riverside would respond if water supplies become constrained. The update does not create new shortage stages, impose new restrictions or expand enforcement authority. Instead, it reorganizes Riverside's existing conservation framework to match California's standardized shortage classifications. That means existing rules already contained in Riverside's water conservation ordinance remain the mechanism that would govern future restrictions if shortages are declared. Those existing measures include limits on outdoor irrigation schedules, prohibitions on water waste and irrigation efficiency requirements. Staff also noted references in the contingency plan to future possible policy discussions — including changes related to non-functional turf and irrigation language — are not being adopted through this action and would return separately through a future ordinance process if pursued. Neither item carries a direct fiscal impact, according to city staff. Tuesday's action comes as RPU navigates a broader set of water-related pressures. The city recently [hired engineers to conduct a new cost-of-service analysis](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-hires-engineers-to-study-future-water-rates/) to determine how water costs should be distributed among customers once the current five-year rate plan expires in 2028 — a study that will run alongside a separate proposal to raise water rates by 5.7 percent, which was set for a public hearing before the Council this week. Separately, a judge ruled in May that the city had [billed water ratepayers unconstitutionally for years](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-billed-water-ratepayers-illegally-for-years-judge-rules/), with a final judgment in the case — which could require more than $46 million in refunds — expected within weeks. ### From Chone to Main Street: ProAbition's New Executive Chef URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-chone-to-main-street-proabitions-new-executive-chef/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:04:36.000Z ProAbition has been on Main Street since 2012\. When Roddy Barberan arrived in 2025 as executive chef, the restaurant entered a new chapter — one that aims to keep the identity that made it a downtown fixture while updating the kitchen. "I saw tremendous potential in the kitchen and an opportunity to contribute to a restaurant that already had an established reputation while helping shape its future," Roddy said. He was looking for a restaurant that valued creativity, quality and hospitality equally — one that had earned community trust but still had room to grow. Riverside, he found, was that place. ### A Foundation in Family Roddy was born and raised in Chone, Ecuador, a region defined by agriculture, livestock and cooking traditions that go back generations. His earliest memories aren't of restaurants or culinary school. They're of family gathered around a table, watching people he loved prepare meals from locally grown ingredients. "Food was more than nourishment," he said. "It was a way to bring people together." Working across different culinary traditions throughout his career, Roddy realized the flavors he grew up with could be elevated and refined without losing their authenticity. "My roots are Latin American, but my professional career has exposed me to a wide range of culinary traditions and modern techniques," he said. "I enjoy taking the vibrant flavors I grew up with and presenting them through refined techniques that create a modern dining experience while maintaining authenticity." ### Three Principles During service, Roddy's philosophy guides everything: respect the ingredient, honor technique and create memorable experiences. "Every dish should have purpose," he said. "I want guests to recognize familiar flavors while discovering something unexpected. Great food doesn't need to be complicated — it needs to be thoughtful, balanced, and executed consistently." That discipline shows up in how he develops dishes. He starts with an ingredient or flavor combination that inspires him, then tests and refines repeatedly until every component has a reason to be there. "The goal is to create a dish that feels effortless to the guest even though a tremendous amount of thought has gone into its development," he said. One dish embodies this: ProAbition's Guinness Braised Short Rib. The slow-braised dish takes patience and technique to execute, and Roddy considers it a signature. "That dish combines patience, technique, and comfort while delivering bold flavor and elegance," Roddy said. "It represents the balance I strive for: approachable food elevated through craftsmanship." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/2-8.jpg) ProAbition executive chef Roddy Barberan at work — a process he describes as thoughtful and purposeful, with every component earning its place on the plate. (Courtesy of ProAbition) ### Behind the Scenes Much of the work happens in preparation and sourcing, long before the first guest sits down. In sourcing, Roddy looks for consistency, freshness, seasonality and suppliers who care about their products as much as ProAbition does. "Quality begins with sourcing," he said. "Building strong relationships with vendors is important because great ingredients allow the kitchen to perform at its highest level." Service runs on the same precision. Preparation and communication set the tone hours before the first guest arrives, and once service starts, Roddy's role is to maintain standards and support the team at every station. He doesn't see the kitchen as one person's vision. "A successful kitchen is never about one person," Roddy said. "It's about the entire team working together. I believe in creating an environment where people are challenged, supported, and encouraged to grow professionally." He takes mentorship seriously, wanting team members to understand not just how to execute a task but why it matters. ### A City Ready for the Work Roddy arrived as Riverside's dining scene was changing. "Riverside's culinary scene has become more sophisticated and adventurous," he said. "As the city grows, restaurants have an opportunity to push creative boundaries while remaining accessible to the community." ProAbition, he believes, sits at the center of that moment as one of Downtown's anchors. And for Roddy, that responsibility extends beyond the plate. Every menu, event, and guest experience is an opportunity to strengthen the restaurant's connection with the community, and ProAbition participates in community events, partnerships, and charitable efforts. "We want ProAbition to be a place where people celebrate milestones, build relationships, and create memories," he said. When visitors from out of town walk through the door — whether they're here for the Convention Center, the Mission Inn, or just curious about what Riverside has to offer — Roddy wants them to see the city's diversity, creativity and ambition reflected in what's on their plate. "I want them to see Riverside as a city with culture, diversity, creativity, and ambition," he said. "Our food reflects many influences while maintaining a strong sense of place and hospitality." Looking ahead, Roddy sees ProAbition refining its identity while elevating techniques, expanding seasonal offerings and developing new guest experiences. A talented team, a supportive ownership group and a city embracing culinary excellence, he said, give the restaurant room to grow. "The opportunity to build something meaningful," he said when asked what excites him most about cooking at ProAbition right now. "We have all the pieces in place." ### What to Order For first-time visitors, Roddy recommends starting with one of the restaurant's signature appetizers, followed by the Guinness Braised Short Rib or one of the seafood offerings. "That combination showcases both the comfort and sophistication that define our menu," he said. For a single dish that reflects Riverside itself, Roddy suggests asking what's special that night — a dish combining local ingredients, Latin influences, and modern technique. When he's not at ProAbition, Roddy gravitates toward comfort — a great burger, grilled seafood, or traditional Ecuadorian food with family and friends. "It reminds me why I fell in love with cooking in the first place," he said. **More information:* ProAbition is located at 3597 Main Street in Downtown Riverside. For reservations, hours, and current menu offerings, visit* [*proabition.com*](http://proabition.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *or call (951) 651-0554.* ### City Council Approves $1.57 Billion Budget With Cuts to Public Works, Boost to Public Safety URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-approves-1-57-billion-budget-with-cuts-to-public-works-boost-to-public-safety/ Last updated: 2026-06-26T12:01:01.000Z The Riverside City Council voted 6-1 to approve a $1.57 billion biennial budget Tuesday night amid mounting financial pressures—rising personnel costs, pension obligations and slowing revenue growth that have opened tens of millions of dollars in projected shortfalls since the city's last budget was adopted in 2024. Finance officials told the council the city faces projected general fund deficits of $27.1 million in fiscal year 2026-27 and $34 million in fiscal year 2027-28 compared with forecasts from the previous biennial budget cycle. Measure Z, the city's [voter-approved 1 percent sales tax fund](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/measure-z-explained-the-sales-tax-increase-on-riversides-june-ballot/), is projected to fall short by an additional $9.9 million and $12.4 million in those same years. Deputy Finance Director Sergio Aguilar, who presented the budget to the city council Tuesday, said the shift has been significant. "When you compare the balanced multi-year forecast from the last biennial budget to what our projection is for this next biennial budget, revenues are projected to be lower by $8 million in the first year and $9 million in the second year," he told the council. To close the gap, city staff proposed nearly $18 million in combined general fund and Measure Z reductions in fiscal year 2026-27 and more than $22 million in reductions the following year. The city also plans to draw from its unassigned fund balance, increase fees based on inflation, tap pension stabilization funds and make a one-time adjustment to its liability trust fund. Despite the shortfalls, officials said Riverside's financial footing remains solid. The city maintains approximately $76.4 million in general fund policy reserves, which will remain untouched under the adopted budget. Aguilar said the city still holds "a strong position with record level reserves, most of which remain untouched as part of this proposal." The approved plan balances general fund operations through fiscal year 2030-31 while continuing a planned drawdown of Measure Z reserves until revenues are expected to exceed expenditures later in the decade. The move comes as unofficial election results show the June ballot measure asking voters to raise Measure Z sales tax from 1 percent to 1.25 percent—and extend the tax indefinitely—[appears headed for defeat](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/measure-z-appears-headed-for-defeat-as-voters-reject-sales-tax-increase/), with 58.65 percent of voters voting against it as of June 23. The budget's operating component totals approximately $1.41 billion in fiscal year 2026-27 and $1.43 billion in fiscal year 2027-28, according to the budget report. One of the most notable shifts in the budget is the public works cost reductions of $3.45 million in fiscal year 2026-27 and $4.48 million in fiscal year 2027-28. Aguilar explained that public works is experiencing a decline in FY 2026-27 primarily because the city is "either not continuing or partially continuing some of the one-time investments that were provided in this last biennial budget." Public Works reductions include savings from leaving vacant positions unfilled, adjustments to construction material spending, lower-than-expected crossing guard contract costs and reductions to pavement rehabilitation projects. City officials said the changes are not expected to result in layoffs or affect crossing guard services. Despite this, public safety remains the largest spending category within the combined general fund and Measure Z budget, with police and fire departments expected to see the largest funding increases—roughly $15.7 million combined in the first year of the budget cycle and $5 million in the second year, according to Aguilar on Tuesday. City officials said many reductions were designed to minimize impacts on core services and, in some cases, simply return programs to funding levels that existed before increases approved in the previous budget. The council also approved a two-year Capital Improvement Plan totaling about $167.1 million in fiscal year 2026-27 and $161.2 million in fiscal year 2027-28\. Roughly 75 percent of capital spending is dedicated to electric and water infrastructure through Riverside Public Utilities, with transportation projects accounting for about 20 percent. The budget follows months of public outreach that included six community forums and an online survey completed by 227 residents. Participants consistently ranked public safety among their highest priorities, and also identified pavement improvements, children's library programs, park maintenance and recurring museum programming as important spending categories. The budget did not pass without friction. Council member Philip Falcone cast the lone dissenting vote, saying he had been opposed since February over cuts to public works. "Any cut to Public Works or General Services is an absolute non-negotiable," Falcone said. "So I won't be supporting it." Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes acknowledged the challenges of crafting a budget during the current economic environment. "Being on the council, this has definitely been the most concerning \[economy\] as we look to the future," she said. "But I am always hopeful and I think that where we have seen and we're moving forward…some of these cuts are important and critical and we're still providing excellent service to get our community to our constituents across the wards the best that we can." However, Cervantes emphasized that future revenue measures like a renewed Measure Z would need clearer, voter-driven earmarks—such as a dedicated percentage to fire services—to gain support. Councilmember Steven Robillard defended the reductions, arguing the city's situation reflects a nationwide trend. "If you look at every municipal government across the nation, we're all making cuts right now," he said. Councilmember Chuck Conder also defended the approach, clarifying that the decline in public works funding "is not really a cut, it's just not getting as much as they did before," and noted that "the budget is actually higher than \[2024\] for these \[departments\]." Several residents used public comment to challenge the city's spending priorities. Resident Dan Hoxworth argued that investments such as the Museum of Riverside renovation and a planned downtown police headquarters had contributed to the city's financial challenges while fire service needs go unmet. "We need to make hard choices," Hoxworth said. "Priority needs to go to address those fire needs." Resident Jason Hunter focused on employee compensation, noting that nearly 90 percent of city employees earn more than the city's median private-sector income. "Our personnel costs are getting to the level of insanity," Hunter said. "We've got an employee compensation bubble in the state of California, and Riverside is no exception." Robillard acknowledged that salaries represent the largest cost for any organization but noted that many city employees live—and spend—in Riverside. "They are paying taxes, buying things in our city and contributing to our own budget," he said. During Tuesday's city council meeting, the council also approved on consent calendar the City's 2025 Urban Water Management Plan and Water Shortage Contingency Plan, which outlines long-term water supply strategy and drought response protocols for Riverside residents. Also approved on consent Tuesday was the adoption of a Transit Oriented Development Action Plan to guide future growth and housing near the Downtown Metrolink Station on Vine Street. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- June 25, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-25-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:04.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/IMG_0402.jpeg) A happy pup and a cheerful painted rock make for a fun find during a walk through the Wood Streets. (Suzy Clem) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Wednesday Gazette: June 24, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Thursday!** When I asked 44 of you to become paid supporters before my 44th birthday next Tuesday, I genuinely didn't know if it would land. 25 of you have answered so far! We have five days left to find the last 19\. If you've ever considered supporting the Gazette this is the stretch where it counts. [Become a Member](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/#/portal/account/plans) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/author_banner-justin-pardee.jpg) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260625)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260625&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## City Council Approves $1.57 Billion Budget With Cuts to Public Works, Boost to Public Safety The council approved the two-year spending plan Tuesday as the city faces projected general fund shortfalls of $27 million and $34 million over the next two fiscal years. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-5-6.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-approves-1-57-billion-budget-with-cuts-to-public-works-boost-to-public-safety/) (File photo/Raincross Gazette) Council approved a two-year budget Tuesday with tens of millions in projected shortfalls — and a key sales tax lifeline likely dead at the ballot box. **Why it matters:** Cuts to public works — including crossing guards, pavement projects, and construction materials — will be visible across the city, even as police and fire spending grows. **Driving the news:** Council voted 6-1 to adopt the fiscal year 2026-27 and 2027-28 budget, closing projected general fund gaps of $27.1 million and $34 million through reductions, fee increases, and one-time reserve draws. - Unofficial results show voters rejecting the Measure Z tax increase 58.65% to 41.35% as of June 23, removing a key revenue option. **By the numbers:** - **$18M** in combined cuts proposed in the first budget year; **$22M+** the second - **$15.7M** combined increase for police and fire in the first year - **$76.4M** in untouched general fund reserves **Yes, but:** Councilmember Philip Falcone cast the lone no vote, calling public works cuts "an absolute non-negotiable." Several residents also challenged spending priorities at public comment, flagging personnel costs and unmet fire service needs. **What's next:** The budget plan balances general fund operations through fiscal year 2030-31\. Council also adopted a Transit Oriented Development Action Plan for growth near the Downtown Metrolink Station on Vine Street. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-approves-1-57-billion-budget-with-cuts-to-public-works-boost-to-public-safety/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260625)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260625&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Fireworks Photos: The Smartphone Method Before the show starts, most of the work is already done. Here's how to set up for fireworks photos that actually work. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-4-8.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/fireworks-photos-the-smartphone-method/) (Bob Sirotnik) [In Part 1](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/fireworks-photos-the-dslr-and-mirrorless-method/), we looked at photographing fireworks with a DSLR, mirrorless camera, or film SLR. That method depends on a tripod, manual focus, manual exposure, and Bulb mode. A smartphone works differently. You are not trying to duplicate the serious-camera method. Phones rely on computational photography and motion-capture features, and the best approach is to use those strengths instead of fighting them. For the 250th, most people on the mountain will be holding a phone, not a tripod. A newer iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel, or similar phone can do surprisingly well with fireworks. Older phones may struggle in low light, but even then, video can often save the night. [](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/fireworks-photos-the-dslr-and-mirrorless-method/) [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/fireworks-photos-the-smartphone-method/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260625) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260625&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Noteworthy The city's Community and Economic Development Department hosts [Walk the Talk at Ryan Bonaminio Park](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/walk-the-talk-riverside-entrepreneurs-tickets-1991739609789?aff=oddtdtcreator&ref=raincrossgazette.com) this Friday, June 26, from 8–9 a.m. — a free guided walk for business owners and entrepreneurs spotlighting Café Oro Dos Aztecas, in partnership with Blue Zones Project Riverside. With the Fourth of July approaching, the city is reminding residents that [all fireworks are illegal within city limits](https://riversideca.gov/press/fireworks-are-illegal-city-riverside-0?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and carry a minimum $1,500 fine — with [the free 4th of July Spectacular fireworks show](https://www.riversideca.gov/calendar/event/4th-july-fireworks-spectacular?ref=raincrossgazette.com#overlay-context=calendar/event/4th-july-fireworks-spectacular) at La Sierra Park and Mt. Rubidoux offering a safe alternative. UCR professor and award-winning graphic novelist John Jennings is being honored with ["John Jennings: Build Your World,"](https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/06/24/graphic-novelists-work-featured-immersive-exhibition?ref=raincrossgazette.com) an immersive exhibition of four of his projects now on view through spring 2027 at Mississippi's Arts + Entertainment Experience. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Savvy Chic Finds | Home + Fashion Liquidation Pop-Up (VIP Early Access)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/savvy-chic-finds-home-fashion-liquidation-popup-vip-early-access/18954585/2026-06-25T17) at ($7.18 - $12.51) - [Local Riverside Designer's Retirement Sale Furniture, Décor, Fashion & More](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/local-riverside-designers-retirement-sale-furniture-dcor-fashion-more/19209654/2026-06-25T17) at Mission Grove Shopping Center - Former KMart - ["Attack on Giant: an Amphibian Tale" (GM Ira)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/dd-1shot-attack-on-giant-an-amphibian-tale-gm-ira/19088168/2026-06-25T18) at Nevermore Game Club ($5.00 - $10.00) - [The Fifth Spark: AI and the Next Chapter of Human Evolution](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-fifth-spark-ai-and-the-next-chapter-of-human-evolution/19186984/2026-06-25T18) at Riverside Main Library - [Summer Mixer 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summer-mixer-2026/19088167/2026-06-25T17) at Hangar 24 Riverside ($20- $100) - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-06-25T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Trivia Night Benefiting Homeless Pets](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/trivia-night-benefiting-homeless-pets/19007423/2026-06-25T18) at Thompson Brewing Company ($15) - [World Cup Watch Party Presented by Riverside Pro Soccer](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/world-cup-watch-party-presented-by-riverside-pro-soccer/19040298/2026-06-25T19) at The Barn ### Tomorrow - [Eastside Library at Lincoln Park | Full Spectrum: Foam Party](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/eastside-library-at-lincoln-park-full-spectrum-foam-party/18788344/2026-06-26T15) at SPC Jesus S. Duran Eastside Library at Lincoln Park - [Jumanji (1995) - Movies on the Lawn](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/jumanji-1995-movies-on-the-lawn/19030051/2026-06-26T20) at Riverside Heritage House - [Noche de Cumbia](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/noche-de-cumbia-the-hideaway-riverside/19180354/2026-06-26T21) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($12.51) - [The Steven Universe Tableread for Charity](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-steven-universe-tableread-for-charity-the-raincross-district/19088172/2026-06-26T19) at The Raincross District ($17.85) ## Save the Date - June 26: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-26T08) at Community Yoga Center - June 26: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-26T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 4: [Front Row Fireworks - Celebrating America 250](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/front-row-fireworks-celebrating-america-250/18824158/2026-07-04T17) at Evergreen Memorial Historic Cemetery (free- $10) - July 4: [Fourth of July Water Fun and Fireworks](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fourth-of-july-water-fun-and-fireworks/19248234/2026-07-04T17) at First United Methodist Church of Riverside - July 5: [Patriotic Tours](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/patriotic-tours-heritage-house/19187294/2026-07-05T10) at Riverside Heritage House - July 11: [The Stars and Pipes Forever](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-stars-and-pipes-forever/19188125/2026-07-11T19) at First United Methodist Church of Riverside - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Fireworks Photos: The Smartphone Method URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/fireworks-photos-the-smartphone-method/ Last updated: 2026-06-26T11:59:35.000Z [In Part 1](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/fireworks-photos-the-dslr-and-mirrorless-method/), we looked at photographing fireworks with a DSLR, mirrorless camera, or film SLR. That method depends on a tripod, manual focus, manual exposure, and Bulb mode. A smartphone works differently. You are not trying to duplicate the serious-camera method. Phones rely on computational photography and motion-capture features, and the best approach is to use those strengths instead of fighting them. For the 250th, most people on the mountain will be holding a phone, not a tripod. A newer iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel, or similar phone can do surprisingly well with fireworks. Older phones may struggle in low light, but even then, video can often save the night. ### Keep the Phone Steady This is the biggest improvement you can make. Use a small phone tripod, a clamp, a railing, a wall, a fence post — anything solid. Hand-holding may work for a quick video, but for still photos, a steady phone gives cleaner results. Also, wipe the lens before the show. A fingerprint on a phone lens can turn fireworks into a soft, glowing blur. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/Block_1_Stable_Setup.jpeg) ### Use Live Photos or Motion Photos For iPhone users, the preferred still-photo method is Live Photos, not Night mode alone. Turn on Live Photos before the show. When a firework begins to open, take the picture. Live Photos records about a second and a half before and after you press the shutter, which greatly improves your odds of catching the best part of the burst. Afterward, you can often choose a better key frame than the one the phone selected, or try the Long Exposure effect in the Photos app. Keep whichever version looks better. Do not assume Night mode is the answer. Fireworks are not just a dark-scene problem; they are a timing problem. The sky is dark, but the fireworks themselves are bright. And the two features are mutually exclusive: turning on Live Photos automatically deactivates Night mode. That is normal, and for fireworks it is what you want. For Android users, the equivalent is Motion Photo on Samsung, Top Shot on Pixel, and Active Photos on Motorola — same idea: the phone captures a short moment around the still photo so you can pick the best frame afterward. Most modern phones also apply HDR automatically, which balances bright bursts against the dark sky. If yours has an HDR toggle, leave it on. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/Block_2_Live_Motion_Photos.jpeg) ### Turn Off the Flash The flash will not help. It cannot reach the fireworks, and it will only light up people, dust, and smoke near the phone. Make sure flash is off before the show starts. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/Block_3_Turn_Off_Flash.jpeg) ### Lock Focus and Exposure When a bright burst appears, tap and hold on the screen near the fireworks or launch area. On iPhone, this is AE/AF Lock; most Android phones have a similar lock. It keeps the phone from changing focus or brightness every time the scene changes. If the fireworks look washed out, slide the exposure down slightly after locking. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/Block_4_Lock_Focus_Exposure.jpeg) ### One iPhone Setting to Check Before the show, iPhone users should check Dim Flashing Lights, under Settings > Accessibility > Motion (the path can vary slightly by iOS version). This accessibility feature automatically dims video playback when the phone detects flashing or strobing — a useful safeguard for people sensitive to strobe effects. It does not change what the camera records; the file itself is fine. But it means your fireworks video may play back dimmed on screen. If you want full brilliance on playback, turn it off before the show, and back on afterward if you normally rely on it. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/Block_5_Dim_Flashing_Lights.jpeg) ### Start Wide Fireworks rise higher and spread wider than expected. Include the mountain, plenty of sky, and room on both sides for the largest burst. You can crop later. If you zoom in too much at the start, the best firework of the night may land partly outside the frame. For Mt. Rubidoux, include the hillside, trees, spectators, or city lights if they help the picture. Consider orienting the phone in landscape format to get a wider view. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/Block_6_Start_Wide-1.jpeg) ### Use Video as Backup Video may be the simplest way to get something good. Hold the phone horizontally — landscape orientation fits fireworks better because the bursts spread across the sky, and it works better on most screens. Start recording before the burst opens and keep the phone steady. Later, you can grab still frames from the video — not as detailed as a dedicated photo, but they may capture moments you would otherwise miss. Slow motion can be interesting during the finale, but do not shoot the whole show that way. ### Quick Phone Recipe • Stabilize the phone. Wipe the lens. Turn off flash. • Start wide. • Use Live Photos (iPhone) or Motion Photo / Top Shot / Active Photos (Android). • Tap and hold to lock focus and exposure; lower exposure slightly if bursts look washed out. • Take the picture as the firework opens; pick the best frame afterward. • iPhone: check Dim Flashing Lights if you want full-brightness playback. • Shoot some landscape video as backup. With a serious camera, you control the exposure and time the fireworks yourself with Bulb mode. With a phone, the better strategy is to keep it steady and let its motion-capture features handle the timing. **The bottom line:** stabilize the phone, start wide, turn off flash, use Live Photos or Motion Photos, lock focus and exposure, and do not forget video. Sometimes the best phone result is not a still photo but a short, steady clip that captures the light, the sound, and the energy of the show — which, this year of all years, is worth keeping. **One last tip:** If you are brave enough to be out during a lightning storm, you can use the same techniques for a good lightning photo. However, you may need to spend more time. Be safe if you do. *Photos accompanying this series are actual fireworks photographs the author took at a past Mt. Rubidoux show — evidence that the methods described here produce real results.* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/InfoGraphic-Gazette_Smartphones.jpeg) *By Bob Sirotnik* ### Two Homes Approved as Landmarks, a Third Named Structure of Merit URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/two-homes-approved-as-landmarks-a-third-named-structure-of-merit/ Last updated: 2026-06-26T11:58:12.000Z The Riverside Cultural Heritage Board (CHB) voted Wednesday June 17 to recommend landmark designation for two historic residences and approved a third property as a structure of merit, capping a hearing that underscored the city's ongoing effort to protect its architectural past. The three properties are among a wave of homes seeking city recognition, a status that unlocks access to the Mills Act, a state program that reduces property taxes in exchange for a commitment to ongoing historic preservation. The board unanimously recommended landmark designation for Lionhead, a 1926 Spanish Eclectic estate at 2881 Rumsey Drive in Ward 3\. Designed by architect Henry Jekel for developer and orchardist Howard Heiner, the two-story residence features hand-painted frescoes, barrel ceilings, ornamental ironwork and original bathroom tile fixtures. Historic Preservation Officer Scott Watson told the board the property retains a high degree of integrity and qualifies under two of the city's landmark criteria: its architectural distinction and its association with a historically significant architect. "I've visited it under two different owners," said board member David Crohn, who praised the current owners' restoration work. "The recent owners, I really salute for putting a huge amount of effort into restoring this property. It's a beautiful place." The homeowner, attending remotely, said her family sees itself as stewards of the estate. She noted that a previous owner had removed more than 100 original Jekel light fixtures, all of which have since been replaced. "We view the items in the house as something that should remain with this historical structure," she said. The board also voted unanimously to recommend landmark designation for Edie, a 1966 mid-century modern residence at 5958 Edith Avenue in Ward 4\. The home was designed by Swiss-born architect E. Kurt Steinmann for Dr. Robert and Margaret Robinson and is notable for its post-and-beam construction, flat roofline and floor-to-ceiling windows. Steinmann is responsible for several of Riverside's most recognizable public spaces, including City Hall and the Main Street Pedestrian Mall. The board was told that known Steinmann-designed residences in Riverside are rare, making Edie one of only two identified. Homeowner Anna Gaissert told the board she and her husband Dominick Ricci are the second owners of the home and are already pursuing a Mills Act contract, with plans to reroof and complete a structural inspection as their first priorities. The most contested vote of the afternoon involved the Havens Residence, a 1960 mid-century modern home at 2139 Archdale Street in Ward 3\. Designed by the local firm Cohen and Bussy for Dr. Fred and Barbara Havens, the home features desert rock veneer, redwood siding and large fixed-pane glazing systems. But a prior owner replaced most of the original aluminum windows with vinyl frames, a material prohibited under the city's historic district design guidelines and one that diminished the home's integrity enough that staff said it may no longer qualify for full landmark status. Board members debated whether approving a landmark designation for a home with vinyl windows would set a problematic precedent, ultimately voting to recommend a structure of merit rather than landmark. The board attached a condition requiring that window replacement be included in the property's Mills Act 10-year improvement plan. Current owners David Manning and Nyle Kanda, who purchased the home from Barbara Havens before her death, told the board they had already planned to replace the windows. "We bought it from Mrs. Havens because she really wanted to find a buyer who loved the house," Manning said. "We've also applied for the Mills Act." The window debate spilled into the board's final agenda item: a workshop on a proposed ordinance that would prohibit chain link fencing on all historic properties in Riverside, including city landmarks, structures of merit, historic districts and neighborhood conservation areas. The proposal originated with Councilmember Falcone, who brought it to the city's Land Use Committee in February. The committee asked the CHB for feedback before the item proceeds to the Planning Commission. Watson told the board the existing citywide residential historic district design guidelines already bar visible chain link fencing in Riverside's 13 historic districts for new installations. The proposed ordinance would extend that prohibition to all designated historic properties and to neighborhood conservation areas. Homeowner Anna Gaissert, who had earlier testified in support of Edie's landmark designation, returned to the podium to oppose the chain link ordinance, arguing that the ban conflates aesthetics with historic preservation and would impose a disproportionate financial burden on working-class homeowners. "Prohibiting chain link fences confuses aesthetics with historic preservation," she said, noting that chain link has been part of the American built environment for more than a century. Two additional written comments in opposition were submitted by eComment before the meeting. Board members raised questions about grant availability, enforcement timelines and whether homeowners who currently have chain link fences would be required to remove them. Watson confirmed existing fences would not need to be replaced; the ordinance would only apply to new fence installations or replacements. In a chain link fence workshop memorandum, it was noted that the Land Use Committee discussed the potential to “work with local advocacy groups, like the Old Riverside Foundation, to provide grants for the replacement of existing chain link fences.” The Old Riverside Foundation provides a limited fund of [Restoration Grants](https://oldriverside.org/grants?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to qualifying homeowners, with typically four or five households chosen. However, a spokesperson for the foundation told the Gazette that as of June 22, they “haven’t been approached by the city with any details regarding funding the installation of historically appropriate fencing.” The board provided informal feedback for the Land Use Committee but took no vote, as the item was a workshop only. The CHB also discussed a public comment request from community member Nancy Parrish, who asked the board and the Historic Preservation Officer to consider requiring building permits for window replacements in homes over 50 years old. Watson said staff could explore a future educational workshop on the topic, potentially featuring a local window restoration expert. The board's next regular meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 15, at 3:30 p.m. in the Art Pick Council Chamber at City Hall, 3900 Main Street. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- June 24, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-24-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:05.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/20260616_100704.jpg) Young sailors navigate Lake Evans in Fairmount Park, sharing the water with geese resting in the shade along the shore. (Katherine Evans) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Wednesday Gazette: June 24, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Wednesday!** Today is the International Day of Women in Diplomacy, a reminder that the toughest problems in the world are better solved when more voices are in the room. Between 1992 and 2019, women made up just 13% of peace negotiators globally — and yet research shows that when women are part of those talks, agreements are significantly more likely to hold. That's not a small thing. Now, here's what's happening in our community today. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260624)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260624&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## City Investigation Finds Director Created Hostile Workplace, City Manager Discouraged Complaints The 901-page report found former director Jennifer Lilley retaliated against employees who complained, and that then-city manager Mike Futrell discouraged them from coming forward. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-3-5.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-investigation-finds-director-created-hostile-workplace-city-manager-discouraged-complaints/) Pages from Nevins Professional Investigations' Final Report of Administrative Investigation, overlaid on a photo of City Hall. A 901-page investigation found that a former city department director spent years terrorizing employees — and the city manager helped cover it up. **Why it matters:** If you work for the city or follow how Riverside is governed, this report documents one of the most serious workplace misconduct findings in recent memory — with both the director and city manager now gone. **Driving the news:** The investigation, completed Dec. 20, 2025 and submitted to the city Jan. 20, sustained all seven allegations against former Community and Economic Development Department director Jennifer Lilley and 10 of 11 against former city manager Mike Futrell. - **71%** of CEDD employees surveyed said they lacked psychological safety; 59 employees — about two-thirds of the department — left during the period reviewed. **The backstory:** The investigation began Nov. 1, 2024, after multiple employees complained about Lilley, who joined the city in December 2022\. Futrell was added as a subject in October 2025 after investigators found he discouraged complaints, allegedly called anonymous filers "cyber bullies," and told staff he'd fire them if complaints continued. **Yes, but:** Both Lilley and Futrell disputed the findings. Futrell, who resigned June 16, said the report contains "factual inaccuracies" and "material omissions," and that he appropriately relied on staff experts. He said his resignation was unrelated to the report. **What's next:** Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson has called for an independent third-party review of the entire CEDD department. The city is finalizing a request for proposals. Miranda Evans, named permanent director in early June, is leading the department in the meantime. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-investigation-finds-director-created-hostile-workplace-city-manager-discouraged-complaints/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260624)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260624&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Two Homes Approved as Landmarks, a Third Named Structure of Merit The Cultural Heritage Board also heard early feedback on a proposed ordinance that would ban chain link fencing on historic properties citywide. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/12-_DSC4159-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/two-homes-approved-as-landmarks-a-third-named-structure-of-merit/) (File photo/Raincross Gazette) The Cultural Heritage Board recommended landmark designation for two historic residences and approved a third as a structure of merit at its June 17 meeting. **Why it matters:** Landmark designation unlocks the Mills Act — a state program that trades ongoing preservation commitments for reduced property taxes — making these votes directly relevant to historic homeowners citywide. **Driving the news:** The board acted on three Ward 3 and Ward 4 properties in a single hearing, with a debate over vinyl window replacements shaping the third vote. - The Havens Residence at 2139 Archdale received structure-of-merit status rather than full landmark — because a prior owner replaced original aluminum windows with vinyl frames — with a condition requiring window replacement in its Mills Act 10-year plan. **What was approved:** The board unanimously recommended full landmark status for two properties: Lionhead, a 1926 Spanish Eclectic estate at 2881 Rumsey Drive designed by architect Henry Jekel; and Edie, a 1966 mid-century modern home at 5958 Edith Avenue designed by Swiss-born architect E. Kurt Steinman — who also designed City Hall and the Main Street Pedestrian Mall. **Also on the agenda:** The board workshopped a proposed ordinance, introduced by Councilmember Falcone, that would ban chain link fencing on all designated historic properties citywide. - Existing fences wouldn't need replacement; the ban would apply only to new installations. A foundation spokesperson told the Gazette the Old Riverside Foundation has not yet been approached by the city about grant funding for fence replacements. **What's next:** The CHB meets Wednesday, July 15, at 3:30 p.m. in the Art Pick Council Chamber at City Hall, 3900 Main Street. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/two-homes-approved-as-landmarks-a-third-named-structure-of-merit/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260624) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260624&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Noteworthy [Caltrans is rehabilitating a stretch of SR-91](https://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) between Van Buren Boulevard and Madison Street through summer 2027, with a $31 million project that includes overnight weeknight lane closures — so plan your commute accordingly. The [2027 GROW Conference](mailto:sandy%5Framirez@att.net) on agriculture and sustainability is accepting speaker and session proposals through September 30 — farmers, educators, and experts are invited to submit ideas for the Riverside event themed "Fields of Opportunity." [The Sub Station, a beloved UCR sandwich shop that hired some 800 students over its 54-year run](https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/06/23/sub-station-bids-its-final-farewell?ref=raincrossgazette.com), has served its last sandwich, with owner Richard Munio marking the closure with a farewell celebration attended by Chancellor Hu and Mayor Lock Dawson. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-06-24T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-06-24T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [Museum of Riverside Board](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/museum-of-riverside-board/19168754/2026-06-24T15) at Riverside City Hall - [Community Police Review Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/community-police-review-commission/18051652/2026-06-24T17) at Riverside City Hall - [Bordwell Park Advisory Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bordwell-park-advisory-committee/16552261/2026-06-24T11) at Stratton Community Center - [Community Meeting Victoria Woods](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/community-meeting-victoria-woods/19129790/2026-06-24T18) at Stone Arbor Church - [Best of Riverside: Business Expo & Mega Mixer](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/best-of-riverside-business-expo-mega-mixer/18850150/2026-06-24T16) at Riverside Convention Center - [Evergreen Cemetery Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/evergreen-cemetery-tour/18884634/2026-06-24T10) at Evergreen Cemetery ($21.20) - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-06-24T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Inland Empire Speed Dating for Singles Age 55+](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/inland-empire-speed-dating-for-singles-age-55-riverside-california/19119277/2026-06-24T18) at Shindigs Country Kitchen Bar and Stage ($43.45) ### Tomorrow - [Savvy Chic Finds | Home + Fashion Liquidation Pop-Up (VIP Early Access)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/savvy-chic-finds-home-fashion-liquidation-popup-vip-early-access/18954585/2026-06-25T17) at ($7.18 - $12.51) - [Local Riverside Designer's Retirement Sale Furniture, Décor, Fashion & More](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/local-riverside-designers-retirement-sale-furniture-dcor-fashion-more/19209654/2026-06-25T17) at Mission Grove Shopping Center - Former KMart - ["Attack on Giant: an Amphibian Tale" (GM Ira)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/dd-1shot-attack-on-giant-an-amphibian-tale-gm-ira/19088168/2026-06-25T18) at Nevermore Game Club ($5- $10) - [The Fifth Spark: AI and the Next Chapter of Human Evolution](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-fifth-spark-ai-and-the-next-chapter-of-human-evolution/19186984/2026-06-25T18) at Riverside Main Library - [Summer Mixer 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summer-mixer-2026/19088167/2026-06-25T17) at Hangar 24 Riverside ($20- $100) - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-06-25T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Trivia Night Benefiting Homeless Pets](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/trivia-night-benefiting-homeless-pets/19007423/2026-06-25T18) at Thompson Brewing Company ($15) - [World Cup Watch Party Presented by Riverside Pro Soccer](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/world-cup-watch-party-presented-by-riverside-pro-soccer/19040298/2026-06-25T19) at The Barn ## Save the Date - June 26: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-26T08) at Community Yoga Center - June 26: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-26T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 4: [Front Row Fireworks - Celebrating America 250](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/front-row-fireworks-celebrating-america-250/18824158/2026-07-04T17) at Evergreen Memorial Historic Cemetery (free- $10) - July 5: [Patriotic Tours - Heritage House](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/patriotic-tours-heritage-house/19187294/2026-07-05T10) at Riverside Heritage House - July 11: [The Stars and Pipes Forever](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-stars-and-pipes-forever/19188125/2026-07-11T19) at First United Methodist Church of Riverside - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### City Investigation Finds Director Created Hostile Workplace, City Manager Discouraged Complaints URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-investigation-finds-director-created-hostile-workplace-city-manager-discouraged-complaints/ Last updated: 2026-06-26T00:16:00.000Z A city-commissioned investigation said employees in Riverside's Community and Economic Development Department (CEDD) spent years working in what investigators described as a "culture of fear" created by former director [Jennifer Lilley](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-hires-new-economic-community-development-director/) and enabled by then-city manager [Mike Futrell](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/futrell-steps-down-as-city-manager-as-wife-settles-defamation-claim-against-city/). The [901-page report](https://riversideca.mycusthelp.com/WEBAPP/%5Frs/%28S%28n0pz0daaultikliwvse0ito4%29%29/RequestArchiveDetails.aspx?rid=20821&ref=raincrossgazette.com), completed by Nevins Professional Investigations after a 14-month investigation, concluded that Lilley created a hostile work environment and that Futrell failed to address complaints while taking actions that discouraged employees from reporting misconduct. The investigation began Nov. 1, 2024, after the city received multiple complaints against Lilley from CEDD employees. More than 70 witnesses were interviewed before the report was completed on Dec. 20, 2025 and was submitted to the city on Jan. 20, 2026; the Gazette recently obtained a copy. The report's findings painted a picture of a department where employees walk on eggshells. According to the report, 71 percent of employees surveyed said they lacked psychological safety at work, 73 percent said they were uncomfortable sharing opinions and 65 percent said they did not trust department leadership. During the period reviewed, 59 employees—about two-thirds of the department's workforce—left the organization, according to the report, which said it found no credible alternative explanation for the consistency of complaints gathered from employees over multiple years. ### Complaints against Lilley Concerns about Lilley's leadership emerged a little over a year after she joined the city in December 2022, investigators said. An anonymous complaint first reached Futrell's office in February 2024\. By August 2024, three additional anonymous complaints and two formal human resources complaints had been filed. Employees repeatedly described a workplace where staff members were afraid to speak openly, according to the report. Investigators sustained all seven allegations against Lilley: creating a hostile work environment, retaliation, discourteous treatment of employees, poor job performance, dishonesty, insubordination and a HIPAA violation. "Many described that she rules with fear and intimidation and with little regard for employees' emotional well-being," the report stated. Employees told investigators that Lilley frequently gave unclear directions, then blamed staff when they sought clarification. Several witnesses described private meetings in which employees were berated behind closed doors, sometimes leaving them in tears, the report said. An anonymous complaint sent to several council members on Aug. 28, 2024, and quoted in the report alleged that Lilley created a toxic work environment "characterized by specific behaviors including belittling staff members in front of others, getting in their faces during discussions, walking out of meetings when things don't go her way, and dismissing feedback by emphasizing her position with statements such as 'I'm the Director' and telling people to stop talking." A separate complaint filed on Nov. 8, 2024, and quoted in the report described Lilley's management style as characterized by "intense micromanagement combined with a chronic inability to provide clear, consistent guidance," with allegations that "she deliberately avoids email communication to prevent documentation of her directives." When employees sought clarification, they were met with "visible irritation, accusations of incompetence, or defensive remarks. This leaves staff feeling disoriented and afraid to proceed with their tasks," according to the report. The investigation documented a pattern of retaliation against employees who filed formal HR complaints against Lilley — in at least one case, moving against an employee's job status within two days of a complaint being filed. The report also found that employees feared participating in the investigation itself because they worried about possible retaliation. Investigators said that Lilley tracked which employees had been interviewed during the investigation and that workers "were reluctant to participate in the investigation or file formal complaints due to fear of retaliation." "\[The\] culture of fear created by Lilley's retaliatory conduct inhibited the City's ability to investigate workplace concerns effectively," the report stated. The report said HR told investigators, Lilley and her managers "have been deficient in completing on-time performance appraisals of CEDD staff over the past three years," leaving the department "ill prepared" to take disciplinary action when performance problems arose. The investigation found that CEDD had accumulated 74 late performance evaluations by July 2025—a figure that had barely moved to 59 by the time the report was finalized in December 2025, nearly three years into Lilley's tenure. Investigators further concluded that Lilley was repeatedly dishonest during interviews conducted as part of the inquiry. The report identified 52 questions across four interview sessions that investigators said Lilley answered dishonestly, and found that materials she submitted in her defense often reinforced, rather than contradicted, witness accounts. According to the report, Lilley denied the core allegations against her across four interview sessions, attributing employee complaints to a coordinated "mean girl club," pre-existing department dysfunction, and employees' personal issues rather than her own conduct. When nine employees were identified as having cried because of interactions with her, Lilley denied causing any of them distress — then suggested that crying represents "energy leaving the body,” the report stated. On the HIPAA allegation, she denied questioning an employee about protected medical information, then reversed and said that it “could have happened, probably,” according to the report. Her defense on the performance management failures was that she misunderstood the evaluation process, investigators said. "Jennifer Lilley's documents and statements do not provide credible rebuttal to the substantial, corroborated, and objectively supported evidence of multiple serious policy violations," the investigator wrote. The report concluded that Lilley ignored feedback from both human resources staff and an executive coach, and characterized complaints against her as a "witch hunt." ### Investigation expands to include Futrell As complaints against Lilley mounted, investigators said a second pattern emerged involving Futrell's response to those concerns. After receiving several complaints against Lilley from February to August 2024, Futrell commissioned a survey to gauge CEDD employees' dissatisfaction. That survey found that just 30 percent of employees believed they could report wrongdoing without fear of retaliation, according to the report. Investigators said they found evidence that Futrell and Lilley altered some of the survey results during a presentation at a department-wide meeting in November 2024. At that meeting, Futrell addressed the complaints directly. Witnesses told investigators he described those who filed anonymous complaints as "cyber bullies sending hate mail" and said he had reviewed the allegations himself and found nothing actionable. Several employees told investigators that Futrell had previously warned staff he would fire them if anonymous complaints continued. The report also describes a confrontation with human resources officials over proposed employee transfers. When warned that moving active complainants could be viewed as retaliation and expose the city to liability, “Futrell responded that sometimes civil litigation is worth it,” the investigation said. Futrell was initially interviewed as a witness in September 2025, before becoming a subject of the investigation the following month. Investigators said he sought information about witnesses, challenged the investigation process and twice canceled scheduled interviews. After formally learning he was under investigation, he contacted the city's human resources director seeking details about the allegations despite restrictions intended to preserve the integrity of the inquiry. Three days later, the City Council served Futrell with a directive not to discuss the investigation. Investigators sustained 10 allegations against Futrell, with one allegation not sustained — that Futrell failed to ensure the proper investigation of an initial complaint filed in August 2024 — and resolved in his favor because the report found Lilley had withheld that complaint from him. However, investigators said he later made dishonest statements about when he became aware of it. The report found he violated California's whistleblower protection law by discouraging complaints and helping create what investigators described as a culture hostile to whistleblower activity. In a June 19 statement, Futrell said he reviewed the report's findings for the first time after it was made public and "respectfully but strongly" disagreed with many of its assertions and conclusions. He said he had requested an opportunity to review and respond to the portions addressing him before publication and was not given one. “My concerns include factual inaccuracies, material omissions, reliance on disputed accounts, and conclusions that, in my view, do not reflect the complete, accurate record,” he said. “The report does make much of my reliance on city staff to advise and guide me through the process, calling such reliance ‘deflection.’ This perception is incorrect.” Futrell said that with a city of nearly 2,600 employees, he “must rely on the experts in each department to manage their slice of city operations and to advise me concerning their areas of expertise.” “I did rely on these experts, for example, when I was informed by senior staff experts verbally and by email in 2024 and 2025 that the anonymous complaints were sent via US Mail and encrypted mail making it difficult to respond to the reporting party and which resulted in an inability to investigate,” he said. “Those communications informed my understanding at the time and reliance on staff experts was understandable and justified.” Concerning the employee transfer referenced in the report, Futrell said he was advised at the time that the “transfer had been approved and communicated through the appropriate staff process successfully.” “I relied on the responsible staff professionals to implement the personnel action lawfully, fairly, and appropriately, and was informed by email this process once complete had a positive outcome,” he said. Futrell disputed the report's characterization of his conduct at the Nov. 14, 2024 departmental meeting, saying he also told employees that if they had complaints they should report them to Human Resources — a statement that he said the investigator acknowledged as true. He said his concerns about the investigation's duration and cost were "management and fiscal-oversight questions, not interference," and that decisions about employee transfers were part of a broader effort to address budget pressures, not retaliation. "The report treats legitimate management decisions and oversight responsibilities as evidence of misconduct," Futrell wrote. "I disagree with that characterization." ### Leadership changes Lilley's employment with the city ended March 19, 2026. One month after the report was submitted, then-Deputy Director Miranda Evans was appointed interim leader of the department. She was [named permanent director in early June](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-names-miranda-evans-as-community-and-economic-development-director/). Futrell resigned June 16, 2026, after the City Council scheduled a closed-session discussion that included possible censure. Under the terms of his separation agreement, the city placed him on paid administrative leave through July 5, 2026, and agreed to provide severance equal to nine months of salary, retirement contributions and one month of health benefits. Futrell also said in his statement that his resignation had no relationship to the report's release, describing his departure as a voluntary, mutually agreed-upon leadership transition. He noted that the report itself states its conclusions on potential policy violations are the author's opinions and are not binding on the city. His resignation came weeks after he announced, and then withdrew from, [plans to become city manager of Pasadena](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-city-manager-mike-futrell-leaving-for-pasadena/). Futrell had served as Riverside's city manager since January 2023. ### City accountability and next steps A city statement sent to the Gazette on June 23 outlined accountability and next steps for city leadership. Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson, with the City Council’s support, on June 9 called for a third-party organization to assess the entire CEDD department — including its policies, procedures, staffing, culture, organizational structure, and management practices — and make any suggestions for change. The city will then create an action plan that will include specific reforms, implementation timelines, and measurable performance outcomes. The city is currently finalizing a request for proposal for that independent review, according to the statement. “These findings are deeply concerning and make clear that action is necessary,” Lock Dawson said in a June 23 statement. "That is why the City Council and I called for the independent review." She added that securing experienced interim leadership would be equally important "to guide this work, ensure immediate corrective actions are fully implemented, and lay the foundation for meaningful, long-term reform.” The mayor said the city’s responsibility now is to “address these issues thoroughly and urgently.” “We will follow the facts, implement meaningful reforms, and hold ourselves accountable for delivering lasting improvements,” she said. “Our employees and residents deserve a City government that operates with professionalism, integrity, and respect, and we are committed to earning and maintaining that trust.” Corrective actions are already underway within the Code Enforcement Division following the investigation’s findings, the statement said. Department leadership began reviewing division operations and implementing changes — including reinforcing workplace expectations, improving communication and supervision and formalizing staff training and professional development. The city also plans to establish standardized management practices across departments, including leadership training focused on employee relations, communication, performance management and handling workplace concerns. In addition, officials said the city will create formal protocols for informing the mayor and City Council about significant personnel matters — while maintaining legal and confidentiality requirements — to ensure elected leaders receive information on issues that could affect operations, employee wellbeing or public trust. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- June 23, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-16-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:07.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/IMG_3008.jpeg) A little explorer on the move at the UCR Botanic Gardens. (Robin Veasey) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Monday Gazette: June 23, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Tuesday!** Someone asked me a fair question yesterday morning: *"You keep saying the Gazette is free, no paywall, never. So why are you also asking people to pay for it?"* It's a good question, and the answer is the whole reason we're in the middle of this summer membership drive. The news we publish at the Gazette is free to read. That part is real and it isn't changing. Anyone in Riverside can open this newsletter every morning without paying a cent, and they always will. You can always send a link to a story you think is important to one of your neighbors, and they will never be hit with a paywall or forced to subscribe before they can read. But **free to read doesn't mean free to make**. When Measure Z went on the June ballot, someone had to read the text, sit through the candidate forums where it came up again and again, follow the lawsuits, and then count the returns election night until Riverside's answer was clear. When the Mission Inn changed hands and artifacts were being lifted off the walls, someone had to dig through purchase agreements going back to 1992, track down the people who were actually in the room, and untangle a genuinely hard fight. And every single week, someone has to find one of the quiet people holding this city together, a 94-year-old still organizing brunches for military widows, a curator, a youth mentor with two decades behind her, and sit with them long enough to tell the story no one else would. None of that is free to do. "Free" just means someone else is covering the cost. Right now, that someone is about 710 of you. These are Riversiders quietly paying the way for roughly 16,000 of their neighbors to get local news every morning at no charge. I think that's a beautiful thing, and I’d also like to see more of it. Here's the part I love most about membership: when you support the Gazette, there are no strings attached. You're not buying a say in what we cover. You're not asking me to chase certain stories or leave others alone. You're just saying, this work matters, keep doing it. That's the only kind of support that lets a newsroom stay pointed at serving its readers. For 150 years, Riverside was served by a newsroom with this kind of direct relationship to its readers, except back then, everyone had to pay. I'm trying to rebuild the same reliability, but by leading with a spirit of generosity (my wife already left me dump all of our savings into building this newsroom) that I hope more of you find contagious. So that's my answer, and my birthday wish. We're at 14 of 44 with seven days to go. If you're one of the 16,000 who reads for free and you're able to chip in, $5 a month puts you among the neighbors keeping it free for everyone else. [Become a Member](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/#/portal/account/plans) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/author_banner-justin-pardee-2.jpg) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260623)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260623&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HOMELESSNESS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/homelessness/) ## City Pursues $8.4M State Grant to Address Magnolia Avenue Homeless Encampments Council authorizes application for three-year outreach and housing program targeting corridor between Central and La Sierra. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/1-_DSC4113-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-pursues-8-4m-state-grant-to-address-magnolia-avenue-homeless-encampments/) (File photo/Raincross Gazette) The City is applying for state funding to move people out of one of the city's largest and most persistent encampment zones over three years. **Why it matters:** If you live, work, or commute along Magnolia between Central and La Sierra, this is the city's most concrete plan yet to address the encampments that have spread across sidewalks, parking lots, and commercial areas there. **Driving the news:** Council voted Tuesday to pursue $8.4 million through California's Encampment Resolution Funding Program, targeting a three-year outreach and housing placement effort along the Magnolia corridor. **By the numbers:** Since July 2025, city staff logged 3,418 interactions with unhoused individuals near the corridor — 912 completed full intake assessments. - The project would aim to serve about 200 people annually, moving roughly 100 into interim housing and 70 into permanent housing each year. **The backstory:** City staff flagged the Magnolia corridor as a priority zone due to recurring encampment activity. Staff estimates about 250 people currently live there, with another 250 expected to cycle through during the grant period. **Yes, but:** The award isn't guaranteed — state housing officials are expected to announce grants in September. **What's next:** If funded, housing placements would begin January 2027, with permanent housing outcomes projected through June 2029\. CityNet would lead case management; Renewing Hope would handle clinical outreach and mobile hygiene services. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-pursues-8-4m-state-grant-to-address-magnolia-avenue-homeless-encampments/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260623) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600623&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Council Greenlights 45 New Public EV Chargers, Waives Competitive Bidding The council voted to purchase chargers from Chaevi Co. Ltd. and fund a rebate program for installations, over some residents' objections to the no-bid contract. [![black car in tilt shift lens](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1615901555268-839b7a1ede54?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDEyfHxldiUyMGNoYXJnZXJ8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzgyMTcwNjc1fDA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-greenlights-45-new-public-ev-chargers-waives-competitive-bidding/) ([myenergi](https://unsplash.com/@myenergi?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) The City will spend nearly $5 million to install 45 new public electric vehicle chargers at city sites — sourcing them from a South Korean manufacturer with its U.S. headquarters here. **Why it matters:** If you drive an EV, more charging options are coming to libraries, community centers, City Hall, the Convention Center, and the airport. You'll pay to use them, with fees covering electricity and maintenance. **Driving the news:** The council unanimously approved a $1.96 million charger purchase from Chaevi Co. Ltd. and added $3 million to Riverside Public Utilities' rebate program to cover installation costs. - Funding comes from RPU's Low Carbon Fuel Standard reserve account and must be spent within three years. **The backstory:** Riverside signed an agreement with Chaevi in November 2025 that called for the city to consider buying at least 45 chargers as part of its sustainability and economic development goals — the same deal critics say predetermined this purchase. **Yes, but:** The council voted 6-1 to waive competitive bidding, with Councilmember Jim Perry dissenting. Several residents filed public comments opposing the waiver, arguing the city identified a vendor first and built a justification around it rather than running a fair procurement process. At least one caller said 45 chargers still isn't enough — noting Ward 1 currently has just one compatible public charger. **What's next:** At least half the rebate spending must go to disadvantaged communities under state rules. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-greenlights-45-new-public-ev-chargers-waives-competitive-bidding/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260623)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260623&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Noteworthy [Riverside's first Peace Pole will be dedicated](https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=981944231348802&set=a.105182129025021) on June 26 at 10 a.m. in the garden in front of the Military Wall of Honor at City Hall, donated by the Riverside East Rotary Club. Grocery Outlet on Chicago Avenue is hosting a [free community barbecue](https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=986875144120626&set=a.290184323789715) this Saturday, June 27 from noon to 3 p.m. — with free food, snow cones, and haircuts, plus an in-store food drive benefiting Meals on Wheels Riverside and Healing in the Streets. [La Sierra University's women's flag football team reached the GSAC championship game](https://lasierra.edu/article/la-sierra-womens-flag-football-makes-history-reaches-gsac-championship-in-debut-season/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) in its debut season, finishing 18-9 and cracking the national Top 10, with two freshmen earning NAIA All-American honors. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [MSRPAC's Monthly Community Cat Spay/Neuter Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/msrpacs-monthly-community-cat-spayneuter-day/17790235/2026-06-23T06) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($45) - [City Council](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/city-council/18431185/2026-06-23T13) at Riverside City Hall - [Community in Conversation: "Banished Citizens"](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/community-in-conversation-banished-citizens/19061992/2026-06-23T13) at Cellar Door Book Store - [Free Online Course: Challenging Bias and Bigotry in the Workplace](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-online-course-challenging-bias-and-bigotry-in-the-workplace/18974370/2026-06-23T00) at University of California, Riverside - [Orange Terrace Library | Movie Showing: Inception](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-terrace-library-movie-showing-inception/18756726/2026-06-23T14) at Orange Terrace Library - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition at the Hideaway](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-06-23T19) at The Hideaway ### Tomorrow - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-06-24T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-06-24T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [Museum of Riverside Board](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/museum-of-riverside-board/19168754/2026-06-24T15) at Riverside City Hall - [Community Police Review Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/community-police-review-commission/18051652/2026-06-24T17) at Riverside City Hall - [Bordwell Park Advisory Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bordwell-park-advisory-committee/16552261/2026-06-24T11) at Stratton Community Center - [COMMUNITY MEETING VICTORIA WOODS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/community-meeting-victoria-woods/19129790/2026-06-24T18) at STONE ARBOR CHURCH - [Best of Riverside: Business Expo & Mega Mixer](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/best-of-riverside-business-expo-mega-mixer/18850150/2026-06-24T16) at Riverside Convention Center - [Evergreen Cemetery Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/evergreen-cemetery-tour/18884634/2026-06-24T10) at Evergreen Cemetery ($21.20) - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-06-24T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Inland Empire Speed Dating for Singles Age 55+](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/inland-empire-speed-dating-for-singles-age-55-riverside-california/19119277/2026-06-24T18) at Shindigs Country Kitchen Bar and Stage ($43.45) ### Save the Date - June 26: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-26T08) at Community Yoga Center - June 26: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-26T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 4: [Front Row Fireworks - Celebrating America 250](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/front-row-fireworks-celebrating-america-250/18824158/2026-07-04T17) at Evergreen Memorial Historic Cemetery (free- $10) - July 5: [Patriotic Tours - Heritage House](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/patriotic-tours-heritage-house/19187294/2026-07-05T10) at Riverside Heritage House - July 11: [The Stars and Pipes Forever](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-stars-and-pipes-forever/19188125/2026-07-11T19) at First United Methodist Church of Riverside - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### City Pursues $8.4M State Grant to Address Magnolia Avenue Homeless Encampments URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-pursues-8-4m-state-grant-to-address-magnolia-avenue-homeless-encampments/ Last updated: 2026-06-25T12:00:39.000Z The City Council approved a plan Tues. June 16 to pursue about $8.4 million in state funding aimed at reducing homelessness along one of the city's most visible encampment corridors. The council authorized city staff to apply for $8.4 million through California's Encampment Resolution Funding Program to support a targeted homelessness response along [Magnolia Avenue between Central and La Sierra avenues](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-manager-rolls-out-465-objectives-for-2026-council-zeroes-in-on-homelessness-fire-and-equity/). If awarded, the grant would fund a three-year effort focused on outreach, interim housing and permanent housing placements for people living unsheltered in the corridor. City staff identified the Magnolia corridor as a priority encampment zone because of recurring homelessness activity spread across commercial areas, sidewalks, parking lots and public rights-of-way. According to the report, the city recorded 3,418 interactions with unhoused individuals near the corridor since July 2025, with 912 people completing full intake assessments. The proposed project would provide housing case management, clinical outreach, mobile hygiene services, [motel-based interim shelter](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-rejects-20-million-state-grant-for-homeless-housing-project/), rapid rehousing assistance and reunification support. Under the proposal, nonprofit service provider CityNet would lead housing navigation and case management efforts, while Renewing Hope would provide clinical outreach, street medicine and mobile hygiene services. The project would also coordinate with county and state agencies to help participants obtain identification documents, benefits, behavioral health services and employment support. Staff estimates the Magnolia corridor area includes about 250 people currently living in encampments and anticipates an additional 250 people entering the corridor during the three-year grant period. The city expects to serve about 200 people annually, moving about 100 people into interim housing and placing about 70 people into permanent housing each year. The proposal includes funding for up to 70 motel-based interim placements annually and support for up to 30 reunification exits each year. The city's approach emphasizes low-barrier services, according to the proposal, meaning that participation in treatment, sobriety, medication compliance, rental history and most criminal convictions would not be used as conditions for outreach, interim placement or housing assistance. The plan also includes funding for pet-related shelter improvements and supplies intended to reduce situations where people decline shelter because they cannot accommodate pets or service animals. State housing officials are expected to announce awards in September. If Riverside receives funding, staff expects implementation work to begin after contract execution, with housing placements beginning in January 2027 and projected permanent housing outcomes extending through June 2029. ### Council Greenlights 45 New Public EV Chargers, Waives Competitive Bidding URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-greenlights-45-new-public-ev-chargers-waives-competitive-bidding/ Last updated: 2026-06-25T11:59:51.000Z The City Council on Tuesday approved two items to advance its plan to place 45 new electric vehicle chargers for public access around the city. The council unanimously approved the purchase of the chargers from [Chaevi Co. Ltd.](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-signs-agreement-with-korean-ev-company-exploring-u-s-expansion/) – a South Korean electric vehicle company with manufacturing headquarters in Riverside – for $1.96 million and add $3 million to [Riverside Public Utilities' rebate program](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/public-utilities-board-backs-3m-shift-to-fund-45-public-ev-chargers-across-city/) to help pay for the installations. The money comes from Riverside Public Utilities' Low Carbon Fuel Standard reserve account. The rebate program is meant to reimburse the city for the cost of chargers and some related utility infrastructure. Staff said at least half of the spending must go to disadvantaged communities under state rules, and the money must be used within three years or return to the reserve fund for other eligible projects. City officials said the rebates can cover the chargers themselves and certain utility upgrades, but not site improvements. Drivers will still pay to use the chargers, with fees intended to cover electricity and maintenance. The council also voted 6-1 – with Council member Jim Perry dissenting – to [waive the formal bidding process](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15557871&GUID=249F6A28-BB8B-4B74-9FF7-ED038DB8D62D&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for such a purchase, since the city made a [Nov. 4, 2025, agreement with Chaevi](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-signs-agreement-with-korean-ev-company-exploring-u-s-expansion/) that called for the city to consider buying at least 45 chargers as part of its sustainability and economic development goals. The chargers will be placed around city sites such as libraries, community centers, City Hall, the Riverside Convention Center and the airport. Some residents wrote in public comments to oppose the waiver of the formal bidding process. "I oppose \[these items\] because it appears the city is creating a funding mechanism specifically to support a purchase that was effectively predetermined through the Chaevi \[agreement\]. The purpose of public procurement is to identify the best solution through a fair and transparent process, not to identify a vendor first and justify the purchase later," [wrote a commenter](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5363-revised-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a221e8e4425385c7d0021cf-29-appropriate-3-dollars-000-000-from-electric-fund-low?ref=raincrossgazette.com) who gave his name as Anton R. Another resident, who gave his name as Ernie, called into Tuesday's meeting to call for more electric vehicle chargers across the city, saying he often has to go outside of the city to charge his electric vehicle on the weekends. "I don't think 45 electric vehicle chargers is enough for the city – adding 45 is not enough in Ward 1 right now," he said. "We only have one charge point that has a Type 2 charger that I can use for my vehicle, so I have nowhere to go on the weekend, except for out of the city." ### This Week in City Hall: June 22, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-june-22-2026/ Last updated: 2026-06-24T12:00:45.000Z Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### City Council City Council will meet in closed and open sessions on Tuesday, June 23, in afternoon sessions at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and an evening session at 6:15 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1411441&GUID=A73532C5-DAB4-4C83-B857-E0E3FB60CBFF&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). The agenda includes: - Adopting the [City's 2026-27 spending plan](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=b92b10a6-255f-45ef-bb95-804c8f95b9f6.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for approximately $9 million in federal housing and emergency services grants, including Community Development Block Grant and HOME funds used to support low-income residents and community programs ([item 6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5378-revised-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a2b71bb4425386bbc006903-6-adopt-2026-2027-annual-action-plan-for-use-of-c?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Updating the City's fee schedule to add [new charges](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=88fbe49c-dd4b-4983-948e-68d0d5e0e4a5.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for public records copies and notary services through the City Clerk's Office ([item 7](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5378-revised-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a2b71bb4425386bbc006904-7-approve-fiscal-year-2026-27-master-fees-and-cha?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering an [Adaptive Reuse Ordinance](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=f1c25ec2-ceaa-4871-9151-f105455aeed2.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that would establish rules and incentives for converting vacant or underused commercial buildings into housing in designated areas of the city ([item 8](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5378-revised-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a2b71bb4425386bbc006905-8-case-pc-2025-00427-city-of-riverside-determ?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Adopting a [Transit Oriented Development Action Plan](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=fe096033-d379-4812-83bd-1e6c418fe1a0.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to guide future growth and housing near the Downtown Metrolink Station on Vine Street ([item 24](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5378-revised-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a2b71bb4425386bbc00691e-24-receive-and-file-update-on-preparation-of-a-tr?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - [Retiring police service dog](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=42fc7627-4265-4582-99b1-5a191f915c88.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) "Maverick" and donating him to his handler, Officer Mitchell Gonzales (i[tem 41](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5378-revised-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a2b71bc4425386bbc006935-41-declare-police-service-dog-maverick-as-retir?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Adopting the City's [2025 Urban Water Management Plan](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=7559287e-7bc3-4c27-b6a2-0a3b71bc876b.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) and Water Shortage Contingency Plan, which outline long-term water supply strategy and drought response protocols for Riverside residents ([item 44](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5378-revised-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a2b71bc4425386bbc00693a-45-adopt-a-resolution-adopting-the-2025-water-sho?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Holding a public hearing to consider adopting a [two-year City budget](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=0bc42eb3-056b-4730-893b-991df436596a.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) totaling approximately $3.16 billion across fiscal years 2026-28, including a Measure Z spending plan and capital improvement projects ([item 49](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5378-revised-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a2b71bc4425386bbc006940-49-proposed-fiscal-years-2026-2028-biennial-budge?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Housing and Homelessness Committee The Housing and Homelessness Committee meets on Monday, June 22, at 3:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1423043&GUID=640B6C28-C018-4A00-9E1A-1EA5641260A2&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to receive updates on the [Housing Authority's active projects](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=ca1e9d51-6122-4d21-8b07-a35f3b216e58.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) — which include 336 affordable housing units, 24 permanent supportive housing units, and 41 transitional housing units in the development pipeline ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5374-housing-and-homelessness-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a29eed7f395e761780020fc-2-receive-housing-authoritys-projects-update?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and the status of the City's [Homelessness Action Plan](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=4b672117-691f-40e9-87c0-98dd3e335533.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 4](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5374-housing-and-homelessness-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a29eed7f395e761780020fe-4-receive-homelessness-action-plan-updates?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Board of Public Utilities The Board of Public Utilities meets on Monday, June 22, at 6:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1417618&GUID=C8907AAB-6DC8-40AC-8EF4-42074EF5A856&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to [approve the City's ethics code](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=4beda16a-8179-45b2-9deb-2d1ba7096558.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for possible revisions ([item 9](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5375-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a29f0caf395e7642d000b6a-9-review-riverside-municipal-code-chapter-2-dot-78?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and approving a five-year, $1.66 million [software agreement](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=71f82b91-d692-4c55-8791-f52b19f71a50.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to continue support for the utility operations management system used to run Riverside's water and electric services ([item 10](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5375-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a29f0caf395e7642d000b6b-10-need-aatf-authorize-termination-of-existing?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Museum of Riverside Board The Museum of Riverside Board meets on Wednesday, June 24, at 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1416964&GUID=207E2AFC-3B0A-479E-8DE2-0C73039A8E00&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to [recommend additions](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=cf4cbfea-b3ef-4244-ac1a-9cac4cab19fd.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to the Museum of Riverside's permanent collection including archival and historic items (item 5), and [recommending the return](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=71e0975f-69f6-47cd-866d-e4b8b9b2dae0.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com)of 44 Native American objects associated with the Morongo Band of Mission Indians from the permanent collection (item 7). ### Community Police Review Commission The Community Police Review Commission meets on Wednesday, June 24, at 5:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1423041&GUID=89020AF0-6ADA-46CF-B1D3-E5E2D5628AF1&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review the City's [Code of Ethics](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=e584a041-b730-4bce-992e-89f4d8b47ff1.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) and Conduct for possible updates ([item 4](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5373-community-police-review-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a29d552f2b670c6fc0017fb-4-review-code-of-ethics-and-conduct?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Human Relations Commission The Human Relations Commission meets on Thursday, June 25, at 6 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1409880&GUID=184F131B-56B5-4809-961A-E4259E305E4C&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review the City's [Code of Ethics](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=206f85b9-0f9d-4f69-8b5a-0058cfbe97f5.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) and Conduct ([item 6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5383-human-relations-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a341ceaf395e7f8a10123de-6-review-of-code-of-ethics-and-conduct?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### 🗞️ Riverside News- June 22, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-15-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:08.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-19.jpg) (Photos courtesy of Voices for Children) **Monday Gazette: June 22, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday!** From time to time, we want to share volunteer opportunities that are really making a difference in our community. Today we're starting with Nancy Olsen, a Gazette reader who retired six years ago and found her purpose through Voices for Children, a local nonprofit that trains Court Appointed Special Advocates, also known as CASAs. These volunteers advocate for children in foster care to ensure their voices are heard and needs are met. Through Voices for Children, Nancy was matched with a teenage girl. What followed was five years of bowling trips, art shows, homework sessions, and what Nancy's CASA kid now calls "adulting" together. Today, that young woman is 19: a high school graduate with a 3.6 GPA, a cosmetology school grad, a community college student, and a dancer who found her talent along the way. More than 180 children in Riverside County are currently waiting for that one consistent advocate in their corner. If you're interested in learning more about becoming a CASA, [sign up for an info session at speakupnow.org](https://speakupnow.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). If you know of other volunteer opportunities we should spotlight, email us at [newsroom@raincrossgazette.com](mailto:newsroom@raincrossgazette.com). --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260622)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260622&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## This Week in City Hall: June 22, 2026 City Council takes up a $3.16 billion two-year budget, an adaptive reuse ordinance and a transit-oriented development plan among a packed agenda; other boards and commissions meet throughout the week. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/1-8.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-june-22-2026/) Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### City Council City Council will meet in closed and open sessions on Tuesday, June 23, in afternoon sessions at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and an evening session at 6:15 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1411441&GUID=A73532C5-DAB4-4C83-B857-E0E3FB60CBFF&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). The agenda includes: - Adopting the [City's 2026-27 spending plan](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=b92b10a6-255f-45ef-bb95-804c8f95b9f6.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for approximately $9 million in federal housing and emergency services grants, including Community Development Block Grant and HOME funds used to support low-income residents and community programs ([item 6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5378-revised-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a2b71bb4425386bbc006903-6-adopt-2026-2027-annual-action-plan-for-use-of-c?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Updating the City's fee schedule to add [new charges](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=88fbe49c-dd4b-4983-948e-68d0d5e0e4a5.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for public records copies and notary services through the City Clerk's Office ([item 7](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5378-revised-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a2b71bb4425386bbc006904-7-approve-fiscal-year-2026-27-master-fees-and-cha?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering an [Adaptive Reuse Ordinance](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=f1c25ec2-ceaa-4871-9151-f105455aeed2.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that would establish rules and incentives for converting vacant or underused commercial buildings into housing in designated areas of the city ([item 8](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5378-revised-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a2b71bb4425386bbc006905-8-case-pc-2025-00427-city-of-riverside-determ?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Adopting a [Transit Oriented Development Action Plan](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=fe096033-d379-4812-83bd-1e6c418fe1a0.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to guide future growth and housing near the Downtown Metrolink Station on Vine Street ([item 24](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5378-revised-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a2b71bb4425386bbc00691e-24-receive-and-file-update-on-preparation-of-a-tr?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - [Retiring police service dog](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=42fc7627-4265-4582-99b1-5a191f915c88.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) "Maverick" and donating him to his handler, Officer Mitchell Gonzales (i[tem 41](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5378-revised-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a2b71bc4425386bbc006935-41-declare-police-service-dog-maverick-as-retir?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Adopting the City's [2025 Urban Water Management Plan](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=7559287e-7bc3-4c27-b6a2-0a3b71bc876b.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) and Water Shortage Contingency Plan, which outline long-term water supply strategy and drought response protocols for Riverside residents ([item 44](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5378-revised-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a2b71bc4425386bbc00693a-45-adopt-a-resolution-adopting-the-2025-water-sho?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Holding a public hearing to consider adopting a [two-year City budget](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=0bc42eb3-056b-4730-893b-991df436596a.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) totaling approximately $3.16 billion across fiscal years 2026-28, including a Measure Z spending plan and capital improvement projects ([item 49](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5378-revised-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a2b71bc4425386bbc006940-49-proposed-fiscal-years-2026-2028-biennial-budge?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Housing and Homelessness Committee The Housing and Homelessness Committee meets on Monday, June 22, at 3:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1423043&GUID=640B6C28-C018-4A00-9E1A-1EA5641260A2&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to receive updates on the [Housing Authority's active projects](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=ca1e9d51-6122-4d21-8b07-a35f3b216e58.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) — which include 336 affordable housing units, 24 permanent supportive housing units, and 41 transitional housing units in the development pipeline ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5374-housing-and-homelessness-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a29eed7f395e761780020fc-2-receive-housing-authoritys-projects-update?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and the status of the City's [Homelessness Action Plan](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=4b672117-691f-40e9-87c0-98dd3e335533.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 4](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5374-housing-and-homelessness-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a29eed7f395e761780020fe-4-receive-homelessness-action-plan-updates?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Board of Public Utilities The Board of Public Utilities meets on Monday, June 22, at 6:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1417618&GUID=C8907AAB-6DC8-40AC-8EF4-42074EF5A856&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to [approve the City's ethics code](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=4beda16a-8179-45b2-9deb-2d1ba7096558.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for possible revisions ([item 9](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5375-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a29f0caf395e7642d000b6a-9-review-riverside-municipal-code-chapter-2-dot-78?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and approving a five-year, $1.66 million [software agreement](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=71f82b91-d692-4c55-8791-f52b19f71a50.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to continue support for the utility operations management system used to run Riverside's water and electric services ([item 10](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5375-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a29f0caf395e7642d000b6b-10-need-aatf-authorize-termination-of-existing?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Museum of Riverside Board The Museum of Riverside Board meets on Wednesday, June 24, at 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1416964&GUID=207E2AFC-3B0A-479E-8DE2-0C73039A8E00&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to [recommend additions](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=cf4cbfea-b3ef-4244-ac1a-9cac4cab19fd.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to the Museum of Riverside's permanent collection including archival and historic items (item 5), and [recommending the return](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=71e0975f-69f6-47cd-866d-e4b8b9b2dae0.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com)of 44 Native American objects associated with the Morongo Band of Mission Indians from the permanent collection (item 7). ### Community Police Review Commission The Community Police Review Commission meets on Wednesday, June 24, at 5:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1423041&GUID=89020AF0-6ADA-46CF-B1D3-E5E2D5628AF1&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review the City's [Code of Ethics](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=e584a041-b730-4bce-992e-89f4d8b47ff1.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) and Conduct for possible updates ([item 4](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5373-community-police-review-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a29d552f2b670c6fc0017fb-4-review-code-of-ethics-and-conduct?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Human Relations Commission The Human Relations Commission meets on Thursday, June 25, at 6 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1409880&GUID=184F131B-56B5-4809-961A-E4259E305E4C&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review the City's [Code of Ethics](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=206f85b9-0f9d-4f69-8b5a-0058cfbe97f5.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) and Conduct ([item 6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5383-human-relations-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a341ceaf395e7f8a10123de-6-review-of-code-of-ethics-and-conduct?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-june-22-2026/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260622) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600622&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [MUSEUM MONDAYS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/museum-of-riverside/) ## Of Moths and Men A 3.5-inch pencil in the Museum of Riverside holds the story of how the city began. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/-without-scale--John-W.-North-s-pencil--circa-1870.-Courtesy-of-the-Museum-of-Riverside-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/of-moths-and-men/) John North's pencil, circa 1870\. (Courtesy of the Museum of Riverside) Domestic silk moths (Bombyx mori) were the foundation of modern Riverside ... or rather, the failure of the silkworm industry was. In 1860s Los Angeles, the California Silk Center Association (CSCA) set its sights inland. CSCA purchased thousands of acres of land with the plan to establish a silk-growing industry. The environment was right and the moths were healthy but, in 1870, the silkworm egg boom bombed. Louis Provost, the president of the CSCA, died and with him the scheme lost its appeal. The collapse of the silk farming industry laid the foundation for the settlement scheme known as the "Southern California Colony Association" created by John W. North, James Greves and others. Stored in the Museum of Riverside is an incredibly powerful object documenting Southern California history, and it's only 3.5 inches long. It arrived at the Museum with a letter from the donor, dated September 27, 1971\. In it, she explained, "I am forwarding it to you ... just as I found it - sealed in an envelope with a note in her handwriting ..." She added, "My mother was five years old when the family went to Riverside, so her school experience began there. I can well understand her respect for the pencil." [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/of-moths-and-men/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260622)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260622&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [STEAM Discovery Youth Program 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/steam-discovery-youth-program-2026/18330927/2026-06-22T09) at University of California, Riverside - [Beyond The Jobsite](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/beyond-the-jobsite/19088161/2026-06-22T09) at Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce ($75.00) - [Housing and Homelessness Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/housing-and-homelessness-committee/19168753/2026-06-22T15) at Riverside City Hall - [Sip with a Scientist](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/19187440/2026-06-22T17) at Bar Ni Modo ### Tomorrow - [MSRPAC's Monthly Community Cat Spay/Neuter Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/msrpacs-monthly-community-cat-spayneuter-day/17790235/2026-06-23T06) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($45) - [City Council](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/city-council/18431185/2026-06-23T13) at Riverside City Hall - [Community in Conversation: "Banished Citizens"](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/community-in-conversation-banished-citizens/19061992/2026-06-23T13) at Cellar Door Book Store - [Free Online Course: Challenging Bias and Bigotry in the Workplace](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-online-course-challenging-bias-and-bigotry-in-the-workplace/18974370/2026-06-23T00) at University of California, Riverside - [Orange Terrace Library | Movie Showing: Inception](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-terrace-library-movie-showing-inception/18756726/2026-06-23T14) at Orange Terrace Library - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-06-23T19) at The Hideaway ### Save the Date - June 24: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-24T08) at Community Yoga Center - June 26: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-26T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 4: [Front Row Fireworks - Celebrating America 250](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/front-row-fireworks-celebrating-america-250/18824158/2026-07-04T17) at Evergreen Memorial Historic Cemetery (free- $10) - July 5: [Patriotic Tours - Heritage House](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/patriotic-tours-heritage-house/19187294/2026-07-05T10) at Riverside Heritage House - July 11: [The Stars and Pipes Forever](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-stars-and-pipes-forever/19188125/2026-07-11T19) at First United Methodist Church of Riverside - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Of Moths and Men URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/of-moths-and-men/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:04:41.000Z Domestic silk moths (Bombyx mori) were the foundation of modern Riverside ... or rather, the failure of the silkworm industry was. In 1860s Los Angeles, the California Silk Center Association (CSCA) set its sights inland. CSCA purchased thousands of acres of land with the plan to establish a silk-growing industry. The environment was right and the moths were healthy but, in 1870, the silkworm egg boom bombed. Louis Provost, the president of the CSCA, died and with him the scheme lost its appeal. The collapse of the silk farming industry laid the foundation for the settlement scheme known as the "Southern California Colony Association" created by John W. North, James Greves and others. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/Panoramic-of-Riveride--circa-1880.-Courtesy-of-the-Museum-of-Riverside..jpg) Image of historic Riverside, circa 1880\. (Courtesy of the Museum of Riverside) Stored in the Museum of Riverside is an incredibly powerful object documenting Southern California history, and it's only 3.5 inches long. It arrived at the Museum with a letter from the donor, dated September 27, 1971\. In it, she explained, "I am forwarding it to you ... just as I found it - sealed in an envelope with a note in her handwriting ..." She added, "My mother was five years old when the family went to Riverside, so her school experience began there. I can well understand her respect for the pencil." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/John-W.-North-s-pencil-with-scale--circa-1870.-Courtesy-of-the-Museum-of-Riverside.jpg) John North's pencil, circa 1870\. (Courtesy of the Museum of Riverside) In the 1970s, John W. North's granddaughter donated several objects to the Museum, including a pocket-sized pencil that was already over 100 years old. It was inside an envelope sealed by the donor's mother (Judge North's daughter) and labeled: > *This is the pencil which my father, J.W. North always carried in his vest pocket - with it, I saw him trace on an atlas map the prospective line of the Southern Pacific \[railroad\] from San Francisco to Los Angeles \[and\] Yuma also to the proposed location of Riverside. It later led me through the mysteries of long division.* > > *\- Mary North Shepherd (undated)* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-20-at-5.07.36---PM.png) Envelope with handwritten note, undated. (Courtesy of the Museum of Riverside) A moth fluttered its wings, Judge North drew on a map, Mary Shepherd felt the true weight of her father's story, her daughter saw the need to preserve it, and all these little events connected. Sometimes the smallest things can have the biggest impacts. *By Katie Grim for the Museum of Riverside* ### The Cowboy Aviator's Daring Feat URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-cowboy-aviators-daring-feat/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:04:42.000Z One hundred years ago on Sunday, June 13, 1926, Roman Warren, known as the Cowboy Aviator, performed a daring feat under the Mission Bridge over the Santa Ana River at the base of Mount Rubidoux. Recorded in photographs and in film, the bold flight has come to be part of Riverside's aviation lore. An early barnstorming pilot, Roman Warren, first made an emergency landing on an early field in Pennsylvania Avenue and Chicago Avenue in July of either 1922 or 1923, when he ran out of gas on a flight from Arizona to Los Angeles. Roman soon relocated to the area, and when the City of Riverside established the Riverside Airport (today's Flabob, not the Riverside Municipal Airport), he became its manager. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/1--Falbob-RPPC-GW-1.jpg) Postcard of Photo of Roman Warren at the Riverside Airport (Author's Collection) However, times were tough for many early pilots. Roman complained that he did not have enough money to even buy a hamburger. In a later interview, he reminisced, "In those days, you had to fly under a smaller bridge or over a bigger ocean to make a living, and my specialty was small bridges." Warren decided that in order to draw attention to his flying, he would fly under the center span of the Santa Ana River Mission Bridge. The opening was only 16 feet high. The record at the time was set by a pilot who had flown under a 37-foot-high bridge. The newspapers generated interest in the event beforehand and announced that skeptics were wagering on whether the feat was possible. The event was scheduled for June 13, 1926, at 9:30 on that Sunday morning. An estimated 5,000 people gathered on and near the bridge across the Santa Ana River that morning, many expecting a disaster to unfold. Police officers at the scene that day estimated that over 2,000 automobiles were jammed near the bridge at the base of Mt. Rubidoux. Through the 16-foot opening, Warren was attempting to fly his airplane, which measured 11 feet and 8 inches from the ground to the top of the wing. The flight was delayed while photographers filmed Roman in his cowboy outfit, astride his Arabian horse, as he prepared for the flying stunt. News services and photographers were on hand to record this historical event with both cameras and moving pictures. Pathe, an international film company, installed a small camera powered by dry-cell batteries on Warren's plane to record the event from the air. Finally, Roman Warren took off and performed stunts over the crowd. After stimulating the crowd, he flew up the river and soon returned. His flight was described the next day in the *Daily Press*: From the north, he came directly toward the bridge, but just as he reached the structure, he zoomed upward over the heads of the surprised crowd. A few seconds later he made the second start, and this time, smoothly and seemingly without effort, he slipped through the arch, and was high in the heavens again before the crowd realized what had happened. A terrific cheer broke from the masses, and the crowd which had remained almost motionless the entire time Warren was in the air, broke into excited groups, all surging toward the field to congratulate the courageous flyer. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/2-Crowds-gather-before-Roman-s-flight-at-bridge--4-.jpg) Photo by E. N. Fairchild of the bridge with gathered crowds. (Courtesy of the Local History Archives of the Riverside Library) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/3-Crowds-gather-before-Roman-s-flight-at-bridge--3-.jpg) Photo by E. N. Fairchild of the bridge after gathered crowds were moved off. (Courtesy of the Local History Archives of the Riverside Library) Having accomplished this daring feat at speeds of 125 miles per hour, Warren returned to the airport. He switched planes and offered to take passengers on rides. But on that day, he recounted he had no takers. Most were not ready to take a flight similar to what they had just witnessed. That week, Roy Hunt showed films of the flight at his Rubidoux Theater Downtown Riverside. Newspapers publicized the event, and Roman soon had people coming to him for rides and lessons. Two humorous ads in the following days played on the event and connected the flight to their products. Jack White ran an ad in the *Riverside Enterprise*: World's famous aviator, who made spectacular flight Sunday morning at Mt. Rubidoux Bridge, Riverside, attributed his phenomenal success to the fact that four of Jack White's lighter than air waffles made the feat possible. Open from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. Jack's Place, Rubidoux Bridge. Pauley's Eureka Gasoline, which was sold at three local stations, published an ad with the headline "If Motor Failure Meant Death, What Gasoline Would You Use?" In the ad, they quoted Warren as saying, "I needed three things to accomplish this feat: nerve, a good motor, and dependable fuel." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/5-Riverside_Daily_Press_1926-06-14_3.png) Ad from the June 14, 1926, **Riverside Daily Press* Roman Warren was also able to build on this event in other ways, with invitations to air shows across the region. The Southern California Fair at the Riverside Fairgrounds, in 1927, hired Roman Warren to fly his Thomas-Morse Scout plane at 125 miles per hour under a wooden bridge built to replicate the Mission Bridge over the Santa Ana River. The Daily Press advertised these flights as a "Zoom for Life," as Roman had to do a quick pull-up after passing through the arch to avoid a pile of tires. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/6-Fairgrounds-1927.png) Photo of Roman Warren Flying under Bridge Replica at the Fairgrounds ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/7-Fairgrounds.png) Aerial Photo by E. N. Fairchild of the Southern California Fairgrounds. (Author's Collection) Warren repeated these flights in 1928, but that was the last year. He explained in a later interview with George Ringwald of the *Press-Enterprise*: The last year I did it, on the final night of the fair, the north wind was blowing a hurricane here. But the people were in the grandstands for the act to go on. It was so rough, the ship almost got out of control, but by golly, I flew under that bridge — That's what they asked for. Just like the days of the gladiators. You know — thumbs down: They wanted to see blood." It was the last of the bridge flights for Warren. "I was disgusted with human nature," he said. "I didn't want to satisfy a morbid crowd again, I realized they didn't come to see a successful flight — they came to see a disaster." One hundred years later, we recollect with awe the daring feats of early aviators such as Roman Warren, the Cowboy Aviator. His exploits live on in the history of our area. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- June 21, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-14-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:09.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/IMG_0224.JPG.jpg) **Sunday Gazette: June 21, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and happy Father's Day!** This is one of my favorite photos of all time, it's of my dad Dr. Ron Pardee in his old office in the business building at Riverside City College, where he taught for nearly 45 years. Everything about this photo screams my dad: the gloriously cluttered desk, the motorcycle calendars, the door that was never closed, and my two boys welcomed on his lap. My dad raised me to be an entrepreneur, and more than that, he was one of the grown-ups who took me seriously. My family and The Raincross Gazette both grow under the shade of the trees he planted. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/IMG_0086.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/IMG_0085.jpeg) This is another of my favorite photos, taken the morning of my father's funeral. Titus and Boaz wanted to bring donuts in to the office, because that's what Papa did on special occasions. I know Father's Day isn't simple for everyone. People are missing someone today, or wishing things were different, or carrying a complicated story quietly. If that's you, I'm holding you in my heart with the same spirit that me dad would hold my kids on his lap. *Most men stand on the shoulders of giants* *I sat up there on one* *His hands lock around my ankles* *Mine rest against his cheeks* *Up here I see what strength is* *What love needs to believe* *I'm on my own two feet now* *It's so much harder here to see* — Justin Pardee | For Papa, 2018 Here's what my dad left me, and what I think this newsroom is for: what we know about our city determines what we believe about it, and what we believe about our city determines its future. He believed in Riverside, and he believed in me. The Gazette exists to spark that same spirit of neighborliness in the next kid, the next reader, the next generation. We're 12 of 44 toward my birthday goal. If the Gazette has been part of how you stay connected to this city — or if you just want to honor someone who taught you to take your community seriously — I'd be grateful to have you join us. Free to read, always. Made possible by readers like you. [Become a Member](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/#/portal/account/plans) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/author_banner-justin-pardee-1.jpg) --- 🧡 Thank you to the Subscribers who became paid supporters this week: Ann Grell, Peggy Bradley, Brian Butler, Perla Fabelo, Dolores Green, Candace Holcombe, Krystle Joseph, Laurie Lucas, Jessica McIntyre, Sheila Kay Riley, Barbara Robinson, and Sharon D. Wilson. [Your ongoing financial support](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-march-15-2026-2/#/portal/account/plans) is vital to our success in serving Riverside with the news it deserves! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260621)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260621&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HISTORY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/history/) ## The Cowboy Aviator's Daring Feat One hundred years ago, a barnstorming pilot flew under a 16-foot bridge span and into Riverside history. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/4-Roman-flying-under-bridge--June-13--1926-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-cowboy-aviators-daring-feat/) Photo by E. N. Fairchild of Warren flying his plane under the Mission Bridge. (Courtesy of the Local History Archives of the Riverside Library) One hundred years ago on Sunday, June 13, 1926, Roman Warren, known as the Cowboy Aviator, performed a daring feat under the Mission Bridge over the Santa Ana River at the base of Mount Rubidoux. Recorded in photographs and in film, the bold flight has come to be part of Riverside's aviation lore. An early barnstorming pilot, Roman Warren, first made an emergency landing on an early field in Pennsylvania Avenue and Chicago Avenue in July of either 1922 or 1923, when he ran out of gas on a flight from Arizona to Los Angeles. Roman soon relocated to the area, and when the City of Riverside established the Riverside Airport (today's Flabob, not the Riverside Municipal Airport), he became its manager. However, times were tough for many early pilots. Roman complained that he did not have enough money to even buy a hamburger. In a later interview, he reminisced, "In those days, you had to fly under a smaller bridge or over a bigger ocean to make a living, and my specialty was small bridges." Warren decided that in order to draw attention to his flying, he would fly under the center span of the Santa Ana River Mission Bridge. The opening was only 16 feet high. The record at the time was set by a pilot who had flown under a 37-foot-high bridge. The newspapers generated interest in the event beforehand and announced that skeptics were wagering on whether the feat was possible. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-cowboy-aviators-daring-feat/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260621)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260621&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [NEIGHBOR OF THE WEEK](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/neighbor-of-the-week/) ## Neighbor of the Week: Lisa Diggs Neighbor of the Week is a series profiling the hidden heroes of Riverside, doing incredible works of service throughout our different neighborhoods. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/NotW---Lisa-Diggs--1--1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-lisa-diggs/) Lisa Diggs stands beneath the military branch seals at Westmont Village. (Brenda Flowers) When Lisa Diggs moved to Riverside in February 1997, she arrived as a newlywed and an Army veteran with nearly a decade of military service behind her. Her husband, Ray Diggs II, was a sports writer for the Press Enterprise. She came ready to put down roots — and almost immediately, she got to work. Her entry point was the Eastside community, where she began mentoring and tutoring youth through the YES program at Inland Agency. That led her to the University Eastside Community Collaborative (UECC) AmeriCorps program at UC Riverside, where she served two terms as a youth coordinator at Highland Elementary and Taft Elementary. From there, her community footprint kept expanding: outreach work with Fair Housing of Riverside County, volunteering with Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful, participation in the Neighborhood Leadership Academy, and training through the United Way of Inland Valleys' Blueprint for Volunteer Diversity, which prepared her for service on community boards and commissions. In 2000, she received both the Presidential Service Award and a Congressional Recognition for her work with residents in the Coachella Valley. Over the years, Lisa has served on the Park Advisory Council for Reid Park, volunteered with the Riverside Neighborhood Program, contributed as a municipal volunteer for the Library and Parks and Recreation, and lent her time to the Dickens Festival, the Juneteenth Festival, and other cultural events around the city. For seven years she volunteered with the Riverside Arts Academy. She tallied more than two decades as a mentor, tutor, and coordinator for youth and children — and through it all, she kept adding to the list. Her veteran advocacy has been just as active. She has volunteered as a Blue Star Families Ambassador and a Women Veterans Alliance member since 2015, and as a style coach and job coach with Working Wardrobes since that same year. She was honored as a Quilt of Valor recipient in both 2019 and 2025, and recognized by Working Wardrobes as Client of the Year in 2025\. On the academic side, she earned a master's degree in school counseling from Concordia University Irvine in 2022 and currently works as a substitute teacher with Moreno Valley Unified School District while pursuing a school counselor position. She remains active with her American Legion, VFW, and AMVETS Post 77 groups. These days, Lisa is working on a short story about her personal journey and hoping to get more involved with the Inlandia Institute. Readers who'd like to connect with her are welcome to reach out. [Get to know Lisa...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-lisa-diggs/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260621) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260621&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CREATIVE PROMPTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/creative-prompts/) ## Can Do Attitude A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns. [![many yellow and green cans are stacked together](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1699107026455-0ed83c781458?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDMxfHxjYW58ZW58MHx8fHwxNzgxODg5NTI2fDA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/can-do-attitude/) Photo by [Majkl Velner](https://unsplash.com/@majklvelner?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) This week, we move from holding our place to holding our beverages. Our creative nudge is an aluminum can. Or, if you are reading this outside of North America, the aluminium can. I admit I enjoy that extra “i” tucked into the British spelling. It feels fancy, like the word accessorized to impress at the party. As someone who spends plenty of time scouring the outdoors for found objects to make art, I come across aluminum cans regularly. Roadsides, desert trails, parking lots—cans are everywhere. They are among the most common objects (chip bags is still far and away #1) littered by people. I don’t find them interesting as raw material. A brand-new can is nothing special. But give that can a few months in the sun… Let our semi-arid desert climate fade the colorful print, add a few dents, let a spider or three move in. Then I start paying attention. They are really only interesting once they’ve aged, shown some wear and tear. I hope the same can be said for me. [Read and share the complete prompt...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/can-do-attitude/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Sunday, June 21 - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-06-21T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Gardening for Butterflies](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/gardening-for-butterflies/18543239/2026-06-21T00) at Botanic Gardens - [Pop-up Shop](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/popup-shop/19201226/2026-06-21T09) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [Dancing for Fun](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/dancing-for-fun/18329491/2026-06-21T14) at Janet Goeske Center - [Father's Day BBQ at Canyon Crest Country Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fathers-day-bbq-at-canyon-crest-country-club/19021392/2026-06-21T11) at Canyon Crest Country Club - [Dad Jokes Father's Day Comedy Showcase](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/dad-jokes-fathers-day-comedy-showcase/19180342/2026-06-21T16) at The Experience Riverside ($23.18 - $44.52) - [Tomb of Hatshepsut" - a D&D Special Event](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/tomb-of-hatshepsut-a-dd-special-event/19088158/2026-06-21T18) at Nevermore Game Club ($12.51 - $17.85) ### Monday, June 22 - [STEAM Discovery Youth Program 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/steam-discovery-youth-program-2026/18330927/2026-06-22T09) at University of California, Riverside - [Beyond The Jobsite](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/beyond-the-jobsite/19088161/2026-06-22T09) at Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce ($75.00) - [Housing and Homelessness Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/housing-and-homelessness-committee/19168753/2026-06-22T15) at Riverside City Hall - [Sip with a Scientist](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/19187440/2026-06-22T17) at Bar Ni Modo ### Tuesday, June 23 - [MSRPAC's Monthly Community Cat Spay/Neuter Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/msrpacs-monthly-community-cat-spayneuter-day/17790235/2026-06-23T06) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($45) - [City Council](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/city-council/18431185/2026-06-23T13) at Riverside City Hall - [Community in Conversation: "Banished Citizens"](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/community-in-conversation-banished-citizens/19061992/2026-06-23T13) at Cellar Door Book Store - [Free Online Course: Challenging Bias and Bigotry in the Workplace](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-online-course-challenging-bias-and-bigotry-in-the-workplace/18974370/2026-06-23T00) at University of California, Riverside - [Orange Terrace Library | Movie Showing: Inception](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-terrace-library-movie-showing-inception/18756726/2026-06-23T14) at Orange Terrace Library - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-06-23T19) at The Hideaway ### Wednesday, June 24 - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-06-24T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-06-24T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [Museum of Riverside Board](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/museum-of-riverside-board/19168754/2026-06-24T15) at Riverside City Hall - [Community Police Review Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/community-police-review-commission/18051652/2026-06-24T17) at Riverside City Hall - [Bordwell Park Advisory Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bordwell-park-advisory-committee/16552261/2026-06-24T11) at Stratton Community Center - [COMMUNITY MEETING VICTORIA WOODS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/community-meeting-victoria-woods/19129790/2026-06-24T18) at STONE ARBOR CHURCH - [Best of Riverside: Business Expo & Mega Mixer](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/best-of-riverside-business-expo-mega-mixer/18850150/2026-06-24T16) at Riverside Convention Center - [Evergreen Cemetery Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/evergreen-cemetery-tour/18884634/2026-06-24T10) at Evergreen Cemetery ($21.20) - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-06-24T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Inland Empire Speed Dating for Singles Age 55+](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/inland-empire-speed-dating-for-singles-age-55-riverside-california/19119277/2026-06-24T18) at Shindigs Country Kitchen Bar and Stage ($43.45) ### Thursday, June 25 - [Savvy Chic Finds | Home + Fashion Liquidation Pop-Up (VIP Early Access)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/savvy-chic-finds-home-fashion-liquidation-popup-vip-early-access/18954585/2026-06-25T17) at ($7.18 - $12.51) - [Local Riverside Designer's Retirement Sale Furniture, Décor, Fashion & More](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/local-riverside-designers-retirement-sale-furniture-dcor-fashion-more/19209654/2026-06-25T17) at Mission Grove Shopping Center - Former KMart - ["Attack on Giant: an Amphibian Tale" (GM Ira)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/dd-1shot-attack-on-giant-an-amphibian-tale-gm-ira/19088168/2026-06-25T18) at Nevermore Game Club ($5.00 - $10.00) - [The Fifth Spark: AI and the Next Chapter of Human Evolution](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-fifth-spark-ai-and-the-next-chapter-of-human-evolution/19186984/2026-06-25T18) at Riverside Main Library - [Summer Mixer 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summer-mixer-2026/19088167/2026-06-25T17) at Hangar 24 Riverside ($20.00 - $100.00) - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-06-25T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Trivia Night Benefiting Homeless Pets](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/trivia-night-benefiting-homeless-pets/19007423/2026-06-25T18) at Thompson Brewing Company ($15) - [World Cup Watch Party Presented by Riverside Pro Soccer](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/world-cup-watch-party-presented-by-riverside-pro-soccer/19040298/2026-06-25T19) at The Barn ### Friday, June 26 - [Eastside Library at Lincoln Park | Full Spectrum: Foam Party](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/eastside-library-at-lincoln-park-full-spectrum-foam-party/18788344/2026-06-26T15) at SPC Jesus S. Duran Eastside Library at Lincoln Park - [Jumanji (1995) - Movies on the Lawn](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/jumanji-1995-movies-on-the-lawn/19030051/2026-06-26T20) at Riverside Heritage House - [Noche de Cumbia](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/noche-de-cumbia-the-hideaway-riverside/19180354/2026-06-26T21) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($12.51) - [The Steven Universe Tableread for Charity: The Raincross District](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-steven-universe-tableread-for-charity-the-raincross-district/19088172/2026-06-26T19) at The Raincross District ($17.85) ### Saturday, June 27 - [ScotSurplus Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/scotsurplus-sale/19040309/2026-06-27T08) at Corporation Yard - [Little LandUse Learners Spring/Summer Programming](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/little-landuse-learners-springsummer-programming/18501508/2026-06-27T10) at LandUse Learning Center - [Painting Nature: Art in the Garden](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/painting-nature-art-in-the-garden/19129900/2026-06-27T12) at Heritage House - [AC/DC & QUIET RIOT TRIBUTES by Sin City & Metal Health!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/acdc-quiet-riot-tributes-by-sin-city-metal-health/19180363/2026-06-27T21) at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($14.85 - $41.98) - [LISTOS Aware & Prepare Emergency Preparedness Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/listos-aware-prepare-emergency-preparedness-class/18907566/2026-06-27T09) at City of Riverside Emergency Operations Center - [Madd Hatter Tea](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/madd-hatter-tea/19023283/2026-06-27T13) at Riverside Woman's Club ($40) - [The Untold Stories of Latinos in the IE: A Plática with Gustavo Arellano](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-untold-stories-of-latinos-in-the-ie-a-pltica-with-gustavo-arellano/19189110/2026-06-27T12) at Culver Center Screening Room ### Save the Date - June 24: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-24T08) at Community Yoga Center - June 26: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-26T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 4: [Front Row Fireworks - Celebrating America 250](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/front-row-fireworks-celebrating-america-250/18824158/2026-07-04T17) at Evergreen Memorial Historic Cemetery (free- $10) - July 5: [Patriotic Tours - Heritage House](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/patriotic-tours-heritage-house/19187294/2026-07-05T10) at Riverside Heritage House - July 11: [The Stars and Pipes Forever](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-stars-and-pipes-forever/19188125/2026-07-11T19) at First United Methodist Church of Riverside - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Neighbor of the Week: Lisa Diggs URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-lisa-diggs/ Last updated: 2026-06-23T00:15:31.000Z When Lisa Diggs moved to Riverside in February 1997, she arrived as a newlywed and an Army veteran with nearly a decade of military service behind her. Her husband, Ray Diggs II, was a sports writer for the Press Enterprise. She came ready to put down roots — and almost immediately, she got to work. Her entry point was the Eastside community, where she began mentoring and tutoring youth through the YES program at Inland Agency. That led her to the University Eastside Community Collaborative (UECC) AmeriCorps program at UC Riverside, where she served two terms as a youth coordinator at Highland Elementary and Taft Elementary. From there, her community footprint kept expanding: outreach work with Fair Housing of Riverside County, volunteering with Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful, participation in the Neighborhood Leadership Academy, and training through the United Way of Inland Valleys' Blueprint for Volunteer Diversity, which prepared her for service on community boards and commissions. In 2000, she received both the Presidential Service Award and a Congressional Recognition for her work with residents in the Coachella Valley. Over the years, Lisa has served on the Park Advisory Council for Reid Park, volunteered with the Riverside Neighborhood Program, contributed as a municipal volunteer for the Library and Parks and Recreation, and lent her time to the Dickens Festival, the Juneteenth Festival, and other cultural events around the city. For seven years she volunteered with the Riverside Arts Academy. She tallied more than two decades as a mentor, tutor, and coordinator for youth and children — and through it all, she kept adding to the list. Her veteran advocacy has been just as active. She has volunteered as a Blue Star Families Ambassador and a Women Veterans Alliance member since 2015, and as a style coach and job coach with Working Wardrobes since that same year. She was honored as a Quilt of Valor recipient in both 2019 and 2025, and recognized by Working Wardrobes as Client of the Year in 2025\. On the academic side, she earned a master's degree in school counseling from Concordia University Irvine in 2022 and currently works as a substitute teacher with Moreno Valley Unified School District while pursuing a school counselor position. She remains active with her American Legion, VFW, and AMVETS Post 77 groups. These days, Lisa is working on a short story about her personal journey and hoping to get more involved with the Inlandia Institute. Readers who'd like to connect with her are welcome to reach out. --- **What does Riverside mean to you?** Riverside means "Neighborly." People here are so neighborly, and helpful, caring, and people will acknowledge you and speak. Say "Hello" and actually smile back at you. I appreciate all the friendships I have formed in Riverside. I was honored at a CBU basketball game on February 6, 2022, as Veteran of the Night, and that made me feel that I am a part of this community, and it made me realize that I am a "Riversider." It is nice to be recognized by your community and appreciated. **What is your Mt. Rubidoux summit count (estimated)?** I have been up there at least five times, since I did live in Downtown for nine years. **What is your favorite restaurant?** Gra Pow. But my favorite restaurant in Downtown is ProAbition, and Magnolia Center is Thai Kitchen. **What is the most beautiful building in Riverside?** Mission Inn Hotel. **What is your favorite Riverside small business?** Molinos Coffee Shop. **What is your favorite Riverside non-profit organization?** Inland Empire Community Foundation. **The Festival of Lights: Every year on opening night or maybe on a Tuesday?** I have gone on the opening night but it gets a bit too crowded, so now I go on a slower evening, like Tuesday or Wednesday. **What is your go-to sandwich in town?** Sub Station: the meatball sub. **What is your idea of a perfect weekend day in Riverside?** My idea of a perfect weekend day is when it isn't too crowded and go to the Food Lab or Spaghetti Factory and have a nice meal, and walk around the city and people watch. Or even go to Simple Simon's in the morning for a nice bagel and coffee and walk around the farmer's market on Main Street Mall. **What is your favorite spot for a date night?** I like to go to Las Campanas at the Mission Inn and have some tapas and sit and talk. **Do you call it the Galleria or Tyler Mall?** Tyler Mall. **If you could put one message on a billboard on the 91, what would it be?** Live, Love and Laugh — today is present, tomorrow isn't promised, live for today. **Finally, tell us what you're working on right now and how our readers can support your efforts — whether it's a project, passion, or cause close to your heart!** I am working on doing my own short story and I would like to get more involved with the Inlandia Institute and continue working on my story about my journey. *Neighbor of the Week is our way of celebrating the hidden heroes of Riverside—those who go above and beyond to make our community stronger, kinder, and more vibrant. We believe every remarkable Riversider deserves their story told. Know someone who’s making a difference?* [*Nominate a Neighbor of the Week*](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) ### Can Do Attitude URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/can-do-attitude/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T12:00:53.000Z Welcome back, you page savers and bookmark bandits. [Last week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/hold-my-spot/) we asked the question: What is a bookmark without a book? Did you make one from a cereal box top, invent an over-engineered page-holding machine, or discover that every receipt in your house prefers to be placed in a summer beach read instead of your tax return file folder? However you marked your place, I hope it helped you return to something worth finishing. This week, we move from holding our place to holding our beverages. Our creative nudge is an aluminum can. Or, if you are reading this outside of North America, the aluminium can. I admit I enjoy that extra “i” tucked into the British spelling. It feels fancy, like the word accessorized to impress at the party. As someone who spends plenty of time scouring the outdoors for found objects to make art, I come across aluminum cans regularly. Roadsides, desert trails, parking lots—cans are everywhere. They are among the most common objects (chip bags is still far and away #1) littered by people. I don’t find them interesting as raw material. A brand-new can is nothing special. But give that can a few months in the sun… Let our semi-arid desert climate fade the colorful print, add a few dents, let a spider or three move in. Then I start paying attention. They are really only interesting once they’ve aged, shown some wear and tear. I hope the same can be said for me. Three years ago, I made a series of photographs of aluminum cans embedded in the root systems of creosote bushes across the Mojave Desert. They look like strange little caches hidden by a deranged kangaroo rat. Sand blows; temps soar. The cans lose its commercial facade, gaining a more interesting expression. The creosote bush has figured out survival across centuries. The aluminum can has figured out branding, portability, and being thrown from a truck window. Together they make a complicated little still life about endurance, carelessness, and time. Aluminum became a favorite material for beverage cans because it does a lot of things well. It is lightweight, easy to stack, quick to chill, and endlessly recyclable when we do our part. Will we ever run out of aluminum for cans? Probably not in the simple “last can on Earth” sense. Aluminum is one of the most abundant metals in Earth’s crust. But abundance does not make it effortless. Mining, refining, manufacturing, and recycling all require energy, infrastructure, and labor. In California, aluminum cans have a redemption value. It’s a fiscal magic trick of public policy. One moment the can is worthless waste. The next moment, a revenue stream! Not much of one, perhaps, unless you have bags and bags of them, but still. I appreciate a system that looks at trash and says, “Hold on, there may be value here yet.” That feels like a pretty good creative principle too. Before you recycle your next aluminum can, consider giving it one extra “r”: reuse. Rinse it out, watch the sharp edges, and let it spend a few minutes as something that may not end up flattened on a highway. Then pop the tab on one or more of these canny creative nudges: 1. **Canterbury Chimes:** Gather a few empty cans and turn them into a windchime. Leave them whole, cut them carefully into strips, or punch small holes and string them together with fishing line, twine, or old shoelaces. Add beads, washers or whatever else makes a pleasing clink. Hang them where a breeze can find them. 2. **Tower of Canfidence:** See how tall a tower or pyramid you can build using empty cans. Work alone, recruit co-workers, or make it a neighborhood engineering challenge. Photograph the structure before gravity and wind push it over. Then photograph it after it falls. The collapse is part of the work, especially if you pretend you meant to do that. 3. **Kick The Can:** Invent a game using cans as targets, obstacles, or bowling pins. Give it rules, a name, and an unfair scoring system. Congratulations, you are now a game designer. 4. **Crunch Track:** Crush a few cans and pay close attention to the sound. Try a macho hand crush, or stomp it flat, or an elbow drop (not recommended). Record the noises and arrange them into a tiny soundscape. Add footsteps on gravel or a recycling bin lid slamming shut. You are now an audiophile of aluminum. 5. **Second Serve:** Repurpose a can before recycling it. Make a pencil cup, a tiny planter, a scoop, a bug hotel, or a vessel for collecting more small things that do not yet have a home. The goal is not to avoid recycling. The goal is to let reuse have a creative cameo before the can continues its material journey. The aluminum can is easy to overlook because it is so familiar. We buy it, drink it, and toss it with little ceremony. But like so many ordinary objects, it contains a larger story once we slow down enough to notice. Modern technological life depends on raw, natural materials. Aluminum cans do not appear from nowhere, even if they seem to multiply overnight along roadsides. Every convenience has a supply chain. Every object has a before and after. *This column was written with help from ChatGPT, which does not drink from aluminum cans but remains fully committed to recycling old ideas into slightly shinier ones.* ### 🍊Your Riverside Weekend- June 20, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/your-riverside-weekend-june-13-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:10.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/02/_DSC5738.jpg) **Your Riverside Weekend- June 20, 2026** **Happy Saturday, Riverside!** We hope your week treated you well. Before you head into your weekend, we've gathered the stories that defined life in our city this week — from City Hall to community happenings. You're in the right place to catch up — your weekend starts here. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260613)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260613&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [From the Kitchen Garden: June, The Summer Transition EditionTips on what to plant, when to pick, and what to watch out for in your home garden.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-0d31ad68-7c26-45a1-b2a7-6fb9516e66f7.png)The Raincross GazetteCommunity Contributor![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-11-1-e5e410a6-a433-4bf6-878f-3ce3979fd27f.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-the-kitchen-garden-june-the-summer-transition-edition/) [A Bona Fide Major League StarJohn “Jack” Tortes Meyers was Riverside’s own — a Cahuilla catcher who rose to become a bona fide major league star and never forgot where he came from.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-b6983521-e407-4f19-9d6a-7a3c8a70607c.png)The Raincross GazetteCommunity Contributor![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/2-1-3810cb27-1bd0-4ef4-80d1-6d8bce15c75a.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-bona-fide-major-league-star/) [Council Hires New City Attorney, Waives Public Notice Rule to Do soThe council filled a vacancy open since April 2025, but critics say it sacrificed transparency to do so.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-d2aa6212-e2ad-4112-a4de-763e814bc023.png)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-14-1-cf11cddd-5e7a-4319-9408-af09c618eeb9.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-hires-new-city-attorney-waives-public-notice-rule-to-do-so/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260613)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260613&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [In Arlanza, There’s Something for EveryoneA monthly stroll through Riverside’s everyday neighborhoods, one step at a time.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-2e3fc7ac-ce1c-4ac9-b873-9f6c0bfeba82.png)The Raincross GazetteLarry Burns![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/1-3-238800aa-c11e-4165-9918-2dcc9b4b1589.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/in-arlanza-theres-something-for-everyone/) [Riverside Hires Engineers to Study Future Water RatesA new cost-of-service analysis will help determine how water costs are distributed among customers when the city’s current rate plan ends in 2028.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-4da32069-1820-47da-8345-cecb144974bc.png)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/3-2-edf5a066-41bd-4565-9cd1-a22d706ee839.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-hires-engineers-to-study-future-water-rates/) [Council Extends Pallet Storage Moratorium Through 2027 Amid Fire ConcernsThe urgency ordinance keeps restrictions on new and expanded pallet yards in place through May 2027 while staff develops zoning and safety standards.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-733f07cc-72a9-4a02-a21d-40fdd53989e6.png)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/2-5-45659a0b-5a73-48dd-b5db-95c007a12660.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-extends-pallet-storage-moratorium-through-2027-amid-fire-concerns/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260613) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260613&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Weather Forecast ☀️ Sun, June 21 — 87° / 58° · Sunny ☀️ Mon, June 22 — 91° / 61° · Sunny ☀️ Tue, June 23 — 95° / 65° · Sunny ⛅️ Wed, June 24 — 95° / 66° · Partly Cloudy 🌤️ Thu, June 25 — 96° / 65° · Mostly Sunny ☀️ Fri, June 26 — 94° / 63° · Sunny ☀️ Sat, June 27 — 94° / 64° · Sunny Happy summer, Riverside — expect long, bright days and that deep dry heat that settles in by afternoon all week long. 🍊 **Fair warning:* we're not meteorologists! Our forecasts are pulled from public weather data as a little extra for our readers. For the most current conditions, your favorite weather app knows more than we do — but we'll always do our best to help you plan your weekend.* ☀️ --- ## 💬 Staff Picks — What we're talking about around the Gazette this week 🪀 **Justin** is way more excited to see Toy Story 5 this weekend than he should probably feel comfortable admitting to 16k of his neighbors. 👔 **Amy** isn't taking this Father's Day for granted. Grateful for the man she married, who makes this whole parenting-through-every-season thing feel like an adventure, and a dad who can spot a fake "I'm fine" from a mile away — she knows how lucky that is. --- ## Save the Date - June 20: [Summer Market](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summer-market/19170328/2026-06-20T13) at Amber Leigh’s Kitchen - July 4: [Front Row Fireworks - Celebrating America 250](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/front-row-fireworks-celebrating-america-250/18824158/2026-07-04T17) at Evergreen Memorial Historic Cemetery (free- $10) - July 5: [Patriotic Tours - Heritage House](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/patriotic-tours-heritage-house/19187294/2026-07-05T10) at Riverside Heritage House - July 11: [The Stars and Pipes Forever](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-stars-and-pipes-forever/19188125/2026-07-11T19) at First United Methodist Church of Riverside - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### In Arlanza, There's Something for Everyone URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/in-arlanza-theres-something-for-everyone/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:04:45.000Z I park at Arlanza Community Center, which sits inside Bryant Park on Philbin Avenue, and start this walk the way many good Riverside walks begin: a little bit of shade, a little bit of civic infrastructure, and a clear reminder that I should not have chosen lunchtime in June for a stroll. It's in the low 90s, clear and sunny; but my route today is an easy loop, about a mile and a quarter. Before I even left the parking area, I stopped in the California native plant garden next to the Solander Youth and Family Resource Center. During COVID, I remember Rivers & Land Conservancy hosting many events where these water wise pollinator gardens were installed by hundreds of volunteers. It looks like that initial passion remains as the space is well maintained and welcoming. The path is a coarse sandy loam; lined with silver-green shrubs, bunch grasses, mallows, milkweed, sunflowers, and sage. A sign notes that many California native plants are fire-wise, which is a practical bit of wisdom in a city where beauty and hazard often grow from the same dry hillside. The garden is small, but it sets my expectations for the walk. I'm hoping to see a little bit of everything without making a whole day of it. Arlanza is not a place that separates usefulness from beauty. Bryant Park has playgrounds, shade trees, and sports fields. Inside the buildings, you'll find a boxing club with a fully appointed ring, the Sports Office of Parks and Rec, community classes, and, during my visit, the City of Riverside's Summer Food Program providing free fresh fruit and vegetables. It feels less like a relaxing idyllic park and more like a working hub, the kind of place where a neighborhood comes together in an intentional way. Recreation, education, nutrition, and social engagement. The heat makes me pay attention to the shade. In the park there are structures and shade trees in sensible places. Families spread out under the canopy between runs around the playground. A few small groups gather to eat at the picnic tables. Pedestrians at this time of day are few. People were out, but most stayed close to awnings, cars, or buildings providing a slice of shade. I see dog walkers and people moving between errands. I head up Philbin towards the Arlanza branch of the Riverside Public Library. Trees are more metaphorical than literal here. Crossing the Gage Canal reminded me that Riverside's history is never far from water, even when the water is contained inside concrete. The canal is narrow and straight, carrying a reflective strip of sky, algae, trash, and utility pole shadows through a hard channel. It was not picturesque in the chamber of commerce way. Still, I found myself lingering. Riverside has always been shaped by moving water from one place to another, and here it was, still moving, tucked alongside parks, chain linked backyards, and small businesses. I go right on Picker, taking me into one of the most historically important places in Riverside: Camp Anza. It was a World War II staging and debarkation center, and the marker near the old officer's club notes that more than 625,000 troops passed through its gates before the camp was declared surplus after the war. Today, the restored officer's club is part of the community center, and the surrounding Camp Anza development provides permanent housing for veterans. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/3-3.jpg) The entrance sign for HomeFront at Camp Anza, a veterans housing development on the site of the World War II staging center in Arlanza. More than 625,000 troops passed through Camp Anza before the war ended. Today the grounds serve those who came home. (Larry Burns) I remembered coming here about a decade ago for an Inlandia Indie writers' event not long after the housing and community space opened. At the time, I was focused on books and the familiar hopeful energy when local writers get together for an afternoon. On this walk, I see the place differently. Soldiers once passed through here on their way to and from war. Now veterans live here. A building once used for military recreation has become a community gathering place. Past the library and Camp Anza, the landscape shifts again. Going right again on Cypress Avenue introduces me to retail and light industrial activity: tire and repair shops, party supplies, a fabric store, beauty supplies, and a pop-up flower shop are open and serving customers. People fix things, sell things, chat about things, take breaks, and keep the economy humming along. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/2-3.jpg) A stretch of Cypress Avenue in Arlanza, where party supply shops, a fabric store and small service businesses line the commercial strip. The neighborhood's retail corridor runs on the kind of small commerce that doesn't need a social media following to stay open. (Larry Burns) I appreciate this simple commerce. I like the staying power of these shops. The hand-painted day glo orange tamales sign with its big arrow reminds me of barrioPOP's installation at The Cheech in 2024, *Las Varatas*. There is a lot of Riverside that still runs on small businesses like these, the places that do not need to become Instagram stories to matter. The residential streets brought another texture. The homes are mostly single-story, with a mix of small houses, apartment courts, and newer infill. Some yards are open behind chain-link fences, which made me nostalgic for neighborhoods where you can still see a little of how people live. In Canyon Crest, where I live, there are fewer chain-link fences left. Privacy has its appeal, but chain link offers a different kind of neighborly knowledge. You see a porch chair, a potted plant, a tarp, a dog bowl, a small statue; home repair projects waiting for the weekend. I pass a small deer statue with oddly bright teeth, then a yard full of birdhouses and figures tucked among palms and plumeria. Someone had built a private world visible from the sidewalk, one small structure at a time. It was not public art, exactly, but it had the same spirit. I turn right on Montgomery, then again on Trey, my path becoming a lopsided spiral if viewed from Google Maps. The sidewalks change block by block. Some new and wide; others cracked and crumbled. Most stretches had curbs on a patchwork of cement and dirt footpaths. Walking here makes it obvious that walkability is not just getting one thing right about civil infrastructure. Shade, permanent walkways, shoulders, easements, and bike lanes all add to quality of life. These are the features that let people know that they are valuable and that their place matters, deserves investment. By the time I turn on Warren (finally a left!) back toward Bryant Park, I was ready for a water break on a park bench in the shade. Arlanza is not arranged around a single landmark, claim-to-fame, or famous resident. It is held together by useful places: a park, a library, housing, canals, front porches; people and places and things thriving in the heat. This is why I walk ordinary streets in Riverside. Arlanza's beauty is not decorative, though there are flowers, murals, and enough yard art to reward attention. A good walk does not have to take you out of the city. Sometimes it takes you deeper into it. Arlanza reminds me that walkability is not only about trails, skyline views, or planned promenades. It is also about whether a neighborhood gives you reasons to keep going: a library book to pick up, a lunch sign to follow, a park to return to. By visiting them and meeting the people that gather in these places, I gain a little more understanding of the city beneath my feet. ### Council Extends Pallet Storage Moratorium Through 2027 Amid Fire Concerns URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-extends-pallet-storage-moratorium-through-2027-amid-fire-concerns/ Last updated: 2026-06-22T11:59:34.000Z The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to extend a citywide moratorium on new and expanded wooden pallet storage yards until next May as officials work to develop permanent regulations aimed at reducing fire and safety risks. The urgency ordinance extends the [existing 45-day moratorium](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-enacts-45-day-freeze-on-pallet-yards-citing-fire-risk/), approved May 19, until May 18, 2027. City staff said the extension is intended to give planning and fire officials time to study new zoning and operational standards for pallet storage facilities, which currently are not regulated as a distinct land use under the city's zoning code. Pallet storage yards are often used as general outdoor storage areas, according to the [staff report](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15557867&GUID=EFD0D633-75ED-4B68-A3D5-A7F6E3D9F44B&ref=raincrossgazette.com). Principal Planner Matthew Taylor told the council that existing regulations do not adequately address the fire dangers that come with storing large volumes of wooden pallets. "Improperly operated and unregulated pallet storage yards are present," Taylor said during Tuesday's public hearing. “Specific public health safety and welfare concerns related to fire risk hazards from improperly stacked materials and code compliance issues \[include\] things like screening, lighting, pest control, vehicle circulation and other issues.” Staff pointed to two significant pallet yard fires earlier this year and said recent incidents highlighted the need for stronger oversight. According to the staff report, Riverside Fire Department crews have responded to 29 incidents involving pallet storage yards since January 2025. One [March 2026 fire at a pallet storage yard](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-large-fire-impacts-riverside-businesses-overwhelms-fire-department-resources/) in the Northside neighborhood damaged multiple businesses and resulted in three firefighters being transported to a hospital, according to the report. City officials also said code enforcement has documented ongoing compliance issues at pallet facilities. Since 2023, the city has issued 36 notices of violation to 11 pallet storage businesses, with nine active cases remaining. During public comment, resident Aurora Chavez said she supported extending the moratorium but urged the city to establish stronger standards governing pallet storage heights. "There should be a height level as maximum as those pallets should be because of that very reason of why these fires occur," Chavez told the council. Council member Jim Perry said the city already has height limits in place, but said “unfortunately it gets ignored." "This is purely a public safety issue,” Perry said. “It's a danger to the property owner, adjoining property owners \[and\] entire communities. If we don't do something, this is a disaster waiting to happen." City staff said preliminary recommendations for permanent regulations will be presented to the Land Use Committee next month. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- June 19, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-19-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:11.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-18.jpg) Amber of Amber Leigh's Kitchen, celebrating two years of sourdough baked with love in Riverside. (Amber Leigh) **Friday Gazette: June 19, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Friday!** Meet Amber Leigh: labor nurse turned stay-at-home mom turned sourdough baker. Two years ago, she launched Amber Leigh's Kitchen from her home kitchen, building a microbakery around the science of fermentation and a commitment to organic, naturally leavened bread. [This Saturday, June 20 from 1 to 5 p.m.,](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summer-market/19170328/2026-06-20T13) she's celebrating that milestone with a Summer Market right here in Riverside, bringing together local vendors across food, florals, skincare, jewelry, and more. It's a perfect way to kick off summer and show some love to the people building businesses in our backyard. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=202606019)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260619&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Council Extends Pallet Storage Moratorium Through 2027 Amid Fire Concerns The urgency ordinance keeps restrictions on new and expanded pallet yards in place through May 2027 while staff develops zoning and safety standards. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/2-4.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-extends-pallet-storage-moratorium-through-2027-amid-fire-concerns/) Riverside's moratorium on new wooden pallet storage yards will run through May 2027, giving the city time to write permanent fire-safety regulations for a land use it currently doesn't regulate. **Why it matters:** Pallet yard fires have injured firefighters and damaged neighboring businesses. Stronger rules — still in development — could reshape where and how these facilities operate across the city. **Driving the news:** The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to extend the 45-day moratorium approved May 19, citing two significant pallet yard fires this year and an ongoing pattern of code violations. - Riverside Fire crews have responded to 29 pallet yard incidents since January 2025. **The backstory:** A March 2026 fire at a Northside pallet yard damaged multiple businesses and sent three firefighters to the hospital. City code enforcement has issued 36 notices of violation to 11 facilities since 2023 — nine cases remain active. **Yes, but:** Height limits on stacked pallets already exist on the books. Councilmember Jim Perry acknowledged Tuesday that "unfortunately it gets ignored." **What's next:** Preliminary recommendations for permanent zoning and operational standards go to the Land Use Committee next month. The extended moratorium runs through May 18, 2027. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-extends-pallet-storage-moratorium-through-2027-amid-fire-concerns/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260619)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260619&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## In Arlanza, There's Something for Everyone A monthly stroll through Riverside's everyday neighborhoods, one step at a time. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/1-4.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/in-arlanza-theres-something-for-everyone/) A yard along the walk route in Arlanza, where a homeowner has filled the space between palm trees with birdhouses, figurines and plumeria in bloom. The sidewalk-visible display has the spirit of public art without the official sanction. (Larry Burns) I park at Arlanza Community Center, which sits inside Bryant Park on Philbin Avenue, and start this walk the way many good Riverside walks begin: a little bit of shade, a little bit of civic infrastructure, and a clear reminder that I should not have chosen lunchtime in June for a stroll. It's in the low 90s, clear and sunny; but my route today is an easy loop, about a mile and a quarter. Before I even left the parking area, I stopped in the California native plant garden next to the Solander Youth and Family Resource Center. During COVID, I remember Rivers & Land Conservancy hosting many events where these water wise pollinator gardens were installed by hundreds of volunteers. It looks like that initial passion remains as the space is well maintained and welcoming. The path is a coarse sandy loam; lined with silver-green shrubs, bunch grasses, mallows, milkweed, sunflowers, and sage. A sign notes that many California native plants are fire-wise, which is a practical bit of wisdom in a city where beauty and hazard often grow from the same dry hillside. The garden is small, but it sets my expectations for the walk. I'm hoping to see a little bit of everything without making a whole day of it. Arlanza is not a place that separates usefulness from beauty. Bryant Park has playgrounds, shade trees, and sports fields. Inside the buildings, you'll find a boxing club with a fully appointed ring, the Sports Office of Parks and Rec, community classes, and, during my visit, the City of Riverside's Summer Food Program providing free fresh fruit and vegetables. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/in-arlanza-theres-something-for-everyone/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260619) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260619&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Riverside Hires Engineers to Study Future Water Rates A new cost-of-service analysis will help determine how water costs are distributed among customers when the city's current rate plan ends in 2028\. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/3-4.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-hires-engineers-to-study-future-water-rates/) Riverside has contracted with a local engineering firm to analyze what water bills could look like after the current rate plan expires in 2028. **Why it matters:** Your water rates won't change immediately — but this study will shape the next several years of RPU pricing once the existing five-year plan runs out. A separate 5.7% rate increase proposal goes to public hearing June 23. **Driving the news:** Council approved a $271,960 contract with Carollo Engineers on Wednesday to examine how conservation trends, drought requirements, and infrastructure costs should be distributed across customer groups. - The last water cost-of-service study was completed in 2023 to support the current rate schedule. **The backstory:** The study comes as rate pressure is already building. The Board of Public Utilities recently forwarded a [5.7% inflation-based water rate hike](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/electric-water-fees-may-rise-5-7-under-inflation-based-proposal/) to the Council — and last month the Council rejected a separate proposal to tie annual increases to CPI data automatically. **What they're saying:** Resident Malissa McKeith called for a broader overhaul, arguing RPU's "fiscal model is unsustainable" and warning rate hikes will "explode in the council's face if nothing is done." **What's next:** The 5.7% rate increase proposal goes before City Council at a public hearing Monday, June 23. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-hires-engineers-to-study-future-water-rates/) --- #### [Adoptable Pet of the Week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag//) ## Meet Kevin! Meet this week’s featured furry friend from the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center. Dedicated to eliminating pet homelessness, the center provides compassionate care and facilitates adoptions for animals in need of loving homes. Find your new companion and help support their mission of humane care and responsible pet ownership. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/Kevin_dog--sitting-with-smile-and-open-mouth.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/Jerry-Blu_dog.jpg) This week's pet is Kevin (every time we say his name in my head, it's "KEVIN!" like the mom in Home Alone). If you spend just a few minutes with Kevin, you'll easily see why he's a staff favorite. This affectionate boy loves toys, enjoys playing with other dogs, and is always happy to settle in for a good nap after some fun. His true personality comes alive once he's out and about, so please ask to meet him outside of his kennel. Equal parts couch potato and playful companion, Kevin is the kind of dog who can make himself at home and make a new friend anywhere. After waiting patiently for his chance, Kevin is hoping the right person will finally discover what staff and volunteers already know: that he's a pretty special dog. Come meet Kevin and all the adoptable pets at the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center in person. Stop by any day except Tuesdays, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., or learn more at [petsadoption.org](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). ****Alumni update:** Jerry Blu (right) was adopted! 🙌 --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Friday, June 19 - [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-19T07) at Zacatecas Café - [Songs of Freedom:Music of Resitence & Joy](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/songs-of-freedommusic-of-resitence-joy/19023327/2026-06-19T11) at Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California - [Juneteenth at the Civil Rights Institute](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/juneteenth-at-the-civil-rights-institute/19066744/2026-06-19T11) at Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-06-19T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Animal Kids Camp - Summer Sessions](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/animal-kids-camp-summer-sessions/18779521/2026-06-19T08) at Mary S. Roberts pet Adoption Center ($240) - [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-19T08) at Community Yoga Center - [100 Years From Mississippi](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/100-years-from-mississippi/18974369/2026-06-19T19) at Culver Center of the Arts - [3RD ANNUAL GOTH PROM](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/3rd-annual-goth-prom/18842023/2026-06-19T20) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($10) - [The Cottage by Sandy Rustin](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-cottage-by-sandy-rustin/19102230/2026-06-19T19) at Riverside Community Players ($20- $25) - [Courthouse, Murals, & Heroes Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-heroes-tour/19092616/2026-06-19T15) at Mission Inn Foundation & Museum ($23.18) - [IRON MAIDEN & QUEENSRYCHE Tributes by Maiden United & Mind Crime](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/iron-maiden-queensryche-tributes-by-maiden-united-mind-crime/19180333/2026-06-19T21) at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($14.85 - $41.98) - [The Steven Universe Table Read For Charity: Back to the Grind](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-steven-universe-table-read-for-charity-back-to-the-grind/19088146/2026-06-19T19) at Back to the Grind ($17.85) - [Vinyl Williams](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vinyl-williams/18374490/2026-06-19T18) at Farm House Collective ### Saturday, June 20 - [Summer Market](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summer-market/19170328/2026-06-20T13) at Amber Leigh’s Kitchen - [Low-Cost Vaccination Clinic](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/lowcost-vaccination-clinic/19030194/2026-06-20T09) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($10- $28) - [ASCO: Without Permission - Screening and Panel Discussion](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/asco-without-permission-screening-and-panel-discussion/19113900/2026-06-20T18) at Riverside Art Museum - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-06-20T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [Journey USA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/journey-usa/18501489/2026-06-20T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [MAGIC UNDERGROUND](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/magic-underground/19066036/2026-06-20T18) at Back to the Grind ($30- $45) - [Mt. Rubidoux Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mt-rubidoux-walking-tour/18884790/2026-06-20T08) at Mt. Rubidoux Trailhead, a short walk from Ryan Bonaminio Park. ($21.20) - [Riverside Pride Bar Crawl](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-pride-bar-crawl/17713996/2026-06-20T16) at Palenque kitchen by Mezcal - [Stars, Stripes and Paint Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stars-stripes-and-paint-night-at-crest-winery-wlianardo-paint-sip/19180338/2026-06-20T16) at Canyon Crest Winery ($29.50 - $43.36) - [VS. NIGHT (Rock en Español vs. 80's New Wave)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vs-night-rock-en-espaol-vs-80s-new-wave/19180340/2026-06-20T21) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($5- $10) ### Sunday, June 21 - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-06-21T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Gardening for Butterflies](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/gardening-for-butterflies/18543239/2026-06-21T00) at Botanic Gardens - [Pop-up Shop](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/popup-shop/19201226/2026-06-21T09) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [Dancing for Fun](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/dancing-for-fun/18329491/2026-06-21T14) at Janet Goeske Center - [Father's Day BBQ at Canyon Crest Country Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fathers-day-bbq-at-canyon-crest-country-club/19021392/2026-06-21T11) at Canyon Crest Country Club - [Dad Jokes Father's Day Comedy Showcase](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/dad-jokes-fathers-day-comedy-showcase/19180342/2026-06-21T16) at The Experience Riverside ($23.18 - $44.52) - [Tomb of Hatshepsut" - a D&D Special Event](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/tomb-of-hatshepsut-a-dd-special-event/19088158/2026-06-21T18) at Nevermore Game Club ($12.51 - $17.85) ### Save the Date - June 22: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-22T08) at Community Yoga Center - June 26: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-26T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 4: [Front Row Fireworks - Celebrating America 250](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/front-row-fireworks-celebrating-america-250/18824158/2026-07-04T17) at Evergreen Memorial Historic Cemetery (free- $10) - July 5: [Patriotic Tours - Heritage House](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/patriotic-tours-heritage-house/19187294/2026-07-05T10) at Riverside Heritage House - July 11: [The Stars and Pipes Forever](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-stars-and-pipes-forever/19188125/2026-07-11T19) at First United Methodist Church of Riverside - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Riverside Hires Engineers to Study Future Water Rates URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-hires-engineers-to-study-future-water-rates/ Last updated: 2026-06-22T20:56:55.000Z The City is taking steps toward deciding what residents' water bills could look like after 2028. On Wednesday, June 17, the City Council approved a $271,960 contract with Riverside-based Carollo Engineers to conduct a new water cost-of-service analysis and develop recommendations for future water rates. City officials describe the study as a planning exercise rather than a rate increase proposal—though work approved at that meeting will help shape the recommendations behind the next several years of Riverside Public Utilities water rates once the current five-year plan expires. According to the staff report, the analysis will examine how changing water demand, conservation trends, drought requirements and infrastructure costs affect the amount of revenue the utility needs to collect and how those costs should be distributed among customer groups. City staff said the work will also include public outreach and modeling to estimate how different rate structures would affect customer bills under multiple usage scenarios. RPU previously completed a water cost-of-service study in 2023 to support the city's current five-year rate plan. Officials say an update is needed now to prepare for decisions beyond the existing schedule of adjustments, which currently extends through January 2028. Public comments submitted online before Tuesday's meeting called for a larger overhaul of the city's water rates. Resident Malissa McKeith said a "much larger shakeup is needed." "RPU needs an entire \[overhaul\] because the current fiscal model is unsustainable; management is poor; and there is no oversight at City Hall," she said. "Rate hikes are coming which is the one time the public pays attention. This is a serious problem that is going to explode in the council's face if nothing is done beforehand." This comes after the Board of Public Utilities voted to send a [proposal to hike water fees by 5.7 percent](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/electric-water-fees-may-rise-5-7-under-inflation-based-proposal/)—due to inflation—to the City Council for a June 23 public hearing. That proposal came after the council last month considered a separate [Municipal Code change](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-proposes-5-7-fee-hike-automatic-inflation-increases/) that would tie future annual fee increases to Consumer Price Index data automatically—but ultimately declined that proposal. ### Fireworks Photos: The DSLR and Mirrorless Method URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/fireworks-photos-the-dslr-and-mirrorless-method/ Last updated: 2026-06-21T11:59:13.000Z Every year, people point cameras at fireworks and come home with the same results: a black sky, a few blurry streaks, too much smoke, and maybe the back of someone's head glowing red, white, and blue. With the country's 250th birthday on July 4, the show over Mt. Rubidoux should be worth getting right. The good news is that fireworks are not especially difficult to photograph if you prepare before the show begins. You do not need the newest camera or the most expensive lens. You need a tripod, a remote release, manual focus, manual exposure, and a little patience. This first part is for those using a DSLR, mirrorless camera, or film SLR. In Part 2, we will look at the smartphone method, which is a different process and works best when you use the phone's own strengths. Here in Riverside, Mt. Rubidoux gives photographers a strong subject. The fireworks are the main attraction, but the mountain, trees, rocks, spectators, city lights, and the outline of the hillside can make the picture more interesting. A firework by itself is just a burst of light. A firework connected to a recognizable place becomes a photograph. Good pictures can be made from either the east or west side of Mt. Rubidoux. The east side may be the more convenient viewing area, but the west side can produce excellent angles. The best location is the one that gives you a clear view of the launch area, a clean foreground, and enough sky for the largest bursts. ### What to Bring Bring a camera that allows manual exposure, a sturdy tripod, and some kind of remote shutter release. The remote can be a cable release, a wireless trigger, or a camera-control app on your phone. A zoom lens is very useful. A 35mm lens, or something in that general range, is a good starting point, but a zoom lets you adjust after the first few fireworks show you where the action really is. Also bring an extra battery, an extra memory card, and a small flashlight. A folding chair is optional but not foolish. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/Block_1_Pick_Your_Spot.jpeg) ### Start Wider Than You Think This may be the most important composition tip. Fireworks rise higher and spread wider than expected. Leave extra room above the mountain and on both sides of the frame. If the fireworks look too small after the first few shots, zoom in. But if you start too tight and the best burst of the night goes outside the frame, there is no way to fix it later. Begin safely wide, check your early results, then refine the framing. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/Block_2_Compose_Wide.jpeg) ### Arrive Early and Set Up Carefully Do not arrive at 8:58 p.m. for a 9 p.m. show and expect great photographs. Arrive early enough to find a clear view, set up the tripod, check your composition, and make a few test shots before it gets too dark. Look through the viewfinder or rear screen and watch for distractions: streetlights, signs, power lines, or people walking through the frame. Foreground elements help only when they are intentional. Trees, silhouettes, rocks, spectators, and the hillside can all work if they support the picture instead of cluttering it. ### Focus Before the Show Starts Aim at the mountain, the launch area, a distant light, or another object at a similar distance. Use autofocus while there is still enough light. Once the image is sharp, switch the lens or camera to manual focus so it does not try to refocus during the show. This matters. Fireworks can fool autofocus systems. The camera may try to focus on smoke, empty sky, or a fading burst, and if it starts hunting in the dark, you will miss the best moments. Take a test shot and confirm the mountain or foreground is sharp. At typical fireworks distances, infinity focus will usually be close, but do not blindly trust the infinity mark on the lens. Some lenses focus slightly past infinity. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/Block_3_Focus_Before_Dark.jpeg) ### Use Manual Exposure Once focus and framing are set, switch to manual exposure. A reliable starting point: **ISO:** 100 **Aperture:** f/8 **Shutter:** Bulb **Focus:** Manual **White balance:** Auto This works because fireworks are bright. You are not exposing for a dark sky. You are exposing for bright trails of light moving through the frame. If the fireworks are too bright, try f/11\. If they are too dim, try f/5.6\. Most of the time, ISO 100 and f/8 will get you very close. If your camera or lens has image stabilization, turn it off once the camera is locked down on the tripod, unless your manual specifically says the stabilization system is designed for tripod use. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/Block_4_Manual_Settings.jpeg) ### Use Bulb Mode Bulb mode makes fireworks photography much easier. In Bulb, the shutter stays open as long as you hold the remote release. Press when you see or hear the firework launch. Hold through the burst. Release after the trails fade. That may be three seconds. It may be six. Sometimes closer to ten. A good rhythm is simple: open the shutter as the firework rises, hold through one or two bursts, and release before the frame gets too crowded. Then start again with the next one. A fixed shutter speed of five or eight seconds can work, but Bulb gives you better control. You decide when the photograph has enough light. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/Block_5_Bulb_Mode.jpeg) ### Review and Adjust Check the first few shots. If the fireworks are too small, zoom in a little. Too tight, zoom out. Too bright, stop down to f/11\. Too dim, open up to f/5.6\. If the image is blurry, check focus and make sure the tripod is steady. Do not spend the whole show staring at the back of the camera, but review enough to know your settings and framing are working. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/Block_6_Check_Adjust.jpeg) ### Quick Camera Recipe •Camera on tripod. Remote release attached. •Start wider than you think. •Manual focus before the show. •Manual exposure: ISO 100, f/8, Bulb, white balance Auto. •Open as the firework rises. Close after the trails fade. •Review the first few shots. •Zoom tighter only after you know the fireworks fit safely inside the frame. The goal is not to come home with hundreds of pictures of bright smoke. The goal is to come home with a few photographs that show the fireworks, the place, and what it felt like to be there. **Come back for Part 2 next week**: how to photograph fireworks with a smartphone. It is not the same as shooting with a traditional camera, but with the right approach it works surprisingly well. *Photos accompanying this series are actual fireworks photographs the author took at a past Mt. Rubidoux show — the same method described above, not a stock image or composite.* *By Bob Sirotnik* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/InfoGraphic-Gazette_DSLR_Mirrorless.jpeg) ### 🗞️ Riverside News- June 18, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-18-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:12.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-15.jpg) A 5th grade school photo of Justin Pardee, who grew up to found and publish the Raincross Gazette. **Wednesday Gazette: June 18, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Thursday!** I remember this one night when I was a kid, our family went to dinner at the home of a couple from our church. They lived on the corner of Arroyo Drrive and Arroyo Drive and I remember being, so confused by that! The man of the house was named Dennis Finn, a well-known Riverside attorney back in the day. It must have been summer time because at some point in the conversation my birthday, June 30, came up. And Dennis said, “Ah, yes – the fiscal New Year’s Eve.” Even as I type these words I can feel my eyebrows furrowing with the feeling of confused. “Wait, what - there’s more than one new years eve? This other new one is in the summer time? Am I old enough that I should have already known about this?” I think I was questioning the very fabric of reality as I knew it, but I simply looked back at Dennis with a polite smile and said “exactly!” On the drive home I gave my parents a good laugh when I asked what the difference between the two New Year’s Eve was and why the “physical” one was in the summer. I think about that night more than you’d expect. Not because of the fiscal calendar, but because a grown man took me seriously enough to engage me like I was already part of the conversation. Riverside was full of adults like that for me. So much of who I am now as a man is shaped by those kinds of people. They’re a big part of why I do this work: a city is its people, and the people here made me. And in all reality, the Raincross Gazette itself exists because the people in this city took me seriously when I, an audacious dreamer with absolutely no journalism experience proudly announced in December of 2020 that I was launching the newsroom our city deserves. I remember that day vividly, seeing the names of Riversiders (all of whom are still reading this message right now) who were becoming paid supporters a month before we’d published a single story. So here’s my birthday wish. On June 30 I turn 44, and I’m asking **44 of you to join us in this work by become a paid supporters of The Raincross Gazette** before the candles blow out. The news in our pages remains free to read — always, no paywall. This newsroom just needs the subscribers who find value in our work to decide chip in to help us do it. At $5 a month, it’s the most useful birthday gift you could give me, and the best way I know to keep taking this city as seriously as it has always taken me. **44 new supporters for my 44th. Who’s in?** [Become a Member](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/#/portal/account/plans) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/author_banner-justin-pardee.jpg) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260618)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260618&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Futrell Steps Down as City Manager as Wife Settles Defamation Claim Against City Futrell's departure follows a defamation claim filed by his wife and a closed-session agenda item listing a possible censure. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-16-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/futrell-steps-down-as-city-manager-as-wife-settles-defamation-claim-against-city/) Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson speaks at a press conference outside City Hall on Wednesday, announcing that Assistant City Manager Edward Enriquez would serve as acting city manager following Mike Futrell's resignation. (File photo/Raincross Gazette) City Manager Mike Futrell stepped down Tuesday after a closed-session agenda listed a potential censure — and days after his wife filed a defamation claim against the city. **Why it matters:** The departure leaves Riverside without a permanent city manager and opens a leadership search at City Hall, with no timeline yet announced. **Driving the news:** The council unanimously accepted Futrell's resignation in closed session and approved a separation package: paid administrative leave through July 5, a nine-month severance lump sum, and one month of health benefits. - His wife, Susan Freeman, has since signed a settlement agreement with the city, with both sides releasing all claims. **The backstory:** Conflict between Freeman and city officials escalated late last year after the city sent her a letter alleging she had made unwanted contact with city staff and implied she was part of the city's decision-making team. Freeman called those allegations "absolutely false" and filed a government claim June 10 alleging defamation and First Amendment retaliation. **What's next:** Assistant City Manager Edward Enriquez steps in as acting city manager effective immediately. Mayor Pro-Tem Steven Robillard announced the transition at a Wednesday press conference; the council has not yet said whether it will use an executive search firm to find a permanent replacement. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/futrell-steps-down-as-city-manager-as-wife-settles-defamation-claim-against-city/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260618)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260618&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Fireworks Photos: The DSLR and Mirrorless Method Before the show starts, most of the work is already done. Here's how to set up for fireworks photos that actually work. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-17-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/fireworks-photos-the-dslr-and-mirrorless-method/) (Bob Sirotnik) Every year, people point cameras at fireworks and come home with the same results: a black sky, a few blurry streaks, too much smoke, and maybe the back of someone's head glowing red, white, and blue. With the country's 250th birthday on July 4, the show over Mt. Rubidoux should be worth getting right. The good news is that fireworks are not especially difficult to photograph if you prepare before the show begins. You do not need the newest camera or the most expensive lens. You need a tripod, a remote release, manual focus, manual exposure, and a little patience. This first part is for those using a DSLR, mirrorless camera, or film SLR. In Part 2, we will look at the smartphone method, which is a different process and works best when you use the phone's own strengths. Here in Riverside, Mt. Rubidoux gives photographers a strong subject. The fireworks are the main attraction, but the mountain, trees, rocks, spectators, city lights, and the outline of the hillside can make the picture more interesting. A firework by itself is just a burst of light. A firework connected to a recognizable place becomes a photograph. Good pictures can be made from either the east or west side of Mt. Rubidoux. The east side may be the more convenient viewing area, but the west side can produce excellent angles. The best location is the one that gives you a clear view of the launch area, a clean foreground, and enough sky for the largest bursts. [](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/fireworks-photos-the-dslr-and-mirrorless-method/) [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/fireworks-photos-the-dslr-and-mirrorless-method/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260618) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260618&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Noteworthy We incorrectly shared that [Summer Fun Concerts in the Park](https://riversideca.gov/calendar/event/summer-fun-concerts-park-2?ref=raincrossgazette.com) began last night at Fairmount Park — the series actually opens **Tuesday, June 24** with Stone Soul, a Motown tribute act, from 6–9 p.m.; we apologize for any confusion. A UCR-led study finds that [fake and duplicate responses pose a serious threat to online health research](https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/06/11/fraud-detection-critical-online-health-research-study-finds?ref=raincrossgazette.com), with researchers screening out more than 9,000 of 9,321 submissions before verifying just 251 as legitimate. [Riverside City College's Class of 2026](https://www.rcc.edu/about/news/2026-commencement.html?ref=raincrossgazette.com) celebrated more than 3,674 graduates at Wheelock Stadium on June 12, marking the first time in years the college held commencement on its own athletic fields. [La Sierra University graduated 378 students](https://lasierra.edu/article/la-sierra-celebrates-378-graduates-cervantes-calls-for-grads-to-open-doors/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) at its June 14 Conferring of Degrees ceremony, where California State Sen. Sabrina Cervantes urged graduates to use their education to open doors for others. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Economic Development Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/economic-development-committee/18642990/2026-06-18T15) at Riverside City Hall - [Riskfetti Book Launch & Happy Hour Event](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riskfetti-book-launch-happy-hour-event/18685284/2026-06-18T17) at Zacatecas Café - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-06-18T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) ### Tomorrow - [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-19T07) at Zacatecas Café - [100 Years From Mississippi](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/100-years-from-mississippi/18974369/2026-06-19T19) at Culver Center of the Arts - [3RD ANNUAL GOTH PROM](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/3rd-annual-goth-prom/18842023/2026-06-19T20) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($10) - [The Cottage by Sandy Rustin](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-cottage-by-sandy-rustin/19102230/2026-06-19T19) at Riverside Community Players ($20- $25) - [Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-and-heroes-walking-tour/17901085/2026-06-19T15) at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18) - [Juneteenth at the Civil Rights Institute](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/juneteenth-at-the-civil-rights-institute/19066744/2026-06-19T11) at Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California - [Songs of Freedom:Music of Resitence & Joy](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/songs-of-freedommusic-of-resitence-joy/19023327/2026-06-19T11) at Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California - [The Steven Universe Table Read For Charity: Back to the Grind](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-steven-universe-table-read-for-charity-back-to-the-grind/19088146/2026-06-19T19) at Back to the Grind ($17.85) - [Vinyl Williams](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vinyl-williams/18374490/2026-06-19T18) at Farm House Collective ## Save the Date - June 19: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-19T08) at Community Yoga Center - June 19: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-19T07) at Zacatecas Café - June 20: [Summer Market](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summer-market/19170328/2026-06-20T13) at Amber Leigh’s Kitchen - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Futrell Steps Down as City Manager as Wife Settles Defamation Claim Against City URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/futrell-steps-down-as-city-manager-as-wife-settles-defamation-claim-against-city/ Last updated: 2026-06-19T12:00:47.000Z City Manager Mike Futrell voluntarily resigned from his position on Tuesday after the City Council's closed session meeting agenda listed a possible censure for him – and after his wife, entrepreneur Susan Freeman, [filed a defamation claim against the city last week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/susan-freeman-files-claim-against-city-alleging-defamation-retaliation/) amid conflict between her and city officials. "After careful consideration, last night I voluntarily stepped down as city manager of Riverside as part of a mutually agreed upon leadership transition," Futrell said in a Facebook post Wednesday morning. "Serving this community has been one of the great honors of my professional life…I leave with gratitude for the privilege of serving and with great confidence in the city's future." The city held a press conference Wednesday morning, where Mayor Pro-Tem Steven Robillard announced that Assistant City Manager Edward Enriquez would serve as acting city manager for the time being. It's currently unknown if the city will enlist the help of an executive hiring firm in its search for a new city manager. "I want to thank Mike for his service to the city of Riverside and for his contributions during his tenure. We appreciate his dedication to the community and wish him and his family the very best," Robillard said at the press conference. "Edward is a respected and experienced public servant who knows our organization well, and we have full confidence in his ability to provide steady leadership while the council begins the search process for Riverside's next city manager." The council unanimously voted to accept Futrell’s resignation in Tuesday's closed session and approved an agreement that he would be placed on paid administrative leave effective immediately until July 5, according to a city press release. The city also agreed to pay Futrell's severance in a lump sum equal to nine months of regular salary and 401(a) contributions and one month of health benefits. The agreement provides that there are no pending claims or actions between the city and city manager, with both parties releasing each other from any claims during Futrell's employment. In a statement posted to Facebook, Freeman confirmed that she signed a settlement agreement with the city with a mutual release and waiver of all claims. "In doing so, I am choosing to move forward with peace, dignity, and gratitude for the many people who showed kindness and support during an extraordinarily difficult time," Freeman's statement said. Freeman had [filed a government claim against the city on June 10](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/susan-freeman-files-claim-against-city-alleging-defamation-retaliation/), alleging defamation, reputational harm and First Amendment retaliation. The claim was filed through her attorney, Carol Sobel of the Law Office of Carol Sobel in Santa Monica. The claim stems from a Dec. 11 letter the city sent her in response to her Dec. 4 letter to the City Council asserting her First Amendment rights. The city's letter alleged she contacted city employees through "unwanted and harassing calls, texts, emails, comments, social media posts and other communications to city employees." The letter also alleged some city staff felt pressure to participate in Freeman's paid services, and alleged that Freeman insinuated she is "part of the city's decision-making team" despite not being a city employee. Freeman said in an April 30 Facebook post that she encouraged Futrell to explore a position as city manager in Pasadena after the conflict between her and city officials. [On April 15, Futrell announced he would take the Pasadena position](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-city-manager-mike-futrell-leaving-for-pasadena/) — [a decision he ultimately reversed 10 days later](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mike-futrell-to-remain-as-city-manager/). [At a May 5 council meeting, Futrell addressed his decision](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-manager-speaks-out-as-council-evaluates-his-performance-conduct/) and his wife's dispute. "Questions have been raised about my application to the city of Pasadena and about a letter that was sent to my home and later entered into public discussion," Futrell said. "Judgment should be reserved until the full factual record is available. Some of the allegations involve my wife and my family — they deserve the same basic fairness, the opportunity for facts, context and records to be fully reviewed before conclusions are drawn." In a Substack post published the same day as the filing, Freeman said the dispute had reduced her identity to a single role. "I was reduced to one role: the city manager's wife," she wrote. "That, to me, is not just wrong." Freeman denied the letter's claims, calling them "absolutely false, unsupported and defamatory." Futrell became city manager in January 2023\. He previously served as city manager of South San Francisco, Chief Administrative Officer of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and a senior U.S. Senate staffer, and is a retired U.S. Navy captain with 26 years of service. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- June 17, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-10-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:13.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/IMG_6190.jpeg) Tall palms stand in rows along St. Lawrence Drive, looking toward Hermosa, on a cloudy morning. (Luke López) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Wednesday Gazette: June 17, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Wednesday!** We want to be straight with you: we've made some errors recently, and we're not taking that lightly. Getting the facts right is the whole job. We know that accuracy is the foundation of everything we do here, and when we miss, it matters. We're sorry. We've also been wrestling with where corrections belong in the newsletter. We put them at the top. Readers said that was too much. We moved them to the bottom. Readers said that wasn't enough. Fair on both counts. We don't have a perfect answer yet, and we'd rather ask than guess. Email me directly at [amy@raincrossgazette.com](mailto:amy@raincrossgazette.com) and tell me what works for you. Amy López, Managing Editor --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260617)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260617&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Council Hires New City Attorney, Waives Public Notice Rule to Do so The council filled a vacancy open since April 2025, but critics say it sacrificed transparency to do so. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-14.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-hires-new-city-attorney-waives-public-notice-rule-to-do-so/) The Riverside City Council takes up Agenda Item 7 — approval of an employment agreement for incoming City Attorney James Johnson — during its Tuesday afternoon session. (File photo/Raincross Gazette) After more than a year without a permanent city attorney, the City Council has hired James Johnson, a public-sector lawyer with deep experience in housing and municipal law. **Why it matters:** The hire ends a prolonged vacancy — and the council's decision to bypass standard public notice requirements to move faster drew sharp pushback from residents. **Driving the news:** The council voted 5-2 Tuesday to approve Johnson's hire, with Councilmembers Phillip Falcone and Chuck Conder dissenting — Falcone over the salary and 12-month severance clause, Conder over the full contract. **By the numbers:** Johnson will earn $372,624 annually under a three-year contract, starting July 17. **The backstory:** The seat has been held by interim attorneys since the council dismissed Phaedra Norton in April 2025 — a termination that followed her harassment and Brown Act claims against two councilmembers and a separate open-meetings lawsuit. **Yes, but:** The council unanimously waived the Sunshine Ordinance — which requires 12 days' public notice — to add the hire as a last-minute agenda item. Residents called it a transparency failure. - "This is backwards," resident Keith Nelson said, arguing the vote should have waited for a regular agenda. **What's next:** Johnson's contract begins July 17\. The council said the timing was driven by his existing obligations to his current employer, HACLA, where he served as general counsel. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-hires-new-city-attorney-waives-public-notice-rule-to-do-so/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260617)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260617&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HISTORY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/history/) ## A Bona Fide Major League Star John "Jack" Tortes Meyers was Riverside's own — a Cahuilla catcher who rose to become a bona fide major league star and never forgot where he came from. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/2-2.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-bona-fide-major-league-star/) World Series 1911 "Meyer's powerful hitting and his success behind the bat make him in the estimation of STATS Inc., one of the two top catchers of the Deadball Era (1901-1919)." — William A. Young (Photo credit The Chapman Deadball Collection) On July 29, 1880, almost 146 years ago, Felicite Tortes, a Cahuilla basket maker from Spring Rancheria, and John Mayer, a German American Civil War veteran from Terre Haute, Indiana welcomed their second child, a boy, they named John "Jack" Tortes Mayer. They had one son, Marion, and would later have one more child, a girl, Christine, the youngest. The birthplace of Jack is said to have been either the Cahuilla village below Mt. Rubidoux at Spring Rancheria or downtown Riverside at 7th Street, between Market and Main Streets in the family's home behind his father's saloon. In one interview, Jack reports the Cahuilla village as his birthplace and in another he reports it being in downtown Riverside. There is an affidavit of birth that lists a downtown Riverside location. However, there is no question that the Santa Rosa Mountain Cahuilla were the primary inhabitants of Spring Rancheria, a permanent village named after the perennial stream of Spring Brook located in the area. Incorrect spellings in documenting Native people by non-Natives was a common occurrence. The Mayer last name became "Meyer" and finally "Meyers". For the remainder of this story, Jack will be referred to as Mr. Meyers as "Meyers" became the norm throughout his lifetime. After the death of his father in 1887, Felicite Tortes took her children to live on the Santa Rosa Reservation for a time. She never remarried. They came back to Riverside when Mr. Meyers was 10 or 11 years old. He attended Sixth Street School, later known as Lincoln School, then attended Riverside High School, located at 14th Street and Brockton Avenue. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-bona-fide-major-league-star/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260617) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260617&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Noteworthy [The Summer Fun Concerts in the Park](https://riversideca.gov/calendar/event/summer-fun-concerts-park-2?ref=raincrossgazette.com) series kicks off **tonight** at **Fairmount Park**, running six free Wednesday evenings from 6–9 p.m. through July 29, with Motown, Latin, salsa, '80s hits, R&B, and a [July 1 drone show](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-to-host-free-drone-shows-at-la-sierra-fairmount-parks-this-summer/). [Summer Fun Concerts in the Park](https://riversideca.gov/calendar/event/summer-fun-concerts-park?ref=raincrossgazette.com) launches its **La Sierra Park** series **tonight** at 6 p.m. with funk and R&B from Groovis Maximus, food vendors, a beer garden, and [the City's first-ever drone show](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-to-host-free-drone-shows-at-la-sierra-fairmount-parks-this-summer/). 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-06-17T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-06-17T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [About Writing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/about-writing/18335813/2026-06-17T10) at Janet Goeske Center - [Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/safety-wellness-and-youth-committee/18584291/2026-06-17T13) at Riverside City Hall - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-06-17T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) ### Tomorrow - [Economic Development Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/economic-development-committee/18642990/2026-06-18T15) at Riverside City Hall - [Riskfetti Book Launch & Happy Hour Event](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riskfetti-book-launch-happy-hour-event/18685284/2026-06-18T17) at Zacatecas Café - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-06-18T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) ## Save the Date - June 19: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-19T08) at Community Yoga Center - June 19: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-19T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### A Bona Fide Major League Star URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-bona-fide-major-league-star/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:04:49.000Z On July 29, 1880, almost 146 years ago, Felicite Tortes, a Cahuilla basket maker from Spring Rancheria, and John Mayer, a German American Civil War veteran from Terre Haute, Indiana welcomed their second child, a boy, they named John "Jack" Tortes Mayer. They had one son, Marion, and would later have one more child, a girl, Christine, the youngest. The birthplace of Jack is said to have been either the Cahuilla village below Mt. Rubidoux at Spring Rancheria or downtown Riverside at 7th Street, between Market and Main Streets in the family's home behind his father's saloon. In one interview, Jack reports the Cahuilla village as his birthplace and in another he reports it being in downtown Riverside. There is an affidavit of birth that lists a downtown Riverside location. However, there is no question that the Santa Rosa Mountain Cahuilla were the primary inhabitants of Spring Rancheria, a permanent village named after the perennial stream of Spring Brook located in the area. Incorrect spellings in documenting Native people by non-Natives was a common occurrence. The Mayer last name became "Meyer" and finally "Meyers". For the remainder of this story, Jack will be referred to as Mr. Meyers as "Meyers" became the norm throughout his lifetime. After the death of his father in 1887, Felicite Tortes took her children to live on the Santa Rosa Reservation for a time. She never remarried. They came back to Riverside when Mr. Meyers was 10 or 11 years old. He attended Sixth Street School, later known as Lincoln School, then attended Riverside High School, located at 14th Street and Brockton Avenue. While he didn't graduate, he developed a passion for baseball at a young age during his time on the reservation and in public schools. One of the earliest photos of Mr. Meyers in a baseball uniform comes from Riverside High School during the late nineteenth century. In 1898, he worked budding citrus trees all the while playing ball on sandlots in and around Riverside as well as for the Santa Rosa tribal team and the Riverside town team. He spent the next eight years playing semi-professional level ball all over the Inland Empire. However, he soon began traveling to other states across the country. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/1-2.jpg) John Tortes Meyers in 1911, Catchers Gear (SCP Auctions Important Sports Cards and Memorabilia) While playing in Albuquerque, New Mexico for the Phelps-Dodge Copper Company, Mr. Meyers made an impression on Dartmouth alumnus Ralph Glaze, a football and baseball star who had played for the Big Six Athletic Club of Trinidad, Colorado. Glaze thought he might convince the Cahuilla catcher from Riverside to play football for Dartmouth on account of his 5'11", 194-pound stature. What some may not know about Dartmouth is that in its original charter, it made a commitment to the education of Native Americans. It was established for the purpose of training Native people to be missionaries who could then take back the Christian gospel to their people. The founder, Eleazer Wheelock, believed they would have better success than non-natives in evangelizing tribal communities. This goal had remained virtually unfulfilled by the time Mr. Meyers came along, due to the lack of what they considered "qualified Indians." The trouble being that Natives couldn't pass the necessary entrance examinations, nor could they matriculate. The story of his enrollment goes something like... Ralph Glaze enlisted Dr. Ben Beshoar, team manager for the Big Six, to produce a high school diploma for Mr. Meyers. Taking his own diploma and a chemical to efface the name, Beshoar inexplicably supplied the name of Ellis Williams, a name belonging to the left fielder that played with Mr. Meyers on the Clifton, Arizona team. Never mind, Williams was described as a 5'6" red head. Glaze had friends in the Admissions Office, and for a time, they overlooked the discrepancy. During his one year stay at Dartmouth that began in the fall of 1905, Mr. Meyers felt like a foreigner. Although far removed from his Cahuilla homelands, his heritage kept him strong footed in the dominant society that oftentimes only saw a "big Indian." He learned to deal with being the outsider by using sly wit and ironic humor to combat prejudice. He entertained sports writers and classmates with imaginative stories that fulfilled their shamefully naive views of Native Americans. He held himself with great dignity and personal control when faced with racism on and off the field. Despite the negative stereotypes, Mr. Meyers landed a job with the Harrisburg Pennsylvania club in the Tri-State League. Manager and future Hall of Famer Billy "Sliding Billy" Hamilton signed him to a $250-a-month contract for the 1906 summer. At the end of the season Mr. Meyers returned home to Southern California when his mother fell ill. Family was important and he knew never to lose sight of the places and people from whom he came. He did not return to Dartmouth. Instead, in 1907, Mr. Meyers played for the Butte Montana Rustlers of the Northwestern League. Then for the St. Paul of the American Association where he spent most of the 1908 season before the New York Giants purchased his contract in July of that year. He made his major league debut with the Giants in 1909. Already 28 years old when he made it to the majors, Mr. Meyers worried about age discrimination. For that reason, he moved his birth year from 1880 to 1882 and in some documents to 1883\. Mr. Meyers understood what was at stake, not only for himself but for all Natives. Determined to make an impression, regardless of the objectifying and insensitive perspectives written by the press (which today would get a person doxed, canceled, sued, fired or all of the above), he knew his opportunity would be on the field. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/3-1.jpg) Catcher Gear throwing a ball, 1911 (Photo Credit Unknown) William A. Young, author of *John Tortes "Chief" Meyers: A Baseball Biography*, writes: > By the end of the 1909 season, he played 90 games, a .277 batting average and a .963 fielding average. Of his 61 hits in 220 bats, ten were doubles, five triples, and a home run. He drove in 30 runs, stole three bases, recorded eight pinch-hits in 24 at-bats, for the best average for a pinch-hitter (.333) in the National League. Between 1909 and 1915 Mr. Meyers played for the Giants; and with them played in three World Series. They lost all three. In the 1911 Series, he set a record that still stands for the most assists in a six-game series, throwing out 12 runners. In 1916, Mr. Meyers began catching for the Brooklyn Robins (aka Brooklyn Dodgers). For the fourth time in his major league career, he headed to the World Series. They lost to the Boston Red Sox, who had won in 1903, 1912 and 1915\. Playing for the Red Sox was George Herman "Babe" Ruth, young and full of promise. Mr. Meyers and Ruth are said to have traded bats; it became one of Mr. Meyers' most prized possessions. In the summer of 1917, Mr. Meyers signed on to play for the Boston Braves, but by the fall of the same year, his major league career ended. His final season may not have been his best; even still, he managed to get recognition in 1918 from Spalding Baseball Record when they named him its catcher on the Grand National All America Baseball Team. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/4.jpg) Another honor accorded Meyers was placement on the Grand National All-America Baseball Team (before the creation of the National Baseball Hall of Fame). To be eligible for consideration, one must have played on a pennant winning team between the years 1871 and 1917, played in at least 50 games for the championship team, and have had the highest combined fielding and batting record for one's position. Meyers' 1912 performance of 122 games with a .973 fielding average and a .358 batting average put the right hander ahead of all other eligible catchers, according to Young's *John Tortes "Chief" Meyers: A Baseball Biography*. World War I had many ballplayers enlisting once the United States entered the war. Eddie Grant, a Giants teammate of Mr. Meyers and a close friend, became the first major leaguer to die in action on Oct. 5, 1918\. To honor his friend, Mr. Meyers joined the Marines later that month. As many as 17,000 Native Americans joined the fight. The French Government awarded 10 of them the Croix de Guerre and 150 received awards for valor. All during a time when Natives did not have the right to vote in the US and were not considered citizens. Congress made a small step in the right direction when they passed an act granting honorably discharged Native Veterans citizenship. It would take another five years before the privilege was extended to all Native Americans. The signing of the Armistice granted Mr. Meyers an honorable discharge on March 17, 1919. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/5.jpg) Marine Uniform, 1919 ([photos.com](http://photos.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) In 1920, Mr. Meyers came back home to Southern California. A place he never abandoned and kept close to his heart all the while becoming one of the first Native American major leaguers to reach success and maintain it for several years. He lived at a time when Natives were under immense pressure to abandon their traditional ways and assimilate to the dominant culture. The harsh, unabashed remarks made towards Native American major leaguers by sportswriters fueled the narrative to leave their tribal identities behind lest they wanted acceptance by Euro-American society. Not the case with Mr. Meyers; he understood the duality of both worlds and decided to remain true to his Cahuilla heritage. He successfully navigated a career away from his people and homelands then returned to his roots to serve as Chief of Police for the Mission Indian Agency that covered 30 reservations from San Diego to Santa Barbara. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/6.jpg) Older John Meyers, circa 1951 Described by Giants manager John McGraw in 1912 as "one of the best catchers in the National League... a quick thinker, team leader, vicious hitter... the greatest natural hitter in the game and all around a very valuable man," according to Young's *John Tortes "Chief" Meyers: A Baseball Biography*. Mr. Meyers lived through many historical moments outside of Baseball. Such as, when Ishi the "last Yahi" was discovered in Northern California, felt the societal impact of the sinking of the Titanic and suffered financial losses during the Great Depression. He also enjoyed celebrity status by being one of the most recognizable ballplayers of his time, briefly wrote as a sports journalist for New York American, possibly to give insight on a ballplayer's lifestyle by someone who lived it, and walked a road less traveled by Native people in hopes of paving the way for others like him. He passed away July 25, 1971, a few days shy of his 91st birthday. Riversiders need not be heavy into baseball to recognize Mr. Meyers' legacy is one meant to be remembered and thought of with pride. Our city's shared history is rich with extraordinary stories and legendary people. John "Jack" Tortes Meyers is one of those legends. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/7.jpg) Photo of Riverside Sports Hall of Fame, John "Chief" Meyers, Riverside Semi-Pro and Town Baseball New York Giants Catcher (1909–15) "Chief" was battery mate to Christy Mathewson and Rube Marquard and roomed with Jim Thorpe. From 1911–13, he batted .332, .358, and .312 for the National League Champions. John played in four World Series and holds the record for most assists (12) in a six-game Fall Classic. He was a career .291 hitter. "Chief" was the first Mountain Cahuilla tribal member named to the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame. *By Rosy Aranda* ### Council Hires New City Attorney, Waives Public Notice Rule to Do so URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-hires-new-city-attorney-waives-public-notice-rule-to-do-so/ Last updated: 2026-06-18T20:45:44.000Z The City Council hired James Johnson as city attorney, filling a role that has been occupied by an interim city attorney since the council [fired Phaedra Norton last April](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-dismisses-city-attorney-phaedra-norton-without-cause/). The council voted 5-2 – with Council members Phillip Falcone and Chuck Conder dissenting – to approve the hire of James Johnson, an attorney whose background is a mix of public-sector legal work, municipal management and housing-focused law. Most recently, Johnson served as general counsel for the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA), where he oversaw legal services for the agency's real estate, Section 8, public housing and litigation work, according to HACLA's website. Johnson's earlier background includes serving as deputy county counsel and team leader for Los Angeles County's Housing for Health program and general counsel for Rancho Los Amigos Hospital. His work in the public sector includes service as an assistant city auditor for the city of Long Beach from 2008 until 2010, then city council member for Long Beach from 2010 to 2014 – after which he ran unsuccessfully for the elected position of Long Beach city attorney in 2014. The city used an executive recruitment search firm to conduct a search in August 2025 and February 2026, according to the staff report, with a successful candidate identified last month after completing background checks and other pre-employment screenings. Johnson will earn $372,624 per year in his new position, which begins July 17, and has a three-year contract with the city. Falcone said he was "very pleased" with Johnson, but that he couldn't support the contract financially. "The contract's just a little too much for me, and I am a strong anti 12-months severance type person, so that's a line in the sand for me," he said. Falcone was not the only one with objections toward the position's salary and severance package. Resident Jason Hunter urged the council to bring the item back in the following weeks with adjustments to the position's severance package and salary – calling it "preposterous." Ahead of the vote to hire Johnson, the council unanimously voted – with Council member Chuck Conder absent – to waive the [Sunshine Ordinance](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-amends-sunshine-ordinance-to-streamline-advisory-body-meetings/), which would have required the item to have been included on a regular agenda posted 12 days in advance, and not as an add-on item. Council member Steven Robillard said waiving the Sunshine Ordinance was necessary because as a charter officer, the city attorney is needed as the city enters its 2026-27 fiscal year – and July 17 is the earliest Johnson could start due to contractual obligations with his current employer. Some residents criticized the council for waiving the Sunshine Ordinance. "None of this justifies bypassing public transparency," resident Keith Nelson said. "This is not an emergency, this is a longstanding management issue created by the council's own delays and failures. The Sunshine Ordinance exists exactly for moments like this, when the public deserves the time to review major decisions before elected officials take action. Hiring a city attorney is not routine housekeeping." Nelson argued that the agreement should have been placed as a regular agenda item and that it should have been scheduled during the council's evening session, when more working residents could attend and speak. "Waiving the city ordinance here sends a terrible message that when the issue is important enough, the city believes the public should get less notice, less time, and less access," he said. "This is backwards." Riverside's previous city attorney was Phaedra Norton, who served from June 2021 until the City Council dismissed her without cause in April 2025. The city did not publicly issue a reason for [Norton's termination](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-attorneys-termination-comes-with-six-figure-price-tag/), though it came after she was placed on administrative leave in September 2024 following her filing harassment and Brown Act-related claims she had raised against Councilmembers Conder and Sean Mill, and a separate lawsuit she filed alleging open-meeting violations. Assistant City Attorney Jack Liu stepped in as interim city attorney after Norton was placed on leave, and the council voted to appoint Rebecca McKee-Reimbold, who also served as assistant city attorney, as interim city attorney April 29, 2025. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- June 16, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-16-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:15.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-12.jpg) Decked out in jerseys representing Mexico, the USA, Canada and more, Riverside County Supervisor Medina, Supervisor Spiegel, Riverside Council Member Mill and Moreno Valley school board member Luna pose with county staff outside the John F. Tavaglione Executive Annex to kick off World Cup season. (Darlene Trujillo Elliott) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Monday Gazette: June 16, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Tuesday!** Before we get into today's stories, we want to take a moment to introduce the reporters behind them. Marissa Perez and [Erik Chen](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-erik-chen/) are two of the student journalists who have been contributing to the Gazette, and we're proud of the work they're bringing to this newsroom. Marissa recently graduated from Riverside City College and will be heading to Cal Poly Pomona this fall to study multimedia journalism. Erik is currently a junior at Martin Luther King High School, class of 2027, and will be a senior when school resumes in the fall. In his own words, he came to the Gazette wanting to push back against a news culture he felt was "obsessed" with clicks over community: "I wanted to bring optimism to our city of Riverside." We think that's a pretty good reason to pick up a press badge. We're glad to have both of them here. Give their work a read. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260616)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260616&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## 'Passing the Torch': Riverside Celebrates Juneteenth Local events honor the holiday's history while challenging a new generation to carry the movement forward. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-13-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/passing-the-torch-riverside-celebrates-juneteenth/) Community members gather at Fairmount Park during the Black Collective's Juneteenth celebration on June 13\. (Denise Booker) On June 19, 1865, a Union general stood on weathered Texas soil and announced a belated truth: enslaved people were free. Despite President Abraham Lincoln's signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, slavery continued to persist in many parts of the United States — especially Texas, where Confederate influence remained deeply rooted. It was only when Union Major General Gordon Granger issued General Orders No. 3 in Galveston, Texas, that enslaved people in Texas were finally informed of their freedom. The historical moment is now celebrated as Juneteenth, also known as "Black Independence Day." In remembrance of African American heritage and resilience, President Joe Biden officially signed it into law as a federal holiday in 2021. Here is how Riverside is marking the important day this year. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/passing-the-torch-riverside-celebrates-juneteenth/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260616) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600616&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## From Family Farm to Nonprofit: The Ungers Are Growing Opportunity in Riverside Nestled in the Historic Citrus Preserve, Gable Farms offers adults with cognitive disabilities a chance to work, learn and grow. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/1-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-family-farm-to-nonprofit-the-ungers-are-growing-opportunity-in-riverside/) Rows of cabbage, sunflowers and mixed vegetables grow across the farm beds at Gable Farms, a nonprofit working farm and day program for adults with cognitive disabilities located in Riverside's Historic Citrus Preserve on Victoria Avenue. (Marissa Perez) A Riverside family built a working nonprofit farm in the Historic Citrus Preserve around their son's love of farming — and it's now a day program serving adults with cognitive disabilities from the local school district. **Why it matters:** Gable Farms fills a gap that hits close to home for many families — what happens when a disabled adult ages out of the school system. The Ungers' answer was to build something from the ground up, literally. **The backstory:** Kara and Erik Unger spent years researching support options for their son Joshuah, who has autism. When he aged out of school, they purchased land on Victoria Avenue, and Erik taught himself to farm through YouTube videos, books, and a workshop at a Mesa, Arizona farm called Steadfast Farm. - Farming in Riverside's dry, extreme heat required its own hard-won knowledge: "The hardest time to grow is in August and September," Erik said. "But in wintertime you grow the right crops." **Driving the news:** The farm recently opened a store selling crops and flowers, and its team has grown to include farm manager Samantha Barnes, who says the role has been "amazing" and unexpected. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-family-farm-to-nonprofit-the-ungers-are-growing-opportunity-in-riverside/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260616)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260616&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Noteworthy [Voltu Motor has begun full-scale production of its heavy-duty electric Voltu3 truck](https://riversideca.gov/press/voltu-motor-launches-full-scale-commercial-deployment-heavy-duty-electric-trucks-creating?ref=raincrossgazette.com) at its Riverside headquarters, with the city as its first customer and plans to add 400 local jobs over the next four years. [Riverside Transit Agency](https://www.riversidetransit.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) is joining more than 10 regional partners to offer fans affordable, stress-free direct bus service to all eight World Cup matches at SoFi Stadium from June 12 to July 10. [RCC is launching an electric car-sharing service](https://viewpointsonline.org/2026/06/new-transportation-initiative-arrives-at-riverside-city-college/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) this fall through the state-funded EBDide program, offering students app-based rentals for $5 per hour — with a free one-hour trial — from Parking Lot C near the Kane Building. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [City Council](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/r/4758d4ed?m=09861f3a-0a1b-4ab5-a764-af397b913fe4) at Riverside City Hall - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/r/3c71126a?m=09861f3a-0a1b-4ab5-a764-af397b913fe4) at The Hideaway - [Orange Terrace Library | Library Mini Golf](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/r/2c6f40b2?m=09861f3a-0a1b-4ab5-a764-af397b913fe4) at Orange Terrace Library ### Tomorrow - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/r/84f4d120?m=09861f3a-0a1b-4ab5-a764-af397b913fe4) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/r/cdfae7eb?m=09861f3a-0a1b-4ab5-a764-af397b913fe4) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [About Writing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/r/8fad7d81?m=09861f3a-0a1b-4ab5-a764-af397b913fe4) at Janet Goeske Center - [Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/r/0b9d85a8?m=09861f3a-0a1b-4ab5-a764-af397b913fe4) at Riverside City Hall - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/r/0e488a54?m=09861f3a-0a1b-4ab5-a764-af397b913fe4) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) ### Save the Date - June 19: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-19T08) at Community Yoga Center - June 19: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-19T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### 'Passing the Torch': Riverside Celebrates Juneteenth URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/passing-the-torch-riverside-celebrates-juneteenth/ Last updated: 2026-06-18T12:00:33.000Z On June 19, 1865, a Union general stood on weathered Texas soil and announced a belated truth: enslaved people were free. Despite President Abraham Lincoln's signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, slavery continued to persist in many parts of the United States — especially Texas, where Confederate influence remained deeply rooted. It was only when Union Major General Gordon Granger issued General Orders No. 3 in Galveston, Texas, that enslaved people in Texas were finally informed of their freedom. The historical moment is now celebrated as Juneteenth, also known as "Black Independence Day." In remembrance of African American heritage and resilience, President Joe Biden officially signed it into law as a federal holiday in 2021. Here is how Riverside is marking the important day this year. ### Black Collective's Juneteenth Celebration On June 13, the Black Collective hosted a community event at Fairmount Park, featuring food, music, Black-owned businesses, and workshops, serving as a reminder of the cost of freedom. "Juneteenth is a celebration, but it is also a reminder," event organizer Denise Booker said. "Freedom was not handed to us. Progress was not handed to us. Community is not handed to us. Every generation has a responsibility to protect it, strengthen it, and leave it better than they found it." Now in its sixth year, this year's theme is "Passing the Torch," symbolizing the continued responsibility of carrying the movement forward across generations. "As I prepare to pass the torch, my hope is that people leave this year's celebration inspired not just to attend community events, but to become active participants in building the village we all say we want," Booker said. "The struggle for freedom continues, but so does our responsibility to each other." ### Civil Rights Institute: Songs of Freedom The Civil Rights Institute will host interactive activities and a musical performance on Friday, June 19, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event highlights the role music has played in Black history, particularly during the hardships of slavery and the broader Civil Rights Movement. **More information:* From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., attendees can participate in a scavenger hunt as well as a crafts corner hosted by the Black Arts Museum. From 2 to 4 p.m., Empower You Edutainment will present a live musical performance. Visit* [*raincrossgazette.com*](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/songs-of-freedom-music-of-resitence-joy/19023327/2026-06-19T11) *for more information.* *By Erik Chen* ### From Family Farm to Nonprofit: The Ungers Are Growing Opportunity in Riverside URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-family-farm-to-nonprofit-the-ungers-are-growing-opportunity-in-riverside/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:04:51.000Z Gable Farms grew from YouTube videos and farming books. Located along Victoria Avenue in Riverside's Greenbelt, Gable Farms is a nonprofit that serves adults with cognitive disabilities. The farm is run by the Unger family: Kara, Erik, Joshuah and Kylee. Kara and Erik have spent years researching educational support for their son Joshuah, who was diagnosed with autism. When Joshuah aged out of the school system, they built the farm around his love of farming, which later became a nonprofit. The farm welcomes cognitively disabled students from the local school district. Erik said the farm gives participants a chance to get outside and contribute based on their individual capabilities. Before purchasing the land, Erik taught himself how to farm through watching YouTube videos and reading books. "I needed to learn how to farm, not just farm, but farm in Riverside," he said. The family found the property after living in Corona and slowly developed it into the farm it is today. Erik said it was difficult to find resources for farming in Southern California's dry climate, so he looked to farms in similar climates, like Arizona. He participated in a workshop in Mesa, Arizona, at a farm named Steadfast Farm. Erik shared that through trial and error he was able to learn how to farm. "If you have a problem growing something right now, maybe you're growing it at the wrong time," he said. It was a constant game Erik had to play with California's heat. "The hardest time to grow is in August and September, it's too hot for most plants," he said. "But in wintertime you grow the right crops." The farm has sold crops to the Riverside Food Hub and the Inland Empire Food Bank, where the produce goes to food pantries and shelters. The farm's team has grown to include Samantha Barnes, who sought out the farm after developing an interest in farming. "He (Erik) basically taught me everything I needed to know about growing," Barnes said. As farm manager, Barnes oversees the farm beds, coordinates visiting groups and cares for participants. "Being a farm manager is not something I would expect to be doing at this point of my life," Barnes said. "It's been amazing." Kylee, the family's daughter, learned to grow flowers using the same self-taught methods as her father. The farm recently opened a store selling crops and flowers. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/3.jpg) Scenes from Gable Farms, a nonprofit working farm and day program for adults with cognitive disabilities at 10501 Victoria Avenue in Riverside's Historic Citrus Preserve. (Marissa Perez) **More information:* Gable Farms is located at 10501 Victoria Avenue, Riverside. Follow the farm on* [*Instagram*](https://www.instagram.com/gable%5Ffarms/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* Open limited days and hours. *By Marissa Perez* ### 🗞️ Riverside News- June 15, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-15-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:16.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-8-3.jpg) [****MAGIC UNDERGROUND**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/magic-underground/19066036/2026-06-20T18), a new monthly Magic series featuring world-class magicians in Downtown, returns on June 20th featuring ****Adam Wylie** **(The Magic Castle, The CW’s Masters of Illusion)*. Special for Riverside Gazette subscribers, receive 10% off tickets with Discount Code: ****GAZETTE10**. (June 20th show only). Two performances only, 6:30pm & 8:30pm. Experience up close magic in an intimate environment with only 50 seats per performance! **Monday Gazette: June 15, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday!** There's something about the start of a new week that feels like a clean slate. Whatever last week looked like, today is a fresh start: new stories, new possibilities, and plenty happening around the city to keep things interesting. It's a toasty one out there, so stay cool and stay hydrated as you dive in. We're glad you're starting your week with us. Let's get into it. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260615)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260615&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## This Week in City Hall: June 15, 2026 In late additions to Tuesday's agenda, the Council will consider "public employee discipline" of the City Manager, whose wife has filed a claim against the city, and appoint a new City Attorney. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-7-4.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-june-15-2026/) Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### City Council City Council will meet in closed and open sessions on Tuesday, June 16, in afternoon sessions at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and an evening session at 6:15 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1416169&GUID=5CCEF817-75C8-4FFD-BA38-C6D29464ADBB&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). The agenda was revised Friday afternoon, with additions that touch all three of the city's charter officers, the City Manager, City Attorney, and City Clerk, the positions the City Council appoints directly. In closed session, the Council will weigh possible discipline of City Manager Mike Futrell and consider its response to a [claim his wife, Susan Freeman, filed against the city](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/susan-freeman-files-claim-against-city-alleging-defamation-retaliation/) two days before the agenda was revised. Freeman's claim alleges defamation and First Amendment retaliation, the latest turn in a dispute between her and the city that dates to December. The Council will also waive the Sunshine Ordinance, which requires that items be posted for public review before a vote, to appoint James Johnson as City Attorney at an annual salary of $372,624 before its June 23 meeting. Johnson, currently general counsel for the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, fills a post that interim attorneys have held for roughly a year and a half, [since the previous City Attorney was placed on leave in October 2024](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-dismisses-city-attorney-phaedra-norton-without-cause/). He starts July 17. The last of the three positions added to the agenda is City Clerk, listed for a closed-session "public employee performance evaluation." Donesia Gause has held the post since 2021. The rest of the agenda includes: - Considering extending the [existing ban](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=346e57df-b05d-42d8-a9e4-ac0e6c765ca7.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on new or expanded wooden pallet storage yards by approximately 10 months to allow time for permanent zoning rules to be developed ([item 8](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5363-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a221e8d4425385c7d0021ae-8-adopt-an-urgency-ordinance-to-extend-urgency-or?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering authorizing a [state grant application](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=989b6ed5-d6c1-4754-adc4-a21d4a03458f.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) seeking $8.4 million to fund homeless encampment resolution efforts along the Magnolia Corridor ([item 20](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5363-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a221e8e4425385c7d0021c2-20-adopt-a-resolution-authorizing-the-submission?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering authorizing a [state grant application](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=6e1751f8-f18a-4dcf-95cd-337dfa4cf560.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for approximately $56,300 to fund a summer youth meal program at City libraries ([item 22](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5363-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a221e8e4425385c7d0021c6-22-authorize-california-state-library-grant-appli?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering approving a $272,000 contract for a [water cost and rate design study](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=41ee973c-76bc-4b54-9c2b-f7c43ba5db37.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that could inform future changes to water rates ([item 28](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5363-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a221e8e4425385c7d0021ce-28-approve-request-for-proposal-2494-agreement-wi?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering allocating $3 million to install public electric vehicle chargers at City facilities as part of the [Electrify Riverside program](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=bb5aad9e-d3d0-451d-a483-1282229dee33.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 29](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5363-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a221e8e4425385c7d0021cf-29-appropriate-3-dollars-000-000-from-electric-fund-low?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering approving a $1.96 million purchase of [45 electric vehicle chargers](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=30e2f443-2e18-44cc-981a-6f301647d676.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) through a waived competitive bidding process, to be reimbursed through utility program funds ([item 32](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5363-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a221e8e4425385c7d0021d4-32-waive-formal-procurement-process-per-purchasin?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Commission on Aging The Commission on Aging meets on Monday, June 15, at 4 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1415677&GUID=67769829-9E7B-4989-A9D8-06265756706F&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to receive Brown Act training (item 2), review annual updates to the commission's [Code of Ethics and Conduct](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=212fa9dd-172d-4201-95a6-f7ce76917534.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 5](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5371-commission-on-aging-revised-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a29908f442538cfbf00a084-5-annual-review-of-the-code-of-ethics-and-conduct?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and receive updates from its ad hoc committees on Senior Health, Environment, Housing, Events and Mobility ([item 6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5371-commission-on-aging-revised-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a29908f442538cfbf00a086-6-ad-hoc-committee-updates-i-housing-ii-s?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Park and Recreation Commission The Park and Recreation Commission meets on Monday, June 15, at 6:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1415678&GUID=097D7AFA-9B43-4FA8-B0F8-32228F651FF3&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review annual [Brown Act training](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=1af55223-5e74-4c9d-8f52-bf4b7c4d6f4c.pdf&From=Granicus&Format=pdf&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5372-park-and-recreation-commission-revised-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a299da7f395e76178000788-2-brown-act-training?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and the City's [Code of Ethics and Conduct](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=ef6300b5-21e3-4cb7-b7ed-cd0266a3a891.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 7](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5372-park-and-recreation-commission-revised-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a299da7f395e7617800078f-7-annual-review-of-the-code-of-ethics-and-conduct?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee The Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee (Councilmembers Perry, Conder, and Mill) meets on Wednesday, June 17, at 1 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1415526&GUID=CDB23160-7DAA-480C-9FB1-EBB48D1C40E3&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). A scheduled update on the [Fire Department's Master Plan for expansion](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15556832&GUID=CBBEB711-A128-480E-BB9B-51C5871B07CE&ref=raincrossgazette.com) was removed from the agenda this week, leaving the committee to take up a police tow fee of $70 charged to contracted tow companies. ### Cultural Heritage Board The Cultural Heritage Board meets on Wednesday, June 17, at 3:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1418238&GUID=1AE329AC-1493-424C-B735-884F33F46EEB&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider recommending City Landmark historic designation for three Riverside residences — [Lionhead](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=fbf9ad0b-e245-43e0-8fa8-a42a4bb33305.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on Rumsey Drive, [the Havens Residence](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=e187b897-418c-48d4-9127-baa434b2d966.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on Archdale Street, and [Edie](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=d1fb6577-0f6a-4a32-8244-33599221215b.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on Edith Avenue — at the request of the properties' owners (items [5](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5370-cultural-heritage-board-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a29843444253878a4005381-5-planning-case-pc-2026-00388-hd-proposal-by-j?ref=raincrossgazette.com), [6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5370-cultural-heritage-board-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a29843444253878a4005382-6-planning-case-pc-2026-00397-hd-proposal-by-n?ref=raincrossgazette.com), [7](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5370-cultural-heritage-board-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a29843444253878a4005383-7-planning-case-pc-2026-00544-hd-proposal-by-j?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and discussing a potential ordinance that would [prohibit chain link fencing](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=2be02250-698a-4471-af10-2317f2d83931.pdf&From=Granicus&Format=pdf&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on City-designated historic properties before any formal rule is drafted ([item 8](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5370-cultural-heritage-board-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a29843444253878a4005385-8-workshop-to-discuss-and-provide-feedback-on-a-p?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Economic Development Committee The Economic Development Committee (Councilmembers Robillard, Cervantes, and Hemenway) meets on Thursday, June 18, at 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1420535&GUID=6BB3BBEC-E176-4815-8812-1CB2D385E690&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider a [workforce training partnership](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=d4eb5351-3e2c-4fba-9d6a-1cd4388bb5e1.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) with two technology-focused organizations ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5369-economic-development-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a234ed0f395e79a6c004a32-2-workforce-innovation-initiative-memorandum-of?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), discussing retail implementation of the [City's Cannabis Grant Program](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=9cea92b9-d5bc-478f-8ef9-467c7c742be1.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5369-economic-development-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a234ed0f395e79a6c004a33-3-cannabis-grant-program-retail-program-implemen?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and approving a partnership to launch a [revolving loan fund](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=45696177-4763-4b11-b0d3-2d285b2f69c3.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for green technology businesses ([item 4](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5369-economic-development-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a234ed0f395e79a6c004a34-4-approve-fiscal-partnership-operating-agreement?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-june-15-2026/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260615) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600615&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Susan Freeman Files Claim Against City Alleging Defamation, Retaliation Freeman, wife of City Manager Mike Futrell, alleges the city defamed her without investigation or due process and attempted to silence her protected speech and civic engagement. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-6-6.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/susan-freeman-files-claim-against-city-alleging-defamation-retaliation/) Susan Freeman is shown alongside documents related to her government claim against the city, filed Wednesday. (Susan Freeman/ [susfree.substack.com](https://susfree.substack.com/p/today-june-10-2026-i-filed-a-claim?utm%5Fcampaign=email-half-post&r=3qbi5h&utm%5Fsource=substack&utm%5Fmedium=email)) Susan Freeman, entrepreneur and consultant married to City Manager Mike Futrell, filed a government claim against Riverside Wednesday alleging defamation, reputational harm, and First Amendment retaliation. **Why it matters:** The dispute between Freeman and city officials now involves a formal legal action — and Futrell, the city's top executive, is directly named in the conflict. **Driving the news:** Freeman's claim stems from a Dec. 11 city letter accusing her of "unwanted and harassing" contacts with city employees and implying she presented herself as "part of the city's decision-making team." Freeman calls the allegations "absolutely false, unsupported and defamatory." - "I was not interviewed. I was not given an opportunity to respond," Freeman said. **The backstory:** Futrell applied for the Pasadena city manager role in April — a move Freeman publicly encouraged — then reversed course 10 days later. At a May 5 council meeting, he said judgment "should be reserved until the full factual record is available." **Yes, but:** A government claim is a required legal step before suing a public agency in California. Filing one does not mean a lawsuit has been filed or that any allegations have been proven. **What's next:** The claim lists $1 million in damages, described as a placeholder. Freeman said she is seeking "accuracy, fairness," not only financial compensation. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/susan-freeman-files-claim-against-city-alleging-defamation-retaliation/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260615)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260615&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GARDNER GAUGE](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/gardner-gauge/) ## Opinion: Improved Weather Forecasting May Allow More Storm Water Capture While Protecting Flood Control Operations From Prado Dam to Seven Oaks, improved weather forecasting is opening a new era of water capture in Southern California [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/opinion_banner-mike_gardner-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-improved-weather-forecasting-may-allow-more-storm-water-capture-while-protecting-flood-control-operations/) New weather forecasting technologies are being explored as a way to allow flood control dams and reservoirs to also take on a water storage function in addition to their primary flood control mission. From a flood control perspective dam operators release water as quickly as they can to ensure there is room to hold future flood waters. These rapid releases are often much more water than downstream water providers can capture and move to storage for later use. This extra water flows downstream and eventually into the ocean. The Scripps Institution of Oceanography is using improved weather monitoring and forecasting technologies in a new program called Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations, or FIRO. This program provides data to flood control facility operators to allow them to confidently hold and release storm runoff more slowly while still fulfilling their primary mission of providing protection against downstream flooding. FIRO was pioneered at Lake Mendocino on the Russian River in Northern California and has allowed a 19% increase in capture of stormwater over flood control only operations of the facility. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-improved-weather-forecasting-may-allow-more-storm-water-capture-while-protecting-flood-control-operations/) --- ## Noteworthy [Riverside Plaza's Father's Day Giveaway](https://www.instagram.com/p/DZabhwNgvjm/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) ends TONIGHT at midnight, with a $300 gift card bundle from Chipotle, Cold Stone, and GameStop up for grabs — enter on Instagram by following, liking, and commenting a favorite memory. [Eric Bishop has been named permanent RCC president](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/rcc-names-eric-bishop-as-permanent-president-after-year-as-interim/), ending a nationwide search after he served as interim since August 2025, with the Board of Trustees approving the hire June 9 and his official start set for July 1. Councilmember Falcone and Mayor Lock Dawson are hosting the [final Senior Forum of the series](https://www.instagram.com/p/DZf0JYrj8Rp/?img%5Findex=1&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on Wednesday, June 24, from 10–11 a.m. at the Dales Senior Center, with Spanish and ASL interpretation available; RSVP to [2Mayor@riversideCA.gov](mailto:2Mayor@riversideCA.gov) or 951-826-5551. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-06-15T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Wildlife Encounters- IE Kids Outdoors summer camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/wildlife-encounters-ie-kids-outdoors-summer-camp/19030975/2026-06-15T09) at California State Citrus Historic Park ($175) - [Sailing SummersCool Classes](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sailing-summerscool-classes-at-fairmount-park/19150401/2026-06-15T09) at Fairmount Park - [Animal Kids Camp - Summer Sessions](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/animal-kids-camp-summer-sessions/18779521/2026-06-15T08) at Mary S. Roberts pet Adoption Center ($240) - [Gus Argenal Basketball Camps](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/gus-argenal-basketball-camps/18864711/2026-06-15T09) at Athletics & Dance Building, Johnson Family Practice Center - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-06-15T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) ### Tomorrow - [City Council](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/city-council/18431185/2026-06-16T13) at Riverside City Hall - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-06-16T19) at The Hideaway - [Orange Terrace Library | Library Mini Golf](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-terrace-library-library-mini-golf/18756628/2026-06-16T15) at Orange Terrace Library ### Save the Date - June 16: [Sailing SummersCool Classes](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sailing-summerscool-classes-at-fairmount-park/19150401/2026-06-15T09) at Fairmount Park - June 17: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-17T08) at Community Yoga Center - June 17: [Wildlife Encounters- IE Kids Outdoors summer camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/wildlife-encounters-ie-kids-outdoors-summer-camp/19030975/2026-06-17T09) at California State Citrus Historic Park ($175) - June 19: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-19T07) at Zacatecas Café - June 20: [Summer Market](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summer-market/19170328/2026-06-20T13) at Amber Leigh’s Kitchen - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### This Week in City Hall: June 15, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-june-15-2026/ Last updated: 2026-06-17T12:00:38.000Z Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### City Council City Council will meet in closed and open sessions on Tuesday, June 16, in afternoon sessions at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and an evening session at 6:15 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1416169&GUID=5CCEF817-75C8-4FFD-BA38-C6D29464ADBB&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). The agenda was revised Friday afternoon, with additions that touch all three of the city's charter officers, the City Manager, City Attorney, and City Clerk, the positions the City Council appoints directly. In closed session, the Council will weigh possible discipline of City Manager Mike Futrell and consider its response to a [claim his wife, Susan Freeman, filed against the city](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/susan-freeman-files-claim-against-city-alleging-defamation-retaliation/) two days before the agenda was revised. Freeman's claim alleges defamation and First Amendment retaliation, the latest turn in a dispute between her and the city that dates to December. The Council will also waive the Sunshine Ordinance, which requires that items be posted for public review before a vote, to appoint James Johnson as City Attorney at an annual salary of $372,624 before its June 23 meeting. Johnson, currently general counsel for the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, fills a post that interim attorneys have held for roughly a year and a half, [since the previous City Attorney was placed on leave in October 2024](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-dismisses-city-attorney-phaedra-norton-without-cause/). He starts July 17. The last of the three positions added to the agenda is City Clerk, listed for a closed-session "public employee performance evaluation." Donesia Gause has held the post since 2021. The rest of the agenda includes: - Considering extending the [existing ban](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=346e57df-b05d-42d8-a9e4-ac0e6c765ca7.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on new or expanded wooden pallet storage yards by approximately 10 months to allow time for permanent zoning rules to be developed ([item 8](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5363-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a221e8d4425385c7d0021ae-8-adopt-an-urgency-ordinance-to-extend-urgency-or?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering authorizing a [state grant application](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=989b6ed5-d6c1-4754-adc4-a21d4a03458f.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) seeking $8.4 million to fund homeless encampment resolution efforts along the Magnolia Corridor ([item 20](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5363-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a221e8e4425385c7d0021c2-20-adopt-a-resolution-authorizing-the-submission?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering authorizing a [state grant application](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=6e1751f8-f18a-4dcf-95cd-337dfa4cf560.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for approximately $56,300 to fund a summer youth meal program at City libraries ([item 22](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5363-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a221e8e4425385c7d0021c6-22-authorize-california-state-library-grant-appli?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering approving a $272,000 contract for a [water cost and rate design study](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=41ee973c-76bc-4b54-9c2b-f7c43ba5db37.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that could inform future changes to water rates ([item 28](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5363-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a221e8e4425385c7d0021ce-28-approve-request-for-proposal-2494-agreement-wi?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering allocating $3 million to install public electric vehicle chargers at City facilities as part of the [Electrify Riverside program](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=bb5aad9e-d3d0-451d-a483-1282229dee33.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 29](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5363-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a221e8e4425385c7d0021cf-29-appropriate-3-dollars-000-000-from-electric-fund-low?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). - Considering approving a $1.96 million purchase of [45 electric vehicle chargers](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=30e2f443-2e18-44cc-981a-6f301647d676.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) through a waived competitive bidding process, to be reimbursed through utility program funds ([item 32](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5363-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a221e8e4425385c7d0021d4-32-waive-formal-procurement-process-per-purchasin?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Commission on Aging The Commission on Aging meets on Monday, June 15, at 4 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1415677&GUID=67769829-9E7B-4989-A9D8-06265756706F&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to receive Brown Act training (item 2), review annual updates to the commission's [Code of Ethics and Conduct](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=212fa9dd-172d-4201-95a6-f7ce76917534.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 5](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5371-commission-on-aging-revised-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a29908f442538cfbf00a084-5-annual-review-of-the-code-of-ethics-and-conduct?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and receive updates from its ad hoc committees on Senior Health, Environment, Housing, Events and Mobility ([item 6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5371-commission-on-aging-revised-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a29908f442538cfbf00a086-6-ad-hoc-committee-updates-i-housing-ii-s?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Park and Recreation Commission The Park and Recreation Commission meets on Monday, June 15, at 6:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1415678&GUID=097D7AFA-9B43-4FA8-B0F8-32228F651FF3&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review annual [Brown Act training](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=1af55223-5e74-4c9d-8f52-bf4b7c4d6f4c.pdf&From=Granicus&Format=pdf&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5372-park-and-recreation-commission-revised-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a299da7f395e76178000788-2-brown-act-training?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and the City's [Code of Ethics and Conduct](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=ef6300b5-21e3-4cb7-b7ed-cd0266a3a891.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 7](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5372-park-and-recreation-commission-revised-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a299da7f395e7617800078f-7-annual-review-of-the-code-of-ethics-and-conduct?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee The Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee (Councilmembers Perry, Conder, and Mill) meets on Wednesday, June 17, at 1 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1415526&GUID=CDB23160-7DAA-480C-9FB1-EBB48D1C40E3&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). A scheduled update on the [Fire Department's Master Plan for expansion](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15556832&GUID=CBBEB711-A128-480E-BB9B-51C5871B07CE&ref=raincrossgazette.com) was removed from the agenda this week, leaving the committee to take up a police tow fee of $70 charged to contracted tow companies. ### Cultural Heritage Board The Cultural Heritage Board meets on Wednesday, June 17, at 3:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1418238&GUID=1AE329AC-1493-424C-B735-884F33F46EEB&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider recommending City Landmark historic designation for three Riverside residences — [Lionhead](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=fbf9ad0b-e245-43e0-8fa8-a42a4bb33305.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on Rumsey Drive, [the Havens Residence](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=e187b897-418c-48d4-9127-baa434b2d966.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on Archdale Street, and [Edie](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=d1fb6577-0f6a-4a32-8244-33599221215b.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on Edith Avenue — at the request of the properties' owners (items [5](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5370-cultural-heritage-board-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a29843444253878a4005381-5-planning-case-pc-2026-00388-hd-proposal-by-j?ref=raincrossgazette.com), [6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5370-cultural-heritage-board-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a29843444253878a4005382-6-planning-case-pc-2026-00397-hd-proposal-by-n?ref=raincrossgazette.com), [7](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5370-cultural-heritage-board-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a29843444253878a4005383-7-planning-case-pc-2026-00544-hd-proposal-by-j?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and discussing a potential ordinance that would [prohibit chain link fencing](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=2be02250-698a-4471-af10-2317f2d83931.pdf&From=Granicus&Format=pdf&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on City-designated historic properties before any formal rule is drafted ([item 8](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5370-cultural-heritage-board-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a29843444253878a4005385-8-workshop-to-discuss-and-provide-feedback-on-a-p?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Economic Development Committee The Economic Development Committee (Councilmembers Robillard, Cervantes, and Hemenway) meets on Thursday, June 18, at 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1420535&GUID=6BB3BBEC-E176-4815-8812-1CB2D385E690&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider a [workforce training partnership](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=d4eb5351-3e2c-4fba-9d6a-1cd4388bb5e1.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) with two technology-focused organizations ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5369-economic-development-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a234ed0f395e79a6c004a32-2-workforce-innovation-initiative-memorandum-of?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), discussing retail implementation of the [City's Cannabis Grant Program](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=9cea92b9-d5bc-478f-8ef9-467c7c742be1.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5369-economic-development-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a234ed0f395e79a6c004a33-3-cannabis-grant-program-retail-program-implemen?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and approving a partnership to launch a [revolving loan fund](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=45696177-4763-4b11-b0d3-2d285b2f69c3.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for green technology businesses ([item 4](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5369-economic-development-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a234ed0f395e79a6c004a34-4-approve-fiscal-partnership-operating-agreement?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Opinion: Improved Weather Forecasting May Allow More Storm Water Capture While Protecting Flood Control Operations URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-improved-weather-forecasting-may-allow-more-storm-water-capture-while-protecting-flood-control-operations/ Last updated: 2026-06-15T11:59:18.000Z New weather forecasting technologies are being explored as a way to allow flood control dams and reservoirs to also take on a water storage function in addition to their primary flood control mission. From a flood control perspective dam operators release water as quickly as they can to ensure there is room to hold future flood waters. These rapid releases are often much more water than downstream water providers can capture and move to storage for later use. This extra water flows downstream and eventually into the ocean. The Scripps Institution of Oceanography is using improved weather monitoring and forecasting technologies in a new program called Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations, or FIRO. This program provides data to flood control facility operators to allow them to confidently hold and release storm runoff more slowly while still fulfilling their primary mission of providing protection against downstream flooding. FIRO was pioneered at Lake Mendocino on the Russian River in Northern California and has allowed a 19% increase in capture of stormwater over flood control only operations of the facility. Implementing FIRO at any location is a time consuming process typically taking six to eight years to ensure that the flood control mission is not hampered and provide appropriate environmental protection. The process begins with development of a Work Plan to define the parameters of the possible operational changes. This involves the facility operator, which is often the US Army Corps of Engineers, participating water agencies, and other affected parties. Once a Work Plan is in place a Preliminary Viability Assessment is conducted. This involves limited implementation of storm water release at a slower rate than that dictated by flood control operation, monitoring of actual storm water flow vs. what the model predicted, success in capturing the slower release, and any environmental impacts. After the Preliminary Viability Assessment, a Final Viability Assessment is conducted. This involves regular delayed release of storm water at a rate downstream water providers can capture, more comparison of forecasted stormwater flow compared to actual, more examination of environmental impacts, and ultimately update of the Dam Control Manual to reflect the new mode of operation. Locally, Prado Dam, operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers, completed its Final Viability Assessment in December of 2023\. Control Manual changes to fully implement the program are pending. To date implementation of FIRO at Prado Dam is increasing beneficial storm water capture by about 10% a year. This water is percolated into the underground aquifer by Orange County Water District for use by their customers. Extra water is stored in wet years for use in dry years. Seven Oaks Dam is located upstream of Prado Dam and is also exploring implementing FIRO. Seven Oaks Dam is operated by Orange County Public Works, San Bernardino County Flood Control, Riverside County Flood Control, and Orange County Flood Control, with day to day operations by San Bernardino County Flood Control. Seven Oaks Dam is in the Preliminary Viability Assessment Stage. If Seven Oaks Dam moves into full FIRO operations as Prado Dam is about to, the Santa Ana River would be the first entire watershed in the country to be under FIRO operations. This offers the possibility of timing stormwater release from Seven Oaks so that San Bernardino and Riverside County water providers can capture as much as possible. Any extra water will flow to Prado Dam for release at a rate Orange County Water District can capture. This can happen while protecting the primary flood control function of both Seven Oaks and Prado Dams and while providing needed flow in the river for environmental protection. In the event of major runoff or predicted multiple large storms, water will be released more rapidly to protect the flood control mission of the dams. **Colorado River Update:** The Lower Basin States of Arizona, California and Nevada had previously offered a reduction of 700,000 acre feet in Colorado River diversion. They recently increased that by 1.2 million acre feet a year for two years with added participation from the country of Mexico. This represents more than half of the 4 million acre feet reduction the US Bureau of Reclamation has said is needed to sustain the river. In this most recent proposal the additional reductions in diversion would be: **Arizona** — 760 acre feet per year **California** — 440 acre feet per year **Mexico** — 250 acre feet per year **Nevada** — 50,000 acre feet per year Significantly, this latest offer recognizes a previously unquantified Native American Tribal Nation water right of 250,000 to 280,000 acre feet per year. The 1922 Colorado River Compact which made the current allocations did not quantify any Tribal Nation rights. As of this writing the upper basin States of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming seem to be holding to their position that they will not agree to any cuts from the original 1922 allocations. The new offer by the Lower Basin States and Mexico appears to be a significant concession and effort to resolve the issue. This may put pressure on the Bureau of Reclamation to push the Upper Basin States for a proposal, or to simply impose reductions on the Upper Basin states to make up the difference. Any federal mandate is likely to be challenged in court, which typically is a long, and expensive, process. We need resolution quickly or risk loss of electricity generation capability from Lake Powell and Lake Mead which will adversely affect millions of people in several western states. ### From the Kitchen Garden: June, The Summer Transition Edition URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-the-kitchen-garden-june-the-summer-transition-edition/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:04:53.000Z June is the month when Riverside gardens make a dramatic shift. Cool-season crops that thrived through winter and spring are beginning to struggle as temperatures warm up, while warm-season vegetables are finally hitting their stride. If your lettuce is suddenly shooting up flower stalks, your cilantro is blooming, or your spinach is turning bitter — don't worry, you aren't doing something wrong. That's exactly what should be happening this time of year. This is also the month when tomatoes begin to set heavy fruit, peppers start growing rapidly, and squash plants seem to double in size overnight. If we hit a sudden stretch of high temperatures, deep watering may be necessary. A well-watered garden handles heat far better than a thirsty one. Check your irrigation system now, before the hottest part of summer arrives. If you're harvesting more zucchini than your family and neighbors can eat, try shredding and freezing it for future zucchini bread or muffins. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-9-1.jpg) Vegetables from Kim's summer garden. (Kim Malstrom) ### What Are We Picking? **Vegetables:** Lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, cucumbers, beets, radishes, green onions, zucchini, summer squash, cherry tomatoes **Herbs:** Rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, parsley, sage **Flowers:** Zinnias, cosmos, sunflowers, marigolds, lavender, yarrow, daisies **Fruits:** Strawberries, early figs, lemons, limes, blackberries, raspberries Normally, early peaches, nectarines, and apricots would be ready for picking this time of year. However, after the warm winter we experienced, many trees didn't receive enough chill hours to bloom properly. No blooms means little to no fruit production this season. If your stone fruit trees are loaded this summer, consider yourself fortunate — many gardeners across our area won't be harvesting peaches, nectarines, plums, or apricots this year. ### What Are We Planting? June is all about warm-season crops. Soil temperatures are warm, nights are mild, and heat-loving vegetables will establish quickly. Focus on plants that thrive through Riverside's summer heat. **Plant now:** Tomatoes (transplants), peppers (transplants), eggplant (transplants), basil, cucumbers, zucchini, summer squash, pumpkins, melons, beans, sweet potatoes, sunflowers, zinnias, and heat-tolerant herbs. If you have empty space from harvested spring crops, don't leave bare soil exposed — that only invites weeds. Instead, add compost and immediately replant with a summer crop. Bush beans are an easy option. Want to try something new this year? Grow your own loofah sponge! They grow on a vine, so you'll need plenty of space, but the plants are beautiful, the flowers are large and yellow, and at the end of the season you'll have real sponges to use in the shower. It's a conversation starter and a garden project all in one. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-10-1.jpg) Kim showing off one of her homegrown loofah sponges. (Kim Malstrom) ### What to Watch Out For **Spider Mites:** As temperatures rise, spider mites become active on tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, and many ornamentals. Leaves develop tiny yellow speckles, and you may notice fine webbing with tiny red bugs covering your plants. *Solution:*Spray leaf undersides with a strong stream of water several times per week, and avoid letting plants become drought-stressed. **Leaf-Footed Bugs:** These pests damage tomatoes, peppers, pomegranates, squash, and other fruits and vegetables by piercing them with their needle-like mouths and sucking out the juices. Their feeding causes discoloration, scarring, and misshapen fruit. *Solution:* Hand-pick adults, remove clusters of bright red-orange nymphs before they mature, and introduce beneficial insects that attack their eggs. Catching them early is key. **Tomato Blossom End Rot:** You may notice dark, sunken spots forming on the bottoms of developing tomatoes. This is usually caused by inconsistent watering rather than disease. *Solution:* Water deeply and consistently, and mulch around plants to help maintain even soil moisture. **Squash Vine Borers:** Squash plants may suddenly wilt even when the soil is moist. Check stems near the base for small entry holes. *Solution:* Inspect plants regularly, remove affected portions if caught early, and consider covering young plants with insect netting until flowering begins. ### Gardener's To-Do List - Remove bolting lettuce, cilantro, and other cool-season crops to make room for summer vegetables. - Add 1–2 inches of compost to harvested beds before replanting with warm-season crops. - Inspect irrigation systems weekly and adjust watering schedules as temperatures increase. - Mulch vegetable beds with 2–3 inches of straw, wood chips, or shredded leaves to reduce evaporation and suppress weeds. - Support heavy tomato growth by tying plants to stakes or cages before branches become loaded with fruit. - Harvest zucchini, cucumbers, and beans regularly to encourage continued production throughout summer. ### Closing Tip One of Riverside's greatest gardening advantages is our exceptionally long growing season. While much of the country is just getting started, we're already harvesting and planting at the same time. If you missed planting your garden this spring, you're in luck — it's not too late! Focus on what grows well in the season you're in. As we head into the hottest part of the year, now is the perfect time to plant heat-loving crops like tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, melons, and beans. Take advantage of every empty space and keep something growing year-round. **Pro tip:** Before the first major heat wave arrives, add mulch to every garden bed. It's one of the simplest things you can do to reduce watering needs, protect soil life, and keep plants productive through summer. **More information:* Kim Malstrom designs, installs, and teaches vegetable gardens for beginners and families in Riverside. To learn more, visit* [*kitchengardensbykim.com*](https://kitchengardensbykim.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*or follow along on Instagram at* [*@kitchengardensbykim*](https://www.instagram.com/kitchengardensbykim/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### 🗞️ Riverside News- June 14, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-14-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:17.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-5.jpg) A big thank you to Scott M. Rich for sharing these photos of his mother, Lorna Rich, at Mount Rubidoux's Peace Tower and Friendship Bridge — taken March 10, 1942, the day the family relocated to Riverside after being evacuated from Hawaii following December 7, 1941\. (Scott M. Rich) **Sunday Gazette: June 14, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday!** This week's *Snapshot Sunday* comes with a story. The photos above show Lorna Rich at Mount Rubidoux on March 10, 1942 — the day her family arrived in Riverside after being evacuated from Hawaii following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Her son Scott shared them with us, and we're so glad he did. Your old photos carry stories like this one. If you've got something tucked away, we'd love to see it. [Send us your photo and tell us a little about it.](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) See you tomorrow! --- 🧡 Thank you to the Subscribers who became paid supporters this week: Barbara Ann Burns, Sandy Hardina, and Elizabeth Miller. [Your ongoing financial support](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-march-15-2026-2/#/portal/account/plans) is vital to our success in serving Riverside with the news it deserves! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260614)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260614&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GARDENING](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/gardening/) ## From the Kitchen Garden: June, The Summer Transition Edition Tips on what to plant, when to pick, and what to watch out for in your home garden. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-11-2.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-the-kitchen-garden-june-the-summer-transition-edition/) Raincross Gazette reader Barbara Bennett and husband Steve Walag in their newly installed and planted garden by Kitchen Gardens by Kim. (Kim Malstrom) June is the month when Riverside gardens make a dramatic shift. Cool-season crops that thrived through winter and spring are beginning to struggle as temperatures warm up, while warm-season vegetables are finally hitting their stride. If your lettuce is suddenly shooting up flower stalks, your cilantro is blooming, or your spinach is turning bitter — don't worry, you aren't doing something wrong. That's exactly what should be happening this time of year. This is also the month when tomatoes begin to set heavy fruit, peppers start growing rapidly, and squash plants seem to double in size overnight. If we hit a sudden stretch of high temperatures, deep watering may be necessary. A well-watered garden handles heat far better than a thirsty one. Check your irrigation system now, before the hottest part of summer arrives. If you're harvesting more zucchini than your family and neighbors can eat, try shredding and freezing it for future zucchini bread or muffins. [Read and share the complete June Garden Guide...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-the-kitchen-garden-june-the-summer-transition-edition/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260614)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260614&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [NEIGHBOR OF THE WEEK](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/neighbor-of-the-week/) ## Neighbor of the Week: Jill Johnson-Young Neighbor of the Week is a series profiling the hidden heroes of Riverside, doing incredible works of service throughout our different neighborhoods. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-4-6.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-jill-johnson-young/) Jill Johnson-Young in her office at Central Counseling Services, where the bookshelves behind her reflect a career spent helping others navigate grief, loss, and life's hardest passages. (Brenda Flowers) Jill Johnson-Young knows grief the way only someone who has lived it can. A licensed clinical social worker, a widow twice over before the age of 50, she has spent her career walking alongside people in the hardest seasons of their lives — through dementia, terminal illness, and loss. That experience isn't incidental to her work. It's the foundation of it. A Riverside native and North High graduate who later earned her degree from UCR, Jill co-owns Central Counseling Services, a group mental health practice with locations in Riverside and Murrieta, alongside its nonprofit arm, CCS Education and Wellness. Both grew out of long careers in child welfare and adoptions, but Jill's path took a decisive turn through hospice care, where she spent 15 years as both a social worker and clinical director. It was in hospice work that she saw, again and again, families blindsided by a reality most people don't know: dementia is a terminal illness. That recognition drove her to start a dementia support group 17 years ago — one that continues today as a monthly online gathering and has grown into a training ground for CCS students and a resource for therapists across the region. Grief is the other pillar of her practice. Every Friday, she hosts the Friday Grief Chat on Facebook alongside a colleague in Illinois — a wide-ranging conversation about all things grief, including interviews with practitioners, researchers, and advocates from around the country. The two recently returned from presenting together at the International Death, Grief and Bereavement Conference. Jill also speaks nationally and locally on end-of-life topics, dementia, and grief support. ("A big room," she says, "is like recess for me.") Her community roots run deep. She is the daughter of a UCR founding chemistry faculty member who became Graduate Dean and a mother who was a force in local volunteer life — involved in adult day care that became Care Connexxus, in helping women escape domestic violence, and in the establishment of Highland Park. Those roots show in how Jill lives. She is active at First Congregational Church of Riverside downtown, engaged in local wildlands and wildfire preparedness advocacy, and connected to a network of Riverside organizations serving vulnerable neighbors. CCS Education and Wellness students are currently working alongside Project Food, the Riverside Free Clinic, and Family Promise. She dreams, still, of a hospice facility where terminally ill unhoused people could receive care alongside their pets — without having to leave at 7 a.m. At home on the hillside near Box Springs, she and her family keep watch over their city, tend a garden, and make a habit of rescuing senior dogs who have been overlooked. [Get to know Jill...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-jill-johnson-young/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260614) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260614&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CREATIVE PROMPTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/creative-prompts/) ## Hold My Spot A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns. [![an open book with a folded piece of paper sticking out of it](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1707256786130-6d028236813f?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDE0NXx8Ym9va21hcmtzJTIwfGVufDB8fHx8MTc4MTIxODU1Nnww&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/hold-my-spot/) ([John Vid](https://unsplash.com/@vanvid?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) This week, we’re staying in the same general neighborhood of paper and memory, but moving from “Wish you were here” to “I am here.” Our creative nudge is a bookmark. I own plenty of bookmarks; they are nearly effortless to acquire. I find them in bookstores, gift shops, libraries, and sometimes tucked into used books like tiny time travelers from someone else’s reading life. I like them. I keep them. I save them in responsible little stacks. And yet, the moment I need one, every bookmark I own goes into hiding. I assume they gather somewhere under the furniture, laughing at me while I reach for whatever is nearby: a napkin, a receipt, a business card, or once, in a moment of questionable literary improvisation, a raw angel hair pasta noodle. Not recommended. [Read and share the complete prompt...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/hold-my-spot/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Sunday, June 14 - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-06-14T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Day Dream Brunch & Day Party Presents "The Cookout](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/day-dream-brunch-day-party-presents-the-cookout/19088127/2026-06-14T14) at Downtown Experiment - [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-14T08) at Community Yoga Center - [Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) 3-day course](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/community-emergency-response-team-cert-3day-course/18899399/2026-06-14T08) at City of Riverside Emergency Operations Center - ["The Miscast Show"](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-miscast-show/19030217/2026-06-14T13) at The Box Riverside ($20- $25) - [Sunday Experiment After Dark](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sunday-experiment-after-dark/14528750/2026-06-14T21) at Downtown Experiment ### Monday, June 15 - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-06-15T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Wildlife Encounters- IE Kids Outdoors summer camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/wildlife-encounters-ie-kids-outdoors-summer-camp/19030975/2026-06-15T09) at California State Citrus Historic Park ($175) - [Sailing SummersCool Classes](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sailing-summerscool-classes-at-fairmount-park/19150401/2026-06-15T09) at Fairmount Park - [Animal Kids Camp - Summer Sessions](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/animal-kids-camp-summer-sessions/18779521/2026-06-15T08) at Mary S. Roberts pet Adoption Center ($240) - [Gus Argenal Basketball Camps](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/gus-argenal-basketball-camps/18864711/2026-06-15T09) at Athletics & Dance Building, Johnson Family Practice Center - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-06-15T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) ### Tuesday, June 16 - [City Council](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/city-council/18431185/2026-06-16T13) at Riverside City Hall - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-06-16T19) at The Hideaway - [Orange Terrace Library | Library Mini Golf](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-terrace-library-library-mini-golf/18756628/2026-06-16T15) at Orange Terrace Library ### Wednesday, June 17 - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-06-17T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-06-17T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [About Writing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/about-writing/18335813/2026-06-17T10) at Janet Goeske Center - [Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/safety-wellness-and-youth-committee/18584291/2026-06-17T13) at Riverside City Hall - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-06-17T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) ### Thursday, June 18 - [Economic Development Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/economic-development-committee/18642990/2026-06-18T15) at Riverside City Hall - [Riskfetti Book Launch & Happy Hour Event](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riskfetti-book-launch-happy-hour-event/18685284/2026-06-18T17) at Zacatecas Café - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-06-18T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) ### Friday, June 19 - [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-19T07) at Zacatecas Café - [100 Years From Mississippi](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/100-years-from-mississippi/18974369/2026-06-19T19) at Culver Center of the Arts - [3RD ANNUAL GOTH PROM](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/3rd-annual-goth-prom/18842023/2026-06-19T20) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($10) - [The Cottage by Sandy Rustin](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-cottage-by-sandy-rustin/19102230/2026-06-19T19) at Riverside Community Players ($20- $25) - [Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-and-heroes-walking-tour/17901085/2026-06-19T15) at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18) - [Juneteenth at the Civil Rights Institute](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/juneteenth-at-the-civil-rights-institute/19066744/2026-06-19T11) at Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California - [Songs of Freedom:Music of Resitence & Joy](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/songs-of-freedommusic-of-resitence-joy/19023327/2026-06-19T11) at Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California - [The Steven Universe Table Read For Charity: Back to the Grind](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-steven-universe-table-read-for-charity-back-to-the-grind/19088146/2026-06-19T19) at Back to the Grind ($17.85) - [Vinyl Williams](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vinyl-williams/18374490/2026-06-19T18) at Farm House Collective ### Saturday, June 20 - [Low-Cost Vaccination Clinic](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/lowcost-vaccination-clinic/19030194/2026-06-20T09) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($10- $28) - [Summer Market](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/summer-market/19170328/2026-06-20T13) at Amber Leigh’s Kitchen - [Mt. Rubidoux Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mt-rubidoux-walking-tour/18884790/2026-06-20T08) at Mt. Rubidoux Trailhead, a short walk from Ryan Bonaminio Park. ($21.20) - [ASCO: Without Permission - Screening and Panel Discussion](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/asco-without-permission-screening-and-panel-discussion/19113900/2026-06-20T18) at Riverside Art Museum - [Journey USA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/journey-usa/18501489/2026-06-20T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [MAGIC UNDERGROUND](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/magic-underground/19066036/2026-06-20T18) at Back to the Grind ($30- $45) - [Riverside Pride Bar Crawl](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-pride-bar-crawl/17713996/2026-06-20T16) at Palenque kitchen by Mezcal ### Save the Date - June 21: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-21T08) at Community Yoga Center - June 26: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-26T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Neighbor of the Week: Jill Johnson-Young URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-jill-johnson-young/ Last updated: 2026-06-16T12:00:15.000Z Jill Johnson-Young knows grief the way only someone who has lived it can. A licensed clinical social worker, a widow twice over before the age of 50, she has spent her career walking alongside people in the hardest seasons of their lives — through dementia, terminal illness, and loss. That experience isn't incidental to her work. It's the foundation of it. A Riverside native and North High graduate who later earned her degree from UCR, Jill co-owns Central Counseling Services, a group mental health practice with locations in Riverside and Murrieta, alongside its nonprofit arm, CCS Education and Wellness. Both grew out of long careers in child welfare and adoptions, but Jill's path took a decisive turn through hospice care, where she spent 15 years as both a social worker and clinical director. It was in hospice work that she saw, again and again, families blindsided by a reality most people don't know: dementia is a terminal illness. That recognition drove her to start a dementia support group 17 years ago — one that continues today as a monthly online gathering and has grown into a training ground for CCS students and a resource for therapists across the region. Grief is the other pillar of her practice. Every Friday, she hosts the Friday Grief Chat on Facebook alongside a colleague in Illinois — a wide-ranging conversation about all things grief, including interviews with practitioners, researchers, and advocates from around the country. The two recently returned from presenting together at the International Death, Grief and Bereavement Conference. Jill also speaks nationally and locally on end-of-life topics, dementia, and grief support. ("A big room," she says, "is like recess for me.") Her community roots run deep. She is the daughter of a UCR founding chemistry faculty member who became Graduate Dean and a mother who was a force in local volunteer life — involved in adult day care that became Care Connexxus, in helping women escape domestic violence, and in the establishment of Highland Park. Those roots show in how Jill lives. She is active at First Congregational Church of Riverside downtown, engaged in local wildlands and wildfire preparedness advocacy, and connected to a network of Riverside organizations serving vulnerable neighbors. CCS Education and Wellness students are currently working alongside Project Food, the Riverside Free Clinic, and Family Promise. She dreams, still, of a hospice facility where terminally ill unhoused people could receive care alongside their pets — without having to leave at 7 a.m. At home on the hillside near Box Springs, she and her family keep watch over their city, tend a garden, and make a habit of rescuing senior dogs who have been overlooked. --- **What does Riverside mean to you?** Riverside is truly home. I did leave for a decade, and then we came home, where we belonged. I now live in the home next door to my childhood home, and the next-doors who lived there when I was a child still come to visit. It's where my church is. It's where my two late wives are interred in Evergreen, along with my grandparents. It's where we raised our kids. It meant a childhood riding bikes by the library at UCR, where my dad was on the beginning faculty of O Chem, and climbing Big Sugarloaf. It's where I still have people walk up and ask if I am Margaret's daughter, and where I watched my nieces and daughters graduate from North, just like we did, and where we have an amazing alumni association that supports decades of grads. And it's where you know you are home when you see the wooly mammoth on the hill, or Big C. We are still a small town, even though we have grown much bigger. **What is your Mt. Rubidoux summit count (estimated)?** Oh my gosh. I'm a lifer here. 75? More? **What is your favorite restaurant outside of Downtown or Magnolia Center?** Templo Del Sol on University. **What is the most beautiful building in Riverside?** First Congregational Church (I may have a bias on that one!). **What is your favorite Riverside small business?** Mrs. Tiggy Winkles — magic! And they carry my books without me asking. **What is your favorite Riverside non-profit organization?** In addition to CCS E&W, the free shower program and Family Promise. And the Riverside Free Clinic. And Project Food. Can you tell I'm a social worker? **The Festival of Lights: Every year on opening night or maybe on a Tuesday?** Wednesday after Project Food. **What is your go-to sandwich in town?** Butch's Grinders for the turkey on brown bread. (Except I can't eat it, only my family.) Can we have a celiac restaurant in town soonish? **What is your idea of a perfect weekend day in Riverside?** Time in my garden. Time at Parkview Nursery. Wandering in the Botanic Gardens or a drive through Fairmont Park. I may have to add the swan boats now. Time in the backyard with friends and neighbors and the Oodles. **What is your favorite spot for a date night?** Pizza in the backyard. (It's a celiac thing.) **Do you call it the Galleria or Tyler Mall?** Tyler Mall. Always. **What is one place in Riverside you would bring back if you could?** The Plum Tree at the mall; Coco's on Central. **If you could put one message on a billboard on the 91, what would it be?** Welcome to Riverside — no matter how big, we are still a small town. **Finally, tell us what you're working on right now and how our readers can support your efforts — whether it's a project, passion, or cause close to your heart!** My passions are connecting people — dementia support and making Riverside safer for those facing dementia in their families. Grief support — helping folks see it is not only okay, it is absolutely okay to ask for help. Connecting more folks to the Friday Grief Chat on Facebook: [www.facebook.com/fridaygriefchat](https://www.facebook.com/fridaygriefchat). Services for our unhoused neighbors — letting the community know that CCS Education and Wellness offers low-cost to no-cost mental health services, increasing food donations for both our little food pantry and Project Food, including pet food. That includes my pipe dream of a hospice facility where terminally ill unhoused people can stay, with their pets, have the equipment they need, and not have to leave at 7 a.m. Increasing adoptions of senior pets who are overlooked and instead die in a loud and scary shelter. It's all connected — it's all about connecting those who are facing tough things to support, and a friendly voice without fear of costs, especially in the current economy. *Neighbor of the Week is our way of celebrating the hidden heroes of Riverside—those who go above and beyond to make our community stronger, kinder, and more vibrant. We believe every remarkable Riversider deserves their story told. Know someone who’s making a difference?* [*Nominate a Neighbor of the Week*](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) ### 🍊Your Riverside Weekend- June 13, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/your-riverside-weekend-june-13-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:18.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/02/_DSC5738.jpg) **Your Riverside Weekend- June 13, 2026** **Happy Saturday, Riverside!** We hope your week treated you well. Before you head into your weekend, we've gathered the stories that defined life in our city this week — from City Hall to community happenings. You're in the right place to catch up — your weekend starts here. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260613)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260613&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [Two Former Mayors, Two Parties: What Makes a Great CouncilmemberTo launch a new monthly column on disagreeing better, we asked Dr. Ron Loveridge and Rusty Bailey what they look for in a councilmember.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-7ddb0d14-bd5e-4ad8-a2f9-09797998c47a.png)The Raincross GazetteCommunity Contributor![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/bacolumn-mayors-33b2053e-9a51-40f1-868c-e71f0fe773b3.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/two-former-mayors-two-parties-what-makes-a-great-councilmember/) [Riverside Pro Soccer Hosts World Cup Watch Party SeriesThree free events at Route 30 Brewing and The Barn at UCR double as community outreach for the city’s future USL club.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-5df97f7c-1fe5-46a3-b13f-86c64b74fced.png)The Raincross GazetteKen Crawford![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1637203727700-9d86c74904d6-fd85ff1b-ee80-49a8-ae73-cca81a6ae5e5)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-pro-soccer-hosts-world-cup-watch-party-series/) [‘It’s Toxic’: Mayor Calls for Independent Review of City Department After Alleged Vendor HarassmentAn internal investigation found two code enforcement supervisors spent years allegedly harassing immigrant street vendors, including entering homes without warrants and seizing property.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-aafb2c72-ce2e-46bf-a07d-b21504c3eec3.png)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-8-1-243e35e6-0cde-4846-8676-c8c157a9484d.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/its-toxic-mayor-calls-for-audit-of-city-department-after-alleged-vendor-harassment/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260613)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260613&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [Susan Freeman Files Claim Against City Alleging Defamation, RetaliationFreeman, wife of City Manager Mike Futrell, alleges the city defamed her without investigation or due process and attempted to silence her protected speech and civic engagement.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-a6564986-f198-4b3e-88cb-d4b33f32f145.png)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-6-5-0098f92c-d2bf-4d4b-9425-d1c357cc5784.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/susan-freeman-files-claim-against-city-alleging-defamation-retaliation/) [Riverside Pro Soccer Hosts World Cup Watch Party SeriesThree free events at Route 30 Brewing and The Barn at UCR double as community outreach for the city’s future USL club.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-5df97f7c-1fe5-46a3-b13f-86c64b74fced.png)The Raincross GazetteKen Crawford![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1637203727700-9d86c74904d6-fd85ff1b-ee80-49a8-ae73-cca81a6ae5e5)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-pro-soccer-hosts-world-cup-watch-party-series/) [Inspector General Search Advances to Interview StageThe city is working with its executive recruiter to finalize interview dates for a position created after voters approved Measure L in 2024.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-0689258d-b95f-456a-b999-3ab9f36994cb.png)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-3-3e988472-7a32-4121-9b28-79b64755666d.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/inspector-general-search-advances-to-interview-stage/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260613) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260613&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Weather Forecast ☀️ Sunday, June 14 — 94° / 65° · Sunny ☀️ Monday, June 15 — 94° / 65° · Sunny 🌤️ Tuesday, June 16 — 95° / 65° · Mostly Sunny ⛅ Wednesday, June 17 — 92° / 63° · Partly Cloudy ☀️ Thursday, June 18 — 87° / 60° · Sunny ☀️ Friday, June 19 — 85° / 59° · Sunny ☀️ Saturday, June 20 — 86° / 59° · Sunny 🌡️ *Mid-90s to start, a brief cloudy break mid-week, then a comfortable stretch to close — summer is settling in nicely.* --- ## 💬 Staff Picks — What we're talking about around the Gazette this week 💙 **Justin** is looking forward to having his entire family back under one roof tonight after camps, visits with family, sleepovers and other summer activities have split them all up for over two weeks. ❄️ **Amy** has a lot to be thankful for this weekend — and right now, AC and fans are at the top of the list. --- ## Save the Date - June 14: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-14T08) at Riverside - June 15: [Wildlife Encounters- IE Kids Outdoors summer camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/wildlife-encounters-ie-kids-outdoors-summer-camp/19030975/2026-06-15T09) at California State Citrus Historic Park ($175) - June 15: [Sailing SummersCool Classes](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sailing-summerscool-classes-at-fairmount-park/19150401/2026-06-15T09) at Fairmount Park - June 19: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-19T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Hold My Spot URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/hold-my-spot/ Last updated: 2026-06-13T12:00:24.000Z Welcome back, you postal ponderers and vacation correspondents. [Last week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/post-modern/) we sent our imaginations out into the world on postcards—brief missives of scenery, weather reports, and emotional expressions. Did you write to someone from a place you invented? Cut up a few postcards and reassemble them for a new perspective on place and being? Perhaps a hunger drive inspired a snack menu for a long road trip? However far your postcard traveled, I hope it delivered a few minutes of creative play. This week, we’re staying in the same general neighborhood of paper and memory, but moving from “Wish you were here” to “I am here.” Our creative nudge is a bookmark. I own plenty of bookmarks; they are nearly effortless to acquire. I find them in bookstores, gift shops, libraries, and sometimes tucked into used books like tiny time travelers from someone else’s reading life. I like them. I keep them. I save them in responsible little stacks. And yet, the moment I need one, every bookmark I own goes into hiding. I assume they gather somewhere under the furniture, laughing at me while I reach for whatever is nearby: a napkin, a receipt, a business card, or once, in a moment of questionable literary improvisation, a raw angel hair pasta noodle. Not recommended. I use digital books too. Shout out to Libby and the Riverside Public Library; making it possible to borrow books without finding pants or parking. I listen to audiobooks, where the bookmark is an invisible timestamp. I appreciate these choices I get to make. I am not anti-technology. After all, I am typing this on a machine that contains more computing power than the systems used to send people to the moon half a century ago, and I mostly use it to look up whether a word is hyphenated. I enjoy using old technologies. They help me make sense of new ones. A bookmark is a memory saving device. Many times I’ve tried just “remembering the page number.” That works about 50% of the time. Bookmarks work 100% of the time unless human error is involved, and human error is often nearby in my household. A bookmark needs no battery, no two-tier login requirements, no software update, no customer service chatbot, and no subscription tier that unlocks premium page holding. It helps me remain an analog human being in a world that keeps getting automated, chrome-finished, optimized, and digitized to remove all the rough edges and minor obstacles we sometimes need in order to learn and grow. Will the bookmark become obsolete? I doubt it. We keep inventing ways to save our place because we keep needing to stop in the middle of things. Life interrupts. Notifications ding. Kids cry. Someone needs to know where the scissors went. Even in a fully digital world, we need ways to mark where we are and what deserves another look. So, find a bookmark. A real one if you can. Or appoint some flat household object to serve with honor. Then let it hold your attention for several minutes with one or more of these page-saving creative nudges: 1. **A Mark of One’s Own:** Make a bookmark designed for the book you are reading, the book you wish you were reading, or the person you wish would read more. Use cardboard, junk mail, a cereal box, or even a used postcard! Add a drawing, a quote, or a five-word book blurb. 2. **Page Turner:** Invent a wildly complicated device to replace the bookmark. Think Rube Goldberg for readers. Maybe a marble rolls down a ramp, knocks over a spoon, releases a tiny flag, and activates a fan that gently blows open the book to the correct page. Draw the machine, describe it, or build a tiny prototype from objects on your desk. Make it less convenient than a bookmark in every possible way. 3. **Bookmark Billboard:** Gather several bookmarks and repurpose them into a poster, collage, or visual map of your reading life. Arrange them by color, size, mood, or imaginary importance. Add words or drawings. What does this collection say about where your attention has been? What kind of reader does it advertise? 4. **Placetime Continuum:** Spend a few minutes thinking about the ways you are like a bookmark. Where do you hold a place for someone else? What unfinished chapter are you waiting to return to? Are you marking a spot in a relationship or project? Write a short reflection, poem, or note that begins: “I am saving this place because…” 5. **Book Learning:** Make a list of objects, phrases, or inventions that use the word “book,” then add a few new ones of your own. We already have bookends, bookworms, bookcases, and book reports. Now invent a few more: booksnack, bookshadow, bookspine-tingle…bookweather? Define your made-up word; use it in a sentence. Bonus points if you convincingly weave it into a conversation without getting called out. Good stories do not always happen in one sitting. Neither do good lives, good art, good friendships, or good ideas. Some of the best things require us to leave and come back with refreshed eyes. As our reading, writing, listening, and thinking become more digital, outsourced, and smoothed of every rough edge, it may be worth spending time with the old artifacts of literacy. Pens. Paperclips. Library cards. Bookmarks. These objects remind us that learning often happens by finding your place, losing your place, making a mark, then starting again. *This column was written with help from ChatGPT, which does not read for pleasure yet remains surprisingly enthusiastic about helping analog humans sustain a love of reading and writing.* ### Susan Freeman Files Claim Against City Alleging Defamation, Retaliation URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/susan-freeman-files-claim-against-city-alleging-defamation-retaliation/ Last updated: 2026-06-16T11:59:28.000Z Susan Freeman, entrepreneur and consultant who moved to Riverside after her husband, Mike Futrell took the role of City Manager in 2023, filed a government claim against the city on Wednesday, alleging defamation, reputational harm and First Amendment retaliation. The claim was filed through her attorney, Carol Sobel of the Law Office of Carol Sobel in Santa Monica. "My claim is about defamation and reputational harm. It is about retaliation and the First Amendment," Freeman said in a video statement released Wednesday afternoon. "It is about whether government can use official authority to stigmatize a private citizen without facts, without process, without fairness, accountability, investigation, or even an interview, not even a phone call." Freeman's claim stems from a Dec. 11 [letter](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-manager-speaks-out-as-council-evaluates-his-performance-conduct/) the city sent her in response to her Dec. 4 letter to the City Council asserting her First Amendment rights. The city's letter alleged she contacted city employees through "unwanted and harassing calls, texts, emails, comments, social media posts and other communications to city employees." The letter also alleged some city staff felt pressure to participate in Freeman's paid services, and alleged that Freeman insinuated she is "part of the city's decision-making team" despite not being a city employee. Freeman said in an April 30 Facebook post that she [encouraged Futrell to explore a position as city manager in Pasadena](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-city-manager-mike-futrell-leaving-for-pasadena/)after the conflict between her and city officials. On April 15, Futrell announced he would take the Pasadena position — a decision he [ultimately reversed 10 days later](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mike-futrell-to-remain-as-city-manager/). At a [May 5 council meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-manager-speaks-out-as-council-evaluates-his-performance-conduct/), Futrell addressed his decision and his wife's dispute. "Questions have been raised about my application to the city of Pasadena and about a letter that was sent to my home and later entered into public discussion," Futrell said. "Judgment should be reserved until the full factual record is available. Some of the allegations involve my wife and my family — they deserve the same basic fairness, the opportunity for facts, context and records to be fully reviewed before conclusions are drawn." In a [Substack post](https://susfree.substack.com/p/today-june-10-2026-i-filed-a-claim) published the same day as the filing, Freeman said the dispute had reduced her identity to a single role. "I was reduced to one role: the City Manager's wife," she wrote. "That, to me, is not just wrong." Freeman denied the letter's claims, calling them "absolutely false, unsupported and defamatory." "I was not interviewed. I was not given an opportunity to respond. I was not shown evidence substantiating their accusations, my protected speech, civic engagement, public records activity and advocacy were recast as misconduct," Freeman said. "No one even asked to see the evidence that I actually have disproving every one of the horrific claims made in that letter. That is not accountability, that is not responsibility." The claim lists $1 million in damages, though the document notes that figure is a placeholder. "Damages according to proof," the claim states, explaining that Freeman "cannot at this early stage provide a complete determination of the amount of the claim." Freeman's legal claims are grounded in the California Bane Civil Rights Act, which prohibits government entities from interfering with a person's state or federal constitutional rights through threats, intimidation or coercion, and allows private citizens to sue for damages. The act is codified under California Civil Code Section 52.1\. The claim also cites multiple provisions of the California Constitution protecting free speech, petition and due process. Freeman told the Gazette she is seeking more than financial compensation. "This is not only about damages," she said. "It is also about accuracy, fairness, and ensuring that unsupported allegations are not used to damage a private citizen's reputation or chill protected speech." Freeman also said public reporting on the dispute has been incomplete. "Some public reporting has simply repeated allegations without making sufficiently clear that I deny them and that the allegations have not been established as fact," she said. "Allegations are not findings, and complaints are not evidence. Claims are not proof." A government claim is a required legal step in California before a person can sue a public agency. Filing one does not mean a lawsuit has been filed or that the underlying allegations have been proven. ### RCC Names Eric Bishop as Permanent President After Year as Interim URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/rcc-names-eric-bishop-as-permanent-president-after-year-as-interim/ Last updated: 2026-06-15T12:00:03.000Z The Riverside Community College District Board of Trustees approved the hiring of Eric Bishop, Ed.D., as the permanent president of Riverside City College during its June 9 committee meeting. Bishop, who has served as RCC's interim president since August 2025, will officially take on the role July 1. The confirmation ends a national search that began after Bishop stepped in on an interim basis. A 16-member search committee representing faculty, classified professionals, management, and community members reviewed candidates before finalists met individually with Chancellor Wolde-Ab Isaac, Ph.D. "President Bishop's lifelong engagement in education has uniquely prepared him for his new role as president of RCC," Isaac said in a statement. "He is a driving force behind raising the standard of care at RCC and throughout the District." Board of Trustees President José Alcala added that the board "wholeheartedly supports the chancellor's selection of President Bishop to serve as the chief executive officer of RCC." Bishop first came to the district in July 2024 as interim vice chancellor of educational services before transitioning to the RCC interim presidency. He brings extensive community college experience, including 13 years at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, where he held roles spanning student services, athletics, the Fontana Campus, and legislative engagement. Before joining RCCD, Bishop served as interim vice president of enrollment management at the University of La Verne and as superintendent/president of the Ohlone Community College District, which serves Fremont and Newark, from 2020 to 2022. Bishop holds a doctorate in organizational leadership, a master's in communications, and a bachelor's in journalism, all from the University of La Verne. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- June 12, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-5-2026-co/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:19.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/IMG_6204.jpeg) An oversized sun climbs above the horizon in this view from the summit of Mount Rubidoux. (Luke López) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Friday Gazette: June 12, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Friday!** The World Cup is officially underway. Whether you're rooting for the U.S. Men's National Team ahead of their opener tomorrow, cheering on another nation, or just in it for the game, we want to see how Riverside is watching. Send us your watch party photos, your jerseys, your decorated living rooms, your favorite spots to catch a match. If you're a superfan who goes all out, we especially want to see it. [Share your photos with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and we may feature them in an upcoming edition. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=202606012)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260612&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [2026 ELECTION](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/2026-election/) ## Hernandez Appears Set to Claim Ward 6 Council Seat Luis Hernandez is on track to win the Ward 6 City Council seat vacated by the resignation of Councilmember Jim Perry, according to preliminary results from the Riverside County Registrar of Voters. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-5-4.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/hernandez-appears-set-to-claim-ward-6-council-seat/) Ward 6 candidate Luis Hernandez addresses attendees during The Raincross Gazette's candidate forum in May. (Bob Sirotnik) Luis Hernandez holds a commanding lead in Tuesday's special primary to fill the Ward 6 seat vacated by longtime Councilmember Jim Perry — but the race isn't over. **Why it matters:** If Hernandez holds above 50%, Ward 6 avoids a November runoff. If he slips, the top two finishers — likely Hernandez and Oz Puerta — head to the general election. **By the numbers:** With all seven precincts reporting, Hernandez leads with 50.36% of the vote (2,623 ballots), followed by Puerta at 28.19% and Norma Berrellez at 21.45%. Of 20,914 registered voters, 6,076 cast ballots — a turnout of 29.05%. - Mail-in and provisional ballots are still being counted and could shift the margin. **The backstory:** Perry — who has represented the ward since 2013 — announced his resignation at last week's Council meeting, citing a time-sensitive family opportunity. He had already decided against a fourth term. **What's next:** The County Registrar counts ballots through July 2; results are certified by July 10\. The 50% threshold determines whether Ward 6 gets a winner now or a runoff in November. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/hernandez-appears-set-to-claim-ward-6-council-seat/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260612)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260612&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [BUSINESS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/business/) ## Where Every Cup Tells a Story: Notebook Cafe Opens in Downtown Brothers John and Michael Leyba open a Downtown cafe rooted in guest service, a diverse menu, and a simple idea: everyone deserves a place to reset [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/IMG_7655.jpeg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/where-every-cup-tells-a-story-notebook-cafe-soft-opens-in-downtown/) A "Your New Spot" sign greets customers at the Notebook Cafe counter during the cafe's soft opening Saturday, June 6, in Downtown Riverside. (Erik Chen) Filled with the humming of conversations, woven pendant lights hanging from the ceiling, and lively music serving as the backdrop, the Notebook Cafe launched its soft opening on Saturday, June 6\. Located in the heart of Downtown, the soft opening functioned as a trial run for the business, allowing employees to experience the workflow and settle into their roles more seamlessly and efficiently. Notebook Cafe was an idea brought to life by brothers John and Michael Leyba, along with Michael's wife, Julia. By creating a comforting environment, the family hopes to provide a space where residents can momentarily step away from the challenges of daily life. "Times are tough right now—everything is expensive," co-owner John Leyba said. "Even if it's just 30 minutes, we want to be a place where people can step away, reset, and then go back to their day feeling better." [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/where-every-cup-tells-a-story-notebook-cafe-soft-opens-in-downtown/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260612) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260612&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [Adoptable Pet of the Week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag//) ## Meet Element! Meet this week’s featured furry friend from the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center. Dedicated to eliminating pet homelessness, the center provides compassionate care and facilitates adoptions for animals in need of loving homes. Find your new companion and help support their mission of humane care and responsible pet ownership. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-11.jpg)](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Element is a sweet and affectionate dog who has been winning over staff and volunteers with her gentle personality and relaxed nature. She enjoys walks, loves attention, and is always happy to earn a tasty treat or two. Element also does well with other dogs, balancing a playful spirit with a respectful approach to new canine friends. At just the right mix of gentle, fun, and loving, she's ready to find a family of her own. Come meet Element and all the adoptable pets at the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center in person. Stop by any day except Tuesdays, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., or learn more at [petsadoption.org](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Friday, June 12 - [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-12T07) at Zacatecas Café - [Eastside Library at Bordwell Park | Aztec Culture and Dance](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/eastside-library-at-bordwell-park-aztec-culture-and-dance/18788292/2026-06-12T15) at SPC Jesus S. Duran Eastside Library at Bordwell Park - [Doc Talk](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/doc-talk/18884825/2026-06-12T14) at SSgt. Salvador J. Lara Casa Blanca Library - ["The Miscast Show"](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-miscast-show/19030217/2026-06-12T19) at The Box Riverside ($20 - $25) - [Drive In Cruise Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/tuxies-drive-in-cruise-night/18584301/2026-06-12T17) at Tuxie's Drive In ### Saturday, June 13 - [Moth Madness](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/moth-madness/18898909/2026-06-13T19) at LandUse Learning Center - [Permaculture Design Training and Certificate](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/permaculture-design-training-and-certificate/17147647/2026-06-13T09) at Land Use Learning Center - [Community in Conversation: "Banished Citizens"](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/community-in-conversation-banished-citizens/19061979/2026-06-13T17) at Cellar Door Book Store - [The Altons: Show You Love Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-altons-show-you-love-tour/18501478/2026-06-13T19) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium - [The Beatles Tribute by 4 Lads from Liverpool](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-beatles-tribute-by-4-lads-from-liverpool/18120409/2026-06-13T21) at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($20.23) - [Olivewood Cemetery Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/olivewood-cemetery-tour/18884611/2026-06-13T10) at Olivewood Cemetery ($21.20) - [Painting with PRIDE, a Comedy Paint and Sip](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/painting-with-pride-a-comedy-paint-and-sip/17462033/2026-06-13T11) at BACK TO THE GRIND - [Ripperside Cinema Galore Presents: Eraserhead](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/ripperside-cinema-galore-presents-eraserhead/18842015/2026-06-13T19) at Back to the Grind ($12.51) - [ULTRA MODE a Depeche Mode Tribute 06/13](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/ultra-mode-a-depeche-mode-tribute-0613/18842016/2026-06-13T23) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($12.51 - $200) ### Saturday, June 14 - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-06-14T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Day Dream Brunch & Day Party Presents "The Cookout](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/day-dream-brunch-day-party-presents-the-cookout/19088127/2026-06-14T14) at Downtown Experiment - [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-14T08) at Riverside - [Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) 3-day course](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/community-emergency-response-team-cert-3day-course/18899399/2026-06-14T08) at City of Riverside Emergency Operations Center - ["The Miscast Show"](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-miscast-show/19030217/2026-06-14T13) at The Box Riverside ($20- $25) - [Sunday Experiment After Dark](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sunday-experiment-after-dark/14528750/2026-06-14T21) at Downtown Experiment ### Save the Date - June 15: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-15T08) at Community Yoga Center - June 15: [Wildlife Encounters- IE Kids Outdoors summer camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/wildlife-encounters-ie-kids-outdoors-summer-camp/19030975/2026-06-15T09) at California State Citrus Historic Park ($175) - June 19: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-19T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ✏️ ****Correction:** In yesterday's story and newsletter "Ward 6 Councilmember Jim Perry Resigns, Citing Family Opportunity," we incorrectly stated the vote totals and percentages for the Riverside City Council Ward 6 race. The story has been updated with the correct figures. We apologize for the error. ### Where Every Cup Tells a Story: Notebook Cafe Opens in Downtown URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/where-every-cup-tells-a-story-notebook-cafe-opens-in-downtown/ Last updated: 2026-06-14T12:00:33.000Z Filled with the humming of conversations, woven pendant lights hanging from the ceiling, and lively music serving as the backdrop, the Notebook Cafe launched its soft opening on Saturday, June 6\. Located in the heart of Downtown, the soft opening functioned as a trial run for the business, allowing employees to experience the workflow and settle into their roles more seamlessly and efficiently. Notebook Cafe was an idea brought to life by brothers John and Michael Leyba, along with Michael's wife, Julia. By creating a comforting environment, the family hopes to provide a space where residents can momentarily step away from the challenges of daily life. "Times are tough right now—everything is expensive," co-owner John Leyba said. "Even if it's just 30 minutes, we want to be a place where people can step away, reset, and then go back to their day feeling better." At first glance, one thing that may catch a customer's eye is the cafe's name. While it may be easily mistaken for a reference to the popular film The Notebook, the name instead reflects the idea of versatility. Like a notebook, the space is meant to serve multiple purposes—from enjoying drinks to relaxing or getting work done. "We were thinking about how a notebook is something everyone uses," Leyba said. "You can journal in it, take notes for school, write things for work—it's multipurpose and universal. So the cafe becomes that kind of environment—a place for whatever you need." One of the most enticing aspects of the cafe is its diverse menu, helping it stand out among the many coffee shops in the area. With over 30 drink options and a variety of food items, customers are likely to find something that suits their tastes. "The options make the cafe stand out, for sure," customers Sandra Rodriguez and Sam Vasquez said. "They have things like refreshers and kid-friendly choices, which a lot of places don't. You can always try something new instead of ordering the same thing every time. We ordered a little bit of everything—we got avocado toast, cheesecake, matcha, a banana latte, and a pistachio latte." Across the board, several food items quickly emerged as clear fan favorites. Popular drinks include the banana cream matcha, vanilla latte, pistachio latte, and café de olla cold brew. On the food side, avocado toast, sandwiches, and cheesecake stood out among customers. "My favorite was definitely the banana latte," Vasquez said. "I get banana coffees everywhere, and this is honestly the best one I've had. It's not too sweet—it's really smooth. But everything was good." Many customers traveled long distances to attend the soft opening. "We drove about an hour and twenty minutes from Orange County to get here," Rodriguez said. "It was definitely worth it. We are coming back for sure." With Riverside already home to a wide range of coffee shops, standing out in a competitive market requires businesses to establish a clear identity. For Notebook Cafe in particular, that identity centers on community and connection. "Every cafe has its own identity, but for us, it's about quality, experience, and guest service," Leyba said. "We don't even like saying 'customer service'—we say 'guest service,' because we want people to feel like family. We want to get to know them and create a welcoming environment." Since the soft opening, reception has been overwhelmingly positive, with customers praising the interior design, menu variety, and overall atmosphere. "I want them to feel the appreciation and love we have for this place," Leyba said. "We want that energy to carry over to everyone who walks in." With the trial run now complete, Notebook Cafe is preparing for its grand opening on Saturday, June 13 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. As the cafe begins its first chapter, its mission remains rooted in a simple idea: that each visitor brings their own purpose, their own experience, and ultimately, their own story with them through the door. "At the end of the day, that's what this place is about," Leyba said. "Where every cup tells a story." **More information:* Notebook Cafe is located at 3512 9th St. in downtown Riverside. Follow* [*@thenotebookcafellc*](https://www.instagram.com/thenotebookcafellc/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *on Instagram for updates on the grand opening and beyond. The cafe is open seven days a week.* *By Erik Chen* ### Hernandez Appears Set to Claim Ward 6 Council Seat URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/hernandez-appears-set-to-claim-ward-6-council-seat/ Last updated: 2026-06-14T11:59:04.000Z As of Thursday evening, Hernandez leads the three-way race with 50.36% of the vote — 2,623 ballots — compared to 28.19% for Oz Puerta and 21.45% for Norma Berrellez. All seven precincts have reported. Of 20,914 registered voters in the ward, 6,076 cast ballots, with 5,208 votes counted in the race. Mail-in and provisional ballots are still being counted. Candidates must clear 50% of the vote to win outright. If no candidate reaches that threshold, the top two finishers advance to a November runoff. Hernandez, who campaigned under the slogan "Our Neighborhood. Your Voice. Community First." Hernandez did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication. The race to replace Perry comes after the longtime councilmember announced his resignation during last week's City Council meeting, citing a time-sensitive family opportunity. Perry, who has represented Ward 6 since 2013, had already decided against seeking a fourth term in January. His departure leaves a vacancy that could last weeks to months, depending on when results are certified and a successor is seated. The County Registrar will continue counting ballots through July 2, with results certified by July 10. Hernandez did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication. **More information:* Updated results are available at the* [*Riverside County Registrar of Voters website*](https://voteinfo.net/june-2-2026-primary-election?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### 🗞️ Riverside News- June 11, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-4-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:20.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/IMG_1318.jpeg) "Teach a boy to fish" — Miguel and his son Josiah make a day of it at Lake Evans in Fairmont Park, where a sizable catch made the trip worthwhile. (TJ Johnson) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Wednesday Gazette: June 11, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Thursday!** Well, summer is here — or close enough. Technically, the season doesn't officially begin until June 21, but tell that to the thermometer. It sure feels like it. We're curious: what are you looking forward to this Riverside summer? A favorite local spot you return to every year, something new you want to try, a neighborhood tradition? **Hit reply and tell us**. We'd love to hear what the season means to you. See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260611)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260611&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## 'It's Toxic': Mayor Calls for Audit of City Department After Alleged Vendor Harassment An internal investigation found two code enforcement supervisors spent years allegedly harassing immigrant street vendors, including entering homes without warrants and seizing property. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-8-2.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/its-toxic-mayor-calls-for-audit-of-city-department-after-alleged-vendor-harassment/) Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson addresses the City Council Tuesday, calling for a third-party audit of the city's Community and Economic Development Department following an internal report alleging years of harassment of street vendors. Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson has called for a top-to-bottom audit of the city's Community and Economic Development Department following an investigation alleging years of criminal misconduct by code enforcement supervisors against street vendors. **Why it matters:** A city-commissioned investigation describes years of alleged harassment — warrantless home entries, property seizures, physical altercations — targeting vendors who were disproportionately Latino or Asian, may have been undocumented, and were often reluctant to report mistreatment. **Driving the news:** The Los Angeles Times reported last week on a city-commissioned investigation naming two former code enforcement supervisors, Mark Ilagan and Mark Hernandez, who allegedly spent years harassing immigrant vendors. The report accuses them of possible theft, robbery, kidnapping, unlawful entry and impersonating a peace officer. Both men no longer work for the city. **What the mayor said:** Lock Dawson called the department "toxic" at Tuesday's City Council meeting and demanded a third-party audit. - "Two directors terminated in five years...recurring anonymous complaints...documented malfeasance," she said, adding the dysfunction spans more than a decade. **What's being asked:** Public Counsel attorney Cassidy Bennett urged the city to suspend street vendor code enforcement, return seized property, refund fines and fees, and issue a public apology. **What's next:** Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes, who co-championed Riverside's 2022 street vendor ordinance, asked the Economic Development Committee to review vendor fines, fees and the ordinance itself in the coming weeks. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/its-toxic-mayor-calls-for-audit-of-city-department-after-alleged-vendor-harassment/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260611)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260611&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Ward 6 Councilmember Jim Perry Resigns, Citing Family Opportunity Perry’s resignation leaves the Ward 6 council seat vacant until the election winner is sworn in. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/Councilmember-Jim-Perry--A-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ward-6-councilmember-jim-perry-resigns-citing-family-opportunity/) Ward 6 City Councilmember Jim Perry stands along Magnolia Avenue across from the Kaiser expansion site in this May file photo. Perry, who has announced his resignation, had identified improving the Magnolia corridor as a priority. (Brenda Flowers) Ward 6 Councilmember Jim Perry is resigning within weeks to pursue a time-sensitive family opportunity — departing before his successor is determined. **Why it matters:** Ward 6 has no election winner yet, meaning the seat could sit vacant for weeks or months while ballot counting continues and results get certified. **Driving the news:** Perry announced his departure Tuesday at a City Council meeting, saying a family opportunity required an immediate decision. He's served Ward 6 since 2013 and had already decided not to seek a fourth term. **The backstory:** Three candidates ran in the June Ward 6 race. With no one topping 50%, a runoff is expected. As of June 9, Oz Puerta leads with 28.47%, Luis Hernandez trails with 22.76%, and Norma Berrellez sits at 22.58%. - The County Registrar counts ballots through July 2; results certify by July 10. **Yes, but:** Neither trailing candidate is stepping aside. Puerta says he intends "to see this race through to victory." Berrellez says she's not conceding and is "committed to fight until they officially count every vote." **What's next:** The council must address the vacancy and reassign Perry's regional posts — including the March Joint Powers Authority — once he sets a final departure date with the City Clerk. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ward-6-councilmember-jim-perry-resigns-citing-family-opportunity/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260611) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260611&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [NATURALLY RIVERSIDE](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/naturally-riverside/) ## Update: California's Oldest Tree is Protected After years of uncertainty, a legal agreement ensures the Jurupa Oak - California's oldest tree - will have room to survive for millennia more. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-6-4.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/update-californias-oldest-tree-is-protected/) Jurupa Oak is a Palmer’s oak known to be the world’s oldest living oak. (Aaron Echols) Two previous articles of Naturally Riverside featured the Jurupa Oak, California's oldest tree. At least 13,000 years old, the Jurupa Oak (sometimes known as the "Hurunga Oak") coexisted with saber-toothed cats and mastodons. It ranks among the top oldest living organisms in the world. Over the past few years, the Jurupa Oak's fate has been uncertain. A legal agreement has now made its fate secure. How did we get here? The July 2024 article described the oak and the scientific data demonstrating its advance age. Also, it explained the oak's adaptation for long-term growth, namely, withstanding fires by resprouting into a clonal shrub of hundreds of stems in a hillside blanket nearly 80 feet long. At that time, the Jurupa Valley Planning Commission had just considered the Jurupa Valley Rio Vista Specific Plan, a plan to allow more than 900 acres of residential and industrial development in the vicinity of the oak. The Jurupa Oak was the acknowledged elephant in the room. So the Commission delayed voting, asking for more detailed studies to determine how the tree gets its water, how conservation organizations would manage and protect the tree, and what size buffer area would reduce potential problems. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/update-californias-oldest-tree-is-protected/) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Electric, Water Fees May Rise 5.7% Under Inflation-Based Proposal The Board of Public Utilities voted unanimously to forward the increase to the City Council, which holds a public hearing June 23\. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/7-_DSC4139-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/electric-water-fees-may-rise-5-7-under-inflation-based-proposal/) (File photo/Raincross Gazette) Riverside's utility bills could increase this summer after the Board of Public Utilities unanimously backed a 5.7% rate hike and sent it to City Council for approval. **Why it matters:** If Council approves, higher electric and water fees take effect July 1 — meaning your utility bill goes up before the end of the month. **Driving the news:** The board voted June 8 to advance the inflation-based increase, calculated using regional CPI data from January 2024 through November 2025. - The proposal is a standalone action after Council rejected a separate plan last month that would have tied annual increases to CPI automatically. **By the numbers:** The increase would generate roughly $603,000 in new annual revenue — about $476,000 for the electric fund and $121,000 for the water fund. **The backstory:** No fee increase was brought forward for the 2025–26 budget year. Staff warned that skipping adjustments risks a steeper jump later. **Yes, but:** The proposal also includes rounding changes tied to the federal government's decision to discontinue penny production. Most fees would round to the nearest dollar; smaller charges to the nearest nickel or dime. Board members pressed staff on the methodology, and officials said each fee was documented individually. **What's next:** City Council holds a public hearing June 23. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/electric-water-fees-may-rise-5-7-under-inflation-based-proposal/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Airport Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/airport-commission/18584286/2026-06-11T15) at Riverside City Hall - [Mobility and Infrastructure Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mobility-and-infrastructure-committee/18584285/2026-06-11T13) at Riverside City Hall - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-06-11T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [TFDP Culmination Celebration](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/tfdp-culmination-celebration/16765960/2026-06-11T19) at University Theatre ### Tomorrow - [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-12T07) at Zacatecas Café - [Eastside Library at Bordwell Park | Aztec Culture and Dance](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/eastside-library-at-bordwell-park-aztec-culture-and-dance/18788292/2026-06-12T15) at SPC Jesus S. Duran Eastside Library at Bordwell Park - [Doc Talk](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/doc-talk/18884825/2026-06-12T14) at SSgt. Salvador J. Lara Casa Blanca Library - ["The Miscast Show"](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-miscast-show/19030217/2026-06-12T19) at The Box Riverside ($20 - $25) - [Drive In Cruise Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/tuxies-drive-in-cruise-night/18584301/2026-06-12T17) at Tuxie's Drive In ## Save the Date - June 14: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-14T08) at Riverside - June 15: [Wildlife Encounters- IE Kids Outdoors summer camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/wildlife-encounters-ie-kids-outdoors-summer-camp/19030975/2026-06-15T09) at California State Citrus Historic Park ($175) - June 19: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-19T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Update: California's Oldest Tree is Protected URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/update-californias-oldest-tree-is-protected/ Last updated: 2026-06-12T19:45:23.000Z Two previous articles of Naturally Riverside featured the Jurupa Oak, California's oldest tree. At least 13,000 years old, the Jurupa Oak (sometimes known as the "Hurunga Oak") coexisted with saber-toothed cats and mastodons. It ranks among the top oldest living organisms in the world. Over the past few years, the Jurupa Oak's fate has been uncertain. A legal agreement has now made its fate secure. How did we get here? The July 2024 article described the oak and the scientific data demonstrating its advance age. Also, it explained the oak's adaptation for long-term growth, namely, withstanding fires by resprouting into a clonal shrub of hundreds of stems in a hillside blanket nearly 80 feet long. At that time, the Jurupa Valley Planning Commission had just considered the Jurupa Valley Rio Vista Specific Plan, a plan to allow more than 900 acres of residential and industrial development in the vicinity of the oak. The Jurupa Oak was the acknowledged elephant in the room. So the Commission delayed voting, asking for more detailed studies to determine how the tree gets its water, how conservation organizations would manage and protect the tree, and what size buffer area would reduce potential problems. An October 2024 article updated the situation. In August 2024, the Commission approved the Plan. On Sept. 6, 2024, the Jurupa Valley City Council voted 3 to 2 to approve it with a 450-foot buffer around the plant. The complete final Environmental Impact Report was not made publicly available. Environmental groups were disappointed, citing the buffer distance as inadequate. On Oct. 4, 2024, four conservation groups sued the city of Jurupa Valley's approval of the plan: Friends of Riverside's Hills, the Center for Biological Diversity, the California Native Plants Society, and Endangered Habitats League. The focus of those groups ranged from the local to the state to the national. The suit alleged that the environmental review violates the California Environmental Quality Act. Specifically, the lawsuit questioned whether the impacts of development might be harmful to the Jurupa Oak as well as other potential environmental impacts to the immediate region. The goal of the lawsuit was not to stop development altogether but to include a 100 acre preserve. On May 12, the conservation groups and the developer reached an agreement to create a protected area and wildlife corridor to ensure protection for the oak and its associated natural community. Specifically, it expands the buffer around the oak to 1,000 feet and protects 54.7 acres of open space. The agreement also allows environmental groups or California Native American Tribes to purchase another 54.3 acres to protect even more space. As part of the agreement, the plaintiffs withdrew their suit. Environmental news is often filled with doom and gloom. Let's celebrate the opportunity for the Jurupa Oak to live even more millennia. Who knows what it will witness in its next ten thousand years? To learn more about the Jurupa Oak and to keep up with its adventures, check out the webpages of the [Friends of the Jurupa Oak](https://www.friendsofthejurupaoak.org/home?ref=raincrossgazette.com). Those pages are filled with lots of information, such as maps and pictures. ### 'It's Toxic': Mayor Calls for Independent Review of City Department After Alleged Vendor Harassment URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/its-toxic-mayor-calls-for-audit-of-city-department-after-alleged-vendor-harassment/ Last updated: 2026-06-12T17:15:48.000Z Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said the city must fix a "toxic" Community and Economic Development Department after an internal report and public backlash over alleged harassment of immigrant street vendors. The mayor's remarks followed a Los Angeles Times report last week about a city-commissioned investigation alleging two Riverside code enforcement supervisors spent years harassing mostly immigrant vendors, including entering homes without warrants, chasing vendors, seizing property and engaging in fights. Lock Dawson called for an independent management consultant to review the department during Tuesday's City Council meeting, saying the city's code enforcement system had been dysfunctional for more than a decade. "I am calling for an experienced, independent management consultant to conduct a comprehensive review of policies, procedures, staffing, culture, rules, and organization in the Community and Economic Development Department," she said. "We've had…two directors terminated in five years there, multiple other terminations, recurring anonymous complaints and letters, employees out on stress leave, long-running conflict, documented malfeasance that's resulted in dismissals. These all point to a very dysfunctional department. It's been going on for over a decade. It's toxic." According to the report cited by the Times, the supervisors Mark Ilagan and Mark Hernandez may have committed multiple violations of state and local law — including allegations of theft, robbery, kidnapping, unlawful entry, impersonating a peace officer and — for Ilagan — battery. The report also said senior managers failed to act on repeated internal warnings and may have retaliated against a whistleblower. It also described the affected vendors as people who were disproportionately Latino or Asian, may have been undocumented and often were reluctant to report mistreatment. The two individuals named in the report no longer work for the city. Ward 6 resident Maria Monroe told the council the news was "heartbreaking." "I have bought food from these vendors throughout my life and like so many others, they're simply trying to make an honest living and create better opportunities for their families. These allegations are concerning because they raise serious questions about how members of our communities are being treated," she said. Cassidy Bennett, an attorney at Public Counsel, urged the city to suspend code enforcement operations on street vendors, return seized property, refund fines and fees and issue a public apology. "Sidewalk vendors are small business owners and workers who contribute to their local economy and provide affordable goods and food for their communities. They are often already struggling with the rising costs of housing, food, and transportation, and many are currently struggling with increased immigration enforcement as well. So to know that they were also suffering from these criminal allegations from their own city is really sad to hear," said Bennett. Council member Clarissa Cervantes said the issue was personal, noting her family's history of selling fruit roadside, and said the city should route the matter to the Economic Development Committee to review vendor fines, fees and code of conduct rules. "I just want to share as a granddaughter and daughter of those that have picked and sold fruits before on the side of the road, it hurts me and it's very personal," she said. "I was very proud for us to have — back in 2022 — co-championed to pass a street vendor ordinance that really did work to uplift, protect our street vendors and our community factoring in our brick-and-mortar and we were very intentional with that ordinance and we now need to assure that that ordinance is being sought through and implemented properly." At the end of the meeting, Cervantes asked for the Economic Development Committee to review its street vendor ordinance, as well as past fines and fees issued to street vendors, in the coming weeks. ### Electric, Water Fees May Rise 5.7% Under Inflation-Based Proposal URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/electric-water-fees-may-rise-5-7-under-inflation-based-proposal/ Last updated: 2026-06-12T11:59:19.000Z Riversiders may see a 5.7% inflation-based increase to electric and water user fees after the Board of Public Utilities unanimously voted June 8 to send the proposal to the City Council for a June 23 public hearing. The board’s vote comes after the council last month considered a separate [Municipal Code change](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-proposes-5-7-fee-hike-automatic-inflation-increases/) that would tie future annual fee increases to Consumer Price Index (CPI) data automatically — but ultimately declined that proposal. “The City council last month…provided input on a revision to the Riverside Municipal Code to apply an annual inflator to the fees and charges based on CPI,” Assistant General Manager of Finance and Administration Brian Seinturier told the board. “City Council was not very supportive of making a change to the Riverside Municipal Code, so that is not being brought forward to you tonight or to the city council later this month.” Instead, the proposed fee update is moving forward as a standalone action. Seinturier told the board the increase is based on CPI data for the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario region from January 2024 to November 2025\. The adjustment is meant to supplement – not replace – the broader fee studies the city typically conducts every three to five years, he said. If approved by the council, the fees would take effect July 1 and are expected to generate about $476,000 for the electric fund and $121,000 for the water fund, for a total annual revenue impact of roughly $603,000, according to the staff [report](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15509062&GUID=3F93C24A-6389-40AF-8260-B8E3402A0ED5&ref=raincrossgazette.com). The proposal comes after no fee increase was brought forward for fiscal year 2025–26\. Staff said the new update would help avoid a larger jump later if fees are not adjusted more regularly. The proposal includes rounding changes prompted by the federal discontinuation of penny production. Staff said most fees would be rounded to the nearest dollar, while some smaller charges would be rounded to the nearest nickel or dime, depending on the amount, to avoid over-collecting and stay within the estimated cost of service. Board members pressed staff on how the rounding decisions were being made, and officials said the approach was applied fee by fee with documentation supporting the changes. ### Ward 6 Councilmember Jim Perry Resigns, Citing Family Opportunity URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ward-6-councilmember-jim-perry-resigns-citing-family-opportunity/ Last updated: 2026-06-12T00:45:27.000Z Ward 6 Councilmember Jim Perry announced Tuesday that he will leave office within the next couple of weeks, citing a personal family opportunity as the Ward 6 election to replace him remains unresolved. Perry made the announcement during Tuesday's City Council meeting, saying that in January 2025 he had already decided not to seek a fourth term, but that in recent months a family opportunity emerged that he described as "time sensitive”; He did not specify the nature of the opportunity. “I have been fortunate enough to have opportunities come my way and my family was presented with a new adventure, a new way of life and a new journey,” he said in a statement. “Perhaps the downside; it is time sensitive requiring a time to act. We reached the point of having to make a decision and move forward or literally pull the plug, not knowing if or when another chance would come our way. This decision was pushed to the last conceivable moment.” Perry, who has served the ward since 2013, said he will work with the City Clerk to set a final date of separation. He acknowledged the difficulty of leaving with the election unresolved, but said the timing was unavoidable. With his departure, the City Council will need to determine how to handle the Ward 6 vacancy, which could last anywhere from a few weeks to several months, depending on when election results are certified and a successor is seated. Perry also noted his regional assignments, including the March Joint Powers Authority, will need to be reassigned. Perry closed his statement by reflecting on roughly 50 years of public service, including a career in law enforcement before joining the council. “As I was growing up, I had the dream and the goal of becoming a police officer and someday running for elective office,” he said. “Thank you for making that happen and for making this a truly rewarding experience. I only hope you can understand my reasoning and final decision.” Three candidates ran in the Ward 6 June election, where candidates need over 50 percent of the vote to win outright. As of June 11, Luis Hernandez leads the race with 50.31% of the vote, with all seven precincts reporting and 28.92% of registered voters having cast ballots. Oz Puerta trails with 28.21% and Norma Berrellez with 21.48%. The County Registrar of Voters will continue counting ballots up until July 2, with the election results certified by July 10. Puerta said in a statement on his Instagram Friday morning that he has "every intention of seeing this race through to victory." "We will continue working hard, earning support, and sharing our vision for a safer, cleaner and more prosperous Ward 6," he said. Puerta also thanked Perry for "more than a decade of service to the residents of Ward 6." "As someone who works and volunteers in Ward 6, I have seen firsthand the impact of his commitment to public safety, infrastructure improvements, neighborhood quality of life, and economic development," Puerta told the Gazette on Wednesday afternoon. "His accessibility to residents and willingness to engage directly with community concerns set a standard for public service." Berrellez indicated on June 8 she is not conceding and is awaiting final election certification results, despite trailing in preliminary results. "I continue to be motivated by my community of voters who believe I will be going to the November election," Berrellez said in a statement to the Gazette. "We are committed to fight until they officially count every vote and announce the victory for the two candidates moving forward." **Correction- Thurs. June 11, 6:30 a.m.** An earlier version of this story misstated the vote totals and percentages for the City Council Ward 6 race. Luis Hernandez leads with 50.31% of the vote, Oz Puerta is second with 28.21%, and Norma Berrellez is third with 21.48%, with all seven precincts reporting. The story has been updated. ### One Week Later, Election Results Indicate Measure Z Failure and Apparent November Runoff for All Three Races URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/one-week-later-election-results-indicate-measure-z-failure-and-apparent-november-runoff-for-all-three-races/ Last updated: 2026-06-11T12:00:19.000Z One week after the June 2 election, the Measure Z remains projected to fail, and all three city council races appear headed toward a runoff election in November. June 9 is the last day county elections offices can receive mailed ballots that were already postmarked by Election Day and still count them. However, the county will keep counting votes until July 2, and the results will be certified July 10. Riverside voters were asked to choose City Council representatives for Wards 2, 4 and 6 under the new ward boundaries adopted in 2023 — and weighed in on Measure Z, a proposal to raise the city sales tax to 1.25% to fund emergency services. A council candidate must win more than 50 percent of the vote to take the seat outright; if no one does, the top two finishers advance to a Nov. 3 runoff election. Measure Z needs a simple majority to pass. The figures below reflect the end-of-week counts released by the Riverside County Registrar of Voters as of 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 9. ### Measure Z Measure Z, which would raise Riverside's sales tax from 1 percent to 1.25 percent and remove its 2036 sunset to fund fire staffing and stations, It is structured as a general tax instead of a special tax, meaning funds generated from the tax would go to the city’s general fund and not a specific fund for fire and emergency needs. It needs a simple majority to pass. As of June 9 at 6 p.m., 32.65% of the vote was counted. **Yes**: 21,272 votes (40.94%) **No**: 30,681 votes (59.06%) ### Ward 2 In the four-way race for the open Ward 2 seat, Gracie Torres leads with 37.84% percent of the vote with all precincts reporting. No candidate is above 50 percent; Torres and Ayra are the apparent top two. As of June 9 at 6 p.m., 37.88% of the vote was counted. **Gracie Torres**: 2,734 votes (37.84%) **Aram Ayra**: 2,544 votes (35.21%) **Mike Vahl**: 1,674 votes (23.17%) **Christen Montero**: 273 votes (3.78%) Both Torres and Ayra put out statements on Thursday thanking supporters and gearing up toward a runoff in November. “As the results indicate that this race is likely headed to the general election, we are encouraged by the momentum our campaign has built and excited for the opportunity to continue earning the trust of our community,” Torres said in a statement on her Instagram. Ayra said he was “encouraged by the latest results.” “...With each update, our vote share has continued to grow, and it is clear that our message is resonating,” Ayra said. “We are grateful for the trending results and are currently placing in the top-two to advance ahead to the November election!” he said in an Instagram statement. Montero confirmed the end of her campaign, sharing a message on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/votechristen/p/DZQQUeYvH7E/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) following the primary. "The primary may be over, but our commitment to a new direction remains," Montero wrote. "I am deeply grateful for your support, your passion, and for believing in the power and potential of our community." "This campaign was about all of us, and while the path for this race has ended, our work continues," she said. ### Ward 4 Incumbent Chuck Conder leads Ward 4 with 45.59% — just short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff — with all precincts reporting. As of June 9 at 6 p.m., 45.05% of the vote was counted. **Chuck Conder (incumbent)**: 5,625 votes (45.59%) **Rich Vandenberg**: 3,529 votes (28.60%) **Jessica Qattawi**: 3,184 votes (25.81%) In a statement posted on his Facebook Friday morning, Vandenberg thanked his supporters. “Votes are still being counted, and we’re watching results carefully. Whatever comes next, one thing hasn’t changed: this campaign has always been about serving our community and giving residents a voice,” Vandenberg said. “More updates to come. For now, thank you from the bottom of my heart.” Qattawi said she’s remaining in the race and continuing to watch the remainder of votes being counted. "I have some exciting plans ahead and I'm incredibly optimistic about the future," Qattawi told the Gazette. "This campaign taught me so much, and I'm grateful for every lesson, conversation and connection that came from it." "While I'm not quite ready to share all the details yet, I can tell you that my focus remains the same: creating a brighter future for Riverside residents and continuing to serve our community in meaningful ways," she said. ### Ward 6 Luis Hernandez leads the open Ward 6 seat left by retiring three-term Council member Jim Perry, with all precincts reporting. As of June 9 at 6 p.m., 22.76% of the vote was counted. **Luis Hernandez:** 2,005 votes (48.95%) **Oz Puerta:** 1,166 votes (28.47%) **Norma Berrellez:** 925 votes (22.58%) With a runoff election in sight, Puerta said in a statement on his Instagram Friday morning that he has “every intention of seeing this race through to victory.” “We will continue working hard, earning support, and sharing our vision for a safer, cleaner and more prosperous Ward 6,” he said. Berrellez indicated on June 8 she is not conceding and is awaiting final election certification results, despite trailing in preliminary results about 6 percentage points behind Oz Puerta, who is second with 28.47%, "I continue to be motivated by my community of voters who believe I will be going to the November election," Berrellez said in a statement to the Gazette. "We are committed to fight until they officially count every vote and announce the victory for the two candidates moving forward." ### What happens next Any Ward 2, 4 or 6 race in which no candidate finishes above 50 percent will advance its top two finishers to a runoff on Nov. 3. For full candidate profiles and race background, see the Gazette's 2026 Election Guide. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- June 10, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-10-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:23.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/IMG_9874.jpeg) Red orchid flowers put on a vivid display at Hartree Grove, the oldest house on Victoria Avenue. (Robert Merrill) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Wednesday Gazette: June 10, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Wednesday!** Have you been catching our *Snapshot Sundays* photos? If you've got old Riverside photos sitting in a dusty box somewhere, we want to see them. Share the photo and tell us a little about it — [submit yours here](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com). See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260610)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260610&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [2026 ELECTION](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/2026-election/) ## One Week Later, Election Results Indicate Measure Z Failure and Apparent November Runoff for All Three Races The Registrar of Voters stops counting mailed ballots postmarked by election day June 9; it will keep counting ballots until July 2\. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/2602-voteceneter-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/one-week-later-election-results-indicate-measure-z-failure-and-apparent-november-runoff-for-all-three-races/) (File photo/Raincross Gazette) Measure Z is on track to fail as Riverside's June 2 council races head toward November runoffs in all three wards. **Why it matters:** Whether you live in Ward 2, 4 or 6, your council representative likely won't be decided until November — and a sales tax increase for city services appears headed to defeat. **Driving the news:** With 32–45% of ballots counted as of Tuesday, no candidate in any ward has cleared the 50% threshold needed to win outright, and Measure Z trails badly at 41% yes. **By the numbers:** - **Measure Z**: 41% yes / 59% no - **Ward 2**: Gracie Torres leads with 38%; Aram Ayra trails by 3 points - **Ward 4**: Incumbent Chuck Conder holds 46% — close, but not yet over 50% - **Ward 6**: Luis Hernandez leads at 49%, with Oz Puerta second at 28% **The backstory:** Measure Z would have raised the city sales tax from 1% to 1.25% — permanently removing its 2036 sunset — to fund fire staffing and new stations. It's structured as a general tax, meaning funds flow to the general fund, not a dedicated fire account. **What's next:** The county accepts mailed ballots postmarked by June 2 through today. Counting continues through July 2; results certified July 10\. Any race without a 50%-plus winner sends its top two finishers to a Nov. 3 runoff. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/one-week-later-election-results-indicate-measure-z-failure-and-apparent-november-runoff-for-all-three-races/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260610)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260610&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [EVENTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/events/) ## Riverside Pro Soccer Hosts World Cup Watch Party Series Three free events at Route 30 Brewing and The Barn at UCR double as community outreach for the city's future USL club. [![a golden soccer trophy sitting on top of a field](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1637203727700-9d86c74904d6?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDV8fFdvcmxkJTIwQ3VwfGVufDB8fHx8MTc4MTA0MDI0NXww&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-pro-soccer-hosts-world-cup-watch-party-series/) ([My Profit Tutor](https://unsplash.com/@myprofittutor?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) Riverside Pro Soccer is hosting a series of free World Cup watch parties this week, using Team USA's run in the 2026 FIFA World Cup as an entry point for building community around the city's future professional soccer club. The three-event series, held in partnership with Route 30 Brewing and The Barn at UCR, gives residents a chance to watch matches, meet the organization's leadership and weigh in on what the club will look like when it takes the field. "Our goal is to create experiences that bring people together while showcasing the role sports can play in strengthening community identity," said Greg Scott, founder of Riverside Pro Soccer. "The World Cup provides a unique opportunity to celebrate the growth of the game while introducing more people to the vision we are building here in Riverside." [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-pro-soccer-hosts-world-cup-watch-party-series/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260610) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260610&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [2026 ELECTION](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/2026-election/) ## One City Council Candidate Drops Out After June Primary Candidates respond to June primary results as council races in Wards 2, 4 and 6 move toward November. [![a person is casting a vote into a box](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1540910419892-4a36d2c3266c?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDF8fGVsZWN0aW9uc3xlbnwwfHx8fDE3ODEwMzE2MzR8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-candidates-drop-out-after-june-primary/https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-candidates-drop-out-after-june-primary/) ([Element5 Digital](https://unsplash.com/@element5digital?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) Ward 2's Christen Montero has ended her City Council campaign following the June primary, the only candidate to formally announce a withdrawal. **Why it matters:** Montero's exit clarifies the Ward 2 field ahead of November, when the top two primary finishers will compete for the seat. **The November matchups:** - **Ward 2:** Gracie Torres (38%) vs. Aram Ayra (35%) - **Ward 4:** Chuck Conder (46%) vs. Rich Vandenberg (29%) - **Ward 6:** Luis Hernandez (48%) vs. Oz Puerta (28%) **Yes, but:** Two candidates are holding on. Ward 6's **Norma Berrellez** (23.49%) says she's not conceding, awaiting final certification. Ward 4's **Jessica Qattawi** (25.29%) confirmed she's staying in the race. [Read and share the complete story ...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-candidates-drop-out-after-june-primary/) --- ## Noteworthy A UCR public policy expert argues that the City Council's [4-3 vote to reject $20 million in state homeless housing funding](https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/06/05/qa-riversides-rejection-homeless-housing-project?ref=raincrossgazette.com) was emblematic of local governments prioritizing NIMBY pressure over a county homelessness crisis affecting an estimated 4,200 people. GO Car Wash is offering [free car washes for first responders today and tomorrow](https://gocarwash.com/community-heroes?ref=raincrossgazette.com), June 9–10, with valid work I.D. at any location — part of a year-round Community Heroes program that also honors veterans, military, and healthcare workers. Riverside City College Educational Resource Advisor Manny Gray has been [selected to serve on the California Community Colleges LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee](https://www.rcc.edu/about/news/2026-rcc-classified-employee-manny-gray-selected-lgbtq-advisory-committee.html?ref=raincrossgazette.com) for the 2026–2027 term, where he aims to strengthen support services and secure statewide funding for LGBTQIA2+ student programs. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-06-10T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-06-10T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [One Big Day for Little Lives - Evening Open House & Adoption Event](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/one-big-day-for-little-lives-evening-open-house-adoption-event/18977413/2026-06-10T18) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center - [Evergreen Cemetery Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/evergreen-cemetery-tour/18884634/2026-06-10T10) at Evergreen Cemetery ($21.20) - [Finance Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/finance-committee/18642989/2026-06-10T15) at Riverside City Hall - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-06-10T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) ### Tomorrow - [Airport Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/airport-commission/18584286/2026-06-11T15) at Riverside City Hall - [Mobility and Infrastructure Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mobility-and-infrastructure-committee/18584285/2026-06-11T13) at Riverside City Hall - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-06-11T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [TFDP Culmination Celebration](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/tfdp-culmination-celebration/16765960/2026-06-11T19) at University Theatre ## Save the Date - June 14: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-14T08) at Riverside - June 15: [Wildlife Encounters- IE Kids Outdoors summer camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/wildlife-encounters-ie-kids-outdoors-summer-camp/19030975/2026-06-15T09) at California State Citrus Historic Park ($175) - June 19: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-19T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09)at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Riverside Pro Soccer Hosts World Cup Watch Party Series URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-pro-soccer-hosts-world-cup-watch-party-series/ Last updated: 2026-06-10T22:45:41.000Z Riverside Pro Soccer is hosting a series of free World Cup watch parties this week, using Team USA's run in the 2026 FIFA World Cup as an entry point for building community around the city's future professional soccer club. The three-event series, held in partnership with Route 30 Brewing and The Barn at UCR, gives residents a chance to watch matches, meet the organization's leadership and weigh in on what the club will look like when it takes the field. "Our goal is to create experiences that bring people together while showcasing the role sports can play in strengthening community identity," said Greg Scott, founder of Riverside Pro Soccer. "The World Cup provides a unique opportunity to celebrate the growth of the game while introducing more people to the vision we are building here in Riverside." The first event is Friday, June 12 at 6 p.m. at Route 30 Brewing, 11620 Sterling Ave. Attendees can watch the United States' opening World Cup match alongside local vendors, soccer activities and giveaways. Organizers will also take community feedback on the club's future identity, including team colors. The second event, June 19, also at Route 30 Brewing, doubles as a business mixer co-hosted with the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce. A panel titled "How Sports Unite and Shape Cities" runs from 11:15 a.m. to noon, featuring Scott, Dave Siegel, a former Los Angeles Dodgers vice president and former CEO of the LA Sports Council, and Tim Cupello, head soccer coach at UC Riverside. The USA-Australia match follows. The series closes June 25 at The Barn at UCR, 3581 University Ave., doors at 6 p.m. Organizers are billing it as the largest event of the three, with expanded vendor and community partner activations for the United States' final group stage match. Fans who attend all three events qualify for a yet to be announced exclusive experience. A passport system will track attendance. Riverside Pro Soccer announced a partnership with the United Soccer League last fall to bring professional men's and women's soccer to the city. Plans call for a soccer-specific stadium starting at 5,000 seats with capacity to expand to 15,000. **More information:* All events are free. Registration is available at* [*Eventbrite*](https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/world-cup-watch-party-series-4844830?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*. For more information, visit* [*rivprosoccer.com*](https://rivprosoccer.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *or follow* [*@rivprosoccer*](https://www.instagram.com/rivprosoccer/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *on Instagram.* ### One City Council Candidate Drops Out After June Primary URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-candidates-drop-out-after-june-primary/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:04:59.000Z Several candidates in City Council races have ended their campaigns following the [June primary](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-election-results-june-2026-primary-wards-2-4-6-and-measure-z/), ahead of the November general election. Jessica Qattawi, who is running in Ward 4, earned 25.29% of the vote as of [June 8](https://voteinfo.net/sites/g/files/aldnop371/files/ElectionResults/2026/Jun08/ElectionSummaryReportRPT14.pdf?ref=raincrossgazette.com). She said she is staying in the race and continuing to watch the election results. "I have some exciting plans ahead and I'm incredibly optimistic about the future," Qattawi told the Gazette. "This campaign taught me so much, and I'm grateful for every lesson, conversation and connection that came from it." "While I'm not quite ready to share all the details yet, I can tell you that my focus remains the same: creating a brighter future for Riverside residents and continuing to serve our community in meaningful ways," she said. In Ward 2, Christen Montero, whose vote currently sits at 3.74%, also confirmed the end of her campaign, sharing a message on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/votechristen/p/DZQQUeYvH7E/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) following the primary. "The primary may be over, but our commitment to a new direction remains," Montero wrote. "I am deeply grateful for your support, your passion, and for believing in the power and potential of our community." "This campaign was about all of us, and while the path for this race has ended, our work continues," she said. In Ward 6, candidate Norma Berrellez indicated on June 8 she is not conceding and is awaiting final election certification results, despite trailing in preliminary results with 23.49% — about 4.5 percentage points behind Oz Puerta, who is second with 28.07% "I continue to be motivated by my community of voters who believe I will be going to the November election," Berrellez said in a statement to the Gazette. "We are committed to fight until they officially count every vote and announce the victory for the two candidates moving forward." In Ward 2, candidate Mike Vahl, who had 23.21% of the vote, did not respond to a request for comment by deadline. The departures narrow the field in several council races ahead of the [November election](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-election-guide/), where the top two vote-getters in each ward will compete for a council seat. In Ward 2, Gracie Torres led with [38.03%](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-election-results-june-2026-primary-wards-2-4-6-and-measure-z/) and Aram Ayra followed with 35.02%; in Ward 4, Chuck Conder led with 46.03% and Rich Vandenberg was second with 28.68%; and in Ward 6, Luis Hernandez led with 48.45% and Oz Puerta was second with 28.07%. **Correction- Tues. June 9, 5:37 p.m.** An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Jessica Qattawi was dropping out of the Ward 4 race. She is not. We apologize for the error. The story has been updated. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- June 9, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-8-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:24.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-10.jpg) A monarch butterfly pauses on a cluster of pink plumeria blooms in a Riverside backyard on Flanders Road. (Wendy Marshall) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Monday Gazette: June 9, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Tuesday!** We're looking for someone with a goal. A local athlete, a competitor, someone deep in the middle of working toward something. Know someone like that? Send us a note at [newsroom@raincrossgazette.com](mailto:newsroom@raincrossgazette.com). See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260609)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260609&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Board of Ethics Explores Charter Protections, Independent Appointments An ad hoc committee is examining ways to insulate the board from political influence, including shifting appointment power to a future inspector general. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/cityhall-12-skypalm-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/board-of-ethics-explores-charter-protections-independent-appointments/) (File photo/Raincross Gazette) Riverside's Board of Ethics is exploring a city charter amendment that would shield it from dissolution and hand appointment power to a future inspector general. **Why it matters:** The proposal would directly change how ethics complaints against elected officials are handled — reducing the potential for loyalties to influence who investigates whom. **Driving the news:** The board's ad hoc committee discussed two structural changes Thursday: enshrining the board in the city charter (like the Community Police Review Commission) and transferring member appointments from City Council to a yet-unnamed inspector general. - **Board Member Luis Hernandez** said the charter move would prevent council members from dissolving the board, citing past comments from council about the ethics panel. **The backstory:** Currently, board members are appointed by the council — creating conflict-of-interest concerns when complaints are filed against the officials who appointed them. Members sometimes recuse because they know or feel loyalty to the council member under review. **Yes, but:** The changes face a long road. The Charter Review Commission hasn't been formed yet, no inspector general has been appointed, and any charter amendment would ultimately require voter approval. **What's next:** The ad hoc committee continues gathering information and will return with details at a future meeting. No timeline has been set. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/board-of-ethics-explores-charter-protections-independent-appointments/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260609) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600609&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Inspector General Search Advances to Interview Stage The city is working with its executive recruiter to finalize interview dates for a position created after voters approved Measure L in 2024\. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-4.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-inspector-general-search-advances-to-interview-stage/) (File photo/Raincross Gazette) Candidate interviews for Riverside's first-ever inspector general are expected next month, as the city works with its executive recruiter to finalize dates. **Why it matters:** The inspector general — a watchdog role voters approved in 2024 — will have authority to investigate fraud, waste, and abuse inside city government, and can place matters directly on the council agenda. **The backstory:** **64% of voters** approved Measure L in November 2024, creating the Office of the Inspector General. The City Council formally established the office on a 6-1 vote in November 2025 after months of debate over the role's independence. Recruitment ran March 3–April 5; the salary range is **$161,000–$217,000**. **Driving the news:** A city spokesperson confirmed Monday that interview dates are being finalized. Interviews will occur in closed session and be publicly noticed on council agendas per the city's sunshine ordinance. **Yes, but:** Critics question whether an inspector general appointed by elected officials can be truly independent. Former Board of Ethics member **Keith J. Nelson** wrote that council control over appointments creates "managed oversight" — not real oversight. **Councilmember Phillip Falcone**, the lone dissenting vote, has called the role "expensive, untested, and unnecessary." **What's next:** The city has not released applicant numbers or identified finalists. Watch council agendas for the public notice once interview dates are set. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-inspector-general-search-advances-to-interview-stage/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260609)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260609&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Noteworthy The City has [named Miranda Evans as Community and Economic Development Director](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-names-miranda-evans-as-community-and-economic-development-director/), making permanent the interim role she has held since February, during which she helped recruit six international companies and more than 700 jobs to the city. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-06-08T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Interfaith Prayer Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/interfaith-prayer-meeting/19073551/2026-06-08T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Academic Boot Camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/academic-boot-camp/19059396/2026-06-08T09) at My Learning Studio ($357) - [Animal Kids Camp - Summer Sessions](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/animal-kids-camp-summer-sessions/18779521/2026-06-08T08) at Mary S. Roberts pet Adoption Center ($240) - [Mat Pilates](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mat-pilates/18543210/2026-06-08T17) at Student Recreation Center (SRC), MPR E - [Vacation Bible School: Snowball Mountain Challenge](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vacation-bible-school-snowball-mountain-challenge/19029187/2026-06-08T09) at First United Methodist Church ($15- $25) - [Wild about Animals Camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/wild-about-animals-camp/19030090/2026-06-08T09) at Ameal Moore Nature Center - [Board of Public Utilities](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/board-of-public-utilities/18584290/2026-06-08T18) at Riverside City Hall ### Tomorrow - [City Council](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/city-council/18431185/2026-06-09T15) at Riverside City Hall - [Seed to Scale: Explore Controlled Environment Agriculture at UCR](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/seed-to-scale-explore-controlled-environment-agriculture-at-ucr/18864709/2026-06-09T18) at University of California, Riverside - [Earl Sweatshirt & MIKE: Home on the Range Tour 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/earl-sweatshirt-mike-home-on-the-range-tour-2026/18501474/2026-06-09T19) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition at the Hideaway](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-06-09T19) at The Hideaway ### Save the Date - June 12: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-12T07) at Zacatecas Café - June 15: [Wildlife Encounters- IE Kids Outdoors summer camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/wildlife-encounters-ie-kids-outdoors-summer-camp/19030975/2026-06-15T09) at California State Citrus Historic Park ($175) - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Board of Ethics Explores Charter Protections, Independent Appointments URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/board-of-ethics-explores-charter-protections-independent-appointments/ Last updated: 2026-06-10T21:00:51.000Z The Board of Ethics on Thursday discussed possible changes to the city charter that would add the board to the charter and shift board appointment power to a future inspector general who has not yet been selected. The conversation is part of an ad hoc committee's work to explore ways to make the board more independent and reduce potential conflicts of interest. Board Member Luis Hernandez — who is also [running for City Council Ward 6](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/two-ward-6-candidates-square-off-on-homelessness-rtrp-and-the-gallerias-future/) — said one idea would be to write the Board of Ethics into the city charter, similar to the [Community Police Review Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-commission-acts-on-data-showing-black-residents-stopped-at-twice-their-population-share/), rather than leaving it governed only by municipal code. "Adding the Board of Ethics to the city charter is so that – given prior incidents or prior hearings and comments that were made by city council members about the board of ethics – the \[board\] can't be dissolved or removed," he said, adding that the purpose of the Inspector General appointing the \[board\] members moving forward is to decrease or to remove bias from the board. "What happens in some instances is there's complaints filed against city council members and then people have to recuse themselves...if they know the city council member, if they're friends with the city council member," he said. "Or sometimes there may be a feeling of loyalty to the individuals that \[appointed them\], \[and it\] would obviously eliminate that with the inspector general appointing the board of ethics members." Board Member Gil Vega said the board looked at ethics boards from other cities for research. "We've done the research with other cities and we found that this is a common trend throughout all of ... the ethics boards," he said. "They have their own commission or what have you. It's an independent entity, which gives the public more confidence in the effect and more representation of their needs and services." The board also discussed how complaints are handled now and whether that process would need to change if the board's structure is altered. Board members said they were still working through details such as whether complaints and pre-hearing proceedings should remain private until a case is found to have merit. The potential changes remain merely a discussion topic for now, as several key steps must take place within the city first. Some members asked what would happen if the inspector general has not yet been appointed when any charter changes are considered. The city attorney said there is no deadline for filling the [inspector general position](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-candidates-unite-behind-underground-power-lines-at-second-forum/), though applications have been submitted and the appointment process is still underway. Board members said the ad hoc committee will continue gathering information and bring back more details at a future meeting. Staff said the Charter Review Commission is not yet formed, and any potential charter changes would still have to move through a longer process before reaching voters. ### Inspector General Search Advances to Interview Stage URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/inspector-general-search-advances-to-interview-stage/ Last updated: 2026-06-10T12:00:51.000Z Riverside is moving into the next phase of its search for the city's first inspector general, with candidate interviews expected to take place in July as officials work to fill the watchdog position. A city spokesperson said Monday that the city is working with its executive recruiter to finalize interview dates. "Once the interview dates are final, these will occur in closed session and it will be agendized as per city's sunshine ordinance," the spokesperson told the Gazette. The update marks the latest step in a process that began after 64 percent of Riverside voters approved [Measure L in November 2024](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-approves-inspector-general-after-resolving-independence-concerns/). The measure amended the city charter to create an Office of the Inspector General – charged with investigating fraud, waste, abuse and inefficiency within city government. The City Council formally established the office in November 2025 on a [6-1 vote](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/inspector-general-approval-delayed-nearly-year-after-voter-mandate-council-cites-independence-language/) after months of debate over how to structure the position and ensure its independence. Under the city charter, the inspector general will have access to city records, authority to review public complaints and the ability to place matters on council agendas and make recommendations for council action. [Recruitment for the position opened March 3](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-opens-search-for-inspector-general-a-new-watchdog-role/) and closed April 5\. The city sought candidates with significant executive, investigative, legal and/or administrative experience. The position's annual salary ranges from about $161,000 to $217,000. The candidate will be selected by the mayor and city council, and report directly to those offices, but maintain its own independent operation, according to the city charter. Implementation of the office has drawn both support and criticism since voters approved the measure. Supporters, including Council member Steven Robillard – who led the [council subcommittee overseeing its development](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/subcommittee-advances-inspector-general-framework-to-city-council/)– argue that the position will strengthen accountability and improve public trust in city government. Others, however, have questioned whether an inspector general appointed by elected officials can remain fully independent from the officials it may be asked to investigate. "...The same political body that may one day be scrutinized by the Inspector General also controls the appointment structure and much of the office's functional reach," Keith J. Nelson, Ph.D., who served on the Board of Ethics for eight years, wrote in a [March 6 post](https://knelsonvsi.com/2026/03/06/riversides-appointed-inspector-general-is-not-real-oversight/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). "You do not create independent oversight by placing it inside the chain of political influence. You create managed oversight. And managed oversight is how institutions protect themselves while claiming reform." Council member Phillip Falcone – who wrote the ballot argument against Measure L and cast the only dissenting vote against creating the role – has criticized the role, [calling it](https://riversideca.gov/cityclerk/sites/riversideca.gov.cityclerk/files/pdf/Measure%20L%20-%20Ballot%20Argument%20Written%20Against%20Ballot%20Measure%20L%5FWEB%5F0.pdf?ref=raincrossgazette.com) "expensive, untested, and unnecessary." The city has not released the number of applicants or identified finalists. Once interview dates are finalized, the meetings will be publicly noticed on city council agendas, though candidate interviews themselves are expected to occur in closed session. ### City Names Miranda Evans as Community and Economic Development Director URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-names-miranda-evans-as-community-and-economic-development-director/ Last updated: 2026-06-08T23:15:54.000Z The City of Riverside has appointed Miranda Evans as Community and Economic Development Director, formalizing a leadership role she has held on an interim basis since February. Evans will oversee the department's five divisions -- Building and Safety, Code Enforcement, Economic Development, Planning, and Real Property Services. City Manager Mike Futrell cited Evans' track record in the role as the basis for the appointment. "In her previous capacity as Deputy Director and since assuming the interim role, she has delivered results that include attracting international investment, creating quality jobs, and elevating Riverside's standing among leading economic development organizations worldwide," Futrell said. Among her accomplishments in the department, Evans helped recruit six international companies to Riverside, generating more than 700 direct jobs and over $142 million in investment, according to the city. She also led the Economic Development Division's successful application for Accredited Economic Development Organization status from the International Economic Development Council. Riverside is only the third organization in California to earn the designation. Evans additionally authored Riverside Realized, the city's first strategic implementation plan, which translated City Council priorities into more than 90 measurable performance indicators. "I look forward to continuing to work closely with Mayor Lock Dawson, Mayor Pro Tempore Robillard, and the entire City Council as we work together to advance Riverside's strategic priorities and deliver results for our residents and business community," Evans said. Evans holds master's degrees in Political Psychology from Arizona State University and Public Administration from San Diego State University, and is an Accredited California Economic Developer. ### Two Former Mayors, Two Parties: What Makes a Great Councilmember URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/two-former-mayors-two-parties-what-makes-a-great-councilmember/ Last updated: 2026-06-10T11:59:48.000Z A new monthly Braver Angels column, produced with the [Braver Angels Riverside Alliance](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/braver-angels-forms-new-riverside-alliance-to-bridge-political-divides/) and launching this August, is built around a simple idea: that Riversiders can disagree about politics and still reason together toward a better city. With three City Council seats in play after Tuesday's election, we saw a chance to preview it early, putting a single question to two people who understand the job from the inside far better than most of us: As a former mayor, now a citizen voter, what are you looking for in a councilmember? We put that question to former mayors Dr. Ron Loveridge and Rusty Bailey, asking each to write independently before we shared what the other wrote and invited a response. Dr. Loveridge answers from the blue side of the aisle, Mayor Bailey from the red. The point isn't to settle who's right. It's to bridge the distance between two people who see Riverside differently but love it the same. ### Loveridge: Pragmatism, Not Partisanship *Dr. Ron Loveridge represented Ward 1 on the City Council from 1979 to 1993, then served as mayor from 1993 to 2012.* I will draw on the perspectives of 19 years as Mayor, 14 years as a councilmember, and 61 years as a UCR professor teaching classes in local politics. As to my approach to politics, I am a Robert Kennedy Democrat. Kennedy's view of community: "Community demands a place where people can see and know each other, where children can play and adults work together and join in the pleasures and responsibilities of the place where they live." Councilmembers, mayors, and city managers can and should make a difference in the economic development and quality of life of Riverside. Some do, others do not. The question: what councilmembers will more likely make Riverside a better place to live, play, work, and visit? I would contend that there is general consensus on the goals and objectives for the City of Riverside: safe streets, vibrant economy, great neighborhoods, efficient and effective services, excellent schools, accessible healthcare, respect for history, signature parks and open spaces, dynamic downtown, distinguished arts and culture, and a high level of social capital. What are the primary characteristics of a councilmember who can achieve, sustain, and enhance these goals and objectives? Ten points: 1. Councilmembers should run to make life better in Riverside. 2. Councilmembers should have goals, policy and personal. 3. Councilmembers should work with each other. 4. Councilmembers should encourage teamwork and partner with administrators. 5. Councilmembers should represent/value the entire City, and not only their own ward. 6. Councilmembers should identify and understand Riverside's resources — inside and outside of City Hall. 7. Councilmembers should envision a good city and continuously look for best practices. 8. Councilmembers should represent/respect the voters of their wards — walk, inform, listen, return emails/phone calls, go to meetings. 9. Councilmembers should do their homework, especially read/understand the Council agendas. 10. Councilmembers should recognize/value the importance of stakeholder groups in the City. Successful councilmembers match these ten characteristics by commitment to place, sustained curiosity/engagement, integrity, realistic strategy, and hard work! It is pragmatism not partisanship, the public interest not private or personal advantage that should explain/highlight their key decisions. Councilmembers should be the guardians of good governance. I served with over 30 councilmembers. My retrospective choices of successful councilmembers would include Bob Bowers (Democrat), Jack Clarke (Democrat), Mike Gardner (Republican), Maureen Kane (Republican), Chris MacArthur (Republican), and Paul Renck. As Mayor, my two closest advisers were Jane Carney (Democrat) and Dave Willmon (Republican). In [*Our Towns*](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/550194/our-towns-by-james-fallows-and-deborah-fallows/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) (published in 2018), James and Deborah Fallows study over 30 cities across America. They identify 10½ signs of civic success. The first sign is "People work together on practical local possibilities, rather than allowing bitter disagreements about national politics to keep them apart." Let's continue to do so in Riverside! ### Bailey: The Art of Compromise *Rusty Bailey represented Ward 3 on the City Council from 2007 to 2012, then served as mayor from 2012 to 2020.* Represent, Problem Solve, Decision Make! That is what is required of every elected official, but what is desired by the voters is that they are super heroes. Seriously though, expectations of public officials have increased over the years, while the wages per hour have decreased — so why would anyone want to be a councilmember? The answer lies in a genuine passion for public service and a commitment to civic improvement. To whom much is given, much is required — that is the mantra I took into city hall when I was first elected. A good councilmember embraces this commitment, understanding that their duty extends beyond simply casting a vote. I aimed to split my time evenly: half inside City Hall, shaping policy with staff and colleagues, and half outside it, listening to my ward and organizing to meet its needs. This dual approach ensures that policy is informed by the reality on the ground. A councilmember must be able to work with others. Implied in that is the ability to listen toward understanding the problems and needs of the community. This essential skill involves more than just attending meetings; it means proactively engaging with constituents through regular town halls, maintaining open communication channels, and actively seeking out the diverse perspectives of all residents, from long-time homeowners to new business owners and renters. Representation is not a passive act; it is the deliberate championing of the collective good, ensuring every voice, especially those most marginalized, is considered in the halls of power. Another significant skill is the ability to find a solution that is legally, morally, and ethically responsible to the greatest number of residents and businesses. This is the heart of Problem Solving. It requires a councilmember to be a quick study on complex issues like municipal finance, zoning codes, and environmental regulations. A good councilmember must be prepared to challenge staff recommendations when necessary, always prioritizing the long-term fiscal health and well-being of the city over short-term political gains. The hallmark of effective public service is not ideological purity but practical results. The art of compromise is just that — finding a way to a negotiated agreement that moves the organization forward — and thereby gives the people progress. This means skillfully negotiating with colleagues who hold opposing views, patiently building coalitions, and focusing energy on critical infrastructure projects and essential city services rather than divisive partisan battles. Compromise ensures that progress is made, even if it means acknowledging that the outcome is probably not *everything* that they wanted from the city council — but enough to make a positive outcome to improving the quality of life of our city. Ultimately, an excellent councilmember operates with unwavering transparency and accountability. That means being clear about the rationale behind every vote, making communications and processes public where legally possible, and holding oneself and city staff to the highest standards of public trust. The people deserve to know where their tax money is being spent and how public policy is formed. Through dedication, diplomacy, and integrity, a councilmember can rise above the noise of politics and truly serve our city. That's what the people need, and hopefully expect, from their elected leaders. ### Loveridge's response Thank you Rusty for your clarity and passion of what makes a good councilmember. I agree that the motivation to run should center on a commitment to public service and to civic improvement. I also agree that the life and work of a councilmember is much more than casting votes. Success largely depends on what happens outside of city hall. Success depends on wanting to make a difference. It centers on listening to, respecting, and working with many others. Beyond representing constituents, success depends on ideas of good governance and the good city as well as continuous attention to best practices. The legacy question is important. After four years (or more), what have you accomplished? What difference have you made? How is your Ward, and the City, a better place? There is a famous saying by a New York Mayor, "There is not a Democratic or Republican way to fill a pothole." The good governance emphasis is on results. Rusty and I agree that it is an honor, and responsibility, to be a councilmember. Godspeed to those who will be elected! The future of the City, and my neighborhood, depend on what choices you make with your votes, time, and ability to work with others to make good things happen. ### Bailey's response I love the fact that Mayor Loveridge was never afraid to listen to the "other side" of the aisle. Much like President Lincoln with his [*Team of Rivals*](https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Team-of-Rivals/Doris-Kearns-Goodwin/9780743270755?ref=raincrossgazette.com) (should be required reading for all). He deliberately met with community leaders who thought about solving problems in a different way. Thus, he was creating a garden for solutions to community problems to spring up with the watering by multiple voices and perspectives — hence a space of compromise. When people gather and play and enjoy and communicate together, good things happen. Like when we saved the Mission Inn and the cross on Mt. Rubidoux, when the council approved the Riverside Renaissance projects in every ward, or when we had concerts on the courthouse lawn or turned the Fox Theater into a Performing Arts Center or brought the Cheech to Riverside. That's the community that I want to live in. --- *Disagreeing better starts with talking. What do you look for in a councilmember — and did either mayor shift your thinking? *Let us know in the comments*.* ### 🗞️ Riverside News- June 8, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-8-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:26.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/IMG_2415.jpeg) Vibrant orange California poppies fill a garden bed at the LandUse Learning Center on Glenwood Drive in Riverside. (Carolyn Bolz) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Monday Gazette: June 8, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday!** If you're looking to start your week with some movement, [free Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga classes](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-08T08) are running all month long at the Community Yoga Center on Adams Street. Led by Kristin and Kim, the classes meet Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays from 8:00 to 9:20 a.m. The practice honors the intelligent sequencing and breath-centered movement of Primary Series Ashtanga Vinyasa while leaving behind any rigidity or performance-based expectations. All bodies, backgrounds, and experience levels are welcome, and the class is offered free of charge as a community practice supported by voluntary giving. See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260608)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260608&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [OPINION](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/opinion/) ## Two Former Mayors, Two Parties: What Makes a Great Councilmember To launch a new monthly column on disagreeing better, we asked Dr. Ron Loveridge and Rusty Bailey what they look for in a councilmember. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/bacolumn-mayors-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/two-former-mayors-two-parties-what-makes-a-great-councilmember/) A new monthly Braver Angels column, produced with the [Braver Angels Riverside Alliance](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/braver-angels-forms-new-riverside-alliance-to-bridge-political-divides/) and launching this August, is built around a simple idea: that Riversiders can disagree about politics and still reason together toward a better city. With three City Council seats in play after Tuesday's election, we saw a chance to preview it early, putting a single question to two people who understand the job from the inside far better than most of us: As a former mayor, now a citizen voter, what are you looking for in a councilmember? We put that question to former mayors Dr. Ron Loveridge and Rusty Bailey, asking each to write independently before we shared what the other wrote and invited a response. Dr. Loveridge answers from the blue side of the aisle, Mayor Bailey from the red. The point isn't to settle who's right. It's to bridge the distance between two people who see Riverside differently but love it the same. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/two-former-mayors-two-parties-what-makes-a-great-councilmember/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260601) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600601&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## This Week in City Hall: June 8, 2026 City Council takes up a homeless transfer notice ordinance, a police body camera contract, and proposed utility rate changes as six boards and commissions hold their regular meetings June 8–11\. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-05-at-3.36.14---PM-2.png)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-june-8-2026/) Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### City Council City Council will meet in closed and open sessions on Tuesday, June 9, in an afternoon session at 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1411439&GUID=3EA5FC7E-FFF5-4492-A4AC-E890B6C3D106&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). The agenda includes: - Considering an [ordinance](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15509800&GUID=B92AD3AC-44B1-4F81-99B7-5A0C00629216&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that would require outside agencies and organizations to give the City 24-hour advance notice before dropping off homeless individuals within Riverside's boundaries, in response to what City staff describes as uncoordinated transfers that strain local shelter and service resources. ([item 13](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5358-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a18e8527d79656b89004371-13-adopt-an-ordinance-amending-title-9-of-the-riv?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Considering a five-year, $1.65 million [contract](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15515506&GUID=34A3463D-E424-4DAE-84CA-598030650DB9&ref=raincrossgazette.com) with Motorola Solutions to replace all police body-worn cameras and upgrade software and storage for the department's growing fleet of body and in-car cameras, replacing a contract that expired in September 2025\. ([item 17](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5358-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a18e8527d79656b89004379-17-approve-master-customer-agreement-with-motorol?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Considering a two-year, $1.6 million [agreement](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15515502&GUID=EF12E176-A3CF-486E-9D16-AD6EE38AD114&ref=raincrossgazette.com) with Southern California Gas Company to continue providing free energy efficiency upgrades to Riverside mobile-home and multi-family residents, with the program's staff report noting that most eligible homes in both categories have not yet been served. ([item 18](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5358-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a18e8527d79656b8900437b-18-approve-inter-utility-service-agreement-with-s?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Adopting Riverside Public Utilities' updated [physical security plan](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15515503&GUID=60D60369-8FD4-42E0-8E5C-AB7224162790&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for electric distribution substations as required by state law, with plan details withheld from public disclosure due to the sensitivity of infrastructure information. ([item 19](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5358-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a18e8527d79656b8900437c-19-approve-and-adopt-public-utilities-2026-physic?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Board of Library Trustees The Board of Library Trustees meets on Monday, June 8, at 5 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1417392&GUID=3CFEDB60-989C-4EBC-B297-57CC2499B2E6&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review routine monthly business — including approval of approximately $3,952 in [trust fund spending](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=3bd5fb1d-2eae-4ddd-a135-be8d693ff171.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on new books and materials and an annual ethics code review. ### Board of Public Utilities The Board of Public Utilities meets on Mon, June 8, at 6:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1415467&GUID=9D932F6D-72AA-4C5A-B81C-E3F8AEA978AA&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review proposed [updates](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=11fea56d-6d8c-4280-8598-f1fd4c97e959.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to water shortage emergency rules ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5353-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a179ae8f395e79c4e003c45-3-review-2025-water-shortage-contingency-plan-r?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and long-range [water supply planning](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=0ab80a75-49dc-462e-8358-1531e30b407d.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 4](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5353-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a179ae8f395e79c4e003c46-4-review-2025-urban-water-management-plan-recom?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), a pipeline replacement [project](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=2ec2b001-66a1-4aac-91d5-392aabf9b7c4.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on California Avenue and Sherman Drive ([item 8](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5353-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a179ae9f395e79c4e003c4b-8-award-bid-8256-to-big-ben-inc-dot-irvine-for-4-dollars?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and [proposed changes](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=b6bbc6fb-c33d-4234-8636-44782f0e42e4.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to electric and water rates that would be subject to a public hearing before City Council ([item 18](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5353-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a179ae9f395e79c4e003c56-18-adopt-a-resolution-of-the-board-of-public-util?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Finance Committee The Finance Committee (Councilmembers Hemenway, Robillard, and Falcone) meets on Wednesday, June 10, at 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1416996&GUID=4A5C253D-1222-4CF5-9C32-433852FE9EDF&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review the City's [investment portfolio performance](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=e9fcdb01-bfd8-42b5-8cf3-619ae5ae225c.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5356-finance-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a18911c442538fa2600dc5d-2-investment-portfolio-performance-market-and-po?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and an [assessment](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=b7fc75c1-79ee-409c-9005-5e856454285c.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) of overall financial health indicators ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5356-finance-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a18911c442538fa2600dc5e-3-assessing-citys-financial-health-maintain-fi?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Mobility and Infrastructure Committee The Mobility and Infrastructure Committee (Councilmembers Conder, Hemenway, and Perry) meets on Thursday, June 11, at 1 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1396894&GUID=319BA5A3-CED6-40F4-A6AA-EC3C4658A50B&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to disuss [signage designs](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=6b2f6c88-3fbf-45ac-a750-ef1cfd6a9b2c.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for Riverside's Clean California Community designation as part of the committee's review of the state program's local implementation ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5354-mobility-and-infrastructure-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a186e4af2b67051ee0037ed-2-clean-california-community-designation-signage?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Airport Commission The Airport Commission meets on Thursday, June 11, at 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1416092&GUID=DB47CE7D-9935-4410-AF05-EF91CB50C254&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to receive the Airport Commission's monthly operations and activity [report](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=2649378b-14a6-4ef9-bc0a-5bdbe6832e5c.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 7](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5360-airport-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a1a16257d7965dd700018aa-7-june-2026-airport-managers-operations-and-acti?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and conducting an annual ethics code [review](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=d14918a2-eb6b-43c1-b4f3-dbe6da5d3bd1.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5360-airport-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a1a16257d7965dd700018a9-6-code-of-ethics-annual-review?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Budget Engagement Commission The Budget Engagement Commission meets on Thursday, June 11, at 5 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1416531&GUID=B9AED416-B616-48E4-92B7-BC1EAADF2005&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to conduct routine business including an annual [ethics code review](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=3f9d2ed6-3f93-4c59-84e9-22ba1eb7cc52.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 4](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5361-budget-engagement-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a1f1fb4f2b6701967007b9d-4-annual-review-of-the-code-of-ethics-and-conduct?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and a Deputy Finance Director update ([item 5](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5361-budget-engagement-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a1f1fb4f2b6701967007b9f-5-deputy-finance-director-update?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-june-8-2026/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260601)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260601&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-06-08T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Interfaith Prayer Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/interfaith-prayer-meeting/19073551/2026-06-08T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Academic Boot Camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/academic-boot-camp/19059396/2026-06-08T09) at My Learning Studio ($357) - [Animal Kids Camp - Summer Sessions](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/animal-kids-camp-summer-sessions/18779521/2026-06-08T08) at Mary S. Roberts pet Adoption Center ($240) - [Mat Pilates](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mat-pilates/18543210/2026-06-08T17) at Student Recreation Center (SRC), MPR E - [Vacation Bible School: Snowball Mountain Challenge](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vacation-bible-school-snowball-mountain-challenge/19029187/2026-06-08T09) at First United Methodist Church ($15- $25) - [Wild about Animals Camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/wild-about-animals-camp/19030090/2026-06-08T09) at Ameal Moore Nature Center - [Board of Public Utilities](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/board-of-public-utilities/18584290/2026-06-08T18) at Riverside City Hall ### Tomorrow - [City Council](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/city-council/18431185/2026-06-09T15) at Riverside City Hall - [Seed to Scale: Explore Controlled Environment Agriculture at UCR](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/seed-to-scale-explore-controlled-environment-agriculture-at-ucr/18864709/2026-06-09T18) at University of California, Riverside - [Earl Sweatshirt & MIKE: Home on the Range Tour 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/earl-sweatshirt-mike-home-on-the-range-tour-2026/18501474/2026-06-09T19) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition at the Hideaway](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-06-09T19) at The Hideaway ### Save the Date - June 10: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-10T08) at Community Yoga Center - June 10: [Vacation Bible School: Snowball Mountain Challenge](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vacation-bible-school-snowball-mountain-challenge/19029187/2026-06-10T09) at First United Methodist Church ($15- $25) - June 12: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-12T07) at Zacatecas Café - June 15: [Wildlife Encounters- IE Kids Outdoors summer camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/wildlife-encounters-ie-kids-outdoors-summer-camp/19030975/2026-06-15T09) at California State Citrus Historic Park ($175) - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09)at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### This Week in City Hall: June 8, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-june-8-2026/ Last updated: 2026-06-09T23:15:03.000Z Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### City Council City Council will meet in closed and open sessions on Tuesday, June 9, in an afternoon session at 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1411439&GUID=3EA5FC7E-FFF5-4492-A4AC-E890B6C3D106&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). The agenda includes: - Considering an [ordinance](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15509800&GUID=B92AD3AC-44B1-4F81-99B7-5A0C00629216&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that would require outside agencies and organizations to give the City 24-hour advance notice before dropping off homeless individuals within Riverside's boundaries, in response to what City staff describes as uncoordinated transfers that strain local shelter and service resources. ([item 13](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5358-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a18e8527d79656b89004371-13-adopt-an-ordinance-amending-title-9-of-the-riv?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Considering a five-year, $1.65 million [contract](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15515506&GUID=34A3463D-E424-4DAE-84CA-598030650DB9&ref=raincrossgazette.com) with Motorola Solutions to replace all police body-worn cameras and upgrade software and storage for the department's growing fleet of body and in-car cameras, replacing a contract that expired in September 2025\. ([item 17](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5358-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a18e8527d79656b89004379-17-approve-master-customer-agreement-with-motorol?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Considering a two-year, $1.6 million [agreement](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15515502&GUID=EF12E176-A3CF-486E-9D16-AD6EE38AD114&ref=raincrossgazette.com) with Southern California Gas Company to continue providing free energy efficiency upgrades to Riverside mobile-home and multi-family residents, with the program's staff report noting that most eligible homes in both categories have not yet been served. ([item 18](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5358-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a18e8527d79656b8900437b-18-approve-inter-utility-service-agreement-with-s?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Adopting Riverside Public Utilities' updated [physical security plan](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15515503&GUID=60D60369-8FD4-42E0-8E5C-AB7224162790&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for electric distribution substations as required by state law, with plan details withheld from public disclosure due to the sensitivity of infrastructure information. ([item 19](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5358-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a18e8527d79656b8900437c-19-approve-and-adopt-public-utilities-2026-physic?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Board of Library Trustees The Board of Library Trustees meets on Monday, June 8, at 5 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1417392&GUID=3CFEDB60-989C-4EBC-B297-57CC2499B2E6&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review routine monthly business — including approval of approximately $3,952 in [trust fund spending](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=3bd5fb1d-2eae-4ddd-a135-be8d693ff171.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on new books and materials and an annual ethics code review. ### Board of Public Utilities The Board of Public Utilities meets on Mon, June 8, at 6:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1415467&GUID=9D932F6D-72AA-4C5A-B81C-E3F8AEA978AA&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review proposed [updates](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=11fea56d-6d8c-4280-8598-f1fd4c97e959.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to water shortage emergency rules ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5353-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a179ae8f395e79c4e003c45-3-review-2025-water-shortage-contingency-plan-r?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and long-range [water supply planning](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=0ab80a75-49dc-462e-8358-1531e30b407d.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 4](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5353-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a179ae8f395e79c4e003c46-4-review-2025-urban-water-management-plan-recom?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), a pipeline replacement [project](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=2ec2b001-66a1-4aac-91d5-392aabf9b7c4.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on California Avenue and Sherman Drive ([item 8](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5353-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a179ae9f395e79c4e003c4b-8-award-bid-8256-to-big-ben-inc-dot-irvine-for-4-dollars?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and [proposed changes](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=b6bbc6fb-c33d-4234-8636-44782f0e42e4.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to electric and water rates that would be subject to a public hearing before City Council ([item 18](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5353-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a179ae9f395e79c4e003c56-18-adopt-a-resolution-of-the-board-of-public-util?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Finance Committee The Finance Committee (Councilmembers Hemenway, Robillard, and Falcone) meets on Wednesday, June 10, at 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1416996&GUID=4A5C253D-1222-4CF5-9C32-433852FE9EDF&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review the City's [investment portfolio performance](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=e9fcdb01-bfd8-42b5-8cf3-619ae5ae225c.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5356-finance-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a18911c442538fa2600dc5d-2-investment-portfolio-performance-market-and-po?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and an [assessment](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=b7fc75c1-79ee-409c-9005-5e856454285c.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) of overall financial health indicators ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5356-finance-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a18911c442538fa2600dc5e-3-assessing-citys-financial-health-maintain-fi?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Mobility and Infrastructure Committee The Mobility and Infrastructure Committee (Councilmembers Conder, Hemenway, and Perry) meets on Thursday, June 11, at 1 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1396894&GUID=319BA5A3-CED6-40F4-A6AA-EC3C4658A50B&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to disuss [signage designs](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=6b2f6c88-3fbf-45ac-a750-ef1cfd6a9b2c.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for Riverside's Clean California Community designation as part of the committee's review of the state program's local implementation ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5354-mobility-and-infrastructure-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a186e4af2b67051ee0037ed-2-clean-california-community-designation-signage?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Airport Commission The Airport Commission meets on Thursday, June 11, at 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1416092&GUID=DB47CE7D-9935-4410-AF05-EF91CB50C254&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to receive the Airport Commission's monthly operations and activity [report](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=2649378b-14a6-4ef9-bc0a-5bdbe6832e5c.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 7](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5360-airport-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a1a16257d7965dd700018aa-7-june-2026-airport-managers-operations-and-acti?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and conducting an annual ethics code [review](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=d14918a2-eb6b-43c1-b4f3-dbe6da5d3bd1.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5360-airport-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a1a16257d7965dd700018a9-6-code-of-ethics-annual-review?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Budget Engagement Commission The Budget Engagement Commission meets on Thursday, June 11, at 5 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1416531&GUID=B9AED416-B616-48E4-92B7-BC1EAADF2005&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to conduct routine business including an annual [ethics code review](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=3f9d2ed6-3f93-4c59-84e9-22ba1eb7cc52.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 4](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5361-budget-engagement-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a1f1fb4f2b6701967007b9d-4-annual-review-of-the-code-of-ethics-and-conduct?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and a Deputy Finance Director update ([item 5](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5361-budget-engagement-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a1f1fb4f2b6701967007b9f-5-deputy-finance-director-update?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Riverside's Oldest Church Building Still Stands on Magnolia Avenue URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-oldest-church-building-still-stands-on-magnolia-avenue/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:05:02.000Z Traveling back in time along Old Magnolia Avenue, those traversing the avenue admired the showcase houses built by some of the wealthy citrus growers and businessmen of the city. They stopped, often after riding the Riverside and Arlington Electric Railway streetcar, at Chemawa Park to enjoy the zoo and other attractions or maybe watch a polo match. They might visit Sherman Institute Indian School. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/01-Chemawa-Park-PC-GW.jpg) Postcard of Chemawa Park with the building of Sherman Institute in the background. (Author's Collection) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/2-Library.jpg) Postcard of Streetcar on Magnolia Avenue. (Courtesy of Local History Archives, Main Library) What might have been overlooked is one of Riverside's oldest churches, Arlington Presbyterian Church. In 1879, ten families gathered at the home of Samuel Evans, Sr., and Mary Evans, to discuss establishing a Presbyterian Church in the Arlington area, where many of them had settled. On Sunday, November 9, 1879, those desiring a church met at the Sunnyside Schoolhouse on Central Avenue and organized the First Presbyterian Church of Arlington. Chester Crosby, one of those early organizers, recorded his recollections: "Mr. and Mrs. Evans drove us with their team and top surrey through a two-inch rainstorm and a foot of adobe mud to the Sunnyside Schoolhouse where we met the other charter members." Not even a torrential rainstorm could keep these enthusiastic people from attending this important meeting. According to Elmer W. Holmes, this group was the fourth church to organize in Riverside. The first was the First Church of Christ in 1872 (later the First Congregational Church). The next was the First Methodist Episcopal Church, also in 1872\. The third was the First Baptist Church in 1874\. These three were all located in the Mile-Square area of Riverside. A Church Directory in various 1881 issues of the *Press and Horticulturist* lists the four churches, their pastors, and the times of their services. No addresses were given; the assumption was that everyone knew the locations of these congregations. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/3-Press_and_Horticulturist_1881-06-04_3.png) **Press and Horticulturist* Ad from June 11, 1881 The list of the church's charter members reads like a Who's Who list of early Arlington. Included as the charter members were Mr. and Mrs. James Benedict, Alice Benedict, Mr. and Mrs. Chester Crosby, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Evans, Mr. and Mrs. D. W. McLeod, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Rudisill, and Albert S. White. The initial trustees for the church were Samuel Evans, James Benedict, Albert White, Chester Crosby, and Henry Rudisill. James Benedict and his wife built their mansion, called Casa Grande, in 1878 at 237 (now 7651) Magnolia Avenue. Chester Crosby was an orange grower who lived on nearby California Avenue between Jackson and Van Buren. Samuel Evans was one of the founders of the Riverside Land and Irrigating Company, responsible for developing the Arlington area. Evans built his first Riverside home on Magnolia Avenue south of Madison Street. Henry Rudisill was married to Samuel Evans's sister and served as a director of both the Riverside Land and Irrigating Company and the Riverside Land Company. Although Albert White lived in Miller's Glenwood Cottage, he owned forty acres of orange groves at Jefferson Street and Magnolia Avenue. Later, prominent Magnolia Avenue residents who joined Arlington Presbyterian church in the early years included the George Crawford family, the George W. G. Ferris family, the Sylvanus Ferris family, and the Ernest Moulton family. Early in 1880, the new church purchased a 300-by-150-foot lot from Henry Fox on the southeast side of Magnolia Avenue, just south of Arlington Avenue. The cost of the lot, surrounded by orange groves, was $438.24\. During the interim, the congregation continued to meet for services at the Sunnyside Schoolhouse. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/4-Sunnyside-Schoolhouse---improve-contrast-Gemini.jpeg) Photo of Sunnyside Schoolhouse (contrast corrected using Gemini). (Courtesy of Magnolia Presbyterian Church) On January 31, 1880, the trustees held a meeting at the home of James Benedict, where five people pledged gifts totaling $1700 for a church edifice. The trustees planned to circulate the pledge request in the coming weeks to raise enough funds to build. As the work progressed and neared completion, the congregation ordered a Woods organ at the cost of $500, which they felt would be the finest organ in the county. The sanctuary was completed and dedicated on April 24, 1881, at a cost of $4766.90, including furnishings. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/5-images.jpg) Photo of Arlington Presbyterian Church. (Courtesy of Magnolia Presbyterian Church) One of the first, if not the first, weddings at the new church occurred on September 21, 1881, between John J. Evans (son of Samuel Evans, Sr.) and Jennie Crawford. A parsonage was built just east of the church and finished in July 1883. During the ensuing years, the congregation changed its name to Magnolia Presbyterian Church. In 1964, the Magnolia Presbyterian Church built a new and large sanctuary. Following the move into the new sanctuary, the old historic building was converted into a fellowship hall. Sadly, the new structure was severely damaged by fire on December 23, 2018\. The congregation is back worshiping in their historic structure. In 1973, the Riverside Cultural Heritage Board designated the original 1881 church building as City Historic Landmark #4\. The structure is recognized as the oldest existing church building in Riverside, a reminder of the early days of Old Magnolia Avenue when some of its leading citizens settled and built along the avenue. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/7-Church-today.jpg) Photo of church today. (Photo by Author) ### 🗞️ Riverside News- June 7, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-7-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:27.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-4-3.jpg) Christal Pennington and her cousins at Easter Brunch, Mission Inn, in front of the Nanjing Bell. 1976\. (Christal Pennington) **Sunday Gazette: June 7, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday!** Welcome to *Snapshot Sundays*, our weekly series featuring vintage photos of Riverside shared by the people who live here. This week, Christal Pennington takes us back to Easter brunch at the Mission Inn. Do you have old photos of a Riverside spot from long ago? We'd love to see them. [Send them our way](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). See you tomorrow! --- 🧡 Thank you to the Subscribers who became paid supporters this week: Bruce Ford, Connie Fortier, Barbara Klein, Peggy Littleworth, Jennifer Morehead, Laura O'Rourke, Michelle Reh, Linda Sherman-Nurick, Pauline Price, Mary Ward, and Dorie Haddy. [Your ongoing financial support](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-march-15-2026-2/#/portal/account/plans) is vital to our success in serving Riverside with the news it deserves! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260607)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260607&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HISTORY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/history/) ## Riverside's Oldest Church Building Still Stands on Magnolia Avenue Founded in 1879, the church that became Magnolia Presbyterian holds the distinction of housing Riverside's oldest existing church building. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/6--Church-UCR-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-oldest-church-building-still-stands-on-magnolia-avenue/) Photo of the Church some years later with a glimpse of a house to the left – (Courtesy Special Collection and Archives – University of California, Riverside) Traveling back in time along Old Magnolia Avenue, those traversing the avenue admired the showcase houses built by some of the wealthy citrus growers and businessmen of the city. They stopped, often after riding the Riverside and Arlington Electric Railway streetcar, at Chemawa Park to enjoy the zoo and other attractions or maybe watch a polo match. They might visit Sherman Institute Indian School. What might have been overlooked is one of Riverside's oldest churches, Arlington Presbyterian Church. In 1879, ten families gathered at the home of Samuel Evans, Sr., and Mary Evans, to discuss establishing a Presbyterian Church in the Arlington area, where many of them had settled. On Sunday, November 9, 1879, those desiring a church met at the Sunnyside Schoolhouse on Central Avenue and organized the First Presbyterian Church of Arlington. Chester Crosby, one of those early organizers, recorded his recollections: "Mr. and Mrs. Evans drove us with their team and top surrey through a two-inch rainstorm and a foot of adobe mud to the Sunnyside Schoolhouse where we met the other charter members." Not even a torrential rainstorm could keep these enthusiastic people from attending this important meeting. According to Elmer W. Holmes, this group was the fourth church to organize in Riverside. The first was the First Church of Christ in 1872 (later the First Congregational Church). The next was the First Methodist Episcopal Church, also in 1872\. The third was the First Baptist Church in 1874\. These three were all located in the Mile-Square area of Riverside. A Church Directory in various 1881 issues of the *Press and Horticulturist* lists the four churches, their pastors, and the times of their services. No addresses were given; the assumption was that everyone knew the locations of these congregations. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-oldest-church-building-still-stands-on-magnolia-avenue/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260607)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260607&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CREATIVE PROMPTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/creative-prompts/) ## Post Modern A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns. [![photo of assorted photo lot](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1453329180519-b4dba097ed5b?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDIwfHxwb3N0JTIwY2FyZHxlbnwwfHx8fDE3ODA2OTIxNzR8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/post-modern/) Photo by [Christopher Flynn](https://unsplash.com/@cjflynn89?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) This week, we’re moving from the marks left by our hands to the lines that hold things together. Our creative nudge is a thread. Not a whole spool necessarily. No need to have access to an embroidery collection arranged by color, though we welcome overachievers in this column. You really just need one small thread. The kind that peeks from a shirt collar or cuff, a frayed hem, or the one left naked and alone when the button makes a break for it. Pull the wrong one and something comes apart. Follow the right one and a pattern emerges. We use threads to stitch, mend, attach, and decorate. They are metaphorically fertile and abundant: thread of conversation, narrative thread, common thread, loose thread, threadbare excuse. Online, we follow threads to see where a story goes or lose ourselves in one until suddenly it’s past our bedtime and we know too much about sandwich toppings. [Read and share the complete prompt...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/post-modern/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260607) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260607&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Saturday, June 6 - [Bubble Bash at Riverside Plaza](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bubble-bash-at-riverside-plaza/18934880/2026-06-06T11) at Riverside Plaza - [Low-Cost Vaccination Clinic](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/lowcost-vaccination-clinic/19030194/2026-06-06T09) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($10- $28) - [Mt. Rubidoux Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mt-rubidoux-walking-tour/18884790/2026-06-06T08) at Mt. Rubidoux Trailhead, a short walk from Ryan Bonaminio Park. ($21.20) - [Concerts: Co-Creativity in Music, Sound, and AI: Improvisation, Interaction, Composition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/concerts-cocreativity-in-music-sound-and-ai-improvisation-interaction-composition/19040308/2026-06-06T15) at Culver Center of the Arts - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-06-06T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [Juneteenth-Voices of Freedom](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/juneteenthvoices-of-freedom/19063222/2026-06-06T19) at Riverside Community Players ($10- $12) - [Mind's Eye and Lovers Peak at The Barn](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/minds-eye-and-lovers-peak-at-the-barn/19040295/2026-06-06T19) at The Barn - [Punchis! Punchis! Banda Rave (18+)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/punchis-punchis-banda-rave-18/18501425/2026-06-06T21) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium - [Three Bad Jacks 30th Year Anniversary w/ Special Guests!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/three-bad-jacks-30th-year-anniversary-w-special-guests/18729963/2026-06-06T21) at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($20.23) ### Sunday, June 7 - [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-07T08) at Riverside - [Gardening for Butterflies](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/gardening-for-butterflies/18543239/2026-06-07T00) at Botanic Gardens - [Learn Origami](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/learn-origami/18025240/2026-06-07T11) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [Riverside Historical Society June Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-historical-society-june-meeting/18976350/2026-06-07T13) at Riverside Medical Clinic - Basement Conference Room - [Architectural Walking Tour of Downtown Riverside](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/architectural-walking-tour-of-downtown-riverside/18884613/2026-06-07T10) at Mission Inn Foundation & Visitor Center ($21.20) - [Friends of the Library Annual Meeting: Guest Speaker: Carlos E. Cortés](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/friends-of-the-library-annual-meeting-guest-speaker-carlos-e-corts/18762477/2026-06-07T13) at Ssgt Salvador J. Lara Casa Blanca Library Garden - [Free Summer Sundays](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-summer-sundays/19056728/2026-06-07T12) at Riverside Art Museum - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-06-07T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Storytime in the Gardens](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/storytime-in-the-gardens/18025386/2026-06-07T10) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [Vinyl & Rides](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vinyl-rides/19056729/2026-06-07T12) at Riverside Art Museum ### Monday, June 8 - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-06-08T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Interfaith Prayer Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/interfaith-prayer-meeting/19073551/2026-06-08T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Academic Boot Camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/academic-boot-camp/19059396/2026-06-08T09) at My Learning Studio ($357) - [Animal Kids Camp - Summer Sessions](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/animal-kids-camp-summer-sessions/18779521/2026-06-08T08) at Mary S. Roberts pet Adoption Center ($240) - [Mat Pilates](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mat-pilates/18543210/2026-06-08T17) at Student Recreation Center (SRC), MPR E - [Vacation Bible School: Snowball Mountain Challenge](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vacation-bible-school-snowball-mountain-challenge/19029187/2026-06-08T09) at First United Methodist Church ($15- $25) - [Wild about Animals Camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/wild-about-animals-camp/19030090/2026-06-08T09) at Ameal Moore Nature Center - [Board of Public Utilities](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/board-of-public-utilities/18584290/2026-06-08T18) at Riverside City Hall ### Tuesday, June 9 - [City Council](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/city-council/18431185/2026-06-09T15) at Riverside City Hall - [Seed to Scale: Explore Controlled Environment Agriculture at UCR](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/seed-to-scale-explore-controlled-environment-agriculture-at-ucr/18864709/2026-06-09T18) at University of California, Riverside - [Earl Sweatshirt & MIKE: Home on the Range Tour 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/earl-sweatshirt-mike-home-on-the-range-tour-2026/18501474/2026-06-09T19) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition at the Hideaway](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-06-09T19) at The Hideaway ### Wednesday, June 10 - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-06-10T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-06-10T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [One Big Day for Little Lives - Evening Open House & Adoption Event](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/one-big-day-for-little-lives-evening-open-house-adoption-event/18977413/2026-06-10T18) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center - [Evergreen Cemetery Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/evergreen-cemetery-tour/18884634/2026-06-10T10) at Evergreen Cemetery ($21.20) - [Finance Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/finance-committee/18642989/2026-06-10T15) at Riverside City Hall - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-06-10T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) ### Thursday, June 11 - [Airport Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/airport-commission/18584286/2026-06-11T15) at Riverside City Hall - [Mobility and Infrastructure Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mobility-and-infrastructure-committee/18584285/2026-06-11T13) at Riverside City Hall - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-06-11T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [TFDP Culmination Celebration](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/tfdp-culmination-celebration/16765960/2026-06-11T19) at University Theatre ### Friday, June 12 - [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-12T07) at Zacatecas Café - [Eastside Library at Bordwell Park | Aztec Culture and Dance](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/eastside-library-at-bordwell-park-aztec-culture-and-dance/18788292/2026-06-12T15) at SPC Jesus S. Duran Eastside Library at Bordwell Park - [Doc Talk](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/doc-talk/18884825/2026-06-12T14) at SSgt. Salvador J. Lara Casa Blanca Library - ["The Miscast Show"](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-miscast-show/19030217/2026-06-12T19) at The Box Riverside ($20 - $25) - [Drive In Cruise Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/tuxies-drive-in-cruise-night/18584301/2026-06-12T17) at Tuxie's Drive In ### Saturday, Jun 13 - [Moth Madness](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/moth-madness/18898909/2026-06-13T19) at LandUse Learning Center - [Permaculture Design Training and Certificate](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/permaculture-design-training-and-certificate/17147647/2026-06-13T09) at Land Use Learning Center - [Community in Conversation: "Banished Citizens"](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/community-in-conversation-banished-citizens/19061979/2026-06-13T17) at Cellar Door Book Store - [The Altons: Show You Love Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-altons-show-you-love-tour/18501478/2026-06-13T19) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium - [The Beatles Tribute by 4 Lads from Liverpool](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-beatles-tribute-by-4-lads-from-liverpool/18120409/2026-06-13T21) at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($20.23) - [Olivewood Cemetery Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/olivewood-cemetery-tour/18884611/2026-06-13T10) at Olivewood Cemetery ($21.20) - [Painting with PRIDE, a Comedy Paint and Sip](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/painting-with-pride-a-comedy-paint-and-sip/17462033/2026-06-13T11) at BACK TO THE GRIND - [Ripperside Cinema Galore Presents: Eraserhead](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/ripperside-cinema-galore-presents-eraserhead/18842015/2026-06-13T19) at Back to the Grind ($12.51) - [ULTRA MODE a Depeche Mode Tribute 06/13](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/ultra-mode-a-depeche-mode-tribute-0613/18842016/2026-06-13T23) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($12.51 - $200) ## Save the Date - June 14: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-14T08) at Riverside - June 15: [Wildlife Encounters- IE Kids Outdoors summer camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/wildlife-encounters-ie-kids-outdoors-summer-camp/19030975/2026-06-15T09) at California State Citrus Historic Park ($175) - June 19: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-19T07) at Zacatecas Café - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09)at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Post Modern URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/post-modern/ Last updated: 2026-06-06T12:00:05.000Z Welcome back, thread-heads and story spinners. [Last week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/thread-head/), we tugged at the loose threads in our lives—literal, symbolic, and possibly still attached to a shirt you can’t let go. Did you tie yourself into knots around something worth remembering? Map a wandering thought on pure cotton fibers? Find meaning by connecting two or more seemingly unrelated objects and declare their relationship status as “complicated?” However you forged a path forward, I hope it pulled you into a few minutes of creative play while paying attention to the difference between love worn and worn out. This week, we move from thread counts to places that count. Our creative nudge this week is a postcard; those intermittent missives that tell a story with one picture and less than fifty words, including the destination address! Postcards are a niche form of communication. When you send a message with one, anyone along the way can read it. The upside is those messages don’t get fed into your digital algorithmic footprint…yet. Postcards don’t favor the long winded and you can’t use emojis to bridge the metaphorical gap between giver and receiver. These are all reasons why I value postcards. I love new ones from museum gift shops and old ones from thrift stores. I love the strange ones most of all: abandoned towns, baffling tourist attractions, and pictures of sunrises that outshine the real thing. City slogans big on hope. A motel swimming pool photographed like a beckoning oasis. A postcard is brief on purpose. It gives me enough space to say hello, report on the weather, make a wry, succinct observation, perhaps about the passage of time and its brevity. It is the antithesis of making someone scroll through your uncurated glut of vacation photos. The post card as a medium forces me to be succinct, specific, and interesting. I consider those pretty good creative constraints. My wife and I have another couple we send postcards to when we travel, or sometimes just on a whim. It is not an elaborate tradition. It’s not a grand literary correspondence. It’s more like sending a smile via snail mail. There’s no “read notification”; these messages can and do stand alone. I like imagining the card moving through the world - dropped in a box, machine sorted, touched by strangers, carried across harrowing terrain, then hand delivered to a hand we know. Of course, buying postcards and mailing postcards are two very different hobbies. I buy them with great intention. Still, I keep buying them. I keep saving them. It is hard to throw away a postcard, even if I know I probably will not send it. A blank postcard feels like unfinished business. Now it is time to find a postcard. Any postcard. Then use it to send your imagination somewhere for several minutes with one or more of these postage paid prompts: 1. **View Finder:** Study the image on the front. What was cropped out? What happened five minutes before the picture was taken? What business, animal, argument, or weather event is just outside the frame? Write a short scene, draw the missing edges, or create a fake historical plaque for the place shown. Let the postcard become the first panel in a much stranger comic strip. 2. **Postcardiac Message:** Turn the postcard over and take the postcard challenge: write or draw something brief, celebratory, and a little strange. Write to a friend, your future self, a former version of you, or a celebrity. What feeling can fit into three lines and still arrive intact? 3. **Greetings from Nowhere:** Gather several postcards you are willing to sacrifice in the name of art. Cut out pieces of sky, mountains, motels, oceans, palm trees, and happy strangers. Reassemble the fragments into a new postcard from a made-up place. Add a short message and deliver it to someone who will appreciate receiving proof that a place does not need to exist to be worth seeing. 4. **Good Eats:** What might a multi-sensory postcard do in our mailboxes? Move beyond the two dimensions of a postcard. Write a three-item menu for the place on the card. Bonus points if you make yourself a snack inspired by the postcard and eat it while pretending you are on vacation. 5. **Stackable:** Take a stack of postcards and by using simple materials like glue or binder clips, create a three dimensional sculpture that can be expanded like a house of cards. Do you want to try and build something that will last, or something that you can knock down and reshape over and over? Your creative self is always just below the surface. Sometimes a little blank space and an imagined audience is all we need to set it loose. This week, let a postcard interrupt your day in the best way. Keep one. Make one. Send one. Invent a place worthy of one. *This column was written with the help of ChatGPT, helping me make use of all the cardinal directions.* ### 🍊Your Riverside Weekend- June 5, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/your-riverside-weekend-may-30-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:28.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/02/_DSC5738.jpg) **Your Riverside Weekend- June 5, 2026** **Happy Saturday, Riverside!** We hope your week treated you well. Before you head into your weekend, we've gathered the stories that defined life in our city this week — from City Hall to community happenings. You're in the right place to catch up — your weekend starts here. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260606)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260606&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [End-of-Week Results Roundup for June 2 ElectionResidents weigh in on failing Measure Z, and the top two candidates from each race gear up for a run-off election in November.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-c03a5031-db40-46ba-9dc8-4f6932822935.png)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-5-1-6e135c62-2783-4c22-baaf-c4aefd7281a6.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/end-of-week-results-roundup-for-june-2-election/) [The Cheech Celebrates Four Years with the New Exhibit, We the People: Chicano Art in the U.S.A.Curator Benito Huerta brings together 60 artists and 120 works for the Cheech’s anniversary exhibition.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-f522d6ed-24e9-42b8-bcd5-607457afe5e6.png)The Raincross GazetteCommunity Contributor![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/dfuns-2026-05-29-191202939A96AF09EB-d5605744-ca96-4956-b749-063cec9e1efe.JPG)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-cheech-celebrates-four-years-with-the-new-exhibit-we-the-people-chicano-art-in-the-u-s-a/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260606)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260606&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [City Code Snag Delays Downtown Experiment Permit Case Another 90 DaysCommissioners pushed back after city staff notified the nightclub owner less than 24 hours before the hearing that the case needed to stay open another six months.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-913df5ad-f862-4de3-8de7-471996943830.png)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-1-6f3778f8-954b-4ca3-9be3-e707a5be7cff.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-code-snag-delays-downtown-experiment-permit-case-another-90-days/) [Plumbing Work Sparked University Riverside Gardens Fire that Displaced 150 ResidentsThe accidental blaze burned undetected through the attic for hours before breaking through the roof of the Iowa Avenue complex.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-b7a65db0-85bc-4435-a5d4-75eab3fdf1bd.png)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/Fire2-43201e1d-9459-4600-8a1b-8963b54f5a55.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/plumbing-work-sparked-university-riverside-gardens-fire-that-displaced-150-residents/) [Neighbor of the Week: Greg CuellarNeighbor of the Week is a series profiling the hidden heroes of Riverside, doing incredible works of service throughout our different neighborhoods.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-7a051442-9ec6-4a14-a992-0b6f1dc101de.png)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-11-2-00041bb5-ba8d-4d22-8222-7b1eba84c3a5.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-greg-cuellar/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260606) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260606&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Weather Forecast ⛅ Sunday, June 7 — 84° / 56° · Partly Cloudy ☀️ Monday, June 8 — 84° / 58° · Sunny ☀️ Tuesday, June 9 — 84° / 59° · Sunny ☀️ Wednesday, June 10 — 87° / 60° · Sunny ☀️ Thursday, June 11 — 90° / 61° · Sunny ☀️ Friday, June 12 — 92° / 62° · Sunny ☀️ Saturday, June 13 — 95° / 64° · Sunny *🌞 A little Sunday cloud cover, then Riverside turns up the heat — sunshine and climbing temps all week, with a sizzling 95° to close out the weekend.* --- ## 💬 Staff Picks — What we're talking about around the Gazette this week ☀️ **Justin** is experiencing a new (and delightful) work-from-home challenge: the other five members of his family are now in full summer mode. 🍽️ **Amy** has a simple date night on the books this weekend — her go-to Downtown spot, familiar faces, usual drinks, usual dishes. Perfect. --- ## Save the Date - June 8: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-08T08) at Community Yoga Center - June 8: [Interfaith Prayer Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/interfaith-prayer-meeting/19073551/2026-06-08T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - June 8: [Vacation Bible School: Snowball Mountain Challenge](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vacation-bible-school-snowball-mountain-challenge/19029187/2026-06-08T09) at First United Methodist Church ($15- $25) - June 8: [Wild about Animals Camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/wild-about-animals-camp/19030090/2026-06-08T09) at Ameal Moore Nature Center - June 12: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-12T07) at Zacatecas Café - June 15: [Wildlife Encounters- IE Kids Outdoors summer camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/wildlife-encounters-ie-kids-outdoors-summer-camp/19030975/2026-06-15T09) at California State Citrus Historic Park ($175) - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### End-of-Week Results Roundup for June 2 Election URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/end-of-week-results-roundup-for-june-2-election/ Last updated: 2026-06-09T11:59:44.000Z As election week comes to a close, Measure Z remains projected to fail, and all three city council races appear headed toward a runoff election in November. Riverside voters were asked to choose City Council representatives for Wards 2, 4 and 6 under the new ward boundaries adopted in 2023 — and weighed in on Measure Z, a proposal to raise the city sales tax to 1.25% to fund emergency services. A council candidate must win more than 50 percent of the vote to take the seat outright; if no one does, the top two finishers advance to a Nov. 3 runoff election. Measure Z needs a simple majority to pass. The figures below reflect the end-of-week counts released by the Riverside County Registrar of Voters as of 6 p.m. Friday, June 5. ### Measure Z Things are looking bleak for Measure Z, which would raise Riverside's sales tax from 1 percent to 1.25 percent and remove its 2036 sunset to fund fire staffing and stations. It is structured as a general tax instead of a special tax, meaning funds generated from the tax would go to the city’s general fund and not a specific fund for fire and emergency needs. It needs a simple majority to pass. As of June 5 at 6 p.m., 23.94% of the vote was counted. **Yes:** 15,690 votes (41.04%) **No:** 22,545 votes (58.96%) Some Gazette readers wrote in to comment on their opposition to Measure Z. “The results show that Riverside voters want change. They are demanding a fiscally responsible, transparent, accountable and responsive government focused on making Riverside safe and affordable for all,” said resident Dan Hoxworth. “The voters clearly don't trust the current City Council. They gave a resounding defeat to them in voting down Measure Z.” Hoxworth also said he’s happy that all three council races are headed toward a runoff. “Despite being outspent by huge margins Luis Hernandez, Aram Arya and Rich Vandenberg all advanced to November,” he said. “I am delighted that despite the low turnout that we have three strong candidates committed to creating housing for Riversiders who make less than $100,000 a year for our college graduating, frontline workers, and downsizing seniors among others.” Resident Ron Nelthorpe called for more accountability on city spending. “With the apparent defeat of Measure Z, it's a blessing to the overall City. The free spending needs to be closely looked at and we need to make it mandatory to do a cost benefit analysis on most spending,” Nelthorpe said. “The spending has been somewhat disjointed and out of control for too many years. There needs to be more emphasis on cleaning up the city and repairing the infrastructure such as roads and such to benefit all citizens, not just a few.” ### Ward 2 In the four-way race for the open Ward 2 seat, Gracie Torres leads with 37.28 percent of the vote with all precincts reporting. No candidate is above 50 percent; Torres and Ayra are the apparent top two. As of June 5 at 6 p.m., 31.08%% of the vote was counted. **Gracie Torres:** 2,253 votes (37.73%) **Aram Ayra:** 2,061 votes (34.52%) **Mike Vahl:** 1,431 votes (23.97%) **Christen Montero:** 226 votes (3.78%) Both Torres and Ayra put out statements on Thursday thanking supporters and gearing up toward a runoff in November. “As the results indicate that this race is likely headed to the general election, we are encouraged by the momentum our campaign has built and excited for the opportunity to continue earning the trust of our community,” Torres said in a [statement](https://www.instagram.com/gracietorres/p/DZKnn%5FGuaYw/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) on her Instagram. Ayra said he was “encouraged by the latest results.” “...With each update, our vote share has continued to grow, and it is clear that our message is resonating,” Ayra said. “We are grateful for the trending results and are currently placing in the top-two to advance ahead to the November election!” he said in an Instagram [statement](https://www.instagram.com/ayraforriverside/p/DZJj4i1q1km/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). ### Ward 4 Incumbent Chuck Conder leads Ward 4 with 47.20% — just short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff — with all precincts reporting. As of June 5 at 6 p.m., 32.33% of the vote was counted. **Chuck Conder (incumbent):** 4,222 votes (47.20%) **Rich Vandenberg:** 2,582 votes (28.87%) **Jessica Qattawi:** 2,141 votes (23.94%) In a statement posted on his [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/p/Rich-Vandenberg-for-Riverside-City-Council-61575608752355/) Friday morning, Vandenberg thanked his supporters. “Votes are still being counted, and we’re watching results carefully. Whatever comes next, one thing hasn’t changed: this campaign has always been about serving our community and giving residents a voice,” Vandenberg said. “More updates to come. For now, thank you from the bottom of my heart.” ### Ward 6 Luis Hernandez leads the open Ward 6 seat left by retiring three-term Council member Jim Perry, with all precincts reporting. As of June 5 at 6 p.m., 17.26% of the vote was counted. **Luis Hernandez:** 1,470 votes (47.68%) **Oz Puerta:** 857 votes (27.80%) **Norma Berrellez:** 756 votes (24.52%) With a runoff election in sight, Puerta said in a statement on his [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/ozforriverside/p/DZNgXG8B3Ni/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Friday morning that he has “every intention of seeing this race through to victory.” “We will continue working hard, earning support, and sharing our vision for a safer, cleaner and more prosperous Ward 6,” he said. ### What happens next Riverside County will continue counting ballots — including vote-by-mail ballots postmarked by June 2 and provisional ballots — through June 9, the final receipt deadline. Results are not certified on election night, and margins in close races are likely to shift as additional ballots are tallied. Any Ward 2, 4 or 6 race in which no candidate finishes above 50 percent will advance its top two finishers to a runoff on Nov. 3. The Gazette will update this story as new counts are released and will follow with individual reports on the city council races and Measure Z's outcome in the days ahead. For full candidate profiles and race background, see the Gazette's 2026 Election Guide. ### Vista Norte Charter School Gets Planning Commission OK to Keep Operating — and Grow — in Casa Blanca URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/vista-norte-charter-school-gets-planning-commission-ok-to-keep-operating-and-grow-in-casa-blanca/ Last updated: 2026-06-08T12:01:01.000Z The Planning Commission Thursday backed Vista Norte Public Charter School's long-running Casa Blanca campus, approving a conditional use permit that would legalize the school's operation and allow enrollment of up to 450 students. The proposal formalizes a use that has operated on the property at 7680 Casa Blanca St. since 2015, according to the [staff report](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15501843&GUID=03AFFCFD-AADA-4D4C-9472-C2AA6EA0D8B3&ref=raincrossgazette.com), while preserving Casa Blanca Home of Neighborly Services' community center programs on the site. Staff said the school's setup is unusual compared with a traditional campus because most students work off-site and come in only once a week for appointments, limiting on-site activity and traffic. The charter school is an independent study program that serves students ages 14 to 23, according to Vista Norte Principal Memo Velasco on Thursday. "We have a differentiated assistant program where we specifically target areas of growth like testing scores, and these are things that we continue to track, that we continue to work on," he told commissioners. "A lot of our students are behind in credits, and unfortunately, they cannot continue in the traditional school setting, so they come with us behind with credits, and we are able to service them until the age of 23." Velasco said the charter's students meet with their teachers one to two times a week for one- to two-hour appointments and receive work packets. Students complete the packets at home, and they come to school and ask questions, review the material, work with tutors or paraprofessionals if they need to, and leave the center with an additional credit. The property, on the south side of Casa Blanca Street, is zoned for single-family residential use but allows charter schools with a conditional use permit. Staff found the project consistent with the city's general plan, zoning code and citywide design guidelines, and said it would not be materially detrimental to the surrounding neighborhood. The school operates Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with no weekend or nighttime use allowed under the recommended conditions. ### Free Regatta on Lake Evans Kicks Off Youth Sailing Season Saturday URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/free-regatta-on-lake-evans-kicks-off-youth-sailing-season-saturday/ Last updated: 2026-06-05T18:15:13.000Z The Riverside Community Sailing Program hosts its annual Riverside Regatta on Saturday at Lake Evans in Fairmount Park, with free public viewing from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Youth sailors will race first at 4 p.m., followed immediately by a donor and council race featuring local sponsors and Councilmember Steve Hemenway. The event marks the unofficial start of the nonprofit's six-week summer season, which offers sailing instruction to Riverside youth ages 10 to 17\. Classes run Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., beginning Monday, June 8, and wrapping up July 31\. The weekly fee is $125, and scholarships are available. Spectators can watch from the shore of Lake Evans or head inside the Izaak Walton Building for a closer view of the action. Organizers will have chairs and tables set up, a race announcer, and door prizes. Trophies are awarded at the end of the regatta. Donor skippers competing this year represent several Riverside-area organizations: Riverside East Rotary , the Exchange Club, Kiwanis of Riverside, Arrowhead Power and Sail Squadron, Corona Chevron, DANA, and Victoria Avenue Forever. The Riverside Community Sailing Program has operated almost continuously since 2008, when then-Councilmember Mike Gardner helped form the nonprofit after the city had planned to demolish the old sailboat house at Fairmount Park. The all-volunteer program has since taught more than 1,000 students to sail on 8-foot sabot sailboats on Lake Evans, partnering with the Riverside Community Park and Community Services Department. **More information:* Parents interested in enrolling a child in summer classes can find registration forms, rules, and guidelines at* [*riversidesailing.org*](https://www.riversidesailing.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *under the "Sailing classes for 2026" tab.* ### 🗞️ Riverside News- June 5, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-5-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:29.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/IMG_7652.jpeg) A mother duck and her brood make their way along the Gage Canal in Arlington Heights, finding a stretch of calm water amid the concrete channel. (Christopher Cox) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Friday Gazette: June 5, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Friday!** TONIGHT, [Farmhouse Collective](https://www.instagram.com/p/DZIhGKCHKf5/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) is collecting gift cards, toiletries, school supplies, working laptops, and cash donations for victims of [the University Riverside Garden Apartments fire](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/plumbing-work-sparked-university-riverside-gardens-fire-that-displaced-150-residents/) — many of whom lost everything and are rebuilding from scratch. All donations go directly to verified victims. The event also features music, karaoke, food, and raffles, with a DJ set from Gabe "Bosch Man" Roth from 4 to 10 p.m. If you can bring something, it will make a real difference. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260605)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260605&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## City Code Snag Delays Downtown Experiment Permit Case Another 90 Days Commissioners pushed back after city staff notified the nightclub owner less than 24 hours before the hearing that the case needed to stay open another six months. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-9.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-code-snag-delays-downtown-experiment-permit-case-another-90-days/) Downtown Experiment at 3601 Orange St. in Downtown. (File photo/Raincross Gazette) The Downtown bar's permit revocation case got a 90-day extension Thursday — but this time, the city is the one causing the delay. **Why it matters:** Downtown Experiment at 3871 Main St. has been in regulatory limbo since early 2025 after a series of serious incidents. Commissioners essentially told city staff Thursday to move faster and stop creating uncertainty for a cooperative business. **Driving the news:** City staff admitted Wednesday — less than 24 hours before the hearing — that a municipal code flaw prevents them from issuing the entertainment permit Downtown Experiment agreed to pursue. A code amendment is needed, which staff said could take up to six months. - Commissioners rejected that timeline 4-3, mandating a 90-day return instead. **The backstory:** Staff originally sought to revoke the club's operating and alcohol permits after incidents including a reported shooting, assaults, and security personnel battering customers. At the March 12 hearing, owner Marco McGuire agreed to work with the city, and dozens of residents showed up in support. **What they're saying:** Commission Chair Launa Wilson challenged staff directly: "What is the rationale for keeping this issue hanging over these business owners' heads?" — noting McGuire had met deadlines and acted in good faith throughout. **What's next:** The case returns to the Planning Commission in 90 days — roughly early September. No date has been set. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-code-snag-delays-downtown-experiment-permit-case-another-90-days/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260605)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260605&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [TRANSPORTATION](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/transportation/) ## Board of Transportation Commission: Traffic Deaths Down 75%, Speed Limit Cuts Coming Fatal traffic collisions are down 75% compared to last year, city officials said, as Riverside rolls out new speed limits and advances a road redesign near John W. North High School. [![25 speed limit signage](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1495491372870-737c9ae4b9c7?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDJ8fHNwZWVkJTIwbGltaXR8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzgwNjA0MTIzfDA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/board-of-transportation-commission-traffic-deaths-down-75-speed-limit-cuts-coming/) ([Joshua Hoehne](https://unsplash.com/@joshua%5Fhoehne?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) The City has recorded just two fatal traffic collisions through late May, compared to eight during the same period last year — a 75% drop. **Why it matters:** Neither fatality involved driver error, and the city is now layering on new speed limit reductions and targeted enforcement that could push the numbers even lower. **Driving the news:** Lt. Chad Chinchilla, RPD traffic bureau manager, shared the figures Tuesday at the Board of Transportation Commission meeting. - "To see that significant of a reduction so far this year is very good and promising," he said. **What's new:** About 20% of citywide speed limits will drop 5–10 mph on high-collision corridors under a Council-approved ordinance from May. An additional 36 roadways with no posted limits will get them. - The city is launching a "Slow Down, Save Lives" awareness campaign alongside new signage, with targeted enforcement on the city's highest-violation corridors. **Also Tuesday:** Commissioners unanimously advanced a road safety redesign on Linden Street between Chicago Avenue and Iowa Avenue, near John W. North High School. - The plan converts the four-lane stretch to two through lanes with a center turn lane, expanded bike lanes, and an improved loading zone. The segment has seen 36 collisions over five years. **What's next:** The Linden Street project goes to the Mobility and Infrastructure Committee. Community engagement with Riverside Unified School District is ongoing before design is finalized. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/board-of-transportation-commission-traffic-deaths-down-75-speed-limit-cuts-coming/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260605) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260605&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [Adoptable Pet of the Week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag//) ## Meet Montana! Meet this week’s featured furry friend from the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center. Dedicated to eliminating pet homelessness, the center provides compassionate care and facilitates adoptions for animals in need of loving homes. Find your new companion and help support their mission of humane care and responsible pet ownership. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-8.jpg)](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) If Montana had to choose between a toy and a person, she'd pick the person every time. This 4-year-old gal is all about hanging with her buddies, whether that means following you around the house, joining you for a walk, or happily accepting pets and treats. She can be a little shy when meeting new dogs and will do best with slow introductions, but once she’s comfortable, her sweet personality comes through. Easygoing, affectionate, and eager to be near her people, Montana is hoping her wait for her family is almost over. Come meet Montana and all the adoptable pets at the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center in person. Stop by any day except Tuesdays, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., or learn more at [petsadoption.org](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). Alumni Update: Fawn was adopted! 👏 --- ## Noteworthy Riverside native [Carter Bryant is headed to the NBA Finals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carter%5FBryant%5F%28basketball%29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) with the San Antonio Spurs — and the rookie's local ties run deep, with his grandmother on staff at the California School for the Deaf Riverside and Bryant himself fluent in ASL. A UCR researcher contributed to a Nature study finding that [honeybee queens aren't made by diet alone](https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/06/03/how-honeybees-really-crown-their-queens?ref=raincrossgazette.com) — specialized young worker bees build custom wax nurseries with distinct chemistry and warmer temperatures that are essential to producing healthy queens. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Friday, June 5 - [**Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-05T07) at Zacatecas Café - [R'Hours at the R'Garden](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rhours-at-the-rgarden/18094958/2026-06-05T08) at R'Garden - [Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-and-heroes-walking-tour/17901085/2026-06-05T15) at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18) - [Painting Pets Night, a Comedy Paint and Sip](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/painting-pets-night-a-comedy-paint-and-sip/18671863/2026-06-05T19) at Carbon Nation Brewing ($28.52) ### Saturday, June 6 - [Bubble Bash at Riverside Plaza](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bubble-bash-at-riverside-plaza/18934880/2026-06-06T11) at Riverside Plaza - [Low-Cost Vaccination Clinic](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/lowcost-vaccination-clinic/19030194/2026-06-06T09) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($10- $28) - [Mt. Rubidoux Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mt-rubidoux-walking-tour/18884790/2026-06-06T08) at Mt. Rubidoux Trailhead, a short walk from Ryan Bonaminio Park. ($21.20) - [Concerts: Co-Creativity in Music, Sound, and AI: Improvisation, Interaction, Composition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/concerts-cocreativity-in-music-sound-and-ai-improvisation-interaction-composition/19040308/2026-06-06T15) at Culver Center of the Arts - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-06-06T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [Juneteenth-Voices of Freedom](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/juneteenthvoices-of-freedom/19063222/2026-06-06T19) at Riverside Community Players ($10- $12) - [Mind's Eye and Lovers Peak at The Barn](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/minds-eye-and-lovers-peak-at-the-barn/19040295/2026-06-06T19) at The Barn - [Punchis! Punchis! Banda Rave (18+)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/punchis-punchis-banda-rave-18/18501425/2026-06-06T21) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium - [Three Bad Jacks 30th Year Anniversary w/ Special Guests!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/three-bad-jacks-30th-year-anniversary-w-special-guests/18729963/2026-06-06T21) at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($20.23) ### Sunday, June 7 - [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-07T08) at Riverside - [Gardening for Butterflies](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/gardening-for-butterflies/18543239/2026-06-07T00) at Botanic Gardens - [Learn Origami](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/learn-origami/18025240/2026-06-07T11) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [**Riverside Historical Society June Meeting**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-historical-society-june-meeting/18976350/2026-06-07T13) at Riverside Medical Clinic - Basement Conference Room - [Architectural Walking Tour of Downtown Riverside](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/architectural-walking-tour-of-downtown-riverside/18884613/2026-06-07T10) at Mission Inn Foundation & Visitor Center ($21.20) - [Friends of the Library Annual Meeting: Guest Speaker: Carlos E. Cortés](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/friends-of-the-library-annual-meeting-guest-speaker-carlos-e-corts/18762477/2026-06-07T13) at Ssgt Salvador J. Lara Casa Blanca Library Garden - [Free Summer Sundays](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-summer-sundays/19056728/2026-06-07T12) at Riverside Art Museum - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-06-07T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Storytime in the Gardens](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/storytime-in-the-gardens/18025386/2026-06-07T10) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [Vinyl & Rides](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vinyl-rides/19056729/2026-06-07T12) at Riverside Art Museum ### Save the Date - May 31: [Oscars, Tonys & Grammys](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oscars-tonys-grammys/18797026/2026-05-31T16) at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($10- $20) - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) - June 3: [Paint. Sip. Spark Kindness](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-sip-spark-kindness/18886391/2026-06-03T18) at HRBC Insurance ($75) - June 5: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-05T07) at Zacatecas Café - June 7: [Riverside Historical Society June Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-historical-society-june-meeting/18976350/2026-06-07T13) at Riverside Medical Clinic - Basement Conference Room 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### City Code Snag Delays Downtown Experiment Permit Case Another 90 Days URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-code-snag-delays-downtown-experiment-permit-case-another-90-days/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:05:05.000Z The Planning Commission on Thursday decided to extend nightclub [Downtown Experiment](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/planning-commission-delays-downtown-experiment-bar-permit-hearing/)'s operating permit revocation case another 90 days — but this time, it was the city that needed time to work things out. Staff said they had planned to withdraw their request to revoke the downtown bar's operating permits per the Commission's previous decision on March 12, where the nightclub owner, Marco McGuire, agreed to work with the city on compliance. According to McGuire, the city told him the matter would be taken off the calendar – and advised him not to even attend the meeting. However, around 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday, city staff told the owners that the case would need to stay open for about six more months while the city works through a code fix for an entertainment permit. Staff said the nightclub had agreed to pursue a permit modification and an entertainment permit, but after reviewing the code, staff concluded the permit could not be issued under the current language because the police chief could not make the required findings. City staff said a municipal code amendment would be needed and estimated the process could take as long as six months, though the code itself would require at least 45 days before taking effect after adoption. Commissioners on Thursday voted 4-3 to reject that timeline, and instead set a 90-day continuance, saying the city should move faster and return with a resolution. Commission Chair Launa Wilson pressed staff as to their rationale for the extension when they had assured the nightclub owners that things were moving along. "What is the rationale for keeping this issue hanging over these business owners' heads?" Wilson asked staff. "When it sounds like…they've acted in good faith up to this point. They've been assured numerous times by…members of the planning team that everything is moving forward, they met the deadline for submitting the application. So, why are we still trying to act punitive towards them while the city fixes this code issue?" Other commissioners said the city was creating uncertainty for a business that had been working with staff in good faith and warned that the process could make Riverside look like a bad place to do business. "This really does put the scrutiny on the city in a manner that really can come across as quite unprofessional and not fair and negative, and I'm sure that that's not the position that the city wants to be seen as far as doing business with folks that want to establish businesses here in the city," said Commissioner Lorraine Mooney. Owner Marco McGuire told the Gazette he appreciated commissioners "for holding the city accountable and encouraging collaboration with \[Downtown Experiment\]," and said the team hoped the process could be finalized within the next 90 days. "From the beginning, our goal has been to work together with the city and community leaders in a constructive and transparent way," he said. "We love our city and have always aimed to be a positive example within our industry, contributing responsibly to the downtown community." Earlier this year, after numerous police calls and a series of incidents — including reports of a shooting inside the club, assaults in the alley outside, sexual assaults, physical altercations and security guards battering customers — city staff recommended the Planning Commission revoke Downtown Experiment's club and nightclub permit and alcohol sale permit. However, after lengthy debate at the [March 12 meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-night-isnt-over-for-downtown-experiment/) — in which dozens of residents showed up to speak in support of the club's owner — commissioners moved to continue the decision to June 4 to allow time to discuss possible changes to the club's conditional use permits. The case will return to the Planning Commission at a hearing 90 days from now. MBG Lifestyle Group is an advertiser of The Raincross Gazette. Our news and advertising operations are separate; this coverage was produced independently by our editorial team. ### Board of Transportation Commission: Traffic Deaths Down 75%, Speed Limit Cuts Coming URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/board-of-transportation-commission-traffic-deaths-down-75-speed-limit-cuts-coming/ Last updated: 2026-06-07T12:00:47.000Z The City recorded only two fatal traffic collisions through late May, down from eight during the same period in 2025, a police official told the Board of Transportation Commission on Tuesday. Lt. Chad Chinchilla, RPD traffic bureau manager, said neither collision involved driver error. In one, the driver appears to have suffered a medical emergency. In the other, a pedestrian stepped off the sidewalk into traffic, and fault was attributed to the pedestrian. "Obviously two is too many. We don't want to see that," Chinchilla said. "But to see that significant of a reduction so far this year is very good and promising, and we hope that it stays that way." The figures come as the City prepares to implement a citywide speed limit reduction the City Council adopted in May. About 20% of speed limits citywide will drop 5 to 10 mph on corridors with high rates of speeding-related collisions, city Traffic Engineer Philip Nitollama told the commission. An additional 36 roadways that previously had no posted speed limits will receive them. Nitollama said the City is working with its marketing team on a public awareness campaign, "Slow Down, Save Lives," to roll out alongside the new signage. Targeted police enforcement is also planned, with traffic data on the city's highest-violation corridors shared with the police services department. The commission also unanimously approved directing staff to advance a road safety redesign on Linden Street in Ward 2\. The proposal would convert the stretch of Linden between Chicago Avenue and Iowa Avenue from a four-lane road to two through lanes with a center two-way left-turn lane, expanded bike lanes and an improved loading zone near John W. North High School. The segment has seen 36 collisions over the past five years, most attributed to improper turning, speeding and failure to yield. Reducing through lanes and adding a dedicated left-turn refuge lowers the number of conflict points where collisions can occur, Nitollama said. The road currently operates at Level of Service A, meaning traffic flows freely, and staff said it would remain so after the lane reduction. The project is funded in part through the 2025-26 Community Development Block Grant for repaving. The City has been in contact with Riverside Unified School District and plans to continue community engagement before finalizing the design. The board directed staff to bring findings to the Mobility and Infrastructure Committee. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- June 4, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-4-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:30.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/20260523_0718312.jpg) A leisurely weekend at Lake Evans in Fairmount Park on a quiet, overcast morning. (Debbie Schwartz) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Wednesday Gazette: June 4, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Thursday!** [Measure Z](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/measure-z-explained-the-sales-tax-increase-on-riversides-june-ballot/) was rejected by voters on Tuesday. As of June 3 at 6:15 p.m., 18.54% of the vote was counted and 58.43% voted no on the sales tax increase. However you voted, we want to hear from you. How are you feeling about the result? Reply to this email and let us know. See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260604)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260604&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [2026 ELECTION](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/2026-election/) ## Day 2 Riverside Election Results June 2026 Primary: Wards 2, 4, 6 and Measure Z One day into election ballot counting, results remain largely the same — with Measure Z projected to fail and Torres, Conder and Hernandez leading their respective council races. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-7-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/day-2-riverside-election-results-june-2026-primary-wards-2-4-6-and-measure-z/) Early returns show Measure Z failing decisively, while all three council races appear headed to November runoffs. **Driving the news:** With about 19% of votes counted as of Wednesday evening, Measure Z trails 58–42%. No council candidate in any of the three wards has cleared the 50% threshold needed to win outright. **By the numbers:** - **Ward 2** — Gracie Torres leads at 37%, followed by Aram Ayra at 33% and Mike Vahl at 26% with 23% of votes counted - **Ward 4** — Incumbent Chuck Conder leads at 48%, just shy of outright victory, over Rich Vandenberg (29%) and Jessica Qattawi (23%), with 24% counted - **Ward 6** — Luis Hernandez leads at 48% over Oz Puerta (27%) and Norma Berrellez (25%), with 13% counted **What's next:** The county counts ballots — including vote-by-mail and provisional ballots — through June 9\. Any race without a majority winner sends its top two finishers to a Nov. 3 runoff. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/day-2-riverside-election-results-june-2026-primary-wards-2-4-6-and-measure-z/) --- #### [2026 ELECTION](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/2026-election/) ## Measure Z Appears Headed for Defeat as Voters Reject Sales Tax Increase Early returns show nearly 60% of voters opposing the city's proposed sales tax increase, which would have raised the rate from 1% to 1.25% and removed its 2036 expiration date. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-6-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/measure-z-appears-headed-for-defeat-as-voters-reject-sales-tax-increase/) A City of Riverside informational mailer on Measure Z, photographed outside City Hall. (File photo/Raincross Gazette) Early results show Riverside voters rejecting the proposed sales tax increase by a nearly 20-point margin. **Why it matters:** If the result holds, the city faces a budget reckoning — fire staffing needs that prompted the measure remain unmet, and officials will have to find cuts elsewhere to compensate. **Driving the news:** With 17.6% of ballots counted as of early Wednesday, 58.5% of voters opposed Measure Z and 41.5% supported it. The measure needed a simple majority to pass. **The backstory:** Measure Z would have raised Riverside's existing sales tax from 1% to 1.25% and eliminated its 2036 sunset clause — pushing annual revenue from $80 million to $106 million. Fire Chief Steve McKinster put the measure in motion in January, warning the department couldn't keep pace with growing call volume without new funding. **Yes, but:** Critics argued the general-tax structure meant revenue wasn't legally restricted to fire services — and pointed to years of Measure Z funds flowing to pension bonds and employee raises instead. A judge ordered ballot language changes in April after a resident sued over the wording. **What's next:** Fire Chief McKinster was scheduled to present fire staffing options to the Safety, Wellness and Youth Committee on May 20; that presentation was postponed due to the Bain fire and has yet to be rescheduled. Expect that conversation to move quickly now. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/measure-z-appears-headed-for-defeat-as-voters-reject-sales-tax-increase/) Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260604)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260604&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [LETTERS TO THE EDITOR](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/letters-to-the-editor/) ## Opinion: A Former Councilmember's Case Against Riverside's VMT Bank A former councilmember argues the program lets developers pay fees instead of fixing dangerous intersections. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-4-2.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-a-former-councilmembers-case-against-riversides-vmt-bank/) The orange grove at the corner of La Sierra and Victoria avenues, site of a 49-home development approved by City Council in June 2025\. (Ken Crawford) The VMT (Vehicle Miles Traveled) Bank makes traffic dangers worse, harming our residents and drivers. It is a fraud. VMT is designed to deceive us into thinking that new housing, by paying a nominal fee into a regional program \[Note: Buster's letter refers to "a regional program" — the VMT Bank is a City of Riverside program recognized regionally by SCAG\], is also reducing local traffic hazards. VMT's engineering mumbo-jumbo makes it impossible for the average person to understand or contest. Its rating numbers are easily slanted to produce the desired approval. This forces future residents and drivers to deal with the even higher risks and costs of going back to remediate poorly planned projects. It allowed developers and the City to avoid responsibility to correct already existing severe traffic hazards that the high density housing project on Victoria Avenue at La Sierra will make much worse. [Read and share the complete letter...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-a-former-councilmembers-case-against-riversides-vmt-bank/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260604) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260604&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HIGHER EDUCATION](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/higher-education/) ## La Sierra University Tops Forbes Financial Rankings Among Adventist Schools The Riverside university earned the top financial grade among Adventist schools on a Forbes list of more than 900 private institutions nationwide. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/Forbes-Financial-Grades_La-Sierra-Univ_water-feature_front-signage-1.jpeg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/la-sierra-university-tops-forbes-financial-rankings-among-adventist-schools/) La Sierra University's entrance sign along Riverwalk Parkway, established in 1922, reflects the financial stability Forbes magazine recognized with a top B+ grade among Adventist universities. (Natan Vigna) La Sierra University earned the highest financial health grade among Seventh-day Adventist colleges in North America, outscoring dozens of California peers in Forbes' annual rankings. **Why it matters:** With nearly half of graded schools nationally scoring C or lower, La Sierra's B+ signals the Riverside university is on solid financial footing — a rare distinction in a sector under significant stress. **By the numbers:** Of 53 California schools assessed, La Sierra outranked USC, Biola, University of Redlands, Point Loma Nazarene, and Cal Baptist. Only two other California schools matched its B+ grade. - Nationally, 27% of graded schools received the lowest grade of D. **What they're saying:** President Christon Arthur called the result a milestone while acknowledging sector-wide pressure. - "La Sierra is not merely surviving. We are deeply rooted and rising," Arthur said. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/la-sierra-university-tops-forbes-financial-rankings-among-adventist-schools/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Board of Ethics](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/board-of-ethics/18812402/2026-06-04T18) at Riverside City Hall - [Lincoln Park Community Group](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/lincoln-park-community-group/16552274/2026-06-04T18) at Lincoln Park Community Center - [Planning Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/planning-commission/18584284/2026-06-04T09) at Riverside City Hall - [FREE ADMISSION - First Thursday of every month during Riverside ArtsWalk](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-admission-first-thursday-of-every-month-during-riverside-artswalk/13230799/2026-06-04T18) at Riverside Art Museum - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-06-04T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Inlandia's Indie Author Fair @ Arts Walk!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/inlandias-indie-author-fair-arts-walk/18941656/2026-06-04T17) at Riverside Main Library-Community Room - [Palabra at The Cheech](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/palabra-at-the-cheech/18910469/2026-06-04T18) at The Cheech Center for Chicano Art & Culture - [Pour Decisions a Comedy Wine Tasting Summer Edition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/pour-decisions-a-comedy-wine-tasting-summer-edition/18671860/2026-06-04T18) at Canyon Crest Winery ($39.19) - [UCR Jazz Ensembles](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/ucr-jazz-ensembles/17554004/2026-06-04T19) at Culver Center of the Arts - [Whose Live Anyway?](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/whose-live-anyway/18175659/2026-06-04T18) at Fox Performing Arts Center ### Tomorrow - [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-05T07) at Zacatecas Café - [R'Hours at the R'Garden](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rhours-at-the-rgarden/18094958/2026-06-05T08) at R'Garden - [Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-and-heroes-walking-tour/17901085/2026-06-05T15) at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18) - [Painting Pets Night, a Comedy Paint and Sip](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/painting-pets-night-a-comedy-paint-and-sip/18671863/2026-06-05T19) at Carbon Nation Brewing ($28.52) ## Save the Date - June 7: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-07T08) at Riverside - June 7: [Riverside Historical Society June Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-historical-society-june-meeting/18976350/2026-06-07T13) at Riverside Medical Clinic - Basement Conference Room - June 8: [Interfaith Prayer Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/interfaith-prayer-meeting/19073551/2026-06-08T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - June 8: [Vacation Bible School: Snowball Mountain Challenge](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vacation-bible-school-snowball-mountain-challenge/19029187/2026-06-08T09) at First United Methodist Church ($15- $25) - June 8: [Wild about Animals Camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/wild-about-animals-camp/19030090/2026-06-08T09) at Ameal Moore Nature Center - June 12: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-12T07) at Zacatecas Café - June 15: [Wildlife Encounters- IE Kids Outdoors summer camp](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/wildlife-encounters-ie-kids-outdoors-summer-camp/19030975/2026-06-15T09) at California State Citrus Historic Park ($175) - July 13: [River Camp with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/river-camp-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031148/2026-07-13T08) at Martha McLean Park ($235) - July 20: [Camp Riverside with IE Kids Outdoors](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/camp-riverside-with-ie-kids-outdoors/19031395/2026-07-20T09) at California State Citrus Heritage Park ($200) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Opinion: A Former Councilmember's Case Against Riverside's VMT Bank URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-a-former-councilmembers-case-against-riversides-vmt-bank/ Last updated: 2026-06-06T01:45:55.000Z The VMT (Vehicle Miles Traveled) Bank makes traffic dangers worse, harming our residents and drivers. It is a fraud. VMT is designed to deceive us into thinking that new housing, by paying a nominal fee into a regional program \[Note: Buster's letter refers to "a regional program" — the VMT Bank is a City of Riverside program recognized regionally by SCAG\], is also reducing local traffic hazards. VMT's engineering mumbo-jumbo makes it impossible for the average person to understand or contest. Its rating numbers are easily slanted to produce the desired approval. This forces future residents and drivers to deal with the even higher risks and costs of going back to remediate poorly planned projects. It allowed developers and the City to avoid responsibility to correct already existing severe traffic hazards that the high density housing project on Victoria Avenue at La Sierra will make much worse. County traffic engineers long ago designed in the necessary median break and turning lane on La Sierra that the 15 homes in the unincorporated area on Old Fashion Way, just across from the project, required for safety. The City project, with 49 houses and one way in and out on La Sierra, was approved without any such obvious safety measures. VMT was designed to get rid of LOS (Level of Service), the former measure of traffic congestion around a development site. LOS's rating system gave us a fair estimate of when we needed to be alert to possible safety hazards from a new development. *— Bob Buster, former Riverside City Councilmember, Riverside County Supervisor and Greenbelt Citrus Farmer* **Editor's note:** The Victoria Avenue development referenced in this letter was approved by City Council in June 2025 under California's density bonus law, which significantly limits local governments' ability to deny qualifying projects. The state's Department of Housing and Community Development reviewed and approved the project's development waivers prior to the Council vote. ### Day 2 Riverside Election Results June 2026 Primary: Wards 2, 4, 6 and Measure Z URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/day-2-riverside-election-results-june-2026-primary-wards-2-4-6-and-measure-z/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:05:07.000Z 🗳️ Updated June 3, 6:15 p.m. | Results reflect vote-by-mail and early ballots only. Additional counts expected through June 9. Initial votes are in for Riverside's June 2 primary election, and Riverside voters are decidedly set against [Measure Z](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/measure-z-explained-the-sales-tax-increase-on-riversides-june-ballot/) — the city's proposed sales tax increase — while leaders emerge from the three open City Council races. Riverside voters were asked to choose City Council representatives for Wards 2, 4 and 6 under the new ward boundaries adopted in 2023 — and weighed in on Measure Z, a proposal to raise the city sales tax to 1.25% to fund fire staffing and stations. A council candidate must win more than 50 percent of the vote to take the seat outright; if no one does, the top two finishers advance to a Nov. 3 runoff election. Measure Z needs a simple majority to pass. The figures below reflect the election night counts released by the Riverside County Registrar of Voters at about 2 a.m., representing primarily vote-by-mail and early ballots. Election Day in-person ballots and later-arriving mail ballots still need to be counted, and leads can change. ### Measure Z Things are looking bleak for Measure Z, which would raise Riverside's sales tax from 1 percent to 1.25 percent and remove its 2036 sunset to fund fire staffing and stations. It is structured as a general tax instead of a special tax, meaning funds generated from the tax would go to the city’s general fund and not a specific fund for fire and emergency needs. It needs a simple majority to pass. As of June 3 at 6:15 p.m., 18.54% of the vote was counted. - **Yes:** 12,315 votes (41.57%) - **No:** 17,308 votes (58.43%) ### Ward 2 In the four-way race for the [open Ward 2 seat](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/four-candidates-one-room-ward-2-voters-get-a-closer-look/), [Gracie Torres](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-2026-city-council-races-are-set-heres-whos-running/) leads with 37.28 percent of the vote with all precincts reporting. No candidate is above 50 percent; Torres and Ayra are the apparent top two. As of June 3 at 6:15 p.m., 22.71% of the vote was counted. - **Gracie Torres:** 1,629 votes (37.28%) - **Aram Ayra:** 1,437 votes (32.88%) - **Mike Vahl:** 1,136 votes (26.00%) - **Christen Montero:** 168 votes (3.84%) Vahl told the Gazette at 10:45 p.m. Tuesday night that, “As of this afternoon there were \[more than\] 5200 votes registered counted at 3pm. The current votes shown is 3700\. I’m confident I will end up in the top \[two\].” At 12:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, Torres told the Gazette that she was "deeply honored and grateful to the voters of Ward 2 for placing their trust in us tonight." "This moment belongs to every volunteer who knocked on doors, every supporter who spread the word, and every voter who cast their ballot for our campaign," she said. "From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. My family and team will carry your faith and support with us every step of the way." Montero told the Gazette Wednesday afternoon that she was “hoping for more voter turnout but we are happy we finished strong as a team.” “I look forward to continuing to serve as city planning commissioner,” Montero said. Ayra told the Gazette Wednesday evening he was encouraged by the latest results, “There are still many ballots left to count…but with each update, our vote share has continued to grow, and it is clear that our message is resonating,” he said. “Riverside residents want a city they can afford to live in. They want transparency at City Hall and leadership that answers to residents, not special interests.” Ayra said he will continue to watch the vote count and is ready to “keep working hard to earn the support of voters in November.” ### Ward 4 Incumbent [Chuck Conder](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ward-4-candidates-clash-over-warehouses-taxes-and-public-safety-at-gazette-forum/) leads Ward 4 with 48.07 percent — just short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff — with all precincts reporting. As of June 3 at 6:15 p.m., 23.66% of the vote was counted. - **Chuck Conder (incumbent):** 3,160 votes (48.07%) - **Rich Vandenberg:** 1,913 votes (29.10%) - **Jessica Qattawi:** 1,501 votes (22.83%) Rich Vandenberg told the Gazette around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday night he would “be patient and let the process play out,” as more ballots needed to be counted in the race. “I’m grateful for the support we’ve received and for everyone who has been part of this campaign,” he said. “We’ll continue watching the results as they come in, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the remaining ballots shape the outcome. For now, I simply want to thank everyone who has supported me, encouraged me, and placed their trust in me.” At 11 p.m. Tuesday night, Qattawi said, “I may have finished last in this race so far, but I don’t feel like I lost.” “Some victories don’t show up on election night, she said. “I know many people were hoping for a win because they saw the possibility of a better future for Riverside…But this doesn’t change who I am or my commitment to this community. I’ll still be here. I’ll still be speaking up, showing up, helping where I can, and fighting for what’s right. In fact, I may be even more involved than before. Public service isn’t about holding a title. It’s about caring enough to take action. That’s something no election result can take away. Thank you, Riverside. The work continues.” On Wednesday afternoon, Conder thanked voters for participating in the election in a [Facebook post](https://www.facebook.com/ChuckConderRiverside/). “Your participation in our democratic process is essential to the healthy functioning of our precious American republic,” he said. “While more votes were cast for me than for either of my two opponents, at this time I have not received more than 50% to win election outright.” Conder said California has a “strange and somewhat concerning ballot counting process” that will prevent people from knowing the outcome of the election for about a month. “My percentage of the vote may increase or it may decrease during this extended counting period. I will keep you informed in the coming weeks on updates to the count and whether there will be a runoff election in Ward 4 this November or not,” he said. ### Ward 6 Luis Hernandez leads the [open Ward 6 seat](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-ward-6-forum-video/) left by retiring three-term Council member [Jim Perry](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-2026-city-council-races-are-set-heres-whos-running/), with all precincts reporting. As of June 3 at 6:15 p.m., 13.27% of the vote was counted. - **Luis Hernandez:** 1,134 votes (47.81%) - **Oz Puerta:** 643 votes (27.11%) - **Norma Berrellez:** 595 votes (25.08%) “We shall continue to wait for the results to come in,” Berrellez told the Gazette at 10:50 p.m. Tuesday night. “Your support is extremely important to me and to our community we will stay strong and confident till the end.” At 10:24 p.m.Tuesday night, Puerta told the Gazette he was “feeling good.” “With only 17% of the vote counted, we’re nowhere near the point where anyone should be declaring victory or defeat. We knew this was going to be a long night, and there are still a lot of voters whose voices haven’t been reflected in the results yet.” Puerta thanked his supporters, adding, “We’re going to keep watching the numbers come in, stay patient, and see where things land. Tonight is only the beginning of the counting process, not the end of it.” ### What happens next Riverside County will continue counting ballots — including vote-by-mail ballots postmarked by June 2 and provisional ballots — through June 9, the final receipt deadline. Results are not certified on election night, and margins in close races are likely to shift as additional ballots are tallied. Any Ward 2, 4 or 6 race in which no candidate finishes above 50 percent will advance its top two finishers to a runoff on Nov. 3. The Gazette will update this story as new counts are released and will follow with individual reports on the city council races and Measure Z's outcome in the days ahead. For full candidate profiles and race background, see the [Gazette's 2026 Election Guide](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-election-guide/). ### Measure Z Appears Headed for Defeat as Voters Reject Sales Tax Increase URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/measure-z-appears-headed-for-defeat-as-voters-reject-sales-tax-increase/ Last updated: 2026-06-05T12:00:02.000Z Riverside's [Measure Z](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/measure-z-explained-the-sales-tax-increase-on-riversides-june-ballot/) – a ballot measure that would raise the city's existing sales tax from 1% to 1.25% – appears headed for defeat after early election results showed voters rejecting the city's proposed sales tax renewal by a wide margin. With 17.63% of ballots counted in results posted at 4:30 a.m. on June 3, 58.49% of voters cast ballots against the measure and 41.51% supported it. Since Measure Z needed a simple majority to pass, the early vote total strongly points to failure. Measure Z asked voters to raise Riverside's existing sales tax from 1% to 1.25% and remove its 2036 sunset date. The measure was placed on the ballot on March 3 in response to a January warning from [Fire Chief Steve McKinster](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/measure-z-explained-the-sales-tax-increase-on-riversides-june-ballot/) that the city's fire department had fallen behind its growing call volume and could not catch up without new revenue. Measure Z currently generates more than $80 million per year — nearly twice its initial projections. However, current Measure Z funds are already fully committed through 2028, and the proposed increase would raise annual revenue to $106 million. The city framed the measure as a way to support fire staffing and other services, but the proposal drew criticism because it was written as a [general tax rather than a special tax](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/judge-orders-city-to-rename-measure-z-ballot-measure-citing-misleading-language/) – meaning the money would flow into the city's general fund instead of being legally limited to a specific purpose. In April, [a judge ordered city officials](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/judge-orders-city-to-rename-measure-z-ballot-measure-citing-misleading-language/) to change the wording of the ballot's title after a resident sued, arguing that the measure uses misleading language. The resident, [Jason Hunter](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-resident-sues-to-change-misleading-measure-z-ballot-language/), alleged that because of the measure's general tax structure, much of Measure Z tax revenue has gone toward pension bonds and pay raises for city employees since 2016, and not toward emergency services, as the measure promised. Some residents have echoed Hunter's concerns in the months leading up to the election — and these worries, combined with voter skepticism over city spending and tax fatigue, appeared to weigh heavily on the campaign. April Glatzel, chair of the Neighbors of the Wood Streets community group, told the Gazette she has been vocal in her opposition to Measure Z and was "hopeful that Measure Z will not pass.” “If that's the case, I think it will demonstrate an important principle that money alone does not determine the outcome of a ballot measure — no matter how much funding, advertising or institutional support is behind a campaign,” she said. “Engaged residents working at the grassroots level, such as myself, can still have a meaningful voice in the democratic process, and I just think that is incredible.” Glatzel also said she hoped this would be “an opportunity for city leaders to reflect on the concerns that many residents have raised, and to return with a proposal that addresses them more directly, and regardless of where people stand on Measure Z.” Mike Gardner, past president of the Western Municipal Water District board and a former Ward 1 City Councilmember, said he supported the measure but was concerned about how the fire department would fulfill its staffing needs if Measure Z failed. “I do understand that the timing for any additional expenses is bad from an economic standpoint,” he said. “The concern I have is that the fire department funding needs were kind of sprung on the city… and responsible council is going to try to fulfill at least some of those needs, which means they have to take away money from something that is currently budgeted and I have no idea what those some things might be, or how significant cuts might be.” Gardner said he thought the city would see reductions in key services “to help try to plug that hole for the fire department.” “You can delay tree trimming for a couple of years, although we've already done that,” he said. “You can slow down road maintenance again, and we were just starting to catch up a little bit. They already in the budget that is scheduled for adoption this month, they've already cut over $2 million from parks, including the deferred maintenance funding, so parks could face more cuts, libraries could face cuts. We could lose hours at community centers and pools, and there are a lot of places that they can, they could cut money…But I do anticipate the city is going to make some kinds of funding moves to try to accommodate the firefighters' needs.” Fire Chief Steve McKinster was scheduled to give a [presentation](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15451164&GUID=8603F2B4-A8EF-471D-B826-117C5305D3B1&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on how to address fire staffing needs at a Safety, Wellness and Youth Committee meeting on May 20, but his presentation was postponed to the following meeting due to the Bain fire. ### La Sierra University Tops Forbes Financial Rankings Among Adventist Schools URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/la-sierra-university-tops-forbes-financial-rankings-among-adventist-schools/ Last updated: 2026-06-03T23:16:30.000Z La Sierra University has earned the highest financial grade among Seventh-day Adventist colleges and universities in North America, according to Forbes magazine's annual college financial health rankings published May 22. The Riverside-based university received a B+ grade and a 3.32 GPA on Forbes' America's College Financial Grades list, which evaluates the fiscal health of more than 900 private, nonprofit colleges and universities with enrollments exceeding 500 full-time students. Of the 11 Adventist schools graded in the North American Division, La Sierra ranked first. Among 53 California schools assessed, La Sierra outscored the University of Southern California, Biola University, the University of Redlands, Point Loma Nazarene, and California Baptist University. Only two other California schools matched La Sierra's B+ grade: the University of San Diego and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. The rankings come at a difficult moment for higher education broadly. Forbes found that nearly half of all graded schools received a C or lower, with 27% landing the lowest grade of D. Forbes uses 10 measures to calculate its scores, drawing data from the U.S. Department of Education and consulting firm Perspective Data Science. This year's methodology includes a focus on true liquidity, a measure of how quickly an institution can convert assets to cash without significant loss. La Sierra University President Christon Arthur called the grade a milestone in a recent newsletter, acknowledging the pressures facing colleges and universities nationwide. "Enrollment pressures, shifting federal funding, and declining public confidence in the sector are reshaping the landscape around us. Yet amid these challenges, La Sierra is not merely surviving. We are deeply rooted and rising," Arthur said in a statement. "The best of La Sierra University is still ahead of us," he added. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- June 3, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-3-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:32.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/FullSizeRender.jpeg) The Victoria Bridge stands amid lush greenery. (Luke López) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Wednesday Gazette: June 3, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Wednesday!** The ballots have been cast, but if you're refreshing results this morning, you may be in for a wait. California is known for its slow vote count, and this election is no exception. Because every registered voter receives a mail-in ballot and those postmarked by Tuesday have up to seven days to arrive, county officials still have a lot of counting ahead of them. [A new state law](https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/06/primary-election-california-counting/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) now gives counties 13 days to finish tallying most ballots, down from 30, but elections officials say some of the harder-to-process ballots, like those from same-day registrants or where signatures need review, can still take weeks to resolve. We'll be updating results daily as numbers come in, so stay tuned. See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260603)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260603&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [2026 ELECTION](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/2026-election/) ## Riverside Election Results June 2026 Primary: Wards 2, 4, 6 and Measure Z Early returns are in from Riverside's June 2 primary. Here's what the first results show for Wards 2, 4 and 6 and Measure Z. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/2602-voteceneter-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-election-results-june-2026-primary-wards-2-4-6-and-measure-z/) Riverside's proposed fire-funding sales tax is losing badly in initial returns, while three council races head toward likely November runoffs. **Why it matters:** If you voted, live in Wards 2, 4, or 6, or pay attention to city services, last tonight's numbers are a starting point — not a final answer. The county continues counting through June 9. **Driving the news:** With a fraction of votes tallied, Measure Z — which would have raised the sales tax from 1% to 1.25% to fund fire staffing and stations — is losing 59%-41%. **By the numbers:** Ward vote tallies are early — as of 2 a.m. - Ward 2: Gracie Torres leads (37%) over Aram Ayra (32%) and Mike Vahl (27%), but Vahl publicly predicted he'd land in the top two - Ward 4: Incumbent Chuck Conder leads at 48% — just shy of the 50%+ needed to avoid a runoff - Ward 6: Luis Hernandez leads at 47% over Oz Puerta (28%) and Norma Berrellez (26%) **What's next:** Ballot counting continues through June 9\. Any Ward 2, 4, or 6 race where no candidate clears 50% sends the top two to a Nov. 3 runoff. The Gazette will follow with full race-by-race coverage as counts update. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-election-results-june-2026-primary-wards-2-4-6-and-measure-z/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260603)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260603&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [NEWS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/news/) ## Plumbing Work Sparked University Riverside Gardens Fire that Displaced 150 Residents The accidental blaze burned undetected through the attic for hours before breaking through the roof of the Iowa Avenue complex. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/Fire2-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/plumbing-work-sparked-university-riverside-gardens-fire-that-displaced-150-residents/) A column of smoke rises over the Riverside skyline as a three-alarm fire burns at the University Riverside Gardens apartment complex on May 29\. (Bob Sirotnik) A plumbing contractor accidentally ignited a three-alarm fire at University Riverside Gardens on May 29, destroying 50 apartments and displacing more than 150 residents. **Why it matters:** If you live near the 3996 Iowa Ave. complex — or know UCR students who do — dozens of displaced residents are still locked out with no return date set. **Driving the news:** Hot material from a contractor's tools ignited insulation inside a wall cavity around 11:13 a.m. Flames spread unseen into the attic for hours before breaking through the roof. - Neither the contractor nor residents knew the building was burning — smoke alarms in living spaces never triggered. **By the numbers:** 50 units destroyed; 65 units salvaged but currently uninhabitable; roughly 150 residents displaced, including UCR students living near campus. **Between the lines:** The hidden spread is what made this so destructive. Division Chief Greg White told the Gazette the fire "had to have been burning in the attic space for some time" before anyone detected it — by then, crews had to evacuate the contractor themselves. **What's next:** The building remains uninhabitable and no timeline has been set for residents to return. Riverside Police are connecting displaced residents to resources. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/plumbing-work-sparked-university-riverside-gardens-fire-that-displaced-150-residents/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260603) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260603&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [ART & ENTERTAINMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/art-entertainment/) ## June ArtsWalk Is Packed. Wear Comfortable Shoes. Having to make hard decisions can be a good thing. The quality of events at this month's ArtsWalk is exceptional. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/june-artswalk-is-packed-wear-comfortable-shoes/) CiCi Segura Gonzalez's Soy Chicana (2013) returns to the walls of the Cheech. (Ken Crawford) From Lime St to the library, and from the breezeway to the bookstore, the June edition of Artswalk covers a lot of ground. The new collection at the Cheech is a must see and the Oof Way event at Fifth and Main is packed with amazing music. This is a perfect way to start summer vacation, bring the family, support local artists, get your steps in.submission; no award timeline has been announced. [Read and share the complete June ArtsWalk Guide ...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/june-artswalk-is-packed-wear-comfortable-shoes/) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## City to Host Free Drone Shows at La Sierra, Fairmount Parks This Summer The aerial light performances on June 17 and July 1 are part of the city's Summer Concert Series and America's 250th Anniversary celebrations. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template-3-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-to-host-free-drone-shows-at-la-sierra-fairmount-parks-this-summer/) La Sierra Park (left) and the Fairmount Park bandshell (right) will host free drone shows on June 17 and July 1 as part of the city's Summer Concert Series. (File photo/Raincross Gazette) The city is hosting two free drone light shows — at La Sierra Park on June 17 and Fairmount Park on July 1 — as part of the Summer Concert Series. **Why it matters:** Both events are free, family-friendly, and open to everyone, with live music, food vendors, and a beer garden starting at 6 p.m. before the drone shows launch at 9 p.m. **Driving the news:** The shows are part of the city's broader summer programming, with the July 1 Fairmount event tied to America 250, the national commemoration of the country's 250th anniversary. **What's next:** Mark your calendars — and plan to arrive early. The city is expecting crowds and warns parking will be limited at both locations. - June 17 — La Sierra Park (part of the Local Vibes Initiative with Councilmember Steve Hemenway) - July 1 — Fairmount Park (America 250 tie-in) [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-to-host-free-drone-shows-at-la-sierra-fairmount-parks-this-summer/) --- ## Noteworthy Riverside Transit Agency is offering [25-cent rides on all fixed-route and GoMicro buses](https://www.riversidetransit.com/index.php/news-a-publications/latest-news/1043-summer-fare-promotion-ride-for-just-25c?ref=raincrossgazette.com) from June 1 through August 31, with youth 18 and under and students from participating colleges continuing to ride free. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-06-03T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Transportation Board](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/transportation-board/18982107/2026-06-03T17) at Riverside City Hall - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-06-03T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Paint. Sip. Spark Kindness](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-sip-spark-kindness/18842007/2026-06-03T18) at HRBC Insurance ($75) - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-06-03T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [UCR Wind Ensemble](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/ucr-wind-ensemble/17554005/2026-06-03T19) at University Theatre ### Tomorrow - [Board of Ethics](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/board-of-ethics/18812402/2026-06-04T18) at Riverside City Hall - [Lincoln Park Community Group](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/lincoln-park-community-group/16552274/2026-06-04T18) at Lincoln Park Community Center - [Planning Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/planning-commission/18584284/2026-06-04T09) at Riverside City Hall - [FREE ADMISSION - First Thursday of every month during Riverside ArtsWalk](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-admission-first-thursday-of-every-month-during-riverside-artswalk/13230799/2026-06-04T18) at Riverside Art Museum - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-06-04T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Inlandia's Indie Author Fair @ Arts Walk!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/inlandias-indie-author-fair-arts-walk/18941656/2026-06-04T17) at Riverside Main Library-Community Room - [Palabra at The Cheech](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/palabra-at-the-cheech/18910469/2026-06-04T18) at The Cheech Center for Chicano Art & Culture - [Pour Decisions a Comedy Wine Tasting Summer Edition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/pour-decisions-a-comedy-wine-tasting-summer-edition/18671860/2026-06-04T18) at Canyon Crest Winery ($39.19) - [UCR Jazz Ensembles](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/ucr-jazz-ensembles/17554004/2026-06-04T19) at Culver Center of the Arts - [Whose Live Anyway?](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/whose-live-anyway/18175659/2026-06-04T18) at Fox Performing Arts Center ## Save the Date - June 5: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-05T08) at Riverside - June 5: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-05T07) at Zacatecas Café - June 7: [Riverside Historical Society June Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-historical-society-june-meeting/18976350/2026-06-07T13)at Riverside Medical Clinic - Basement Conference Room - June 8: [Vacation Bible School: Snowball Mountain Challenge](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vacation-bible-school-snowball-mountain-challenge/19029187/2026-06-08T09) at First United Methodist Church ($15- $25) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ✏️ ****Correction:** In an earlier version of "The Mission Inn Artifacts Dispute Is More Complicated Than It Looks," we incorrectly stated that the Mission Inn Foundation assembled the A List in August 1992 at the request of Redevelopment Agency negotiator Ralph Megna. The A List was compiled for the 1985 sale of the Inn from the Redevelopment Agency to Carley Capital Group, not the 1992 Roberts transaction. The Gazette thanks a reader for bringing this to our attention. ### June ArtsWalk Is Packed. Wear Comfortable Shoes. URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/june-artswalk-is-packed-wear-comfortable-shoes/ Last updated: 2026-06-05T11:59:19.000Z From Lime St to the library, and from the breezeway to the bookstore, the June edition of ArtsWalk covers a lot of ground. The new collection at the Cheech is a must see and the Oof Way event at Fifth and Main is packed with amazing music. This is a perfect way to start summer vacation, bring the family, support local artists, get your steps in. ## Riverside ArtsWalk – June 4, 2026 6 to 9 p.m. | Downtown Riverside ### [Oof Way Block Party](https://www.instagram.com/p/DY8Bxkzkp44/?img%5Findex=1&ref=raincrossgazette.com) **Fifth and Main** Organized by Richie Deladeso Velasquez, the Oof Way Block Party kicks off at 6 p.m. at the corner of Fifth and Main with a lineup that includes Noa James, Mello Era, Brizzahh, Robert Sesma, and DJ Santo G. ### [Riverside Art Museum](https://riversideartmuseum.org/arts-education/community-engagement/artists-in-residence-at-riverside-art-museum/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) **Opening Reception: Lana Licata Manzo Residency | 3425 Mission Inn Ave.** Born in Placentia and now based in Riverside, artist Lana Licata Manzo creates vibrant, immersive works that blend fine art with craft-based practices including weaving, basketmaking, textiles, beading, and embroidery. Her colorful installations explore themes of connection, community, and shared creative experience. The opening reception is June 4 during ArtsWalk hours. The residency is on view through August 30 in the Powell and DeVean Galleries. Open studio hours run Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. ### [Riverside Community Arts Association](https://www.instagram.com/rcaa.gallery/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) **Emotional Expression Members Show & Pride Month | 3860 Lemon St.** The RCAA gallery opens its Emotional Expression Members Show with a Pride Month theme. Opening reception runs 6 to 9 p.m. ### [The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture](https://riversideartmuseum.org/exhibitions/we-the-people-chicano-art-in-the-u-s-a/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) **We the People: Chicano Art in the U.S.A. | 3581 Mission Inn Ave.** Curated by Fort Worth-based, iconic Chicano artist and curator Benito Huerta, We the People: Chicano Art in the U.S.A. draws from The Cheech Collects, the museum's permanent collection. Among the works on view is CiCi Segura Gonzalez's Soy Chicana (2013), a horizontal mixed-media painting a tribute to PIcasso’s Guernica leaning on Pre-Columbian imagery, skeletal and masked figures, and the vivid earth tones and reds characteristic of the Chicano tradition. The painting is back on the gallery wall for the first time since it entered the collection. The exhibition is on view during ArtsWalk hours. ### [UCR ARTS](https://ucrarts.ucr.edu/events/ucr-jazz-ensemble-june-2026/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) **UCR Jazz Ensembles 2026 | 3824 Main St.** The UCR Jazz Ensembles perform at the Culver Center of the Arts starting at 7 p.m. as part of ArtsWalk. ### [Inlandia Institute](https://www.instagram.com/p/DZEoh5Bhjrg/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Riverside Public Library](https://riversideca.gov/calendar/event/inlandias-indie-author-fair-arts-walk?ref=raincrossgazette.com) **Indie Authors Book Fair | 3900 Mission Inn Ave. | 5 to 7:30 p.m.** The Inlandia Institute is turning this month's ArtsWalk into a book fair, showcasing local indie authors across genres including comics, poetry, and romance. The fair opens at 5 p.m., a full hour before ArtsWalk begins. Authors interested in participating can sign up via the QR code on Inlandia's Instagram or the link in their bio. ### [Cafe Oro Dos Aztecas](https://www.instagram.com/p/DY6BJ5elAV0/?img%5Findex=1&ref=raincrossgazette.com) **Live Music Night & Revela Photobooth Launch** | **June 4th | 4:30–6:30 p.m.** | The cafe is hosting a Live Music Night featuring good music, good people, good vibes, and the official launch day for Revela Photobooth, which will offer $5 prints and free digital downloads. *All museums and galleries offer free admission during ArtsWalk hours.* ### Riverside Election Results June 2026 Primary: Wards 2, 4, 6 and Measure Z URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-election-results-june-2026-primary-wards-2-4-6-and-measure-z/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:05:09.000Z 🗳️ Updated June 3, 2026, 3:24 a.m. | Results reflect vote-by-mail and early ballots only. Additional counts expected through June 9. Initial votes are in for Riverside's June 2 primary election, and Riverside voters are decidedly set against [Measure Z](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/measure-z-explained-the-sales-tax-increase-on-riversides-june-ballot/) — the city's proposed fire-funding sales tax increase — while leaders emerge from the three open City Council races. Riverside voters were asked to choose City Council representatives for Wards 2, 4 and 6 under the new ward boundaries adopted in 2023 — and weighed in on Measure Z, a proposal to raise the city sales tax to 1.25% to fund fire staffing and stations. A council candidate must win more than 50 percent of the vote to take the seat outright; if no one does, the top two finishers advance to a Nov. 3 runoff election. Measure Z needs a simple majority to pass. The figures below reflect the election night counts released by the Riverside County Registrar of Voters at about 2 a.m., representing primarily vote-by-mail and early ballots. Election Day in-person ballots and later-arriving mail ballots still need to be counted, and leads can change. ### Measure Z Things are looking bleak for Measure Z, which would raise Riverside's sales tax from 1 percent to 1.25 percent and remove its 2036 sunset to fund fire staffing and stations, with 95.38 percent of the vote counted. It is structured as a general tax instead of a special tax, meaning funds generated from the tax would go to the city’s general fund and not a specific fund for fire and emergency needs. It needs a simple majority to pass. - **Yes:** 11,134 votes (41.34%) - **No:** 15,801 votes (58.66%) ### Ward 2 In the four-way race for the [open Ward 2 seat](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/four-candidates-one-room-ward-2-voters-get-a-closer-look/), [Gracie Torres](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-2026-city-council-races-are-set-heres-whos-running/) leads with 36.76 percent of the vote with all precincts reporting. No candidate is above 50 percent; Torres and Ayra are the apparent top two. - **Gracie Torres:** 1,423 votes (36.90%) - **Aram Ayra:** 1,243 votes (32.24%) - **Mike Vahl:** 1,038 votes (26.92%) - **Christen Montero:** 152 votes (3.94%) Candidate Mike Vahl told the Gazette at 10:45 p.m. that, “As of this afternoon there were \[more than\] 5,200 votes registered counted at 3 p.m. The current votes shown is 3700\. I’m confident I will end up in the top \[two\].” At 12:30 a.m., Torres told the Gazette that she was "deeply honored and grateful to the voters of Ward 2 for placing their trust in us tonight." "This moment belongs to every volunteer who knocked on doors, every supporter who spread the word, and every voter who cast their ballot for our campaign," she said. "From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. My family and team will carry your faith and support with us every step of the way." ### Ward 4 Incumbent [Chuck Conder](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ward-4-candidates-clash-over-warehouses-taxes-and-public-safety-at-gazette-forum/) leads Ward 4 with 48.16 percent — just short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff — with all precincts reporting. As of 11 p.m., 22.22% percent of votes have been counted. - **Chuck Conder (incumbent):** 2,992 votes (48.05%) - **Rich Vandenberg:** 1,833 votes (29.44%) - **Jessica Qattawi:** 1,402 22.51% Rich Vandenberg told the Gazette around 10:30 p.m. he would “be patient and let the process play out,” as more ballots needed to be counted in the race. “I’m grateful for the support we’ve received and for everyone who has been part of this campaign,” he said. “We’ll continue watching the results as they come in, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the remaining ballots shape the outcome. For now, I simply want to thank everyone who has supported me, encouraged me, and placed their trust in me.” At 11 p.m., Qattawi said, “I may have finished last in this race so far, but I don’t feel like I lost.” “Some victories don’t show up on election night, she said. “I know many people were hoping for a win because they saw the possibility of a better future for Riverside…But this doesn’t change who I am or my commitment to this community. I’ll still be here. I’ll still be speaking up, showing up, helping where I can, and fighting for what’s right. In fact, I may be even more involved than before. Public service isn’t about holding a title. It’s about caring enough to take action. That’s something no election result can take away. Thank you, Riverside. The work continues.” ### Ward 6 Luis Hernandez leads the [open Ward 6 seat](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-ward-6-forum-video/) left by retiring three-term Council member [Jim Perry](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-2026-city-council-races-are-set-heres-whos-running/), with all precincts reporting. - **Luis Hernandez:** 1,044 votes (47.18%) - **Oz Puerta:** 607 votes (27.43%) - **Norma Berrellez:** 562 votes (25.40%) “We shall continue to wait for the results to come in,” Berrellez told the Gazette at 10:50 p.m. “Your support is extremely important to me and to our community we will stay strong and confident till the end.” At 10:24 p.m., Puerta told the Gazette he was “feeling good.” “With only 17% of the vote counted, we’re nowhere near the point where anyone should be declaring victory or defeat. We knew this was going to be a long night, and there are still a lot of voters whose voices haven’t been reflected in the results yet.” Puerta thanked his supporters, adding, “We’re going to keep watching the numbers come in, stay patient, and see where things land. Tonight is only the beginning of the counting process, not the end of it.” ### What happens next Riverside County will continue counting ballots — including vote-by-mail ballots postmarked by June 2 and provisional ballots — through June 9, the final receipt deadline. Results are not certified on election night, and margins in close races are likely to shift as additional ballots are tallied. Any Ward 2, 4 or 6 race in which no candidate finishes above 50 percent will advance its top two finishers to a runoff on Nov. 3. The Gazette will update this story as new counts are released and will follow with individual reports on the city council races and Measure Z's outcome in the days ahead. For full candidate profiles and race background, see the [Gazette's 2026 Election Guide](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-election-guide/). ### Plumbing Work Sparked University Riverside Gardens Fire that Displaced 150 Residents URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/plumbing-work-sparked-university-riverside-gardens-fire-that-displaced-150-residents/ Last updated: 2026-06-04T02:00:42.000Z A plumbing contractor accidentally sparked a fire at the University Riverside Gardens apartment complex at 3996 Iowa Ave. on May 29, the Riverside Fire Department (RFD) determined. The fire began at approximately 11:13 a.m. when hot material from the contractor's tools made contact with insulation inside a wall cavity. Flames spread quickly into the attic and grew into a three-alarm fire that took roughly six hours to contain The blaze destroyed 50 units and displaced more than 150 residents — including dozens of UC Riverside (UCR) students who live at the complex near campus. Sixty-five units were salvaged, but the building is currently considered uninhabitable and it is unclear when those residents will be allowed to return. Because the fire spread behind drywall without triggering smoke alarms in the living spaces, neither the contractor nor residents initially knew the building was on fire, according to Division Chief Greg White. By the time flames broke through the roof and became visible from outside, the contractor had to be evacuated by arriving fire crews. “The fire had to have been burning in the attic space for some time as there was no smoke alarms activated within the living spaces of the apartments and no signs of fire from below,” White told the Gazette. Firefighters attacked the blaze from above using brigade cranes on the roof while others sprayed water from the ground. Riverside Police officers assisted with evacuation and connecting residents to resources. ### City to Host Free Drone Shows at La Sierra, Fairmount Parks This Summer URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-to-host-free-drone-shows-at-la-sierra-fairmount-parks-this-summer/ Last updated: 2026-06-02T20:30:41.000Z The City will host two free drone light shows this summer — one at La Sierra Park on June 17 and another at Fairmount Park on July 1 — as part of the city's ongoing Summer Concert Series. Both events are free and open to the public. The Summer Concert Series runs from 6 to 9 p.m. at each venue, with the drone show launching at approximately 9 p.m., once the band wraps up. The June 17 show at La Sierra Park is also part of the Local Vibes Initiative, a community engagement effort in partnership with Councilmember Steve Hemenway. The July 1 show at Fairmount Park continues the city's summer programming and ties into America 250, the nationwide commemoration of the country's 250th anniversary. Both events will feature live music, food vendors, and a beer garden hosted by the Riverside Community Services Foundation. American Sign Language interpreters will be available at both shows. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets. The city recommends arriving early at both locations due to expected crowds and limited parking. **More information:* Visit the City of Riverside Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department website at* [*riversideca.gov*](https://riversideca.gov/press/america-250?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### Raincross Rundown: The Best of Riverside in June 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-rundown-the-best-of-riverside-in-june-2026/ Last updated: 2026-06-03T23:45:31.000Z Blink and it's June. The evenings stretch out, the windows stay open, and Riverside has filled up with things worth doing. This month in Riverside, that means sailboats on Lake Evans and an early morning run club that makes 6:30am feel worth it, a World Cup on the big screen and a yoga mat rolled out before the rest of the neighborhood wakes up. It means Juneteenth weekend with back-to-back programming that honors the occasion and invites the whole community in. It means a five-year-old at a reptile show, a dog in the backseat on the way home from the shelter, and Robin Williams on an outdoor screen on a warm Friday night. We put together this guide the same way every month — not to list everything, but to offer a sampling of what's going on around town this month. Something for the planner, something for the spontaneous, something for the Saturday you didn't see coming. Take a look, mark your calendar, and get out there. ### Arts & Culture **June 7 —** [**Vinyl & Rides**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vinyl-rides/19056729/2026-06-07T12) - 12–4pm | Riverside Art Museum Rooftop - Free (first of the Free Summer Sundays series) Pull up a chair on the RAM rooftop and let the records spin. Vinyl & Rides kicks off the Free Summer Sundays series at the Riverside Art Museum — a collaboration between RAM and The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture. Three local DJs bring the sounds; you bring the Sunday afternoon energy. It's the kind of afternoon that feels like it belongs in a photograph: warm air, good music, and the city below you. June admission is free, so there's no reason to stay home. **June 7 —** [**Riverside Historical Society June Meeting**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-historical-society-june-meeting/18976350) - 12pm social hour / 1–2pm lecture | Riverside Medical Clinic, Basement Conference Room, 7117 Brockton Ave. - Free and open to the public You might not expect Riverside and Helsinki to have much in common — but Dr. Vince Moses is here to make the case. The Riverside Historical Society's June meeting centers on a compare-and-contrast of Arts & Crafts architecture, tracing the design lines between our own Mission Inn and local bungalows and Finland's Finnish Jugendstil movement (also known as Art Nouveau). Come for the history, stay for the conversation. Meetings are free, open to everyone, and start with a social hour — a rare chance to actually talk to the people who know this city's story. **June 19 —** [**Songs of Freedom: Music of Resistance & Joy**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/songs-of-freedom-music-of-resitence-joy/19023327/2026-06-19T11) - 11am–4pm | Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California / The Black Arts Museum, 3933 Mission Inn Ave., Suite 103 - Free In recognition of Juneteenth, the Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California and The Black Arts Museum are hosting a full day of free programming exploring the powerful role of music in Black history. From 11am to 2pm, arrive early for exhibition viewing, a Kids Craft Corner, and a scavenger hunt. At 2pm, Empower You Edutainment takes the stage for a live performance. It's community, culture, and celebration all in one afternoon — and it's all free. **June 26 —** [**Jumanji (1995) — Movies on the Lawn**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/jumanji-1995-movies-on-the-lawn/19030051/2026-06-26T20) - Doors 8pm / Screening 8:30pm | Heritage House Lawn, 8193 Magnolia Ave. - Free | Concessions at the Heritage House Snack Shack (cash only) | Limited parking Are you game? Riverside Heritage House brings the classics back to the lawn this summer, and June's pick is the 1995 Robin Williams adventure that haunted a generation. Rampaging rhinos, giant spiders, and a board game you really don't want to open — Jumanji holds up. The screening also connects to the current Heritage House exhibition, *A Victorian Naturalist: Riverside's Butterfly Man*, on view through June 28\. Grab a snack from the Snack Shack (cash only), settle in on the lawn, and roll the dice on a great Friday night. ### Community Events **June 6 —** [**California Adopt-a-Pet Day at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/california-adopt-a-pet-day-at-mary-s-roberts-pet-adoption-center/19009700/2026-06-06T12) - 12–7pm | Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center, 6165 Industrial Ave., Riverside - Free — adoption fees waived for one day only (made possible by the ASPCA) One day. Waived fees. A shelter full of dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens who need a home. California Adopt-a-Pet Day is a statewide event, and Mary S. Roberts is Riverside's local anchor — with adoption counselors on hand to help you find the right match, and all pets spayed, neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped before they leave. Same-day adoptions are welcome; just bring a valid photo ID and proof of residence (renters, check your pet policy). Browse available pets in advance at [petsadoption.org](http://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com), and come ready to fall in love. **June 6 —** [**2026 Riverside Regatta**](https://www.xn--riversidailing-7vlyo.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) - 4–7pm | Izaak Walton Building, 2710 Dexter Drive, Lake Evans, Fairmount Park - Free to watch | More info at [RiversideSailing.org](http://riversidesailing.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Sailboats on Lake Evans in the late afternoon — it's one of those things that reminds you why you live here. The Riverside Community Sailing Program and Riverside Parks, Recreation & Community Services Dept. present the 2026 Riverside Regatta, a three-race Sabot fleet exhibition featuring donors, students, and council members. It's also a fundraiser for the SummersCool Sailing Lessons program. No ticket needed to watch, and the setting at Fairmount Park is hard to beat. **June 15–17 —** [**Wildlife Encounters: IE Kids Outdoors Summer Camp**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/wildlife-encounters-ie-kids-outdoors-summer-camp/19030975/2026-06-16T09) - Mon–Wed, 9am–12pm | California Citrus State Historic Park, 9400 Dufferin Ave., Riverside - $175 per camper (sibling discount available; $150 registration + $25 materials fee due day one) - Ages 3–12 Set in the shaded groves of California Citrus State Historic Park, Wildlife Encounters gives kids ages 3–12 three mornings of hands-on nature education with experienced naturalists. They'll learn to use binoculars, track animals, spot birds, and slow down long enough to actually look at the world around them. Daily yoga sessions round out the schedule with mindfulness and movement. And Monday opens with a bang — The Reptile Hunter kicks off camp with a full exotic reptile show. Registration is $150; a $25 materials fee is due on the first day. ### Health & Wellness **Every day —** [**Free Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga with Kristin & Kim**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-03T08) - 8–9:20am | 2900 Adams Street, Suite A-20, Riverside - Free (donations welcome) - All abilities welcome — no experience necessary This practice is not sold. It's shared. Kristin and Kim offer daily Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga classes rooted in the intelligence of the Primary Series — breath-centered movement, mindful adaptation, and zero pressure to perform. All bodies, all backgrounds, all experience levels are genuinely welcome. Bring a mat if you have one; community props are available. Wear comfortable layers and bring water. The practice runs on voluntary giving, and what you receive here was made possible by those who gave before you. Drop in any morning and see what shows up. **Every Friday —** [**Cafe Oro Run Club**](https://www.instagram.com/cafeorodosaztecas/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) - 6:30am | Follow [@cafeorodosaztecas](https://www.instagram.com/cafeorodosaztecas/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) on Instagram for location and route updates - Free If you've been looking for a reason to make running a habit, the Cafe Oro Run Club might be it. Lacing up at 6:30 on a Friday morning sounds like a commitment — until you're out there with a good group and the city still belongs to you. Follow Cafe Oro Dos Aztecas on Instagram for weekly updates on where they're meeting and where they're headed. ### Music & Performance **June 6 —** [**Sonero**](https://www.instagram.com/p/DZDWFAQvo-w/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) **at Farm House Collective** - 6pm | Farm House Collective, 1393 University Ave., Riverside - Free Salsa, cumbia, and más. Sonero brings the Latin rhythms to Farm House Collective for a free evening that's equal parts dance floor and community gathering. Whether you know every step or you're figuring it out as you go, this is the kind of night that earns its place on the calendar — warm music, an open courtyard, and no cover charge. Get there and let the music do the rest. **June 13 —** [**The Altons: Show You Love Tour**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-altons-show-you-love-tour/18501478/2026-06-13T19) - Doors 7pm / Show 8pm | Riverside Municipal Auditorium, 3485 Mission Inn Ave. - Tickets $50–$62 The Altons bring their Show You Love Tour to the Riverside Municipal Auditorium for a Saturday night that's worth dressing up for. Known for their rich harmonies and soulful sound, The Altons deliver the kind of live performance that lingers. The Municipal Auditorium is one of Riverside's great venues — and a show like this is exactly what it was built for. Note that the balcony is accessible by stairs only, and everyone ages 3 and up needs a ticket. **June 20 —** [**Soul Service: Juneteenth Celebration**](https://www.instagram.com/p/DZDWFAQvo-w/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) **at Farm House Collective** - 4pm | Farm House Collective, 1393 University Ave., Riverside - Tickets on sale Farm House Collective marks Juneteenth weekend with Soul Service, an evening of live music and community that's become one of the most anticipated events of the summer. Featuring Vinyl Williams, the night carries both weight and joy — which is exactly the spirit of the occasion. Pair it with Songs of Freedom the day before at the Civil Rights Institute (June 19), and you've got a Juneteenth weekend worth remembering. Tickets are on sale now. **June 27 —** [**Dustbowl Champion**](https://www.instagram.com/p/DZDWFAQvo-w/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) **at Farm House Collective** - 6pm | Farm House Collective, 1393 University Ave., Riverside - Tickets on sale Close out the month with Dustbowl Champion at Farm House Collective. It's a strong live music send-off for June — the kind of show that ends with you wishing the night wasn't over. Tickets are on sale now; grab them before the weekend fills up. ### Out & About **June 12, 19 & 25 — World Cup Watch Parties presented by Riverside Pro Soccer** - June 12: 6pm (doors 5pm) | Route 30 Brewing Co. - June 19: 12pm (doors 11am) | Route 30 Brewing Co. - June 25: 7pm (doors 6pm) | The Barn at UCR - Free admission | US team on the big screen The FIFA World Cup is here, and Riverside Pro Soccer is making sure you don't watch it alone. Three watch parties across the month — two at Route 30 Brewing Co. and one at The Barn at UCR — bring the US team to the big screen with free admission and the energy that only a crowd of fans can bring. Mark your bracket and pick your spot. **June 25 —** [**Trivia Night Benefiting Homeless Pets**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/trivia-night-benefiting-homeless-pets/19007423/2026-06-25T18) - 6:30pm | Thompson Brewing Company, 9900 Indiana Ave. #7, Riverside - $15 per person | Teams up to 6 | Prizes for 1st place + raffle Think you've got what it takes? Trivia Night at Thompson Brewing Company benefits the animals at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center — so your competitive streak is actually doing some good. Round up your team (up to six people), put your knowledge to the test, and take your shot at first-place bragging rights. There's also a raffle for those who prefer their wins by luck. $15 per person gets you in the game. ### Get Your Tickets Now **July 7 — Vixen & Beard Bingo Night** - Tuesday, July 7 | Vixen & Beard, Riverside - $15 per person | Space is limited - Honey Flower Espresso popping up for the evening - [Get tickets](https://vixenandbeard.com/products/vixen-beard-father-s-day-bingo-night-june-18?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 15 rounds of standard bingo, 5 bonus rounds, food and drinks included, and a coffee pop-up from Honey Flower Espresso to keep things going. Vixen & Beard's Bingo Night is a community gathering as much as it is a game — and at $15 with limited space, it fills up. Grab your ticket now so you're not on the outside looking in come July 7. *The Raincross Rundown is published monthly by the Raincross Gazette. Know about an event we should include? Send it our way at* [*raincrossgazette.com*](http://raincrossgazette.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### 🗞️ Riverside News- June 2, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-2-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:33.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/RG-Feat-Image-Template.jpg) An American flag and palm trees sway in the breeze under a clear blue sky along Palm Avenue. (Yumi Suzuki) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Tuesday Gazette: June 2, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Tuesday!** It's Election Day. Time to head to the polls or drop your ballot at a vote center. If you need a last-minute refresher, our [2026 Election Guide](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-election-guide/) has you covered. We'll be working through the night to keep you updated on Measure Z and the City Council races in Wards 2, 4, and 6 — stay tuned. See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260602)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260602&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [RAINCROSS RUNDOWN](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/raincross-rundown/) ## Raincross Rundown: The Best of Riverside in June 2026 Sailboats on the lake, salsa on the courtyard, the World Cup on the big screen, and a Juneteenth weekend to remember. June in Riverside has a lot going on — here's what's worth your time. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/Youth-Sailing-picture-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-rundown-the-best-of-riverside-in-june-2026/) Sailboats take to Lake Evans this Saturday as the Riverside Community Sailing Program hosts the 2026 Riverside Regatta at Fairmount Park, 4–6:30pm. Watch from the Izaak Walton Building and cheer on the fleet. (Riverside Community Sailing Program) Blink and it's June. The evenings stretch out, the windows stay open, and Riverside has filled up with things worth doing. This month in Riverside, that means sailboats on Lake Evans and an early morning run club that makes 6:30am feel worth it, a World Cup on the big screen and a yoga mat rolled out before the rest of the neighborhood wakes up. It means Juneteenth weekend with back-to-back programming that honors the occasion and invites the whole community in. It means a five-year-old at a reptile show, a dog in the backseat on the way home from the shelter, and Robin Williams on an outdoor screen on a warm Friday night. We put together this guide the same way every month — not to list everything, but to offer a sampling of what's going on around town this month. Something for the planner, something for the spontaneous, something for the Saturday you didn't see coming. Take a look, mark your calendar, and get out there. [Read and share the complete June Rundown...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-rundown-the-best-of-riverside-in-june-2026/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260602) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260602&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [ART](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/art/) ## The Cheech Celebrates Four Years with the New Exhibit, We the People: Chicano Art in the U.S.A. Curator Benito Huerta brings together 60 artists and 120 works for the Cheech's anniversary exhibition. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/dfuns-2026-05-29-191202939A96AF09EB-1.JPG)](https://raincrossgazette.com/the-cheech-celebrates-four-years-with-the-new-exhibit-we-the-people-chicano-art-in-the-u-s-a/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) The exhibition entrance sign for "We the People: Chicano Art in the U.S.A." at The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of the Riverside Art Museum. (Photo by Maxen Olvera) The Cheech opens its fourth-anniversary exhibition Saturday, featuring 120 works by 60-plus Chicano artists making a bold claim on American identity. **Why it matters:** The show is the largest exhibition yet at The Cheech — and with Free Summer Sundays running through Labor Day weekend, there's no excuse not to see it. **Driving the news:** Curator Benito Huerta describes *We the People* as a "declarative statement that we, Chicanos, are part of the people of these United States." More than half the works address immigration, borders, and migration. **By the numbers:** 120 works, 60-plus artists, 400,000 visitors since the museum opened four years ago. **Don't miss:** - Vincent Valdez's *Hello America* flips Washington Crossing the Delaware upside down — a sinking ship crowded with pop culture icons, police, immigrants, and beauty queens - Sonia Romero's *Wings of the Dead*, a laser-cut plexiglass piece hand-painted in crimson, takes on mortality rather than politics **What's next:** On July 12, the museum throws a public birthday party for Cheech Marin's 80th — live music, food trucks, and Cherry Bomb Revival, free with advance reservation. [Read and share the complete story...](https://raincrossgazette.com/the-cheech-celebrates-four-years-with-the-new-exhibit-we-the-people-chicano-art-in-the-u-s-a/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260602)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260602&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [ScotSurplus Public Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/scotsurplus-public-sale/17279943/2026-06-02T11) at ScotSurplus, UCR Corporation Yard - [Taiko Ensemble Recital](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/taiko-ensemble-recital/17079812/2026-06-02T12) at The Barn, Outdoor Stage - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition at the Hideaway](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-06-02T19) at The Hideaway ### Tomorrow - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-06-03T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Transportation Board](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/transportation-board/18982107/2026-06-03T17) at Riverside City Hall - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-06-03T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Paint. Sip. Spark Kindness](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-sip-spark-kindness/18842007/2026-06-03T18) at HRBC Insurance ($75) - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-06-03T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [UCR Wind Ensemble](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/ucr-wind-ensemble/17554005/2026-06-03T19) at University Theatre ## Save the Date - June 5: [FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga/19060739/2026-06-05T08) at Community Yoga Center - June 5: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-05T07) at Zacatecas Café - June 7: [Riverside Historical Society June Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-historical-society-june-meeting/18976350/2026-06-07T13) at Riverside Medical Clinic - Basement Conference Room - June 8: [Vacation Bible School: Snowball Mountain Challenge](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vacation-bible-school-snowball-mountain-challenge/19029187/2026-06-08T09) at First United Methodist Church ($15- $25) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### The Cheech Celebrates Four Years with the New Exhibit, We the People: Chicano Art in the U.S.A. URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-cheech-celebrates-four-years-with-the-new-exhibit-we-the-people-chicano-art-in-the-u-s-a/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:05:11.000Z The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture is opening a new exhibition — We the People: Chicano Art in the U.S.A. — as the museum marks its fourth anniversary. The show opens Saturday, May 30, and runs through May 23, 2027\. In its four years, the museum has welcomed over 400,000 visitors to its first-floor galleries. We the People: Chicano Art in the U.S.A. was curated by gallery curator and artist Benito Huerta. The mission statement made by Huerta describes it as a "declarative statement that we, Chicanos, are part of the people of these United States of America. We are integral to the fabric of this country and American art." Huerta's curated show provides a platform for over 60 artists, who have produced 120 works of art. Some of the 60-plus artists featured include Vincent Valdez, Alejandro Macias and Sonia Romero. More than half of the art featured in the exhibit tackles heavy topics such as immigration, borders, migration, and more. One standout is Vincent Valdez's *Hello America*, which flips the legendary *Washington Crossing the Delaware* upside down, with a sinking ship packed to the brim with historical and pop culture icons, war-grade weaponry, policemen, homeless people, beauty queens, and immigrant families. Created using intaglio gravure with embossed titling and hand-colored in pencil, it's a dense, layered work reflecting the nation's political and cultural divisions. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/06/Valdez--Vincent-Hello-America.jpg) Vincent Valdez's "Hello America" (2025), an intaglio gravure with embossed titling hand-colored in pencil, reimagines Emanuel Leutze's "Washington Crossing the Delaware" with an overcrowded boat of cultural and historical figures. (Courtesy of the artist and Cheech Marin) Another piece that stops visitors in their tracks is *Wings of the Dead* by Sonia Romero — a laser-cut plexiglass piece on laser-etched wood, hand-painted by the artist. Romero uses crimson red to paint a human skull, overshadowed by a black butterfly that forms eyes on the skull. Unlike many of the exhibit's more politically specific works, Romero takes on a universal subject. The summer also brings a celebration of Cheech Marin himself. On July 12, a public birthday party will be held at the museum in honor of his 80th birthday. The family-friendly event will offer live music, food trucks, vendors, and a special performance by Cherry Bomb Revival, with free admission with advance reservation. **More information:** We the People: Chicano Art in the U.S.A. is on view at The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture, 3581 Mission Inn Ave., through May 23, 2027\. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. General admission is $17.95 for adults; $12.95 for seniors, educators, college students and children ages 13-17; free for children 12 and under and RAM members. Admission includes entry to both The Cheech and the Riverside Art Museum. The museum offers free admission during Riverside ArtsWalk (first Thursday of each month, 6-9 p.m.) and Free Summer Sundays every Sunday June 7 through Sept. 6\. Tickets and information at [riversideartmuseum.org](http://riversideartmuseum.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). *By Maxen Olvera* ### This Week in City Hall: June 1, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-june-1-2026/ Last updated: 2026-06-03T05:15:46.000Z Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### Human Resources Board The Human Resources Board meets on Monday, June 1, at 5 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1411451&GUID=5FD046F6-ABF1-4B2C-9320-513366E6B24C&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to hold several public hearings on proposed revisions to city personnel policies governing [pre-employment medical screening](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=682d0970-7fa4-4f93-a9ae-d380b2cd3261.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5352-human-resources-board-city-council-chambers/agenda%5Fitems/6a177b8ef395e75fef008d15-2-conduct-public-hearing-to-accept-public-comment?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and [workplace violence response](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=07df8552-cb81-4ee7-8bd8-48db7aabe590.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5352-human-resources-board-city-council-chambers/agenda%5Fitems/6a177b8ef395e75fef008d16-3-conduct-public-hearing-to-accept-public-comment?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), while also reviewing the annual [Code of Ethics report](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=d60570b5-65ae-4104-ba65-a9e1c67382c8.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 4](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5352-human-resources-board-city-council-chambers/agenda%5Fitems/6a177b8ef395e75fef008d17-4-annual-review-of-code-of-ethics-and-conduct-for?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and receiving quarterly ([item 6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5352-human-resources-board-city-council-chambers/agenda%5Fitems/6a177b8ef395e75fef008d19-6-quarterly-departmental-metrics-human-resource?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Transportation Board The Transportation Board meets on Wednesday, June 3, at 5:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1415872&GUID=87C2EE03-870B-4C0D-BF17-B00E1C137AA9&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to discuss a proposed [restripping project on Linden Street](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=ddd6527c-961b-42f0-89e9-c1f4834e22e7.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that would change lane configurations, potenitally impacting traffic flow and parking for nearby residents and commuters ([item 6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5345-transportation-board-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a0f2e9c442538b81c00a2e8-6-proposed-linden-street-restripping-project?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Planning Commission The Planning Commission meets on Thursday, June 4, at 9 a.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1409875&GUID=D00DCF0E-DF25-41F5-B31C-19E380387001&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider the [city's withdrawal of its own request](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=18013b68-cd29-4a00-b5f7-05776feff217.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to revoke operating permits for Downtown Experiment at 3601 University Avenue ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5348-planning-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a10bf16f2b670909f0049e7-2-planning-case-pc-2026-00117-continued-from-ma?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and considering a [permit for Vista Norte Public Charter](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=9c3ceecb-7a1e-4dcb-8a59-2dc40329784d.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com), a proposed public charter school serving up to 450 students ages 14-23 at a site zoned for single-family homes on Casa Blanca Street ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5348-planning-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a10bf16f2b670909f0049e8-3-planning-case-pr-2024-001684-cup-proposal-by?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Board of Ethics The Board of Ethics meets on Thursday, June 4, at 6 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1409876&GUID=70D036B7-C1F5-40B4-8004-40B7CC814C5E&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to hold a workshop on the ethics rule restricting officials from advocating for private outside interests ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5349-board-of-ethics-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a10d627f395e74bd40013ef-2-overview-of-riverside-municipal-code-2-dot-78-dot-060-dot-d?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), while also considering proposed City Charter amendments related to ethics governance that could eventually go before voters ([item 5](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5349-board-of-ethics-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a10d627f395e74bd40013f4-5-ad-hoc-committee-recommends-proposed-charter-am?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### 🗞️ Riverside News- June 1, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-june-1-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:34.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-1.jpg) Fairmount Park goers paddle the recently added rental swan boats at Lake Evans, with a second boat visible in the background. (Marc Goldstein) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Monday Gazette: June 1, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday!** Tomorrow is Election Day. If you're planning to vote in person or drop your ballot at a vote center, we put together a guide with everything you need to know before you go. Consider this your refresher: [2026 Election Guide](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-election-guide/). See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260601)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260601&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## This Week in City Hall: June 1, 2026 HR policy hearings, a Linden Street lane reconfiguration, Downtown Experiment's permit fight, a charter school proposal, and an ethics board workshop headline this week's public meetings. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/DSC05316.jpeg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-june-1-2026/) Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### Human Resources Board The Human Resources Board meets on Monday, June 1, at 5 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1411451&GUID=5FD046F6-ABF1-4B2C-9320-513366E6B24C&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to hold several public hearings on proposed revisions to city personnel policies governing [pre-employment medical screening](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=682d0970-7fa4-4f93-a9ae-d380b2cd3261.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5352-human-resources-board-city-council-chambers/agenda%5Fitems/6a177b8ef395e75fef008d15-2-conduct-public-hearing-to-accept-public-comment?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and [workplace violence response](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=07df8552-cb81-4ee7-8bd8-48db7aabe590.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5352-human-resources-board-city-council-chambers/agenda%5Fitems/6a177b8ef395e75fef008d16-3-conduct-public-hearing-to-accept-public-comment?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), while also reviewing the annual [Code of Ethics report](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=d60570b5-65ae-4104-ba65-a9e1c67382c8.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 4](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5352-human-resources-board-city-council-chambers/agenda%5Fitems/6a177b8ef395e75fef008d17-4-annual-review-of-code-of-ethics-and-conduct-for?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and receiving quarterly ([item 6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5352-human-resources-board-city-council-chambers/agenda%5Fitems/6a177b8ef395e75fef008d19-6-quarterly-departmental-metrics-human-resource?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Transportation Board The Transportation Board meets on Wednesday, June 3, at 5:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1415872&GUID=87C2EE03-870B-4C0D-BF17-B00E1C137AA9&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to discuss a proposed [restripping project on Linden Street](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=ddd6527c-961b-42f0-89e9-c1f4834e22e7.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that would change lane configurations, potenitally impacting traffic flow and parking for nearby residents and commuters ([item 6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5345-transportation-board-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a0f2e9c442538b81c00a2e8-6-proposed-linden-street-restripping-project?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Planning Commission The Planning Commission meets on Thursday, June 4, at 9 a.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1409875&GUID=D00DCF0E-DF25-41F5-B31C-19E380387001&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider the [city's withdrawal of its own request](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=18013b68-cd29-4a00-b5f7-05776feff217.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to revoke operating permits for Downtown Experiment at 3601 University Avenue ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5348-planning-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a10bf16f2b670909f0049e7-2-planning-case-pc-2026-00117-continued-from-ma?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and considering a [permit for Vista Norte Public Charter](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=9c3ceecb-7a1e-4dcb-8a59-2dc40329784d.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com), a proposed public charter school serving up to 450 students ages 14-23 at a site zoned for single-family homes on Casa Blanca Street ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5348-planning-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a10bf16f2b670909f0049e8-3-planning-case-pr-2024-001684-cup-proposal-by?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### Board of Ethics The Board of Ethics meets on Thursday, June 4, at 6 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1409876&GUID=70D036B7-C1F5-40B4-8004-40B7CC814C5E&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to hold a workshop on the ethics rule restricting officials from advocating for private outside interests ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5349-board-of-ethics-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a10d627f395e74bd40013ef-2-overview-of-riverside-municipal-code-2-dot-78-dot-060-dot-d?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), while also considering proposed City Charter amendments related to ethics governance that could eventually go before voters ([item 5](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5349-board-of-ethics-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a10d627f395e74bd40013f4-5-ad-hoc-committee-recommends-proposed-charter-am?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-june-1-2026/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260601) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600601&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [BUSINESS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/business/) ## The Mission Inn Artifacts Dispute Is More Complicated Than It Looks The removal of artifacts from the Mission Inn sheds light on a shared blame situation that is anything but clear and will take time to sort out. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-29.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-mission-inn-artifacts-dispute-is-more-complicated-than-it-looks/) "California Alps," William Keith's 1874 oil on canvas of the Sierra Nevada, rests on the floor of the Mission Inn lobby as caution cones surround it, leaving the wall above bare where it had hung for generations. (James Ranger) Two paintings pulled from the Mission Inn on May 20 have triggered competing legal claims with no resolution in sight. **Why it matters:** The dispute could affect not just the two removed paintings but dozens of other items from a 1992 curatorial inventory — including Tiffany stained glass, the Rayas Altar, and the Agua Mansa Bell — whose current locations are unaccounted for. **The backstory:** A three-party agreement negotiated at the Inn's 1992 sale was meant to protect significant artifacts. But principals disagree on what it actually covered. - Redevelopment Agency negotiator Ralph Megna, who drafted the agreement, says the restrictions are durable. Others involved say moveable objects were deliberately excluded and never formally addressed. **Three legal questions remain:** - Did the Inn's 1977 National Historic Landmark designation permanently bind moveable objects to the property? - Did the 1992 agreement cover moveable items — or were they explicitly deferred? - Does the current purchase agreement include an exclusionary clause that would affect the paintings? **Yes, but:** Outgoing owner Kelly Roberts' attorney called the removals lawful and threatened legal action against anyone making "false and defamatory" claims about the transaction. **What's next:** New owners Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation say they plan to partner with the Mission Inn Foundation "to preserve the artwork and artifacts." Former Foundation president Mike Marlatt offered a more sober forecast: "The notion that that painting is going to be back up on the wall in a couple weeks is completely naive." [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-mission-inn-artifacts-dispute-is-more-complicated-than-it-looks/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260601)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260601&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [FROM THE MAYOR'S DESK](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/mayors-desk/) ## Opinion:Your Summer in Riverside Starts Now The City has packed this summer with free events, activities, and programs for families of all ages across Riverside. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-3-3.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-your-summer-in-riverside-starts-now/) Residents enjoy summer activities across Riverside, including swim lessons, outdoor gatherings, sailing on Fairmount Park lake and a round of golf. (Courtesy of the City of Riverside) Graduations, promotions, vacation planning, swimming lessons…all signs that summer has arrived and with it, a host of activities to make the next few months fun and interesting in Riverside. With longer days and kids out of school, the City has planned all sorts of summer fun accessible to everyone and every taste. Our beloved [Concerts in the Park](https://riversideca.gov/calendar/event/summer-fun-concerts-park-2?ref=raincrossgazette.com) series returns to Fairmount Park every Wednesday evening from June 24 through July 29\. These free community concerts bring live music, a beer garden, food vendors, and family-friendly fun to one of Riverside's most iconic gathering spaces. Fairmount Park also offers unique summer experiences like the [Riverside Community Sailing Program](https://www.riversidesailing.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and [swan pedal boat rentals](https://www.riversidesailing.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) on the lake. You can also enjoy an affordable [round of golf at the golf course](https://www.riversideca.gov/park%5Frec/facilities-parks/outdoor-facilities/fairmount-golf-course/booking?ref=raincrossgazette.com), one of the few public courses available in Riverside. Our historic Fairmount continues to be one of the best places in the city to enjoy the outdoors in a beautiful setting. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-your-summer-in-riverside-starts-now/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-06-01T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-06-01T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [Monday Carillon Recitals](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/monday-carillon-recitals/17079871/2026-06-01T12) at UCR Bell Tower - [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) - [Riverside Off-Road & Jeep Nights](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-offroad-jeep-nights/18477720/2026-06-01T17) at D'Elia's Grinders - [Sip with a Scientist](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/18962583/2026-06-01T17) at Bar Ni Modo ### Tomorrow - [ScotSurplus Public Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/scotsurplus-public-sale/17279943/2026-06-02T11) at ScotSurplus, UCR Corporation Yard - [Taiko Ensemble Recital](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/taiko-ensemble-recital/17079812/2026-06-02T12) at The Barn, Outdoor Stage - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition at the Hideaway](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-06-02T19) at The Hideaway ### Save the Date - June 3: [Paint. Sip. Spark Kindness](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-sip-spark-kindness/18886391/2026-06-03T18) at HRBC Insurance ($75) - June 5: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-05T07) at Zacatecas Café - June 7: [Riverside Historical Society June Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-historical-society-june-meeting/18976350/2026-06-07T13)at Riverside Medical Clinic - Basement Conference Room - June 8: [Vacation Bible School: Snowball Mountain Challenge](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vacation-bible-school-snowball-mountain-challenge/19029187/2026-06-08T09) at First United Methodist Church ($15- $25) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Opinion:Your Summer in Riverside Starts Now URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-your-summer-in-riverside-starts-now/ Last updated: 2026-06-02T21:15:01.000Z Graduations, promotions, vacation planning, swimming lessons…all signs that summer has arrived and with it, a host of activities to make the next few months fun and interesting in Riverside. With longer days and kids out of school, the City has planned all sorts of summer fun accessible to everyone and every taste. Our beloved [Concerts in the Park](https://riversideca.gov/calendar/event/summer-fun-concerts-park-2?ref=raincrossgazette.com) series returns to Fairmount Park every Wednesday evening from June 24 through July 29\. These free community concerts bring live music, a beer garden, food vendors, and family-friendly fun to one of Riverside's most iconic gathering spaces. Fairmount Park also offers unique summer experiences like the [Riverside Community Sailing Program](https://www.riversidesailing.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and [swan pedal boat rentals](https://www.riversidesailing.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) on the lake. You can also enjoy an affordable [round of golf at the golf course](https://www.riversideca.gov/park%5Frec/facilities-parks/outdoor-facilities/fairmount-golf-course/booking?ref=raincrossgazette.com), one of the few public courses available in Riverside. Our historic Fairmount continues to be one of the best places in the city to enjoy the outdoors in a beautiful setting. We are also continuing our [Movies in the Park](https://riversideca.gov/calendar/event/movies-park-2?ref=raincrossgazette.com) series, with free movies on Friday evenings throughout the summer. Pack a picnic and blanket and bring a friend to enjoy a movie under the stars together. And of course, our [seven public pools](https://www.riversideca.gov/park%5Frec/programs-sports/aquatics/pools?ref=raincrossgazette.com) reopen June 1, offering opportunities for families to cool off during the triple-digit days we know are coming. Whether you are learning to swim, spending time with friends, or simply escaping the heat, our pools remain one of the best summer traditions in Riverside. If you are looking for something more structured this summer, our [Parks and Recreation Activity Guide](https://www.flipbook.thesaucecs.com/RiversideSummer/mobile/index.html?ref=raincrossgazette.com) offers something for every age group: Ceramics, cooking, woodshop classes, adult boxing, pickleball, volleyball leagues and countless opportunities to learn new skills, stay active, and connect with others. Families can also take advantage of swim lessons, day camps, and youth activities happening throughout the city. You can register for any of these classes and so much more, [here](https://anc.apm.activecommunities.com/riversideprcsd/signin?onlineSiteId=0&locale=en-US&from%5Foriginal%5Fcui=true&override%5Fpartial%5Ferror=False&custom%5Famount=False¶ms=aHR0cHM6Ly9hcG0uYWN0aXZlY29tbXVuaXRpZXMuY29tL3JpdmVyc2lkZXByY3NkL0FjdGl2ZU5ldF9Ib21lP0ZpbGVOYW1lPWFjY291bnRvcHRpb25zLnNkaSZmcm9tTG9naW5QYWdlPXRydWU%3D&ref=raincrossgazette.com). One of the highlights of the summer is our Fourth of July celebrations as we join communities across the nation in commemorating America's 250th anniversary. In addition to our fireworks celebrations at La Sierra Park and Mount Rubidoux, Riverside will host a series of [America250](https://visitriverside.com/america250/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) events throughout the community to celebrate our nation's history and future. For many Riverside families, summer also brings a real challenge: when school is out, gone are the reliable meals many children count on each day. That's why programs like [Riverside Summer Feeds](https://www.instagram.com/p/DYA7Nv8j8g1/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) are so important. Beyond nutritious meals, these programs give families peace of mind and kids a safe, welcoming place to gather. No child should spend their summer worrying about where their next meal will come from, and Riverside remains committed to supporting the health and well-being of our young people. As Mayor, I believe investing in our quality of life is just as important as investing in infrastructure and economic development. Strong cities are not only measured by roads and buildings, but by whether families feel connected, children feel supported, and residents feel proud of where they live. So this summer, take advantage of everything our city has to offer. Go to a concert. Watch a movie in the park. Visit one of our pools. Try something new. Meet your neighbors. Support local events. Summer in Riverside is about community, and there is no better community than ours. I hope to see you out there this summer! ### 🗞️ Riverside News- May 31, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-may-31-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:35.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/Riverside_RCC_Sigma_Rho__Delta_Chi_float_at_the_Plaza_1961.jpg) A big thank you to Mary Carpenter for sharing this photo of the RCC Sigma Rho and Delta Chi homecoming float, captured by Constant Bilicke. The parade passes storefronts including W.T. Grant Co. and Leeds, with a classic Corvette among the cars lining the route. (Constant Bilicke) **Sunday Gazette: May 31, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday!** Welcome to *Snapshot Sundays*, our weekly series featuring vintage photos of Riverside shared by the people who live here. This week we're stepping back in time to an RCC homecoming parade, back when W.T. Grant Co. and Leeds lined the route. Do you have old photos of a Riverside spot from long ago? We'd love to see them. [Send them our way](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com). See you tomorrow! --- 🧡 Thank you to the Subscribers who became paid supporters this week: Lisa Brown and Jill Butler. [Your ongoing financial support](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-march-15-2026-2/#/portal/account/plans) is vital to our success in serving Riverside with the news it deserves! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260531)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260531&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## My Daughter's Hometown In this final installment, Anthony Solorzano explores Riverside through the eyes of a transplant, as the memory of a hometown slowly fades. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-10-2.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/my-daughters-hometown/) (Anthony Solorzano) With every step we took on our first walk to the park as parents, I became more than just a transplant in the city. With each step, everything mattered: the school district, the park, the community events, the recreational leagues. With every push of the stroller, I suddenly felt like I was where I belonged. Since moving to the Inland Empire, I treated my new home as a foreign place. Since the birth of my daughter, Riverside feels more like our forever home. I've spent my time trying to replicate the life I had in Pomona. I looked for restaurants with menus similar to the ones I grew up eating, tried to set up routines similar to the days I had for 35 years, all in a new city. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/when-magnolia-avenue-was-riversides-showcase-of-homes/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260531)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260531&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [NEIGHBOR OF THE WEEK](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/neighbor-of-the-week/) ## Neighbor of the Week: Greg Cuellar Neighbor of the Week is a series profiling the hidden heroes of Riverside, doing incredible works of service throughout our different neighborhoods. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-11-3.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-greg-cuellar/) Greg Cuellar, Executive Director of the Riverside Community Arts Association, inside the RCAA Gallery in Downtown. (Brenda Flowers) Greg Cuellar grew up in Riverside and has spent his adult life giving back to the community that raised him. Through a range of leadership and volunteer roles, he has worked to support and strengthen local arts, culture, and community organizations — connecting people and ideas and helping make Riverside feel more inclusive and vibrant. He serves as Executive Director of the Riverside Community Arts Association (RCAA) — where he previously served as President — and as Vice Chair of the Riverside Arts Council. He also collaborates with the Inland Empire Civil Rights Institute, serves on a committee with the Riverside Downtown Partnership, and co-owns Paint Party Professionals, which hosts a monthly paint party at Back to the Grind to bring creativity and connection to the community. A vocal advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, Greg also lends his support to Riverside Pride and the Ramona High School Magnet Program. [Get to know Greg...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-greg-cuellar/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260531) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260531&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CREATIVE PROMPTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/creative-prompts/) ## Thread Head A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns. [![a close up of a needle with a red thread](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1622461962346-a4d6c6ffade5?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDIzfHx0aHJlYWR8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzgwMDc1MDYxfDA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/thread-head/) ([Immo Wegmann](https://unsplash.com/@tinkerman?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) This week, we’re moving from the marks left by our hands to the lines that hold things together. Our creative nudge is a thread. Not a whole spool necessarily. No need to have access to an embroidery collection arranged by color, though we welcome overachievers in this column. You really just need one small thread. The kind that peeks from a shirt collar or cuff, a frayed hem, or the one left naked and alone when the button makes a break for it. Pull the wrong one and something comes apart. Follow the right one and a pattern emerges. We use threads to stitch, mend, attach, and decorate. They are metaphorically fertile and abundant: thread of conversation, narrative thread, common thread, loose thread, threadbare excuse. Online, we follow threads to see where a story goes or lose ourselves in one until suddenly it’s past our bedtime and we know too much about sandwich toppings. [Read and share the complete prompt...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/thread-head/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Sunday, May 31 - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-05-31T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Anime Riverside 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/anime-riverside-2026/18337705/2026-05-31T00) at Riverside Convention Center - [No Question Riverside Stand Up show](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/no-question-riverside-stand-up-show/18842006/2026-05-31T20) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($15) - [**Oscars, Tonys & Grammys**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oscars-tonys-grammys/18797026/2026-05-31T16) at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($10- $20) - [UCR Choirs & Orchestra: Dona Nobis Pacem](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/ucr-choirs-orchestra-dona-nobis-pacem/19004389/2026-05-31T15) at University Theatre, University of California, Riverside ($6- $10) ### Monday, June 1 - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-06-01T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-06-01T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [Monday Carillon Recitals](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/monday-carillon-recitals/17079871/2026-06-01T12) at UCR Bell Tower - [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) - [Riverside Off-Road & Jeep Nights](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-offroad-jeep-nights/18477720/2026-06-01T17) at D'Elia's Grinders - [Sip with a Scientist](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/18962583/2026-06-01T17) at Bar Ni Modo ### Tuesday, June 2 - [ScotSurplus Public Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/scotsurplus-public-sale/17279943/2026-06-02T11) at ScotSurplus, UCR Corporation Yard - [Taiko Ensemble Recital](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/taiko-ensemble-recital/17079812/2026-06-02T12) at The Barn, Outdoor Stage - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition at the Hideaway](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-06-02T19) at The Hideaway ### Wednesday, June 3 - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-06-03T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Transportation Board](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/transportation-board/18982107/2026-06-03T17) at Riverside City Hall - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-06-03T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [**Paint. Sip. Spark Kindness**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-sip-spark-kindness/18842007/2026-06-03T18) at HRBC Insurance ($75) - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-06-03T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [UCR Wind Ensemble](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/ucr-wind-ensemble/17554005/2026-06-03T19) at University Theatre ### Thursday, June 4 - [Board of Ethics](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/board-of-ethics/18812402/2026-06-04T18) at Riverside City Hall - [Lincoln Park Community Group](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/lincoln-park-community-group/16552274/2026-06-04T18) at Lincoln Park Community Center - [Planning Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/planning-commission/18584284/2026-06-04T09) at Riverside City Hall - [FREE ADMISSION - First Thursday of every month during Riverside ArtsWalk](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-admission-first-thursday-of-every-month-during-riverside-artswalk/13230799/2026-06-04T18) at Riverside Art Museum - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-06-04T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Inlandia's Indie Author Fair @ Arts Walk!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/inlandias-indie-author-fair-arts-walk/18941656/2026-06-04T17) at Riverside Main Library-Community Room - [Palabra at The Cheech](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/palabra-at-the-cheech/18910469/2026-06-04T18) at The Cheech Center for Chicano Art & Culture - [Pour Decisions a Comedy Wine Tasting Summer Edition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/pour-decisions-a-comedy-wine-tasting-summer-edition/18671860/2026-06-04T18) at Canyon Crest Winery ($39.19) - [UCR Jazz Ensembles](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/ucr-jazz-ensembles/17554004/2026-06-04T19) at Culver Center of the Arts - [Whose Live Anyway?](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/whose-live-anyway/18175659/2026-06-04T18) at Fox Performing Arts Center ### Friday, June 5 - [**Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-05T07) at Zacatecas Café - [R'Hours at the R'Garden](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rhours-at-the-rgarden/18094958/2026-06-05T08) at R'Garden - [Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-and-heroes-walking-tour/17901085/2026-06-05T15) at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18) - [Painting Pets Night, a Comedy Paint and Sip](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/painting-pets-night-a-comedy-paint-and-sip/18671863/2026-06-05T19) at Carbon Nation Brewing ($28.52) ### Saturday, June 6 - [Bubble Bash at Riverside Plaza](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bubble-bash-at-riverside-plaza/18934880/2026-06-06T11) at Riverside Plaza - [California Adopt-a-Pet Day at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/california-adoptapet-day-at-mary-s-roberts-pet-adoption-center/19009700/2026-06-06T12) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center - [Mt. Rubidoux Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mt-rubidoux-walking-tour/18884790/2026-06-06T08) at Mt. Rubidoux Trailhead, a short walk from Ryan Bonaminio Park. ($21.20) - [Punchis! Punchis! Banda Rave (18+)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/punchis-punchis-banda-rave-18/18501425/2026-06-06T21) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium - [Ryan Bonaminio parkrun](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/ryan-bonaminio-parkrun/14535510/2026-06-06T07) at RYAN BONAMINIO PARK - [Three Bad Jacks 30th Year Anniversary w/ Special Guests!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/three-bad-jacks-30th-year-anniversary-w-special-guests/18729963/2026-06-06T21) at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($20.23) ## Save the Date - June 7: [Riverside Historical Society June Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-historical-society-june-meeting/18976350/2026-06-07T13) at Riverside Medical Clinic - Basement Conference Room - June 8: [Vacation Bible School: Snowball Mountain Challenge](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vacation-bible-school-snowball-mountain-challenge/19029187/2026-06-08T09) at First United Methodist Church ($15- $25) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### My Daughter's Hometown URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/my-daughters-hometown/ Last updated: 2026-06-02T12:00:54.000Z With every step we took on our first walk to the park as parents, I became more than just a transplant in the city. With each step, everything mattered: the school district, the park, the community events, the recreational leagues. With every push of the stroller, I suddenly felt like I was where I belonged. Since moving to the Inland Empire, I treated my new home as a foreign place. Since the birth of my daughter, Riverside feels more like our forever home. I've spent my time trying to replicate the life I had in Pomona. I looked for restaurants with menus similar to the ones I grew up eating, tried to set up routines similar to the days I had for 35 years, all in a new city. Now, there's meaning in each block surrounding our home. As my wife and I welcomed our first child, Riverside is more than just a place where we sleep. Riverside is now our daughter's hometown and I have a whole new set of questions. Where are the good schools? Which park has the best slides? What community pool has the least amount of urine? That last question isn't me being pessimistic. It is me worrying about a real problem that has haunted communities across the country for generations. More seriously, what version of Riverside will raise my daughter? In Pomona, I had most of the answers, but now we will be learning as one. We'll learn which park has the best basketball court for us to play on. We'll learn which sidewalk has the least amount of bumps for a better bike ride. We'll grow into the city as a family. I just hope my daughter learns to love the city that will see her grow the same way my wife and I love our hometown. It wasn't love at first sight and it won't be for her either, but I hope she sees everything Riverside has to offer. From the art scene in Downtown Riverside, to the diversity of restaurants around the city, to the different hiking trails nearby — there's so much to do. During our trip to the park, we imagined running around the playground chasing her. We pictured her learning how to shoot from the free throw line and falling in love with basketball. We saw ourselves taking family walks for years to come. As I embark on this new chapter in my life, I close my transplant era. With the arrival of my daughter, she's turned me into a local. I can get to destinations around the city without needing a GPS. I actually know the name of the park down the street from my house. I now have restaurant recommendations. Hopefully, she likes my picks. The only difference is, now, I get to experience the culture through her eyes and pass along my knowledge. I just hope she loves it as much as I love my hometown. ### Neighbor of the Week: Greg Cuellar URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-greg-cuellar/ Last updated: 2026-06-02T11:59:26.000Z Greg Cuellar grew up in Riverside and has spent his adult life giving back to the community that raised him. Through a range of leadership and volunteer roles, he has worked to support and strengthen local arts, culture, and community organizations — connecting people and ideas and helping make Riverside feel more inclusive and vibrant. He serves as Executive Director of the Riverside Community Arts Association (RCAA) — where he previously served as President — and as Vice Chair of the Riverside Arts Council. He also collaborates with the Inland Empire Civil Rights Institute, serves on a committee with the Riverside Downtown Partnership, and co-owns Paint Party Professionals, which hosts a monthly paint party at Back to the Grind to bring creativity and connection to the community. A vocal advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, Greg also lends his support to Riverside Pride and the Ramona High School Magnet Program. --- **What does Riverside mean to you?** Riverside is more than my hometown. It's the community that shaped me. Growing up here gave me a deep appreciation for the arts, culture, and people that make this city special, and I'm proud to give back to the community that raised me. **What is your Mt. Rubidoux summit count (estimated)?** 50+ over the years. **What is your favorite restaurant outside of Downtown or Magnolia Center?** Zacatecas Cafe. **What is the most beautiful building in Riverside?** The new Main Library in Downtown. **What is your favorite Riverside small business?** Mrs. Tiggy Winkles. **What is your favorite Riverside non-profit organization?** RCAA Gallery — it supports over 160 artists and gives them a place to showcase their work with 12 exhibitions a year. **The Festival of Lights: Every year on opening night or maybe on a Tuesday?** Tuesday! We serve free hot cocoa on opening night at RCAA Gallery. **What is your go-to sandwich in town?** Arts Bar & Grill, pastrami with gruyere. **What is your idea of a perfect weekend day in Riverside?** A walk around Fairmount Park followed by a coffee at Back to the Grind and then a stroll down Main St. Then taking my grandkids out to the museums with a stop for pizza at Hole in the Wall Pizza. **What is your favorite spot for a date night?** Le Chat Noir. **Do you call it the Galleria or Tyler Mall?** Tyler Mall. **What is one place in Riverside you would bring back if you could?** Spanky's. **If you could put one message on a billboard on the 91, what would it be?** Support local artists! Support small businesses! **Finally, tell us what you're working on right now and how our readers can support your efforts — whether it's a project, passion, or cause close to your heart!** Working on supporting Riverside Pride by putting together their first LGBTQ+ art exhibition at Pride so artists can show and sell their work at the festival. Also working on the 5th Annual Art After Dark exhibition in support of RCAA, which will for the first time be open to all artists in the Inland Empire — October 17, 6–9 p.m. at the Barbara and Art Culver Center for the Arts. In addition, I'm on a committee with the Riverside Downtown Partnership bringing back the Fashion Show on October 15 at the Culver Center, and this year for the first time we are inviting artists to make outfits from recycled materials and walk them in the show alongside local merchants. *Neighbor of the Week is our way of celebrating the hidden heroes of Riverside—those who go above and beyond to make our community stronger, kinder, and more vibrant. We believe every remarkable Riversider deserves their story told. Know someone who’s making a difference?* [*Nominate a Neighbor of the Week*](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) ### Thread Head URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/thread-head/ Last updated: 2026-05-30T12:00:43.000Z Welcome back, you amateur detectives and forensic finger painters. [Last week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/all-over-it/) we investigated the fingerprints we leave behind—on glasses, our screens, and other’s memories. And maybe a few things we’d rather not be connected to for legal reasons! Did you turn a smudge into a self-portrait? Write a tiny police report about everything you touched before breakfast? However you explored those personal marks, I hope you found some proof that you were here, paying attention. This week, we’re moving from the marks left by our hands to the lines that hold things together. Our creative nudge is a thread. Not a whole spool necessarily. No need to have access to an embroidery collection arranged by color, though we welcome overachievers in this column. You really just need one small thread. The kind that peeks from a shirt collar or cuff, a frayed hem, or the one left naked and alone when the button makes a break for it. Pull the wrong one and something comes apart. Follow the right one and a pattern emerges. We use threads to stitch, mend, attach, and decorate. They are metaphorically fertile and abundant: thread of conversation, narrative thread, common thread, loose thread, threadbare excuse. Online, we follow threads to see where a story goes or lose ourselves in one until suddenly it’s past our bedtime and we know too much about sandwich toppings. I’m writing this near my sewing machine, which I briefly learned how to use about four years ago. “Learned” may be generous. I can thread the machine. Beyond that, my skills remain aspirational. Still, I keep thinking I’ll do something artistic with it someday. Until then, the spools sit nearby, waiting to be useful. I realize now there is no reason to make them wait. They can become drawing tools, tiny sculptures, story starters – evidence that repair and imagination begin with the same intention. Find a bit of thread, string, yarn, dental floss, loose fiber, or anything thread-adjacent, then weave several minutes of creative play into your day with one or more of these threadful patterns: **1\. Threadigate:** Hold a length of thread. Pull it tight. Let it slacken. Twist it. Knot it. Use that as the start of a drawing, poem, or journal entry about tension in your own life. What are you holding too tightly? What needs slack? What is still holding strong after all this time? **2\. Sew-lore System:** Lay a piece of thread across a table, sidewalk, notebook page, or your own palm. Trace its bends and loops with your eyes. Now turn that shape into a map. Maybe it’s a route through Riverside, the path of a thought, or the journey from one version of yourself to another. Add landmarks: “Here is where I forgot why I came into the room.” “Here is where the story got interesting.” **3\. Sew Limits:** Using thread, string, twist ties, ribbon, or yarn, connect two unrelated objects. A spoon to a book. A button to a rock. A key to a leaf. Don’t worry about usefulness. As you tie, wrap, loop, and secure, notice your hands. What kind of relationship did you create between the objects? Is it a repair, a leash, a collaboration, a trap…or a promise? **4\. Thread Sense:** Imagine where the thread came from. A costume from a forgotten school play? A button repaired by someone who loved you? Write the thread’s biography in five sentences. Start with, “I was made to hold…” and see where it takes you. Let the thread tell us what it has seen, what it has joined, and what it couldn’t keep from unraveling. **5\. Knot Knead:** Tie one knot in a thread for something you want to remember. Tie another for something you’re ready to stop carrying. Tie a third for something unfinished but still worth keeping. Put the thread somewhere visible for a day: around a pencil, on a doorknob, taped to your desk, tied to your key ring. Let it be a small, temporary tracker of your wandering thoughts, feelings, and intentions. Thread reminds us that creativity is connection. One small line can mend a tear, decorate a surface, guide a hand, or lead us back to an idea we thought we had lost. It can also tangle, knot, and resist our efforts. This week don’t worry about making something complete. Just pick up the thread. Follow it for a few minutes. Tie something together. Take something apart. Notice where the loose ends are. Sometimes that’s where the next creative thing begins. *This column was written with the help of ChatGPT, used here as a creative collaborator trying not to tangle the bobbin before the good part starts.* ### 🍊Your Riverside Weekend- May 30, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/your-riverside-weekend-may-30-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:36.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/02/_DSC5738.jpg) **Your Riverside Weekend- May 30, 2026** **Happy Saturday, Riverside!** We hope your week treated you well. Before you head into your weekend, we've gathered the stories that defined life in our city this week — from City Hall to community happenings. You're in the right place to catch up — your weekend starts here. --- [2026 Election: Voter GuideEverything Riverside voters need to know to cast informed ballots in the June 2026 primary: candidate profiles, ballot measure explanations, and how to register and vote. Updated continuously through Election Day.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/260506-voterguide.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-election-guide/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260530)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260530&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [The Mission Inn Artifacts Dispute Is More Complicated Than It LooksThe removal of artifacts from the Mission Inn sheds light on a shared blame situation that is anything but clear and will take time to sort out.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteKen Crawford![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-4-9edcea5474bf8ccc60629e76742d8d0063bea86a150d1ae7f3302cf83e906dc0.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-mission-inn-artifacts-dispute-is-more-complicated-than-it-looks/) [The Bridges of Riverside CountyHow early crossings helped shape the region’s growth.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteMuseum of Riverside![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/1-18-1526d149c292840f6dfa057a42aa20ecfeb92411f0335482b82a527e5a9ebc37.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-bridges-of-riverside-county/) [Riverside Is Making Room for More Riders as Bikes, Safety and Community ConvergeFrom a monthly light ride to a Blue Zones partnership and a federal streetscape overhaul, Riverside’s cycling community is having a moment.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteAmy López![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/1-16-94078c266b43c2fdbf28ba60042a6c8d9cb7dc0c3516bf54be18154edf725eee.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-is-making-room-for-more-riders-as-bikes-safety-and-community-converge/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260530)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260530&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [Poly High Dedicates New Campus Garden After Six Years of Plastic Pots and PavementA ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the opening of Riverside Polytechnic High School’s first permanent garden, years in the making.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteCommunity Contributor![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-8-2-f4e9876a9201af17beeac907ae18b30a1884e14958c7540997eb71f65d65420f.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/poly-high-dedicates-new-campus-garden-after-six-years-of-plastic-pots-and-pavement/) [Planning Commission Approves 300-Unit Housing Project on Former Scrap Metal SiteThe project would preserve the historic Barley Mills Building and redevelop a contaminated Commerce Street site that operated as a scrap yard for more than 45 years.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/1-_DSC4113-3835abec2e4769a32afbf41cf0163b44908597a14cfb223aabe9965bb5e422a9.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/planning-commission-approves-300-unit-housing-project-on-former-scrap-metal-site/) [Riverside’s VMT Bank Earns Regional Sustainability AwardThe Southern California Association of Governments recognized the city’s Vehicle Miles Traveled Mitigation Bank, which lets developers pay a flat fee in lieu of state environmental review.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1610916610082-0145017f3442-92212f19e4094b9b923ccd70523548b353e99863c7601b3102ba3237ea826089)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-vmt-bank-earns-regional-sustainability-award/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260530) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260530&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Weather Forecast ☀️ Sunday, May 31 — 91° / 59° · Sunny ☀️ Monday, June 1 — 89° / 59° · Mostly Sunny 🌤️ Tuesday, June 2 — 88° / 59° · Mostly Sunny ☀️ Wednesday, June 3 — 90° / 62° · Sunny ☀️ Thursday, June 4 — 90° / 60° · Sunny 🌤️ Friday, June 5 — 87° / 59° · Mostly Sunny ⛅ Saturday, June 6 — 84° / 57° · Partly Cloudy 🌞 *June is making a beautiful entrance — wall-to-wall sunshine, highs in the upper 80s and 90s, and cool evenings all week long.* --- ## 💬 Staff Picks — What we're talking about around the Gazette this week 🎂 **Justin** is feeling the feels as his youngest kiddo exits the single digits when she turns 10 this weekend. 🤧 **Amy** spent the second half of this week sick and is picking gratitude for good health — funny how fast you forget to appreciate it until it temporarily slips away. --- ## Save the Date - May 31: [Oscars, Tonys & Grammys](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oscars-tonys-grammys/18797026/2026-05-31T16) at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($10- $20) - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) - June 3: [Paint. Sip. Spark Kindness](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-sip-spark-kindness/18886391/2026-06-03T18) at HRBC Insurance ($75) - June 5: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-05T07) at Zacatecas Café - June 7: [Riverside Historical Society June Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-historical-society-june-meeting/18976350/2026-06-07T13) at Riverside Medical Clinic - Basement Conference Room 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### The Mission Inn Artifacts Dispute Is More Complicated Than It Looks URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-mission-inn-artifacts-dispute-is-more-complicated-than-it-looks/ Last updated: 2026-06-02T23:55:35.000Z The removal of two valuable paintings from the Mission Inn Hotel and Spa on May 20 has raised three legal questions that may ultimately be resolved only in court. The paintings, "California Alps," an 1874 oil on canvas of the Sierra Nevada by William Keith, and "Charge Up San Juan Hill," an 1900 depiction of Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders at the Battle of San Juan Hill by Russian artist Vasily Vereshchagin, had hung at the Inn for generations. Did the Inn's 1977 National Historic Landmark designation bind moveable objects to the property permanently? Was any enforceable contract regarding moveable objects executed in the 33 years between the 1992 sale to the Historical Mission Inn Corporation and the 2026 sale? And if an exclusionary clause exists in the current purchase agreement between outgoing owner Kelly Roberts and the San Manuel Investment Authority, an unincorporated governmental instrumentality of Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, would it be binding if the landmark designation had already tied those objects to the property? The removals, widely covered in local and regional media, prompted an immediate public outcry. Dramatic photographs of ["Charge Up San Juan Hill"](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-bell-with-a-past-san-juan-hills-legacy-at-riversides-mission-inn/) being pulled from the wall circulated on social media and became the genesis of the public outcry that followed. Press-Enterprise columnist David Allen, who was in Riverside when a tip about the removals came in, wrote that a hotel employee ran to intercept him as he approached the California Lounge and told him photographs of the second painting were not wanted. Roberts' attorney, Patrick O'Brien, declined to comment on the specifics of the transaction. In a written statement, O'Brien asserted that "the artwork and personal items in question are the lawful property of Kelly Roberts and her late husband, Duane Roberts," called allegations surrounding the removal "false and defamatory," and warned that the Roberts family would "take immediate legal action against any individual or entity that makes, publishes, or repeats these false allegations." The removals were carried out openly, in broad daylight, with a security guard present. Conversations with people familiar with the matter revealed a sense that the public nature of the removals and the directness of O'Brien's statement reflected a belief on the part of Roberts and her counsel that the legal foundation for her position was sound. To understand why the legal picture is more complicated than the initial public reaction suggested, it is necessary to go back to the closing table. The concern was not abstract. [Ben Swig, who owned the Inn from 1956 to 1968](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/long-lost-mission-inn-artifacts-surface-at-redlands-auction/), had sold off valuables during his tenure, a pattern that alarmed the community and contributed to the Redevelopment Agency's decision to purchase the property in 1976\. The 1977 National Historic Landmark designation followed a year later. When Megna sat down at that closing table in 1992 the memory of what Swig had done was present in the room. The three-party agreement was in part a direct response to it. Whether the language Megna drafted was explicit enough to cover moveable objects is precisely the question that remains unresolved today. At 4 a.m. on Christmas Eve, 1992, a team of negotiators finalized the sale of the Mission Inn. The transaction involved the City of Riverside Redevelopment Agency, the Mission Inn Foundation and the Historic Mission Inn Corporation, the entity through which Duane Roberts purchased the property from Chemical Bank. The closing had stretched across days. Tax implications required the sale to be completed before Dec. 31. Ralph Megna was the Redevelopment Agency official who personally negotiated every aspect of the transaction. He drafted the three-party agreement himself, on a laptop computer, at the closing table. He has the wet-signed original. Megna said in an interview that the agreement was written specifically to address what he called the public equities in the collection, and that language requiring the buyer to retain ownership was intended to ensure the most significant artifacts would not be sold off and would stay with the hotel. He said he believes those restrictions are durable and has seen nothing to negate them. Walter Parks, a Mission Inn Foundation member with direct knowledge of the 1992 transaction, offers a different account. Parks said the sales document itself did not cover moveable objects, that the question was deliberately deferred to expedite the process, and that Duane Roberts made a good faith commitment to negotiate the moveable items at a later date. Parks said a subsequent legal review commissioned by the Mission Inn Corporation concluded that moveable items remained the possession of the owner of the Inn. Parks said the city sat on its hands in the decades that followed, never returning to the table to formalize what Roberts had committed to negotiate. That account has been corroborated by other principals involved in the transaction. The A List predates the Roberts sale. As the City of Riverside finalized the 1985 sale of the Inn to Carley Capital Group, it approached the Mission Inn Foundation to identify the hotel's most significant pieces. The resulting inventory of 254 items, known as the A List, runs to two categories: architectural and fixed elements, and moveable objects. Under the Carley purchase agreement, those items were prohibited from leaving the Inn. The list carried forward through the Carley bankruptcy and the subsequent sale to Roberts. Both "California Alps" and "Charge Up San Juan Hill" appear on it. So do the Taft Chair, the Goddess Pomona statue and "Arch Beach" by William Wendt, whose whereabouts are also unknown. The A List also includes Louis C. Tiffany stained glass windows, the Rayas Altar, the carillon, the Agua Mansa Bell, Gustav Stickley furniture, the Roycroft bookcase bearing the Raincross brand, and dozens of other objects that remain unaccounted for in any current public inventory. Mike Marlatt served on the Mission Inn Foundation board in 1992 and later as its president. He said the Foundation was aware of the ambiguity and made an attempt to resolve it by asking Roberts to donate the moveable items into a trust, an arrangement that would have also provided tax benefits and relieved the hotel of curatorial costs. Roberts declined, saying he was not inclined to do anything adverse to the Inn. Marlatt said the Foundation had also spent years and significant money curating, cleaning and restoring items in the collection, including more than $13,000 restoring the William Keith painting in the early 1980s, and that a for-profit entity accepting those services from a nonprofit implied at minimum a controlling interest on the Foundation's part. The argument was made, he said, but never formalized. "I feel bad about that, to be honest with you," Marlatt said. "I didn't push harder." Conversations with principals involved in the 1992 transaction revealed a shared sense that Roberts' good faith assurances were accepted in lieu of a formal agreement, and that as council members, Foundation leadership and city staff rotated over the following decades the unresolved question stayed on the back burner. The Redevelopment Agency that negotiated the original sale was dissolved in 2012. The Mission Inn Foundation was [evicted from the Inn in a 2024 lease dispute](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/legal-dispute-puts-future-of-mission-inn-foundation-in-question/) and now operates its museum from across the street. Its access to the property had been diminishing for several years prior to that eviction. Any inventory the Foundation holds reflects conditions from years before its removal from the building, and should be considered obsolete. The two paintings have drawn public attention, but the location and condition of other items on the August 1992 A List is also an open question. The full scope of what remains, what has been removed and what may have disappeared quietly over years of limited oversight will not be known until the new owners conduct a systematic accounting against the original document. The people who were in the room in 1992 do not wholly agree on what the documents mean. Megna holds a firm position that the restrictions are durable. Kelly Roberts' current attorney, O'Brien has staked out an equally firm contrary view on behalf of his client. The 1977 landmark question has not been addressed publicly by any party with authority to answer it. A statement released by Yuhaaviatam early May did not reveal the terms of the current purchase. What makes this dispute unusual is not that there are competing legal claims but that both positions are held by reputable principals with direct personal knowledge of the transaction and documentary evidence to support their accounts. Megna drafted the agreement and has the original. Parks was heavily involved with the Foundation and has knowledge of what was and was not resolved at closing. Marlatt led the Foundation through the period when resolution was most achievable. None of them wholly agree. That is not a recipe for a quick resolution. If the missing objects are ever returned to the Inn it will most likely be the result of a protracted legal process, a negotiated settlement, or a decision by the new owners to pursue the matter through the leverage available to them as the purchasing party. None of those outcomes is imminent. This story does not make an attempt to adjudicate this matter, and a lengthy legal battle is in the formative stages. "The notion that that painting is going to be back up on the wall in a couple weeks is completely naive," Marlatt said. ### So Now What? Riverside Rallies Around the Mission Inn The paintings are gone. The legal questions are real and the process of resolving them will be neither quick nor simple. What is equally real is something that did not exist the last time the Mission Inn changed hands: a city that knows what it has. When Duane Roberts bought the Inn in December 1992 it was not at its bottom. Previous owners had spent years and significant money on restoration work, enough to make the property viable for sale. But most Riversiders carried the memory of the longer deterioration -- the flophouse years, the cheap apartments, the moldy novelty in a dingy city center -- and the gratitude for someone willing to see the restoration through to completion was genuine. The terms of the sale reflected it. The community that watched workers pull "Charge Up San Juan Hill" from the wall last week is a different community entirely. It grew up with the Inn as the glamorous center of downtown life, the setting for weddings and holiday celebrations and the Festival of Lights. It never had to earn the Inn back from ruin. It inherited the restored version and assumed, reasonably, that its grandeur was permanent and protected. That assumption turned out to be wrong in ways that are now being worked out in public. But the depth of the response to the removals revealed something important. The Mission Inn's hold on Riverside's identity has never been broader or more deeply felt than it is right now. That is not nothing. That is the foundation everything else gets built on. A significant part of that depth is the work of the Inn's docents, who have spent years building a public audience for the property's history through social media at a scale no tour could match. They created a distributed and emotionally invested community of people who know the stories behind the Taft Chair and the Rayas Altar and the Agua Mansa Bell not from a museum placard but from a post they shared with friends. When dramatic photographs of the removal hit social media that community was ready to receive them. The response was immediate and it was loud and it was grounded in genuine knowledge of what was at stake. That community is now an asset. [The Mission Inn Foundation, which operates its museum from across the street after a 2024 lease dispute ended its presence inside the building](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mission-inn-foundation-celebrates-return-to-main-street-with-opening-weekend/), has already signaled its readiness to engage with the new owners. The Old Riverside Foundation, the Friends of the Mission Inn, the Cultural Heritage Board and the broader network of preservation advocates who mobilized in the days after the removals represent an organized and knowledgeable constituency that the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation can draw on as they take stewardship of the property. The Yuhaaviatam bring something to that relationship that the community has reason to feel good about. [The San Manuel Investment Authority, an unincorporated governmental instrumentality of Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-mission-inn-heads-to-new-ownership-yuhaaviatam-of-san-manuel-nation/), has retained Pyramid Global Hospitality, a management company with more than 200 properties worldwide, to oversee day-to-day operations. They are not new to hospitality and they are not new to Riverside. The Nation describes itself as having deep ancestral ties to the Inland Empire and a commitment to remaining a productive partner in the region. In her statement accompanying the acquisition announcement, Chairwoman Lynn Valbuena said: "The Mission Inn is more than a landmark. It is a living institution – one that has witnessed more than a century of California history and has been woven into the lives of this region's families, including our own. We are honored to carry that legacy forward with the same dedication to maintaining its historic dignity and prominence." The hope, widely shared among the organizations and individuals who have spent years advocating for the Inn's preservation, is that the new ownership will approach the Foundation, the docents and the broader community as partners in stewardship rather than as constituents to be managed. The legal questions surrounding the missing artifacts will proceed on their own timeline. In the meantime there is a hotel to run, a collection to inventory, relationships to build and a civic institution to tend. There is also a lesson for the city in all of this. The unresolved question of the moveable objects was not the result of malice. It was the result of a good faith commitment made under time pressure in 1992 that was never followed up on, passed from administration to administration until nobody in the room remembered it was unresolved. Rotating staff, changing council members and shifting Foundation leadership created the conditions for a back burner item to stay there indefinitely. The cost of that inattention is now visible to everyone. The new ownership transition is the moment to do what was not done in 1992\. Whatever protections the community believes the collection deserves should be negotiated explicitly, in writing, with the new owners now. The goodwill is there. The opportunity is there. The organizations with the knowledge and the standing to engage in that negotiation are ready. The Inn has survived fires, closures, bankruptcies and decades of uncertainty. It has always been saved by people who cared enough to act. That has not changed. [The San Manuel Investment Authority said as much directly.](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-mission-inns-new-stewards-welcomed-and-watched/) "While the specific terms and scope of the sale remain confidential, we look forward to partnering with the Mission Inn Foundation and the City to respectfully steward this historic landmark and preserve the artwork and artifacts at the property." This is as much a story of the resolve of a city to protect a building that was almost too far gone, and the persistence of the docents to continue their education program on social media even after being displaced from the Inn. There will likely be more twists, turns, and surprises as the legal part of this story unfolds. It is certain that regardless of the outcome of the process to secure the removed artifacts, there is institutional and community support to assure the Inn remains the beating heart of Riverside culture. ***Correction- Tues. June 2, 2026, 4:55 p.m.*** An earlier version of this story stated that the Mission Inn Foundation assembled the A List in August 1992 at the request of Redevelopment Agency negotiator Ralph Megna. In fact, the A List was compiled for the 1985 sale of the Inn from the Redevelopment Agency to Carley Capital Group, not the 1992 Roberts transaction. The Gazette thanks a reader for bringing this to our attention. ### City Commission Acts on Data Showing Black Residents Stopped at Twice Their Population Share URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-commission-acts-on-data-showing-black-residents-stopped-at-twice-their-population-share/ Last updated: 2026-06-01T11:58:09.000Z Riverside's [Community Police Review Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/community-police-review-commission-files-ripa-report-amid-concerns-over-racial-disparities/) voted Wednesday to forward a set of policy recommendations to a City Council committee after extensive discussion over racial disparities in police stop data. The recommendations, approved unanimously, focus on how the city analyzes and responds to data collected under California's [Racial and Identity Profiling Act](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-police-review-commission-delays-recommendations-on-racial-disparities-in-stops/), commonly known as RIPA, enacted in 2015 under AB 953. Commissioners stopped short of concluding that Riverside police officers are engaging in racial profiling — but said the city should adopt clearer standards and more detailed analysis to better understand persistent disparities affecting the city's Black residents. "We're trying to keep the recommendations focused on a little bit further research and further analysis to help us get at a better understanding and answer to what we're seeing here," Commissioner Jeffery Ward told commissioners during Wednesday's meeting. Under state law, police departments must report demographic information from traffic and pedestrian stops to the California Department of Justice. Riverside's data drew scrutiny because Black residents accounted for a disproportionately high share of [police stops over the past three years](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/crime-rates-drop-significantly-in-riverside-police-report-shows/). According to the [commission's report](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15479108&GUID=BCF527EF-F0AC-4959-8459-66671E02A678&ref=raincrossgazette.com), Black residents make up 6.6 percent of Riverside's population but accounted for 14.46 percent of police stops in 2024, 13.85 percent in 2025 and 15.02 percent in 2026\. The three-year average was 14.44 percent — more than double the city's Black population share. "All other races are stopped at a rate at or below their percentage of population," the commission's report stated. The commission recommended the city pursue four key actions: conduct additional data analysis, establish standards for interpreting disparities, create a formal audit process when data exceeds certain thresholds and set reduction goals if profiling is identified. As part of data analysis, the commission suggested the city manager's office analyze whether certain categories — including calls for service, "flag down" encounters and stops involving non-residents — might be skewing the data. Riverside police officials previously argued those factors could affect the numbers, according to the commission report. Ward said the commission wanted the city to test that explanation rather than rely on assumptions. "We want to have some statistics behind what is being suspected in terms of influencing the numbers," Ward said. The proposal also recommends creating a framework for determining when disparities should trigger further investigation. An example included in the report suggests categorizing data deviations into "green," "yellow" and "red" ranges depending on how far stop rates exceed census demographics. Commissioner Eileen Teichert said other California cities have already begun taking action after reviewing similar RIPA data. "A good dozen cities throughout the state have actually taken those steps and have made recommendations about different actions that should be taken in order to reduce this disproportionate stopping of African Americans," Teichert said. Commissioners also emphasized that the commission was not attempting to make findings of misconduct. "The committee tried to be very constrained in what our recommendations were," Teichert said. "We felt that it was part of our duty under the city charter to make policy recommendations and after having three or four years of data being produced about the number of these stops, it I think has risen to the point where it's incumbent upon us to raise it to the attention of the subcommittee for the city council to take a look at for them to decide if this is a problem. It isn't something that the committee felt comfortable in making a conclusion that it means this." No members of the public spoke on the item Wednesday. The recommendations will next go to the City Council's Safety, Wellness and Youth Committee for consideration. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- May 29, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-may-29-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:37.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/20260511_103836.jpeg) Tall palms stretch skyward along Magnolia Avenue, a quintessential Southern California street scene in the heart of Riverside. (Mike Benton) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Friday Gazette: May 29, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Friday!** The weekend is here, and honestly, that's reason enough to smile. Whatever you've got planned, whether it's exploring somewhere new, catching up with neighbors, or simply slowing down for a bit, we hope it's a good one. Thanks for starting your Friday morning with us. Now go enjoy it! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260529)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260529&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Riverside's VMT Bank Earns Regional Sustainability Award The Southern California Association of Governments recognized the city's Vehicle Miles Traveled Mitigation Bank, which lets developers pay a flat fee in lieu of state environmental review. [![red and black traffic light on gray asphalt road](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1610916610082-0145017f3442?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDE4fHxiaWtlJTIwbGFuZXxlbnwwfHx8fDE3Nzk5OTc5MTh8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-vmt-bank-earns-regional-sustainability-award/) ([Denise Jans](https://unsplash.com/@dmjdenise?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) Riverside's Vehicle Miles Traveled bank program won a regional sustainability award — and could become a statewide model. **Why it matters:** The program streamlines housing approvals and funnels developer fees into local bike infrastructure, potentially accelerating projects and cycling improvements citywide. **Driving the news:** SCAG presented the award May 7, citing the VMT bank as a first-in-county initiative at the lowest known statewide mitigation rate: $98 per VMT reduced. **How it works:** Developers pay the flat fee instead of navigating California Environmental Quality Act review; proceeds fund bike lanes and active transportation projects. - 16 bicycle infrastructure projects have been funded through the program so far. **By the numbers:** Projects up to 79 units can now proceed without VMT analysis — the previous threshold was 11 single-family units. **What they're saying:** Mayor Lock-Dawson called the program "a win-win for developers and our environment." **What's next:** California is finalizing statewide VMT mitigation guidance under AB 130, with rules due July 1. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-vmt-bank-earns-regional-sustainability-award/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260529)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260529&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [EDUCATION](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/education/) ## Poly High Dedicates New Campus Garden After Six Years of Plastic Pots and Pavement A ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the opening of Riverside Polytechnic High School's first permanent garden, years in the making. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-8-3.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/poly-high-dedicates-new-campus-garden-after-six-years-of-plastic-pots-and-pavement/) Students and staff gather around one of the new raised wooden plant beds at Riverside Polytechnic High School's garden during the ribbon-cutting ceremony May 26\. (Maxen Olvera) Riverside Poly opened its first dedicated garden May 26, capping six years of work by the school's gardening club. **Why it matters:** Students can now grow edible produce and flowers in raised beds for the first time, after six years of planting in plastic pots on heat-absorbing blacktop. **The backstory:** Teacher Glen Bagwell built each raised wooden bed himself and negotiated with RUSD for the space alongside Principal Darel Hansen and district nutrition specialists. - For six years, the club had no permanent ground — only blacktop and plastic pots. **Driving the news:** The May 26 ribbon-cutting featured remarks from Bagwell, Hansen, and student wellness administrator Brittany Richey. - Poly's soccer team — coached by Rusty Bailey, a former Riverside mayor — helped lay the bark groundcover. **What's next:** The club begins planting edible produce and flowers this fall; students and staff also hope to transform the space into a campus arts zone with live music, galleries, and swap meets. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/poly-high-dedicates-new-campus-garden-after-six-years-of-plastic-pots-and-pavement/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260529) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260529&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [Adoptable Pet of the Week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag//) ## Meet Mango! Meet this week’s featured furry friend from the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center. Dedicated to eliminating pet homelessness, the center provides compassionate care and facilitates adoptions for animals in need of loving homes. Find your new companion and help support their mission of humane care and responsible pet ownership. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-9-2.jpg)](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Mango is a 6yr old cat who’s been quietly learning that people can be pretty wonderful after all. After struggling to feel comfortable in the shelter environment, Mango moved into a foster home where his transformation has been amazing. With patience and gentle encouragement, he’s grown more trusting each day and now happily accepts affection from his foster family while continuing to show more of his sweet, curious personality. Mango still likes to take introductions at his own pace, but once he feels safe, his softer side really begins to shine. Come meet Mango and all the adoptable pets at the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center in person. Stop by any day except Tuesdays, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., or learn more at [petsadoption.org](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). --- ## Noteworthy A new UCR study found that [soil fungi survived virtually untouched beneath the 2020 Dome Fire's burn scar](https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/05/28/megafire-kills-joshua-trees-not-fungi?ref=raincrossgazette.com), suggesting fungal loss is not what's preventing Joshua tree recovery after the 43,000-acre blaze. [La Sierra University is launching a quantum-safe VPN pilot](https://lasierra.edu/article/la-sierra-university-launches-futuristic-quantum-secure-pilot-to-protect-data/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) this June, positioning it among the first U.S. universities to pursue a fully quantum-secure campus network ahead of an anticipated 2030 commercial quantum computing era. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Friday, May 29 - [**Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-29T07) at Zacatecas Café - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-05-29T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [R'Hours at the R'Garden](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rhours-at-the-rgarden/18094958/2026-05-29T08) at R'Garden - [Spring Forward 2026: "Stories Awakened"](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/spring-forward-2026-stories-awakened/18864710/2026-05-29T19) at Athletics & Dance Building - [TEDxUCR 2026 Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/tedxucr-2026-conference/18974365/2026-05-29T17) at UCR ARTS ### Saturday, May 30 - [Little LandUse Learners Spring/Summer Programming](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/little-landuse-learners-springsummer-programming/18501508/2026-05-30T10) at LandUse Learning Center - [Anime Riverside 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/anime-riverside-2026/18337705/2026-05-30T00) at Riverside Convention Center - [Riverside’s Inland Empire Pride Festival 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/stonewall-lives-riversides-inland-empire-pride-returns-for-its-fourth-annual-festival/) at White Park - [Barking Bunco](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/barking-bunco/18490092/2026-05-30T18) at Packinghouse Brewing Co ($35) - [One Book, One Coast: Adult Book Discussion](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/one-book-one-coast-adult-book-discussion/18755977/2026-05-30T13) at Main Library - [Tripoli: A Tale of Three Cities](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/tripoli-a-tale-of-three-cities/18864685/2026-05-30T15) at Culver Center of the Arts - [The Zonta Club of Riverside presents Join me for a Cup of Coffee or Tea](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-zonta-club-of-riverside-presents-join-me-for-a-cup-of-coffee-or-tea/18928506/2026-05-30T14) at SSgt Salvador J. Lara Casa Blanca Library - [K-POP ANIME Live Signing presented by Music Saves Lives](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/kpop-anime-live-signing-presented-by-music-saves-lives/18841994/2026-05-30T12) at (free - $199) - [Learn Lifesaving Skills: Stop the Bleed Event](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/learn-lifesaving-skills-stop-the-bleed-event/18940043/2026-05-30T09) at Riverside Community Hospital - DeAnza Center - [Twilight Carillon Recital](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/twilight-carillon-recital/18168623/2026-05-30T18) at UCR Bell Tower - [UCR Chamber Singers, Chorale, and Orchestra](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/ucr-chamber-singers-chorale-and-orchestra/18168624/2026-05-30T20) at University Theatre ### Sunday, May 31 - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-05-31T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Anime Riverside 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/anime-riverside-2026/18337705/2026-05-31T00) at Riverside Convention Center - [No Question Riverside Stand Up show](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/no-question-riverside-stand-up-show/18842006/2026-05-31T20) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($15) - [**Oscars, Tonys & Grammys**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oscars-tonys-grammys/18797026/2026-05-31T16) at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($10- $20) - [UCR Choirs & Orchestra: Dona Nobis Pacem](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/ucr-choirs-orchestra-dona-nobis-pacem/19004389/2026-05-31T15) at University Theatre, University of California, Riverside ($6- $10) ## Save the Date - May 31: [Oscars, Tonys & Grammys](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oscars-tonys-grammys/18797026/2026-05-31T16) at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($10- $20) - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) - June 3: [Paint. Sip. Spark Kindness](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-sip-spark-kindness/18886391/2026-06-03T18) at HRBC Insurance ($75) - June 5: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-05T07) at Zacatecas Café - June 7: [Riverside Historical Society June Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-historical-society-june-meeting/18976350/2026-06-07T13) at Riverside Medical Clinic - Basement Conference Room 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ✏️ Correction Thurs. May 14, 1:45 p.m. An earlier version of "Riverside Billed Water Ratepayers Illegally for Years, Judge Rules," published Wed. May 13, incorrectly stated that Judge Hopp's ruling striking down the Measure C election stood. In fact, the city appealed and an appellate court overruled Hopp, finding the election was regularly scheduled. The story has been updated. ### Riverside's VMT Bank Earns Regional Sustainability Award URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-vmt-bank-earns-regional-sustainability-award/ Last updated: 2026-05-31T12:00:18.000Z Riverside received an Outstanding Achievement in Sustainability award this month from the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) for its Vehicle Miles Traveled Mitigation Bank Pilot Program – a program that helps developers deal with traffic impacts and sends the money to local transportation projects. SCAG presented the award to the city on May 7 as a part of its [2026 Sustainability Awards](https://scag.ca.gov/news/scag-presents-2026-sustainability-awards-honor-regional-excellence?ref=raincrossgazette.com), recognizing Riverside's VMT bank as "an innovative, first-in-county initiative that provides developers with a streamlined, low-cost option to fully mitigate VMT impacts under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), at the lowest known statewide rate of $98 per VMT reduced." The city said the system gives developers more certainty on costs and helps projects move forward faster. Under the program, housing developers can pay the set fee instead of going through a more complicated state environmental regulation process. The city will then use that money for [bike lanes and other active transportation improvements](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-seeks-14m-federal-grant-for-crosswalks-bike-lanes-and-traffic-safety-upgrades/). Riverside's program has funded 16 bicycle infrastructure projects so far, according to a [presentation video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wwdJ8gfLKY&source%5Fve%5Fpath=OTY3MTQ&embeds%5Freferring%5Feuri=https%3A%2F%2Fscag.ca.gov%2F&ref=raincrossgazette.com) from SCAG. "This program makes promoting sustainability while facilitating investment in our community easy," said Mayor Patricia Lock-Dawson in a May 18 [press release](https://riversideca.gov/press/city-riverside-receives-prestigious-regional-sustainability-award-streamlining-development?ref=raincrossgazette.com). "The VMT pilot is a win-win for developers and our environment." The city's [website](https://riversidevmt.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) also has a [TREDlite VMT free transportation planning tool](https://tredlite.kimley-horn.com/sites/riverside?ref=raincrossgazette.com) that evaluates projects and assesses VMT costs for developers. The city's website also lists its updated [traffic impact analysis guidelines](https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:27fa13ad-8d22-4753-bd17-700ddb0580ee?viewer%21megaVerb=group-discover&ref=raincrossgazette.com), which allows projects that build up to 79 units to proceed without VMT analysis; whereas before, VMT analysis was required if the project built more than 11 single-family units, according to the city. "When confronted with a potential onerous requirement from government, developers appreciate certainty and timeliness," Interim Public Works Director Nathan Mustafa said in the press release. "The beauty of our VMT program is that it cuts through confusion, reduces potential delays and creates a funding stream for projects that benefit our walking and cycling residents." The award comes as a similar program may soon expand statewide. California's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation is currently developing draft guidance for a statewide VMT mitigation program created by [AB 130](https://lci.ca.gov/ceqa/ceqa-housing.html?ref=raincrossgazette.com), with final guidance due July 1, 2026. ### Poly High Dedicates New Campus Garden After Six Years of Plastic Pots and Pavement URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/poly-high-dedicates-new-campus-garden-after-six-years-of-plastic-pots-and-pavement/ Last updated: 2026-05-31T11:59:13.000Z Riverside Polytechnic High School celebrated the opening of its first dedicated garden with a ribbon-cutting ceremony May 26, the culmination of six years of work by the school's gardening club and its teacher, Glen Bagwell. For those six years, students had been planting in plastic pots on the heat-absorbing blacktop. Bagwell knew a real garden space with plant beds would be perfect for the club. Poly's principal, Darel Hansen, and RUSD nutrition specialists Yamatzia Sanchez-Ugalde and Cynthia De Santiago agreed. The trio teamed up with Bagwell and negotiated with the district for a garden spot on campus. The ceremony featured key speakers Bagwell, Brittany Richey (student wellness administrator), and Hansen. Each expressed gratitude to their peers and students for their help throughout their agricultural journey. After the speeches, a junior, Asher Kowalski, sang a cover of "The Field of Flowers" by Sixpence None the Richer. The garden sits beside the entrance to the staff parking lot. Multiple raised wooden plant beds, each built by Bagwell, make up the new garden. Poly's soccer team and their coach, Rusty Bailey, a former Riverside mayor, helped with placing the bark that would cover the ground. The JROTC program at Poly helps move the paver blockers around. Teachers like Jeffrey Jambretz (AP Environmental Science) also supported Bagwell and his team throughout the development. This fall, the club will begin planting edible produce and flowers for the first time in the new space. Staff and students from the club hope to turn the garden into an art exhibition zone. There could be shows featuring live music, art galleries, and small swap meets. *By Maxen Olvera* ### From Moratorium to Magnolia Ave: Riverside's First Dispensary Opens Its Doors URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-moratorium-to-magnolia-ave-riversides-first-dispensary-opens-its-doors/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T20:15:28.000Z "The energy and community pride told us everything we needed to know about Riverside's excitement for this," Lauren Carpenter, Embarc's founder and CEO, told the Gazette. It's been nearly a decade since California voters approved cannabis legalization. But Riverside took longer, working through years of moratoriums, competing proposals and City Council votes before the first dispensary could open its doors. [Embarc](https://goembarc.com/location/riverside-dispensary-magnolia-ave?ref=raincrossgazette.com) opened in March on Magnolia Avenue. The city initially imposed a moratorium on commercial cannabis operations before [voting 5-2 in February 2023 to allow retail sales](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-votes-5-2-to-legalize-retail-cannnabis-sales-in-riverside/), though implementation was delayed by ongoing disputes over location restrictions and permit allocation. [The original cannabis program allowed for up to 14 dispensaries](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/cannabis-inches-closer-to-establishing-roots-in-riverside/) citywide, but the [City Council voted 4-1 in July 2025 to limit dispensaries to one per ward.](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-finalizes-cannabis-rules-clearing-path-for-first-retail-dispensaries/) "The voters of Riverside spoke and overwhelmingly said they wanted cannabis dispensaries and this can has been kicked for years," Councilmember Sean Mill, who represents Ward 5, [said at the July meeting.](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-finalizes-cannabis-rules-clearing-path-for-first-retail-dispensaries/) "It was certainly a thorough and time-intensive process," Carpenter said. "The city released their RFP in November 2023 and our application was submitted in December 2023." The city reviewed a competitive pool of applications, and [Embarc tied with STIIIZY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-halves-cannabis-permits-tightens-rules/), with both dispensaries ultimately moving forward. Carpenter acknowledged hiccups during the application process but said the company stayed focused on building community trust. "There were multiple points where a future in Riverside felt uncertain – which makes us even more grateful to be operating locally today," she said. Embarc emphasizes customer education, with staff trained to guide customers through product choices, Carpenter said. The company conducted a local listening tour before submitting its application, meeting with residents to address concerns about cannabis in the community. Carpenter said creating space for conversations about cannabis stigma has been central to the company's outreach. Members of the Embarc team worked on Proposition 64 to legalize adult-use cannabis. "So now, to be opening a store in such a pivotal community is a full-circle moment," Carpenter said. "We're community first always," Carpenter said. "That means making our stores approachable and welcoming, while also striving to be a genuine keystone that positively contributes to the neighborhood." Embarc plans to open a second Riverside location on University Avenue. **More information:* Embarc Riverside is located at 10921 Magnolia Ave. Visit* [*goembarc.com*](http://goembarc.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *for hours and additional locations.* *By Marissa Perez* ### 🗞️ Riverside News- May 28, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-may-28-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:39.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/IMG_7738.jpeg) Nothing says summertime in Riverside better than a crape myrtle tree in all its glory! This pink beauty is blooming on Palm Avenue, directly across the street from Ryan Bonaminio Park. (Carolyn Bolz) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Thursday Gazette: May 28, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Thursday!** Next Sunday, June 7, [the Riverside Historical Society is hosting its June meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-historical-society-june-meeting/18976350/2026-06-07T13), and the topic is one that architecture lovers won't want to miss. Dr. Vince Moses will walk attendees through a comparison of SoCal Arts and Crafts architecture, think Mission Inn and the classic Riverside bungalow, with Helsinki's Finnish Jugendstil, the Northern European take on Art Nouveau. Two styles separated by an ocean but linked by the same turn-of-the-century impulse to push back against industrialism with handcraft and natural beauty. The meeting runs from 1 to 2 p.m. at Riverside Medical Clinic (7117 Brockton Ave), with a social hour starting at noon. Admission is free and open to everyone. See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260528)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260528&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [BUSINESS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/business/) ## From Moratorium to Magnolia Ave: Riverside's First Dispensary Opens Its Doors After years of moratoriums, city votes and community debates, Embarc opens on Magnolia Avenue as the first of several dispensaries set to serve Riverside. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-7-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-moratorium-to-magnolia-ave-riversides-first-dispensary-opens-its-doors/) The Embarc Dispensary on Magnolia Avenue, Riverside's first permitted cannabis retailer. (Courtesy of Embarc) Embarc, Riverside's first licensed cannabis dispensary, opened in March on Magnolia Avenue — nearly a decade after California voters legalized adult-use cannabis. **Why it matters:** If you've been waiting to purchase cannabis legally in Riverside, there's now a local option — with a second location planned on University Avenue. **Driving the news:** The opening follows years of city moratoriums, competing proposals, and council votes that delayed implementation long after state legalization. - The City Council voted 5-2 in February 2023 to allow retail sales, then 4-1 in July 2025 to cap dispensaries at one per ward. **By the numbers:** The original program allowed up to 14 dispensaries citywide. The July 2025 cap reduced that to one per ward. **What they're saying:** "The energy and community pride told us everything we needed to know about Riverside's excitement for this," said Lauren Carpenter, Embarc's founder and CEO. **What's next:** Embarc plans to open a second Riverside location on University Avenue. The current shop is at 10921 Magnolia Ave. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-moratorium-to-magnolia-ave-riversides-first-dispensary-opens-its-doors/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260528)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260528&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Parks Department Proposes $2.7M in Cuts to Close Budget Gap The city's parks department is proposing $2.7 million in reductions over two years, including the elimination of the Latin Festival and scaled-back arts and recreation programming. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/15-_DSC4174-3.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/parks-department-proposes-2-7m-in-cuts-to-close-budget-gap/) (Titus Pardee) Riverside's parks department is proposing to eliminate the Latin Festival and scale back recreation programs as part of $2.7 million in budget cuts tied to the city's broader deficit-reduction effort. **Why it matters:** If you use city recreation programs, community centers, or arts and culture events — expect fewer options, reduced staffing, and rising fees over the next two years. **Driving the news:** The Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department presented its proposed FY2026–27 and 2027–28 budget Monday to the Park and Recreation Commission. - The baseline budget totals about $54.44 million in 2026–27 and $55.84 million in 2027–28. **What's proposed:** - Elimination of the Latin Festival, which Parks Director Pamela Galera described as an expansion of the city's earlier Mariachi Festival - Reduced arts and culture advertising, local artist programs, and community center security - Scaled-back recreation programming and part-time staffing - Two management positions left vacant **The backstory:** The department says it hasn't fully recovered from pandemic-era revenue losses, with participation down and fees rising alongside inflation. "Revenue levels have not fully returned to pre-pandemic levels," the staff report states. **Yes, but:** Measure Z funding continues to protect senior and adaptive recreation, including therapeutic programming for residents with disabilities. Tree trimming receives $250,000 annually, and the city's deal with the Riverside Arts Council adds $400,000 for Festival of Lights management. **What's next:** The parks budget heads to City Council as part of the city's biennial budget process, with final adoption expected in June. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/parks-department-proposes-2-7m-in-cuts-to-close-budget-gap/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260528) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260528&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Noteworthy [The Barbie Sports Club Truck](https://shop.mattel.com/pages/barbie-truck-tour?ref=raincrossgazette.com) will make a one-day stop at Galleria at Tyler this Saturday, May 30 (10 AM–7 PM), selling exclusive athletic-inspired apparel, accessories, and drinkware. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Riverside Works: A Local Talent Pipeline Job Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-works-a-local-talent-pipeline-job-fair/18337454/2026-05-28T16) at Galleria at Tyler - [Riverside Works Job Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-works-job-fair/18864683/2026-05-28T16) at University of California, Riverside - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-05-28T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [blood club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/blood-club/18374489/2026-05-28T19) at Farm House Collective - [Molotov](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/molotov/17957008/2026-05-28T19) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ### Tomorrow - [**Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-29T07) at Zacatecas Café - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-05-29T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [R'Hours at the R'Garden](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rhours-at-the-rgarden/18094958/2026-05-29T08) at R'Garden - [Spring Forward 2026: "Stories Awakened"](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/spring-forward-2026-stories-awakened/18864710/2026-05-29T19) at Athletics & Dance Building - [TEDxUCR 2026 Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/tedxucr-2026-conference/18974365/2026-05-29T17) at UCR ARTS ## Save the Date - May 31: [Oscars, Tonys & Grammys](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oscars-tonys-grammys/18797026/2026-05-31T16) at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($10- $20) - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) - June 3: [Paint. Sip. Spark Kindness](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-sip-spark-kindness/18886391/2026-06-03T18) at HRBC Insurance ($75) - June 5: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-06-05T07) at Zacatecas Café - June 7: [Riverside Historical Society June Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-historical-society-june-meeting/18976350/2026-06-07T13) at Riverside Medical Clinic - Basement Conference Room 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Parks Department Proposes $2.7M in Cuts to Close Budget Gap URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/parks-department-proposes-2-7m-in-cuts-to-close-budget-gap/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T18:15:31.000Z Riverside's Parks, Recreation and Community Services department is preparing to scale back services in the coming years, with a proposed $2.7 million in budget cuts that would eliminate the city's Latin Festival, reduce recreation programming and delay maintenance projects as officials try to stabilize the city's finances. The Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department on Monday presented its proposed fiscal years 2026–27 and 2027–28 budget to the Park and Recreation Commission, outlining the reductions tied to the city's broader effort to close projected deficits in the General Fund and [Measure Z](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-election-guide/). The department's proposed baseline budget totals about $54.44 million in 2026–27 and $55.84 million in 2027–28, according to the [staff report](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15476069&GUID=C1CCF882-E10E-4CD5-AF9D-A51C19DC348C&ref=raincrossgazette.com). A key change is the elimination of the Latin Festival, which Parks Director Pamela Galera described as a new event that would expand on the city's Mariachi Festival held several years ago; aside from that, the budget cuts will likely show up as reductions — decreases to arts and culture advertising and local artist programs, reduced security services at community centers and scaled-back recreation programming and part-time staffing. The department also plans to leave two management positions vacant. The proposed reductions mirror the city's wider budget strategy presented last week to the [Budget Engagement Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-budget-plan-trims-spending-taps-reserves-to-cover-27m-shortfall/), where finance officials described a multi-pronged approach focused on trimming spending, drawing from reserves and phasing in cuts while trying to preserve core services. In the staff report, parks staff said the reductions are necessary "to support the city's overall fiscal stability while economic conditions and tax revenues recover." The department said it is still dealing with financial impacts from the pandemic, including slower recovery in recreation revenue and lower participation in some programs as [fees rise alongside inflation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-proposes-5-7-fee-hike-automatic-inflation-increases/). "Revenue levels have not fully returned to pre-pandemic levels," the report stated, citing higher operational costs and reduced discretionary spending by residents. The city also said it is trying to preserve access to programs through scholarships and financial assistance for residents who cannot afford rising fees. Some funding streams remain protected, with Measure Z funding continuing to support senior and adaptive recreation programming — including a recreation services coordinator focused on therapeutic programming for residents with disabilities. The parks division will also continue receiving $250,000 annually for tree trimming, and the budget also includes an additional $400,000 tied to the city's agreement transferring management of the [Festival of Lights](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/festival-of-lights-returns-this-saturday/) to the Riverside Arts Council. Though staff cited outreach efforts such as freeway billboards and social media updates, Commissioner Kevin Dawson said at the meeting he'd not heard about events where residents or commissioners could give input on budget shaping or advocate for programs they cared about. "If we could put it in the upcoming year as a standard practice when these events come up, so we could get ourselves noticed when there's an opportunity to advocate on behalf of parks, I would like that," Dawson said. "I need a memory tickler." The parks budget will next go before the City Council as part of Riverside's broader biennial budget process, with final adoption expected in June. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- May 27, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-may-13-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:40.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/Yellow_Angels_Trumpets.jpg) Victoria and Madison show off blooming Brugmansia, commonly known as Yellow Angel's Trumpets, along Walker's Path. The striking flowers are highly toxic. (Bob Sirotnik) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Wednesday Gazette: May 27, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Wednesday!** Today is Senior Health & Fitness Day, an annual nationwide celebration of active aging held every year on the last Wednesday of May. It's a fitting moment to recognize the organizations in our own backyard that make healthy, connected living possible for older adults year-round. The [Janet Goeske Foundation](https://jgf4seniors.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) has been doing exactly that for over 40 years. Founded by Janet Goeske herself, who was still fighting for seniors well into her eighties, the Foundation opened its Center here in Riverside back in 1984\. Today it serves more than 10,000 monthly patron visits and offers over 200 weekly activities for adults 50 and up, from fitness classes and dance to support groups, lifelong learning, and more. If you haven't heard of it, now's a great time to get acquainted. See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260527)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260527&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/governmemt/) ## Planning Commission Approves 300-Unit Housing Project on Former Scrap Metal Site The project would preserve the historic Barley Mills Building and redevelop a contaminated Commerce Street site that operated as a scrap yard for more than 45 years. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/1-_DSC4113-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/planning-commission-approves-300-unit-housing-project-on-former-scrap-metal-site/) The Planning Commission approved a 300-unit mixed-use development Thursday to redevelop a long-contaminated former scrap yard on Commerce Street near Downtown. **Why it matters:** The project would add 300 units — including affordable studio and one-bedroom options — to an underserved stretch just east of Downtown, turning a brownfield eyesore into housing near transit, jobs, and schools. **Driving the news:** Iron Lofts LLC won approval to build on the 7-acre site that once housed Riverside Scrap Iron & Metal, which operated for more than 45 years and left behind contaminated soil requiring removal of roughly 30,000 cubic yards. - A 2024 state-approved cleanup plan must be completed before construction begins. **By the numbers:** The development includes 291 apartments and 9 live/work units across studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom floor plans — with 388 parking spaces for 474 units. The shortfall is allowed under AB 2097, which exempts transit-adjacent projects from local parking minimums. **The backstory:** The historic Barley Mills Building on the site would be preserved and converted into a clubhouse and fitness center rather than demolished. **Yes, but:** The California Public Utilities Commission flagged pedestrian and vehicle safety concerns at the Commerce Street and Mission Inn Avenue railroad crossing. Conditions of approval require high-visibility crosswalks, flashing beacons, and ADA pedestrian improvements — but stop short of full signalization, which a city traffic study found isn't yet warranted. **What's next:** The project still requires General Plan and Specific Plan amendments and a rezoning from industrial to mixed-use. Those approvals move to City Council. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/planning-commission-approves-300-unit-housing-project-on-former-scrap-metal-site/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260527)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260527&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/governemnt/) ## City Seeks $14M Federal Grant for Crosswalks, Bike Lanes and Traffic Safety Upgrades Riverside is pursuing Safe Streets and Roads for All funding that could bring bike lane improvements, upgraded crosswalks and AI traffic cameras to high-collision intersections. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-6-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-seeks-14m-federal-grant-for-crosswalks-bike-lanes-and-traffic-safety-upgrades/) City Council authorized a federal grant application that could fund safer crosswalks, bike lanes and sidewalks across Riverside. **Why it matters:** If awarded, the $11.2 million federal grant — plus $2.8 million in required city matching funds — would bring visible safety upgrades to roads, intersections and school routes citywide. **Driving the news:** Council voted Tuesday to apply for U.S. Department of Transportation funding through the Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant Program. - The city would cover its 20% match using Measure A revenue, gas tax funds and existing transportation fees. **By the numbers:** Riverside has landed similar grants recently — $11.1 million earlier this year for the South Main Complete Streets project and $7.45 million in 2025 for the Neighborhood Safety Investment Project. **What's included:** - Bike lane improvements, new sidewalks and ADA ramps - High-visibility crosswalks and upgraded traffic signals - AI-based safety cameras at high-collision intersections - Roadway safety upgrades along Central Avenue and at Tyler and Hemet streets - Safe Routes to School studies for all public high schools and Ofelia Valdez-Yeager Eastside Elementary **Between the lines:** City staff are exploring whether the grant could also fund a drone first responder system — dispatching drones to crashes to cut emergency response times. **What's next:** The application is pending submission; no award timeline has been announced. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-seeks-14m-federal-grant-for-crosswalks-bike-lanes-and-traffic-safety-upgrades/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260527) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260527&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Noteworthy [Public Works is seeking community input](https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FTXVTLD?ref=raincrossgazette.com) on the South Main Complete Streets Project, which would bring bike lanes, diagonal parking, and traffic calming improvements to Main Street between Third Street and SR-60. UCR's School of Business is launching [the only fully online MBA in the UC system based in Southern California](https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/05/21/uc-riverside-launches-online-mba-program?ref=raincrossgazette.com) this fall, offering working professionals a flexible path to a UC degree entirely from home or work. Riverside County honored [RCCD's Elena Baca-Santa Cruz](https://www.rcc.edu/about/news/2026-elena-community-champion-women.html?ref=raincrossgazette.com) with its District 5 Community Champion and Women of Impact recognition, celebrating her 15-plus years serving all three colleges and her elected role on the Moreno Valley City Council. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-05-27T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Bordwell Park Advisory Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bordwell-park-advisory-committee/16552261/2026-05-27T11) at Stratton Community Center - [Community Police Review Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/community-police-review-commission/18051652/2026-05-27T17) at Riverside City Hall - [Credit for Prior Learning Drop-in Sessions](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/credit-for-prior-learning-dropin-sessions/18621243/2026-05-27T13) at Riverside City College - [Eastside Library at Lincoln Park | National Paper Airplane Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/eastside-library-at-lincoln-park-national-paper-airplane-day/18330784/2026-05-27T10) at Eastside Library at Lincoln Park - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-05-27T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [One Book, One Coast: History Lecture](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/one-book-one-coast-history-lecture/18755936/2026-05-27T18) at Carbon Nation Brewing ### Tomorrow - [Riverside Works: A Local Talent Pipeline Job Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-works-a-local-talent-pipeline-job-fair/18337454/2026-05-28T16) at Galleria at Tyler - [Riverside Works Job Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-works-job-fair/18864683/2026-05-28T16) at University of California, Riverside - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-05-28T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [blood club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/blood-club/18374489/2026-05-28T19) at Farm House Collective - [Molotov](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/molotov/17957008/2026-05-28T19) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ## Save the Date - May 29: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-29T07) at Zacatecas Café - May 31: [Oscars, Tonys & Grammys](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oscars-tonys-grammys/18797026/2026-05-31T16) at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($10- $20) - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) - June 3: [Paint. Sip. Spark Kindness](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-sip-spark-kindness/18886391/2026-06-03T18) at HRBC Insurance ($75) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Planning Commission Approves 300-Unit Housing Project on Former Scrap Metal Site URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/planning-commission-approves-300-unit-housing-project-on-former-scrap-metal-site/ Last updated: 2026-05-29T11:59:33.000Z The Planning Commission on Thursday approved a plan to transform a former scrap metal site near Downtown into a 300-unit mixed-use housing development that would preserve and repurpose the historic Barley Mills Building. The project will bring 291 residential units and nine live/work units to the 7-acre site along Commerce Street between Mission Inn Avenue and Fifth Street, according to a [staff report](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15455338&GUID=F50B84E9-9DDA-49EB-B065-8447C70C80A0&ref=raincrossgazette.com). The development would include a four-story apartment building and a separate two-story townhome structure with 51 studio apartments, 147 one-bedroom units and 93 two-bedroom units, along with nine live/work spaces facing Mission Inn Avenue. Units would range from 447 to 1,186 square feet. The staff report said the project aligns with Riverside's goals for "transit-oriented, mixed-use, infill development" and would help meet the city's housing demand by adding high-density housing near Downtown jobs, schools and transit. The site was formerly home to Riverside Scrap Iron & Metal, a scrap yard that operated for more than 45 years and left behind contaminated soil and underground storage tanks. The California Department of Toxic Substances Control identified the property as a brownfield site and approved a cleanup plan in 2024 calling for removal of roughly 30,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil. As part of the redevelopment, the historic Barley Mills Building would be preserved and converted into a clubhouse and fitness center for residents. The proposal also would vacate an alley and part of Sixth Street to consolidate 12 parcels into a single development site. The project, proposed by Iron Lofts LLC, would require multiple land-use changes, including amendments to the city's General Plan and Riverside Marketplace Specific Plan, as well as rezoning the site from industrial uses to mixed-use urban development. A comment [letter](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15455427&GUID=E9799844-E920-44F5-A746-BFC0ACB6E1B5&ref=raincrossgazette.com) submitted on April 27 by the California Public Utilities Commission raised concerns about increased pedestrian and vehicle traffic near railroad crossings along the Commerce Street and Mission Inn Avenue intersection, and suggested the city include mitigation measures such as railroad preemption, installation of automatic pedestrian gates and channelization and installation of lighting at all quadrants of the crossing. City staff said a traffic study by the Public Works Department found the intersection did not currently meet thresholds for signalization; however, the project's conditions of approval require new high-visibility crosswalks, rectangular rapid flashing beacons and ADA-compliant pedestrian improvements at the intersection. There were no public commenters at the meeting. Commissioners were generally supportive of the project, but some expressed concerns over parking. The project also includes 388 parking spaces, but 474 units are being built. Commissioner Johnny Wilder during the meeting questioned why the project's 388 parking spaces fell short of the 474 spaces required for a development of that size. Senior Planner Judy Eguez noted the development qualifies for an exemption from local minimum parking requirements under AB 2097 because of its proximity to transit. Planning Commission Chair Launa Wilson expressed her support for the project. "I love this project. I live literally walking distance from the project site," she said. "I think it's going to be a dramatic improvement to that part of my neighborhood, in the neighborhood right behind there. So, I thank you for continuing to invest in our city, particularly in the Downtown \[east side\] area, and I really am excited to see this thing break ground." ### City Seeks $14M Federal Grant for Crosswalks, Bike Lanes and Traffic Safety Upgrades URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-seeks-14m-federal-grant-for-crosswalks-bike-lanes-and-traffic-safety-upgrades/ Last updated: 2026-05-28T20:15:41.000Z The City Council on Tuesday, May 19, authorized an application for $14 million in federal transportation safety funding – meaning Riversiders could soon see safer crosswalks, upgraded bike lanes and new sidewalks across the city. Riverside is seeking approximately $11.2 million in federal grant funds through the [2026 Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant Program](https://www.transportation.gov/grants/SS4A?ref=raincrossgazette.com) offered by the U.S. Department of Transportation, with a required 20 percent city match of approximately $2.8 million if the grant is awarded. Potential local funding sources include Measure A revenue, special gas tax, transportation fees and other existing grant programs, according to a [staff report](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15448295&GUID=323C1F6C-CA9D-401F-AC45-80B3FE2B8FBE&ref=raincrossgazette.com). The proposed citywide infrastructure projects include bike lane improvements, sidewalks and ADA ramps, upgraded traffic signals, high-visibility crosswalks, audible pedestrian push buttons, raised curb medians and AI-based traffic safety cameras at high-collision intersections. Specific improvements listed in the staff report include roadway safety upgrades along Central Avenue between Fremont Street and Wilderness Avenue and median extensions at Tyler Street and Hemet Street. City staff are also exploring whether the federal grant would allow funding for a proposed drone first responder system, which would dispatch drones to reported crashes and use collision detection software to improve emergency response times. The application also includes several planning initiatives, such as a citywide railroad crossing pedestrian gate arm plan, an update to the Riverside PACT active transportation plan and Safe Routes to School studies for all public high schools and the new Ofelia Valdez-Yeager Eastside Elementary School – developing pedestrian and bicycle safety plans tailored to the needs of each campus. The proposal also includes temporary pilot projects such as curb extensions, neighborhood traffic circles and roadway conversions intended to test traffic-calming measures before permanent construction. According to the staff report, Riverside has secured similar federal safety grants in recent years – including $11.1 million awarded earlier this year for the South Main Complete Streets project and $7.45 million awarded in 2025 for the Neighborhood Safety Investment Project. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- May 26, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-may-12-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:41.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/IMG_3630.jpeg) Yellow bells glow against a fading sunset sky in Hawarden Hills. (Rosalyn Anderson) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Tuesday Gazette: May 26, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Tuesday!** One week from today, polls close on the June 2 election. If you haven't voted yet, now is a good time to pull out your ballot — and our [2026 Election Guide](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-election-guide/) is a good place to start if you still have questions about who's on it. If you're planning to mail your ballot, today is the day. The City's recommended mail-by date is Wednesday, May 27, but mailing by today gives your ballot a bit of extra cushion to arrive on time. No stamp needed: every ballot comes with a prepaid return envelope from the Registrar. [A reminder on why the postmark date matters more than you might think.](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/your-june-2-ballot-may-not-be-postmarked-the-day-you-mail-it-heres-what-to-do/) See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260526)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260526&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Riverside Cleanup Group Expands Into Highgrove and University for First Time Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful is recruiting volunteers for two Saturday morning cleanups in June across the unincorporated communities. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-38-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-cleanup-group-expands-into-highgrove-and-university-city-for-first-time/) Volunteers with Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful collect litter and debris during a previous cleanup event. (Photo courtesy of KRCB) Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful is heading outside city limits for the first time, organizing volunteer cleanups in Highgrove and University this month. **Why it matters:** If you live in or near these unincorporated communities, you can now join a cleanup effort that's never reached your neighborhood before. **Driving the news:** KRCB reached an agreement with Riverside County in March, partnering with First District Supervisor Jose Medina to extend the program beyond city jurisdiction. **What's happening:** Volunteer cleanups run 7:30–10:30 a.m. on June 13 (Highgrove) and June 20 (University), focusing on litter pickup, graffiti removal, and brush maintenance. **What's next:** Registration is required in advance — meeting location details are provided at signup. Visit [krcb.com](https://krcb.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to register. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-cleanup-group-expands-into-highgrove-and-university-city-for-first-time/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260526) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260526&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Riverside Educator and Nonprofit Founder Lorna Jenkins Receives 2025 Spirit Award The City Council honor recognizes her nearly two decades building free tutoring services and community events for Riverside families. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-1.jpg)](https://raincrossgazette.com/riverside-educator-and-nonprofit-founder-lorna-jenkins-receives-2025-spirit-award/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Lorna Jenkins receives the 2025 City Spirit Award from Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson at Riverside City Hall, surrounded by members of the City Council. (Courtesy My Learning Studio) Lorna Jenkins, founder of a Riverside nonprofit that has delivered more than 13,000 hours of free and reduced-cost tutoring since 2008, received the city's 2025 Spirit Award in a 6-1 Council vote Monday. **Why it matters:** My Learning Studio OUTREACH serves low-income, foster, and court-appointed youth at no cost — if you know a family who could use academic support, Jenkins is asking them to reach out. **Driving the news:** Council voted May 19 to honor Jenkins, whom the Gazette [profiled as a Neighbor of the Week in February](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-lorna-jenkins/). - The Spirit Award goes to residents who demonstrate extraordinary dedication to improving quality of life in Riverside. Past recipients include retired Sen. Richard Roth, Rose Mayes, and Gordon Bourns. **Beyond the classroom:** Jenkins has hosted Riverside's largest National Night Out event for nine consecutive years, led free civic walking tours through her Explore Riverside Together program, and authored a book about the city. - She also organizes the Pardi Gras Pub Crawl, the nonprofit's largest annual fundraiser. **What they're saying:** "My greatest unmet need is to teach children," Jenkins told the Gazette. [Read and share the complete story...](https://raincrossgazette.com/riverside-educator-and-nonprofit-founder-lorna-jenkins-receives-2025-spirit-award/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260526)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260526&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [MSRPAC's Monthly Community Cat Spay/Neuter Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/msrpacs-monthly-community-cat-spayneuter-day/17790235/2026-05-26T06) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($45) - [Becoming Bimo: Shadow Puppetry and Gamelan of Java Featuring Woro Mustiko Siwi](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/becoming-bimo-shadow-puppetry-and-gamelan-of-java-featuring-woro-mustiko-siwi/18094937/2026-05-26T19) at Culver Center of the Arts - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-05-26T19) at The Hideaway ### Tomorrow - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-05-27T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Bordwell Park Advisory Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bordwell-park-advisory-committee/16552261/2026-05-27T11) at Stratton Community Center - [Community Police Review Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/community-police-review-commission/18051652/2026-05-27T17) at Riverside City Hall - [Credit for Prior Learning Drop-in Sessions](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/credit-for-prior-learning-dropin-sessions/18621243/2026-05-27T13) at Riverside City College - [Eastside Library at Lincoln Park | National Paper Airplane Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/eastside-library-at-lincoln-park-national-paper-airplane-day/18330784/2026-05-27T10) at Eastside Library at Lincoln Park - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-05-27T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [One Book, One Coast: History Lecture](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/one-book-one-coast-history-lecture/18755936/2026-05-27T18) at Carbon Nation Brewing ## Save the Date - May 29: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-29T07) at Zacatecas Café - May 31: [Oscars, Tonys & Grammys](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oscars-tonys-grammys/18797026/2026-05-31T16) at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($10- $20) - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) - June 3: [Paint. Sip. Spark Kindness](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-sip-spark-kindness/18886391/2026-06-03T18) at HRBC Insurance ($75) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Riverside Cleanup Group Expands Into Highgrove and University for First Time URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-cleanup-group-expands-into-highgrove-and-university-for-first-time/ Last updated: 2026-05-26T12:00:05.000Z Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful is venturing outside city limits for the first time in its nearly 40-year history, organizing volunteer cleanup events in Highgrove and University on June 13 and 20. The cleanups run from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. both Saturdays. Volunteers will focus on litter pickup, graffiti removal and brush maintenance on key streets in each community. The expansion follows an agreement KRCB reached with Riverside County in March. The county's First District, overseen by Supervisor Jose Medina, is partnering on the effort. "I've seen over the years how successful \[KRCB's\] program is and in University, when I announced that we were expanding, they were very excited about it, as is Highgrove," Medina said in a statement. KRCB, Riverside's local affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, typically works within city limits tackling illegal dump sites, graffitied walls and neglected greenery. Highgrove and University are unincorporated communities in Riverside County, outside the city's jurisdiction. Volunteers of all ages and abilities are welcome. Registration is required in advance; meeting location details are provided during signup. **More information:* Visit* [*krcb.com*](https://krcb.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### Riverside Educator and Nonprofit Founder Lorna Jenkins Receives 2025 Spirit Award URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-educator-and-nonprofit-founder-lorna-jenkins-receives-2025-spirit-award/ Last updated: 2026-05-28T12:00:39.000Z The City Council voted 6-1 on May 19 to award Lorna Jenkins the city's 2025 Spirit Award, recognizing her work as founder of My Learning Studio OUTREACH, a nonprofit that has provided more than 13,000 hours of free and reduced-cost tutoring to low-income, foster, and at-risk children since 2008. The Spirit Award is reserved for community members who demonstrate extraordinary dedication and commitment to improving quality of life in Riverside. Past recipients include Retired Senator Richard Roth, Rose Mayes, and Gordon Bourns. Jenkins, whom the Gazette profiled as a [Neighbor of the Week in February 2025](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-lorna-jenkins/), founded My Learning Studio OUTREACH as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, offering free and fee-reduced one-on-one academic help to children facing financial hardship, those in the foster system, and court-appointed youth such as grandparents raising grandchildren and siblings raising siblings. The program serves students across all academic subjects and also addresses self-esteem and organizational skills. "Receiving this award enhances our commitment to educating students who are struggling academically," Jenkins told the Gazette. "I would hope that more families would reach out to us for help. We have a dedicated, caring staff and volunteers who love helping students of all ages." Her nonprofit work runs alongside a separate for-profit tutoring center, My Learning Studio, which offers private instruction for students and adults at a Woodcrest location on Van Buren Boulevard. Beyond the classroom, Jenkins has shaped Riverside's civic culture for more than a decade. She hosted the city's largest National Night Out event for nine consecutive years, led free walking tours of Riverside's landmarks and government buildings through her Explore Riverside Together program, and authored a book about the city by the same name. Jenkins said her commitment to Riverside comes from a deep affection for its character. "My husband and I love Riverside and its small-town feel, and we like to get residents involved and grow their own passion for Riverside," she told the Gazette. "My greatest unmet need is to teach children." Jenkins also organizes the Pardi Gras Pub Crawl, My Learning Studio OUTREACH's largest annual fundraiser, which combines social events and community engagement to support the nonprofit's tutoring programs. She credits her 2014 participation in the Greater Riverside Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Riverside program as a pivotal moment in her development. For others looking to build a similar path in the community, her advice is direct: nurture relationships, stay engaged, and always be kind. "Build your professional and personal relationships by nurturing, collaborating, cultivating, and weeding," Jenkins said. "Give of yourself by volunteering, being active and engaging with your community, and promote others. Always, always be nice." **More information:* My Learning Studio is located at 17086 Van Buren Blvd. in Riverside's Woodcrest neighborhood. Families seeking tutoring assistance can call (951) 789-5402 or visit* [*MyLearningStudio.com*](https://mylearningstudio.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### This Week in City Hall: May 25, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-may-25-2026/ Last updated: 2026-05-28T11:59:08.000Z Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### Community Police Review Commission The Community Police Review Commission meets on Wednesday, May 27, at 5:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1402493&GUID=C7297369-FE93-4BDE-B42A-6587C73C2C6C&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review reports on [RPD’s stop-data recommendations](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15479104&GUID=5471CC63-1E26-415E-8749-E57654AE4576&ref=raincrossgazette.com) collected under the state's Racial and Identity Profiling Act ([item 7](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5343-community-police-review-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a0617d77d79659ccd00369e-7-racial-and-identity-profiling-act-ripa-ad-hoc?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), a personnel complaint [policy update](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15479449&GUID=1164DC6E-87E9-427D-947B-A92EB6AB827C&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 8](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5343-community-police-review-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a0617d77d79659ccd00369f-8-rpd-complaint-process-ad-hoc-committee-outcome?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and the commission's first-quarter [2026 work plan](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15479454&GUID=3D550B7E-54A3-4D9D-B5F6-AED645E43B40&ref=raincrossgazette.com) progress ([item 9](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5343-community-police-review-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a0617d77d79659ccd0036a0-9-review-the-2026-q1-workplan-update?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### 🗞️ Riverside News- May 25, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-may-25-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:42.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/IMG_6003.jpeg) Visitors gather at the summit of Mount Rubidoux, where an American flag flies above the valley below. (Luke López) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Monday Gazette: May 25, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday!** Today is Memorial Day, a moment set aside to honor the men and women who gave their lives in service to our country. It's a day that carries real weight, and one worth marking with some intention. If you're looking for ways to observe the day, the City rounded up remembrance ceremonies and community gatherings happening across town. Take a look at [what's happening today](https://visitriverside.com/honoring-our-fallen-and-our-heritage/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260525)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260525&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## This Week in City Hall: May 25, 2026 The commission takes up stop-data findings under the state's racial profiling law, a complaint policy update, and a look at its first-quarter work plan. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/cityhall-14-grierpavillion-1.jpg) Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### Community Police Review Commission The Community Police Review Commission meets on Wednesday, May 27, at 5:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1402493&GUID=C7297369-FE93-4BDE-B42A-6587C73C2C6C&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review reports on [RPD’s stop-data recommendations](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15479104&GUID=5471CC63-1E26-415E-8749-E57654AE4576&ref=raincrossgazette.com) collected under the state's Racial and Identity Profiling Act ([item 7](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5343-community-police-review-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a0617d77d79659ccd00369e-7-racial-and-identity-profiling-act-ripa-ad-hoc?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), a personnel complaint [policy update](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15479449&GUID=1164DC6E-87E9-427D-947B-A92EB6AB827C&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 8](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5343-community-police-review-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a0617d77d79659ccd00369f-8-rpd-complaint-process-ad-hoc-committee-outcome?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and the commission's first-quarter [2026 work plan](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15479454&GUID=3D550B7E-54A3-4D9D-B5F6-AED645E43B40&ref=raincrossgazette.com) progress ([item 9](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5343-community-police-review-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a0617d77d79659ccd0036a0-9-review-the-2026-q1-workplan-update?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-may-11-2026/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260525) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600525&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [MUSEUM MONDAYS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/museum-mondays/) ## The Bridges of Riverside County How early crossings helped shape the region’s growth. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/1-19.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-bridges-of-riverside-county/) Gage Canal Flume crossing, Tequesquite Creek, ca. 1886 (Courtesy of Museum of Riverside) Riverside has had a history of building iconic bridges from its earliest years to the present. These bridges—carrying people, freight, and water—served as vital connections between neighborhoods, communities, cities, states and, symbolically, countries, creating the conditions needed for the nascent city to develop and eventually thrive. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-bridges-of-riverside-county/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260525)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260525&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Riverside Public Library Hosting Events Around George Takei's WWII Memoir This Month Free copies of the graphic novel are available at all library branches while supplies last. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-5-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-public-library-hosting-events-around-george-takeis-wwii-memoir-this-month/) The cover of **They Called Us Enemy* by George Takei, on display at a Riverside Public Library location. ([Riverside Public Library](https://www.instagram.com/p/DYDAg27GumO/?img%5Findex=1&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) Riverside Public Library is offering free copies of George Takei's graphic memoir *They Called Us Enemy* as part of a tri-state reading program this month. **Why it matters:** Free books are available now at all Riverside branches while supplies last — and two local events wrap up the program this week. **What it is:** *They Called Us Enemy* is Takei's graphic memoir about his childhood imprisonment in American concentration camps during World War II, exploring themes of patriotism and American identity. **What's happening:** - **Wednesday, May 27** — History lecture, "Family Resilience and Childhood Perspectives of Japanese American Incarceration," Carbon Nation Brewing, 9860 Indiana Ave., 6:30–7:30 p.m. - **Saturday, May 30** — Adult book discussion, Main Library, 3900 Mission Inn Ave., 1–2 p.m. **The big picture:** One Book, One Coast unites library systems across California, Washington, and Oregon around a shared title each May. **What's next:** Can't make it to a branch? The memoir is available for digital checkout through Hoopla and [Libby](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-libraries-expand-electronic-offerings-with-libby/) with a library card. Call your nearest branch to confirm physical copies before visiting. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-public-library-hosting-events-around-george-takeis-wwii-memoir-this-month/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [Memorial Day BBQ at Canyon Crest Country Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/memorial-day-bbq-at-canyon-crest-country-club/18847609/2026-05-25T11) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($18- $28) ### Tomorrow - [MSRPAC's Monthly Community Cat Spay/Neuter Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/msrpacs-monthly-community-cat-spayneuter-day/17790235/2026-05-26T06) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($45) - [Becoming Bimo: Shadow Puppetry and Gamelan of Java Featuring Woro Mustiko Siwi](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/becoming-bimo-shadow-puppetry-and-gamelan-of-java-featuring-woro-mustiko-siwi/18094937/2026-05-26T19) at Culver Center of the Arts - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-05-26T19) at The Hideaway ### Save the Date - May 29: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-29T07) at Zacatecas Café - May 31: [Oscars, Tonys & Grammys](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oscars-tonys-grammys/18797026/2026-05-31T16) at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($10- $20) - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) - June 3: [Paint. Sip. Spark Kindness](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-sip-spark-kindness/18886391/2026-06-03T18) at HRBC Insurance ($75) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### The Bridges of Riverside County URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-bridges-of-riverside-county/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:05:19.000Z Riverside has had a history of building iconic bridges from its earliest years to the present. These bridges—carrying people, freight, and water—served as vital connections between neighborhoods, communities, cities, states and, symbolically, countries, creating the conditions needed for the nascent city to develop and eventually thrive. ### Gage Canal Flume (1885-1889) One of the earliest bridges did not convey people or goods, but the water essential for transforming the desert environment of Riverside into the verdant citrus industry of the 1890s through the mid-20th century. To bring this vital resource to the region, the Gage Canal Company relied on flumes, to move water across the various arroyos of the region. One of the most dramatic of these was the flume that crossed the Tequesquite Arroyo near where Andulka Park is located today. ### Victoria Bridge (1891) As the city expanded, residents moving into emerging neighborhoods to the south of downtown found themselves isolated by the same Tequesquite Arroyo that the Gage Canal had to cross with a flume. After Matthew Gage and his brother-in-law William Irving laid out Victoria Avenue, they determined that they needed to establish a bridge across the arroyo to connect the new Arlington Heights neighborhood with downtown. William Irving designed the original Victoria Bridge, which opened on November 26, 1891\. Nine years later, when the Riverside and Arlington Electric Railway reached the northern end of the Victoria Bridge, the city engineer determined that the bridge could not support the weight of the electric trams. Work began in the summer of 1901 to strengthen the structure. In 1927, this original structure was closed by the city and demolished to make way for the current bridge at the same site, which opened in 1928\. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/2-15.jpg) Victoria Bridge, 1928 (Courtesy of Museum of Riverside) Victoria Bridge, 1928 (Courtesy of Museum of Riverside) ### Union Pacific Railroad Bridge (1904) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/3-7.jpg) Union Pacific Railroad Bridge, ca. 1904 (Courtesy of Museum of Riverside) In the beginning of the 20th century, the San Pedro, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake Railroad began construction of a railroad bridge to span the Santa Ana River south of Mt. Rubidoux. The bridge would enable the railroad to extend its line through the region. It was ultimately completed in 1904, with the first train making the crossing on January 9 of that year. ### Buena Vista Bridge (1907) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/4-3.jpg) Old Buena Vista Bridge, 1909 (Courtesy of Museum of Riverside) The original bridge supported a two-lane road connecting Seventh Street (later Mission Inn Avenue) to Buena Vista Avenue at the base of Mt. Rubidoux. When the State of California determined the adjacent bridge across the Santa Ana River was no longer sufficient for the amount of traffic crossing the river daily in 1930, the decision was made to reconstruct the Buena Vista Bridge as part of the project to rebuild the bridge across the river. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/5-3.jpg) New Buena Vista Bridge construction, 1931 (Courtesy of Museum of Riverside) The new bridge over Mission Inn Avenue was opened in 1932\. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/6-2.jpg) New Buena Vista Bridge, 1932 (Courtesy of Museum of Riverside) ### Mission Boulevard Bridge (1923) The Mission Boulevard Bridge— alternately known as the Rubidoux Bridge, the Santa Ana River Bridge, and the Mission Bridge— was built in 1923 and later widened in 1931\. When it opened, it was renowned for its Mission-style architecture. Originally opened as a single-lane bridge, it connected Riverside with West Riverside, the future community of Jurupa Valley. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/7-1.jpg) Mission Bridge, Gateway to Riverside, ca.1926 (Courtesy of Museum of Riverside) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/8.jpg) Mission Bridge Brand Citrus Label (Courtesy of Museum of Riverside) In 1926, Roman C. Warren, a daredevil aviator, flew his single-engine biplane under one of the spans of the bridge on June 13\. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/9.jpg) Roman Warren flying under the Mission Bridge, 1926 June 13 (Courtesy of Museum of Riverside) In 1938, heavy rains began falling in February and continued into March, spawning a major flood of the Santa Ana River that destroyed the Mission Bridge as well as other bridges along the course of the river. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/10.jpg) 1938 Santa Ana River Flood, Mission Bridge, 1938 (Courtesy of Museum of Riverside) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/11.jpg) Crowd viewing 1938 Flood from Mission Bridge, 1938 (Courtesy of Museum of Riverside) ### Friendship Bridge, Mt. Rubidoux (1925) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/12.jpg) Peace Tower and Friendship Bridge (Courtesy of Museum of Riverside) The World Peace Tower and its associated Friendship Bridge were built in honor of Frank Miller, proprietor of the Mission Inn. Completed in 1925 while Miller was away on vacation with his wife and sister, the project came as a surprise to him. At the commemoration ceremony on December 13, 1925, approximately 2,000 people gathered to celebrate Miller and his commitment to peace and to fostering connections between people of the United States and communities around the world. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/13.jpg) Dedication of International Peace Tower to Frank A. Miller, December 13, 1925 (Courtesy of Museum of Riverside) **Further Reading:* Hanley, Theresa, Steve Lech, Glenn Wenzel, and Nancy Wenzel. 2024\. Riverside Compendium: Celebrating Local History in Riverside, California. Riverside, CA: Riverside Historical Society.* *By Steven Mandeville-Gamble for the Museum of Riverside* ### Riverside Public Library Hosting Events Around George Takei's WWII Memoir This Month URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-public-library-hosting-events-around-george-takeis-wwii-memoir-this-month/ Last updated: 2026-05-27T11:59:55.000Z Riverside Public Library is participating in One Book, One Coast, a regional reading program uniting library systems across California, Washington, and Oregon this May. The selected title is *They Called Us Enemy*, a graphic memoir by actor and activist George Takei recounting his childhood imprisonment in American concentration camps during World War II. Free copies of the book are available at all Riverside Public Library locations while supplies last. The memoir is also available for digital checkout through Hoopla and [Libby](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-libraries-expand-electronic-offerings-with-libby/) with a library card. Three community events are scheduled around the book. On Wednesday, May 27, a history lecture titled "Family Resilience and Childhood Perspectives of Japanese American Incarceration" will be held at Carbon Nation Brewing, 9860 Indiana Ave., from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. A final adult book discussion is set for Saturday, May 30, at the Main Library, 3900 Mission Inn Ave., from 1 to 2 p.m. *They Called Us Enemy* was written by Takei alongside Justin Eisinger and Steven Scott, with art by Harmony Becker. The book explores themes of patriotism, family, and what it means to be American. Residents can contact their nearest Riverside Public Library branch to check on book availability before visiting. **More information:* Visit* [*riversideca.gov/library*](https://riversideca.gov/library/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *and* [*@*rivlibrary](https://www.instagram.com/p/DYDAg27GumO/?img%5Findex=1&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on Instagram. ### Riverside Is Making Room for More Riders as Bikes, Safety and Community Converge URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-is-making-room-for-more-riders-as-bikes-safety-and-community-converge/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:05:21.000Z Picture a warm Riverside night — a growing procession of riders rolling through the streets, lights glowing, music trailing behind them, neighbors stepping outside to watch something they can't quite explain. That's the [Riverside Light Parade](https://riversidelightparade.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com), and it's become one of the city's most recognizable community gatherings. As National Bike Month wraps up, the movement it represents is picking up serious momentum. For John and Gigi Arnold, who founded the Riverside Light Parade, what began as a passion project has grown into a monthly gathering that transforms Riverside's streets — riders lit up against the night, music rolling through neighborhoods, strangers becoming friends. "Riding bikes removes barriers," said John Arnold. "Conversations become easier, people become more confident with themselves to socialize. We've seen quiet loners become social butterflies. We've become a biking family where people look out for each other on and off our bikes." The ride's appeal goes beyond cycling. On any given night, couples call it a date, teenagers ride alongside their parents and first-timers show up alone and leave with plans to come back. "When RLP rides at night, we transform our streets into magic, bringing lights, music and smiles to all who see us," Gigi Arnold said. "People come running out of their houses just to enjoy a moment of this magic." The Light Parade has also become a vehicle for community giving. Every few months, the Arnolds rally riders around local organizations in need — homeless shelters, veterans groups, domestic violence shelters, animal rescues — collecting donations of clothing, food and supplies. "This gives riders a sense of purpose," John Arnold said. "It's very heartwarming to see." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/3-6.jpg) Participants in the Blue Zones Project Biking Moai smile before a Saturday morning ride at Fairmount Park. The 10-week series, led by the Riverside Light Parade, runs through June 20\. (Riverside Light Parade/Blue Zones Project Biking Moai) Now the Light Parade is leading the [Blue Zones Project](https://bluezonesprojectriverside.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Biking Moai, a 10-week Saturday morning ride out of Fairmount Park — relaxed, easy-paced and open to all experience levels. The Moai (pronounced mo-eyes) is a concept borrowed from Okinawa, Japan, one of the world's original Blue Zones, where groups of people regularly come together around a shared activity and a common purpose. Blue Zones Project Riverside, which [launched 28 Moais across the city in its first year](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/blue-zones-project-riverside-marks-year-one-with-4-500-residents-engaged-28-new-moais-launching-saturday/), says the science behind that kind of gathering is hard to ignore. "Chronic loneliness is just as detrimental as smoking 15 cigarettes a day," Blue Zones Project Riverside told the Gazette. "Research shows that if you have an accountability partner — a walking buddy, or a study partner — you increase your chance of success by 95%. The healthy habits that stick are the ones we form together." Blue Zones Project Riverside points to the city's nearly 90 miles of bike lanes and 3,000 acres of parkland as assets — but Gallup Poll data shows Riversiders are significantly behind the national average when it comes to time spent outdoors each week, a gap Blue Zones says makes investment in accessible, welcoming infrastructure all the more critical. Blue Zones calls the Life Radius — the area close to home where people spend 90 percent of their lives — the key to understanding why neighborhood design matters for longevity. "When it's easier and safer to walk, bike and connect in a neighborhood, people bump into each other, slow down and say hi," Blue Zones Project Riverside said. "When the healthy choice is the easy choice, you're not just improving infrastructure — you are inspiring neighborliness." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/4-2.jpg) John Arnold rides the Riverside Light Parade's signature red bike at a Blue Zones Project Riverside event. (Riverside Light Parade/Blue Zones Project Biking Moai) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/2-14.jpg) Participants in the Blue Zones Project Biking Moai, led by the Riverside Light Parade, gather for a Saturday morning ride. (Riverside Light Parade/Blue Zones Project Biking Moai) That vision is now taking shape along one of the Northside's busiest corridors. The City is moving forward with the [South Main Complete Street Project](https://riversideca.gov/publicworks/engineering/engineering/south-main-complete-streets-project?ref=raincrossgazette.com), an $11 million federal Safe Streets for All grant — accepted in February 2024 — that will bring Class 2 bike lanes on both sides of Main Street between Third Street and Highway 60, along with wider sidewalks, high-visibility crosswalks, curb extensions, speed feedback signs, pedestrian signals and reduced speed limits. New diagonal parking options along the center of the street are also planned to ease access for local businesses. The corridor has a history of fatal and serious traffic injuries — a key factor in securing the federal funding. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/5-2.jpg) Ward 1 residents and business owners study an aerial map of the South Main Street corridor during a May 21 community workshop at the Salvation Army Riverside Corps, placing stickers to identify current conditions and concerns as planners looked on. (Amy López/Raincross Gazette) "Main Street is the geographical backbone of the Northside neighborhood and creating a grand boulevard with infrastructure that prioritizes safety, walkability, bikeability, and introduces for the first time a canopy of trees along this currently stark and desolate stretch of roadway will be transformational," Councilmember Philip Falcone told the Gazette. "This project is going to provide additional pedestrian safety and cyclist safety," said Ed Laura, an engineering manager with the City's Public Works Department who is overseeing the project. "The improvements that were proposed are consistent with the documents that have been adopted by the city including the Northside Specific Plan, our Complete Streets ordinance and our active transportation plan." The Arnolds say projects like South Main are exactly the kind of foundation a growing cycling culture needs. "Dedicated bike lanes and safer crossings don't just make cycling safer, they make it more inviting for families, kids, commuters and new riders to get out and enjoy the city," John Arnold said. "Safer streets benefit everyone, whether you ride every day or just want a more connected and people-friendly community." For anyone still on the fence about their first group ride, the Arnolds have a simple message. "You don't have to be an expert rider or have the fanciest bike," John Arnold said. "Just dust off your bike, show up, ride at your own pace and enjoy the experience. Chances are your first ride won't be your last." And for those who want to mark their calendars, Blue Zones Project Riverside announced the first-ever CicloRiverside, set for Feb. 27, 2027\. The concept traces its roots to Bogotá, Colombia, where ciclovía events began more than 50 years ago, temporarily closing streets to car traffic and opening them to cyclists, walkers and communities. Los Angeles adopted the model with [CicLAvia](https://www.ciclavia.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) in 2010, and more than 1.8 million people have since explored its open streets. Championed by Ward 5 Councilmember Sean Mill, the Arlington Business Partnership and community partners, CicloRiverside will close off one mile of Magnolia Avenue between Adams Street and Van Buren Boulevard, opening it up for walking, biking, shopping and community gathering. **More information:* The* [*Blue Zones Project Biking Moai*](https://bluezonesprojectriverside.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *runs Saturdays 8-9 a.m. through June 20 at Fairmount Park, 2601 Fairmount Blvd. Bike rentals are available at* [*riversidelightparade.com*](http://riversidelightparade.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*. Learn more about the* [*South Main Complete Street Project*](https://riversideca.gov/publicworks/engineering/engineering/south-main-complete-streets-project?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *at the City of Riverside's website.* ### 🗞️ Riverside News- May 24, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-may-24-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:43.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2.jpg) A big thank you to Alison Presser for sharing this snapshot from around 1996 — kids on the merry-go-round at Castle Park, celebrating the end of a Riverside Children's Theater season production of "The Wizard of Oz." (Alison Presser) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Sunday Gazette: May 24, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday!** You may have noticed something a little different at the top of today's edition: a photo that looks like it was pulled out of a shoebox. That's because it was. Starting today, we're launching *Snapshot Sundays*, a weekly series featuring vintage photos of Riverside shared by the people who live here. Do you have old photos of the Brockton Arcade or The Plaza? Maybe breakfast at the counter, or back-to-school shopping? We'd love to see them. [Send them our way](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com)! See you tomorrow! --- 🧡 Thank you to the Subscribers who became paid supporters this week: Kay Beach, Velda Kelley, Clarke Prescott, and Elizabeth Saunders. [Your ongoing financial support](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-march-15-2026-2/#/portal/account/plans) is vital to our success in serving Riverside with the news it deserves! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260524)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260524&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Riverside Is Making Room for More Riders as Bikes, Safety and Community Converge From a monthly light ride to a Blue Zones partnership and a federal streetscape overhaul, Riverside's cycling community is having a moment. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/1-17.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-is-making-room-for-more-riders-as-bikes-safety-and-community-converge/) Riverside Light Parade founders John Arnold, Gigi and Rodney crouch in front of the group's signature red bike and boombox sidecar as riders gather on the steps of The Riverside Historic Courthouse. (Riverside Light Parade) Riverside's monthly light bike parade has grown into a community institution — and now a federal infrastructure grant and a Blue Zones wellness partnership are backing the movement. **Why it matters:** Whether you ride or just enjoy the street energy, the South Main Complete Street Project will change how the Northside looks and moves — adding protected bike lanes, wider sidewalks, and the city's first tree canopy along a corridor that's seen serious traffic injuries. **Driving the news:** The Riverside Light Parade, founded by John and Gigi Arnold, is now leading the Blue Zones Project Biking Moai, a free Saturday morning ride at Fairmount Park running through June 20. - The series ties into a broader city push: Gallup Poll data shows Riversiders spend significantly less time outdoors than the national average. **By the numbers:** Riverside has nearly 90 miles of bike lanes and 3,000 acres of parkland — but the city's $11 million federal Safe Streets for All grant will add protected Class 2 bike lanes on both sides of Main Street between Third Street and Highway 60. **What's next:** The first-ever CicloRiverside — modeled on Bogotá's ciclovía and LA's CicLAvia — is set for Feb. 27, 2027, closing one mile of Magnolia Avenue between Adams Street and Van Buren Boulevard. - Blue Zones Project Biking Moai rides Saturdays 8–9 a.m. through June 20 at Fairmount Park, 2601 Fairmount Blvd. Bike rentals: riversidelightparade.com. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-is-making-room-for-more-riders-as-bikes-safety-and-community-converge/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260524)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260524&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [NEIGHBOR OF THE WEEK](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/neighbor-of-the-week/) ## Neighbor of the Week: Etta Brown Neighbor of the Week is a series profiling the hidden heroes of Riverside, doing incredible works of service throughout our different neighborhoods. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-3-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-etta-brown/) Etta Brown at the Bordwell Park Senior Center, where the 94-year-old continues to organize monthly brunches and activities for fellow members of the Society of Military Widows. (Brenda Flowers) Etta Brown has called Riverside home since 1956, and in the nearly seven decades since, she has rarely stopped working to make it better. She arrived from Louisiana with her husband, Jesse, an Air Force serviceman stationed at March Air Force Base, and their family settled first in Casa Blanca before purchasing a home on Vasquez Place on the Eastside in 1957 — a home she still owns and lives in today. She joined Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine shortly after arriving and has never left, singing in the choir and volunteering for years at La Grande Fiesta Ranchera. Now 94, she is one of the longest-serving and most decorated community servants in the city's history. Etta's civic record spans an extraordinary range. She served on the Sheriff's Oversight Committee, the Park and Recreation Committee, Bordwell Park Seniors, the Bordwell Park Advisory Council, Neighbor Partnership East Side, and the MLK Seniors. She participated in the Scholarship Committee, Bingo Committee, Bus Trips and outings, and the Women's Auxiliary. Through People Reaching Out, she collaborated with community members on state-sponsored health programs focused on smoking cessation, breast cancer awareness, and hypertension control — and went further by developing church-driven hypertension programs of her own. After Jesse's passing, Etta became a charter member of the Society of Military Widows, an organization founded in 1968 to advocate for women whose husbands served their country. She has held every leadership position in her chapter and sat on the Board of Directors of the National Association for Uniformed Services (NAUS). Even now, she organizes monthly brunches and plans activities to keep the women connected and encouraged. For Etta, service has never been a season of life — it is simply how she lives. [Get to know Etta...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-etta-brown/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260524) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260524&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CREATIVE PROMPTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/creative-prompts/) ## Differing Degrees A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns. [![clear drinking glass with water](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1611225664647-c01866a22c9c?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDEyfHxmaW5nZXJwcmludHxlbnwwfHx8fDE3Nzk0ODM1NzV8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/all-over-it/) ([Immo Wegmann](https://unsplash.com/@tinkerman?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) This week, we’re changing our focus from high tech to all natural, from the buttons we press to the proof we leave behind every time we press them. Our creative nudge this week is the fingerprint. Fingerprints are strange little signatures we never have to practice. I’d like to think of them as precise doodles connected to you and you alone. Before we can hold a pencil, our fingers are forming their new, never before created pattern of whorls and swirls; those telltale markers of where you have been. That’s why fingerprints belong to the world of crime stories and courtroom dramas. They suggest proof. Presence. Contact. You were here. Explain yourself. Of course, artists know all about leaving marks. A brushstroke is a kind of fingerprint. So is a run on sentence. So is the way you arrange objects on a shelf or season soup or fold laundry. [Read and share the complete prompt...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/all-over-it/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Sunday, May 24 - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-05-24T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Know Your Rights: Pride in Protection](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/know-your-rights-pride-in-protection/18825959/2026-05-24T11) at Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California - [Noche de Rock Sunday May 24th! Memorial Weekend!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/noche-de-rock-sunday-may-24th-memorial-weekend/18841987/2026-05-24T21) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($12.51) - [Noteworthy Connections 20s and 30s: We’re Not Really Strangers](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/noteworthy-connections-20s-and-30s-were-not-really-strangers/18671010/2026-05-24T09) at Back to the Grind - [R&B Sing Along Brunch Party](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rb-sing-along-brunch-party-mezcal-in-riverside/18841986/2026-05-24T11) at Mezcal Ultra Lounge (free- $55.20) - [Tash Sultana - North American Tour 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/tash-sultana-north-american-tour-2026/18312134/2026-05-24T19) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ### Monday, May 25 - [Memorial Day BBQ at Canyon Crest Country Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/memorial-day-bbq-at-canyon-crest-country-club/18847609/2026-05-25T11) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($18- $28) ### Tuesday, May 26 - [MSRPAC's Monthly Community Cat Spay/Neuter Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/msrpacs-monthly-community-cat-spayneuter-day/17790235/2026-05-26T06) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($45) - [Becoming Bimo: Shadow Puppetry and Gamelan of Java Featuring Woro Mustiko Siwi](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/becoming-bimo-shadow-puppetry-and-gamelan-of-java-featuring-woro-mustiko-siwi/18094937/2026-05-26T19) at Culver Center of the Arts - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-05-26T19) at The Hideaway ### Wednesday, May 27 - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-05-27T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Bordwell Park Advisory Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bordwell-park-advisory-committee/16552261/2026-05-27T11) at Stratton Community Center - [Community Police Review Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/community-police-review-commission/18051652/2026-05-27T17) at Riverside City Hall - [Credit for Prior Learning Drop-in Sessions](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/credit-for-prior-learning-dropin-sessions/18621243/2026-05-27T13) at Riverside City College - [Eastside Library at Lincoln Park | National Paper Airplane Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/eastside-library-at-lincoln-park-national-paper-airplane-day/18330784/2026-05-27T10) at Eastside Library at Lincoln Park - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-05-27T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [One Book, One Coast: History Lecture](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/one-book-one-coast-history-lecture/18755936/2026-05-27T18) at Carbon Nation Brewing ### Thursday, May 28 - [Riverside Works: A Local Talent Pipeline Job Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-works-a-local-talent-pipeline-job-fair/18337454/2026-05-28T16) at Galleria at Tyler - [Riverside Works Job Fair](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-works-job-fair/18864683/2026-05-28T16) at University of California, Riverside - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-05-28T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [blood club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/blood-club/18374489/2026-05-28T19) at Farm House Collective - [Molotov](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/molotov/17957008/2026-05-28T19) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ### Saturday, May 30 - [Little LandUse Learners Spring/Summer Programming](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/little-landuse-learners-springsummer-programming/18501508/2026-05-30T10) at LandUse Learning Center - [Anime Riverside 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/anime-riverside-2026/18337705/2026-05-30T00) at Riverside Convention Center - [Riverside’s Inland Empire Pride Festival 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/stonewall-lives-riversides-inland-empire-pride-returns-for-its-fourth-annual-festival/) \*\*\*\*at White Park - [Barking Bunco](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/barking-bunco/18490092/2026-05-30T18) at Packinghouse Brewing Co ($35.00) - [One Book, One Coast: Adult Book Discussion](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/one-book-one-coast-adult-book-discussion/18755977/2026-05-30T13) at Main Library - [Tripoli: A Tale of Three Cities](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/tripoli-a-tale-of-three-cities/18864685/2026-05-30T15) at Culver Center of the Arts - [The Zonta Club of Riverside presents Join me for a Cup of Coffee or Tea](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-zonta-club-of-riverside-presents-join-me-for-a-cup-of-coffee-or-tea/18928506/2026-05-30T14) at SSgt Salvador J. Lara Casa Blanca Library - [K-POP ANIME Live Signing presented by Music Saves Lives](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/kpop-anime-live-signing-presented-by-music-saves-lives/18841994/2026-05-30T12) at (free - $199) - [Learn Lifesaving Skills: Stop the Bleed Event](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/learn-lifesaving-skills-stop-the-bleed-event/18940043/2026-05-30T09) at Riverside Community Hospital - DeAnza Center - [Twilight Carillon Recital](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/twilight-carillon-recital/18168623/2026-05-30T18) at UCR Bell Tower - [UCR Chamber Singers, Chorale, and Orchestra](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/ucr-chamber-singers-chorale-and-orchestra/18168624/2026-05-30T20) at University Theatre ## Save the Date - May 29: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-29T07) at Zacatecas Café - May 31: [Oscars, Tonys & Grammys](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oscars-tonys-grammys/18797026/2026-05-31T16) at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($10- $20) - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) - June 3: [Paint. Sip. Spark Kindness](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-sip-spark-kindness/18886391/2026-06-03T18) at HRBC Insurance ($75) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Neighbor of the Week: Etta Brown URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-etta-brown/ Last updated: 2026-05-25T12:00:27.000Z Etta Brown has called Riverside home since 1956, and in the nearly seven decades since, she has rarely stopped working to make it better. She arrived from Louisiana with her husband, Jesse, an Air Force serviceman stationed at March Air Force Base, and their family settled first in Casa Blanca before purchasing a home on Vasquez Place on the Eastside in 1957 — a home she still owns and lives in today. She joined Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine shortly after arriving and has never left, singing in the choir and volunteering for years at La Grande Fiesta Ranchera. Now 94, she is one of the longest-serving and most decorated community servants in the city's history. Etta's civic record spans an extraordinary range. She served on the Sheriff's Oversight Committee, the Park and Recreation Committee, Bordwell Park Seniors, the Bordwell Park Advisory Council, Neighbor Partnership East Side, and the MLK Seniors. She participated in the Scholarship Committee, Bingo Committee, Bus Trips and outings, and the Women's Auxiliary. Through People Reaching Out, she collaborated with community members on state-sponsored health programs focused on smoking cessation, breast cancer awareness, and hypertension control — and went further by developing church-driven hypertension programs of her own. After Jesse's passing, Etta became a charter member of the Society of Military Widows, an organization founded in 1968 to advocate for women whose husbands served their country. She has held every leadership position in her chapter and sat on the Board of Directors of the National Association for Uniformed Services (NAUS). Even now, she organizes monthly brunches and plans activities to keep the women connected and encouraged. For Etta, service has never been a season of life — it is simply how she lives. --- **What does Riverside mean to you?** What does Riverside mean to me? It's my home. My husband, Jesse, was in the military and stationed at March Air Force Base. My husband and I along with my mother, two children first moved to Casa Blanca. We then moved to the Eastside and bought our home on Vasquez Place in 1957 where I still own and live. I joined Our Lady of Guadalupe where I continue to be. Riverside is home. **What is your Mt. Rubidoux summit count (estimated)?** I went twice for the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. **What is your favorite restaurant outside of Downtown or Magnolia Center?** Habanero Grill because the food is good and I used it for several important occasions. **What is the most beautiful building in Riverside?** It's between The Superior Court House and the building where the county workers meet, but I don't remember the name. **What is your favorite Riverside small business?** Bauman's. Now it's Ace Hardware. It's in my neighborhood and I can get what I need. **What is your favorite Riverside non-profit organization?** [Feeddemkids](https://feeddemkids.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). Mauryce Kennon is the founder. I like it because they help underprivileged families. **The Festival of Lights: Every year on opening night or maybe on a Tuesday?** Any night after all the ceremonies. I would go during the week when it's quieter and less people; not all on the same night. **What is your go-to sandwich in town?** D'Elia's ham grinder. **What is your idea of a perfect weekend day in Riverside?** 80 degrees with a peaceful day with absolutely nothing to do — no chores, no errands, no cares. **What is your favorite spot for a date night?** My date nights are gone. I usually have dates in the day — at the casino! **Do you call it the Galleria or Tyler Mall?** Tyler Mall. **What is one place in Riverside you would bring back if you could?** The women's dress shops like Catherine's and The Avenue are stores I would bring back for mature women's clothing selections. **If you could put one message on a billboard on the 91, what would it be?** Be thankful for everything because life could be worse. Think about it! **Finally, tell us what you're working on right now and how our readers can support your efforts.** I'm just praying for people to have peace. I would like people to join me in prayer to have peace in your heart — to be at peace with yourself. Then, we can have world peace. *Neighbor of the Week is our way of celebrating the hidden heroes of Riverside—those who go above and beyond to make our community stronger, kinder, and more vibrant. We believe every remarkable Riversider deserves their story told. Know someone who’s making a difference?* [*Nominate a Neighbor of the Week*](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) ### 🍊Your Riverside Weekend- May 23, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/your-riverside-weekend-may-23-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:44.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/02/_DSC5738.jpg) **Your Riverside Weekend- May 23, 2026** **Happy Saturday, Riverside!** We hope your week treated you well. Before you head into your weekend, we've gathered the stories that defined life in our city this week — from City Hall to community happenings. You're in the right place to catch up — your weekend starts here. --- [2026 Election: Voter GuideEverything Riverside voters need to know to cast informed ballots in the June 2026 primary: candidate profiles, ballot measure explanations, and how to register and vote. Updated continuously through Election Day.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/260506-voterguide.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-election-guide/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260523)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260523&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [Your June 2 Ballot May Not Be Postmarked the Day You Mail It. Here’s What to Do.The U.S. Postal Service says postmarks are applied at processing facilities, not when mail is collected, meaning a ballot dropped in a collection box on Election Day may not be postmarked until the next day and could go uncounted.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-1c0dbab84744a0b57ddafc99ff72e903048c7e13b32a2523792d67a9c718f0c5.png)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1595265616296-b16725dbb72d-f0c5632006f7d93cf05305600a664b2c57d75fabd80fe4dbe9371345abe2701b)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/your-june-2-ballot-may-not-be-postmarked-the-day-you-mail-it-heres-what-to-do/) [Stonewall Lives: Riverside’s Inland Empire Pride Returns for Its Fourth Annual FestivalThe 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.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteAmy López![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/1-14-a356684b7d584623b06e559d5916bf0fa2377981ec9f4d40f78b96db6a553c54.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/stonewall-lives-riversides-inland-empire-pride-returns-for-its-fourth-annual-festival/) [Six Months In, the Public Comment Debate Is Still About Whether Speaking Changes AnythingCouncilmembers say the October rules update keeps meetings moving. Critics say it manages dissent rather than addresses it.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-26-0f03add7a4c0b19c1b5005d166b80c8370bba6909b45a21d02d14da903ba40cd.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/six-months-in-the-public-comment-debate-is-still-about-whether-speaking-changes-anything/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260523)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260523&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [Neighbor of the Week: Darren ConkeriteNeighbor of the Week is a series profiling the hidden heroes of Riverside, doing incredible works of service throughout our different neighborhoods.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/Darren-Conkerite--A-8385d6b219cf20aa8219de38a5f0966dede44a58c937ca6887c62a462d8f62b3.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-darren-conkerite/) [When Magnolia Avenue Was Riverside’s Showcase of HomesThe horticulturists and entrepreneurs who settled the boulevard in Riverside’s citrus heyday left behind a neighborhood and a legacy.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteGlenn Wenzel![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/1-13-d787ad7591f60d1968808f43324fcfb0caa03573048c1de92213e9c02667609e.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/when-magnolia-avenue-was-riversides-showcase-of-homes/) [City Enacts 45-Day Freeze on Pallet Yards, Citing Fire RiskThe unanimous vote freezes new pallet storage operations for 45 days as planners draft stricter rules following 29 fire incidents since 2025.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1777269390786-25b8125cb403-6b07dd602b4af08ed41565ab408df751611c93b233bc13c8adfb1c7fb428ceef)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-enacts-45-day-freeze-on-pallet-yards-citing-fire-risk/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260523) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260523&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Weather Forecast ⛅ Sunday, May 24 — 83° / 55° · Partly Cloudy ⛅ Monday, May 25 — 79° / 54° · Partly Cloudy 🌤️ Tuesday, May 26 — 75° / 54° · AM Clouds/PM Sun 🌤️ Wednesday, May 27 — 74° / 53° · Mostly Sunny ⛅ Thursday, May 28 — 77° / 53° · Partly Cloudy ☀️ Friday, May 29 — 83° / 56° · Sunny ⛅ Saturday, May 30 — 86° / 58° · Partly Cloudy 🌿 *A mild, comfortable week ahead for Riverside — mid-70s through midweek, warming back into the mid-80s by the weekend. May doing its thing.* --- ## 💬 Staff Picks — What we're talking about around the Gazette this week 😎 Justin is excited to embrace the "summer appetizer" that this long-weekend offers us. 🎶 Amy has the sore feet and ringing ears to show for a May full of concerts, and she's not too proud to admit that quiet evenings at home sound pretty perfect right now. --- ## Save the Date - May 29: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-29T07) at Zacatecas Café - May 31: [Oscars, Tonys & Grammys](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oscars-tonys-grammys/18797026/2026-05-31T16) at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($10- $20) - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) - June 3: [Paint. Sip. Spark Kindness](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-sip-spark-kindness/18886391/2026-06-03T18) at HRBC Insurance ($75) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### All Over It URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/all-over-it/ Last updated: 2026-05-23T12:00:21.000Z Welcome back, you climate changing creative! [Last week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/differing-degrees/) we fiddled with the thermostat governing our artistic side, pondering that internal weather report, and maybe realizing that our bodies are doing so much more than we realize while we sit in traffic. Did you write yourself a forecast of clearer skies? Compose an HVAC symphony and then share it on Spotify? However you adjusted the atmosphere around your creative practice, I hope you found a setting worth returning to. This week, we’re changing our focus from high tech to all natural, from the buttons we press to the proof we leave behind every time we press them. Our creative nudge this week is the fingerprint. Fingerprints are strange little signatures we never have to practice. I’d like to think of them as precise doodles connected to you and you alone. Before we can hold a pencil, our fingers are forming their new, never before created pattern of whorls and swirls; those telltale markers of where you have been. That’s why fingerprints belong to the world of crime stories and courtroom dramas. They suggest proof. Presence. Contact. You were here. Explain yourself. Of course, artists know all about leaving marks. A brushstroke is a kind of fingerprint. So is a run on sentence. So is the way you arrange objects on a shelf or season soup or fold laundry. I think about this often in my assemblage work. I touch discarded things, move them, combine them, and leave them for others to encounter. My fingerprints are all over objects I don’t own, in places I don’t remember anymore. The phrase “I don’t want my fingerprints on that” is something we all understand. Sometimes we avoid responsibility, distance ourselves from bad outcomes, or hope no one notices how much we influence a situation. Fingerprints can bring blessing and blame. This week let’s explore both. Look closely at your fingertips, then look around at the things you’ve touched recently. Give yourself several minutes of creative investigation with one or more of these pre-printed nudges: 1. **Latent Self-Portrait:** Look for your fingerprints on a shiny surface: phone screen, drinking glass, car window, microwave door. Photograph them, sketch them, or describe them as if they were a map of your day. What can be learned from where your hands have been? 2. **Touch Log Supplemental:** For five minutes, notice every object you touch. Don’t change your behavior, just become your own busybody. Write the list as evidence: coffee mug, keyboard, left cheek, receipt, dog’s head, door handle. Turn the list into a poem, confession, police report, or tiny autobiography titled *Things I Couldn’t Help Touching.* 3. **Whorl Is Yours:** Use an ink pad, charcoal, paint, or even a little cocoa powder if you’re thinking about dessert to make several fingerprint impressions on paper. Turn each one into something else: a beetle, a comet, a tiny storm system, a caricature of a friend. 4. **No Prints, Please:** Think of something you do *not* want your fingerprints on. A bad habit? A lazy opinion? A group text that went sideways? Write a short dramatic monologue from the perspective of someone trying to avoid leaving accountability. Make it funny, suspicious, tender, or all three. 5. **Chain of Custody:** This is a group activity you can enlist your housemates or co-workers into. Pick up a small object and pass it around. A coin, tchotchke, piece of fruit, or an actual baton would be excellent! Ask each person to hold it for a moment and add one sentence to its imagined history. By the time it comes back to you, it should have lived a full life; a beginning, a middle, and an end. Write down the strange new story before anyone tries to make it make sense. Fingerprints remind us that creativity is not always shouting from a street corner. Sometimes it connects with a light touch. A smudge or indentation. We may not always see the marks we leave, but that doesn’t mean we weren’t there. This week, pay attention to what your hands know. Leave a mark worth finding. Or notice the marks you’ve already made. Either way, give yourself a few minutes to touch the world on purpose. *This column was written with the help of ChatGPT, used here as a creative collaborator with visible fingerprints of its own.* ### 🗞️ Riverside News- May 22, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-may-8-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:45.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-35.jpg) Palm trees line the sky as a sherbet sunset fades over Downtown. The cool-breeze evening was captured at the intersection of Lemon Street and Mission Inn Avenue, where the illuminated tower of First Congregational Church anchors the scene. (Luke López) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Friday Gazette: May 22, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Friday!** It's been a week. The fire, the City Hall coverage in the LA Times, the Mission Inn artifacts story — there's been no shortage of news in Riverside, and we know you've been watching it all unfold. We want to be honest with you: we've had some personal challenges this week, and we haven't been able to cover everything the way we'd like to. That weighs on us, because this community deserves thorough, on-the-ground reporting, and we take that seriously. Thank you for your patience with us. We're a small team, and your grace means more than you know. We'll keep showing up. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/author_banner-justin-pardee-4.jpg) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260522)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260522&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [2026 ELECTION](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/2026-election/) ## Your June 2 Ballot May Not Be Postmarked the Day You Mail It. Here's What to Do. The U.S. Postal Service says postmarks are applied at processing facilities, not when mail is collected, meaning a ballot dropped in a collection box on Election Day may not be postmarked until the next day and could go uncounted. [![purple envelope on white table](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1595265616362-0d9558d774db?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDZ8fG1haWwlMjB2b3Rpbmd8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzc5Mzg4NTIxfDA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/your-june-2-ballot-may-not-be-postmarked-the-day-you-mail-it-heres-what-to-do/) Photo by [Tiffany Tertipes](https://unsplash.com/@tiffanytertipes?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) Ballots mailed on or close to Election Day may miss their postmark deadline — and won't be counted. **Why it matters:** If you're among the roughly 1.4 million Riverside County voters who received a mail ballot, the U.S. Postal Service's processing delays mean a ballot dropped in a mailbox on June 2 may not be postmarked until June 3 — making it invalid under California law. **The deadline math:** California requires ballots to be postmarked by Election Day, June 2, and received by June 9\. But Memorial Day on May 25 means no postal processing — making Monday, May 26 the practical mail-by cutoff. The Registrar of Voters recommends May 27 at the latest. - No postage needed — prepaid envelopes come with every ballot. **Your safer options:** - **Drop box:** The Registrar's secure 24-hour drop box at 2720 Gateway Drive accepts ballots through 8 p.m. June 2\. Additional sites at City Hall, the Main Library, La Sierra Community Center, and neighborhood libraries. No postmark required. - **Hand-stamp at post office:** Bring your ballot to any post office counter and ask for a hand postmark — free, and legally solid. - **In person:** Vote Centers are open now through June 1; all centers open June 2 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. **One safeguard to know:** If your ballot's postmark is missing or illegible, California will use the date you signed the return envelope as evidence it was cast on time. Always sign and date it. **What's next:** Track your ballot at [WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov](https://california.ballottrax.net/voter/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). Same-day voter registration is available at all Vote Centers and the Registrar's office through June 2. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/your-june-2-ballot-may-not-be-postmarked-the-day-you-mail-it-heres-what-to-do/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260522)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260522&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## City Enacts 45-Day Freeze on Pallet Yards, Citing Fire Risk The unanimous vote freezes new pallet storage operations for 45 days as planners draft stricter rules following 29 fire incidents since 2025\. [![Stacks of wooden pallets in an outdoor storage area](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1777269390786-25b8125cb403?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDV8fHdvb2QlMjBwYWxsZXRzfGVufDB8fHx8MTc3OTM5MDMwOHww&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-enacts-45-day-freeze-on-pallet-yards-citing-fire-risk/) ([Sergej Karpow](https://unsplash.com/@skstrannik?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) Riverside City Council unanimously approved a 45-day moratorium on new or expanded wooden pallet storage yards Tuesday, citing fire danger and code violations. **Why it matters:** Pallet yard fires have already damaged businesses, hospitalized firefighters, and sent embers drifting blocks away. The moratorium pauses new operations while the city develops tougher rules. **Driving the news:** The Riverside Fire Department has responded to 29 incidents at pallet storage yards since January 2025. - A March 2026 fire in the Northside neighborhood damaged multiple businesses and put three firefighters in the hospital. **The problem:** City code currently treats pallet yards like any other outdoor storage — with no rules tailored to the fire risks of densely stacked lumber. - Inspectors have documented stacks reaching 20 to 30 feet high, sometimes above surrounding walls and fences. - Code enforcement has issued 36 violation notices to 11 businesses since 2023, with nine cases still open. **What they're saying:** Public commenters backed the ban, with Sierra Club rep Mike McCarthy urging the city to eventually extend restrictions to other combustible outdoor storage operations. **What's next:** City planning, fire, and code enforcement staff will study potential zoning changes during the 45-day window. Councilmember Phillip Falcone asked that the issue return to the land use committee for broader discussion of outdoor storage regulations. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-enacts-45-day-freeze-on-pallet-yards-citing-fire-risk/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260522) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260522&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Riverside Arts Academy Mariachi Ensemble Places Third at National Competition The student group finished as the top-ranked California ensemble at the Tucson International Mariachi Conference earlier this month. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-36-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-arts-academy-mariachi-ensemble-places-third-at-national-competition/) Members of Mariachi Campana de Riverside perform on stage during a concert. The ensemble recently placed third at the Tucson International Mariachi Conference. (Riverside Arts Academy) Riverside Arts Academy's Mariachi Campana placed third at the Tucson International Mariachi Conference — the highest finish of any California ensemble at one of the country's premier mariachi competitions. **Why it matters:** RAA serves Inland Empire youth through nonprofit music education, and this national-level result puts Riverside on the map in a competitive field that draws ensembles from across the U.S. and Mexico. **Driving the news:** The ensemble competed under director Alex Treviño II and assistant directors Yamila De La Rosaand Angel Chavez, returning home as California's top-ranked group. - "To compete among the very best mariachi programs and return as the top-ranked group from California is an honor," Treviño said. **The backstory:** The Tucson trip was funded through donor support and a grassroots fundraising campaign organized by the RAA community. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-arts-academy-mariachi-ensemble-places-third-at-national-competition/) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## City Moves to Require Advance Notice for Unhoused Drop-Offs A proposed ordinance would require agencies and organizations to notify the city 24 hours before transporting unhoused individuals into Riverside. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/14-_DSC4171-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-moves-to-require-advance-notice-for-unhoused-drop-offs/) Riverside City Council advanced an ordinance Tuesday requiring agencies to give 24-hour notice before transporting unhoused people into the city — a move aimed at connecting arrivals to services rather than leaving them unsheltered. **Why it matters:** Uncoordinated drop-offs strain Riverside's limited shelter beds and outreach capacity. The city spends an estimated $63,376 to stabilize one unsheltered person through shelter, case management, and housing services. **Driving the news:** The proposed ordinance would require any agency or organization to notify the city manager and Housing and Human Services director before a transport, including details about the person, their origin, and whether a receiving organization has agreed to accept them. - A follow-up notice confirming placement — or explaining what went wrong — would also be required. **Yes, but:** The ordinance does not ban transporting unhoused people into Riverside and explicitly exempts jail bookings, medical transport, court appointments, and public transit. Officials said the city is not trying to criminalize homelessness or block charitable aid. **By the numbers:** Riverside counted 614 unsheltered people in its 2025 point-in-time count, according to the staff report. **What's next:** The council introduced the ordinance Tuesday; it returns for a second vote in the coming weeks. If adopted, it takes effect 30 days later. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-moves-to-require-advance-notice-for-unhoused-drop-offs/) --- #### [Adoptable Pet of the Week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag//) ## Meet Bruno! Meet this week’s featured furry friend from the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center. Dedicated to eliminating pet homelessness, the center provides compassionate care and facilitates adoptions for animals in need of loving homes. Find your new companion and help support their mission of humane care and responsible pet ownership. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-37.jpg)](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Meet Bruno, a 3-year-old goofball with a big heart and an even bigger love for being close to his people. At 73 pounds, he may be a large dog, but Bruno is convinced he’s lap-sized, especially when ear scratches, belly rubs, or cozy blankets are involved. He may be a little shy or sensitive at first, but once he trusts you, his affectionate and playful personality makes itself known. Bruno enjoys walks, loves to run, and has done well hanging out with dog friends, too. If you’re looking for an active buddy who also happens to be a total cuddle bug, Bruno might be your guy. Come meet Bruno and all the adoptable pets at the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center in person. Stop by any day except Tuesdays, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., or learn more at [petsadoption.org](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). --- ## Noteworthy [The largest Rubik's Cube competition in California history](https://www.worldcubeassociation.org/competitions/WesternChampionship2026?ref=raincrossgazette.com) comes to the Riverside Convention Center May 23–25, with \~1,000 attendees expected and free spectator admission. [High School Summer Pass](https://www.planetfitness.com/summerpass/pre-registration?ref=raincrossgazette.com) returns to Planet Fitness this summer, offering teens ages 14–19 free gym access June 1–August 31 with pre-registration now open. A UCR School of Medicine professor explains the [new Ebola outbreak in Central Africa](https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/05/18/qa-new-ebola-outbreak?ref=raincrossgazette.com), now a WHO public health emergency, noting the rare Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine and carries a roughly 35% fatality rate. RCC's Natalie Vázquez has been named a [2026 Classified Employee of the Year](https://www.rcc.edu/about/news/2026-natalie-vazquez-state-honors.html?ref=raincrossgazette.com) by the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office — one of only six selected statewide and the first in Riverside Community College District history to receive the honor. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Friday, May 22 - [**Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-22T07)at Zacatecas Café - [R'Hours at the R'Garden](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rhours-at-the-rgarden/18094958/2026-05-22T08) at R'Garden - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-05-22T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Gage Basin Clean-Up](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/gage-basin-cleanup/18864707/2026-05-22T09) at Behind the Alumni Center - [43rd Annual UC Riverside Pow Wow](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/43rd-annual-uc-riverside-pow-wow/18543253/2026-05-22T17) at Riverside Sports Complex - [Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-and-heroes-walking-tour/17901085/2026-05-22T15) at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18) - [GASOLINA REGGAETÓN PARTY (18+)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/gasolina-reggaetn-party-18/18501481/2026-05-22T21) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium - [Jim Morrison Celebration ft. Wild Child](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/jim-morrison-celebration-ft-wild-child/18501465/2026-05-22T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [Live Joy Division tribute in Riverside! World Goth Day!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/live-joy-division-tribute-in-riverside-world-goth-day/18672415/2026-05-22T21) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($12.51) - [Murder Mystery Co. Dinner Theater Show](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/murder-mystery-co-dinner-theater-show-at-the-old-spaghetti-factory/18000822/2026-05-22T19) at The Old Spaghetti Factory ($69) - [STRANGEWAYS a Tribute to The Smiths & Morrissey!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/strangeways-a-tribute-to-the-smiths-morrissey/18450288/2026-05-22T21) at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($20.23) ### Saturday, May 23 - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-05-23T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [Billy Joel Tribute by All Key'd Up!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/billy-joel-tribute-by-all-keyd-up/18672416/2026-05-23T21) at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($20.23) - [Bingo Loco (21+)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bingo-loco-21/16832140/2026-05-23T19) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium - [Gothic Tea Party Fundraiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/gothic-tea-party-fundraiser/18841983/2026-05-23T18) at Grace Manor ($108.55) - [Mosaic Art Fundraiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mosaic-art-fundraiser/18685280/2026-05-23T10) at Mission Inn Foundation & Museum ($108.55) - [Paint and Sip con El Bad Buky](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-and-sip-con-el-bad-buky/18685281/2026-05-23T18) at The Experience Riverside ($45) - [TOPS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/tops/18501449/2026-05-23T19) at Farm House Collective ### Sunday, May 24 - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-05-24T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Know Your Rights: Pride in Protection](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/know-your-rights-pride-in-protection/18825959/2026-05-24T11) at Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California - [Noche de Rock Sunday May 24th! Memorial Weekend!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/noche-de-rock-sunday-may-24th-memorial-weekend/18841987/2026-05-24T21) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($12.51) - [Noteworthy Connections 20s and 30s: We’re Not Really Strangers](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/noteworthy-connections-20s-and-30s-were-not-really-strangers/18671010/2026-05-24T09) at Back to the Grind - [R&B Sing Along Brunch Party @ Mezcal in Riverside](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rb-sing-along-brunch-party-mezcal-in-riverside/18841986/2026-05-24T11) at Mezcal Ultra Lounge (free- $55.20) - [Tash Sultana - North American Tour 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/tash-sultana-north-american-tour-2026/18312134/2026-05-24T19) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ## Save the Date - May 29: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-29T07) at Zacatecas Café - May 31: [Oscars, Tonys & Grammys](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oscars-tonys-grammys/18797026/2026-05-31T16) at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($10- $20) - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) - June 3: [Paint. Sip. Spark Kindness](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-sip-spark-kindness/18886391/2026-06-03T18) at HRBC Insurance ($75) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Your June 2 Ballot May Not Be Postmarked the Day You Mail It. Here's What to Do. URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/your-june-2-ballot-may-not-be-postmarked-the-day-you-mail-it-heres-what-to-do/ Last updated: 2026-05-25T11:59:32.000Z The Riverside County Registrar of Voters mailed approximately 1.4 million ballots to county voters on May 4\. How and when those ballots get returned — and postmarked — matters more than usual this cycle, as warnings from the U.S. Postal Service and California officials make clear that mailing too close to Election Day carries real risk. According to USPS, postmarks are applied by machines at processing facilities, not at the point of collection. The agency has also adjusted its transportation operations in ways that mean some mail no longer arrives at those facilities on the same day it is collected. The practical result: a ballot dropped in a blue collection box on Election Day, June 2, may not receive a postmark until June 3 or later. Under California law, a mailed ballot must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by the county registrar within seven days. For the June 2 primary, that receipt deadline is June 9\. A late postmark means a ballot will not be counted, regardless of when it was deposited. The City of Riverside took the step of posting a modal alert on its elections page at [riversideca.gov](http://riversideca.gov/cityclerk/elections?ref=raincrossgazette.com) recommending voters mail their ballots no later than May 27\. California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley Weber issued similar warnings during the November 2025 Prop 50 special election cycle, urging voters to mail early, use a drop box, or request a hand-stamped postmark at a post office counter. ### Voters have three options to protect their ballot: **Mail by Tuesday, May 26.** The City's recommended mail-by date is May 27, but Memorial Day falls on May 25, a federal postal holiday with no processing. Mailing by May 26, or before the holiday weekend entirely, provides additional cushion. No postage is needed — the Registrar provides prepaid return envelopes with every ballot. **Use a drop box.** The Registrar operates secure, monitored 24-hour drop boxes at 2720 Gateway Drive, available through 8 p.m. on June 2\. Ballots deposited in an official drop box are not subject to postmark requirements. Additional drop-off locations with varying hours are available throughout Riverside, including Riverside City Hall, Riverside Main Library, La Sierra Community Center and several neighborhood libraries and community centers. A full map is available at the Registrar's website. **Request a hand-stamped postmark.** Voters who mail close to the deadline can bring their ballot inside a post office and ask a clerk to hand-stamp the postmark. The postmark will reflect the date of submission and is applied free of charge. **Riverside is comparatively low-risk in this regard.** The city sits within roughly 50 miles of the Los Angeles and Santa Clarita regional processing hubs, reducing the chance of same-day processing delays. Official guidance, however, recommends mailing early regardless. **One additional safeguard:** if a ballot's postmark is missing or illegible, California counties will use the date the voter signed the return envelope as evidence the ballot was cast on time. Voters should always sign and date their return envelope. Voters can track their ballot at [WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov](http://wheresmyballot.sos.ca.gov/?ref=raincrossgazette.com), the free official tracker operated by the California Secretary of State, with email, text and voice notifications available. A U.S. Supreme Court case originating from a Mississippi dispute could determine whether states may count ballots arriving after Election Day, but a ruling is not expected before the June 2 primary. California's seven-day post-Election-Day receipt window remains in effect. ## How to vote in the June 2 primary Every active registered voter in Riverside County has been mailed a ballot. You have several options for returning it or voting in person. **By mail:** Return your ballot using the prepaid envelope. Mail by May 26 to account for Memorial Day and any processing delays. Your ballot must be postmarked by June 2 and received by June 9 to count. **By drop box:** Secure drop boxes are available now through 8 p.m. on June 2 at the Registrar of Voters office at 2720 Gateway Drive and at locations throughout Riverside. Find the nearest drop-off site [using the Registrar's map](http://experience.arcgis.com/experience/f9e9d7e5aeea40db9e671836bc8536e2?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **In person — early voting:** Vote Centers opened May 23 and are open through June 1\. Hours vary by location. Find a Vote Center at [voteinfo.net](http://voteinfo.net/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **In person — Election Day:** All Vote Centers are open June 2 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. You may vote at any Vote Center in the county, not just the one nearest your home. **Not yet registered:** Same-day registration is available at the Registrar's office and all Vote Centers through Election Day. **More information:* The Riverside County Registrar of Voters can be reached at (951) 486-7200 or at* [*voteinfo.net*](http://voteinfo.net/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*. The Registrar's office is at 2720 Gateway Drive. Track your ballot at* [*WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov*](http://wheresmyballot.sos.ca.gov/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*. The City of Riverside's elections page is at* [*riversideca.gov/cityclerk/elections*](http://riversideca.gov/cityclerk/elections?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### Riverside Arts Academy Mariachi Ensemble Places Third at National Competition URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-arts-academy-mariachi-ensemble-places-third-at-national-competition/ Last updated: 2026-05-25T11:58:28.000Z Riverside Arts Academy's Mariachi Campana returned home with a third-place finish at the Tucson International Mariachi Conference, earning the distinction of highest-ranking mariachi ensemble from California at this year's event. The Tucson International Mariachi Conference draws student ensembles and musicians from across the United States and Mexico and is considered one of the top mariachi competitions in the country. The ensemble competed under the direction of Alex Treviño II, RAA's head of mariachi programs, alongside assistant directors Yamila De La Rosa and Angel Chavez. "This accomplishment reflects the incredible dedication, discipline, and passion of our students," Treviño told the Gazette. "To compete among the very best mariachi programs and return as the top-ranked group from California is an honor for our students, families, and community." The trip to Tucson was funded through a combination of donor support and a grassroots fundraising campaign. Adam Karelin-Anderson, RAA's executive and artistic director, said the community response made the journey possible. "Seeing our region mobilize to empower our students on their journey reminds us that behind all successful young musicians are supportive communities cheering them on," Karelin-Anderson said in a statement. Riverside Arts Academy is a nonprofit organization that provides music education programs for youth in the Inland Empire. **More information:* Visit* [*riversideartsacademy.com*](http://www.riversideartsacademy.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### City Enacts 45-Day Freeze on Pallet Yards, Citing Fire Risk URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-enacts-45-day-freeze-on-pallet-yards-citing-fire-risk/ Last updated: 2026-05-24T12:00:31.000Z The City Council on Tuesday issued a 45-day ban on new or expanded wooden pallet storage yards — citing fire danger, code violations and neighborhood impacts after a series of major fires across the city. The urgency ordinance, unanimously approved, temporarily halts approvals for new pallet storage operations while city staff studies stricter zoning and safety regulations for the industry. "This is something that's long overdue," Jim Perry said during the meeting. "These are a disaster waiting to happen." City staff said Riverside's zoning code currently treats pallet yards like any other outdoor storage use and lacks regulations tailored to the unique hazards posed by large concentrations of wooden pallets. Matthew Taylor, Principal Planner for the Community and Economic Development Department, told council members that improperly operated pallet yards create "a specific threat to public health, safety and welfare" because of fire risks, unsafe stacking practices and repeated code compliance problems. "Pallets, obviously, are constructed of lumber, which is highly flammable," Taylor said. "They are stored in many cases at very high concentrations, which can create some pretty serious fire risk and intense fires should an incident occur." According to the [staff report](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15448307&GUID=A94512C6-461B-4F6C-9A50-1ABCBB19379A&ref=raincrossgazette.com), the Riverside Fire Department has responded to 29 incidents involving pallet storage yards since January 2025\. A [March 2026 fire at a pallet yard in Riverside's Northside neighborhood](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-large-fire-impacts-riverside-businesses-overwhelms-fire-department-resources/) damaged multiple businesses and hospitalized three firefighters, according to the report. Taylor said city inspectors have also documented pallet stacks reaching 20 to 30 feet high, sometimes towering above block walls and fencing. "Without adequate regulation of the location, height and volume of these stacks … the health, safety and welfare of the public may be endangered," the report stated. Since 2023, Riverside code enforcement officers have issued 36 notices of violation to 11 pallet storage businesses, with nine active cases still open, according to the report. Residents who spoke during public comment largely supported the moratorium. Mike McCarthy, speaking on behalf of the Sierra Club and Riverside Neighbors Opposing Warehouses, said Riverside's industrial areas often sit near high fire hazard zones. "We need to make sure that we are not causing fires that affect larger portions of the city," McCarthy said. "We are in favor of anything we can do to reduce these type of incidents and protect our city." McCarthy also urged the council to expand future restrictions to include other outdoor storage operations with combustible materials. Resident Jason Hunter called in to support the moratorium as well, and recalled witnessing a pallet yard fire several years ago. "It was so intense and so hard to fight," he said. "The embers … blow blocks and blocks and blocks." Several council members said they want staff to eventually consider broader regulations for outdoor storage uses beyond pallet yards alone. Phillip Falcone said he would like the issue to return to the council's land use committee for further discussion. "I think this was just the focus right now, because of these two recent very catastrophic fires that occurred," Falcone said. "But yes, \[I want\] to see what more we can do after we get through this piece." The moratorium takes effect immediately and will remain in place for 45 days unless extended by the council. During that time, city planning, fire and code enforcement officials will study potential zoning changes and operational standards for pallet storage businesses. ### City Moves to Require Advance Notice for Unhoused Drop-Offs URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-moves-to-require-advance-notice-for-unhoused-drop-offs/ Last updated: 2026-05-24T11:59:44.000Z The City Council on Tuesday advanced a proposal to require advance notice when organizations or government agencies drop off unhoused people in Riverside – an effort officials said is meant to improve coordination and ease pressure on [local shelters and outreach teams](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-reports-success-in-curbing-homelessness-growth-through-prevention-programs/). The proposed ordinance would add a new chapter to the Riverside Municipal Code requiring any agency, organization or employee acting on their behalf to notify the city manager and the Housing and Human Services director 24 hours in advance before transporting a person who lacks a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence into the city. The notice would need to include information about the person being transported, where they are coming from, the reason for the transport and whether the receiving organization has agreed to accept them. A second notice would be required after the drop-off to confirm whether the person was placed into services or explain what happened if they were not. City staff said the measure is meant to help connect people to housing navigation, health care and shelter instead of leaving them unsheltered in Riverside. In the [staff report](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15447490&GUID=C0D9223A-D5E0-4E58-AA74-FDEB8E446507&ref=raincrossgazette.com), city officials said homelessness remains one of Riverside's biggest public health and safety challenges. The report noted that the city had [614 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-has-401-affordable-units-in-development-but-homelessness-count-ticks-up/) in the city's 2025 point-in-time count and said uncoordinated drop-offs can strain the city's limited shelter beds, outreach capacity and housing resources. The report also estimates it costs the city about $63,376.19 to stabilize one unsheltered person through shelter, rental assistance, case management, housing navigation and outreach services. Officials also clarified that the proposal does not ban the transport of unhoused people into Riverside – and the city is not trying to criminalize homelessness or block charitable assistance and survival aid. The ordinance helps the city identify where people are coming from and push for more regional coordination, according to the staff report. The proposal also includes exemptions for jail bookings; transport to licensed medical facilities, social service or court appointments; city-run transport; and public transit operations. The council introduced the ordinance on Tuesday; it will return to the council for a second vote in the coming weeks – and if adopted, it would go into effect 30 days later. ### City Proposes 5.7% Fee Hike, Automatic Inflation Increases URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-proposes-5-7-fee-hike-automatic-inflation-increases/ Last updated: 2026-05-22T12:00:22.000Z City officials are proposing to automatically tie most city fees to inflation each year — and are recommending a roughly 5.7 percent increase to kick off the change for the 2026-27 budget year. The City Council discussed the matter on May 19, and set a public hearing for June 23. Under the proposal, staff would recommend yearly increases based on the Consumer Price Index for the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario area, or another similar inflation measure chosen by the finance director. Most fees would be rounded to the nearest dollar, with some rounded to the nearest nickel. The proposal covers a wide range of city services — including for City Clerk notary services and public records copies, while the Fire Department would add late fees for unpaid inspection bills. Parks and Recreation and Community Services would add new fees for youth programs, adult sports, senior activities, field rentals and classes at the Bourns Family Youth Innovation Center. Public Works is also proposing changes, including new fees for lost or destroyed animal traps, late fees for parking bail violations and a $49 contamination fee for repeat problems with recycling or organics carts. The fee changes would bring in about $862,000 in added General Fund revenue, according to the staff report. City officials said the new fees are part of the proposed 2026-28 budget, but the financial impact of the new charges is still unknown because the city does not yet have data on how often they will be used. Resident Aurora Chavez voiced her opposition to the increase, particularly for animal services fees. "I think the percentage is too high," Chavez said. "We don't know what the rest of our year is going to be like. It could be higher, it could be lower… I would not like that at all, to increase anything for people not being able to get their animals." "I just, I would recommend to do a percentage smaller and break it up, and see how the year goes, and let's see if it's a 3 percent maybe, and then later on in the year, if it's a better one, like them, put another 2 percent or whatever, but total 5.7 percent is too much," she said. "People are not going to be able to do that." During discussion, Councilmember Sean Mill said he could not support "anything that has an automatic increase built right into the municipal code every year." Mill also pressed staff on safeguards to ensure CPI-based adjustments do not push fees above actual service costs, and questioned whether the city had evaluated how recurring increases might affect new development, business retention and regional competitiveness. City staff said annual CPI recommendations are meant to keep pace with rising costs between comprehensive fee studies conducted every three to five years — and that the plan is to maintain and not exceed the 80 percent cost-recovery level previously negotiated with developers. Other council members focused on explaining that the proposed adjustments are user charges rather than broad-based taxes and stressed the need for better public outreach. Councilmember Steven Robillard said that if the city does not charge the full cost to users, "we are then subsidizing it. So we're paying for it either way," and called it "more equitable that we have \[those\] using the service pay." Councilmember Jim Perry questioned the new $49 contamination fee, asking how the figure was set and whether state rules were driving it. Staff replied that the amount reflects the cost of remediation and staff time, that citations come only after three tagged warnings, and that enforcement is required under Senate Bill 1383. Several members urged a stronger education campaign on contamination fines and animal services costs, along with deeper analysis of CPI-based increases, before final action. Councilmembers unanimously voted to move the recommendations forward and set the public hearing for June. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- May 21, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-may-21-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:46.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-33.jpg) A striking white cactus bloom opens among river rocks in a Canyon Crest neighborhood yard. (Rhonda Waterman) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Thursday Gazette: May 21, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Thursday!** Ballots are already in Riversiders' hands and June 2 is coming up fast, so this is a good week to make sure you know where you stand on the races and measures on your ballot. The Gazette has been covering the Ward 2, 4, and 6 city council races since last spring, and we've pulled everything into one place: candidate profiles, forum coverage, a breakdown of Measure Z, and what you need to know to cast your ballot. One heads-up for mail voters: there's a postmark rule that could affect your ballot. We'll have more on that Friday. [Check out the 2026 Election: Voter Guide](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-election-guide/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260521)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260521&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## City Budget Plan Trims Spending, Taps Reserves to Cover $27M Shortfall The fiscal years 2026-28 biennial budget relies on cost reductions, reserve draws and one-time fixes to address General Fund and Measure Z gaps. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-32-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-budget-plan-trims-spending-taps-reserves-to-cover-27m-shortfall/) City staff have proposed a two-year budget that holds core services in place while cutting hours, trimming programs and leaning on reserves to close projected multimillion-dollar deficits. **Why it matters:** The budget would reduce Sunday library hours at some branches and scale back parks spending and staffing — and it does not fund the fire department's request for 84 additional firefighters and two new stations. **By the numbers:** The General Fund faces projected deficits of $27.1 million in 2026-27 and $34 million in 2027-28\. The Measure Z fund is projected to run short by $9.8 million and $12.4 million in the same years. **Driving the news:** Staff presented the plan May 14 to the Budget Engagement Commission, describing a "multi-pronged approach" that phases in reductions and limits reserve use. - Deputy Finance Director Sergio Aguilar said adding more fire funding would require "a corresponding decrease" elsewhere — the budget is already balanced. **Yes, but:** Fire Chief Steve McKinster's request for roughly $28 million in additional annual fire funding — including 84 positions and two new stations — is "not funded within this budget," Aguilar told commissioners. **What's next:** The commission forwarded its recommendations to City Council. Final adoption is expected in June. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-budget-plan-trims-spending-taps-reserves-to-cover-27m-shortfall/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260521)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260521&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## City Proposes 5.7% Fee Hike, Automatic Inflation Increases A public hearing is set for June 23 on changes that would affect dozens of city services. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/cityhall-06-agendas-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-proposes-5-7-fee-hike-automatic-inflation-increases/) Riverside is proposing to tie most city fees to inflation annually — starting with a 5.7 percent increase for the 2026-27 budget year. **Why it matters:** Higher fees touch daily life: Parks and Rec programs, senior activities, animal services, field rentals, and recycling violations would all cost more — and future increases would happen automatically, without a separate council vote each year. **Driving the news:** Council discussed the proposal May 19 and voted unanimously to advance it to a public hearing June 23. - The change would generate about $862,000 in added General Fund revenue. **By the numbers:** Most fees would adjust annually to the Consumer Price Index for the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario area. New additions include a $49 contamination fee for repeat recycling or organics cart violations — required under state law — and new late fees for unpaid Fire Department inspection bills and parking violations. **Yes, but:** Councilmember Sean Mill said he could not support "anything that has an automatic increase built right into the municipal code every year," and pressed staff on whether CPI-based hikes could push fees above actual service costs. Resident Aurora Chavez asked the council to phase in the increase more gradually, citing affordability concerns for animal services users. **What's next:** A public hearing is set for June 23\. Councilmembers called for stronger public outreach and deeper analysis of the proposal's long-term impact before final action. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-proposes-5-7-fee-hike-automatic-inflation-increases/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260521) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260521&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center Monitors Bain Fire Through the Night Staff monitored the approaching Bain Fire through the night and are encouraging Riversiders to foster or volunteer ahead of future emergencies. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-34.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mary-s-roberts-pet-adoption-center-monitors-bain-fire-through-the-night/) Staff at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center work through the night hosing down the facility's perimeter as the Bain Fire burns nearby. The center sheltered in place until conditions improved. (Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center) Staff at the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center monitored animals through the night as the Bain Fire threatened the facility, sheltering in place until after midnight. **Why it matters:** If you've supported or volunteered with the shelter, the animals were never left alone — and the center is now asking the community to help create a buffer for future fire events. **Driving the news:** Fire activity pushed staff into a prolonged overnight watch, with conditions close enough to trigger emergency plan review. - Community members arrived with food for staff; DCH Subaru of Riverside came to help however needed. **What they're saying:** Director of operations Katie Stout credited preparation and vigilance — and acknowledged the night as a warning. - "Yesterday's fire activity served as an important reminder of how quickly conditions can change in our region during fire season," Stout said. **What's next:** The center is asking residents to foster a pet or volunteer — both create evacuation capacity if fire threatens the shelter again. - Foster participants may be called on to help move animals in an emergency. Info at [petsadoption.org](http://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) or (951) 688-4340. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mary-s-roberts-pet-adoption-center-monitors-bain-fire-through-the-night/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Economic Development Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/economic-development-committee/18642990/2026-05-21T15) at Riverside City Hall - [Planning Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/planning-commission/18584284/2026-05-21T09) at Riverside City Hall - [Shrek-TACULAR! at the Marcy Library](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/shrektacular-at-the-marcy-library/18826017/2026-05-21T16) at Marcy Library - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-05-21T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [In Conversation: Terry Evans, Mark Klett, and Laura McPhee on Landscape Photography and Barry Lopez](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/in-conversation-terry-evans-mark-klett-and-laura-mcphee-on-landscape-photography-and-barry-lopez/18864679/2026-05-21T13) at University of California, Riverside - [Mexican Music and Dance concert](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mexican-music-and-dance-concert/18094936/2026-05-21T20) at University Theatre - [Mucho Gusto Presents - El Santo Golpe & Making Movies](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mucho-gusto-presents-el-santo-golpe-making-movies/18841978/2026-05-21T20) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($23.18) ### Tomorrow - [**Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-22T07) at Zacatecas Café - [43rd Annual UC Riverside Pow Wow](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/43rd-annual-uc-riverside-pow-wow/18543253/2026-05-22T17) at Riverside Sports Complex - [Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-and-heroes-walking-tour/17901085/2026-05-22T15) at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18) - [GASOLINA REGGAETÓN PARTY (18+)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/gasolina-reggaetn-party-18/18501481/2026-05-22T21) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium - [Jim Morrison Celebration ft. Wild Child](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/jim-morrison-celebration-ft-wild-child/18501465/2026-05-22T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [Live Joy Division tribute in Riverside! World Goth Day!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/live-joy-division-tribute-in-riverside-world-goth-day/18672415/2026-05-22T21) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($12.51) - [Murder Mystery Co. Dinner Theater Show at The Old Spaghetti Factory](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/murder-mystery-co-dinner-theater-show-at-the-old-spaghetti-factory/18000822/2026-05-22T19) at The Old Spaghetti Factory ($69) - [Murder Mystery Dinner Theater Show](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/murder-mystery-dinner-theater-show/18610935/2026-05-22T19) at The Old Spaghetti Factory - [STRANGEWAYS a Tribute to The Smiths & Morrissey!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/strangeways-a-tribute-to-the-smiths-morrissey/18450288/2026-05-22T21) at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($20.23) ## Save the Date - May 29: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-22T07) at Zacatecas Café - May 31: [Oscars, Tonys & Grammys](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oscars-tonys-grammys/18797026/2026-05-31T16) at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($10- $20) - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) - June 3: [Paint. Sip. Spark Kindness](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-sip-spark-kindness/18886391/2026-06-03T18) at HRBC Insurance ($75) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center Monitors Bain Fire Through the Night URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mary-s-roberts-pet-adoption-center-monitors-bain-fire-through-the-night/ Last updated: 2026-05-22T11:59:36.000Z Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center staff sheltered in place until after midnight as the Bain Fire threatened the facility, monitoring conditions and standing by before the fire began to be contained and winds died down. The fire remains active. "Yesterday's fire activity served as an important reminder of how quickly conditions can change in our region during fire season," said Katie Stout, director of operations. "While Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center was fortunate not to be severely impacted, our team remained on alert throughout the day, monitoring conditions closely and reviewing emergency preparedness plans to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the animals in our care." The center drew community support through the night. Two community members showed up with pizza and drinks for onsite staff, and DCH Subaru of Riverside arrived to stand watch and help however needed. "To everyone who offered trailers, crates, transportation, space, supplies, encouragement, and prayers, we are deeply grateful," the center said in a social media post. "Last night was a reminder of just how incredible this community is and how fiercely you show up for animals in need." Stout also recognized those battling the blaze. "We want to recognize and thank the firefighters, first responders, and emergency personnel working tirelessly throughout the region to protect both people and pets during these challenging conditions." Riversiders can support the center by fostering a pet or volunteering. Programs like Riverside Rovers and foster care create space and resources for animals during fire season, and foster participants may be called upon to help evacuate pets from the center. The center is also encouraging community members to verify information through official agency channels and trusted local sources before sharing or acting on it, as false information during emergencies can delay aid. **More information:* Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center is located at 6165 Industrial Ave. For information on fostering or volunteering, visit* [*petsadoption.org*](http://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *or call (951) 688-4340.* ### City Budget Plan Trims Spending, Taps Reserves to Cover $27M Shortfall URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-budget-plan-trims-spending-taps-reserves-to-cover-27m-shortfall/ Last updated: 2026-05-21T23:15:44.000Z City staff on Thursday, May 14, presented a proposed two-year budget that trims spending, taps reserves and leans on one-time solutions to help close projected deficits in the General Fund and [Measure Z](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/measure-z-explained-the-sales-tax-increase-on-riversides-june-ballot/). City staff told the [Budget Engagement Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-cuts-budget-engagement-commission-in-half-to-fix-quorum-problems/) that the plan is meant to preserve core services even as the city faces slower revenue growth and higher personnel, pension and inflation costs. The proposed fiscal years 2026-28 biennial budget totals about $1.57 billion in 2026-27 and $1.59 billion in 2027-28, including operating and capital spending. The operating budget alone is about $1.41 billion in the first year and $1.43 billion in the second. The [staff report](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15444867&GUID=F5A3FEC0-1BD3-4879-87F1-66E7D784B8F9&ref=raincrossgazette.com) says the General Fund faces projected deficits of $27.1 million in 2026-27 and $34.0 million in 2027-28 compared with the prior adopted budget. Staff also said Measure Z is projected to fall short by $9.8 million in 2026-27 and $12.4 million in 2027-28. Deputy Finance Director Sergio Aguilar said the city is trying to address "potential multi-year deficits" with a "multi-pronged approach" that protects services, phases in reductions and minimizes reserve use. For residents, the biggest impact is likely to be fewer new services and more pressure on existing ones rather than sweeping cuts. The budget includes reduced Sunday library hours at some branches, lower spending in some parks programs and maintenance, and targeted staffing changes meant to avoid larger disruptions to police, fire and other core functions. Commissioners focused on what the plan means for public safety. Vice Chair Rich Vandenberg – [who is also running for City Council's Ward 4 seat](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-election-guide/) – asked whether staff had addressed [Fire Chief Steve McKinster's request for about $28 million in additional annual fire funding](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/fire-chief-warns-department-cant-keep-pace-seeks-84-firefighters-2-new-stations/). Aguilar said the budget includes some fire funding, but the larger request — including 84 positions and two new stations — is "not funded within this budget." Aguilar told commissioners that if the city wanted to add more fire funding, it would need to identify "a corresponding decrease" elsewhere because the budget is already balanced. He also said the city is trying to grow revenue through economic development and fee updates, rather than relying only on cuts. Commissioner Aram Ayra – [who is also running for City Council's Ward 2 seat](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-election-guide/) – also pressed staff on whether the city had explored new revenue options instead of spending cuts, including a possible [transient occupancy tax increase](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-puts-sales-tax-increase-on-june-ballot-to-fund-fire-staffing/). Aguilar said the city is pursuing long-term revenue growth through new development and business activity, and noted that updated development impact fees could help support capital projects, but not police staffing or other general operating costs. Aguilar told commissioners that even after the proposed reductions, "most of these programs still receive budgets that are higher than historical levels." The commission forwarded its recommendations to the City Council for budget review, with final adoption expected in June. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- May 20, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-may-20-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:48.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/IMG_2311.jpeg) A brilliant sunset paints the sky in layers of orange, pink, and deep blue above a row of silhouetted palm trees. (Michael J. Elderman) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Wednesday Gazette: May 20, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Wednesday!** Today is National Rescue Dog Day. If you've been thinking about adding a dog to your family, today's a good excuse to take a look at who's waiting for a home right now. [Riverside County Department of Animal Services](https://rcdas.org/adopt?ref=raincrossgazette.com), [Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com), and [Foster Army Animal Rescue](https://www.fosterarmy.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) all have dogs available locally. Whether you're ready to adopt or just want to foster, there's a way to help. **P.S.** Do you have vintage photos of Riverside? A few have already come in and they are *so good*. We can't wait to share them with you. [Send yours our way](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com). See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260520)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260520&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HISTORY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/history/) ## "Buffalo Heart": A Short Biography of Jonathan Tibbet Known to tribal communities as "Chief Buffalo Heart," Jonathan Tibbet spent his life advocating for Native sovereignty at a time when the government called it insubordination. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-28-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/buffalo-heart-a-short-biography-of-jonathan-tibbet/) Photo of Jonathan Tibbet (History of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties by John Brown) Jonathan Tibbet, born Jan. 5, 1856, on a ranch in San Gabriel is described in early literature as a native son of the Golden West. His father, a successful cattle rancher acquired thousands of acres of land near the San Gabriel Mission, and it included seven Native American villages. During Jonathan's adolescence his exposure to tribal communities and their ways became commonplace. He learned several languages and dialects and spoke fluent Spanish. Native people worked for his father as ranch hands, servants in the home and in some cases were friends to the family. Jonathan Tibbet Sr. paid his workers double the going salary thus gaining their trust and respect. His upbringing instilled unto a young Jonathan a keen understanding of the injustices involved in the management of Indians and Indian affairs. He not only learned the language but also the Indian point of view, and through the Indian ceremonies he was made chief a number of times and to the Indians is known as "Chief Buffalo Heart," according to John Brown's *History of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties*. As a young man, Mr. Tibbet spent the 1870s and 80s in Arizona as a civilian Indian scout, Chief of Scouts and U.S. deputy marshal. During this time, Mr. Tibbet remained sympathetic to Indian people and was said to have saved many lives. Although described as a large frontiersman, commanding and poised, his nature was friendly. In 1891, when Mr. Tibbet settled in California, he ran a general store and hotel in Menifee Valley. Once in Riverside, he established a broker's office that dealt in the buying, selling and developing of real estate. Due to the nature of his business doings, by 1912, Tibbet owned three ranches in Riverside County equaling over three-hundred acres combined, a bee ranch in the white sage country, more than forty lots, and several houses in Riverside. His capital also enlisted commercial enterprises, banks, city property in Los Angeles and the county, and a summer home in Orange County, according to Brown. Clearly a man of responsible character that attributed his success to never taking a drink, gambling or signing a note. He belonged to various organizations including a member of San Bernardino and Riverside Pioneers, a member of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, and an honorary member of Los Angeles County Pioneers. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/buffalo-heart-a-short-biography-of-jonathan-tibbet/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260520)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260520&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [OPINION](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/opinion/) ## Opinion: Riversiders Deserve a Break This Summer A water rights attorney and ratepayer advocate argues the City should suspend the General Fund Transfer and Public Benefit Fund charges — moves she says would save ratepayers money without affecting City services. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-30-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-riversiders-deserve-a-break-this-summer/) A payment drop box at Riverside Public Utilities, where customers submit bill payments for water and electricity service. (File photo/Raincross Gazette) With higher food and increasingly unaffordable gas prices, Riversiders need and deserve a break from high utility taxes and fees. City Council should hold a special meeting to suspend some of these charges, potentially saving you hundreds of dollars. These suggestions will not affect RPU or general fund services and could make your summer more affordable. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-riversiders-deserve-a-break-this-summer/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260520) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260520&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## City Names Nathan Mustafa as Its New Public Works Director Mustafa, who has worked for the city for 13 years, takes over a department that handles streets, trash, trees, and more. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-31-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-names-nathan-mustafa-as-its-new-public-works-director/) Nathan Mustafa, the new Public Works Director for the City of Riverside. (Photo courtesy City of Riverside) **Riverside names new Public Works Director** Nathan Mustafa is now Riverside's Public Works Director — promoted from interim after five months leading the department. **Why it matters:** Public Works runs the services you interact with daily — streets, trash, recycling, traffic signals, and tree trimming. Mustafa will oversee 300+ employees and the city's Water Quality Control Plant. **Driving the news:** City Manager Mike Futrell made the appointment official this week, ending Mustafa's interim run. His predecessor, Gil Hernandez, moved up to Interim Assistant City Manager. **The backstory:** Mustafa has been with the city since 2013, rising from Assistant Engineer to Deputy Director over Field Operations and Engineering. He's a licensed Civil and Traffic Engineer and certified planner. **By the numbers:** Mustafa has helped secure more than **$100 million** in outside grant funding during his tenure — supporting projects from pavement management to the Traffic Management Center overhaul. **What's next:** Mustafa inherits an active project list, including the Third Street Grade Separation, the Riverside Bioenergy Facility public-private partnership, and the city's first online tree inventory. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-names-nathan-mustafa-as-its-new-public-works-director/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-05-20T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-05-20T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [About Writing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/about-writing/18335813/2026-05-20T10) at Janet Goeske Center - [Riverside Unified Strategic Plan - In-Person Open House](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-unified-strategic-plan-inperson-open-house/18849763/2026-05-20T18) at Riverside Polytechnic High School - [A concert of art songs and arias performed by students of Dr. Ralph Cato](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/a-concert-of-art-songs-and-arias-performed-by-students-of-dr-ralph-cato/17756872/2026-05-20T20) at Arts Building, 166 - [Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/safety-wellness-and-youth-committee/18584291/2026-05-20T13) at Riverside City Hall - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-05-20T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) ### Tomorrow - [Economic Development Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/economic-development-committee/18642990/2026-05-21T15) at Riverside City Hall - [Planning Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/planning-commission/18584284/2026-05-21T09) at Riverside City Hall - [Shrek-TACULAR! at the Marcy Library](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/shrektacular-at-the-marcy-library/18826017/2026-05-21T16) at Marcy Library - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-05-21T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [In Conversation: Terry Evans, Mark Klett, and Laura McPhee on Landscape Photography and Barry Lopez](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/in-conversation-terry-evans-mark-klett-and-laura-mcphee-on-landscape-photography-and-barry-lopez/18864679/2026-05-21T13) at University of California, Riverside - [Mexican Music and Dance concert](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mexican-music-and-dance-concert/18094936/2026-05-21T20) at University Theatre - [Mucho Gusto Presents - El Santo Golpe & Making Movies](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mucho-gusto-presents-el-santo-golpe-making-movies/18841978/2026-05-21T20) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($23.18) ## Save the Date - May 22: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-22T07) at Zacatecas Café - May 31: [Oscars, Tonys & Grammys](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oscars-tonys-grammys/18797026/2026-05-31T16) at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($10- $20) - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) - June 3: [Paint. Sip. Spark Kindness](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-sip-spark-kindness/18886391/2026-06-03T18) at HRBC Insurance ($75) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### "Buffalo Heart": A Short Biography of Jonathan Tibbet URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/buffalo-heart-a-short-biography-of-jonathan-tibbet/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:05:26.000Z Jonathan Tibbet, born Jan. 5, 1856, on a ranch in San Gabriel is described in early literature as a native son of the Golden West. His father, a successful cattle rancher acquired thousands of acres of land near the San Gabriel Mission, and it included seven Native American villages. During Jonathan's adolescence his exposure to tribal communities and their ways became commonplace. He learned several languages and dialects and spoke fluent Spanish. Native people worked for his father as ranch hands, servants in the home and in some cases were friends to the family. Jonathan Tibbet Sr. paid his workers double the going salary thus gaining their trust and respect. His upbringing instilled unto a young Jonathan a keen understanding of the injustices involved in the management of Indians and Indian affairs. He not only learned the language but also the Indian point of view, and through the Indian ceremonies he was made chief a number of times and to the Indians is known as "Chief Buffalo Heart," according to John Brown's *History of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties*. As a young man, Mr. Tibbet spent the 1870s and 80s in Arizona as a civilian Indian scout, Chief of Scouts and U.S. deputy marshal. During this time, Mr. Tibbet remained sympathetic to Indian people and was said to have saved many lives. Although described as a large frontiersman, commanding and poised, his nature was friendly. In 1891, when Mr. Tibbet settled in California, he ran a general store and hotel in Menifee Valley. Once in Riverside, he established a broker's office that dealt in the buying, selling and developing of real estate. Due to the nature of his business doings, by 1912, Tibbet owned three ranches in Riverside County equaling over three-hundred acres combined, a bee ranch in the white sage country, more than forty lots, and several houses in Riverside. His capital also enlisted commercial enterprises, banks, city property in Los Angeles and the county, and a summer home in Orange County, according to Brown. Clearly a man of responsible character that attributed his success to never taking a drink, gambling or signing a note. He belonged to various organizations including a member of San Bernardino and Riverside Pioneers, a member of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, and an honorary member of Los Angeles County Pioneers. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/MIF_JohnOrtega.png) (Pechanga-nsn.gov) While enjoying the Riverside County Fair in October 1919, Mr. Tibbet was approached by Native friends of his and his father. The conversation, while brief, led to more than a dozen mostly Cahuilla and Serrano captains, arriving at his Riverside home on Prospect Ave. to discuss the oppressive control by government agents over the Native population. They believed Natives would never be treated as full citizens if the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) continued to oppress and exploit them. Based on this first meeting came the political organization known as the Mission Indian Federation or MIF. At this time, Native people were not considered United States citizens which they saw as an injustice. The first group comprised of Southern California tribes both federally recognized and non-federally recognized with a common goal: the dissolution of the BIA and its associated subsidiaries, the right for tribes to own their reservation lands, and the right to self-determination enjoyed by all American citizens, according to the Pechanga Band of Indians. After all, Native people, not just in Southern California, but across the United States, proved their patriotism and love of country by answering the call of its government to fight in World War I. So why then, were they not free to govern themselves, and free to enjoy the same rights and privileges as the white races? Brown writes. Mr. Tibbet's support of Native welfare came in many forms. Hosting semi-annual MIF conventions at his Riverside home, traveling to St. Louis, Missouri to speak on behalf of Southern California Indians and their desires to eliminate the Indian agency system and visiting other tribal nations along the way in hopes of recruiting more members. One report puts Mr. Tibbet and a group of Native men in Thermal, CA where they allegedly chased off white farm workers from Cahuilla territory. After the creation of MIF, members felt emboldened to assert authority over their reservations. They appointed their own political representatives including a chief of police, captains, judges and deputies, all of which challenged federal authority. Mr. Tibbet helped organize the Mission Indian Federation, never voted with the tribes and only acted as counselor on ideas they advanced themselves, according to Brown. The government and Indian Bureau police blamed Tibbet, calling his influence the cause of mistrust and insubordination among tribal communities. However, it can be said that he did what was asked of him and his intentions were always for the betterment of his friends. In the Spring of 1921, an indictment was issued for Mr. Tibbet and over 50 MIF members claiming they conspired to oppress the rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the alienation of the confidence of the Indians in the Government. All charges except those against Mr. Tibbet were dismissed. They accused him of "Bolshevistic" actions for self-gain. Vindication came in 1924 with an acquittal and the passage of the Indian Citizenship Act, which granted all Native Americans in the U.S. full citizenship without affecting Native property rights or tribal status, thus fulfilling a goal of the Mission Indian Federation. Had he lived to be 97, Mr. Tibbet would have witnessed another stated goal come to fruition for the Federation. In the Summer of 1953, Congress passed Concurrent Resolution 108 and Public Law 280, which ended their status as wards of the United States and reduced the influence of the Bureau of Indian Affairs — though the policy's long-term effects on tribal sovereignty proved deeply damaging to many nations. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/Mission-Indian-Federation-Conference-January-1920-pt-1--003.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/Mission-Indian-Federation-Conference-January-1920-pt-2---004.jpg) Mission Indian Federation Conference January 1920 (Museum of Riverside) Mr. Tibbet passed away April 22, 1930, coincidently amid the Federation's Spring gathering at his Riverside home, he was 74\. Within days, he was laid to rest at Evergreen Memorial Park. All eight of his pallbearers were Native. In his lifetime Jonathan Tibbet achieved undoubted commercial success, good fortune, and his share of scandal. Regardless of his achievements, his legacy remains that of the "Grand White Counselor," a non-Indian founder of the Mission Indian Federation. An ally to Native people across many tribes and many homelands during a time of uncertain progress. In 1932, Adam Castillo of Soboba, President of MIF had this to say: > "We could not speak effectively as Indians and had to get a white man who was friendly to us to do some of the talking. Our old people found a white man living in Riverside who was willing to take up our cause. His name was Mr. Tibbet. We now know that we have heard a lot of bad reports about him from the white people. But perhaps when his story is all known there will be a lot of good that can be said about him too... He was our friend." — Adam Castillo, Soboba, President of MIF, 1932 (*Fact-Finding Study of Social and Economic Conditions of Indians of San Diego County*, pg. 54) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/Tibbet-Headstone.jpg) Jonathan Tibbet's resting place, Evergreen Memorial Park, Riverside CA. (Author’s image) *By Rosy Aranda* ### Opinion: Riversiders Deserve a Break This Summer URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-riversiders-deserve-a-break-this-summer/ Last updated: 2026-05-21T12:00:41.000Z With higher food and increasingly unaffordable gas prices, Riversiders need and deserve a break from high utility taxes and fees. City Council should hold a special meeting to suspend some of these charges, potentially saving you hundreds of dollars. These suggestions will not affect RPU or general fund services and could make your summer more affordable. **General Fund Transfer/GFT.** The Charter allows but doesn't require the City to charge up to 11.5 percent in water and electricity taxes. In 2018, the Charter Commission recommended the City gradually reduce GFT charges to avoid litigation. A court has now held the water GFT is unlawful, and held the City should refund the $45 million it's been collecting and holding in a segregated fund. At a minimum, the City should now suspend collecting any more water GFT while it appeals the judgment. **Public Benefit Fund/PBF.** Each year, the RPU collects about $10 million in public benefit funds. In the late 1990s, the California Legislature passed legislation requiring these monies be set aside to incentivize efficiency and this money cannot be legally refunded to you. Though a plan is now in place to spend down the $35 million of accumulated PBF, it will take several years. In the meantime, RPU commissioners have suggested (and this writer agrees) that the City should suspend collecting even more money. Other states already are cutting similar funds to help customers with high utility bills, and you deserve a similar break. The City and RPU offer many subsidies providing assistance to low-income residents and these programs are important. Immediately suspending the GFT and PBF, however, would help all ratepayers equally and would not affect these other programs. With the June 2, 2026, election looming, it's a good time to ask candidates and current councilmembers whether they support ideas that would make the lives of all more affordable. Malissa McKeith is a water rights attorney and president of CURE, a local nonprofit [curegroup.org](http://www.curegroup.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). She served on the past two Charter Commissions and chaired the subcommittee evaluating options for the GFT and the Inspector General. --- **Editor's notes:** - **General Fund Transfer (GFT):** A fee the City of Riverside charges Riverside Public Utilities customers on their water and electricity bills, transferring a percentage of utility revenue into the City's general fund. The City Charter permits a GFT of up to 11.5 percent. - **Public Benefit Fund (PBF):** A surcharge collected by Riverside Public Utilities under a California mandate established by Assembly Bill 1890 (1996). The funds are designated for energy efficiency programs, renewable energy and low-income customer assistance — and by law cannot be refunded to ratepayers. - **CURE:** Citizens United for Resources and the Environment, a Riverside-based nonprofit that has advocated for ratepayer interests in City utility proceedings. ### City Names Nathan Mustafa as Its New Public Works Director URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-names-nathan-mustafa-as-its-new-public-works-director/ Last updated: 2026-05-20T23:15:48.000Z 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." ### 🗞️ Riverside News- May 19, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-may-19-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:49.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/IMG_2510.jpeg) Dressed for the occasion, Ian Wright of Museum of Riverside poses in front of the Heritage House, decked out in patriotic bunting and a "250" anniversary flag for the ice cream social. (Hal Myers) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Tuesday Gazette: May 19, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Tuesday!** Today is Celebrate Your Elected Officials Day, a moment to acknowledge the people who show up for the work of local governance. Not every vote goes the way you'd like. Not every decision lands perfectly. But city council members, school board trustees, water board directors, and the rest of the elected roster do take on something most of us don't: public accountability for decisions that affect real neighbors. If there's someone in local office who's done right by your community lately, today's a decent excuse to say so. See you tomorrow! P.S. Got old photos of Riverside gathering dust? We'd love to see them. If you have a favorite snapshot of the city and the story behind it, [send it our way](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com)! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260519)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260519&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Six Months In, the Public Comment Debate Is Still About Whether Speaking Changes Anything Councilmembers say the October rules update keeps meetings moving. Critics say it manages dissent rather than addresses it. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-26-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/six-months-in-the-public-comment-debate-is-still-about-whether-speaking-changes-anything/) A speaker addresses the City Council during public comment as a timer counts down above the dais. (File photo/Raincross Gazette) Six months after Riverside tightened its meeting rules, residents and officials still disagree on what public comment is actually for. **Why it matters:** If you've spoken at City Council — or tried to — the rules governing your three minutes have changed, and critics say the real issue isn't time limits, it's whether anyone's listening. **The backstory:** In October, Council unanimously updated its Rules of Procedure, giving the mayor unilateral authority to cut speaker time from three to two minutes when agendas run long. A six-month review period was added after resident pushback. **Driving the news:** Mayor Lock Dawson has used the new authority once — on April 7, capping the general public comment period at 45 minutes. The two-minute limit was triggered once before that, on Oct. 14, when 76 speakers were present. **What they're saying:** The divide breaks down predictably. - Ward 1 Councilmember Philip Falcone: "Our city council meetings are not community forums. They are business meetings held in public." - Former Board of Ethics chair Keith Nelson: "Don't change public comment. Change the way you govern, so there's less public comment." **Between the lines:** The real friction isn't procedural — it's whether residents believe speaking changes anything. Former resident Elizabeth Ayala put it plainly: "Responsive to who? Interested in what vision for Riverside?" **What's next:** The six-month review period is now complete. No council action on further changes has been announced. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/six-months-in-the-public-comment-debate-is-still-about-whether-speaking-changes-anything/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260519) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260519&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [EVENTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/events/) ## Stonewall Lives: Riverside's Inland Empire Pride Returns for Its Fourth Annual Festival 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. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/1-15.jpg)](https://raincrossgazette.com/stonewall-lives-riversides-inland-empire-pride-returns-for-its-fourth-annual-festival/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) A rainbow-striped inflatable heart installation on the lawn at White Park welcomes attendees to a previous Riverside's Inland Empire Pride festival. (Riverside LGBTQ+ Pride Inc) Four years after launching with 50 people, Riverside's Inland Empire Pride Festival returns Saturday expecting more than 5,000 attendees. **Why it matters:** The free festival transforms White Park into a celebration for Riverside's LGBTQ+ community — and this year's "Stonewall Lives" theme arrives amid what organizers call intensifying national attacks on LGBTQ+ rights. **Driving the news:** This year's lineup includes 120+ vendors, a Youth Zone, workshops, ASL interpretation, and performances from rapper HYM and pop singer Troy Kristoffer — a former Riverside Pride board member performing at the festival for the first time. **What they're saying:** "In a time where our community keeps getting attacked especially our trans siblings, we're creating a safe space where we can all be celebrated," said president David Giron. **The big picture:** The festival is free because of local sponsorships — with Truevolution as presenting sponsor — and community donations. Giron said the choice of White Park, Riverside's first public park, was deliberate. - "It's telling the community that LGBTQ+ folks are here and a part of Riverside history," he said. **What's next:** Saturday, May 30, noon–9 p.m. at White Park, 3936 Chestnut St., Downtown. Free admission; RSVP at [riversideprideie.org](https://www.riversideprideie.org/event/festival26/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). [Read and share the complete story...](https://raincrossgazette.com/stonewall-lives-riversides-inland-empire-pride-returns-for-its-fourth-annual-festival/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260519)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260519&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Deaf Commission Rejects Proposal for City Deaf and Disability Office, Citing Scope and Timing The Commission of the Deaf voted unanimously against forwarding a letter to the City Council requesting a new Office of Deaf and Disability Support. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-27-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/deaf-commission-rejects-proposal-for-city-deaf-and-disability-office-citing-scope-and-timing/) Riverside's Commission of the Deaf voted unanimously against sending City Council a letter urging the creation of an Office of Deaf and Disability Support, saying the proposal was premature, too broad, and came too late in the budget cycle. **Why it matters:** The vote delays any formal push for a new city office aimed at serving deaf and disabled residents — at least for this fiscal year. **Driving the news:** Commissioners reviewed a memo at their May 13 meeting asking them to endorse the office for the 2026–27 budget year, stemming from an April 8 letter submitted jointly with the Commission on Disabilities. **Yes, but:** Commissioners said they saw merit in parts of the proposal — just not the process. - Commissioner Mike Anderson said the letter represented "an individual approach" rather than the broader deaf community, and that many concerns had already been raised directly with the city manager. **The backstory:** The proposal also ran into a practical wall — Commissioner Rene Goldman noted it arrived too late in the budget cycle to be actionable for the coming fiscal year, and suggested prioritizing a separate deaf cultural center concept first. **What's next:** The commission meets May 20 with a city committee to discuss renaming itself from "Commission of the Deaf" to "Deaf Commission." Commissioners say they want a more deliberate process before revisiting the office proposal. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/deaf-commission-rejects-proposal-for-city-deaf-and-disability-office-citing-scope-and-timing/) --- ## Noteworthy RCC's [annual Health and Wellness Fair](https://viewpointsonline.org/2026/05/students-mental-health-recognized-at-wellness-fair/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) drew over 700 students to Terracina Drive on May 12, offering yoga therapy, pet therapy, free vaccines, and access to 50–80 care providers in a single event. La Sierra University awarded a [record $1.1 million in scholarships](https://lasierra.edu/article/la-sierra-gives-record-11-million-in-scholarships-during-annual-ceremony/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to nearly 350 students during its annual Endowed Scholarships and Awards Ceremony on April 30, with funds drawn from 147 donor-based and institutional scholarship funds. RCC's [LHSS Club launched a "Resource Gram" initiative](https://www.rcc.edu/about/news/2026-lhss-student-gram-event.html?ref=raincrossgazette.com), partnering with Umoja, Rainbow Engagement Center, La Casa, and other campus programs to distribute information cards connecting students — especially LGBTQ, undocumented, and students of color — with academic, wellness, and community support services. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [City Council](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/city-council/18431185/2026-05-19T12) at Riverside City Hall - [ScotSurplus Public Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/scotsurplus-public-sale/17279943/2026-05-19T11) at ScotSurplus, UCR Corporation Yard - [Amordidas Acompañadas Exhibition Reception](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/amordidas-acompaadas-exhibition-reception/18864678/2026-05-19T17) at Alumni & Visitors Center - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-05-19T19) at The Hideaway ### Tomorrow - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-05-20T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-05-20T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [About Writing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/about-writing/18335813/2026-05-20T10) at Janet Goeske Center - [Riverside Unified Strategic Plan - In-Person Open House](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-unified-strategic-plan-inperson-open-house/18849763/2026-05-20T18) at Riverside Polytechnic High School - [A concert of art songs and arias performed by students of Dr. Ralph Cato](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/a-concert-of-art-songs-and-arias-performed-by-students-of-dr-ralph-cato/17756872/2026-05-20T20) at Arts Building, 166 - [Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/safety-wellness-and-youth-committee/18584291/2026-05-20T13) at Riverside City Hall - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-05-20T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) ## Save the Date - May 22: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-22T07) at Zacatecas Café - May 31: [Oscars, Tonys & Grammys](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oscars-tonys-grammys/18797026/2026-05-31T16) at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($10- $20) - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) - June 3: [Paint. Sip. Spark Kindness](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-sip-spark-kindness/18886391/2026-06-03T18) at HRBC Insurance ($75) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Stonewall Lives: Riverside's Inland Empire Pride Returns for Its Fourth Annual Festival URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/stonewall-lives-riversides-inland-empire-pride-returns-for-its-fourth-annual-festival/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:05:28.000Z Riverside's Inland Empire Pride returns to White Park on Saturday, May 30 for its fourth annual festival, four years after its first gathering drew 50 people. Organizers are expecting more than 5,000 attendees. David Giron, the organization's president, told The Raincross Gazette about the growth. "Our first event was a picnic in June of 2021 with a small but mighty attendance of 50 individuals that were seeking community," he said. "In 2022 we took a big leap of faith and put in countless hours of planning to host our inaugural PRIDE festival with \[more than 1,000\] attendees and every year since attendance has been increasing." The festival is free to attend. Giron said community sponsorships make it possible. "Thanks to all of our local community partners that sponsor our festival we can make it happen, for example [Truevolution](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/inland-empire-lgbtq-center-opens-in-riverside/) being our presenting sponsor this year," he said. "And of course the small donations we receive from our community members — every dollar counts and it's because we come together that we can continue to make this happen." Giron said this year's theme, Stonewall Lives, took shape in response to the national debate around LGBTQ+ rights. "Our fight has not stopped and we must continue to show up and fight for all of our rights," he said. "In a time where our community keeps getting attacked especially our trans siblings, we're creating a safe space, where we can all be celebrated and connect with one another. Everyone is still showing up in full force — our volunteers, performers, organizations and community partners." The choice of White Park, the city's first public park, was also deliberate. "For us to host PRIDE in a place that has so much history and centrally located in downtown means a lot," Giron said. "It's telling the community that LGBTQ+ folks are here and a part of Riverside history." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/3-5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/2-13.jpg) From left: Performers and young attendees share the stage, Four attendees laugh and pose together at the Get Lit Books vendor booth during a previous Riverside's Inland Empire Pride festival. (Riverside LGBTQ+ Pride Inc) The 2026 program includes more than 120 vendors, a Youth Zone, workshops and ASL interpretation. On the entertainment side, Giron pointed to rapper HYM as a highlight. "We have an amazing lineup for entertainment — singers from all backgrounds, trans performers, drag queens, an amazing Black queer rapper HYM that I absolutely love," he said. "He brings such an amazing show that no one will want to miss." Also on the bill is Troy Kristoffer, a pop singer who served on the Riverside LGBTQ+ Pride board of directors as marketing director from 2021 to 2024 before leaving the board to pursue music full time. "I've always wanted to perform for Riverside Pride, but I was giving everything I had to the organization so I wasn't able to," Kristoffer said. "There will be set pieces, dancers and bangers. We're including crowd-pleasing covers and my own songs. It's going to be a party." **More information:* Riverside's Inland Empire Pride Festival takes place Saturday, May 30, 2026, from noon to 9 p.m. at White Park, 3936 Chestnut St., in Downtown Riverside. Admission is free; RSVP for tickets at* [*riversideprideie.org*](https://www.riversideprideie.org/event/festival26/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### Deaf Commission Rejects Proposal for City Deaf and Disability Office, Citing Scope and Timing URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/deaf-commission-rejects-proposal-for-city-deaf-and-disability-office-citing-scope-and-timing/ Last updated: 2026-05-20T12:00:33.000Z Riverside's Commission of the Deaf voted against sending a letter urging the city to establish an Office of Deaf and Disability Support after commissioners said the proposal was too broad, too close to the end of the budget cycle and not representative of the broader deaf community. The discussion came during the commission's May 13 meeting, where members reviewed a [memorandum](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15451474&GUID=86FBBFAD-321A-4ADF-B316-7F9AC4AA1E0C&ref=raincrossgazette.com) asking them to consider creating the office for fiscal year 2026–27. The idea was formally raised in an April 8 [letter](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15451473&GUID=C082D983-0F2D-4AB6-AC6C-CC1A002F94E4&ref=raincrossgazette.com) submitted by the commission in coordination with the Commission on Disabilities. Commissioners said they liked parts of the concept but wanted a more deliberate process. Commissioner Tinka Friend said the proposal letter was "very long and lengthy," making it hard to evaluate quickly—but added, "I thought there was a lot of good ideas in here that I thought this body could look at in depth and see if we wanted to incorporate some of this or ask our city to incorporate some of this." Commissioner Mike Anderson said the city had already discussed similar concerns with staff and that the proposal raised questions about process and representation. "We already had a meeting with the city manager last week or two weeks ago," he said. "So most of this has already, from our concerns that have been brought up, we've already brought it to their table." Anderson also said he's concerned the letter was brought with "not a very appropriate approach or process." "It's not representing the deaf community and it's more of an individual approach," he said. "And I did have a good discussion with the disability group and they have concerns and so we have reason to believe that we should vote against it." Human Resources Director Rene Goldman also said the request came too late to be practical for the coming budget year. "From a budgetary standpoint, I would recommend prioritizing which of those two are more important and leading with one of those efforts first," she said, referring to a separate idea for a deaf cultural center. The commissioners voted unanimously not to send the letter to the City Council at this time. The meeting also touched on the commission's broader outreach efforts, including an upcoming presentation for the National Association of the Deaf conference and a separate city committee meeting set for May 20 about a possible name change from "Commission of the Deaf" to "Deaf Commission." ### Six Months In, the Public Comment Debate Is Still About Whether Speaking Changes Anything URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/six-months-in-the-public-comment-debate-is-still-about-whether-speaking-changes-anything/ Last updated: 2026-05-20T11:59:38.000Z About six months after the City Council adopted stricter meeting rules, the debate over public comment still turns on two competing ideas: what residents expect their remarks to accomplish and what state law allows councilmembers to do in response. On Oct. 22, [the council unanimously approved the first update to its Rules of Procedure in two years](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-adopts-stricter-meeting-rules-despite-public-concern-on-comment-limits/) – giving the mayor or mayor pro tempore unilateral authority to cut public comment time from three minutes to two minutes when agendas run long or speaker lists grow. The changes also imposed a 15-minute debate limit on councilmembers, adjusted the summer meeting schedule – but the council added a six-month review period after resident pushback. Ward 1 Councilmember Philip Falcone said the council was trying to keep meetings efficient without shutting residents out. "Our city council meetings are not public meetings. They're not community forums," he said. "They are business meetings held in public." Falcone said shortening public comment on crowded agendas from three minutes to two minutes has been used sparingly since the change took effect – and only to avoid turning away large numbers of speakers. "Instead of saying, you know, there's 60 of you here, sorry, we're only taking 10 \[speakers\]," he said, "we'll take everybody, but we're going to shorten it from three minutes to two minutes." City Clerk Donesia Gause told the Gazette that on Oct. 14 the council took action to reduce individual speaker time from three minutes to two minutes, during which time a total of 76 public comments were received. Since the new rules were updated, Gause said, Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson has only curtailed the public comment portion of the meeting on one occasion – April 7, reducing the oral communication period for general public comment to 45 minutes. Falcone said the city wants public participation, but the local government has to work within limits. The Brown Act bars councilmembers from engaging in open-ended debate during public comment, but it does not require total silence. Falcone also said the Brown Act does not allow the back-and-forth some residents seem to want – though councilmembers can refer matters to staff, ask to agendize the topic for a future meeting, ask a clarifying question or give a brief response in some cases. "I think that it's incumbent on residents to be informed over what the city council can and cannot do and how our meetings operate and how we can have effective communication in a business meeting that just happens to be open to the public," he said. Keith Nelson, a former Riverside Board of Ethics chair, said the council is trying to solve the wrong problem. "My attitude to the council was, don't change public comment. Change the way you govern, so there's less public comment," he said. "I think it's an avoidance scheme, and I don't think it's going very well." Nelson said the council's behavior discourages trust rather than building it, especially when residents raise concerns about [Measure Z spending](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/measure-z-explained-the-sales-tax-increase-on-riversides-june-ballot/), homelessness or oversight. Nelson also pushed back on the idea that council meetings are just business sessions. "They are our employees," he said of elected officials. "We didn't elect a king." He argued that public comment exists because residents are not being adequately heard in other parts of the process, and said councilmembers should welcome criticism rather than treat it as a burden. Elizabeth Ayala, a former Riverside resident who now lives in Highgrove, said city hall can be responsive in administrative ways without being responsive in a larger civic sense. "I think Riverside government and council is responsive in customer service ways, \[and I\] commend them for [keeping the Zoom option at city council](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-considers-ending-remote-public-comment-option/)," she said. But she added, "So responsive to who? Interested in what vision for Riverside?" Ayala said she believes the current council is less concerned with working-class households than with interests that fit a more upscale vision for the city. That divide gets to the heart of the frustration many residents describe: not just whether they are allowed to speak, but whether speaking changes anything. "I think that it's a two-way street," Falcone said, arguing that residents should understand the limits of local authority while city officials work to communicate more clearly. For officials, the revised rules preserve access while keeping meetings moving. For some critics, they still feel like a way to manage dissent instead of listening to it. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- May 18, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-may-1-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:50.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-25-1.jpg) A reader's Orange Blossom Blonde Ale growler from Riverside Brewing Co. rests on rain-dampened pavement, a small relic from the house where their family grew up. Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Monday Gazette: May 18, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday!** Still thinking about yesterday's ask: we want your old photos. Not just the photos, though. We want the story that goes with them. A birthday at Castle Park when you were a kid. A Saturday at the bowling alley with your league. A parade route you lined up for every single year. Whatever memory you've got sitting in a drawer or a shoebox, we want to hear it. Share your photo and your memory [right here](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com). See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260518)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260518&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## This Week in City Hall: May 18, 2026 City boards and commissions take up pallet yard zoning, parks budget cuts, housing conversions, and historic preservation at a busy week of civic meetings. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-15-at-2.57.58---PM-1.png)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-may-18-2026/) Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### City Council City Council will meet in closed and open sessions on Tuesday, May 19, at 12 p.m. at Hunter Hobby Park for a luncheon and tour by Riverside Live Steamers, and in afternoon sessions at 3 p.m. and an evening session at 6:15 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1409614&GUID=4ED9EBCC-815B-4CE2-BB6C-7FD8334F2483&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). The agenda includes: - Consider an urgency [ordinance](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=6824316d-4b62-45ee-a6c7-91641d97c42f.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that would immediately halt new or expanded wooden pallet storage yards in Riverside for 45 days while the city develops permanent zoning rules for such businesses. ([item 7](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5330-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fd38a9f2b670c49000545f-7-adopt-an-urgency-ordinance-establishing-a-45-da?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Scheduling a public hearing on June 23 to consider [proposed City service fee increases](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=9d686a49-a8de-45da-b73b-32238b4e39f8.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for 2026-27 and a City rule change that would allow future fees to rise automatically each year tied to inflation. ([item 8](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5330-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fd38a9f2b670c490005460-8-proposed-fiscal-year-2026-28-master-fees-and-ch?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Scheduling a public hearing on June 23 to discuss the City's [proposed two-year budget](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=e92dc946-456d-4c06-aa82-5d03f98c00b6.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for 2026-28, which includes measures described as addressing a projected deficit, alongside a spending plan for Measure Z sales tax funds. ([item 9](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5330-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fd38a9f2b670c490005461-9-proposed-fiscal-year-2026-2028-biennial-budget?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Discussing the recruitment of a city attorney ([item 17a](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5330-revised-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a079ad47d796581bb0029da-17a-pursuant-to-government-code-ss54957-for-recrui?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Evaluating the city manager’s performance in a closed session ([item 17b](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5330-revised-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a079ad47d796581bb0029db-17b-pursuant-to-government-code-ss54957-for-perfor?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Considering a new [City rule](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=0b5d6df3-d61d-4020-b43f-87643fa4cb21.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) requiring reporting when people experiencing homelessness are transported. ([item 31](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5330-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fd38a9f2b670c490005482-31-introduce-an-ordinance-amending-title-9-of-the?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Approving the final [subdivision map](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=edb03566-b39b-4f5f-8455-939ef08ef9cb.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for a 49-home development at Victoria and La Sierra Avenues, including three units designated affordable for very low-income households. ([item 35](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5330-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fd38aaf2b670c490005488-35-final-tract-map-38921-matthew-esquivel-of-w?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Authorizing a $14 million federal grant application for citywide [traffic safety infrastructure improvements](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=952dd661-d808-4ee9-ab59-b1c6230cd05e.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that would require $2.8 million in City matching funds. ([item 36](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5330-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fd38aaf2b670c490005489-36-submit-fiscal-year-2026-safe-streets-and-roads?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Considering an [agreement](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=ccfc6ccb-c8b5-4d34-aa6f-c8ba32f3512d.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) with Lamar Central Outdoor, LLC to relocate 10 billboards in exchange for $2.5 million and a share of future advertising revenue paid to the City. ([item 39](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5330-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fd38aaf2b670c49000548d-39-approve-agreement-with-lamar-central-outdoor?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Commission on Aging The Commission on Aging meets on Monday, May 18 at 4:00 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1408084&GUID=C913F3F8-E16D-49AD-9FC4-95FD901FBF17&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to receive a [presentation](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=97eec76d-b4bd-4be3-8d9d-2afbb54f4b9f.pptx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) from the Riverside Police Department on the Blue Envelope Program — a voluntary tool that allows drivers with developmental disabilities or other cognitive conditions to communicate their needs to officers during traffic stops by presenting a specially marked envelope containing their documents and medical information. ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5341-commission-on-aging-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a049d0cf2b6703368003e52-2-blue-envelope-program-enhancing-communication?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Park and Recreation Commission The Park and Recreation Commission meets on Monday, May 18 at 6:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1398046&GUID=D5BBDC9E-6583-4261-B762-3EB968818E8B&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review [two-year departmental budget](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=778fb90f-51eb-4dae-8bf2-e6428e2faace.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that includes roughly $2.7 million in cuts affecting recreation programs, arts events, security at community centers and park maintenance. ([item 4](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5342-park-and-recreation-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a04eac0f395e7d62c000595-4-park-recreation-and-community-services-budget?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee The Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee (Councilmembers Perry, Conder, and Mill) meets on Wednesday, May 20, at 1:00 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1407579&GUID=6B038C87-B30C-4C84-9925-1782CFB9DE59&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review updates on two public safety items: a [phased plan](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15451164&GUID=8603F2B4-A8EF-471D-B826-117C5305D3B1&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to add 84 firefighters and seven frontline units to increase fire response capacity, ([item 4](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5333-safety-wellness-and-youth-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fe14e1f2b670f5a000135f-4-riverside-fire-department-master-plan-phase-1?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and a [shift](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=620eb9cd-5820-41d3-8227-82fd281ada31.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) in commercial truck enforcement toward joint patrols with the California Highway Patrol that issue state citations carrying license record points rather than city fines. ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5333-safety-wellness-and-youth-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fe14e1f2b670f5a000135e-3-commercial-vehicle-enforcement-program-update?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Cultural Heritage Board The Cultural Heritage Board meets on Wednesday, May 20, at 3:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1415457&GUID=F665823C-38C9-4812-8C31-E22291E84A9B&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review rehabilitation plans for two historic Riverside properties — the [Harada House National Historic Landmark](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=63c57253-d99c-40cc-bb0d-55d0ef663d65.pptx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on Lemon Street ([item 6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5340-cultural-heritage-board-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a03b7024425388bcd0009b2-6-proposal-by-robyn-peterson-museum-of-riverside?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and the [1891 Barley Mills Building](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=849cbeaf-5695-4643-ba36-571220092262.pptx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on Commerce Street ([item 5](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5340-cultural-heritage-board-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a03b7024425388bcd0009b1-5-proposal-by-darrin-olson-of-iron-lofts-llc-to?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) — as part of separate Certificate of Appropriateness requests before the board. ### Planning Commission The Planning Commission meets on Thursday, May 21, at 9:00 a.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1399048&GUID=2EC7838E-BED3-409A-9D81-41D0F0C8C12A&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review a [mixed-use development proposal](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=b5711a2d-fa03-4bd0-812c-3b7022a535ba.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for the Eastside neighborhood ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5337-planning-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fe6ac3f395e7dacd005786-2-planning-case-pr-2023-001469-gpa-rz-spa-tm?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), a [new rule](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=531746a7-0e17-45aa-825f-f98d250cc378.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that would allow vacant commercial buildings to be converted to housing ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5337-planning-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fe6ac3f395e7dacd005787-3-planning-case-pc-2026-00408-proposal-by-the-c?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and a progress update on the [Riverside 2050 General Plan and Climate Action and Adaptation Plan](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=5f9e527d-edef-48f1-a08f-f008456ba754.pdf&From=Granicus&Format=pdf&ref=raincrossgazette.com). ([item 6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5337-planning-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fe6ac4f395e7dacd00578d-6-riverside-2050-general-plan-update-and-climate?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Economic Development Committee The Economic Development Committee (Councilmembers Robillard, Cervantes, and Hemenway) meets on Thursday, May 21, at 3:00 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1410496&GUID=AF74A919-50B4-44BB-A19D-DB0D523170AE&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review [staff funding recommendations](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=e8132322-d36e-448d-8bc4-47eb66fb8784.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for the City's Arts and Cultural Affairs Sponsorship Program, which proposes distributing $158,214 among applicants for the July-December 2026 period ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5335-economic-development-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fe5404f395e7dacd004f46-2-fiscal-year-2026-2027-city-sponsorship-program?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and receive a [report](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15452711&GUID=9FD11A2C-E14D-410A-9305-26AB2D2C8E88&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on City-sponsored activities during National Small Business Week — including workshops on business funding, a local business spotlight, and a Riverside Rewards shopping promotion at participating businesses. ([item 6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5335-economic-development-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fe5404f395e7dacd004f4b-6-national-small-business-week-may-3-9-2026-h?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-may-18-2026/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260518) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600518&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GARDNER GAUGE](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/gardner-gauge/) ## Opinion: Colorado River Supply, The Continuing Saga Reservoirs are falling, deadlines have passed, and the clock is running out on a deal to keep the Colorado River alive. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/opinion_banner-mike_gardner-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-colorado-river-supply-the-continuing-saga/) 2026 has been another bad year for runoff in the Colorado River basin. Already depleted reservoirs are losing water rather than filling from spring runoff. Flow into Lake Powell is running less than half of average. The water level in Lake Powell has fallen to about 20 feet above dead pool, the level at which water can no longer reach the hydroelectric generators. To help counter this the US Bureau of Reclamation, which operates the Colorado River, recently ordered release of up to a million acre feet of water from Flaming Gorge Reservoir on the Utah-Wyoming border into Lake Powell. The Bureau also ordered a reduction in water release from Lake Powell to Lake Mead of almost half a million acre feet. The hope is that the electricity generators at Lake Powell can continue to operate until next season's runoff begins. For several years the various Colorado River parties have been trying to reach agreement on a reduction of Colorado River diversions. The states of Arizona, California, and Nevada (the lower basin states), Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming (the upper basin states) along with the Country of Mexico and twenty some Native American Tribal Nations continue to meet and discuss a potential agreement to reduce annual diversion of up to four million acre feet of Colorado River water because flow in the river has declined from earlier predictions and there is simply not enough water for everyone to take as much as they believe they have rights to. These negotiations have been ongoing, but two deadlines for submitting a proposed agreement to the US Bureau of Reclamation have passed. The most recent of these was this past Valentine's Day. The Bureau of Reclamation has the authority to mandate allocations. Earlier this year the Bureau released a draft environmental impact statement with a preferred alternative that would require California, Arizona and Nevada to reduce up to 3 million acre feet annually, and potentially no specific cuts to the upper basin states. There are reports the Bureau intends to mandate these cuts very soon to replace a 20-year agreement among the parties that expires September 30 of this year. However the Bureau itself has not released a proposed plan and indicates it is continuing to work with the parties. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-colorado-river-supply-the-continuing-saga/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260518)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260518&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## 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. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-24-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-approves-2-28m-city-hall-lobby-overhaul-moving-clerks-office-to-main-floor/) Riverside City Council approved a $2.28 million renovation of the City Hall lobby Tuesday — its first overhaul since 2008 — bringing the City Clerk's Office to the main floor and adding a grab-and-go food area. **Why it matters:** If you visit City Hall for elections, passport services, or other clerk business, you'll find those services on the ground floor instead of deeper in the building — and construction begins under a 301-day contract. **What's included:** - City Clerk's Office relocated to main floor - Grab-and-go food service area - Concierge desk moved closer to elevators - New furniture and lighting - A planned multi-purpose room is deferred due to funding limits **By the numbers:** The $1.98 million construction contract goes to Cal-City Construction Inc. of Cerritos, with $297,414 in change-order authority. The city draws $1.73 million from General Fund infrastructure reserves, plus $550,000 shifted from other accounts — including $250,000 from Measure Z. **Yes, but:** The Measure Z funding draw comes as voters face a June 2 ballot measure asking whether to raise the tax from 1% to 1.25% and extend it indefinitely. Some critics say Measure Z revenue has already gone beyond its original public safety mandate. Ward 4 candidate Jessica Qattawi questioned the renovation's priority over road repairs at the Gazette's April 29 forum; incumbent Chuck Conder countered that core services remain funded. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-approves-2-28m-city-hall-lobby-overhaul-moving-clerks-office-to-main-floor/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [Monday Carillon Recitals](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/monday-carillon-recitals/17079871/2026-05-18T12) at UCR Bell Tower ### Tomorrow - [City Council](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/city-council/18431185/2026-05-19T12) at Riverside City Hall - [ScotSurplus Public Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/scotsurplus-public-sale/17279943/2026-05-19T11) at ScotSurplus, UCR Corporation Yard - [Amordidas Acompañadas Exhibition Reception](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/amordidas-acompaadas-exhibition-reception/18864678/2026-05-19T17) at Alumni & Visitors Center - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-05-19T19) at The Hideaway ### Save the Date - May 22: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-22T07)at Zacatecas Café - May 31: [Oscars, Tonys & Grammys](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oscars-tonys-grammys/18797026/2026-05-31T16) at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($10- $20) - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) - June 3: [Paint. Sip. Spark Kindness](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-sip-spark-kindness/18886391/2026-06-03T18) at HRBC Insurance ($75) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### This Week in City Hall: May 18, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-may-18-2026/ Last updated: 2026-05-19T23:15:16.000Z Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### City Council City Council will meet in closed and open sessions on Tuesday, May 19, at 12 p.m. at Hunter Hobby Park for a luncheon and tour by Riverside Live Steamers, and in afternoon sessions at 3 p.m. and an evening session at 6:15 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1409614&GUID=4ED9EBCC-815B-4CE2-BB6C-7FD8334F2483&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). The agenda includes: - Consider an urgency [ordinance](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=6824316d-4b62-45ee-a6c7-91641d97c42f.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that would immediately halt new or expanded wooden pallet storage yards in Riverside for 45 days while the city develops permanent zoning rules for such businesses. ([item 7](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5330-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fd38a9f2b670c49000545f-7-adopt-an-urgency-ordinance-establishing-a-45-da?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Scheduling a public hearing on June 23 to consider [proposed City service fee increases](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=9d686a49-a8de-45da-b73b-32238b4e39f8.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for 2026-27 and a City rule change that would allow future fees to rise automatically each year tied to inflation. ([item 8](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5330-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fd38a9f2b670c490005460-8-proposed-fiscal-year-2026-28-master-fees-and-ch?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Scheduling a public hearing on June 23 to discuss the City's [proposed two-year budget](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=e92dc946-456d-4c06-aa82-5d03f98c00b6.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for 2026-28, which includes measures described as addressing a projected deficit, alongside a spending plan for Measure Z sales tax funds. ([item 9](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5330-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fd38a9f2b670c490005461-9-proposed-fiscal-year-2026-2028-biennial-budget?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Discussing the recruitment of a city attorney ([item 17a](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5330-revised-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a079ad47d796581bb0029da-17a-pursuant-to-government-code-ss54957-for-recrui?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Evaluating the city manager’s performance in a closed session ([item 17b](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5330-revised-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a079ad47d796581bb0029db-17b-pursuant-to-government-code-ss54957-for-perfor?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Considering a new [City rule](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=0b5d6df3-d61d-4020-b43f-87643fa4cb21.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) requiring reporting when people experiencing homelessness are transported. ([item 31](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5330-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fd38a9f2b670c490005482-31-introduce-an-ordinance-amending-title-9-of-the?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Approving the final [subdivision map](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=edb03566-b39b-4f5f-8455-939ef08ef9cb.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for a 49-home development at Victoria and La Sierra Avenues, including three units designated affordable for very low-income households. ([item 35](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5330-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fd38aaf2b670c490005488-35-final-tract-map-38921-matthew-esquivel-of-w?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Authorizing a $14 million federal grant application for citywide [traffic safety infrastructure improvements](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=952dd661-d808-4ee9-ab59-b1c6230cd05e.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that would require $2.8 million in City matching funds. ([item 36](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5330-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fd38aaf2b670c490005489-36-submit-fiscal-year-2026-safe-streets-and-roads?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Considering an [agreement](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=ccfc6ccb-c8b5-4d34-aa6f-c8ba32f3512d.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) with Lamar Central Outdoor, LLC to relocate 10 billboards in exchange for $2.5 million and a share of future advertising revenue paid to the City. ([item 39](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5330-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fd38aaf2b670c49000548d-39-approve-agreement-with-lamar-central-outdoor?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Commission on Aging The Commission on Aging meets on Monday, May 18 at 4:00 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1408084&GUID=C913F3F8-E16D-49AD-9FC4-95FD901FBF17&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to receive a [presentation](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=97eec76d-b4bd-4be3-8d9d-2afbb54f4b9f.pptx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) from the Riverside Police Department on the Blue Envelope Program — a voluntary tool that allows drivers with developmental disabilities or other cognitive conditions to communicate their needs to officers during traffic stops by presenting a specially marked envelope containing their documents and medical information. ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5341-commission-on-aging-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a049d0cf2b6703368003e52-2-blue-envelope-program-enhancing-communication?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Park and Recreation Commission The Park and Recreation Commission meets on Monday, May 18 at 6:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1398046&GUID=D5BBDC9E-6583-4261-B762-3EB968818E8B&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review [two-year departmental budget](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=778fb90f-51eb-4dae-8bf2-e6428e2faace.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that includes roughly $2.7 million in cuts affecting recreation programs, arts events, security at community centers and park maintenance. ([item 4](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5342-park-and-recreation-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a04eac0f395e7d62c000595-4-park-recreation-and-community-services-budget?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee The Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee (Councilmembers Perry, Conder, and Mill) meets on Wednesday, May 20, at 1:00 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1407579&GUID=6B038C87-B30C-4C84-9925-1782CFB9DE59&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review updates on two public safety items: a [phased plan](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15451164&GUID=8603F2B4-A8EF-471D-B826-117C5305D3B1&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to add 84 firefighters and seven frontline units to increase fire response capacity, ([item 4](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5333-safety-wellness-and-youth-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fe14e1f2b670f5a000135f-4-riverside-fire-department-master-plan-phase-1?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and a [shift](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=620eb9cd-5820-41d3-8227-82fd281ada31.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) in commercial truck enforcement toward joint patrols with the California Highway Patrol that issue state citations carrying license record points rather than city fines. ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5333-safety-wellness-and-youth-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fe14e1f2b670f5a000135e-3-commercial-vehicle-enforcement-program-update?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Cultural Heritage Board The Cultural Heritage Board meets on Wednesday, May 20, at 3:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1415457&GUID=F665823C-38C9-4812-8C31-E22291E84A9B&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review rehabilitation plans for two historic Riverside properties — the [Harada House National Historic Landmark](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=63c57253-d99c-40cc-bb0d-55d0ef663d65.pptx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on Lemon Street ([item 6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5340-cultural-heritage-board-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a03b7024425388bcd0009b2-6-proposal-by-robyn-peterson-museum-of-riverside?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and the [1891 Barley Mills Building](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=849cbeaf-5695-4643-ba36-571220092262.pptx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on Commerce Street ([item 5](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5340-cultural-heritage-board-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/6a03b7024425388bcd0009b1-5-proposal-by-darrin-olson-of-iron-lofts-llc-to?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) — as part of separate Certificate of Appropriateness requests before the board. ### Planning Commission The Planning Commission meets on Thursday, May 21, at 9:00 a.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1399048&GUID=2EC7838E-BED3-409A-9D81-41D0F0C8C12A&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review a [mixed-use development proposal](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=b5711a2d-fa03-4bd0-812c-3b7022a535ba.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for the Eastside neighborhood ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5337-planning-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fe6ac3f395e7dacd005786-2-planning-case-pr-2023-001469-gpa-rz-spa-tm?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), a [new rule](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=531746a7-0e17-45aa-825f-f98d250cc378.docx&From=Granicus&Format=docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that would allow vacant commercial buildings to be converted to housing ([item 3](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5337-planning-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fe6ac3f395e7dacd005787-3-planning-case-pc-2026-00408-proposal-by-the-c?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and a progress update on the [Riverside 2050 General Plan and Climate Action and Adaptation Plan](https://riversideca.legistar1.com/daystar.legistar6.sdk.ws/View.ashx?M=F&GovernmentGUID=RIVE&LogicalFileName=5f9e527d-edef-48f1-a08f-f008456ba754.pdf&From=Granicus&Format=pdf&ref=raincrossgazette.com). ([item 6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5337-planning-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fe6ac4f395e7dacd00578d-6-riverside-2050-general-plan-update-and-climate?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Economic Development Committee The Economic Development Committee (Councilmembers Robillard, Cervantes, and Hemenway) meets on Thursday, May 21, at 3:00 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1410496&GUID=AF74A919-50B4-44BB-A19D-DB0D523170AE&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review [staff funding recommendations](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=e8132322-d36e-448d-8bc4-47eb66fb8784.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for the City's Arts and Cultural Affairs Sponsorship Program, which proposes distributing $158,214 among applicants for the July-December 2026 period ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5335-economic-development-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fe5404f395e7dacd004f46-2-fiscal-year-2026-2027-city-sponsorship-program?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and receive a [report](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15452711&GUID=9FD11A2C-E14D-410A-9305-26AB2D2C8E88&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on City-sponsored activities during National Small Business Week — including workshops on business funding, a local business spotlight, and a Riverside Rewards shopping promotion at participating businesses. ([item 6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5335-economic-development-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fe5404f395e7dacd004f4b-6-national-small-business-week-may-3-9-2026-h?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Opinion: Colorado River Supply, The Continuing Saga URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-colorado-river-supply-the-continuing-saga/ Last updated: 2026-05-18T11:59:58.000Z 2026 has been another bad year for runoff in the Colorado River basin. Already depleted reservoirs are losing water rather than filling from spring runoff. Flow into Lake Powell is running less than half of average. The water level in Lake Powell has fallen to about 20 feet above dead pool, the level at which water can no longer reach the hydroelectric generators. To help counter this the US Bureau of Reclamation, which operates the Colorado River, recently ordered release of up to a million acre feet of water from Flaming Gorge Reservoir on the Utah-Wyoming border into Lake Powell. The Bureau also ordered a reduction in water release from Lake Powell to Lake Mead of almost half a million acre feet. The hope is that the electricity generators at Lake Powell can continue to operate until next season's runoff begins. For several years the various Colorado River parties have been trying to reach agreement on a reduction of Colorado River diversions. The states of Arizona, California, and Nevada (the lower basin states), Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming (the upper basin states) along with the Country of Mexico and twenty some Native American Tribal Nations continue to meet and discuss a potential agreement to reduce annual diversion of up to four million acre feet of Colorado River water because flow in the river has declined from earlier predictions and there is simply not enough water for everyone to take as much as they believe they have rights to. These negotiations have been ongoing, but two deadlines for submitting a proposed agreement to the US Bureau of Reclamation have passed. The most recent of these was this past Valentine's Day. The Bureau of Reclamation has the authority to mandate allocations. Earlier this year the Bureau released a draft environmental impact statement with a preferred alternative that would require California, Arizona and Nevada to reduce up to 3 million acre feet annually, and potentially no specific cuts to the upper basin states. There are reports the Bureau intends to mandate these cuts very soon to replace a 20-year agreement among the parties that expires September 30 of this year. However the Bureau itself has not released a proposed plan and indicates it is continuing to work with the parties. Almost all parties feel they can negotiate a more equitable allocation, but realize they will have to act quickly. It is likely any unilateral allocation mandated by the Bureau of Reclamation would be challenged in court as there are existing water rights to more water than is available. Litigation would take years and a solution is needed soon or the system of Colorado River dams and reservoirs could cease to function due to lack of water. The tension between the upper and lower basin states is driven by a number of things. A primary issue is the seniority of water rights. California has the most senior rights and the other lower basin states are next, although some Tribal Nations argue their rights precede all others. Another issue is what different parties have already done to reduce their take of Colorado River water. California has reduced close to half a million acre feet and has offered additional cuts. Arizona has offered cuts as well. The other parties have not yet put offers on the table for consideration by the group. Each party would like to retain as much water diversion right as possible with the goal of maintaining the vitality of their constituent agricultural, urban and industrial users. Some, like Utah, point to local problems that affect their ability to conserve and reuse water. The Great Salt Lake has problems similar to California's Salton Sea. Salinity continues to rise and inflow of less salty water is reduced. The Great Salt Lake is five times larger than the Salton Sea, but has only a fraction of the inflow. This makes use of treated wastewater for irrigation difficult because it has a higher salt content and increases salinity in the Great Salt Lake. In general the parties upstream from Lake Powell feel constrained by a lack of storage reservoirs upstream from them — a benefit parties below Lake Mead have. Others counter that too much use above Lake Powell is part of the reason its levels have been so low. Some parties believe bringing in a mediator would be beneficial. Other parties say it is too late for that and that they have to reach agreement amongst themselves very quickly to maintain the Colorado River system. The parties do continue to meet regularly and appear to be cordial to one another. I heard parties recently say, "there are no villains in this." I am hopeful this spirit will continue and that an agreement everyone can accept and not litigate will be reached. It really is critical for all of us who depend on Colorado River water for our lives and livelihoods. Everyone has to give some. Some may be able to give more than others, and it is only fair to recognize what some have already given. A political reality for leaders who will have to sign off on any agreement is that doing the right thing and giving up water your constituents previously had will not be popular. "I just gave up a quarter of your water, vote for me" is not a compelling campaign slogan. Let's hope for cool heads, altruism, a speedy resolution, and better precipitation in the basin next year. ### When Magnolia Avenue Was Riverside's Showcase of Homes URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/when-magnolia-avenue-was-riversides-showcase-of-homes/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:05:30.000Z By 1895, Riverside was considered the wealthiest city per capita in the United States. Most of this wealth came from the growing citrus industry spearheaded by the development of the navel orange. Many of the orange growers built grand homes throughout the city on their citrus acreage. One area where several of these horticulturists were located was near and along the newly laid-out showcase street, Magnolia Avenue. Most of these houses were built away from the street, with trees and shrubs hiding the structures from view. Most of the early photographs and postcards of Magnolia Avenue do not show any of the homes, as they were set back from the street. In the 1893 Riverside Directory, 30 property owners along Magnolia Avenue were listed as horticulturists. Another four were in the citrus packing and shipping industry, and one was an official with the Riverside Water Company. Two more were bankers, handling the capital of these early entrepreneurs. The first settler to build his home on Magnolia Avenue was George Crawford. Crawford arrived in Riverside in 1875 from Ontario, Canada, one of several family members who relocated from Canada. He built his home in the summer of 1876 on his property at 391 Magnolia. His home was described as one of the best in the area and a showplace for visitors. Situated on twenty acres with a thousand orange trees and a smaller number of lemons, the house was set on a spacious lawn with a semi-circular drive between the road and the house. Unfortunately, a fire in the early morning of December 18, 1903, destroyed the house. While the family frantically attempted to rescue possessions and put out the fire, the streetcar along Magnolia Avenue came by. The conductor, motorman, and passengers "turned in and worked like beavers, getting furniture out of the house." The family must have rebuilt, as George Crawford passed away in this home on Magnolia Avenue on June 23, 1909\. In addition to his occupation as a horticulturist, he served for several years as a director of the Riverside Water Company. For health reasons, two related families traveled west from New York City to Riverside in 1878, seeking a warmer climate. In June, James Benedict, his wife and three of their sons arrived in Riverside and stayed at the Miller family's Glenwood Cottage. James purchased 20 acres on Magnolia Avenue between Jefferson and Madison and built his home, which became known as "Casa Grande," at 237 Magnolia Avenue (today 7651, now on the site of Ramona High School). A few months later, Benedict's sister, Mrs. Louise Lockwood, and her son, Henry, arrived, also for health concerns. Mrs. Lockwood bought 160 acres, which extended from Magnolia Avenue to Indiana Avenue and from Washington to Madison. James was twenty-seven years old at that time and planted sixty acres of the property in oranges and a smaller section in olive trees. The Lockwoods built an adobe house on the northeast corner of Magnolia and Madison (190 Magnolia Avenue). The Benedicts returned to New York in 1883, and in 1885, the property was purchased by Mrs. Lucy Gilliland, who managed the house and the citrus groves for the next 30 years. Meanwhile, Mrs. Lockwood, while visiting family in New York in the spring of 1882, died. Her son managed the property until selling it to investors in 1890. In 1899, John J. Hill bought Casa Blanca and the property, and continued as a horticulturist, growing citrus, and as a fruit packer at Casa Blanca Station. In December 1902, Hill shipped ten carloads of oranges. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/2-11.jpg) Postcard of J. J. Hill Residence. (Author's Collection) The man behind the development of the Arlington area through which Magnolia Avenue runs, Samuel C. Evans, Sr., built two homes along the avenue. The first was a two-story adobe built in 1879 just south of Madison Street on the southeast side of Magnolia. In July 1880, he deeded forty acres to each of his four sons. The eldest, John, received the acreage and the original Evans' Riverside house. In 1890, Evans built his second home on the avenue at 147 (later 7253) Magnolia. This grand house was a sixteen-room, two-story house with an attic and a basement. After the death of S. C. Evans, Sr., and his wife, S. C. Evans Jr. and the youngest son, Pliny, continued to live here, before they each built their own homes. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/3-3.jpg) Illustration of the First Evans Home from History of San Bernardino and San Diego Counties ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/4-1.jpg) Photo of the Second Evans' Magnolia Avenue House. (Joan Hall Collection) Adjacent to Casa Grande, Orson T. Johnson purchased twenty acres and built a mansion designed and built by Boggs and Ripley in 1881\. Johnson, along with his brother, Alexander P. Johnson, and other families, moved to Riverside from Galesburg, Illinois, in early 1880\. A.P. Johnson built his mansion on Arlington Avenue, east of Magnolia Avenue. The Johnson brothers invested in citrus property, banking houses, and other business ventures. In 1890, O. T. Johnson reported income of $11,350 from his twenty-two acres of citrus and $3000 from his seven acres of Muscat grapes. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/5-1.jpg) Postcard of the O. T. Johnson Home. (Author's Collection) Arriving in Galesburg a year before the Johnson brothers was Sylvanus H. Ferris. He purchased forty acres on Magnolia Avenue before returning to Galesburg. In 1881, he moved his family to Riverside, settled on his Magnolia property, built his house at 183 Magnolia Avenue in 1883, and planted orange groves that yielded 10,000 boxes annually. S. H. Ferris died at home on Magnolia Avenue on January 22, 1902. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/6-1.jpg) Photo of the S. H. Ferris Home. (Author's Collection) One of the others who arrived from Galesburg with O. T. Johnson was Sylvanus Ferris' father, George Washington Gale Ferris, Sr. G.W. G. Ferris arrived in 1880 and purchased property at the head of Magnolia Avenue (100 Magnolia, today 7000). There, he built a home and planted a citrus grove. George and his wife, Martha, had ten children, one of whom was George W. G. Ferris, Jr., the inventor and builder of the celebrated Ferris Wheel at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. George Sr. lived in his home at the head of Magnolia until his death in 1895\. His son, Benjamin, who arrived in 1894, took over the property's care. Ernest Mouton arrived in Riverside in 1881 and became involved in the packing industry, later served as president of the First National Bank of Riverside. Two years after his arrival, on November 14, 1883, Ernest married Julia Ferris, the daughter of Sylvanus and Sabra Ferris. The couple initially lived with her parents at 183 Magnolia Avenue, but soon built their own home nearby at 175 Magnolia Avenue. George Frost arrived in Riverside in the fall of 1882 from the Midwest. He settled at 406 Magnolia Avenue (8332), where he built an attractive house and planted orange groves. In addition to his horticultural interests, Frost became active in related enterprises. In 1887, he was on the board of the Riverside Water Company, serving as its president for eight years. He was also affiliated with the Riverside Fruit Exchange, the Riverside Electric Street Railway Company, and two banks: Orange Growers' Bank and the First National Bank. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/7.jpg) Cartoon Drawing of George Frost as a Banker from **Who's Who in Riverside*. (Author's Collection) The last two of the early settlers along Magnolia Avenue we are examining are probably the most familiar to Riversiders today: Catherine and Robert Bettner. James and Catherine Bettner first visited Riverside in November 1876\. Returning in 1877 with their family, the couple purchased thirty-eight acres at Indiana and Jefferson and planted citrus trees. James died in 1888\. After deeding the family home to her son, Robert, Catherine bought a lot on Magnolia Avenue (375 Magnolia, now 8193) and built her new home in 1891\. In 1969, the Riverside Municipal Museum (now the Museum of Riverside) purchased the house and restored it as the city's Heritage House. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/8-Heritage-House.jpg) Stereoview Photo of the Heritage House Decorated for Christmas. (Photo by Author) Robert Bettner was twelve years old when he moved to Riverside, where he worked in the citrus industry alongside his father. In 1890, he eloped with Lucy Gilliland, who lived in the nearby Casa Grande house. After a year in New York, the couple returned to Riverside and the family home on Indiana Avenue. In 1892, Robert sold the property on Indiana and Jefferson and built a new home at 325 Magnolia Avenue (now 7995), close to his mother's new home. Robert and Lucy called their home "La Ventanilla," the house of little windows. Robert entered the real estate trade and opened an office in downtown Riverside. This is just a brief overview of some of the grand old houses built along Magnolia Avenue in the last decades of the Nineteenth Century, which helped make the avenue a showcase of Riverside. Only the two Bettner houses and the original Evans adobe home remain today; the rest have been lost. For more details on some of these houses and their occupants, read *Adobes, Bungalows, and Mansions* by Joan Hall and Esther Klotz and *Riverside's Invisible Past* by Joan Hall. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- May 17, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-may-10-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:51.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/IMG_5994.jpeg) Golden hour descends on Riverside as seen from the timber bridge atop Mt. Rubidoux. (Luke López) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Sunday Gazette: May 17, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday!** Do you have old photos tucked away somewhere, the kind that capture a moment you still think about? We'd love to help you dust them off and share them with the community. Whether it's a night out at Spanky's with your best friends, a Festival of Lights photo from decades past, or a snapshot from some corner of Riverside history that only you remember, we want to hear the story behind it. Send us your vintage photos and the memory that goes with them [**right here**](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com). We'll be sharing them with the community in the weeks ahead. See you tomorrow! --- 🧡 Thank you to the Subscribers who became paid supporters this week: Tom Bergen, Helga Forster, Peggy Littleworth, and Heidi Swinehart. [Your ongoing financial support](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-march-15-2026-2/#/portal/account/plans) is vital to our success in serving Riverside with the news it deserves! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260517)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260517&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HISTORY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/history/) ## When Magnolia Avenue Was Riverside's Showcase of Homes The horticulturists and entrepreneurs who settled the boulevard in Riverside's citrus heyday left behind a neighborhood and a legacy. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/1-Casa-Grande-cleaned-up-cropped-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/when-magnolia-avenue-was-riversides-showcase-of-homes/) Casa Grande. (Author's Collection) By 1895, Riverside was considered the wealthiest city per capita in the United States. Most of this wealth came from the growing citrus industry spearheaded by the development of the navel orange. Many of the orange growers built grand homes throughout the city on their citrus acreage. One area where several of these horticulturists were located was near and along the newly laid-out showcase street, Magnolia Avenue. Most of these houses were built away from the street, with trees and shrubs hiding the structures from view. Most of the early photographs and postcards of Magnolia Avenue do not show any of the homes, as they were set back from the street. In the 1893 Riverside Directory, 30 property owners along Magnolia Avenue were listed as horticulturists. Another four were in the citrus packing and shipping industry, and one was an official with the Riverside Water Company. Two more were bankers, handling the capital of these early entrepreneurs. The first settler to build his home on Magnolia Avenue was George Crawford. Crawford arrived in Riverside in 1875 from Ontario, Canada, one of several family members who relocated from Canada. He built his home in the summer of 1876 on his property at 391 Magnolia. His home was described as one of the best in the area and a showplace for visitors. Situated on twenty acres with a thousand orange trees and a smaller number of lemons, the house was set on a spacious lawn with a semi-circular drive between the road and the house. Unfortunately, a fire in the early morning of December 18, 1903, destroyed the house. While the family frantically attempted to rescue possessions and put out the fire, the streetcar along Magnolia Avenue came by. The conductor, motorman, and passengers "turned in and worked like beavers, getting furniture out of the house." The family must have rebuilt, as George Crawford passed away in this home on Magnolia Avenue on June 23, 1909\. In addition to his occupation as a horticulturist, he served for several years as a director of the Riverside Water Company. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/when-magnolia-avenue-was-riversides-showcase-of-homes/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260517)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260517&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [NEIGHBOR OF THE WEEK](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/neighbor-of-the-week/) ## Neighbor of the Week: Darren Conkerite Neighbor of the Week is a series profiling the hidden heroes of Riverside, doing incredible works of service throughout our different neighborhoods. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/Darren-Conkerite--A-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-darren-conkerite/) Darren Conkerite at the counter of Back to the Grind, the beloved University Avenue coffee house he co-founded in 1996\. (Brenda Flowers) Darren Conkerite has spent nearly three decades building something that Riverside didn't know it needed until he opened the doors. A Riverside City College alum who later earned a business degree from Cal State San Bernardino, Darren spent nearly a decade working for the Golden Cheese Company in Corona before a different kind of vision took hold. By 1988, he was spending time in downtown Riverside, drawn to the Mission Inn corridor and the Fox Theater neighborhood. What he saw was a city with character but few places to simply gather. In 1996, he and his partner opened Back to the Grind on University Avenue — one of the first coffee houses in Riverside — and have been at it ever since. From the beginning, Darren's idea of a coffee shop was bigger than coffee. He opened early and stayed open late, often until midnight in the early years, seven days a week. He made room for open mic nights, book clubs, game groups, and community organizations of every kind — political events, nonprofit meetings, baby showers. The shop became a proving ground for the idea that a neighborhood place could be genuinely useful to its community, not just a spot to grab a drink. That philosophy, more than any single program or event, is what Darren credits for Back to the Grind's staying power. Now in his fourth decade as a small business owner, Darren still comes in most days. He's known for remembering regulars' orders, for keeping the space open to artists and causes that don't have anywhere else to go, and for the kind of quiet consistency that turns a coffee shop into a landmark. Back to the Grind recently added a 50-seat venue downstairs, hosting magic shows and mentalist performances on a regular schedule — another experiment in what a community space can be. [Get to know Darren...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-darren-conkerite/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260517) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260517&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CREATIVE PROMPTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/creative-prompts/) ## Differing Degrees A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns. [![Honeywell home wall appliance](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1515974256630-babc85765b1d?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDh8fHRoZXJtb3N0YXR8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzc4ODc0ODAzfDA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/differing-degrees/) ([Moja Msanii](https://unsplash.com/@mojamsanii?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) This week, as Riverside spring tries on every outfit in the closet, we’re turning our attention to a small wall-mounted mood enhancer: the thermostat. Here’s my take on the current season. Heater in the morning. Air conditioning by late afternoon. The thermostat is there for us when weather and our own fashion sense let us down. A thermostat is simple enough. Keep a space at a comfortable and consistent temperature. The thermostat, credited to Warren S. Johnson (1883), was created because people disliked manually managing temperature 24/7\. That fact makes me wonder about how much of my creative energy gets spent managing “my climate” instead of making things? Creative life has a preferred temperature too. When a creative deadline looms, that’s when I decide I can’t do anything until I’ve put together the right playlist, the right amount of natural light, the right amount of hydration. With a little effort, I can remove the creative output altogether and just recalibrate my artistic thermostat all day. [Read and share the complete prompt...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/differing-degrees/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Sunday, May 17 - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-05-17T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Gardening for Butterflies](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/gardening-for-butterflies/18543239/2026-05-17T00) at Botanic Gardens - [2026 Benedict Castle Concours and Car Show](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/2026-benedict-castle-concours-and-car-show/18878896/2026-05-17T08) at Benedict Castle - [Anime Lovers Speed Dating](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/anime-lovers-speed-dating-2545-with-live-comedy/18841972/2026-05-17T13) at Back to the Grind ($23.18 - $44.52) - [Choir Concert](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/choir-concert/18829374/2026-05-17T18) at Trinity Lutheran Church - [Dancing for Fun](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/dancing-for-fun/18329491/2026-05-17T14) at Janet Goeske Center - [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House ### Monday, May 18 - [Monday Carillon Recitals](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/monday-carillon-recitals/17079871/2026-05-18T12) at UCR Bell Tower ### Tuesday, May 19 - [City Council](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/city-council/18431185/2026-05-19T12) at Riverside City Hall - [ScotSurplus Public Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/scotsurplus-public-sale/17279943/2026-05-19T11) at ScotSurplus, UCR Corporation Yard - [Amordidas Acompañadas Exhibition Reception](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/amordidas-acompaadas-exhibition-reception/18864678/2026-05-19T17) at Alumni & Visitors Center - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-05-19T19) at The Hideaway ### Wednesday, May 20 - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-05-20T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-05-20T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [About Writing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/about-writing/18335813/2026-05-20T10) at Janet Goeske Center - [Riverside Unified Strategic Plan - In-Person Open House](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-unified-strategic-plan-inperson-open-house/18849763/2026-05-20T18) at Riverside Polytechnic High School - [A concert of art songs and arias performed by students of Dr. Ralph Cato](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/a-concert-of-art-songs-and-arias-performed-by-students-of-dr-ralph-cato/17756872/2026-05-20T20) at Arts Building, 166 - [Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/safety-wellness-and-youth-committee/18584291/2026-05-20T13) at Riverside City Hall - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-05-20T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) ### Thursday, May 21 - [Economic Development Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/economic-development-committee/18642990/2026-05-21T15) at Riverside City Hall - [Planning Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/planning-commission/18584284/2026-05-21T09) at Riverside City Hall - [Shrek-TACULAR! at the Marcy Library](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/shrektacular-at-the-marcy-library/18826017/2026-05-21T16) at Marcy Library - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-05-21T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [In Conversation: Terry Evans, Mark Klett, and Laura McPhee on Landscape Photography and Barry Lopez](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/in-conversation-terry-evans-mark-klett-and-laura-mcphee-on-landscape-photography-and-barry-lopez/18864679/2026-05-21T13) at University of California, Riverside - [Mexican Music and Dance concert](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mexican-music-and-dance-concert/18094936/2026-05-21T20) at University Theatre - [Mucho Gusto Presents - El Santo Golpe & Making Movies](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mucho-gusto-presents-el-santo-golpe-making-movies/18841978/2026-05-21T20) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($23.18) ### Friday, May 22 - [43rd Annual UC Riverside Pow Wow](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/43rd-annual-uc-riverside-pow-wow/18543253/2026-05-22T17) at Riverside Sports Complex - [Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-and-heroes-walking-tour/17901085/2026-05-22T15) at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18) - [GASOLINA REGGAETÓN PARTY (18+)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/gasolina-reggaetn-party-18/18501481/2026-05-22T21) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium - [Jim Morrison Celebration ft. Wild Child](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/jim-morrison-celebration-ft-wild-child/18501465/2026-05-22T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [Live Joy Division tribute in Riverside! World Goth Day!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/live-joy-division-tribute-in-riverside-world-goth-day/18672415/2026-05-22T21) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($12.51) - [Murder Mystery Co. Dinner Theater Show at The Old Spaghetti Factory](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/murder-mystery-co-dinner-theater-show-at-the-old-spaghetti-factory/18000822/2026-05-22T19) at The Old Spaghetti Factory ($69) - [Murder Mystery Dinner Theater Show](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/murder-mystery-dinner-theater-show/18610935/2026-05-22T19) at The Old Spaghetti Factory - [STRANGEWAYS a Tribute to The Smiths & Morrissey!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/strangeways-a-tribute-to-the-smiths-morrissey/18450288/2026-05-22T21) at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($20.23) ### Saturday, May 23 - [Water Smarts 101](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/water-smarts-101/18485737/2026-05-23T10) at Western Municipal Water District - [Mosaic Art Fundraiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mosaic-art-fundraiser/18685280/2026-05-23T10) at Mission Inn Foundation & Museum ($108.55) - [Billy Joel Tribute by All Key'd Up!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/billy-joel-tribute-by-all-keyd-up/18672416/2026-05-23T21) at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($20.23) - [Bingo Loco (21+)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bingo-loco-21/16832140/2026-05-23T19) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium - [Gothic Tea Party Fundraiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/gothic-tea-party-fundraiser/18841983/2026-05-23T18) at Grace Manor ($108.55) - [Paint and Sip con El Bad Buky](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-and-sip-con-el-bad-buky/18685281/2026-05-23T18) at The Experience Riverside ($45) - [TOPS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/tops/18501449/2026-05-23T19) at Farm House Collective ## Save the Date - May 29: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-29T07)at Zacatecas Café - May 31: [Oscars, Tonys & Grammys](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oscars-tonys-grammys/18797026/2026-05-31T16) at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($10- $20) - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) - June 3: [Paint. Sip. Spark Kindness](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-sip-spark-kindness/18886391/2026-06-03T18) at HRBC Insurance ($75) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Neighbor of the Week: Darren Conkerite URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-darren-conkerite/ Last updated: 2026-05-19T11:59:55.000Z Darren Conkerite has spent nearly three decades building something that Riverside didn't know it needed until he opened the doors. A Riverside City College alum who later earned a business degree from Cal State San Bernardino, Darren spent nearly a decade working for the Golden Cheese Company in Corona before a different kind of vision took hold. By 1988, he was spending time in downtown Riverside, drawn to the Mission Inn corridor and the Fox Theater neighborhood. What he saw was a city with character but few places to simply gather. In 1996, he and his partner opened Back to the Grind on University Avenue — one of the first coffee houses in Riverside — and have been at it ever since. From the beginning, Darren's idea of a coffee shop was bigger than coffee. He opened early and stayed open late, often until midnight in the early years, seven days a week. He made room for open mic nights, book clubs, game groups, and community organizations of every kind — political events, nonprofit meetings, baby showers. The shop became a proving ground for the idea that a neighborhood place could be genuinely useful to its community, not just a spot to grab a drink. That philosophy, more than any single program or event, is what Darren credits for Back to the Grind's staying power. Now in his fourth decade as a small business owner, Darren still comes in most days. He's known for remembering regulars' orders, for keeping the space open to artists and causes that don't have anywhere else to go, and for the kind of quiet consistency that turns a coffee shop into a landmark. Back to the Grind recently added a 50-seat venue downstairs, hosting magic shows and mentalist performances on a regular schedule — another experiment in what a community space can be. --- **How many times have you summited Mt. Rubidoux?** More than 100, easy. He and his partner have made the climb together for years now. It's beautiful exercise, and the mountain is a staple. **What is your favorite restaurant outside of Downtown Riverside?** Mario's Place. "We model ourselves after the brothers," he says. **What is the most beautiful building in Riverside?** He struggles to pick just one. The building he works in every day stops him first — the architecture alone is worth appreciating. From there: the Municipal Auditorium, with its poured-concrete figures and ornamental details; the old library, with its doves; and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Riverside, with its distinctive earthen exterior. **What is your favorite Riverside small business?** Too many to name just one. His list includes DragonMarsh for herbs and potions; Downtowne Bookstore, which he admires through both ownership eras — the longtime women owners and the current owner alike; Gram's BBQ, now spanning multiple generations; Bree Dance Studio, one of the oldest Black-owned businesses in the city; and seamstress Toni Moore, whose staying power and generational work ethic he deeply respects. **What is your favorite Riverside nonprofit?** AIDS foundations and LGBTQ organizations. **When do you visit the Festival of Lights?** On a Tuesday. Less hectic. **What is your go-to sandwich in town?** Simple Simon's, Butch's Grinders, or the Upper Crust Sandwich Shoppe — he has loyalty to all three. **What does a perfect weekend day in Riverside look like?** It starts with exercise — climbing the mountain. Then coffee or orange juice at Back to the Grind, some errands, and eventually an afternoon at Arts Bar & Grill with friends. A stroll through a museum rounds it out. **What is your favorite spot for a date night?** After so many years together, date night looks like dinner and a movie with a core group of close friends. **Do you call it the Galleria or Tyler Mall?** The Galleria. **What is one place in Riverside you would bring back if you could?** Spanky's Café — a music venue that gave young people, especially punk fans, a place to belong. "It was good for youth," he says. **If you could put a message on a billboard on the 91, what would it say?** "Slow down and be kind to everybody. Try it for a week." **What are you working on right now, and how can readers support you?** Back to the Grind has become an activities destination. The shop now runs a weekly magic show in its 50-seat downstairs venue, with two shows one Saturday a month featuring top-notch mentalists and specialty performers. The goal is to fill every day of the week with live programming. Stop in, bring a friend, and see what's on the calendar. *Neighbor of the Week is our way of celebrating the hidden heroes of Riverside—those who go above and beyond to make our community stronger, kinder, and more vibrant. We believe every remarkable Riversider deserves their story told. Know someone who’s making a difference?* [*Nominate a Neighbor of the Week*](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) ### 🍊Your Riverside Weekend- May 16, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/your-riverside-weekend-may-16-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:53.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/02/_DSC5738.jpg) **Your Riverside Weekend- May 16, 2026** **Happy Saturday, Riverside!** We hope your week treated you well. Before you head into your weekend, we've gathered the stories that defined life in our city this week — from City Hall to community happenings. You're in the right place to catch up — your weekend starts here. --- [2026 Election: Voter GuideEverything Riverside voters need to know to cast informed ballots in the June 2026 primary: candidate profiles, ballot measure explanations, and how to register and vote. Updated continuously through Election Day.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/260506-voterguide.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-election-guide/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260516)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260516&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [The Mission Inn’s New Stewards, Welcomed and WatchedCivic leaders, preservationists and readers spent the week welcoming the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation. They also began asking, carefully, what comes next.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-45.png)The Raincross GazetteJustin Pardee![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/260507-missioninncity.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-mission-inns-new-stewards-welcomed-and-watched/) [Riverside Celebrates 250 Years at the Mission Inn Museum“Riverside: An All-American City” gathers presidential artifacts, bicentennial kitsch and Frank Miller’s peace flag under one small roof.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-46.png)The Raincross GazetteKen Crawford![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/1-9.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-celebrates-250-years-at-the-mission-inn-museum/) [Civil Rights Agency is Investigating Riverside Over Rejected Permanent Supportive Housing ProjectState investigators will look into whether council members broke fair housing law when they turned down $20.1 million for the University Terrace Project.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-47.png)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/260112-qualityinn.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/civil-rights-agency-is-investigating-riverside-over-rejected-permanent-supportive-housing-project/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260516)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260516&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [After Delays, Hayet Albi Found Their Spot on Market StreetThe Levantine bakery and cooperative sibling to Slow Bloom Coffee Roasters has found a home in the former Beignet Spot on Market Street.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-49.png)The Raincross GazetteKen Crawford![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/IMG_5620.jpeg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/after-delays-hayet-albi-found-their-spot-on-market-street/) [La Sierra University to Honor LGBTQ+ Graduates at Lavender Graduation CeremonyOrganized by SDA Kinship International, the June 5 ceremony honors LGBTQ+ graduates from La Sierra and other area institutions.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-50.png)The Raincross GazetteKen Crawford![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-21-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/la-sierra-university-to-honor-lgbtq-graduates-at-lavender-graduation-ceremony/) [Walking the Border: What You Miss Through the Windshield on Old 215A monthly stroll through Riverside’s everyday neighborhoods, one step at a time.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-51.png)The Raincross GazetteLarry Burns![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/2-9.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/walking-the-border-what-you-miss-through-the-windshield-on-old-215/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260516) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260516&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Weather Forecast 🌤️ Sunday, May 17 — 76° / 55° · AM Clouds/PM Sun 🌤️ Monday, May 18 — 85° / 54° · Mostly Sunny 🌤️ Tuesday, May 19 — 91° / 56° · Mostly Sunny 🌤️ Wednesday, May 20 — 93° / 56° · Mostly Sunny 🌤️ Thursday, May 21 — 88° / 56° · Mostly Sunny ⛅ Friday, May 22 — 83° / 55° · Partly Cloudy ⛅ Saturday, May 23 — 81° / 55° · Partly Cloudy 🌞 *Abundant sunshine, a few clouds by the weekend, and cool evenings throughout — this is SoCal weather doing what it does best.* --- ## 💬 Staff Picks — What we're talking about around the Gazette this week 😳 Justin just found out there's only 9 more days of school before his four kiddos are out for summer! 🌫️ Amy wants to know if anyone else is watching *Widow's Bay* on Apple TV+? She's all caught up and dreading the weekly wait. Oh, and ignore the fog. Everything's fine. --- ## Save the Date - May 22: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-29T07)at Zacatecas Café - May 31: [Oscars, Tonys & Grammys](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oscars-tonys-grammys/18797026/2026-05-31T16) at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($10- $20) - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) - June 3: [Paint. Sip. Spark Kindness](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-sip-spark-kindness/18886391/2026-06-03T18) at HRBC Insurance ($75) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Differing Degrees URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/differing-degrees/ Last updated: 2026-05-16T12:00:38.000Z Welcome back, you expressive little pictographers! [Last week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/emoji-seasoning/) we tapped, swiped, and squinted our way across the mini emotional wordscape known as emoji. Did you translate a favorite face into an expressive sound effect? Maybe you discovered that the “thumbs up” you send every day is doing more social work than your actual thumb. However you chose to sprinkle symbols across your week, I hope it helped you find a few more ways to say what words alone sometimes fail to deliver. This week, as Riverside spring tries on every outfit in the closet, we’re turning our attention to a small wall-mounted mood enhancer: the thermostat. Here’s my take on the current season. Heater in the morning. Air conditioning by late afternoon. The thermostat is there for us when weather and our own fashion sense let us down. A thermostat is simple enough. Keep a space at a comfortable and consistent temperature. The thermostat, credited to Warren S. Johnson (1883), was created because people disliked manually managing temperature 24/7\. That fact makes me wonder about how much of my creative energy gets spent managing “my climate” instead of making things? Creative life has a preferred temperature too. When a creative deadline looms, that’s when I decide I can’t do anything until I’ve put together the right playlist, the right amount of natural light, the right amount of hydration. With a little effort, I can remove the creative output altogether and just recalibrate my artistic thermostat all day. Our dependence on these conveniences deserves reflection. The thermostat trains us to expect immediate, personally beneficial, results. Too warm? Press a button. Too cold? Press the other button. Too quiet? Ask a speaker to play rain sounds. Too bored? Open a glowing rectangle and let the algorithm determine your next mood swing. Our creative dreams now strive to exist alongside these tools, apps, and freedoms of choice. The question isn’t whether technology shapes our creativity. It clearly does. The better question is: can we shape it back? I say yes. Find your thermostat or a picture of one. It may be a smart panel glowing like a spaceship control, an old beige dial made of a now-banned plastic, or one locked behind a box that only the office manager can access. Give it several minutes of creative attention with one or more of these temptastic nudges: 1. **Read the Room:** Look closely at your thermostat. Study its numbers, arrows, buttons, fingerprints, scratches, and obscure symbols. Sketch it as if it were a face; your own climate oracle perhaps! 2. **Set Point Self-Portrait:** Thermoception is your sense of temperature. Notice where your body feels warm or cool right now: hands, neck, feet, shoulders, forehead. Write a quick “weather report” for yourself. Are you partly cloudy with a chance of motivation? Experiencing a low-pressure system near your inbox? Turn that forecast into a poem, doodle, voice memo, or tiny dramatic monologue. 3. **HVAC Symphony:** Listen for the sounds of temperature control: the clicks, hums, whooshes and rattles that tell you everything is working just fine…or you need a professional. Record a few seconds or just imitate the sounds like a foley artist. Give your composition a title like *Air Conditioning in B Minor* or *The Heat Drops a Beat.* 4. **Comfort Audit:** Touch three surfaces in your creative environment: desk, wall, window, chair, coffee mug, file folder, door. Notice temperature and texture. Rearrange one small thing to make the space more creatively welcoming. Move a box. Add a coaster. Change the art on the wall. 5. **Dial for Smile:** Proprioception is your sense of where your body is in space, so use your whole body as a thermostat. Stand in the middle of the room and slowly “turn the dial” with your arm, shoulder, or entire torso. Move from frozen to overheated, from tense to relaxed, from stuck to flowing. Make it a dance, a stretch, a silent performance, or a two-minute ritual before you make that awkward phone call. The thermostat reminds me that creativity does not happen in a vacuum. It fights against oscillating calendars, moods, to-do’s, seasonal allergies, family dynamics, and Wi-Fi speeds. This week, fiddle around with the thermostat of your creative life. Not to optimize every minute into productivity. Just to notice. What could use a warmup? What’s in need of a cool down? What could do with a blast of fresh air from an opened window? Make one small adjustment, then give yourself several minutes to play inside the new conditions. Creativity, like comfort, is rarely a permanent setting. It is something we return to, adjust, and live with by degrees. *This column was written with the help of ChatGPT, used here as a creative climate control collaborator.* ### City Council Approves $2.28M City Hall Lobby Overhaul, Moving Clerk's Office to Main Floor URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-approves-2-28m-city-hall-lobby-overhaul-moving-clerks-office-to-main-floor/ Last updated: 2026-05-18T19:15:12.000Z The City Council on Tuesday approved a $2.28 million plan to renovate the City Hall lobby for the first time since 2008 – bringing the City Clerk's Office to the main floor and adding a new grab-and-go food service area. The city said the project is intended to create a more active, updated public space in City Hall and to support services residents use directly, rather than leaving the lobby underused. City staff also said the renovation should make it easier for residents to reach key services such as election and passport services without navigating deeper into City Hall. The project also calls for relocating the concierge desk closer to the elevators, which city staff said should improve foot traffic and make it easier for employees and security staff to help visitors. Officials said the renovation will also include the clerk's office expansion, a grab-and-go food area, concierge desk improvements, and new furniture and lighting – while a planned multi-purpose room remains deferred because of funding limits. The council action includes a $1.98 million construction contract with Cal-City Construction Inc. of Cerritos under a 301-day design-build contract – plus $297,414 in change-order authority – bringing the total authorization to approximately $2.3 million. To pay for the work, the city will use $1.73 million from General Fund infrastructure reserves and shift $550,000 from other accounts, including $300,000 from a transfer switch project and $250,000 from Measure Z deferred maintenance, according to a [staff report](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15429425&GUID=CB973A92-7E6E-49FA-9B70-64D8CD072971&ref=raincrossgazette.com). The renovation also comes amid a broader public debate over city spending. At [the Gazette's Ward 4 candidate forum on April 29](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ward-4-candidates-clash-over-warehouses-taxes-and-public-safety-at-gazette-forum/), candidate Jessica Qattawi questioned whether a City Hall renovation should come before road repairs. "Okay, so if I were to cut any budgets…right now we've got City Hall is about to get renovated. Is that a priority for us, or would it be better for us to go and fix some of our roads? That might be something I would cut the budget on," she said at the forum. Incumbent Chuck Conder, however, clarified at the forum that City Hall was only renovating the first floor and said the city has kept core services funded. The City Hall renovation will also use $250,000 from [Measure Z](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/measure-z-explained-the-sales-tax-increase-on-riversides-june-ballot/) – a 1 percent tax approved by voters in 2016 to support public safety needs – as Riverside is facing questions over how it has used Measure Z revenue, with [some critics saying the money has gone beyond emergency services](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/budget-commission-questions-its-authority-as-measure-z-locked-through-2028/). The city has placed a ballot measure on the June 2 election ballot, asking voters whether it should raise the tax to 1.25 percent and extend Measure Z indefinitely beyond its 2036 sunset. ### Walking the Border: What You Miss Through the Windshield on Old 215 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/walking-the-border-what-you-miss-through-the-windshield-on-old-215/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:05:32.000Z Old 215 Frontage Road is not trying to charm anybody. It has no trailhead sign, no interpretive panel, no invitation to explore. I am walking the old frontage road between Eucalyptus and Alessandro, out on the east side and back on the west; about a mile each way. It's midmorning and already close to 80 degrees. I should have brought two iced coffees. At least I remembered the hat and sunscreen. This road runs along the border of Riverside and Moreno Valley. Or near it. Or through it, depending on which parcel you stand on. The division between cities is not as clean here as people prefer borders to behave. It hops around. That uncertainty is part of the walk. At Eucalyptus, the Moreno Valley side, I begin on dirt and gravel. The shoulder is wide enough to keep me several yards from the cars and trucks. I walk facing traffic because this is what you do where there is no sidewalk and the speed limit is 50\. Cars come around the curves quickly. A sheriff's patrol is out watching for speeders, and I feel grateful the motorists are nudged towards safer driving habits when I'm walking steps away without a helmet. The modern I-215 runs parallel, trying to carry all the people and things of the Inland Empire to their desired destination as quickly as possible. Drivers who know the area use Old 215 Frontage Road to avoid the commonplace gridlock of the 215/60 interchange. It's not really much faster, but at least you keep moving. I drove this road regularly when I lived in Orangecrest in the 90's and Moreno Valley was more convenient for shopping and entertainment. Walking it, I see how much I missed through the windshield. Empty lots have been recently disced for fire mitigation. The soil lies in broken rows, not planted, infused with weeds, plastic packaging, drink cups, chip bags, old tires, and hubcaps. It has the look of a field after a harvest, except what keeps returning is not wheat or citrus or alfalfa. It is what gets tossed from cars on their way to somewhere else. The objects have been folded into the dirt, as if the field has been asked to compost what cannot break down. Moreno Valley contains older single-family homes, small repair and retail shops, and a new three-story apartment complex. There is a conflict between what each city sees as the challenges and opportunities available here. Across the street, the Riverside side, warehouses and light industrial buildings sit behind fencing, sidewalks, and landscape strips; most of it built in the last decade. Crossing Bay Avenue, the old road reveals signs of its earlier life. The New Star Motel, established in 1953, has a midcentury confidence softened by age. It belongs to the era when travelers needed rooms close to the main road. The Inland Empire has many such buildings, built for one kind of dream and adapted to another when transportation routes change. The nearby adult bookstore's parking lot is full. A little past the American Legion Hall I jaywalk quickly to the west side of the street to head back to my car. Walking is easier on the Riverside side thanks to the wide level sidewalk. The manicured easement makes the road much less of a safety concern. There is landscaping. There are young trees offering intermittent shade. The sun is at my back. I like nature in the city, the birds on utility wires, the weeds pressing through fence lines, the sudden bougainvillea, the cactus that needs nobody. In a landscaped strip, half-settled into the wood chips, I find a single Bluetooth earbud. I pick it up because I have a use for things like this. At home, I'm making a sculpture using small, discarded technologies: earbuds, chargers, phones, remotes. Things that make life easier until it's time to dispose of them. I like them as material because they are intimate trash. They touched and connected people, then were discarded. Most of the people I see are employees: Landscapers, mechanics, a warehouse worker on break. At the creek crossing, where chain link fencing obscures a small drainage thick with trees and brush, I see evidence that people have been staying there. Blankets. Food containers. A man comes up from the creek while I pass. We do not speak. Approaching Cottonwood Avenue, outside Via Roma Sausage Company, I find a cute sign for Sausage Way and Bagel Drive; worth a quick parking lot selfie. This is the kind of discovery a walk allows. Riverside has many roadside attractions; some are visible only at three miles per hour. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-22.jpg) The intersection of Sausage Way and Bagel Dog Drive outside Via Roma Sausage Company — one of the roadside discoveries only visible at three miles per hour. (Larry Burns) The old highway and the newer interstate sit beside each other like two answers to the same questions. How do people move through this place? What should they do while they are here? What is possible here that is not possible somewhere else? I do not want to romanticize Old 215\. It is not a hidden gem. It is not a pleasant stroll in the conventional sense. I would not tell anyone to walk it casually without paying attention. But I would say it is worth seeing, because it shows something true about Riverside and the cities around it. It shows how land adapts without fully erasing what came before. It shows how city borders matter and fail to matter. It also shows how life and meaning persist in the face of change. Streets like this exemplify Riverside's story as clearly as any landmark. Riverside's character is not only in its preserved buildings, mountain views, or citrus history. It is also along old roads where development arrives unevenly, where people improvise, where a sidewalk may end before the journey does. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/1-12.jpg) A sidewalk ends abruptly along Old 215 Frontage Road, with the hills above Riverside visible in the distance. (Larry Burns) ### 🗞️ Riverside News- May 15, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-may-15-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:54.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/PXL_20260427_193424253.MP-1.jpg) Clouds drift over the open lawn at Bonaminio Park on a spring afternoon. (Renee Hill) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Friday Gazette: May 15, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Friday!** Your weekend is looking sweeter already: [the Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social is back at Heritage House this Sunday](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/old-fashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12), May 17, from noon to 4 p.m. It's free, family friendly, and this year's edition has a little extra flair, marking the 250th anniversary of the nation. Expect games, crafts, music, house tours, and yes, a free scoop or two courtesy of a Riverside classic: *Thrifty Ice Cream*. Heritage House is at 8193 Magnolia Avenue, with street parking available. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260515)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260515&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## 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. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/2-10.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/walking-the-border-what-you-miss-through-the-windshield-on-old-215/) The New Star Motel, established in 1953, sits along Old 215 Frontage Road beneath a Historic California US 395 Route marker — a remnant of the era when travelers needed rooms close to the main road. (Larry Burns) Old 215 Frontage Road is not trying to charm anybody. It has no trailhead sign, no interpretive panel, no invitation to explore. I am walking the old frontage road between Eucalyptus and Alessandro, out on the east side and back on the west; about a mile each way. It's midmorning and already close to 80 degrees. I should have brought two iced coffees. At least I remembered the hat and sunscreen. This road runs along the border of Riverside and Moreno Valley. Or near it. Or through it, depending on which parcel you stand on. The division between cities is not as clean here as people prefer borders to behave. It hops around. That uncertainty is part of the walk. At Eucalyptus, the Moreno Valley side, I begin on dirt and gravel. The shoulder is wide enough to keep me several yards from the cars and trucks. I walk facing traffic because this is what you do where there is no sidewalk and the speed limit is 50\. Cars come around the curves quickly. A sheriff's patrol is out watching for speeders, and I feel grateful the motorists are nudged towards safer driving habits when I'm walking steps away without a helmet. [Read and share the complete walk...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/walking-the-border-what-you-miss-through-the-windshield-on-old-215/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260515)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260515&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HIGHER EDUCATION](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/higher-education/) ## 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. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-21-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/la-sierra-university-to-honor-lgbt-graduates-at-lavender-graduation-ceremony/) La Sierra University Church of Seventh-day Adventists, at 4920 Sierra Vista Ave. in Riverside, will host the annual Lavender Graduation ceremony on June 5\. (Ken Crawford) La Sierra University will honor LGBTQ+ graduates from area colleges at its annual Lavender Graduation ceremony next month. **Why it matters:** If you're an LGBTQ+ graduate of La Sierra or another area college or university, this ceremony — held the week before La Sierra's commencement — is designed for you. **What's happening:** Kinship Sabbath School, a local LGBTQ+fellowship group affiliated with SDA Kinship International, organizes the event, which blesses and celebrates LGBT+ graduates before they leave campus. - The ceremony is June 5 at 6 p.m. at Sierra Vista Chapel, 4920 Sierra Vista Ave. **What they're saying:** University President Dr. Christon Arthur said he participates because it's "an opportunity for me to remind our LGBTQ+ students how much I love them, and that La Sierra University will always be their home." **Go deeper:** [Register to participate](https://tangerine-octopus-epz2.squarespace.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) | [More info on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/sdakinship/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/la-sierra-university-to-honor-lgbt-graduates-at-lavender-graduation-ceremony/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260515) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260515&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## 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. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-20-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-cyclist-73-gears-up-for-23rd-california-coast-classic-seeks-local-riders/) Pete Staylor hoists his bicycle near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco during a California Coast Classic ride. (Courtesy of Pete Staylor) A 73-year-old Riverside man is recruiting local riders to join him on his 23rd California Coast Classic — a San Francisco-to-L.A. bike ride benefiting the Arthritis Foundation — and says the eight-day event is more doable than it sounds. **Why it matters:** Pete Staylor was told to swim or cycle after a severe arthritis diagnosis in 2001\. He chose the bike and never stopped — and says the Arthritis Foundation now provides training plans, fundraising templates, and route support that make the ride accessible to newcomers. **Driving the news:** Staylor is actively recruiting Riverside-area riders ahead of the Sept. 26 start in San Francisco, offering to personally walk interested cyclists through the signup and training process. **By the numbers:** The California Coast Classic covers 525 miles over eight days and raises more than $1 million annually for the Arthritis Foundation. Staylor has completed it 22 times. **What they're saying:** "How many people can tell their kids, grandkids and friends that they rode a bicycle 525 miles from San Francisco all the way to Los Angeles? It almost sounds impossible, but it is NOT," Staylor said. **What's next:** The ride begins Sept. 26, 2026, in San Francisco. Registration and fundraising resources are at [arthritis.org](http://arthritis.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). Interested Riverside-area riders can reach out to Staylor directly for guidance. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-cyclist-73-gears-up-for-23rd-california-coast-classic-seeks-local-riders/) --- #### [Adoptable Pet of the Week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag//) ## Meet Ziggy! Meet this week’s featured furry friend from the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center. Dedicated to eliminating pet homelessness, the center provides compassionate care and facilitates adoptions for animals in need of loving homes. Find your new companion and help support their mission of humane care and responsible pet ownership. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-23.jpg)](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Ziggy has a playful spirit and a whole lot of personality. He’s 3 years old, and an active, sweet-natured guy who loves toys, treats, and any chance to stretch his legs for a good walk or play session. Ziggy has done well playing with other dogs who can match his energy, and volunteers describe him as happy, affectionate, and eager to have fun. He’s treat motivated, knows “sit” and “down,” and has been patiently waiting for the right home since March, after previously spending months waiting at another organization before arriving at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center. Ziggy is more than ready for his fresh start. Come meet Ziggy and all the adoptable pets at the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center in person. Stop by any day except Tuesdays, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., or learn more at [petsadoption.org](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). ****Alumni update**: Hugo was adopted! 🥳 --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Friday, May 15 - [**Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-15T07) at Zacatecas Café - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-05-15T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [R'Hours at the R'Garden](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rhours-at-the-rgarden/18094958/2026-05-15T08) at R'Garden - [Arlington Library|Take & Make Craft: Paper Flower Leis](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/arlington-librarytake-make-craft-paper-flower-leis/18765902/2026-05-15T10) at Arlington library - [Gage Basin Clean-Up](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/gage-basin-cleanup/18864707/2026-05-15T09) at Behind the Alumni Center ### Saturday, May 16 - [Ward 3 Beautification Project](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/ward-3-beautification-project/18628858/2026-05-16T08) at Nichols Park - [Westwood & Aden Neighborhood Yard Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/westwood-aden-neighborhood-yard-sale/18587014/2026-05-16T08) at Westwood Dr & Aden Way - [**Vintage Home Tour “Age is a Work of Art”**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vintage-home-tour-age-is-a-work-of-art/18708216/2026-05-16T10) at Peter J Weber House ($30) - [A Tapestry of Black Artisans II](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/a-tapestry-of-black-artisans-ii/18330925/2026-05-16T12) at The Box Theatre ($0.00 - $14.65) - [Celebration of Empathy](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/celebration-of-empathy/18750172/2026-05-16T15) at First Congregational Church of Riverside - [Spectral Visage: UCR Senior Exhibition 2026 Opening Reception](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/spectral-visage-ucr-senior-exhibition-2026-opening-reception/18864674/2026-05-16T16) at UCR ARTS - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-05-16T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [John Milton - Mundial De Hypnosis Tour 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/john-milton-mundial-de-hypnosis-tour-2026/18501430/2026-05-16T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [MAGIC UNDERGROUND](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/magic-underground/18742974/2026-05-16T19) at Back to the Grind ($30- $45) - [Pearl Jam Tribute by Vitalogy](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/pearl-jam-tribute-by-vitalogy/18672414/2026-05-16T21) at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($20.23) - [Regency Masquerade Ball](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/regency-masquerade-ball/18187274/2026-05-16T16) at Crestmore Manor - [Trivia Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/trivia-night/18565548/2026-05-16T19) at Temple Beth El Social Hall ($40) ### Sunday, May 17 - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-05-17T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Gardening for Butterflies](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/gardening-for-butterflies/18543239/2026-05-17T00) at Botanic Gardens - [**Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12)at Riverside's Heritage House - [2026 Benedict Castle Concours and Car Show](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/2026-benedict-castle-concours-and-car-show/18878896/2026-05-17T08) at Benedict Castle - [Anime Lovers Speed Dating](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/anime-lovers-speed-dating-2545-with-live-comedy/18841972/2026-05-17T13) at Back to the Grind ($23.18 - $44.52) - [Choir Concert](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/choir-concert/18829374/2026-05-17T18) at Trinity Lutheran Church - [Dancing for Fun](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/dancing-for-fun/18329491/2026-05-17T14) at Janet Goeske Center ## Save the Date - May 22: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-29T07)at Zacatecas Café - May 31: [Oscars, Tonys & Grammys](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oscars-tonys-grammys/18797026/2026-05-31T16) at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($10- $20) - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) - June 3: [Paint. Sip. Spark Kindness](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-sip-spark-kindness/18886391/2026-06-03T18) at HRBC Insurance ($75) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ✏️ Correction Thurs. May 14, 1:45 p.m. An earlier version of "Riverside Billed Water Ratepayers Illegally for Years, Judge Rules," published Wed. May 13, incorrectly stated that Judge Hopp's ruling striking down the Measure C election stood. In fact, the city appealed and an appellate court overruled Hopp, finding the election was regularly scheduled. The story has been updated. ### La Sierra University to Honor LGBTQ+ Graduates at Lavender Graduation Ceremony URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/la-sierra-university-to-honor-lgbtq-graduates-at-lavender-graduation-ceremony/ Last updated: 2026-05-17T12:00:33.000Z La Sierra University will host its annual Lavender Graduation ceremony June 5 at 6 p.m. at Sierra Vista Chapel on the La Sierra University Church campus, 4920 Sierra Vista Ave., Riverside. The event is organized by [Kinship Sabbath School](https://www.sdakinship.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com), a local fellowship group for LGBT+ students and allies affiliated with SDA Kinship International, an independent support network for current and former Seventh-day Adventists. The ceremony honors LGBTQ+ graduates from La Sierra and other area colleges and universities. University President Dr. Christon Arthur said the ceremony is part of how La Sierra celebrates its graduating students each year. "One of those commemorations, the Lavender Celebration, which occurs the weekend before our graduation weekend, is our opportunity to celebrate and bless our LGBTQ+ students who are graduating," Arthur said. "It is a beautiful and memorable ceremony where we bless, honor, celebrate, and worship with our students before they leave campus. I gladly participate because it is an opportunity for me to remind our LGBTQ+ students how much I love them, and that La Sierra University will always be their home." Arthur said La Sierra views all students, including those who identify as LGBTQ+, as full members of the university community. "We say unequivocally to our LGBTQ+ students, and to all our students, that there is a home for them at La Sierra," he said. "A home where they can thrive, flourish, grow, and live their full potential to become everything that God created them to be." The ceremony takes place one week before La Sierra University's commencement weekend. A keynote speaker has not yet been announced. **More information:* Graduates wishing to participate may register* [*here*](https://tangerine-octopus-epz2.squarespace.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*. Additional information is available on Instagram at* [*@sdakinships*](https://www.instagram.com/sdakinship/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### Riverside Cyclist, 73, Gears Up for 23rd California Coast Classic, Seeks Local Riders URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-cyclist-73-gears-up-for-23rd-california-coast-classic-seeks-local-riders/ Last updated: 2026-05-17T11:59:50.000Z Pete Staylor was diagnosed with severe arthritis in his knees in 2001\. His doctor told him he could swim or ride a bike. He chose the bike, and has never stopped. This September, the 73-year-old Riverside resident will participate in his [23rd California Coast Classic](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-pete-staylor-gears-up-for-21st-ride-in-the-california-coast-classic/), an eight-day, 525-mile ride that benefits the Arthritis Foundation. The event has run every year since 2001 and raises more than $1 million annually. Staylor is hoping to recruit other Riverside-area riders to join him on the Sept. 26 start. "I'd go so far as to say this ride has saved my life, or at least added to the length and quality of my life," Staylor told The Raincross Gazette. "Each year I train to stay in shape to be able to ride the distance." His first year did not go smoothly. He completed the ride on a donated bike with fewer than three months of training, and promptly said he would never do it again. Then a friend stepped in. "The following year he bribed me into doing the ride by paying my entrance fees with the rule that I do it the following year as well and raise my own funds to participate," Staylor said. "You meet so many really nice people doing this ride and I have made many lifelong friends participating in this event." Two knee replacements later, Staylor is still going. He turns 73 just before the September ride and expects nine grandchildren to be waiting at the finish line. The Arthritis Foundation now provides training schedules, fundraising templates, travel planners and well-marked daily routes with stocked rest stops, resources Staylor said make the ride more accessible to first-timers. "After having done this so many times I know just what I need to do in order to complete each day of the ride and finish with a smile on my face," he said. The foundation describes its mission as educating, informing and connecting arthritis patients to therapies, treatments and research, and working to shape public policy on their behalf. For anyone in the Riverside area considering the challenge, Staylor said the ride is more achievable than it sounds. "How many people can tell their kids, grandkids and friends that they rode a bicycle 525 miles from San Francisco all the way to Los Angeles? It almost sounds impossible, but it is NOT," he said. "The Arthritis Foundation has put together every tool one would need in order to accomplish this ride. You just have to want to do it." Staylor said he is happy to walk interested riders through the process of signing up and training. **More information:* Details on the California Coast Classic, including registration and fundraising resources, are available at* [*arthritis.org*](http://arthritis.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*. The ride begins Sept. 26, 2026, in San Francisco.* ### 🗞️ Riverside News- May 14, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-may-14-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:55.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/IMG_3569.jpeg) A beautiful day unfolds at Sunnyside Drive and De Anza Avenue, where palm trees reach toward a cloud-filled sky. (Jonathan Steele) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Thursday Gazette: May 14, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Thursday!** Looking for a reason to get out of the house this weekend? On Saturday, the Old Riverside Foundation opens five private homes — built between 1924 and 1955 — for its 33rd annual Vintage Home Tour. This year's theme, "Age is a Work of Art," ties the tour to America's 250th birthday, using three decades of local architecture to tell a piece of the national story. [Tickets are $30 in advance](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vintage-home-tour-age-is-a-work-of-art-/18708216/2026-05-16T10) or $35 day-of at the Peter J. Weber House (1510 University Ave.). The self-guided tour runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A free Restoration Faire & Vintage Mercantile runs alongside it, no ticket needed. We have a [full look at this year's homes](#) if you want to know what you're walking into. See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260514)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260514&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [LEGAL](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/legal/) ## 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. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-17-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-billed-water-ratepayers-illegally-for-years-judge-rules/) A Superior Court judge ruled Riverside must refund water ratepayers overcharged through an unconstitutional general fund transfer — with a common fund of at least $46 million at stake. **Why it matters:** If you've paid a Riverside water bill in the past four years, you may be owed a refund. The city cannot limit relief to future bill credits, the judge ruled, meaning former customers are covered too. **Catch up quick:** Since at least 1968, Riverside has transferred 11.5% of water revenue into its general fund. A phase one ruling in August 2023 found that practice violates Proposition 218, which bars cities from charging ratepayers more than the actual cost of water service. **Driving the news:** On April 20, Superior Court Judge Harold Hopp ruled plaintiffs are entitled to a refund remedy and discussed a common fund of at least $46 million, though a four-year look-back period may limit the total. A final judgment is expected within weeks. - Hopp also granted attorneys' fees from the common fund — a signal the court views refunds as likely. **The big picture:** This is the second time Riverside has lost this fight. In 2020, a judge ruled an identical transfer from the electric utility violated state law; the city settled for $24 million. A 2021 ballot measure meant to protect the transfer was later thrown out by the same judge now presiding over the water case. **What's next:** The city told the Gazette on April 27 it plans to appeal. A final judgment is expected in the coming weeks. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-billed-water-ratepayers-illegally-for-years-judge-rules/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260514)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260514&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [BUSINESS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/business/) ## 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. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-19.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/after-delays-hayet-albi-found-their-spot-on-market-street/) The entrance to 4019 Market St. Downtown, the building where Levantine bakery Hayet Albi and Slow Bloom Coffee Roasters plan to open. (File photo/Raincross Gazette) After more than a year of collapsed deals and unresponsive landlords, Hayet Albi has secured a home at 4019 Market St., sharing space with Slow Bloom Coffee Roasters. **Why it matters:** Downtown is getting one of the Inland Empire's few food and beverage worker cooperatives — plus a rare evening dining option on the Market Street corridor, with a full dinner menu and natural wine program. **Catch up quick:** Hayet Albi and Slow Bloom had planned to open together near 10th and Market. That deal collapsed after the landlord died; a second negotiation dragged on for nearly a year before falling through. The former Beignet Spot space came together faster, with an enthusiastic landlord and a nearly identical layout to what they'd originally envisioned. **Driving the news:** Founder Nizar Aridi, a Lebanese-American baker who had been operating out of a rented commercial kitchen in Upland, said finding landlords willing to lease to a cooperative proved harder than expected. - "Their listing agents were like, yeah, we showed this building all the time, but the management doesn't respond to us," Aridi said of out-of-state investment firms that own other downtown properties. **What to expect:** Morning service runs 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. with brunch. Evenings — preliminarily 5 to 10 p.m. — add a full dinner menu and natural wine. Levantine ingredients like mastic, labneh, and za'atar arrive inside familiar Western pastry shapes as an entry point. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/after-delays-hayet-albi-found-their-spot-on-market-street/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260514) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260514&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/governemnt/) ## 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. [![blue solar panel](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1558449028-b53a39d100fc?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDF8fHNvbGFyJTIwfGVufDB8fHx8MTc3ODcxMTkwOXww&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/rpu-board-advances-34m-plan-for-solar-battery-and-efficiency-programs/) ([Chelsea](https://unsplash.com/@chelseadeeyo?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) Riverside Public Utilities' Board of Public Utilities forwarded a $34 million package of energy-efficiency and resiliency projects to City Council, funded from reserve charges ratepayers have already paid. **Why it matters:** Riverside utility customers have been paying into a public benefits charge reserve for years — this plan determines how that money gets spent, with programs targeting home battery storage, low-income assistance, and community emergency centers. **Driving the news:** A community working group that met four times between July 2025 and January 2026 recommended six projects. The board approved the report with one no vote Monday. **By the numbers:** Proposed spending breakdown: - $12M — solar, battery storage, and efficiency upgrades at community and emergency centers - $9M — residential battery storage or solar-plus-storage neighborhood pilot - $5M — residential energy storage rebates - $5M — resiliency upgrades at the utility and city emergency operations centers - $2M — low-income and mobile-home customer program expansions - $1M — university research grants **Yes, but:** One board member flagged that nearly half the money goes to city facilities rather than directly to customers. - "We need to make real clear what the benefit is to customers broadly," Board Member Tom Evans said. **What's next:** City Council must still approve the plan. Individual programs return for separate approval before any spending begins. The final amount available may be lower than $34 million depending on year-end program performance. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/rpu-board-advances-34m-plan-for-solar-battery-and-efficiency-programs/) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## 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. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-16-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-adds-first-electric-buses-to-paratransit-fleet/) A Riverside Connect bus in service. The City Council approved the purchase of two electric buses for the paratransit fleet. (Riverside Connect) The City Council approved a $753,124 purchase of two electric buses for Riverside Connect, adding the paratransit program's first zero-emission vehicles. **Why it matters:** If you or someone you know relies on Riverside Connect for medical appointments or daily trips, the new buses replace two aging vehicles in the 34-bus fleet — with newer, cleaner rides that support long-term service reliability. **By the numbers:** Riverside Connect logged an average of 350 rides a day in fiscal year 2024–25, covering more than 437,000 miles. **Driving the news:** The two Micro Bird G5 buses were purchased from A-Z Bus Sales Inc. of Colton. The net cost drops below the sticker price through two incentives: - A $15,037-per-vehicle point-of-sale discount through the Clean Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP) - A rebate from Riverside Public Utilities covering the remaining qualified purchase price **The big picture:** California's Innovative Clean Transit rule requires small transit agencies to begin phasing in zero-emission bus purchases this year, with all-zero-emission purchases required by 2029\. Tuesday's vote puts Riverside ahead of that curve. **What's next:** The purchase qualifies for support from the city's Electric Public Transit Program, which set aside $1 million for zero-emission bus rebates in fiscal 2025–26. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-adds-first-electric-buses-to-paratransit-fleet/) --- ## Noteworthy [UCR astronomers produced the most detailed map of the cosmic web](https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/05/11/astronomers-produce-most-detailed-map-cosmic-web?ref=raincrossgazette.com) ever made using James Webb Space Telescope data, tracing a network of 164,000 galaxies back to when the universe was one billion years old. [Martin Luther King High School junior Carleigh Rios](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mlk-high-school-junior-wins-playwriting-award-for-mermaid-themed-one-act/) will see her original one-act play performed by professional actors at the Palm Springs Cultural Center on June 7 after winning a $500 scholarship in the Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Airport Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/airport-commission/18584286/2026-05-14T15) at Riverside City Hall - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-05-14T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Mobility and Infrastructure Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mobility-and-infrastructure-committee/18584285/2026-05-14T13) at Riverside City Hall - [Neighbors of the Wood Streets](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/neighbors-of-the-wood-streets/16552244/2026-05-14T18) at Eden Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall - [Promise Program Wellness Workshops](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/promise-program-wellness-workshops/18303069/2026-05-14T15) at Riverside City College - [**Riverside Community Services Foundation**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-community-services-foundation/18745418/2026-05-14T17) at Private residence ($175- $20,000) ### Tomorrow - [**Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-15T07) at Zacatecas Café - [R'Hours at the R'Garden](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rhours-at-the-rgarden/18094958/2026-05-15T08) at R'Garden - [Orange Terrace Library | Chess Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-terrace-library-chess-club/18728475/2026-05-15T14) at Orange Terrace Library - [Senior Tech Help](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-tech-help/17755285/2026-05-15T11) at Lincoln Park ## Save the Date - May 16: [Vintage Home Tour “Age is a Work of Art”](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vintage-home-tour-age-is-a-work-of-art/18708216/2026-05-16T10) at Peter J Weber House ($30) - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - May 31: [Oscars, Tonys & Grammys](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oscars-tonys-grammys/18797026/2026-05-31T16) at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($10- $20) - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) - June 3: [Paint. Sip. Spark Kindness](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-sip-spark-kindness/18886391/2026-06-03T18) at HRBC Insurance ($75) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Riverside Billed Water Ratepayers Illegally for Years, Judge Rules URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-billed-water-ratepayers-illegally-for-years-judge-rules/ Last updated: 2026-05-15T19:45:58.000Z A Riverside judge ruled last month that the city must fix years of unconstitutional water charges – a decision that could leave the city facing millions of dollars in refunds to ratepayers. A phase one ruling of the Simpson v. City of Riverside case in August 2023 found that the city's long-running practice of transferring 11.5 percent of water revenue into the general fund violates the California Constitution's rules on utility fees. Under [Proposition 218](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-utility-rate-setting-how-your-bills-are-determined-and-your-voice-matters/), local governments cannot charge more than the cost of providing a utility service or spend those revenues on unrelated costs. The case has now moved into its second phase, and on April 20, Superior Court Judge Harold Hopp said plaintiffs are entitled to a refund remedy and discussed a common fund of at least $46 million – though that may be limited by a four-year look-back period. However, the exact refund amount still needs to be confirmed in the final judgment, which is expected in the next few weeks. Hopp also said in his April 20 ruling that the city cannot solve the problem just by giving future bill credits, because that would leave former customers with no relief for money they already paid. The April 20 order also granted the plaintiffs' request for attorneys' fees from the common fund created by the case, another sign the court sees a refund remedy as likely. The lawsuit was brought by a group of Riverside residents, who first flagged the issue in 2010 while reviewing bond documents tied to the city's Riverside Renaissance program. Those documents, prepared by the city's bond counsel, warned that the transfer could be challenged in court and, if struck down, could affect the city's ability to repay debt. Even with that warning, the city continued the transfers. A city spokesperson told the Gazette on April 27 that it is aware of the ruling and plans to appeal. The Simpson case is not the first time Riverside has faced legal challenges over its 11.5 percent general fund transfer practice — a nearly identical case played out over the city's electric utility nearly a decade earlier. In 2018, a class-action lawsuit — *Parada v. City of Riverside* — alleged that the electric services version of the same transfer violated Proposition 26, a 2010 state law requiring voter approval for certain utility charges. A judge agreed in 2020, and the city ultimately settled for $24 million in refunds to electric ratepayers. To protect the ongoing transfer going forward, the city placed Measure C on the November 2021 ballot, where it passed with 55 percent of the vote. Hopp, the same judge now presiding over the water case, struck the election down, ruling it was held during a special election rather than a general election as state law requires – but the city appealed and the appelate court overruled Hopp, finding that the election was regularly scheduled. The water side of the transfer has its own long paper trail. Voters first approved the water general fund transfer in 1968, and the city has sought re-authorization at the ballot multiple times since. A 2012 lawsuit by Riverside residents Vivian and Javier Moreno forced the city to briefly halt water transfers and repay $10 million to the water fund. That settlement led to Measure A in June 2013, which voters approved by more than two-thirds. But the Simpson plaintiffs, several of whom had fought the transfers since 2010 and filed ethics complaints against city council members over Measure A, argued that voter approval alone cannot override Proposition 218's requirement that water fees only cover the actual cost of water service. Phase one of the Simpson case agreed with that argument. *Correction Thurs. May 14, 1:45 p.m.* *An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Judge Hopp's ruling striking down the Measure C election stood. In fact, the city appealed and an appellate court overruled Hopp, finding the election was regularly scheduled. The story has been updated.* ### RPU Board Advances $34M Plan for Solar, Battery and Efficiency Programs URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/rpu-board-advances-34m-plan-for-solar-battery-and-efficiency-programs/ Last updated: 2026-05-15T12:00:58.000Z Riverside Public Utilities' Board of Public Utilities on Monday advanced a plan to spend roughly $34 million in public benefits charge reserve funds, sending to City Council a package of six energy-efficiency and resiliency projects recommended by a community working group. The proposal would direct the largest shares toward community and emergency centers, residential battery storage, a neighborhood pilot program and expanded help for low-income and mobile-home customers. The board approved the [report](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15421895&GUID=A6902AFF-01B4-4A75-8899-1021BECF8A09&ref=raincrossgazette.com) — with one no vote — and sent the plan to City Council for further consideration. The working group, which met four times between July 2025 and January 2026, recommended using the reserve funds for solar, battery storage, energy efficiency and research programs. Its largest recommendation was $12 million for solar, battery storage and energy-efficiency upgrades at community and emergency centers, followed by $9 million for a residential battery storage or solar-plus-storage pilot, $5 million for residential energy storage rebates, $5 million for resiliency upgrades at the utility operations center and city emergency operations center, $2 million for low-income and housing-related program expansions and $1 million for university research grants. Staff said the final amount available could be lower than $34 million depending on year-end program performance. Board members broadly supported the direction of the plan, but raised concerns about its emphasis on solar and battery projects and the way the neighborhood pilot would be structured. One board member questioned whether city-facility projects would produce enough direct benefit for customers. "I do think from a perception standpoint, it does look like there's a lot of, half of the money is going to city facilities. And so we need to make real clear what the benefit is to customers broadly," said Board Member Tom Evans. Staff said the proposal would return later in a more detailed form and that spending levels may still shift based on available funds and final program design. The report also noted that several ideas were not carried forward — including a refund of reserve funds to customers, which staff said would not be legal under state law, and a demonstration facility proposal that lacked support from the working group. A daytime solar support program was also set aside for future review. Staff said the utility will bring back individual programs for approval before spending begins. ### City Adds First Electric Buses to Paratransit Fleet URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-adds-first-electric-buses-to-paratransit-fleet/ Last updated: 2026-05-15T11:59:57.000Z The City Council on Tuesday approved the purchase of two electric buses for Riverside Connect, a move city officials say will help keep paratransit service reliable for seniors and people with disabilities while advancing Riverside's broader clean-fleet goals. The $753,124.43 purchase from A-Z Bus Sales Inc. of Colton will add the first electric buses to the Riverside Connect fleet, which provides transportation within the city for older adults and residents with disabilities. The new Micro Bird G5 buses will replace two aging vehicles in the program's 34-vehicle fleet. Riverside Connect operates seven days a week and provided an average of 350 rides a day in fiscal year 2024-25, traveling more than 437,000 miles, according to a [staff report](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15429455&GUID=209C1EAA-714E-4E49-8876-AF33616D4E5F&ref=raincrossgazette.com). City officials said the service helps residents access medical appointments, errands and other daily trips that might otherwise be difficult to complete. The move also fits into Riverside's broader efforts to reduce emissions from city operations and expand the use of electric vehicles – building on a clean-fleet track record that included being named the No. 1 green fleet in North America by the NAFA Fleet Management Association in 2022 and earning a spot on the organization's Top 50 Green Fleets list in 2025. Riverside Public Utilities joined California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard Program in 2018, allowing the utility to earn credits for the residential charging of electric vehicles. Those efforts led to the creation of the Electric Public Transit Program, which the City Council and Board of Public Utilities approved in November 2025. The program set aside $1 million for fiscal 2025-26 to help fund rebates for city-owned zero-emission buses. City staff said the new bus purchase qualifies for such support. The city will also receive a point-of-sale discount through the Clean Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP), lowering the cost by $15,037 per vehicle. Riverside Public Utilities will rebate the remaining qualified purchase price after the sale, according to the report. City staff said the purchase helps Riverside stay aligned with California's Innovative Clean Transit rule, which requires small transit agencies to phase in zero-emission bus purchases beginning this year and move to all zero-emission purchases by 2029. Officials said the replacement plan also avoids retiring buses before they reach the end of their useful life. For riders, the change is expected to mean continued service with newer, cleaner buses that should support long-term reliability. For the city, it marks another step toward a greener municipal fleet and a transportation system that is gradually shifting away from fossil fuels. ### After Delays, Hayet Albi Found Their Spot on Market Street URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/after-delays-hayet-albi-found-their-spot-on-market-street/ Last updated: 2026-05-14T23:15:21.000Z A recent post on the Hayet Albi Instagram account stopped many mid-scroll. After more than a year of delays and false starts, the Levantine bakery and cafe had found a home — and this time with an address. Hayet Albi, Arabic for "life of my heart," will open in the former Beignet Spot space on Market Street, sharing the building with Slow Bloom Coffee Roasters. The pairing is not new. As the Gazette [reported in 2024](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/eat-this-riverside-craft-coffee-and-creative-pastries-from-slow-bloom-and-hayet-albi/), the two worker-owned cooperatives had planned to open together on the [corner of 10th and Market](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/slow-bloom-coffee-prepares-for-riverside-location-opening-across-from-city-hall/). That building is no longer in play. This one is. The road was not simple. The landlord of the original building died the day after a letter of intent was signed, stalling the deal for months before it finally collapsed. A second negotiation dragged on for nearly a year before falling through as well. Out-of-state investment firms that owned other downtown properties showed little interest in leasing to anyone. "Their listing agents were like, yeah, we showed this building all the time, but the management doesn't respond to us," said Nizar Aridi, founder of Hayet Albi. Finding landlords willing to lease to a cooperative, he added, proved harder than expected. The beignet space came together more quickly. The landlord was enthusiastic about the concept, and the location put both businesses within a short walk of the original site. The split-space model they had envisioned from the start remains intact: Slow Bloom on the coffee and roasting side, Hayet Albi on the bakery and kitchen side, with a shared dining area. Hayet Albi grew out of the same moment that produced Slow Bloom. When Augie's Coffee closed in 2020 following a labor dispute, several employees regrouped and launched Slow Bloom as a worker cooperative, now operating in Redlands with a loyal following. Aridi, a Lebanese-American baker who had been supplying Slow Bloom with pastries from a rented commercial kitchen in Upland, was building toward something of his own and arrived at the same cooperative structure. "No one deserves more than what anyone else deserves," Aridi said. "So why would I open a business where I'm benefiting more than everyone else that's working just as hard, if not harder than me?" In practice, the cooperative model means ownership and profits are shared among the workers. Aridi is matter of fact about how it reads to people encountering it for the first time. "When people see it, it feels a lot less scary. There's a bunch of people working with each other, sharing everything, everyone working as an owner." Together, Hayet Albi and Slow Bloom would be two of only a handful of food and beverage cooperatives in the Inland Empire. Aridi's baking draws from a Levantine tradition that predates French patisserie by centuries, and he is deliberate about how the two relate. Familiar Western pastry shapes serve as an entry point. "If I make a pastry and it's in a familiar shape, it will open up your horizons a little bit," he said. Mastic, labneh, za'atar, ingredients that may be unfamiliar to some customers, arrive inside something that looks approachable. The deeper menu follows from there. The plan calls for morning service from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., with brunch food. Evenings, preliminarily 5 to 10 p.m., will add a full dinner menu and a natural wine program, making Hayet Albi something rarer on that corridor than another daytime coffee stop. Market Street has been gradually shifting from a weekday professional corridor into something with more evening and weekend life. A bakery and cafe named "life of my heart," the kind of phrase Aridi says you reserve for people, not brands, fits that direction. This story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available. **More information:* Hayet Albi will open at 4019 Market St., sharing the building with Slow Bloom Coffee Roasters. Hours and an opening date have not yet been announced.* Follow Hayet Albi at [@hayet.albi](http://instagram.com/hayet.albi?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and Slow Bloom at [@slowbloomcoffee](http://instagram.com/slowbloomcoffee?ref=raincrossgazette.com). ### MLK High School Junior Wins Playwriting Award for Mermaid-Themed One-Act URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mlk-high-school-junior-wins-playwriting-award-for-mermaid-themed-one-act/ Last updated: 2026-05-13T21:45:51.000Z Martin Luther King High School junior Carleigh Rios is heading to the Palm Springs Cultural Center this summer after her original one-act play was selected as a winner in the ninth annual Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival (PSYPF). Rios' play, "Mermaid Story," was one of four works chosen from Riverside County for the festival, which is presented in partnership with the Riverside County Office of Education. The recognition comes with a $500 scholarship and a staged reading of her work by professional actors and directors. "I have never really shared my work with people, let alone an audience. Honestly, I am a little nervous, but also really excited," Rios told the Gazette. "Mermaid Story" follows a 13-year-old middle schooler navigating challenges at home and school before discovering she has mermaid lineage. Drawing on Disney Channel original movie tropes, the play explores mental health and representation in media, particularly how stories about young women and LGBTQ+ characters are portrayed. Rios had been developing the idea for about a year when theater teacher Katherine Williams shared the festival's call for submissions in March. About two weeks after submitting, Rios joined what she thought was a routine Zoom call for follow-up questions -- only to learn she had won. "I was shocked -- it was really kind of a surreal moment," she said. As part of the program, Rios and the other winners will work with mentor Greg Cope White, co-executive producer of the Netflix series "Boots," to refine their scripts before the public performance. "This has 1,000% had an impact on me," Rios said. "It has given me more confidence already in what I can produce. The fact I blindly submitted something I was very passionate about, and someone saw it and saw value in it, is really crazy." MLK Principal Dr. Leann Iacuone said she was proud to see Rios take her work beyond the school stage. "It has been a pleasure to see Carleigh on the Martin Luther King High School stage this year and deeply involved in our theater program," Iacuone said in a statement. "I am thrilled to see her take another step in the world of theater as a playwright and bring her creativity to a wider audience." Rios traces her love of writing back to John F. Kennedy Elementary School, and her passion for poetry to seventh grade at Amelia Earhart Middle School, where teacher Ronald Otis introduced her class to slam poetry. With senior year approaching, she plans to major in English in college, teach high school English, and publish a book. The staged reading of "Mermaid Story" takes place June 7 at the Palm Springs Cultural Center, 2300 E. Baristo Road, Palm Springs. ### The Humble Pill Bug: More Than Just a Backyard Curiosity URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-humble-pill-bug-more-than-just-a-backyard-curiosity/ Last updated: 2026-05-14T12:00:10.000Z You give it a poke, and this little creature curls up into a well-defended ball. I first encountered them as "roly-poly bugs" soon after my arrival to California. But these little guys have a lot of different names: Pill bugs, roly poly bugs, sow bugs, common woodlice, isopods etc. The scientific name of Riverside's species, Armadillidium vulgare (the common little armadillo), is longer than they are! Despite their common names, these guys are not formally "bugs" nor are they "lice." "Bugs" and "Lice" are formally subsets of insects. Insects and sow bugs are very distantly related members of the large group of animals with exoskeletons and jointed legs, the Arthropoda. Pill bugs group within the crustaceans, which includes lobsters, crabs, and shrimp. Like other crustaceans, they breathe through gills, hence even though they are terrestrial, they only survive in moist habitats. Unlike other crustaceans, pill bugs lay their eggs into a specialized body part called a "marsupium" within which the eggs hatch and the resulting baby roly polys are nourished. Eventually the young depart mom and make their way on their own. Pill bugs mind their own business. They are neither dangerous nor annoying. Some people keep them as pets. You are apt to find them in dark and moist habitats in your yard, under a rock or a log, for example. They love a dense cover of ivy. They consume dead plant materials and are good for soil health. Likewise, they provide food for a variety of creatures: birds, frogs, toads, newts, lizards, specialized spiders, and small mammals such as moles and voles. Riverside's common pill bug is native to Mediterranean Europe. Native species of pill bugs still live in natural habitats, such as coastal sage scrub. Different species of roly polys come in different colors, red, yellow, black-and-white striped, and more. Our local pill bugs are dark gray, with the occasional bright blue individual. The blue color was initially thought to be due to genetic variation. However, experiments revealed that the blue color is due to the presence of a virus. Their tight evolutionary relationship with notable seafood prompted me to research their edibility for humans. I was surprised to find that they are not only edible, but palatable, often described as "shrimp-like." Some aficionados recommend eating them boiled or sauteed. All agree that they should not be consumed raw. A few experts recommend holding pill bugs for a day or so for them to "clear" their systems. For more culinary information, seek out online videos for cooking instructions. Tasty and protein-rich, some scientists have promoted pill bugs and close relatives as "micro-livestock" to graze on moist compost or vegetable food waste. Like insects, sow bugs are cold-blooded, resulting in a source of protein that is tremendously more efficient than warm-blooded sources such as poultry and beef. Consequently, a burger made from sow bugs would be much more sustainable than one from a sow! While the prospect of roly poly feedlots along Interstate 5 in the Central Valley may seem like the stuff of science fiction, the billions of them who Riverside already serve important ecological roles servicing our soils and as a food source for our fauna. Given that it's Earth Day, that's plenty! *This article benefited from the input of Dr. Michael Fugate of UCR.* ### 🗞️ Riverside News- May 13, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-may-13-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:57.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-15.jpg) [Neighbor of the Week Debbie Hodson](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-debbie-hodson/) gets a belated birthday from regulars at Arts Bar & Grill's Taco Tuesday — making up for the milestone they missed when copper pipe theft and flooding shuttered the "5 star dive bar" for weeks. (Amy López) **Wednesday Gazette: May 13, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Wednesday!** Today is World Cocktail Day, and we're turning it into a two-part question for the community. First: where do you get your favorite cocktail or mocktail in the city? Whether it's a well-known spot or a hidden gem that deserves more love, we want to hear it. Reply to this email with your recommendation and tell us what you're ordering. Second: behind every great drink is usually a great person. If you know a bartender, mixologist, or server in Riverside who goes above and beyond, [nominate them for Neighbor of the Week](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260512)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260512&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [2026 ELECTION](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/2026-election/) ## 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. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/2-8.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ward-2-4-and-6-candidates-weigh-in-on-city-manager-tenure-futrell-reversal/) The Raincross Gazette hosted candidate forums for Riverside City Council Wards 2, 4, and 6, bringing together candidates and community members for an open exchange ahead of the election. (Bob Sirotnik/Raincross Gazette) The Raincross Gazette hosted candidate forums for Wards 2, 4 and 6 last month, asking all candidates questions about leadership and Riverside's city manager. Note: Ward 2's [forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-ward-2-forum-video/) happened on April 23 — before [city manager Mike Futrell](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-city-manager-mike-futrell-leaving-for-pasadena/) announced on April 25 that he [reversed his decision](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mike-futrell-to-remain-as-city-manager/) to take the city manager role in Pasadena — and the question asked, along with candidate answers, reflected that. The question Bernstein initially asked Ward 2 candidates: *Riverside has had five permanent city managers since 2005, with an average tenure of four years, or roughly half the national average and slightly less than the state average… Does Riverside have trouble keeping city managers? If so, why? Or does Riverside provide such great opportunities for its city managers to produce and get things done that other cities want to snap them up? What are you looking for in the next city manager and how important is it that he or she sticks around for more than four years?* Following Futrell's April 25 announcement, an updated version of the question was asked at the subsequent [Ward 4 forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/watch-ward-4-candidate-forum-chuck-conder-jessica-qattawi-rich-vandenberg/) on April 29 and [Ward 6 forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-ward-6-forum-video/) on April 30: *Until last weekend, Mr. Futrell would have been the third consecutive Riverside city manager to leave for the same position in another city. So where does this lead Riverside? First of all, do you believe that you support Mr. Futrell's decision to \[maintain\] his job here? And second, what do you look for as a city manager?* [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ward-2-4-and-6-candidates-weigh-in-on-city-manager-tenure-futrell-reversal/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260512)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260512&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HOUSING](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/housing/) ## 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. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/260112-qualityinn-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/civil-rights-agency-is-investigating-riverside-over-rejected-permanent-supportive-housing-project/) California's Civil Rights Department is investigating whether Riverside broke anti-discrimination law when the city council voted in January to turn away funding to convert the Quality Inn at 1590 University Ave. into permanent supportive housing. (File photo/Raincross Gazette) California civil rights investigators have opened a probe into whether Riverside City Council members violated fair housing law when they rejected $29.6 million to convert a motel into homeless housing. **Why it matters:** The investigation could put Riverside's state "Prohousing Designation" — and the funding tied to it — at risk. State officials have already warned that the city is failing to meet affordable housing targets for its lowest-income residents. **Driving the news:** California's Civil Rights Department (CRD) launched the probe May 8 following a joint complaint from the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, the Inland Equity Community Land Trust, and the Inland Empire Tenants Union. - The complaint targets remarks made by Councilmembers Chuck Conder, Phillip Falcone, Sean Mill, and Steven Robillard during and after the Jan. 13 vote. **What they're saying:** Advocates say council members relied on stereotypes — not evidence — when rejecting the proposal. - Conder allegedly called the project a "warehouse of the homeless" and an "incubator of crime." Mill said Housing First "is a failure" and opposed housing people without mandating treatment. **The backstory:** The rejected project would have converted the Quality Inn at 1590 University Ave. into 114 studio apartments of permanent supportive housing — stable housing paired with on-site services for low-income and unhoused residents. The Riverside Housing Development Corporation brought the proposal forward. **What's next:** The CRD will review evidence before deciding whether further action is warranted. The California Department of Housing and Community Development has indicated the Homekey+ funding may remain available through May 30 if the council reverses its vote. A city spokesperson declined to comment. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/civil-rights-agency-is-investigating-riverside-over-rejected-permanent-supportive-housing-project/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260512) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260512&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [NATURALLY RIVERSIDE](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/naturally-riverside/) ## 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. [![black and white striped beetle on green leaf](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1595067313320-93b6cc7e08e2?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDQwfHxwaWxsJTIwYnVnfGVufDB8fHx8MTc3ODYyMTEwNnww&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-humble-pill-bug-more-than-just-a-backyard-curiosity/) Photo by [Nick Windsor](https://unsplash.com/@boarderbloke?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) You give it a poke, and this little creature curls up into a well-defended ball. I first encountered them as "roly-poly bugs" soon after my arrival to California. But these little guys have a lot of different names: Pill bugs, roly poly bugs, sow bugs, common woodlice, isopods etc. The scientific name of Riverside's species, Armadillidium vulgare (the common little armadillo), is longer than they are! Despite their common names, these guys are not formally "bugs" nor are they "lice." "Bugs" and "Lice" are formally subsets of insects. Insects and sow bugs are very distantly related members of the large group of animals with exoskeletons and jointed legs, the Arthropoda. Pill bugs group within the crustaceans, which includes lobsters, crabs, and shrimp. Like other crustaceans, they breathe through gills, hence even though they are terrestrial, they only survive in moist habitats. Unlike other crustaceans, pill bugs lay their eggs into a specialized body part called a "marsupium" within which the eggs hatch and the resulting baby roly polys are nourished. Eventually the young depart mom and make their way on their own. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-humble-pill-bug-more-than-just-a-backyard-curiosity/) --- ## Noteworthy The Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce is hosting a [free "Doing Business With the City" workshop](https://www.instagram.com/p/DYPovTxHPDM/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) on May 19 (10–11 a.m., 3985 University Ave.) covering City purchasing, vendor opportunities, and how to connect directly with City staff. A UCR School of Medicine study found that [whole cannabis extract — not THC alone — reversed metabolic impairments in obese mice](https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/05/12/cannabis-compounds-may-boost-metabolic-health-while-supporting-weight-loss?ref=raincrossgazette.com), pointing to a potential mechanism for cannabis users' lower type 2 diabetes risk. La Sierra University is remembering [alumna and 12-year trustee Verla Kwiram](https://lasierra.edu/article/verla-kwiram-a-legacy-of-service-and-impact/?ref=raincrossgazette.com), a champion for women and the marginalized who helped co-found the Association of Adventist Forums, who died April 4 at 85. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-05-13T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-05-13T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [Finance Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/finance-committee/18642989/2026-05-13T15) at Riverside City Hall - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-05-13T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [**Level Up Your Network: The Pick Group 2026 Membership Summit**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/level-up-your-network-the-pick-group-2026-membership-summit/18625198/2026-05-13T18)at Killer Queens Social House ### Tomorrow - [Airport Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/airport-commission/18584286/2026-05-14T15) at Riverside City Hall - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-05-14T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Mobility and Infrastructure Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mobility-and-infrastructure-committee/18584285/2026-05-14T13) at Riverside City Hall - [Neighbors of the Wood Streets](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/neighbors-of-the-wood-streets/16552244/2026-05-14T18) at Eden Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall - [Promise Program Wellness Workshops](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/promise-program-wellness-workshops/18303069/2026-05-14T15) at Riverside City College - [**Riverside Community Services Foundation**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-community-services-foundation/18745418/2026-05-14T17)at Private residence ($175- $20,000) ## Save the Date - May 15: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-15T07) at Zacatecas Café - May 16: [Vintage Home Tour “Age is a Work of Art”](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vintage-home-tour-age-is-a-work-of-art/18708216/2026-05-16T10) at Peter J Weber House ($30) - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - May 31: [Oscars, Tonys & Grammys](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oscars-tonys-grammys/18797026/2026-05-31T16) at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($10- $20) - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) - June 3: [Paint. Sip. Spark Kindness](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-sip-spark-kindness/18886391/2026-06-03T18) at HRBC Insurance ($75) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Civil Rights Agency is Investigating Riverside Over Rejected Permanent Supportive Housing Project URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/civil-rights-agency-is-investigating-riverside-over-rejected-permanent-supportive-housing-project/ Last updated: 2026-05-14T11:59:05.000Z California’s Civil Rights Department (CRD) opened an investigation into Riverside after advocates accused the city of breaking anti-discrimination law when the council voted in January to reject $20.1 million from the state for a permanent supportive housing project. The CRD launched the probe following a joint [complaint](https://www.aclusocal.org/app/uploads/2026/05/ACLU-SoCal-CRD-Complaints.pdf?ref=raincrossgazette.com) filed on May 8 by the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, the Inland Equity Community Land Trust, and the Inland Empire Tenants Union. The groups allege that council members relied on discriminatory stereotypes — not evidence — when they voted to turn away $20.1 million in state funding and $9.5 million in additional federal and state money to convert the Quality Inn Motel at 1590 University Ave. into 114 studio apartments. The units would have offered permanent supportive housing — meaning long-term, stable housing paired with on-site services — for low-income and unhoused residents. The Riverside Housing Development Corporation brought the proposal to the council, which rejected it on Jan. 13. "All of our Riverside neighbors are entitled under the law to fair housing and equal treatment," said Kath Rogers, a senior attorney at ACLU SoCal, in a May 11 [press release](https://www.aclusocal.org/press-releases/california-civil-rights-department-opens-investigation-into-riverside-over-rejected-quality-inn-project/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). "The fact that this investigation is moving forward reflects the seriousness of these allegations." Opening an investigation does not mean the CRD has concluded the city did anything wrong. The agency will review the evidence and decide whether further action is needed. At the heart of the complaint is what council members said during and after the vote. Legal filings cite remarks from Councilmembers Chuck Conder, Phillip Falcone, Sean Mill and Steven Robillard. Advocates say those comments went well beyond policy disagreement and crossed into illegal bias against people experiencing homelessness, mental illness, and substance use disorders. Among the statements cited in the filings: Conder allegedly called the project a "warehouse of the homeless" and an "incubator of crime," warning it would endanger students at nearby North High School and UC Riverside. Mill said the Housing First model — the state's evidence-backed approach to addressing homelessness — "is a failure" and said he opposed housing people without requiring them to participate in treatment. Robillard raised concerns about long-term tenancy and whether the site was suited for residential use. California's fair housing laws prohibit cities from making land use decisions based on stereotypes about protected groups, including people with disabilities and low-income residents who receive housing assistance. The complainants argue the council's comments show the vote was driven by exactly that kind of bias. "The councilmembers who voted to reject funding made their decisions after hearing community opposition in the form of animus and stereotypes against unhoused residents and people with disabilities," said Ugochi Anaebere-Nicholson of the Public Interest Law Project in the May 11 press release. "This type of discrimination is against the law." The state's housing department had already raised red flags after the vote. The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) wrote to the city in February warning that the council's action raised concerns about Riverside's compliance with state housing law. The city currently holds a "Prohousing Designation" — a state status that comes with extra funding opportunities, but also with accountability strings attached. HCD suggested that designation, and the money tied to it, could be in jeopardy. State officials also noted that Riverside has approved zero percent of its required affordable housing units for very low-income residents, while approving more than 31 percent of its market-rate housing quota. HCD has indicated the Homekey+ funding could remain available through May 30 if the city reverses its vote. "Affordable housing helps our entire community, and this no vote has negatively impacted all of us," said Maribel Nunez of the Inland Equity Community Land Trust. "If this project was not good enough for some of our council members, what affordable housing project will be?" A spokesperson for Riverside declined to comment on the matter. ### Ward 2, 4 and 6 Candidates Weigh in on City Manager Tenure, Futrell Reversal URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ward-2-4-and-6-candidates-weigh-in-on-city-manager-tenure-futrell-reversal/ Last updated: 2026-05-14T11:58:27.000Z The Raincross Gazette hosted candidate forums for Wards 2, 4 and 6 last month, asking all candidates questions about leadership and Riverside's city manager. **Note:** Ward 2's [forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-ward-2-forum-video/) happened on April 23 — before [city manager Mike Futrell](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-city-manager-mike-futrell-leaving-for-pasadena/) announced on April 25 that he [reversed his decision](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mike-futrell-to-remain-as-city-manager/) to take the city manager role in Pasadena — and the question asked, along with candidate answers, reflected that. **The question Bernstein initially asked Ward 2 candidates:** *Riverside has had five permanent city managers since 2005, with an average tenure of four years, or roughly half the national average and slightly less than the state average… Does Riverside have trouble keeping city managers? If so, why? Or does Riverside provide such great opportunities for its city managers to produce and get things done that other cities want to snap them up? What are you looking for in the next city manager and how important is it that he or she sticks around for more than four years?* **Following Futrell's April 25 announcement, an updated version of the question was asked at the subsequent** [**Ward 4 forum**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/watch-ward-4-candidate-forum-chuck-conder-jessica-qattawi-rich-vandenberg/) **on April 29 and** [**Ward 6 forum**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-ward-6-forum-video/) **on April 30:** *Until last weekend, Mr. Futrell would have been the third consecutive Riverside city manager to leave for the same position in another city. So where does this lead Riverside? First of all, do you believe that you support Mr. Futrell's decision to \[maintain\] his job here? And second, what do you look for as a city manager?* ### [Ward 2](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-election-guide/) Nonprofit director and Budget Commissioner Aram Ayra, entrepreneur and Planning Commissioner Christen Montero, Western Municipal Water District Director Gracie Torres and financial and IT consultant Mike Vahl are running for the Ward 2 seat soon to be vacated by Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes, who is running for state Assembly. Ward 2 covers neighborhoods including Eastside, Canyon Crest, Mission Grove, Sycamore Canyon and the University District. **Vahl:** "This is the city manager culture today. You look around in the different newspapers – every city is hiring a guy that three years ago was at this city, and now their guy has been there for three or four years and he's at this city – and they just hop. Other guy's been there for three or four years, and he's in this city, and they just hop because they're going to get a 20% pay bump every three years. And that's, that's the culture of the city manager gig these days, which I \[oughta\] got into about 20 years ago." **Torres:** "What I can say is that Western's general manager has been there for nine years, and not jumping to another place – and I'm not sure if necessarily that is the case that we get rid of them too quick, or we scare them off too quickly. But what I do know is that they need to feel supported, right? They need to look down the dais and see a city council that's working together rather than playing referee, right? I think that will make it easier to recruit a city council – plus them, knowing that they have a sound budget. And so it will be incumbent upon the new council members after June that when they're looking at recruiting and they're head hunting, it would be my desire that they do so locally first, so that we have a Riversider leading at the helm. But if that's not the case, they are able to incentivize people to come because they've taken care of our budget, they've taken care of basic city services, so that they don't feel like they're coming here and having to fix everything for the city. And so again, we've been able to retain a general manager, and it's because we've been able to work together to and work with staff that they do such they work so hard that when they're \[feeling\] underappreciated…what is the saying – people don't leave bad jobs, they leave bad managers, right? And so we will be their managers, so hopefully we have a councilmember that works together that they feel like, hey, they see the vision, they trust me, and I can do my job as a city manager." **Vahl:** "You have to remember there's a lot more cities than water districts in Southern California…not as many opportunities." **Ayra:** "Gracie touched upon a good point, which is, \[people\] don't leave bad jobs, they leave bad managers. If we've had five city managers since 2005, I don't think it's the job. I think it's the leadership that we have on the city council. And in many cases, the Council is looking for a yes person. Council is looking for someone that will approve and not get in the way of their decision-making. That's not what I would be looking for in our next city manager. I would be looking for someone who would be willing to tell me no if it didn't make sense for the city, who would be willing to call out and hold the line if we're spending money unaccountably, or if we're making decisions that hurt the future of the city, if we're prioritizing short-term profit over long term sustainability for our community. That's what I would look for in the next city manager. And definitely most importantly, someone that would be accountable to our budget regardless if it pissed council members off or not. Because at the end of the day, the fiscal responsibility is one of the most important jobs for city managers because when we talk about cuts, we talk about services, if your budget's not there, those things have to happen, unfortunately – so that's what I would be looking for in the next city manager." **Montero:** "Yes, and I couldn't agree more, Aram. We need a city manager that's willing to say no, not someone who's afraid to lose their job because they won't say yes to all of city council. I think we also need to look at our charter, which gives the power to city council that's also going to be going up in our ballots in 2028 and that charter committee is being formed this summer. Something to be mindful of is that infrastructure and that hierarchy, it just has to change. And with our city manager, they also need to be data-driven, looking at the impact, really holding accountable to the projects that we're putting our money to. That way they can say, hey, you know, we gave you this last five years, but with the results not really impacting, we're no longer going to give it to you versus continuing to fund and fund, because people are used to being funded." **Ayra:** "I would jump in, too, and I'm so glad Christen brought up the city charter. One of the things right now we have a very unique opportunity is that we're bringing on an Inspector General for the city of Riverside. This is a position that currently is appointed. I would have preferred that I would have been elected, because the role of that job is specifically to look out for fraud, waste, abuse, corruption – and that's not to say that it's rampant in the city of Riverside. That's not what I'm insinuating. But every good government has checks and balances, and Riverside is no different. Should be no different. So one of the things I would be advocating for very strongly, is for an elected inspector general, if we can get on the 2028 ballot, fantastic. If not, that would be a major priority for me, because I think that humans are susceptible to making mistakes. Sometimes humans will take advantage of a system. That's not something I would want. I would want them to work in tandem and in hand in hand with the city manager, rather than be seen as an oppositional force to the city." **Montero:** "Right, the city manager is here to work for us, the residents, not City Council. And city council serves us in many different ways, and also is there to listen to us at times, right? And I couldn't agree more than inspector general, if this is someone who's to look at from a third party objective, if they're afraid of losing their job because they're not saying the right answer for the right project and improving certain things, how can we actually make sure that we're really looked after? If these two positions are reporting to others in a hierarchy that makes it highly influential and \[lacks\] third party observation." **Vahl:** "So you're correct that if the city inspector works with the council, he's going to be pretty laid back on reporting if the council's doing anything, because then he will be fired. It's just the same thing with the city manager. So you've got to get the independence in there so that they can call these guys out and call them out on the dais. On community involvement, this council is probably the worst I've ever seen. They've cut you down. They put 25 or 30 things on the consent calendar so if you want to speak on any of them, everybody speaks at the front on 20 different topics, and it's a jumble of junk. They cut out, you know, they try to get you to speak as little as possible, because they want to just stay up there and say, \]we know what's best.' And they need to put all that stuff out there, let people talk. And if it goes to one in the morning and the people want to stay and talk about an issue that they feel strongly about, they should let them. We had the community involvement engagement stuff a couple of years ago, and I haven't seen any of it being followed. It was great for a few months but kind of looks like, no way." ### [Ward 4](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-election-guide/) Incumbent Chuck Conder, local business owner Jessica Qattawi and local business owner Rich Vandenberg are vying for the Ward 4 council seat. Ward 4 covers neighborhoods including Alessandro Heights, Mission Grove, Orangecrest and the Greenbelt, which became a part of Ward 4 during redistricting in 2023 – meaning many residents in this area will be voting in a Ward 4 race for the first time this year. **Qattawi:** "So Mike Futrell and his wife, Susan came to our Neighbors Better Together meeting this past Sunday, and he spoke about what happened. And it seems that Pasadena got word of his wife. So really, at the end of the day, this is his wife. She is so involved within the city. I don't know about you guys, but are you allowed to bring your significant other to your job? Because in my business, I wouldn't let my employees bring them. But she's intertwining herself with all the staff, and she's asking them for donations. She's doing inappropriate things…with the city staff, and I think that us as a community, we should make sure that we stand up and we say something about this, because she is affecting how our city is working, because she wants to be there and involved. That's not her job. Her husband has a responsibility to take care of our city, and we need to make sure that he is clear and able to do so. But I believe that, since he already said he was going to leave, he was already out the door. I don't feel that he's going to give us 100% at this point. Once you step out of something…he was ready to go somewhere else. So he's ready to leave Riverside. I think it would be best if he were to find another opportunity. Let's bring somebody in that is possibly a resident or somebody that actually has a connection with our community that is going to stay long term and make decisions…These decisions that he's making are going to affect us 10, 20 and 50 years \[from now\], but does he even plan to stay three years?" **Vandenberg:** "I'll jump in on this. I am a fan of Mike Futrell. I'm happy he's staying. It's unfortunate the circumstances that led to him leaving and coming back. Whether that means he'll remain loyal or not, that's not for me to say, I don't know what the man's thinking. The accusations against his wife – there was a letter written on behalf of Mr. Conder, and I believe she asked for a statement of facts, proof that any of these things happened, and that was not generated. So I'm not defending her, I don't know what happened – but I just do want to make it clear that she asked for those to be proven, and they weren't proven. So at this point, it's all rumors, as far as her involvement in the city. If Mike Futrell leaves – and I hope he doesn't – I support the man, I think he's got a great outlook for Riverside. He's an economic development-minded manager, and I like that. If he does leave, the question was, how do you retain the next one? How do you get someone to stay? For me, that's hiring local talent. You want someone who loves Riverside? Get someone who grew up in Riverside, someone who chose here before they got hired for that job. We keep hiring from other states, and what's going to happen the next good job that comes around, they're going to leave. That's what we see. It's hard to blame anybody for doing that. They're moving up, they're making more money, they're taking bigger roles. I don't blame anybody. You want to keep somebody, hire local talent." **Conder:** "So again, clueless. I signed the letter written by the city council as the active then-Mayor Pro Tem. That was my duty, my responsibility. They're not going to like the rest of this. I cannot talk about the Futrell issue. Personnel issues are guarded by state law, and I cannot talk about it. But what I'm looking for in a city manager, I've only been involved in the hiring of one… When you work with the headhunter groups, they'll tell you flat out – the average life for a city manager is three years. We've actually been right on the cusp…It is the average… What I look for is a person that has stability, a person that has understanding of financing – because Mike Futrell – we work great with him about getting a balanced budget – a man that has a background of development. And for those of you who don't know, Mr. Futrell has worked at the city, the state, the federal levels around his career. He is the real deal. I love Mike, Mike's a Navy man and I'm an Air Force man. He's the squid, I'm the armchair. We love each other. I think Mike does great job but as far as what's going on with him…I'm \[prohibited\] by law to speak on it." **Qattawi:** "And you know what? Mike is a very nice guy. And I want to clarify something – that I would never say anything unless I see proof with my own eyes. And I want to say that I did see with my own eyes the inappropriate behaviors of his wife with city employees. So I saw it with my own eyes. That's the only reason why I would say anything about it. If he's going to stay, he needs to make sure that his wife gets out of the picture and lets him do his job." **Bernstein asked Conder a follow-up question at the Ward 4 forum:** *Though you say it's a personnel matter, it sounds like you do support his decision to remain city manager. Can you say that much?* **Conder:** "I cannot say either way, I cannot confirm or deny. Council will talk about this [Tuesday, May 5](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-manager-speaks-out-as-council-evaluates-his-performance-conduct/), I cannot talk about it now." Bernstein asked Conder another follow-up question: Does the council have to make a decision about this or is the rescission of his resignation enough to ensure he still has a job? **Conder:** "That is in the hands of the lawyers. Mr. Futrell did not sign a letter of resignation. That is a fact. Anything else beyond that, things that I can't talk about, will be determined possibly by the lawyers. I'm not saying 'yes he should go,' I'm not saying, 'yes he should stay.' This is something that council will have to talk out. We are working with our own legal department, and we're working with HR. This is an unprecedented realm, this has never happened to us before. We are scrambling \[like\] a bunch of ducks, trying to keep on top of the water. We're figuring it out. It will be figured out, whatever is best for the city of Riverside, and that's the damn answer. What's best for this city is what we will do. If he stays and it's the right thing, he'll stay. If he must go, and it's the right thing for Riverside, he'll go. We will determine that in council, we will make some type of decision on May 5." ### [Ward 6](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-election-guide/) Oz Puerta, executive director of the Arlington Business Partnership, Luis Hernandez, vice chair of the Board of Ethics, and Alvord Unified School District Board of Education Trustee Norma Berrellez are vying for the seat vacated by Councilmember Jim Perry, who announced last year that he is not running for reelection. Berrellez, however, was not in attendance at the April 30 Ward 6 forum. Ward 6 covers neighborhoods including Arlanza, La Sierra, La Sierra Hills, La Sierra South and portions of Arlington. **Puerta:** "So as far as whether Pasadena chose not to pursue it or if Futrell chose it, I don't know. I'm not going to assume that. I'm sure that if I do get elected, it's a position that's going to have more conversations to be had about what those background details were. But I'll tell you what I do know. I work for the business district, which means I have monthly meetings with city council, mayor's office, city manager's office, and I've seen Futrell up close in person and what he does. He does good work. We have good momentum right now. I want to focus on maintaining that momentum, making sure that we give smart projects and new businesses every reason to come to the city. I want to look for a city manager that has a strong financial background. A city manager that has a strong background and experience in development, and I want to make sure that they have the ability to make a deal and make things happen. I'm all about being hands-on and I think that Futrell's doing a great job at that. If there are circumstances that might change that opinion, I don't know yet. I won't know unless I get that seat." **Hernandez:** "I know everybody loves chisme, but we should always wait to hold our judgment until we find out what really happened, right? Me personally, I like Mike. I think he does a great job. I've heard him talk about how important it is for us to bring in more affordable housing and that we're not going to arrest our way out of this homelessness issue. So, I really like a lot of the work that he's done. I think that as a candidate, as a councilmember, like any other job, it's important to find out why that position is a revolving door and address that. What is causing us to have city managers in a pattern to leave after so many years? What's going on? Why are they leaving? And how can we address that to keep a city manager like Mike? It's so important that we do a deep dive and look into the cause – not just why they're leaving on the surface level, but what's going on? Have the conversations you would with any individual at any level of employment if they were important to you — figure out why are you leaving. Let's talk about it. Let's figure it out. What's the cause? And even if it's not Mike and it's another person, what was the cause so that we don't have that happen in the future?" ### 🗞️ Riverside News- May 12, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-may-12-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:58.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/20260504_164126.jpg) A quiet moment at Andulka Park's ball fields before the day's games get underway. (Benicio Aranda) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Tuesday Gazette: May 12, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Tuesday!** It's Bike to Work Week, and if there's ever a time to dust off the two-wheeler and skip the commute traffic, this is it. Whether you're a regular rider or just curious, the week is a great nudge to give it a try. And if biking isn't your thing, there may still be a perk in it for you. IE Commuter has [Commuter Incentives](https://www.iecommuter.org/rp2/home/commuterincentives?ref=raincrossgazette.com) for anyone who rides the bus, train, carpools, vanpools, teleworks, bikes, or walks to work. Worth checking out if you're already making the switch. See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260512)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260512&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Riverside Celebrates 250 Years at the Mission Inn Museum "Riverside: An All-American City" gathers presidential artifacts, bicentennial kitsch and Frank Miller's peace flag under one small roof. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/1-10.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-celebrates-250-years-at-the-mission-inn-museum/) Councilmember Philip Falcone examines a pair of America 250 flags bearing the official logo of the national semiquincentennial celebration, on display at the Mission Inn Museum. (Ken Crawford) A Riverside councilmember turned first-time curator opens a gallery celebrating the city's American story — timed to the country's 250th anniversary. **Why it matters:** If you're drawn to Riverside history, presidential lore, or bicentennial Americana, this small but dense exhibition at the Mission Inn Museum is worth a detour before it closes August 3. **Driving the news:** "Riverside: An All-American City" — curated by Councilmember Philip Falcone alongside Daniela Guzman and Arman Agahi — draws from the Mission Inn Foundation's archive, local collectors, and Falcone's personal collection. - The title references Riverside's All-America City designations in 1955 and 1998, awarded for civic engagement and innovation. **By the numbers:** The show breaks into three sections — artifacts from Frank Miller's era, items tied to presidential visits, and objects from the 1976 bicentennial. - Presidential history alone spans Nixon and Pat's 1940 wedding at the Inn, the Reagans' 1952 honeymoon, and Kennedy's 1960 Riverside County campaign headquarters in the International Rotunda. **Between the lines:** Falcone frames the exhibition as a reclamation of patriotism — not as a political signal, but as a baseline open to all backgrounds and viewpoints. - "I think we've allowed this general idea of patriotism to be co-opted," he said. **What's next:** "Riverside: An All-American City" is on view at the Mission Inn Museum, 3696 Main Street, through August 3, 2026\. Hours and admission at [missioninnmuseum.org](https://missioninnmuseum.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-celebrates-250-years-at-the-mission-inn-museum/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260512) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260512&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [2026 ELECTION](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/2026-election/) ## No More Warehouses: Ward 2, 4 and 6 Candidates Debate Riverside's Economic Path At forums hosted by the Raincross Gazette, candidates for Wards 2, 4 and 6 found common ground on warehousing — and sharp disagreements on what comes next. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/1-8.jpg)](https://raincrossgazette.com/no-more-warehouses-ward-2-4-and-6-candidates-debate-riversides-economic-path/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) The Raincross Gazette hosted candidate forums for Riverside City Council Wards 2, 4, and 6, bringing together candidates and community members for an open exchange ahead of the election. (Bob Sirotnik/Raincross Gazette) Candidates running for City Council seats in Wards 2, 4 and 6 found rare common ground at Raincross Gazette-hosted forums last month: Riverside has too many warehouses and not enough good jobs. But agreement largely ended there, with candidates offering competing visions for what kinds of industries the city should pursue — and how much risk it should take to get them. Moderator Dan Bernstein, a former Press-Enterprise columnist and longtime Riversider, posed the same question to candidates at all three forums: *There probably isn't a single candidate in these City Council races who doesn't want to bring good jobs and better businesses to Riverside. What kinds of jobs and businesses does the city, especially your ward, need the most? And what does a council member actually do to attract these jobs and businesses?* [Read and share the complete story...](https://raincrossgazette.com/no-more-warehouses-ward-2-4-and-6-candidates-debate-riversides-economic-path/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260512)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260512&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [City Council](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/city-council/18431185/2026-05-12T13) at Riverside City Hall - [Arlington Library|Take & Make Craft: Paper Flower Leis](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/arlington-librarytake-make-craft-paper-flower-leis/18765902/2026-05-12T10) at Arlington library - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-05-12T19) at The Hideaway ### Tomorrow - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-05-13T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-05-13T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [Finance Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/finance-committee/18642989/2026-05-13T15) at Riverside City Hall - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-05-13T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [**Level Up Your Network: The Pick Group 2026 Membership Summit**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/level-up-your-network-the-pick-group-2026-membership-summit/18625198/2026-05-13T18) at Killer Queens Social House ## Save the Date - May 13: [Level Up Your Network: The Pick Group 2026 Membership Summit](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/level-up-your-network-the-pick-group-2026-membership-summit/18625198/2026-05-13T18) at Killer Queens Social House - May 14: [Riverside Community Services Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-community-services-foundation/18745418/2026-05-14T17) at Private residence ($175- $20,000) - May 15: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-15T07) at Zacatecas Café - May 16: [Vintage Home Tour “Age is a Work of Art”](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vintage-home-tour-age-is-a-work-of-art/18708216/2026-05-16T10) at Peter J Weber House ($30) - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - May 31: [Oscars, Tonys & Grammys](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oscars-tonys-grammys/18797026/2026-05-31T16) at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($10- $20) - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Riverside Celebrates 250 Years at the Mission Inn Museum URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-celebrates-250-years-at-the-mission-inn-museum/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:05:37.000Z Philip Falcone is a Riverside City Councilmember, and in love with the history of the city. This spring he is working as a first-time curator, joining Daniela Guzman and Arman Agahi to assemble "Riverside: An All-American City," a celebratory gallery exhibition at the Mission Inn Museum marking the country's 250th anniversary. The title is not arbitrary. Riverside won the All-America City designation in 1955 and again in 1998, awarded to cities that demonstrate civic engagement and innovation. The show draws from the Mission Inn Foundation's archive built by Frank Miller, pieces from local collectors, and a portion of Falcone's own personal collection. Councilmember Philip Falcone knows his stuff. Standing inside the gallery at the Mission Inn Museum, he can tell you which items belonged to Frank Miller, which ones came from local collectors, and which ones are his. The gallery is small and bursting with red, white and blue. "This side of the room is Frank Miller's," he says, gesturing to one side, "and then everything on this side of the room is mine." The exhibit is, in some ways, a scaled-back version of a grander vision, though it is well worth the visit. The 250th might have been better served at the still-under-construction Museum of Riverside. Falcone reached out to the much smaller but more available Mission Inn Museum. Staff there pulled everything American-related from the collection, and the three curators started building from there. What emerged breaks into three sections: artifacts from Miller's era, including pieces tied to his lifelong advocacy for international peace; items connected to presidential visits, from Mission Inn overnight stays to LBJ's 50,000-person rally at the historic courthouse; and objects from the 1976 bicentennial. The presidential section alone carries enough history to fill its own room. Nixon and Pat were married in the Mission Inn's Presidential Suite in 1940\. The Reagans honeymooned there in 1952\. And in 1960, Kennedy's campaign set up its Riverside County headquarters in the Inn's International Rotunda, while running against Nixon, who had his own deep ties to the same hotel. The exhibition logo came from that same archive. Falcone and the team adapted a George Washington graphic design originally created for a Mission Inn menu, removing the hotel's text and inserting the exhibition title. The 1914 July 4th midday meal menu that inspired it is on display in the gallery. Falcone is drawn to the aesthetics of centennial celebration, the Stars and Stripes motifs, the heavy nostalgia. What he loves about the bicentennial material specifically is how it absorbed the visual vernacular of its own era, the '70s funkiness pressed up against 1776 iconography. "We're not doing Independence Hall, Philadelphia, classical Americana," he says. "It's a little more funky than that." The deeper interest for him is what the bicentennial meant in context. 1976 was not a good year. Watergate had forced a presidential resignation. Inflation was grinding. Vietnam was a fresh wound. And yet the bicentennial worked as a reset, a moment when shared heritage didn't require agreement on current events. Falcone thinks about that a lot right now. "I think we've allowed this general idea of patriotism to be co-opted," he says. He is not interested in patriotism as a political signal. He is interested in it as a baseline, something the exhibition itself states plainly: all are welcome, from varying political views and cultural backgrounds. The artifacts here are small pieces of a 250-year story that is still being written. That thread runs through Frank Miller's collection too. The "Peace Among All Nations" flag, dated to around 1926, anchors the older section of the show, a reminder that Miller spent his life advocating for international friendship and a world free of war from the Mission Inn, only feet from the museum. It hangs in the same room as a Kennedy inauguration pennant, wartime ration books from Magnolia Avenue grocers, and Press front pages from the day Kennedy was killed. Objects from very different moments, in the same room. Falcone filled this little space with intention. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/2-6.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/3-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/4.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/6.jpg) A selection of artifacts from "Riverside: An All-American City," on view at the Mission Inn Museum through August 3, 2026, including Frank Miller's "Peace Among All Nations" flag, Riverside's official 1976 bicentennial commemorative cover, wartime ration books issued to Magnolia Avenue grocers, and a patriotic wall sconce bearing 13 stars — one for each of the original colonies. (Ken Crawford) **More information:* "Riverside: An All-American City" is on view at the Mission Inn Museum, located at 3598 Main St*. *in Downtown, through August 3, 2026\. Museum hours and admission information are available at* [*missioninnmuseum.org*](http://missioninnmuseum.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### No More Warehouses: Ward 2, 4 and 6 Candidates Debate Riverside's Economic Path URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/no-more-warehouses-ward-2-4-and-6-candidates-debate-riversides-economic-path/ Last updated: 2026-05-13T12:00:34.000Z Candidates running for City Council seats in Wards 2, 4 and 6 found rare common ground at Raincross Gazette-hosted forums last month: Riverside has too many warehouses and not enough good jobs. But agreement largely ended there, with candidates offering competing visions for what kinds of industries the city should pursue — and how much risk it should take to get them. **Moderator Dan Bernstein, a former Press-Enterprise columnist and longtime Riversider, posed the same question to candidates at all three forums:** *There probably isn't a single candidate in these City Council races who doesn't want to bring good jobs and better businesses to Riverside. What kinds of jobs and businesses does the city, especially your ward, need the most? And what does a council member actually do to attract these jobs and businesses?* --- ### [Ward 2](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-election-guide/) Nonprofit director and Budget Commissioner Aram Ayra, entrepreneur and Planning Commissioner Christen Montero, Western Municipal Water District Director Gracie Torres and financial and IT consultant Mike Vahl are running for the Ward 2 seat soon to be vacated by Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes, who is running for state Assembly. Ward 2 covers neighborhoods including Eastside, Canyon Crest, Mission Grove, Sycamore Canyon and the University District. **Torres:** "This is my number one passion. So I have a sweet 18-year-old who is facing down this job market. So that is one of the reasons that's such a high priority for me. And it's not just for students graduating college or graduating high school, it's also for mothers that want to enter the workforce again after having stayed at home for 18 years. And these are opportunities that we need. And I've done it. I brought $2 million into the region to create good-paying careers, not just jobs, careers in the water and wastewater industry. What we're seeing is that about 30% of our workforce was about to retire. And so we said, how do we address this, but in an equitable way? And so we partnered with community-based organizations to recruit from communities that haven't had access to these careers before. We've trained them and certified them and then placed them in jobs in the water industry. I want to do the same thing in the city. And I don't know if a lot of you know this, but to work in the city or the county, you actually need a bachelor's degree. A bachelor's degree when I was when I was finishing college, meant a lot, and that's just not the case anymore. There is no reason why these entry-level jobs cannot be more accessible to our residents. I was just talking to my friend here and telling him, I worked for the county for 12 years, and I'm never leaving. I have a career. I'm never leaving. I love it. That's a good-paying union job. But that's because I work 10 minutes away. I cannot fathom having to drive to another city, and those are the opportunities we need to create. Not only is it good to build economic development, but it's also a great way to start alleviating the traffic that we have here in the city. When people work in their city and play in their city and retire in their city, we're alleviating at a certain percentage, how much is coming in and out, when it comes to traffic." **Montero:** "Yeah, I would say having having more jobs in the city \[and\] county is good – but we also need to see more jobs in the private sector, because right now, there's a lot of companies that want to pay hourly and not salary, and then when they want to pay salary, they don't want to provide benefits. How could any of our younger generation ever be able to afford a home, let alone for us to have forward economic development within our community that continues? Secondly, when it comes to people and not getting the salaries, we also got to look at what types of industries we're letting come in right now. We have a lot of warehouses come in because we said create a lot of jobs, but my younger brothers, they went in and there was no forward movement. There was no career to be held. The hourly looked great to trap them, but in the end, they slowly quit and found something else. And now a lot of our folks are taking jobs in LA, Orange County, where they're willing to pay. We don't want to lose that in our community. So I think it's important to have a supporting student pipeline for a younger generation, whether they go to RCC, whether they go to CBU, and also helping our local small business owners to have access to resources like that as well, and that way those small business owners can also provide forward paying jobs that provide upward momentum and opportunity and maybe even gets them ready for their next big job, right? So I know we have our innovation hub that just got created, or our district that got deemed without a lot of our resident consent, usually it gets consented and discussed and then deemed and rezoned as an innovation district, but that did not happen for us." **At this point, Bernstein asked a follow-up question to Ward 2 candidates:** *Let me redirect a little bit in terms of looking down the road. I see you were saying that next five to 10 years out, what kind of jobs are you specifically looking at?* **Montero:** "I would say clean tech companies right now, in general, \[and\] agriculture is a huge part of Riverside. I think we need to continue to have a focus on that as well, and innovation. We can't become stagnant and have companies coming in that aren't open to new ideas and sticking to the traditional, we don't want what happened with Kodak and Fujifilm to happen in our entire city, because we lack the openness to innovation." **Vahl:** "One of the things that we don't need to do is fly people to the Far East and become investment bankers. We find a company that's a startup that's never done anything, offer them a couple million dollars to come to our city and open an office and develop their product, and maybe in five or 10 years, they'll have something they may be able to sell. I don't think anybody – our mayor or our city council – are tech entrepreneur or venture capital people, so if they have the expertise to do that, they're just looking for a deal to bring back, to say, hey, we brought back a job or a company and they're going to create all this stuff…" **Montero:** "Mike, does that mean you're against entrepreneurship?" **Vahl:** "That's not what I said, I said I'm going over, finding overseas companies and becoming a venture capital firm for them." **Ayra:** "I agree with Mike, the city has prioritized big business at a loss for our small business community. And I'm out talking to a lot of our small business owners, and they feel squeezed on all sides. You know, post Covid, especially, has been difficult, but the city charges really high in utility rates. They charge them really high fees and permits. They make it difficult. You know, I love the chamber, but I know a lot of small businesses have said that the focus of the chamber is on big business. I get that, we need the development in the city too, but what kind of big businesses are we bringing into Riverside? Because right now, our focus has been on logistics and warehousing, and those are not the type of jobs we need for the future. Are they bad jobs? No, I don't see anything as a bad job. I worked at a warehouse for two summers to pay my way through UCR. But are there better jobs that we're totally missing and not bringing in? Absolutely. My priority would be healthcare jobs –those are relatively future proof jobs. My priority would be advanced manufacturing, trying to put as many of our warehouses into advanced manufacturing as possible – and most importantly, support for our small business community. There's been so many incredible small businesses in Ward two, but across the city, that have felt neglect from the city, that have felt that their costs are too high and have felt that Riverside is not a place for them, and that's unacceptable to me. Small businesses constitute the bulk of our job creators in this city, or at least a very solid bulk of our job creators." **Vahl:** "Small businesses are getting neglected. Like I said, with planning small businesses is same way. One of the guys in Ward two told me – he opened a deli – put in a permit a couple months later to get a grill. Took them a year. Then that started working out. We asked for pizza oven, that took 18 months. That's two and a half years for that something should have taken a week. And it's ridiculous. We shouldn't do that to our small businesses." **Torres:** "I agree completely. But again, we can't just make promises rather than present actual, tangible plans. And again, I've done this at Western. We created an incentive program for businesses that became water resilient. We helped them out with their turf. We gave them deals on their utilities. The city can do the same thing. We not only need to incentivize businesses to join the city, we need to reward those that have stayed in the city. And by doing that, we create more jobs and those who hire locally, also should receive an incentive so that they can continue to do so." --- ### [Ward 4](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-election-guide/) Incumbent Chuck Conder, local business owner Jessica Qattawi and local business owner Rich Vandenberg are vying for the Ward 4 council seat. Ward 4 covers neighborhoods including Alessandro Heights, Mission Grove, Orangecrest and the Greenbelt, which became a part of Ward 4 during redistricting in 2023 – meaning many residents in this area will be voting in a Ward 4 race for the first time this year. **Vandenberg:** "I can tell you what we don't need. We don't need logistics warehousing. We have enough. We're too dependent on logistics warehousing. We're in a new era. We're in the era of AI, automation and robots. When that happens, these are gonna be the first jobs to go. We're too dependent on 'em. Our economy \[will be\] in trouble if we don't shift gears quickly. I would focus on healthcare jobs, advanced manufacturing and tech jobs. We have 70,000 students among our four colleges. Two most common degrees are Business Administration and healthcare. We have companies in Orange County, San Diego County and LA County looking to expand. We're doing an okay job, I guess, going overseas, attracting new tech companies. I wouldn't bank on these. These are gambles. We're investing them and hope they turn out, and I hope they do, but that's no sure thing, and not something I'm willing to bank Riverside's economy on. I'm going to recruit companies from LA, Orange and San Diego County that want to expand. We've got cheaper land, we've got utilities, we've got a workforce pipeline, they're right here in Riverside, they want to stay here. They're being forced out because of lack of work." **Conder:** "So the way you attract business is you go meet the business people. You don't know what ICSC is, it's the large gathering up in Las Vegas for all of the companies who want to do business around the nation. I've brought two companies here by going there, and I'll say how funny it was – I've sat down with two or three different ones over the years and the first thing they \[do is\] look at me and say 'what are you doing here?...we've never had an elected sit with us.' That's why I go to ICSC. I brought two businesses here so far. The one for Ward four you've seen is EOS up in the image and growth shopping center. We have $4.8 billion – that's a B with a billion folks – of investment coming into Riverside. They're investing in us, Mr. Vandenberg, we're not investing in them. They're investing in us. I was Hyundai, I wrote them yesterday, where they're building the motors and the equipment for the electric trains that will be serving part of the Olympics in Los Angeles. We've got Chaevi coming in here, the world leader of battery technology. We've got $4.8 billion, and gonna put a billion dollars in the community hospital. It's coming, it's here… We lost –hear this now – we lost a Fortune 50 company up on the plateau and we lost another manufacturing company that was manufacturing medical devices. That was shortsightedness…we lost maybe upwards of a thousand high-paying jobs up there. We need to bring in industry here and ward 4 has very very little land left to do…the \[plateau was county\]...because of what happened Riverside has no say anymore about what will happen on that land, it's out of our control, it's now in the control of the five Board of Supervisors' members. We have very little land in ward 4, we can try to \[bring\] small businesses in here, but there's no place to build large businesses in ward 4." **Qattawi:** "Let's talk about [Ohmio](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-pursuing-agreement-with-new-zealand-based-autonomous-shuttle-company-ohmio/). Have you guys heard of Ohmio? It's right by the riverside airport. So the city paid them $2 million to come here and set up a facility. They said they were going to bring jobs, and they were going to do all these great things for our city, and guess what? Two years later, nothing. I have not even seen one of their electric shuttles out on the road. We need to stop wasting money. I can't wait for the inspector general position to start. But no warehouses, definitely no warehouses. We don't need any more warehouses. We have 16 million empty square feet of warehouses in Riverside right now. What we need is white-collar jobs. We need people that are going to be able to afford to live, rent, buy food and take care of their families. So I have an idea, and I'm an innovator. I was actually the first social media marketing company here in the Inland Empire. So I saw an opportunity, and I jumped on it. I turned $1,000 into millions of dollars. So I'm a smart business woman, but I'm also a humanitarian. And so I want to tell you guys this idea that I have for the empty warehouse space. So I want to really help generate more business owners through our community. And so what I would like to do is \[take\] that empty warehouse space that we have \[and\] actually break it up into smaller mini warehouses and start giving people opportunities to start their own businesses within these spaces. So rather than them sitting there and being empty, we could do something like that that will start generating more money for the city as well. But that's just an idea but we definitely need to make sure that we're taking care of our community." **Conder:** "If you'd come to the Ohmio event last month, you could have ridden in one of the machines. They're not building them for Riverside, they're building them for the world. Riverside is looking at how we might be able to use them, but the jobs are there. The people are having jobs. They're building them. You're not going to see them in the city until we do a full analysis of how they're going to be used. They are autonomous. And the problem sometimes with autonomous vehicles – if you look at the ones that you can do the cab ride now – sometimes they've had accidents with those things. But the jobs are here. They're being built, they're just being sent around the world, right now they're at JFK airport in New York, so they're here and they're making money for us." **Vandenberg:** "Just to correct you, did we not make an investment for them to come here? Yes or no? Because I'm certain we did and you just said they invested in us – well, they did by coming, but we invested in them to get them here, that's why we attracted them." **Conder:** "Did we help them come here, yeah. It's called return on investment, long-term. You get the jobs, the people here, those people live in Riverside, they're spending money in Riverside, it's called ROI." --- ### [Ward 6](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-election-guide/) Oz Puerta, executive director of the Arlington Business Partnership, Luis Hernandez, vice chair of the Board of Ethics, and Alvord Unified School District Board of Education Trustee Norma Berrellez are vying for the seat vacated by Councilmember Jim Perry, who announced last year that he is not running for reelection. Berrellez, however, was not in attendance at the April 30 Ward 6 forum. Ward 6 covers neighborhoods including Arlanza, La Sierra, La Sierra Hills, La Sierra South and portions of Arlington. **Hernandez:** "When it comes to attracting jobs for the city and our ward overall, it's important to look at the trends and what's going on nationally and locally. There was a point in time in history where warehouses meant jobs. That's not true anymore. The reality is that artificial intelligence and automation are taking over a lot of jobs and it's going to be difficult for anybody in office to determine what the future holds, but we can look at reliable sources when it comes to what helps keep most people employed. And usually that's in the industries of technology and the medical field. Looking forward to the future, it's environmental jobs that have to do with producing technology and revolving around the environment and how to improve our situation when it comes to overall quality of life. We have a lot of individuals who are senior citizens, who are getting older. Obviously instead of being on the streets, there are facilities where they can be taken care of. So there's a lot of different opportunities that we can look into to make sure that our residents have good-paying opportunities. Obviously partnering with unions and trying to create apprenticeship programs where you don't have to have a college degree to find a good job, at least a decent paying job ... You don't have to own a few homes, but you know, you can at least survive, pay for food, and have a vehicle. Those things shouldn't be out of reach for anyone who works. And it's disappointing to hear someone blame the victims when it comes to unaffordability and how difficult it is. If everyone wanted to be the CEO of a company, there wouldn't be any. There's all kinds of people who provide services and without those individuals, you wouldn't get your food at a fast food joint, at a local restaurant. Wherever it is, people work hard and they deserve to be able to at least have a place to live, food on the table and be able to pay their bills." **Puerta:** "So on the topic of jobs, I just mentioned the Riverside Auto Center told us that they were struggling to hire technicians at $70 an hour. Right now what I'm doing is I'm meeting with the skilled trades to try to see where those opportunities are. I'm meeting with other city departments. We found out that there's an EMS program in Chula Vista and Anaheim where the cities took it upon themselves to fill in their in-house needs on EMS services and provided a pathway to careers for high school students. That's a great thing. Jim Perry has focused a lot of his time and focused on career and technical education. We need more of that. Right now, we need a lot more people to fill in the skilled trades position. We also need to grow on what's recession proof. Healthcare is recession proof. We need more of it. Kaiser is expanding, they're adding more beds and hopefully we'll have some new housing projects that can accommodate the new staffing that's going to be there so people can live local, work local, stay local. As far as the way a council member can do is we can facilitate things like apprenticeship programs through the chamber, through the universities. I know that again, bringing up the auto center, they're trying to work with one of the universities to bring in a work experience and internship program so they can meet those needs, the hiring needs. We just need to work with the groups around us, with the big players and figure out what jobs they can't fill, and educate our students to understand that those pathways are available." ### 🗞️ Riverside News- May 11, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-may-4-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:13:59.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/Crestmore_Manor.jpg) A pond reflects the trees and hills at Crestmore Manor. (Lea Aragon) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Monday Gazette: May 11, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday!** It's been one week since the Mission Inn sale stopped Riverside in its tracks — and in that time, you've had plenty to say. Today we share what we heard, from community organizations and local advocates to neighbors like you. Still have thoughts? Send them to [newsroom@raincrossgazette.com](mailto:newsroom@raincrossgazette.com). See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260511)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260511&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## 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. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/3-_DSC4127-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-may-11-2026/) Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### City Council City Council will meet in closed and open sessions on Tuesday, May 12, in afternoon sessions at 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1401519&GUID=578E3AFB-144F-4CDF-8A31-10A4B6797624&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). The agenda includes: - Considering the purchase of two [electric buses](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15429455&GUID=209C1EAA-714E-4E49-8876-AF33616D4E5F&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for $753,124 to replace aging vehicles in the Riverside Connect para-transit service used by seniors and residents with disabilities. ([item 15](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5326-revised-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69f40995f2b670e3b0004a0a-15-purchase-two-micro-bird-g5-electric-buses-from?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Considering a $2.28 million contract to [renovate the City Hall lobby](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15429425&GUID=CB973A92-7E6E-49FA-9B70-64D8CD072971&ref=raincrossgazette.com), relocating the City Clerk's Office to the main floor for easier public access and replacing a closed café space with a grab-and-go food area, funded through General Fund reserves. ([item 12](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5326-revised-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69f40995f2b670e3b0004a06-12-reject-bids-submitted-by-dorado-design-and-const?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Considering adoption of a [workplan](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15429434&GUID=80D2AA1A-214F-4E54-B704-B127049B303A&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for a proposed River District along the Santa Ana River that would guide future decisions on public access, habitat restoration and development of underutilized City-owned parkland in Wards 1, 3, and 7\. ([item 14](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5326-revised-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69f40995f2b670e3b0004a09-14-adopt-the-river-district-feasibility-study-wor?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Board of Library Trustees The Board of Library Trustees meets on Monday, May 11, at 5:00 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1410987&GUID=249DABBF-2F26-4C5F-9533-C8B036E8E6F6&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review [updates](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15437372&GUID=EBD162FE-7C07-4A70-A120-B17CB79A0FDD&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on construction of the new Eastside Library, a state grant funding [free summer lunches](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15437376&GUID=6554D9EF-ADED-4374-906C-8A26628BA14F&ref=raincrossgazette.com) at library locations, and a proposed [two-year budget](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15437385&GUID=E7789785-C0ED-4FB6-BE8E-A80A83BB68AD&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that would reduce Sunday library hours to address projected City-wide shortfalls. ### Board of Public Utilities The Board of Public Utilities meets on Monday, May 11, at 6:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1406138&GUID=B25A7867-C54A-4535-A0DA-98E2D8DE938B&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review two RPU programs: a proposed renewal of no-cost [energy efficiency upgrades](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15417994&GUID=24C0A6C5-48FA-40E4-A176-BA55577BEF9D&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for mobile-home and multi-family residents ([item 8](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5322-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69f24615f395e7aff50004af-8-recommend-city-council-approve-inter-utility-se?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and a community working group's [plan](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15421895&GUID=A6902AFF-01B4-4A75-8899-1021BECF8A09&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for spending $34 million in electric bill surcharge reserves on battery storage, solar and low-income energy programs. ([item 9](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5322-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69f24615f395e7aff50004b0-9-receive-presentation-on-outcome-of-energy-effic?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Commission of the Deaf The Commission of the Deaf meets on Thursday, May 14, at 5:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1409881&GUID=4236787A-F69C-4A0E-8578-A31F0F5EAA45&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to approve its [2026 workplan](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15437987&GUID=25A3841E-0363-46E1-84A9-0B549F8BDFAA&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 4](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5334-commission-of-the-deaf-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fe4387442538d866001f76-4-develop-and-approve-2026-workplan?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and request to establish an [Office of Deaf and Disability Support](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15451474&GUID=86FBBFAD-321A-4ADF-B316-7F9AC4AA1E0C&ref=raincrossgazette.com) (ODDS) in the city. ([item 5](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5334-commission-of-the-deaf-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fe4387442538d866001f77-5-request-to-establish-an-office-of-deaf-and-disa?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Mobility and Infrastructure Committee The Mobility and Infrastructure Committee (Councilmembers Conder, Hemenway, and Perry) meets on Thursday, May 14, at 1:00 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1396893&GUID=D71F2875-9B9C-43A1-ABC7-A05E74FD59FC&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review the Transportation Board's [2026 work plan](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15422271&GUID=44B9F98B-3FE5-454F-9744-0144D4C590DD&ref=raincrossgazette.com), which calls for developing school-specific safe routes plans, establishing a Vision Zero traffic safety action plan aimed at eliminating traffic fatalities, and designing the South Main Complete Streets Project. ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5319-mobility-and-infrastructure-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69f236b97d796539eb006a2f-2-transportation-board-2026-workplan-10-minute-p?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Airport Commission The Airport Commission meets on Thursday, May 14, at 3:00 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1409197&GUID=04B8AD5C-449B-43CE-B9D5-1B92B37B0B08&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to receive the Riverside Municipal Airport's [quarterly operations report](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15418642&GUID=1496735B-255C-419D-AFDC-83C008618AF9&ref=raincrossgazette.com), which describes aircraft activity up 4.7% through the first three months of 2026 compared to the same period last year, with revenues tracking above projections. ([item 1](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5327-airport-commission-meeting-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fa0754f2b6708a76003a10-1-to-comment-on-any-matters-within-the-jurisdicti?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Budget Engagement Commission The Budget Engagement Commission meets on Thursday, May 14, at 5:00 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1406105&GUID=E444FBCB-DD3C-4E4C-86CF-BC020CF89E03&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review a proposed $34 million in cuts to the city’s $1.57 billion [2026-28 budget](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15444867&GUID=F5A3FEC0-1BD3-4879-87F1-66E7D784B8F9&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 4](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5329-budget-engagement-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fce198f395e79668005f26-4-proposed-fiscal-year-2026-2028-biennial-budget?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and to review the city's mid-year [financial report](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15445816&GUID=BB375856-45DE-409C-BA5A-D5906362042B&ref=raincrossgazette.com) — which describes the general fund as on track but under pressure from rising police overtime costs, declining revenues and rising oil prices ([item 6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5329-budget-engagement-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fce198f395e79668005f28-6-fiscal-year-2025-slash-26-second-quarter-financial-re?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-may-11-2026/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260511) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600511&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [BUSINESS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/business/) ## The Mission Inn's New Stewards, Welcomed and Watched Civic leaders, preservationists and readers spent the week welcoming the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation. They also began asking, carefully, what comes next. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/260507-missioninncity-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-mission-inns-new-stewards-welcomed-and-watched/) The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa anchors a full city block at the heart of downtown Riverside, with the city's Arts & Entertainment district rising behind it. (Titus Pardee) A week after Riverside learned that the Mission Inn would change hands — that the property was, [in fact, for sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/my-mistakes-with-the-mission-inn-for-sale-story/), and that the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation had agreed to purchase it from the Roberts family — the response from across the city has been broad and, mostly, welcoming. It has also been measured. There are open questions, and the people most invested in the property have begun asking them. The Tribe's [announcement](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-mission-inn-heads-to-new-ownership-yuhaaviatam-of-san-manuel-nation/) settled some details and held others. Pyramid Global Hospitality will operate the property, the Festival of Lights will continue, gambling is not on the table, and closing is expected by the end of May. Operational specifics will be discussed after the sale closes. The Yuhaaviatam contribute more than 7,000 jobs to the Inland Empire economy and have given more than $425 million in philanthropic support through the San Manuel Cares program. Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson, in a statement Monday, said the Tribe's "deep-rooted commitment to our region positions them well to carry the Mission Inn forward." The Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce applauded the sale and welcomed the Tribe as "thoughtful stewards." Stephanie Standerfer, chair of the chamber's board of directors, called the Mission Inn "central to Riverside's identity and economic vitality," thanked the Roberts family for "decades of vision and care" and welcomed the transition. The chamber's president and CEO, Nicholas Adcock, said the chamber expects to continue its longtime partnerships with the Inn, including the monthly Good Morning Riverside breakfast and the Festival of Lights. "The Mission Inn has always been where community, culture, and commerce come together," Adcock told the Gazette. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-mission-inns-new-stewards-welcomed-and-watched/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260511)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260511&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [2026 ELECTION](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/2026-election/) ## Wards 2, 4 and 6 Candidates Outline Housing Priorities as City Lags State Targets With Riverside far behind on state housing targets, candidates in three ward races outlined their approaches to growth, density and neighborhood character. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-13-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/wards-2-4-and-6-candidates-outline-housing-priorities-as-city-lags-state-targets/) The Raincross Gazette hosted candidate forums for Riverside City Council Wards 2, 4, and 6, bringing together candidates and community members for an open exchange ahead of the election. (Bob Sirotnik/Raincross Gazette) The Raincross Gazette hosted candidate forums for Wards 2, 4 and 6 last month, asking all candidates the same questions on affordable housing and Riverside's neighborhood character. Moderator Dan Bernstein, a former Press-Enterprise columnist and longtime Riversider, posed this question to candidates at all three forums: *The state is pushing cities to build more housing – not just affordable housing but housing in general. Homes and apartments. But Riverside has issued permits for* [*less than 20% of the units the state says it needs*](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-falls-far-short-of-state-housing-mandate-report-shows/)*. Yet, residents across the city worry about what growth is doing to their neighborhoods. More density. More traffic. More corporate-owned rentals. And less of what made them choose to live here in the first place.* *How do you strike a balance between these two competing interests? Where can housing be added in your ward, and which neighborhoods would be most severely and unfairly disrupted by new residential construction?* [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/wards-2-4-and-6-candidates-outline-housing-priorities-as-city-lags-state-targets/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-05-11T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Board of Library Trustees](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/board-of-library-trustees/18584289/2026-05-11T17) at Riverside City Hall - [Board of Public Utilities](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/board-of-public-utilities/18584290/2026-05-11T18) at Riverside City Hall - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-05-11T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [**Interfaith Prayer Meeting**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/interfaith-prayer-meeting/18817037/2026-05-11T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Monday Carillon Recitals](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/monday-carillon-recitals/17079871/2026-05-11T12) at UCR Bell Tower ### Tomorrow - [City Council](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/city-council/18431185/2026-05-12T13) at Riverside City Hall - [Arlington Library|Take & Make Craft: Paper Flower Leis](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/arlington-librarytake-make-craft-paper-flower-leis/18765902/2026-05-12T10) at Arlington library - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-05-12T19) at The Hideaway ### Save the Date - May 13: [Level Up Your Network: The Pick Group 2026 Membership Summit](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/level-up-your-network-the-pick-group-2026-membership-summit/18625198/2026-05-13T18) at Killer Queens Social House - May 14: [Riverside Community Services Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-community-services-foundation/18745418/2026-05-14T17) at Private residence ($175- $20,000) - May 15: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-15T07) at Zacatecas Café - May 16: [Vintage Home Tour “Age is a Work of Art”](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vintage-home-tour-age-is-a-work-of-art/18708216/2026-05-16T10) at Peter J Weber House ($30) - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - May 31: [Oscars, Tonys & Grammys](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oscars-tonys-grammys/18797026/2026-05-31T16) at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($10- $20) - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### This Week in City Hall: May 11, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-may-11-2026/ Last updated: 2026-05-12T23:15:17.000Z Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### City Council City Council will meet in closed and open sessions on Tuesday, May 12, in afternoon sessions at 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1401519&GUID=578E3AFB-144F-4CDF-8A31-10A4B6797624&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). The agenda includes: - Considering the purchase of two [electric buses](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15429455&GUID=209C1EAA-714E-4E49-8876-AF33616D4E5F&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for $753,124 to replace aging vehicles in the Riverside Connect para-transit service used by seniors and residents with disabilities. ([item 15](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5326-revised-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69f40995f2b670e3b0004a0a-15-purchase-two-micro-bird-g5-electric-buses-from?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Considering a $2.28 million contract to [renovate the City Hall lobby](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15429425&GUID=CB973A92-7E6E-49FA-9B70-64D8CD072971&ref=raincrossgazette.com), relocating the City Clerk's Office to the main floor for easier public access and replacing a closed café space with a grab-and-go food area, funded through General Fund reserves. ([item 12](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5326-revised-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69f40995f2b670e3b0004a06-12-reject-bids-submitted-by-dorado-design-and-const?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Considering adoption of a [workplan](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15429434&GUID=80D2AA1A-214F-4E54-B704-B127049B303A&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for a proposed River District along the Santa Ana River that would guide future decisions on public access, habitat restoration and development of underutilized City-owned parkland in Wards 1, 3, and 7\. ([item 14](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5326-revised-city-council-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69f40995f2b670e3b0004a09-14-adopt-the-river-district-feasibility-study-wor?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Board of Library Trustees The Board of Library Trustees meets on Monday, May 11, at 5:00 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1410987&GUID=249DABBF-2F26-4C5F-9533-C8B036E8E6F6&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review [updates](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15437372&GUID=EBD162FE-7C07-4A70-A120-B17CB79A0FDD&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on construction of the new Eastside Library, a state grant funding [free summer lunches](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15437376&GUID=6554D9EF-ADED-4374-906C-8A26628BA14F&ref=raincrossgazette.com) at library locations, and a proposed [two-year budget](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15437385&GUID=E7789785-C0ED-4FB6-BE8E-A80A83BB68AD&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that would reduce Sunday library hours to address projected City-wide shortfalls. ### Board of Public Utilities The Board of Public Utilities meets on Monday, May 11, at 6:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1406138&GUID=B25A7867-C54A-4535-A0DA-98E2D8DE938B&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review two RPU programs: a proposed renewal of no-cost [energy efficiency upgrades](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15417994&GUID=24C0A6C5-48FA-40E4-A176-BA55577BEF9D&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for mobile-home and multi-family residents ([item 8](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5322-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69f24615f395e7aff50004af-8-recommend-city-council-approve-inter-utility-se?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and a community working group's [plan](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15421895&GUID=A6902AFF-01B4-4A75-8899-1021BECF8A09&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for spending $34 million in electric bill surcharge reserves on battery storage, solar and low-income energy programs. ([item 9](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5322-board-of-public-utilities-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69f24615f395e7aff50004b0-9-receive-presentation-on-outcome-of-energy-effic?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Commission of the Deaf The Commission of the Deaf meets on Thursday, May 14, at 5:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1409881&GUID=4236787A-F69C-4A0E-8578-A31F0F5EAA45&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to approve its [2026 workplan](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15437987&GUID=25A3841E-0363-46E1-84A9-0B549F8BDFAA&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 4](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5334-commission-of-the-deaf-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fe4387442538d866001f76-4-develop-and-approve-2026-workplan?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and request to establish an [Office of Deaf and Disability Support](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15451474&GUID=86FBBFAD-321A-4ADF-B316-7F9AC4AA1E0C&ref=raincrossgazette.com) (ODDS) in the city. ([item 5](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5334-commission-of-the-deaf-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fe4387442538d866001f77-5-request-to-establish-an-office-of-deaf-and-disa?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Mobility and Infrastructure Committee The Mobility and Infrastructure Committee (Councilmembers Conder, Hemenway, and Perry) meets on Thursday, May 14, at 1:00 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1396893&GUID=D71F2875-9B9C-43A1-ABC7-A05E74FD59FC&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review the Transportation Board's [2026 work plan](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15422271&GUID=44B9F98B-3FE5-454F-9744-0144D4C590DD&ref=raincrossgazette.com), which calls for developing school-specific safe routes plans, establishing a Vision Zero traffic safety action plan aimed at eliminating traffic fatalities, and designing the South Main Complete Streets Project. ([item 2](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5319-mobility-and-infrastructure-committee-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69f236b97d796539eb006a2f-2-transportation-board-2026-workplan-10-minute-p?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Airport Commission The Airport Commission meets on Thursday, May 14, at 3:00 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1409197&GUID=04B8AD5C-449B-43CE-B9D5-1B92B37B0B08&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to receive the Riverside Municipal Airport's [quarterly operations report](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15418642&GUID=1496735B-255C-419D-AFDC-83C008618AF9&ref=raincrossgazette.com), which describes aircraft activity up 4.7% through the first three months of 2026 compared to the same period last year, with revenues tracking above projections. ([item 1](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5327-airport-commission-meeting-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fa0754f2b6708a76003a10-1-to-comment-on-any-matters-within-the-jurisdicti?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Budget Engagement Commission The Budget Engagement Commission meets on Thursday, May 14, at 5:00 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1406105&GUID=E444FBCB-DD3C-4E4C-86CF-BC020CF89E03&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review a proposed $34 million in cuts to the city’s $1.57 billion [2026-28 budget](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15444867&GUID=F5A3FEC0-1BD3-4879-87F1-66E7D784B8F9&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ([item 4](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5329-budget-engagement-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fce198f395e79668005f26-4-proposed-fiscal-year-2026-2028-biennial-budget?ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and to review the city's mid-year [financial report](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15445816&GUID=BB375856-45DE-409C-BA5A-D5906362042B&ref=raincrossgazette.com) — which describes the general fund as on track but under pressure from rising police overtime costs, declining revenues and rising oil prices ([item 6](https://riversideca.granicusideas.com/meetings/5329-budget-engagement-commission-art-pick-council-chamber/agenda%5Fitems/69fce198f395e79668005f28-6-fiscal-year-2025-slash-26-second-quarter-financial-re?ref=raincrossgazette.com)). ### The Mission Inn's New Stewards, Welcomed and Watched URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-mission-inns-new-stewards-welcomed-and-watched/ Last updated: 2026-05-12T17:15:32.000Z A week after Riverside learned that the Mission Inn would change hands — that the property was, [in fact, for sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/my-mistakes-with-the-mission-inn-for-sale-story/), and that the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation had agreed to purchase it from the Roberts family — the response from across the city has been broad and, mostly, welcoming. It has also been measured. There are open questions, and the people most invested in the property have begun asking them. The Tribe's [announcement](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-mission-inn-heads-to-new-ownership-yuhaaviatam-of-san-manuel-nation/) settled some details and held others. Pyramid Global Hospitality will operate the property, the Festival of Lights will continue, gambling is not on the table, and closing is expected by the end of May. Operational specifics will be discussed after the sale closes. The Yuhaaviatam contribute more than 7,000 jobs to the Inland Empire economy and have given more than $425 million in philanthropic support through the San Manuel Cares program. Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson, in a statement Monday, said the Tribe's "deep-rooted commitment to our region positions them well to carry the Mission Inn forward." The Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce applauded the sale and welcomed the Tribe as "thoughtful stewards." Stephanie Standerfer, chair of the chamber's board of directors, called the Mission Inn "central to Riverside's identity and economic vitality," thanked the Roberts family for "decades of vision and care" and welcomed the transition. The chamber's president and CEO, Nicholas Adcock, said the chamber expects to continue its longtime partnerships with the Inn, including the monthly Good Morning Riverside breakfast and the Festival of Lights. "The Mission Inn has always been where community, culture, and commerce come together," Adcock told the Gazette. At the Riverside Downtown Partnership, which manages the business improvement district that includes the Mission Inn, Executive Director Janice Penner described the property as "not only one of downtown's icons" but "a significant economic driver." "The Tribe has significant experience in managing luxury hotels, so RDP expects them to carry on the Mission Inn's tradition of first-class hospitality and celebration of heritage," Penner wrote. She added that the Partnership would be watching closely. The annual Switch-on ceremony at the Festival of Lights "has been a joint effort of the hotel, the City, and the Chamber of Commerce," she said, "so it will be interesting to see what, if any, changes are made." The Mission Inn Foundation, which [operates a museum and educational programs from across the street](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mission-inn-foundation-back-on-the-mall/) after being [evicted from the Inn in a 2024 lease dispute](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/legal-dispute-puts-future-of-mission-inn-foundation-in-question/), issued a release Tuesday thanking the Roberts family and noting it had not yet met with the Yuhaaviatam. Separately, President Jennifer Gamble described the Foundation's role as continuing to tell the Mission Inn's story — one that, she wrote, began with Frank Miller in 1880 and flowed through bankruptcies and City ownership before the Roberts era. "We are ready to assist them here to preserve the heritage and promote the Mission Inn as the magical center of Riverside," Gamble wrote. Glenn Scalise, president of the Friends of the Mission Inn — a group whose origins trace to the late 1960s, when concern about the building's future first organized civic action — wrote: "We extend our best wishes to the Roberts family and warmly welcome the new ownership and transition team." The Old Riverside Foundation has advocated for the preservation of Riverside's historic architecture for nearly half a century. President Dave Stolte pointed to two recent transactions of similar character — the sale of the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, and El Encanto in Santa Barbara — but underscored that "the Mission Inn is truly unique." It is, he wrote, "a National Historic Landmark, the highest distinction; central to Riverside's civic identity; and has preservation needs that come with legal guardrails." Honoring the Mission Inn's significance, Stolte said, means "keeping it alive and vital, understanding its history, not altering any character-defining features, and investing in maintenance." He pointed to the Annex across Sixth Street, which he said "is in need of significant work" and "should be adapted for a new use." Stolte expressed hope that the Yuhaaviatam would "use the many supportive resources available right here in town." Stolte also addressed a harder question: what it means for a Native nation to take stewardship of a property built in the Mission Revival style, by an owner whose own legacy is more complicated than the architecture suggests. "The Mission Inn was built to boost a tourist-attractive romantic myth about the mission days, while its owner Frank Miller was also active in the Sherman School that — as we now understand — harmed Native culture," Stolte wrote. "Additionally, Miller was a multiculturalist and a devout pacifist. History is complicated and we look forward to seeing how all these stories can be told honestly." Less than two months before the announcement, the City Council had [established a civic achievement award in the Roberts' honor](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-creates-award-honoring-mission-inn-visionaries/) and named the couple as the inaugural recipients. In a statement posted to the Mission Inn's official Instagram account days later, Kelly Roberts shared that she had decided not only to sell the hotel but to leave California altogether. "I have decided to sell The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa and relocate to Palm Beach as I begin my next chapter," she wrote. "As California's business landscape continues to evolve, I felt this was the right time to transition and focus on new opportunities." She acknowledged her late husband's legacy and thanked the community, the team and Mission Inn family. Kelly's daughter, Casey Beau Brown, wrote her own farewell on Instagram. Brown opened her first Casey's Cupcakes bakery inside the Mission Inn in 2009, while a junior in college, and went on to flip the switch at the Festival of Lights year after year. "After 35 unforgettable years, our family is saying goodbye to the historic Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, a place that has been so much more than a hotel to us," she wrote. "This extraordinary landmark has been the backdrop for life's most meaningful moments — weddings, birthdays, family gatherings, memorials, and the quiet in-between moments that mattered just as much." She described her late stepfather as "the heart and soul of the Mission Inn" and her mother as the keeper of its texture: the spa, the candy lane, the years of Festival of Lights detail. "I can still picture myself as a little girl running through those hallways," Brown wrote, "and now watching my own children run those same paths." Reader letters have been arriving since the announcement, reflecting the same range of feeling. Donald Williams wrote that his first thought was concern the new owner might convert the Inn into a casino. He was relieved to learn there were no plans to do so. "And somewhere in Riverside," he wrote, "a ghostly bellhop from 1927 just let out a sigh of relief." Neville Abraham described the moment as "the beginning of what I believe will be a thoughtful and inspiring new chapter." He pointed to the Tribe's record on heritage stewardship and called the prospect of "a community-rooted organization" taking on the Mission Inn especially meaningful. John Peloquin called Riverside "very fortunate" to have a buyer with such deep regional ties and hospitality experience. Other readers wrote with questions rather than statements — about tribal events at the Inn, public art on the downtown mall, programming around tribal history, what's changing and what's not. What the Tribe has not yet addressed is much of what readers have asked about: staff retention, renovation timelines, public-art commitments, community access and tribal programming at the Inn. The Festival of Lights is already in transition for reasons unrelated to the sale: the Riverside Arts Council is taking over parts of the event from the City of Riverside this season. The Switch-on ceremony has historically been a joint production of the hotel, the City, and the chamber. The hotel is changing hands; the City is transferring its role to the Riverside Arts Council. The week's response reflects something close to consensus: that Riverside is ready to welcome new ownership, hopeful about the kind of stewards the Yuhaaviatam will become, and willing to wait for the rest. It also reflects something Riverside has earned the right to ask for: that those details, when they arrive, arrive with the community in the conversation. The sale is expected to close by the end of May. The first major test of the transition — the Festival of Lights season — arrives in November. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- May 10, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-may-10-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:00.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/2025-Francesca_Zephyr_Castle-Park.jpeg) Francesca Lichauco and her son Zephyr Bolaños, 4, ride the carousel at Castle Park. (Courtesy of Francesca Lichauco) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Sunday Gazette: May 10, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Mother's Day** to every mom reading this morning! Today we're sending a special shout-out to Francesca Lichauco — the mom behind [our story a couple of weeks back](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-4-year-old-is-one-vote-away-from-a-national-wildlife-win/) about her four-year-old, Zephyr Bolaños, and his run at the National Wildlife Federation's Jr. Ranger contest. Thanks to your votes, Zephyr has advanced to the quarter finals — and because the brackets just reset, every new vote counts in this round. [Cast yours, free, daily at jr-ranger.org](https://jr-ranger.org/2026/zephyr-0004?ref=raincrossgazette.com). See you tomorrow! --- 🧡 Thank you to the Subscribers who became paid supporters this week: Leanne Austin, Maricela Cisneros, Christine Petzar, Julie King, Victoria Macpherson, Karen Tilson, and Bill Wilkman. [Your ongoing financial support](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-march-15-2026-2/#/portal/account/plans) is vital to our success in serving Riverside with the news it deserves! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260510)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260510&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [FROM THE KITCHEN GARDEN](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/gardening/) ## May, Summer Starts Now Tips on what to plant, when to pick, and what to watch out for in your home garden. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/2-5.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-the-kitchen-garden-may-summer-starts-now/) Planting a spring garden just in time for Mother's Day at the home of fellow Raincross Gazette reader Dawn Carter. (Kim Malstrom) May is when Riverside gardens really begin to shift gears. The cool-season crops are still producing, but the warmer days and mild nights are inviting in summer favorites. Right now, the question I'm getting asked most is: "Is it finally time to plant tomatoes and peppers?" The answer is yes — and they are loving this heat. My garden boxes are quickly filling with tomatoes, peppers, and squash, and everything is starting to take off with the longer days. One of the best things you can do this month is focus on companion planting. I always tuck basil and onions alongside my tomatoes. Basil is said to enhance tomato flavor while also attracting pollinators, and onions can help deter certain pests in the garden. Pairing plants intentionally helps create a healthier, more balanced garden ecosystem and makes the most of every inch of space. As warm-season crops go in, don't forget about succession planting. Instead of planting everything all at once, stagger quick-growing crops every couple of weeks to keep your harvest going longer. I'm continuing to add lettuce, cilantro, and peas where I have space so I can stretch the season before summer heat fully arrives. If you pull out a spent crop, try not to leave bare soil behind — open soil invites weeds quickly this time of year. Pop in a fast-growing herb, flowers for pollinators, or another round of greens to keep your beds productive and healthy. This is one of the most exciting months in the garden. Everything feels full of possibility. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-the-kitchen-garden-may-summer-starts-now/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260510)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260510&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [BOOKS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/books/) ## Riverside Author Brandi Mays Publishes Children's Book Built Around Big Words The 40-page picture book follows a lonely ear of corn through a vocabulary-rich garden adventure designed for readers ages 4 to 8\. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-14-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-author-brandi-mays-publishes-childrens-book-built-around-big-words/) **Forlorn Corn: A Farm Fresh Adventure for Kids Who Love Words*, written by Brandi Mays and illustrated by Anupam Dey. (Brandi Mays) Riverside resident Brandi Mays has published her debut children's book, *Forlorn Corn: A Farm Fresh Adventure for Kids Who Love Words*, a rhyming picture book that aims to build young readers' vocabularies through story and character. The 40-page book, published in January and available on Amazon, follows Forlorn Corn through a garden where he meets a cast of alliterative vegetable characters: Zany Zucchini, Timid Tomato, Oblivious Onion, Considerate Carrot, and Boisterous Beet. Each character's name introduces a new vocabulary word, and a recurring guide character, Literate Ladybug, defines the words in speech bubbles throughout the story. A glossary at the back defines additional terms, with notes encouraging adult readers to follow a child's curiosity rather than stick to a script. Mays, who has lived in Riverside with her husband Tom for 28 years, said the book grew out of watching her youngest child, Dexter, develop an early obsession with language. As a toddler, they peppered adults with questions about unfamiliar words. Dexter, now finishing a teaching degree, inspired their mother to ask whether other children shared that same hunger for vocabulary. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-author-brandi-mays-publishes-childrens-book-built-around-big-words/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260510) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260510&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CREATIVE PROMPTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/creative-prompts/) ## Emoji Seasoning A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns. [![white yellow and green round plastic toy](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1587483166702-bf9aa66bd791?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDN8fGVtb2ppc3xlbnwwfHx8fDE3NzgyNjEwMTN8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/emoji-seasoning/) ([Domingo Alvarez E](https://unsplash.com/@domingoalvarze?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) This week, we’re moving from snack wrappers to the tiny symbols we liberally sprinkle across our modern messaging: emoji. Emoji are one of those inventions that seem decorative and optional until you try to imagine texting without them. I send a naked “okay” reply to my wife and it sounds harsher every time I reread it. Add a 🙂 and it becomes polite. Add a 👍 and it becomes efficient. Add a 😬 and it becomes a tiny apology. The original emoji set was created in Japan in 1999 by Shigetaka Kurita; tiny 12-by-12 pixel symbols designed to make mobile communication more useful and expressive. The word “emoji” itself comes from Japanese words meaning “picture” and “character,” not from “emotion” as I thought before writing this column. Which emoji you use, avoid, misunderstand, or aggressively repeat can say a lot about your age, your friendships, and your work/life balance. Some emoji have near universal meanings, others adapt readily in new environments. Some have meanings that change by generation, community, or time of day (or night) the message is sent. This makes them similar to the words they try to help—alive, shared, misused, reclaimed, and occasionally dangerous in the wrong hands. [Read and share the complete prompt...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/emoji-seasoning/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Sunday, May 10 - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-05-10T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [**Mother's Day Tea at Backstreet**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mothers-day-tea-at-backstreet/18788757/2026-05-10T11) at Backstreet ($200- $400) - [**Mother’s Day Tea at Citrus Park**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mothers-day-tea-at-citrus-park/18509532/2026-05-10T14) at Sunkist Center at CA Citrus Park ($45- $65) - [Olive Country Charcuterie Bar](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/olive-country-charcuterie-bar/18702821/2026-05-10T09) at Olive Country Charcuterie Bar - [Paint and Petals Mother's Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-and-petals-mothers-day/18685273/2026-05-10T14) at The Experience Riverside ($44.52) - [Yo Mama Comedy Showcase on Mother's Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/yo-mama-comedy-showcase-on-mothers-day/18671855/2026-05-10T18) at The Experience Riverside ($23.18) - [Yolanda Del Rio](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/yolanda-del-rio/17908112/2026-05-10T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center ### Monday, May 11 - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-05-11T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Board of Library Trustees](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/board-of-library-trustees/18584289/2026-05-11T17) at Riverside City Hall - [Board of Public Utilities](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/board-of-public-utilities/18584290/2026-05-11T18) at Riverside City Hall - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-05-11T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [**Interfaith Prayer Meeting**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/interfaith-prayer-meeting/18817037/2026-05-11T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Monday Carillon Recitals](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/monday-carillon-recitals/17079871/2026-05-11T12) at UCR Bell Tower ### Tuesday, May 12 - [City Council](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/city-council/18431185/2026-05-12T13) at Riverside City Hall - [Arlington Library|Take & Make Craft: Paper Flower Leis](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/arlington-librarytake-make-craft-paper-flower-leis/18765902/2026-05-12T10) at Arlington library - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-05-12T19) at The Hideaway ### Wednesday, May 13 - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-05-13T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-05-13T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [Finance Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/finance-committee/18642989/2026-05-13T15) at Riverside City Hall - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-05-13T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [**Level Up Your Network: The Pick Group 2026 Membership Summit**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/level-up-your-network-the-pick-group-2026-membership-summit/18625198/2026-05-13T18) at Killer Queens Social House ### Thursday, May 14 - [Airport Commission](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/airport-commission/18584286/2026-05-14T15) at Riverside City Hall - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-05-14T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Mobility and Infrastructure Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mobility-and-infrastructure-committee/18584285/2026-05-14T13) at Riverside City Hall - [Neighbors of the Wood Streets](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/neighbors-of-the-wood-streets/16552244/2026-05-14T18) at Eden Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall - [Promise Program Wellness Workshops](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/promise-program-wellness-workshops/18303069/2026-05-14T15) at Riverside City College - [**Riverside Community Services Foundation**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-community-services-foundation/18745418/2026-05-14T17) at Private residence ($175- $20,000) ### Friday, May 15 - [**Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-15T07) at Zacatecas Café - [R'Hours at the R'Garden](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rhours-at-the-rgarden/18094958/2026-05-15T08) at R'Garden - [Orange Terrace Library | Chess Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-terrace-library-chess-club/18728475/2026-05-15T14) at Orange Terrace Library - [Senior Tech Help](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-tech-help/17755285/2026-05-15T11) at Lincoln Park ### Saturday, May 16 - [Westwood & Aden Neighborhood Yard Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/westwood-aden-neighborhood-yard-sale/18587014/2026-05-16T08) at Westwood Dr & Aden Way - [**Vintage Home Tour “Age is a Work of Art”**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vintage-home-tour-age-is-a-work-of-art/18708216/2026-05-16T10) at Peter J Weber House ($30) - [Ward 3 Beautification Project](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/ward-3-beautification-project/18628858/2026-05-16T08) at Nichols Park - [One Book, One Coast: Adult and Teen Book Discussion](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/one-book-one-coast-adult-and-teen-book-discussion/18755904/2026-05-16T15) at Orange Terrace Library - [A Tapestry of Black Artisans II](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/a-tapestry-of-black-artisans-ii/18330925/2026-05-16T12) at The Box Theatre (free- $14.65) - [Celebration of Empathy](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/celebration-of-empathy/18750172/2026-05-16T15) at First Congregational Church of Riverside - [John Milton - Mundial De Hypnosis Tour 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/john-milton-mundial-de-hypnosis-tour-2026/18501430/2026-05-16T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [MAGIC UNDERGROUND](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/magic-underground/18742974/2026-05-16T19) at Back to the Grind ($30- $45) - [Pearl Jam Tribute by Vitalogy](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/pearl-jam-tribute-by-vitalogy/18672414/2026-05-16T21) at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($20.23) - [Regency Masquerade Ball](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/regency-masquerade-ball/18187274/2026-05-16T16) at Crestmore Manor ($55- $150) - [The Regency Masquerade Ball](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-regency-masquerade-ball/18729945/2026-05-16T16) at Crestmore Manor ($28.52) - [Trivia Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/trivia-night/18565548/2026-05-16T19) at Temple Beth El Social Hall ($40) ## Save the Date - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - May 31: [Oscars, Tonys & Grammys](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oscars-tonys-grammys/18797026/2026-05-31T16) at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($10- $20) - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### From the Kitchen Garden: May, Summer Starts Now URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-the-kitchen-garden-may-summer-starts-now/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:05:40.000Z May is when Riverside gardens really begin to shift gears. The cool-season crops are still producing, but the warmer days and mild nights are inviting in summer favorites. Right now, the question I'm getting asked most is: "Is it finally time to plant tomatoes and peppers?" The answer is yes — and they are loving this heat. My garden boxes are quickly filling with tomatoes, peppers, and squash, and everything is starting to take off with the longer days. One of the best things you can do this month is focus on companion planting. I always tuck basil and onions alongside my tomatoes. Basil is said to enhance tomato flavor while also attracting pollinators, and onions can help deter certain pests in the garden. Pairing plants intentionally helps create a healthier, more balanced garden ecosystem and makes the most of every inch of space. As warm-season crops go in, don't forget about succession planting. Instead of planting everything all at once, stagger quick-growing crops every couple of weeks to keep your harvest going longer. I'm continuing to add lettuce, cilantro, and peas where I have space so I can stretch the season before summer heat fully arrives. If you pull out a spent crop, try not to leave bare soil behind — open soil invites weeds quickly this time of year. Pop in a fast-growing herb, flowers for pollinators, or another round of greens to keep your beds productive and healthy. This is one of the most exciting months in the garden. Everything feels full of possibility. ### What Are We Picking? Vegetables: Lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, carrots, radishes, beets, green onions, finishing broccoli, cauliflower, and snap peas Herbs: Rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley, cilantro, sage, lemon balm Flowers: Pansies, snapdragons, calendula, sweet peas, stock, larkspur, nasturtium, salvias Fruits: Strawberries, blackberries, and if you are one of the lucky few… the beginnings of nectarines and peaches! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/1-6.jpg) Nectarines ripening on Kim's backyard tree. ### What Are We Planting? May is the beginning of warm season in Riverside. It's finally time to start filling beds with heat-loving summer vegetables that thrive as temperatures rise. Plant now: Tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, beans, lettuce transplants, spinach transplants, arugula, cilantro transplants, onions, garlic, potatoes, and snap peas. Don't forget to mix herbs in with your other vegetables — herbs are big pest deterrents, so intermix them throughout your beds. I'm adding thyme, rosemary, basil, and oregano, but you might also consider a tea garden. Lemon balm, lemon verbena, lemon thyme — yes, that's a lot of lemon, but it is so good! Other great tea herbs are chamomile, pineapple sage, and mint. (Keep mint in its own closed-bottom pot, or it will take over your garden.) ### What to Watch Out For **Aphids on New Growth** — As temperatures rise, aphids quickly appear on tender growth, especially on tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, and herbs. You'll often find them clustered under leaves or along stems. Solution: Spray plants with a strong stream of water every few days or use insecticidal soap. Encouraging ladybugs and hoverflies naturally helps keep populations under control. **Powdery Mildew** — Warmer days combined with cool evenings can create conditions for powdery mildew on squash and cucumbers. Look for white, dusty patches forming on leaves. Solution: Improve airflow by spacing plants properly, avoid overhead watering, and remove infected leaves early before it spreads. **Snails, Slugs, and Rollie Pollies** — All three are active in irrigated gardens and love tender greens and strawberries. Solution: Hand-pick at dusk, use beer traps or slug bait, and avoid letting mulch pile directly against plant stems. ### Gardener's To-Do List - Amend garden beds with 1–2 inches of compost to replenish nutrients before summer growth takes off. - Check irrigation systems for leaks or clogged emitters and consider installing timers before hotter weather arrives. - Water tomatoes, peppers, and squash deeply every other day as temperatures begin climbing. - Add mulch around plants to help regulate soil temperature and reduce water evaporation. - Fertilize citrus trees with a citrus-specific fertilizer and water deeply afterward. - Continue succession planting lettuce, cilantro, and peas or beans every couple of weeks for continuous harvests. - Get your RPU free tree planted! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/3-1.jpg) Fruit trees in a new orchard at Castle View Elementary, recently planted with the help of students ### Closing Tip Riverside's long growing season is one of our biggest gardening advantages. You don't have to rush to plant everything at once — slow, steady planting often creates the healthiest and most productive gardens. Pro tip: Companion planting really shines this time of year. Try pairing basil with tomatoes and onions throughout your beds to help naturally support pollinators and reduce pest pressure while maximizing your growing space. 🌿 A few more companion pairings worth trying this month: **Squash + Nasturtiums** — Nasturtiums act as a trap crop, attracting aphids away from squash plants. Their flowers also bring in pollinators, which helps improve squash production. **Peppers + Marigolds** — Marigolds help repel nematodes and attract beneficial insects like hoverflies and ladybugs. Peppers benefit from reduced pest pressure and increased pollination activity nearby. **Cucumbers + Dill** — Dill attracts pollinators and beneficial predatory insects that help control cucumber pests. Cucumbers provide a living trellis around the dill while benefiting from increased insect activity. **More information:* Kim Malstrom designs, installs, and teaches vegetable gardens for beginners and families in Riverside. To learn more, visit* [*kitchengardensbykim.com*](https://kitchengardensbykim.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *or follow along on Instagram at* [*@kitchengardensbykim*](https://www.instagram.com/kitchengardensbykim/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### Riverside Author Brandi Mays Publishes Children's Book Built Around Big Words URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-author-brandi-mays-publishes-childrens-book-built-around-big-words/ Last updated: 2026-05-11T23:15:36.000Z Riverside resident Brandi Mays has published her debut children's book, *Forlorn Corn: A Farm Fresh Adventure for Kids Who Love Words*, a rhyming picture book that aims to build young readers' vocabularies through story and character. The 40-page book, published in January and available on Amazon, follows Forlorn Corn through a garden where he meets a cast of alliterative vegetable characters: Zany Zucchini, Timid Tomato, Oblivious Onion, Considerate Carrot, and Boisterous Beet. Each character's name introduces a new vocabulary word, and a recurring guide character, Literate Ladybug, defines the words in speech bubbles throughout the story. A glossary at the back defines additional terms, with notes encouraging adult readers to follow a child's curiosity rather than stick to a script. Mays, who has lived in Riverside with her husband Tom for 28 years, said the book grew out of watching her youngest child, Dexter, develop an early obsession with language. As a toddler, they peppered adults with questions about unfamiliar words. Dexter, now finishing a teaching degree, inspired their mother to ask whether other children shared that same hunger for vocabulary. "I thought there must be many more kids like Dex who loved learning new words," Mays wrote, "and thought writing a children's book might be a fun way to share some with them." The book is illustrated by Anupam Dey and is designed for children ages 4 to 8, though Mays notes the glossary explanations are tailored with a range in mind, from early readers through age 10\. It is suited for home read-alouds, classroom libraries, and homeschool families. Mays has also launched an interactive companion website featuring original poems about the book's characters, plus downloadable activities including coloring pages, a word search, and a crossword puzzle. A second book is in development. **More information:* Forlorn Corn: A Farm Fresh Adventure for Kids Who Love Words is available in paperback. More information, including the companion website, can be found at* [*forlorncornandfriends.com*](http://forlorncornandfriends.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* *Starting in June, Mays will also be at the* [*Downtown Riverside Certified Farmers Market*](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/downtown-farmers-market-moves-to-new-main-street-location-this-saturday/) *on Saturday mornings. The market runs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Main Street between 10th and 12th streets.* ### Emoji Seasoning URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/emoji-seasoning/ Last updated: 2026-05-09T12:00:55.000Z Welcome back, you snack time semioticians! [Last week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/feeling-chipper/) we upcycled an empty chip bag and found much more than crumbs. They capture our eyes using bright colors like tiny grocery shelf billboards; they trigger nostalgia as real as their ingredients. If you studied the symbology on a tortilla chip bag like it belonged in a museum, or composed *No. 2 in Sodium Major* using the distinct sounds of a chip back crushed underfoot, I hope bringing several minutes of creative thinking into your week was a well-deserved treat. This week, we’re moving from snack wrappers to the tiny symbols we liberally sprinkle across our modern messaging: emoji. Emoji are one of those inventions that seem decorative and optional until you try to imagine texting without them. I send a naked “okay” reply to my wife and it sounds harsher every time I reread it. Add a 🙂 and it becomes polite. Add a 👍 and it becomes efficient. Add a 😬 and it becomes a tiny apology. The original emoji set was created in Japan in 1999 by Shigetaka Kurita; tiny 12-by-12 pixel symbols designed to make mobile communication more useful and expressive. The word “emoji” itself comes from Japanese words meaning “picture” and “character,” not from “emotion” as I thought before writing this column. Which emoji you use, avoid, misunderstand, or aggressively repeat can say a lot about your age, your friendships, and your work/life balance. Some emoji have near universal meanings, others adapt readily in new environments. Some have meanings that change by generation, community, or time of day (or night) the message is sent. This makes them similar to the words they try to help—alive, shared, misused, reclaimed, and occasionally dangerous in the wrong hands. A red heart is not always just a red heart. A folded-hands emoji might be prayer, gratitude, a high-five, or “please let this meeting end.” We learn emoji the way we learn slang: by watching, guessing, asking someone younger, making mistakes, and surviving. That may be their real staying power of emojis in whatever form of communication takes over our lives next! For now, they add tone to address the downsides of instantaneous communication. Emoji deserve our creative attention because they are doing real work in tiny spaces. They soften, sharpen, decorate, and disguise our true intentions. They help us confess, flirt, warn, make amends, and occasionally make everything worse. A little calculated risk is not a bad thing when it comes to exercising our creative side! Choose a favorite emoji or a few deep into that drop down menu, then give it several minutes of creative attention with one or more of these symbolic nudges: **1\. Insight:** Choose one emoji you use often. Study it closely. Is the smile sincere or hostage-like? Are the eyes doing most of the work? How does it present across devices? Now imagine it’s discovered 500 years from now by confused space tourists digging through the ruins of our cloud storage. Will it be useful shorthand or hieroglyphics to them? **2\. Sound Out(side):**Pick five emoji and give each one a sound. Perform your emoji alphabet out loud. Turn it into a chant, beatbox routine, commercial break, or dramatic reading. **3\. Pokemoji:** Notice how different emoji feel as gestures. A heart is a loop and a pinch. A smile is a curve. A lightning bolt is a sharp interruption. Now draw one emoji using only continuous lines, dots, scratches, or prints. **4\. Body Language:** Before emoji set the tone, bodies did this work, during in person communication. For most of human development, this was the only form of communication possible. Shrugs, eye rolls, finger guns, crossed arms, bowed heads, raised eyebrows…they’re only possible with a human body. Translate one or more of these into a sketch drawing of a bespoke emoji. **5\. Build IRL:** Build a physical version of an emoji using objects you can touch. Use buttons, rocks, leaves, bottle caps, even some more chip bags! This might be a good day to tackle that junk drawer clean up you’ve been too busy to do. Emoji remind us that words are a small part of a successful digital message. These little images help us share feelings across distance, sometimes elegantly, sometimes confusingly. The humanness they bring to long-distance chat is worth the risk. If you choose to invite more creative play into your week, keep noticing the emojis you send and receive. Notice your go-to when it gets awkward, which ones make you smile in real life. Retire one that no longer serves you. Invent a new one your friend group clearly needs. *This column was written with the help of ChatGPT, used here as a creative collaborator and emotional support pictograph translator.* ### 🍊Your Riverside Weekend- May 9, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/your-riverside-weekend-may-2-2026-copy/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:01.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/02/_DSC5738.jpg) **Your Riverside Weekend- May 9, 2026** **Happy Saturday, Riverside!** We hope your week treated you well. Before you head into your weekend, we've gathered the stories that defined life in our city this week — from City Hall to community happenings. You're in the right place to catch up — your weekend starts here. --- [2026 Election: Voter GuideEverything Riverside voters need to know to cast informed ballots in the June 2026 primary: candidate profiles, ballot measure explanations, and how to register and vote. Updated continuously through Election Day.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/260506-voterguide.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-election-guide/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260509)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260509&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [The Mission Inn Heads to New Ownership: Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel NationA 33-year era ends as Riverside’s most iconic property heads to one of the Inland Empire’s most prominent tribal nations.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteJustin Pardee![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/260504-missioninn.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-mission-inn-heads-to-new-ownership-yuhaaviatam-of-san-manuel-nation/) [After 45 Years, the SPORT Clinic Is Closing, But Jim Clover’s Legacy Isn’t Going AnywhereThe free morning clinic that shaped a generation of Inland Empire athletes will shut its doors June 15, ending a nearly half-century run that transformed sports medicine across the region.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/Jim-Clover--B.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/after-45-years-the-sport-clinic-is-closing-but-jim-clovers-legacy-isnt-going-anywhere/) [Palms, Presidents and Pepper TreesThe story behind Magnolia Avenue’s grand design, its presidential cross streets and the settlers who made it Southern California’s most celebrated boulevard.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteGlenn Wenzel![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/4--Magnolia-Ave.-East--Arlington-CA-pm-1911-GW.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/palms-presidents-and-pepper-trees/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260509)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260509&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [More Than FlowersBlue 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.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteAmy López![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1706806593440-53c9dab6d39f)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/more-than-flowers/) [Measure Z, Explained: The Sales Tax Increase on Riverside’s June BallotVoters will decide June 2 whether to raise the existing Measure Z sales tax to 1.25 percent and remove its 2036 sunset. Here’s what’s on the ballot, why it’s there, and what each side is arguing.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteJustin Pardee![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/size/w1200/2026/05/260506-measurez.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/measure-z-explained-the-sales-tax-increase-on-riversides-june-ballot/) [City Manager Speaks Out as Council Evaluates His Performance, ConductThe council reviewed Futrell’s performance in closed session Tuesday but took no action, as the city manager publicly defended himself and his wife against allegations that have roiled City Hall since December.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/260506-futrellcouncil.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-manager-speaks-out-as-council-evaluates-his-performance-conduct/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260509) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260509&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Weather Forecast ☀️ Sunday, May 10 — 92° / 59° · Sunny ☀️ Monday, May 11 — 96° / 60° · Sunny ☀️ Tuesday, May 12 — 85° / 57° · Sunny 🌤️ Wednesday, May 13 — 82° / 56° · AM Clouds/PM Sun ☀️ Thursday, May 14 — 83° / 56° · Sunny ☀️ Friday, May 15 — 85° / 57° · Sunny ☀️ Saturday, May 16 — 85° / 57° · Sunny 😎 *Well, spring isn't holding back — Riverside hits the low-to-mid 90s to start the week before settling into the mid-80s. Looks like spring is getting us warmed up for summer.* --- ## 💬 Staff Picks — What we're talking about around the Gazette this week 🌼 Justin loves that [his wife’s](https://www.instagram.com/homeasart?ref=raincrossgazette.com) birthday and Mother’s Day often fall on the same weekend giving an excuse to double down on the celebrations! 🫶 With Mother's Day tomorrow, Amy has been thinking about what it means to raise three adults she genuinely likes. Not just loves — likes. They're smart, aware, and their hearts are for people. Every night, no matter where they are, she sleeps well. That's not nothing. That's everything. --- ## Save the Date - May 10: [Mother's Day Tea at Backstreet](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mothers-day-tea-at-backstreet/18788757/2026-05-10T11) at Backstreet ($200- $400) - May 10: [Mother’s Day Tea at Citrus Park](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mothers-day-tea-at-citrus-park/18509532/2026-05-10T14) at Sunkist Center at CA Citrus Park ($45- $65) - May 11: [Interfaith Prayer Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/interfaith-prayer-meeting/18817037/2026-05-11T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - May 13: [Level Up Your Network: The Pick Group 2026 Membership Summit](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/level-up-your-network-the-pick-group-2026-membership-summit/18625198/2026-05-13T18) at Killer Queens Social House - May 14: [Riverside Community Services Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-community-services-foundation/18745418/2026-05-14T17) at Private residence ($175- $20,000) - May 15: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-15T07) at Zacatecas Café - May 16: [Vintage Home Tour “Age is a Work of Art”](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vintage-home-tour-age-is-a-work-of-art/18708216/2026-05-16T10) at Peter J Weber House ($30) - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - May 31: [Oscars, Tonys & Grammys](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oscars-tonys-grammys/18797026/2026-05-31T16) at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($10- $20) - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Wards 2, 4 and 6 Candidates Outline Housing Priorities as City Lags State Targets URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/wards-2-4-and-6-candidates-outline-housing-priorities-as-city-lags-state-targets/ Last updated: 2026-05-11T12:00:06.000Z The Raincross Gazette hosted candidate forums for Wards 2, 4 and 6 last month, asking all candidates the same questions on affordable housing and Riverside's neighborhood character. Moderator Dan Bernstein, a former Press-Enterprise columnist and longtime Riversider, posed this question to candidates at all three forums: *The state is pushing cities to build more housing – not just affordable housing but housing in general. Homes and apartments. But Riverside has issued permits for* [*less than 20% of the units the state says it needs*](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-falls-far-short-of-state-housing-mandate-report-shows/)*. Yet, residents across the city worry about what growth is doing to their neighborhoods. More density. More traffic. More corporate-owned rentals. And less of what made them choose to live here in the first place.* *How do you strike a balance between these two competing interests? Where can housing be added in your ward, and which neighborhoods would be most severely and unfairly disrupted by new residential construction?* ### [Ward 2](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-ward-2-forum-video/) Nonprofit director and Budget Commissioner Aram Ayra, entrepreneur and Planning Commissioner Christen Montero, Western Municipal Water District Director Gracie Torres and financial and IT consultant Mike Vahl are running for the Ward 2 seat soon to be vacated by Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes, who is running for state Assembly. Ward 2 covers neighborhoods including Eastside, Canyon Crest, Mission Grove, Sycamore Canyon and the University District. **Ayra:** "First and foremost, we have about 389 units of housing in the pipeline through 2028 from the last report at the \[Budget Engagement Commission\]. These are all types of affordable, not affordable, any kind of housing units. At the same time, we have more than 3,000 housing units that are owned by private equity companies and hedge fund companies, just in the city of Riverside. Many of these houses are actually rentals. They're not homes. They've been taken off of the market, and we've allowed Wall Street to boss around our housing policy and our housing stock. So on day one, something that I would be doing is tracking and assessing which of these houses are owned by private equity companies, assessing a fee and making sure that money goes towards our local Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which is currently majorly underfunded and we can't even offer incentives to affordable housing developers that want to build. I would prioritize building along University Avenue. It's already zoned R-4, it's near a lot of transit corridors, and this is something that we don't have to shove into a single family community. I know a lot of people are concerned about Canyon Crest and University and other spaces, where they've seen the impact of the housing cut ups, and they've seen the impact of having large apartments with no plans for traffic or any of that management, so we need to be smart about it. The [University Avenue Specific Plan](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-may-have-escaped-new-housing-regulations-for-now/) hasn't been updated over 20 years. It's outdated. It's not matching the needs that we have. That would be, for me, a day one issue that I would take on and really promote and try to build along University Avenue so that Ward 2 at least could meet our quota, and then work with the other boards to see what we could do there." **Montero:** "Yes, I would agree, and on May 2, there's a General Plan update that all of you can attend. It is open to the public, so if you haven't heard about it yet, that's your time to actually share what you think should be done in your board. Specifically, I think also…we have a lot of missing middle class housing. So even though we're seeing a lot of multi-unit housing, there's a lot of us who want to own homes \[and\] there's no homes to own. Maybe there's some land available, but there's a lot of land right now that's tied up in the city for different reasons. I think there also needs to be a land trust that's developed within our own city – one that's not just a separate sector, but its own organization, because it has been a proven model, and right now, the only one that exists is the Inland Empire Land Trust. Having something for our city of our size is usually something that a city like ours would have, because it enables and allows the flexibility and getting rid of some of the red tape and fighting of different organizations and the bureaucracy that happens when it comes to developing housing as well. I think the [Quality Inn project](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-gazette-hosts-first-ever-candidate-forum-for-ward-seat/) should have happened when it comes to University Terrace, because that would have provided a lot of housing for the homeless we see on the streets right now. And that's something that also, like we mentioned before, has to get cleaned up." **Torres:** "You know, I've worked in government for over 10 years now, and one thing that we don't realize is that we get in our own way when it comes to growth. And in this case, … one of the things that matters to me is seeing things moving faster and streamlining processes – whether that's at the permitting phase or supporting legislation that tightens the CEQA timelines, and those are policies that we can actually implement and that we can actually work on as a council. Sometimes we really talk about state mandates like we're the ones making these mandates. We still have local controls when it comes to jurisdiction and land use authority, and we need to use those to create infill, to do adaptive reuse projects and to become a city that builds in diversity, but also makes it easier, right? Housing developers don't really want to come to the city of Riverside. I've talked to plenty of them, they're like, well, it takes too long to build in the city of Riverside. So it is incumbent upon us to create those incentives \[to get\] out of our own way. The state is creating enough barriers for growth, for development, for businesses – we shouldn't be adding…adding more roadblocks when it comes to those things, the way we're going to meet those mandates is by getting out of our own way." **Bernstein asked a follow-up question to Ward 2 candidates:** *Are there neighborhoods in Ward 2 besides University Avenue that are ripe for this kind of development?* **Vahl:** "Actually, Ward 2 goes \[from\] Chicago to the university. So really, it's all commercial right there. It's all built. So without knocking down buildings, there's really no residential in University for Ward 2\. There may be room for a couple of houses, but that would be really about it being put back by the old Cask 'n Cleaver or something, but I think that's all zone commercial. That's not residential back there. But as Gracie said, the city is part of our problem. I personally called down there to get a permit to change a power box in our house. They told me, in six weeks at least to get a permit. Well, they used to be able to go down there, fill it out, go to lunch, come back and get your permit. That's ridiculous. Then they said it'll be a minimum of two weeks to …I said I'm in the middle of a housing remodel. I can't wait eight weeks. But that's what the city does to us. So getting people in there and getting our customer service better, quicker. Developers hate this. We've got people that take three years to submit a plan, and it costs them a half a million dollars. It's ridiculous. The fees they charge to start building houses and apartments is $50,000 to $70,000 a door before you put one stick of 2-by-4 up to nail something…" **Ayra:** "University Avenue, definitely zone R-4\. Just saying. I could check the maps all the way down through Chicago and further. And if anyone's driven down University Avenue lately, it looks bummed out. Apart from a couple of nice developments that have happened, there's just empty plots of land waiting to be built on. The other thing that I would definitely prioritize – you know, I'm gonna I'm an alumni of this university. I love UCR, but we need to get UCR to build more student housing on campus. The students have spilled over into the University community. I know many of you have talked about that. I live in the University community, so I've seen both sides. I was a student and I'm now a resident and been a renter in the University neighborhood for 12 years. Now, we need to be able to build more housing on campus. I believe that the current number was about 40, maybe 50% of students housed on campus. The rest of them in the communities – and I was a student, I have all love for them, but they create a lot of noise disturbances, problems and other things. And they take away houses that could be starter homes for people, and turn them into forever rentals by folks that don't even live – not only in the city, but sometimes in the state, sometimes in the country…" **Torres:** "I just want to note that the Hunter Hobby industrial area is very neglected in Ward 2, unfortunately, and that's what I'm hearing as we're knocking on doors. Perfect opportunity for growth. Probably the only place where real growth can happen is still in that Hunter Hobby area, and so that would be one of it by where I live, and I want to make sure that they don't continue to feel like no one's listening to them." ### [Ward 4](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/watch-ward-4-candidate-forum-chuck-conder-jessica-qattawi-rich-vandenberg/) Incumbent [Chuck Conder, local business owner Jessica Qattawi and local business owner Rich Vandenberg](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ward-4-candidates-clash-over-warehouses-taxes-and-public-safety-at-gazette-forum/) are vying for the Ward 4 council seat. Ward 4 covers neighborhoods including Alessandro Heights, Mission Grove, Orangecrest and the [Greenbelt, which became a part of Ward 4 during redistricting in 2023](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-election-guide/) – meaning many residents in this area will be voting in a Ward 4 race for the first time this year. **Vandenberg:** "I'm a big fan of [adaptive reuse](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-developing-first-adaptive-reuse-ordinance-to-convert-empty-buildings-into-housing/), where we can take an old building that's not being used or reuse it for housing things of that nature. I'm a big fan of adaptive reuse, so I'm also a fan of thoughtful infill. And I say thoughtful because that's the key. I'm not for subdividing parcels in the green belt. Neighborhood character is a huge thing for me, and I do not want to interrupt the character of neighborhoods when we do infill. We've got existing infrastructure, we've got the road, we've got the streets, got the street signs, the sidewalks." **Conder:** "What's ruining Riverside are the nutballs up in Sacramento. First they authorized us to put ADUs in. These neighborhoods weren't built for that kind of water, electric use, sewer use. Now you have seven, eight, nine cars at a house. They're all over the streets. That is doing damage to our neighborhoods. The RHNA number is – if you don't know what they are, that's the regional housing assessment that we are given by Sacramento – all they ask us to do, and this is what people misunderstand, is to identify where we could put housing and build 18,000 housing units by 2029\. That doesn't mean you have to build them… Mr. Buster here lives in the green belt. If he wanted to sell his property, we can't force him to have houses built on it. That is not the American way. We are building houses…as fast as we can. You cannot force a developer to build low-income housing. He's not gonna build if he can't make money. That is not America. You're not gonna force a man to build housing he's gonna lose money on…We've hired additional plan checkers to make things faster because time is money. \[So\] when a developer comes in, he can get his stuff out of there faster." **Qattawi:** "Stop hiring planners and let's put that money toward actual good use for the community. And I just wanted to correct you, it's by 2028 since you always like to correct everybody else – RHNA is required by 2028. Riverside County has to have 42,000 homes built, in Riverside we're required to build 18,000\. Do you guys know how many we've built so far? Think it's like 42\. Out of 18,000 – that's ridiculous. What are we doing here? So my idea is – I grew up with my mom having a business connected to our home, and I would love to see that kind of structure built in. You know, where they want to put the warehouses right next to the Grove Church? Maybe we could put like a shopping \[center\] where there could be little restaurants, because I know that a lot of the residents are looking for more places to go. We're so tired of leaving our area. But above \[that\] would be housing. So growing up going from being in the house and being able to go see my mom where she's working, that would be a great situation. So I'd love to see something like that in ward 4 – a mixed-use property. But we gotta do something because if we don't the state is gonna come in and they're gonna decide what to do with our land, and they're gonna tell us where we have to build affordable housing, and so on and so forth." **Conder:** "So \[RHNA deadline\] is by Jan. 1, 2029 and I'll give every moment to the builders to do what they can until 2029." **Bernstein asked a follow-up question to Ward 4 candidates:** *Where in your ward can you envision housing being built in this city?* **Conder:** "Dauchy \[Avenue\] and Ferrari \[Drive\], I met with the developer last week." **Qattawi:** "Developers are getting all our money by the way." ### [Ward 6](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-ward-6-forum-video/) Oz Puerta, executive director of the Arlington Business Partnership, Luis Hernandez, vice chair of the Board of Ethics, and Alvord Unified School District Board of Education Trustee Norma Berrellez are vying for the seat vacated by Councilmember Jim Perry, who announced last year that he is not running for reelection. Berrellez, however, was not in attendance at the April 30 Ward 6 forum. Ward 6 covers neighborhoods including Arlanza, La Sierra, La Sierra Hills, La Sierra South and portions of Arlington. **Puerta:** "So I believe there's a balanced approach to housing. There's just as much a need for market rate housing as there is for affordable housing. And I'll tell you why. Simple as, businesses don't come here out of compassion. What they do is they do their homework. They make sure that they are sustainable, that they put themselves in the right environment. And what that happens when we have a vibrant business community, it means we have more taxpayer dollars to spend on things like new firefighters, new fire stations. So the market rate and affordable housing needs to have a balanced approach. Next, where are we going to build? We need to accommodate 18,000 units by 2029\. So there are certain areas…in Banbury Drive, there's a lot right there. I think it's destined for some housing units. I think it'd be a good spot. Building alongside our corridors, smart building, places where our infrastructure needs won't be overburdened. Places where we don't establish different elements of housing in established neighborhoods. There's space, there's room. We have it in ward six. We just have to be smart about it." **Hernandez:** "So when we talk about the future and when it comes to these mandates, obviously I disagree with the mandates. I do want more housing, but I don't think the state should come down and tell cities how much and where and how. If we don't start to build some of this housing, obviously that's a situation that we could put ourselves in. We've already tried a balanced approach and it's not working. When it comes to what's going on with the economy, what's going on with our residents. This is what happens, is working families are often the backbone of a community and then costs rise, the price of housing rises, and then they get pushed out. I want to prevent that from happening and we need to focus on more affordable housing. For all individuals here, our working families, individuals, our seniors, our individuals who are unhoused or living out of their vehicles – if we don't take focus and make sure that we focus on more affordable housing rather than market rate and above – there's already a complex over here on Tyler that's gone unfinished, \[and\] that's what's going to happen when we focus on continuing more market rate housing and apartment complexes that people can't afford. There needs to be a lot of forethought and planning put into this before we just, well, let's make it all mixed and hope it works out. We need to focus on trends and what's going on with our city at the moment. And if our council and those who are elected can't realize that a lot of our residents are struggling right now, I don't know what to tell you. This is why it's important to take note of what the individual is running on and what their focus is." **Bernstein asked a follow-up question to Ward 6 candidates:** *When I came to Riverside 50 years ago, I rented a house on Wood Street for $300 a month. So my wife and I always assumed that we would own a house someday. And sure enough, we bought a house, and sitting here and listening to your backstory that you and your wife are paying $3,000 a month to rent, what does this say about the American dream of homeownership? How does reality intersect with what your dreams are in terms of housing?* **Hernandez:** "So what you're saying is we need a time machine. I'm starting to feel like I'm a talk show. So unfortunately it is becoming just a dream. It's, you know, when owning a home costs more than what two combined salaries can bring in, there's no amount of financial teaching and financial responsibility that can get you that home. The reality is that things are so expensive that it's making it incredibly difficult for so many of our residents to even think about buying a home. When I go talking to residents, even the homeowners are ... I have 20- and 30-year-olds who can't afford to move out. They want to live their best lives. The \[parents\] already brought up their kids. They can't \[move out\]. And that's the reality that we're dealing with on top of the rising cost of food, gas, services and products – it's just starting to get overwhelming for a lot of our residents who make, even five years ago, what would have been considered a decent income. That's just not a reality anymore." **Puerta:** "So I think reality is what you make of it. Life is hard. No one said it was going to be easy. I'm a first generation citizen. My family struggled a lot. My parents worked every day, day and night to make sure that we didn't have anything missing, and we still lost our home in '08\. We still lived in a van. We had to rely on our neighbors to take showers. We've seen that. But I'm here before you today. I'm ready for city council. I'm the executive director of the Arlington Business Partnership. I looked for opportunities when they didn't come to my door. I think at a council level, we work on creating more of those opportunities. We set up the right environment. We bring in the right industries. We set up the right businesses. We make sure we build the right type of housing. I'm not going to talk about what my housing payments are every month, but I'm an investor. I have real estate. I did it all by myself. I didn't wait for someone to come and save me. I think that life is hard. Of course, life is hard, but I think that there are opportunities here, just like the Riverside Auto Center. They told me that they're struggling to hire technicians at $70 an hour. Jobs are here, opportunities are here. We need to make sure that we align our youth with opportunities that are available and bring in more opportunities based on what our college students are studying right now." ### 🗞️ Riverside News- May 8, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-may-8-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:03.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/IMG_5888-1.jpeg) Storm clouds hang low over the Riverside cityscape in this view from the summit of Mount Rubidoux, with the mountains to the east partially obscured by overcast skies. (Luke López) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Friday Gazette: May 8, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Friday!** Reward Yourself Day falls on a Friday, how perfect. Whether this week handed you a win worth celebrating or a few bumps worth surviving, you made it to Friday, and that counts for something. Not every week wraps up neatly. Sometimes the reward isn't for crushing it, it's for showing up anyway, for the email you finally sent, the errand you crossed off, the hard conversation you had, or just the fact that you kept going. All of it is worth a little something today. So we're curious: where do you go in Riverside when it's time to treat yourself? A corner table at your favorite spot Downtown? A walk through a park? Something sweet from a local bakery? Hit reply and tell us your go-to. We might just have to share the answers. From all of us at the Gazette: good job this week. Really. Now go enjoy it! --- ✏️ Corrections & Clarifications: Yesterday's newsletter overstated the per-purchase cost of the proposed Measure Z increase. The extra quarter-cent on the June 2 ballot would cost an additional 25 cents on a $100 purchase, not $1.25\. The full corrected explainer is [here](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/measure-z-explained-the-sales-tax-increase-on-riversides-june-ballot/). --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260508)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260508&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [2026 ELECTION](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/2026-election/) ## 'We Have a Spending Problem': Candidates Debate Cuts, Taxes at Ward 2, 4 and 6 Forums Candidates for three open council seats answered the same question: If the money runs out, what do you protect and what do you cut? [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-11-1.jpg)](we-have-a-spending-problem-candidates-debate-cuts-taxes-at-ward-2-4-and-6-forums) The Raincross Gazette hosted candidate forums for Wards 2, 4 and 6 last month, asking all candidates the same questions on the city's budget and fiscal services. [Measure Z](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/measure-z-explained-the-sales-tax-increase-on-riversides-june-ballot/), the city's existing sales tax, was a recurring subject throughout all three forums. Moderator Dan Bernstein, a former Press-Enterprise columnist and longtime Riversider, posed this question to candidates at all three forums: *You've been elected to the council. You get the budget and, sure enough, there's not enough money to pay for everything the city needs. What do you protect? What do you cut or eliminate? How do you make those decisions?* [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/we-have-a-spending-problem-candidates-debate-cuts-taxes-at-ward-2-4-and-6-forums/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260508)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260508&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [EVENTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/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. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/DSC01355-1.JPG)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/vintage-home-tour-frames-america-250-through-five-houses/) The living room of the 1931 Robert and Ruth Boulden Home, with open-truss wood ceilings and painted-beam accents. (Andrew Villalobos) Five private historic homes — built 1924 to 1955 — open for self-guided tours as the Old Riverside Foundation marks America's 250th birthday with its 33rd annual Vintage Home Tour. **Why it matters:** If you love Riverside's historic architecture, this is a rare chance to step inside Spanish Colonial Revivals, a Herman Ruhnau original, and a midcentury Ranch — homes that are almost never open to the public. **Driving the news:** The Old Riverside Foundation chose the theme "Age is a Work of Art," tying this year's tour to the semiquincentennial — a natural fit for a preservation group whose entire mission is arguing that what endures has value. **The backstory:** ORF formed in 1979, in the wake of downtown demolitions that nearly claimed the Mission Inn. Its landmark advocacy began with the Peter J. Weber House — now tour basecamp — which a hotel chain once sought to demolish for a parking lot. The Cultural Heritage Board made the hotel build around it instead. **By the numbers:** About $15,000 in annual tour revenue funds ORF's Restoration Grant program, which awards up to $2,500 to members for street-visible historic home repairs. **What's next:** The tour runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 16, starting at the Peter J. Weber House, 1510 University Ave. Tickets are $30 in advance at vintagehometour.com or $35 day-of. The Restoration Faire & Vintage Mercantile at the Weber House is free — no ticket required. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/vintage-home-tour-frames-america-250-through-five-houses/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260508) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260508&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [SPONSORED STORY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/sponsored/) ## Three OB-GYNs on the Conditions Women Often Live With Quietly Menopause, endometriosis, infertility: inside the Riverside Medical Clinic OB-GYN team's approach to conditions often misdiagnosed or undertreated [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/260508-rmcobgyn-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/three-ob-gyns-on-the-conditions-women-often-live-with-quietly/) Drs. Thuan Le, Jenny Jean and Mohamedali Ismailjee (pictured with the Riverside Medical Clinic OB-GYN team) discuss conditions women often live with quietly. Mother's Day arrives Sunday, and for the obstetrics and gynecology team at Riverside Medical Clinic (RMC), the holiday is also a reminder that women's health care extends well beyond pregnancy and delivery. For years, the patient who eventually arrived at Dr. Jenny Jean's office in Jurupa Valley had attributed her pain to ordinary menstrual cramps. By the time she came to Riverside Medical Clinic for a second opinion — after care outside California had brought no relief — the underlying condition, endometriosis, had progressed far enough that blood clots had fused her bowels to her pelvic organs. She had not even thought to mention her bowel symptoms. She did not know they could be related. It is a pattern Dr. Jean and her colleagues at RMC see often. Roughly [1 in 10](https://www.ama-assn.org/public-health/prevention-wellness/what-doctors-wish-patients-knew-about-endometriosis?ref=raincrossgazette.com) American women of reproductive age has endometriosis, and the [World Economic Forum](https://www.weforum.org/publications/closing-the-women-s-health-gap-a-1-trillion-opportunity-to-improve-lives-and-economies/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) estimates women spend 25% more of their lives in poor health than men — a gap that often comes down to conditions diagnosed late, undertreated or never raised at all. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/three-ob-gyns-on-the-conditions-women-often-live-with-quietly/) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Riverside Moves Closer to Turning Sewage Waste into Renewable Natural Gas The council voted Tuesday to assign existing SoCalGas agreements to Riverside Bioenergy Facility LLC, a private partner that will build and fund the biogas upgrading system. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/cityhall-12-skypalm.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-moves-closer-to-turning-sewage-waste-into-renewable-natural-gas/) Riverside's sewage plant will feed organic waste into a renewable natural gas system under a utility agreement the City Council transferred Tuesday to Riverside Bioenergy Facility LLC. **Why it matters:** The project converts material that would otherwise be discarded into usable energy — and shifts construction costs to the private company, not ratepayers. **The backstory:** The city has worked toward this since a **$192 million** treatment plant expansion completed in 2017\. A SoCalGas engineering partnership began in 2020; the public-private deal with Riverside Bioenergy Facility followed in 2023. **What's next:** Tuesday's transfer gives Riverside Bioenergy Facility control of the gas interconnection rights needed to move construction forward. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-moves-closer-to-turning-sewage-waste-into-renewable-natural-gas/) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Council Adopts Ward Event Policy, Bans Councilmember Branding Policy approved Tuesday sets consistent rules for ward events and bans the use of a councilmember's name or logo in event branding. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/240719-cityhallwall.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-adopts-ward-event-policy-bans-councilmember-branding/) Councilmembers can no longer brand taxpayer-funded ward events with their names or logos under a policy the City Council approved Tuesday. **Why it matters:** Ward events — funded through $725,000 in the city's community engagement budget — will now run under consistent citywide rules instead of varying by who represents your district. **What's new:** The policy also bars councilmembers from involvement in planning ward events within 90 days of an election, though annually recurring events with at least a three-year track record are exempt. **What they're saying:** "I kind of feel like our name shouldn't be on it ever, period," said Councilmember Philip Falcone, who chairs the Governmental Processes Committee. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-adopts-ward-event-policy-bans-councilmember-branding/) --- #### [BUSINESS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/business/) ## Devereaux House is Reimagining Riverside Nightlife What started as a birthday party experiment has grown into one of Riverside's most distinctive new venues, one glass at a time. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/1-5.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/devereaux-house-is-reimagining-riverside-nightlife/) The patio at Devereaux House fills with guests on a recent evening. At right, the bar's intimate interior. (Courtesy of Devereaux House) Devereaux House, a natural wine bar and pizza spot born from a birthday party experiment, has quietly become one of Riverside's more distinctive nightlife additions. **Why it matters:** If you've wanted somewhere to go in Riverside that isn't a nightclub, this is it — wine, experimental Neapolitan pizza, live music Fridays, and chess nights on Nelson Street. **The backstory:** Co-owners Shane Levario (of Arcade Coffee) and Jonathan Turner spent years driving to L.A. and Orange County for natural wine before converting an unused back space at their Backstreet sandwich shop into a bar. It grew from a one-time birthday party into a three-nights-a-week operation. **What's new:** A cocktail menu launched in early May — espresso martini, lo-pro Negroni, Paloma and a few spritz options — rounding out the wine-forward lineup. **What's next:** Devereaux House is open 6–10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at 3739 Nelson St. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/devereaux-house-is-reimagining-riverside-nightlife/) --- #### [Adoptable Pet of the Week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag//) ## Meet Hugo! Meet this week’s featured furry friend from the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center. Dedicated to eliminating pet homelessness, the center provides compassionate care and facilitates adoptions for animals in need of loving homes. Find your new companion and help support their mission of humane care and responsible pet ownership. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-12.jpg)](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Hugo is a 7 month old kitten who’s still learning to feel comfortable in the world around him. While his siblings were quickly adopted, Hugo has taken a little more time to come out of his shell and build confidence with new people. He can be a little cautious or hesitant at first, but underneath his shy exterior is a young cat who’s slowly starting to show his curious and gentle side. Hugo is looking for a patient home that will give him the time and understanding he needs to continue blossoming at his own pace. Come meet Hugo and all the adoptable pets at the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center in person. Stop by any day except Tuesdays, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., or learn more at [petsadoption.org](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). ****Alumni update**: Raya and Joey were adopted! 🥳 --- ## Noteworthy Riverside invites residents to [help shape the South Main Complete Street Project](https://qrco.de/SouthMainStWorkshop?ref=raincrossgazette.com) at a community workshop on May 21 at 6 p.m., where federal grant funding will support safety upgrades, wider sidewalks, and bike lanes between Third Street and Highway 60. Six mentors were recognized at [Big Brothers Big Sisters Inland Empire's 2026 Mentor of the Year Awards](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-based-mentor-among-honorees-at-big-brothers-big-sisters-inland-empire-awards/), held April 30 at Riverside City Hall's Grier Pavilion, honoring volunteers across the agency's community, workplace and high school programs. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Friday, May 8 - [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-08T07) at Zacatecas Café - [R'Hours at the R'Garden](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rhours-at-the-rgarden/18094958/2026-05-08T08) at R'Garden - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-05-08T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-and-heroes-walking-tour/17901085/2026-05-08T15) at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18) - [Mana vs Rock en Español classics, Live tributes! In](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mana-vs-rock-en-espaol-classics-live-tributes-in/18729931/2026-05-08T21) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($17.85) - [Third Act](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/third-act/18543145/2026-05-08T19) at Culver Center of the Arts - [Tim & Tom (TNT) classic rock & folk](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/tim-tom-tnt-classic-rock-folk/18779955/2026-05-08T11) at Backstreet ### Saturday, May 9 - [Arlington Library| Pressed Flower Bookmarks](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/arlington-library-pressed-flower-bookmarks/18722078/2026-05-09T15) at Arlington Library - [Permaculture Design Training and Certificate](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/permaculture-design-training-and-certificate/17147647/2026-05-09T09) at Land Use Learning Center - [Around the Gardens- Bird Walk](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/around-the-gardens-bird-walk/18543146/2026-05-09T07) at Botanic Gardens - [La Tardeada Festival](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/la-tardeada-festival/18765586/2026-05-09T14) at White Park ($25) - [Olivewood Cemetery Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/olivewood-cemetery-tour/18796151/2026-05-09T10) at Olivewood Cemetery ($21.20) - [Blink 182 Tribute by Blink 180True!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/blink-182-tribute-by-blink-180true/18120568/2026-05-09T21) at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($20.23) - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-05-09T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [Bridgerton Mother's Day Tea Party](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bridgerton-mothers-day-tea-party/18729933/2026-05-09T11) at Loft 84 Wedding and Event Venue ($28.52) - [Orange Terrace Library | Mother's Day Tote Bag Painting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-terrace-library-mothers-day-tote-bag-painting/18708163/2026-05-09T15) at Orange Terrace Library - [Death Cafe: A Community Conversation about Death with Kristin Stolte](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/death-cafe-a-community-conversation-about-death-with-kristin-stolte/18744987/2026-05-09T12) at Main Library - [MOMS GONE WILD, a Comedy Paint and Sip](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/moms-gone-wild-a-comedy-paint-and-sip/17462032/2026-05-09T11) at Back To The Grind ($23.18) ### Sunday, May 10 - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-05-10T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Mother's Day Tea at Backstreet](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mothers-day-tea-at-backstreet/18788757/2026-05-10T11) at Backstreet ($200- $400) - [Mother’s Day Tea at Citrus Park](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mothers-day-tea-at-citrus-park/18509532/2026-05-10T14) at Sunkist Center at CA Citrus Park ($45- $65) - [Paint and Petals Mother's Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-and-petals-mothers-day/18685273/2026-05-10T14) at The Experience Riverside ($44.52) - [Yo Mama Comedy Showcase on Mother's Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/yo-mama-comedy-showcase-on-mothers-day/18671855/2026-05-10T18) at The Experience Riverside ($23.18) - [Yolanda Del Rio](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/yolanda-del-rio/17908112/2026-05-10T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center ## Save the Date - May 13: [Level Up Your Network: The Pick Group 2026 Membership Summit](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/level-up-your-network-the-pick-group-2026-membership-summit/18625198/2026-05-13T18) at Killer Queens Social House - May 14: [Riverside Community Services Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-community-services-foundation/18745418/2026-05-14T17) at Private residence ($175- $20,000) - May 15: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-15T07) at Zacatecas Café - May 16: [Vintage Home Tour “Age is a Work of Art”](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vintage-home-tour-age-is-a-work-of-art/18708216/2026-05-16T10) at Peter J Weber House ($30) - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - May 31: [Oscars, Tonys & Grammys](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oscars-tonys-grammys/18797026/2026-05-31T16) at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($10- $20) - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Vintage Home Tour Frames America 250 Through Five Houses URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/vintage-home-tour-frames-america-250-through-five-houses/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:05:42.000Z Riverside has done America 250 before. It just called itself a Bicentennial city. Fifty years ago, Riverside won official designation as an American Bicentennial city — a status the city competed for and that produced a wave of civic and cultural projects still embedded across town. As the country approaches its 250th birthday, the city is once again leaning into local history to mark a national milestone. That same instinct shaped this year's Vintage Home Tour. On Saturday, May 16, the [Old Riverside Foundation](https://oldriverside.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) will open the doors of five private homes — built between 1924 and 1955 — for its 33rd annual self-guided tour. The theme, "Age is a Work of Art," uses the [semiquincentennial](https://america250.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as a frame for three decades of American life. The phrase came to Nancy Parrish — the foundation's secretary and Vintage Home Tour committee chair — while she was listening to a podcast. "It came from Polish poet Stanislaw Jerzy Lec," Parrish said. "Youth is the gift of nature, but age is a work of art." For Parrish, that line cuts to what historic preservation argues every day. "Beauty is often recognized in the young, or what is new and contemporary," she said. "But what we become with age might be discounted or unrecognized — but it truly is what has passed the test of time. I view vintage houses and neighborhoods in the same way." The America 250 pairing came together after Falcone, whose ward includes most of this year's featured homes, reached out to ORF about coordinating. He has been [borrowing from Riverside's 1976 Bicentennial playbook](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-looks-to-its-own-history-to-mark-americas-250th/) for the broader semiquincentennial push. "Historic preservation was founded initially with an emphasis on patriotism," Parrish said. "So this theme suits us perfectly." The tour spans 1924 to 1955 — three of the homes from what Parrish calls the "revival period," and two on the front edge of the midcentury. The earliest three (1924, 1925 and 1931) include two Spanish Colonial Revivals and a third that, in Parrish's reading, leans more Mediterranean Revival. The 1940 home is by Herman Ruhnau, the prolific Riverside architect, who described its style simply as "American." The youngest of the five, a 1955 Ranch, is described by its current owner as "midcentury modest." For Parrish, each house is a chapter in a larger story. "One of the central themes of the American story is that of western expansion — the push from back east and the Midwest to come to California seeking a better life," Parrish said. "People were looking to find a healthier climate and opportunities to reinvent themselves. That element of imagination drove the creation of the architectural styles that Riverside is so well known for." For the past 22 years, the home selection has been Parrish's project. [Last year's tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-look-back-scenes-from-the-old-riverside-vintage-home-tour/) featured houses spanning Victorian to midcentury. "I've chosen the homes by driving around the city and writing down those that I'd personally like to see on the inside," she said. "I research who owns each one and then send them a letter telling them about our event and ask if we might be able to use their home on the tour." Andrew Villalobos and his wife have lived in the Robert and Ruth Boulden Home — a 1931 Andalusian Revival — since 2018\. Villalobos is a realtor who specializes in historic Riverside properties, and has taught himself plaster repair and wood-window restoration on his own house. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/DSC01518-1.jpg) The Robert and Ruth Boulden Home, a 1931 Andalusian Revival. (Andrew Villalobos) "My wife's favorite style has always been Spanish Andalusian. I had always wanted to live in a California Craftsman," he said. "But this home is a joy to live in, and we're both super grateful to be here." The couple were drawn by size — they were coming out of a 900-square-foot two-bedroom nearby — and proximity to friends. They've been chipping away at the restoration ever since. "It's been a huge learning curve and investment to get to know the house, to restore it, and pay close attention to what it needs," Villalobos said. He pointed to the arches, decorative wood beams, hardwood floors, 1930s Calco Tile and the large windows the family opens to let breeze through. "It's a solid, sturdy house, but at the same time it requires a delicate touch." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/DSC01379.JPG) The dining room features wood ceiling beams and a stained-glass pendant. (Andrew Villalobos) Villalobos has traveled extensively — including a three-week architectural tour through Andalusia in southern Spain to see the origins of his own home's style — and has come back convinced that Riverside's vintage stock is internationally distinct. "There is nowhere else in the world with the types of historic properties that we have," he said. He has a theory about why so much of that stock has survived intact: economic dormancy. Riverside had significant wealth when these homes were built, he said, but between roughly 1950 and 1990, capital here lagged coastal Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego. "People didn't have the financial ability to make massive alterations to their homes," Villalobos said. "As a result, it seems to me that Riverside in particular has some of the most well-preserved originality of any city in Southern California." What he hopes tour visitors notice is the craft. "As we moved away from custom construction and into the tract neighborhoods of the post-war years, the main thing that started disappearing was decoration. Beauty for beauty's sake," he said. "It's usually the tile work on fireplaces and in bathrooms, carved beams, arched niches, railings, and carved wood balconies that get people excited." The Old Riverside Foundation was founded in 1979, a few years after the city demolished broad sections of downtown to make way for a new City Hall and other civic buildings — [themselves now historic landmarks](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-city-council-unanimously-designates-city-hall-as-historic-landmark/) in their own right. It was the era when there was talk of razing the Mission Inn for a sports stadium. "I am thankful for the Riverside citizens — mostly women, I may add — that started the conversation about preventing the mass destruction of swaths of Riverside in the name of 'progress' in the early '70s," Parrish said. ORF's earliest landmark advocacy was for the Peter J. Weber House, which received city landmark status in 1981 after Days Inn — the property's then-owner — pushed for demolition or relocation to clear room for a hotel parking lot. The Cultural Heritage Board ruled the house had to stay where it was; the hotel built around it. ORF has been the Weber House's tenant and caretaker since 1990, and the building serves as basecamp for the tour each year. [A new biography of Weber](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/some-architect-traces-peter-j-webers-mark-on-riversides-architectural-legacy/), written by ORF President Dave Stolte and researcher Ruth West, will be on sale at the Faire. "Just think of what would have happened if the Days Inn had been able to raze it," Parrish said. Ticketholders receive the full list of six addresses — five private homes plus the Weber House — by email the week of the event. The tour is self-guided and starts at 10 a.m. Visitors can take the homes in any order they choose. Docent volunteers walk guests through each home's architectural and decorative details. Each visiting group receives a printed tour book explaining each house's history. This year's docents are drawn from across Riverside's preservation community: the Riverside Historical Society, the Woman's Club, Evergreen Memorial Cemetery, the Mission Inn Foundation, the Riverside Renovators and what Parrish calls "lovers of old houses." Many have been involved with the tour for more than 20 years. Basecamp at the Weber House hosts the free Restoration Faire & Vintage Mercantile, open to the public with no ticket required. Antique dealers, vintage-home contractors specializing in things like ironwork and roofing, and ORF's salvage operation will all be on hand. The Weber House itself will offer free tours throughout the day, and every ticketholder is automatically entered in a raffle. A $30 ticket is also a small preservation grant. About $15,000 of annual tour revenue feeds ORF's Restoration Grant fund, which awards up to $2,500 at a time to ORF members for restoration work on their historic homes — typically focused on areas visible from the street. The architectural salvage program supports the foundation's operating expenses, including ongoing maintenance and restoration of the Weber House itself. On May 16, five Riverside front doors open. The American story will be told from the inside. **More information:* The 33rd annual Vintage Home Tour will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 16, with basecamp at the Peter J. Weber House, 1510 University Ave. Tickets are $30 in advance through* [*vintagehometour.com*](http://vintagehometour.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *and $35 day-of at the Weber House. The Restoration Faire & Vintage Mercantile is free and open to the public.* ### Three OB-GYNs on the Conditions Women Often Live With Quietly URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/three-ob-gyns-on-the-conditions-women-often-live-with-quietly/ Last updated: 2026-05-10T12:00:07.000Z Mother's Day arrives Sunday, and for the obstetrics and gynecology team at Riverside Medical Clinic (RMC), the holiday is also a reminder that women's health care extends well beyond pregnancy and delivery. For years, the patient who eventually arrived at Dr. Jenny Jean's office in Jurupa Valley had attributed her pain to ordinary menstrual cramps. By the time she came to Riverside Medical Clinic for a second opinion — after care outside California had brought no relief — the underlying condition, endometriosis, had progressed far enough that blood clots had fused her bowels to her pelvic organs. She had not even thought to mention her bowel symptoms. She did not know they could be related. It is a pattern Dr. Jean and her colleagues at RMC see often. Roughly [1 in 10](https://www.ama-assn.org/public-health/prevention-wellness/what-doctors-wish-patients-knew-about-endometriosis?ref=raincrossgazette.com) American women of reproductive age has endometriosis, and the [World Economic Forum](https://www.weforum.org/publications/closing-the-women-s-health-gap-a-1-trillion-opportunity-to-improve-lives-and-economies/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) estimates women spend 25% more of their lives in poor health than men — a gap that often comes down to conditions diagnosed late, undertreated or never raised at all. Three of the practice's physicians walk through the conditions they say their patients most often live with quietly: menopause, endometriosis and infertility. ### Menopause Symptoms That Go Beyond Hot Flashes Dr. Thuan Le, chair of the OB-GYN department at Riverside Medical Clinic, has seen patients suffer silently with menopause symptoms ranging from mildly inconvenient to severely affecting their quality of life. Hot flashes are the symptom most patients arrive expecting, Dr. Le says, but the picture is usually broader — brain fog, painful vaginal dryness and night sweats can interfere with daily activities, intimacy and quality sleep. Dr. Le offers personalized hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to help offset these symptoms. No two patients are the same when it comes to symptoms or HRT, Dr. Le says, and the treatment is most safely undergone with the supervision of a licensed clinical professional. Building a relationship with a trusted gynecologist, he adds, is the most important step a patient can take. ### Endometriosis: When Years of Pain Have a Cause Endometriosis is a chronic condition in which tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus. It is usually marked by intense pain, and although it affects roughly 10% of American women of reproductive age, it is found in nearly half of women with infertility issues. Dr. Jenny Jean, an OB-GYN who practices at RMC's Jurupa Valley and Temescal Valley clinics, says many of her patients only come to her after years of enduring pain they had attributed to menstruation. In the case of the patient described above, Dr. Jean intervened, correctly diagnosed the condition, and performed robotic-assisted laparoscopic excision surgery, known as LAPEX. RMC's OB-GYNs have privileges at nearby hospitals to perform minimally invasive and robotic-assisted gynecologic surgery, including procedures that use the da Vinci Surgical System — an approach designed to use smaller incisions, with the goal of fewer complications and quicker recoveries. ### Infertility Treatment Beyond IVF Dr. Mohamedali Ismailjee, an OB-GYN who practices at RMC's Eastvale clinic, sees the emotional toll infertility takes on his patients every day. It is what drew him to the specialty. The son of a family medicine doctor, Dr. Ismailjee initially planned to become an anesthesiologist or general surgeon — until his mother's struggles with infertility led him down a different path, one that could bring hope to those who wish to become parents. Many patients are not aware there are alternatives to in vitro fertilization (IVF). For patients meeting certain criteria — including those diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) — pharmaceutical options can improve their chances, Dr. Ismailjee says. He also works with patients carrying high-risk pregnancies. His approach to family planning, he says, includes a thorough review of each patient's medical history to anticipate problems before they occur. For patients with a history of miscarriage caused by an incompetent cervix, he performs a procedure called cerclage that can improve the chances of carrying a pregnancy to full term. ### Women's Health, Across Riverside County Riverside Medical Clinic offers women's health services at locations across Riverside County, with OB-GYN, primary care and imaging services. When an RMC OB-GYN orders mammography or ultrasound, those services are available in network — including 3D mammography for breast cancer screening, which produces a high-definition, wider-angle view that may help reduce false positives. The throughline across the three physicians is consistent: the conditions women often live with quietly are frequently the most treatable when caught early. Establishing care with a trusted OB-GYN is the first step. **More information:** Appointments at any Riverside Medical Clinic location can be scheduled at 951-683-6370, and a full list of providers, services and locations is available at [riversidemedicalclinic.com](http://riversidemedicalclinic.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). *Individual results may vary. There are risks associated with any surgical procedure. Talk with your doctor about whether minimally invasive or robotic surgery is right for you. For language assistance, disability accommodations and the nondiscrimination notice, visit* [*riversidemedicalclinic.com*](http://riversidemedicalclinic.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### Council Adopts Ward Event Policy, Bans Councilmember Branding URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-adopts-ward-event-policy-bans-councilmember-branding/ Last updated: 2026-05-10T11:59:25.000Z The City Council on Tuesday approved a policy setting new rules for ward-specific events, programs and projects — including banning the use of a councilmember's name or logo in event branding. The resolution establishes a citywide framework meant to provide more consistency in how ward-based events are planned and administered. City staff said the policy is intended to support local business growth, neighborhood vitality and community connection while keeping the program equitable across council wards. The [Governmental Processes Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-members-move-to-strip-their-names-from-taxpayer-funded-ward-events/) recommended the policy after adding two notable changes: a ban on using a councilmember's name or logo in event branding and a requirement that the Arts and Culture team provide an annual report to the full council. "I kind of feel like our name shouldn't be on it ever, period," said Councilmember Philip Falcone, who chairs the committee, during its Jan. 7 meeting. "If it says Ward 1, for example, that should be enough. It doesn't need to have my name on it.” Currently, ward events are marketed under the city's "Local Vibes" branding, but some councilmembers have added their own logos to event materials. The policy also includes election-cycle safeguards and clarifies how recurring annual events may continue under the rules. The policy bars councilmembers from participating in planning a ward event within 90 days before an election in which that councilmember’s name will appear on the ballot — but allows annually recurring events continue if they have happened for at least three years. At the April 1 committee meeting Falcone called the event threshold “a good compromise.” “I know when I went to the full city council before we sent it back to committee, Councilor Mill expressed concern because he has a Fall Festival each year. And I think this is a good compromise that for long standing ongoing events like a Fall Festival every October or what have you, whether it be an election year or not — I think this is a compromise in that way, and maintains and enables him to still have that event, for example,” he said. Staff said those provisions were aimed at preserving longstanding community events while avoiding the appearance of political advocacy. The item stemmed from the city's fiscal year 2023-24 budget, which set aside $876,000 for citywide events, including $725,000 for programs intended to boost community engagement, tourism and economic development. Council first considered the policy Oct. 28, 2025, but sent it back for more review. The Governmental Processes Committee later reviewed it on Jan. 7 and April 1 before unanimously recommending approval. City staff said the resolution does not create any additional fiscal impact because funding for ward-specific events and projects is already included in the city's fiscal 2025-26 budget allocation. ### Riverside Moves Closer to Turning Sewage Waste into Renewable Natural Gas URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-moves-closer-to-turning-sewage-waste-into-renewable-natural-gas/ Last updated: 2026-05-08T18:15:12.000Z The City Council on Tuesday approved a step that will transfer existing utility agreements at the city's water treatment plant to a bioenergy company to support a project that would convert organic waste into renewable natural gas. [City staff](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15412653&GUID=46E3A2C4-6541-49EE-A202-1F8D1E8F72EF&ref=raincrossgazette.com) said the move is meant to turn sewage plant waste from the water treatment plant into a new local energy source that can be used instead of fossil gas. The city also said the project supports its efforts to comply with state food-waste diversion rules and make better use of material that would otherwise be discarded. The water treatment plant has been a key piece of Riverside's long-term sustainability plans since a $192 million expansion and rehabilitation project was completed in 2017. The city has worked on the project for several years. In 2020, it approved an engineering study with Southern California Gas Co. That work was later expanded through additional change orders, including one in 2025 that increased the planned volume of renewable natural gas the system could handle. The council's move on Tuesday transferred its agreements for the project with SoCalGas to Riverside Bioenergy Facility LLC — giving the private partner control of the rights and responsibilities tied to the gas interconnection needed to move the project forward. The council also approved a public-private partnership with Riverside Bioenergy Facility in 2023 and later amended the lease agreement in 2025, shifting the cost of building the biogas upgrading facility and related piping to the private company. ### Devereaux House is Reimagining Riverside Nightlife URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/devereaux-house-is-reimagining-riverside-nightlife/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:05:43.000Z [Devereaux House](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/backstreet-documentary-launches-friday-night-summer-series-at-the-mag-center-enclave/) was born from a long-held desire to bring something different to Riverside's nightlife: a place built around thoughtful food, natural wine and a laid-back vibe. What began as a side project inside a former overflow space for Riverside's sandwich shop [Backstreet](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/beloved-backstreet-restaurant-gets-the-arcade-treatment/) grew into a place the owners say is meant to feel less like a bar and more like a house full of friends. "We want people to feel like they're being welcomed into their house," co-owner Shane Levario said. "We want you to feel like we've been waiting for you all day." Levario, who also co-founded [Arcade Coffee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/where-to-find-the-best-coffee-in-riverside-arcade-coffee-roasters-has-spent-13-years-earning-that-answer/), said the concept grew out of years of driving to Orange County and Los Angeles for natural wine with his friend, Jonathan Turner. "Natural wine" is wine made with minimal intervention. "Nothing taken, nothing added," according to Turner. It's made using organic grapes, native yeasts and no sulfites, resulting in wines with flavor profiles that range from light and zesty to earthy and full-bodied. "It was always a thing that we would talk about," Levario told the Gazette. "One day... we're gonna have a natural wine bar." When they acquired Backstreet in early 2023, its adjacent indoor space had carpet peeling off the floor and wallpaper dating back to the 1970s – but Levario and Turner saw its potential. "We made a joke... the first time we walked through that space, we \[said\] we should do natural wine in it," Levario said. That moment finally came when Turner hosted his birthday party there and served natural wine. "Everyone loved it," Levario said. "It ended up being so awesome that we started doing it once a month, and then once a month turned into once a week, and then once a week turned into three days a week – and that's where we're at now." Naturally, food followed. Devereaux House initially ran with a rotating vendor concept, serving everything from sourdough bread and charcuterie boards to smash burgers, Taiwanese noodles and tacos. A permanent menu began to emerge after they collaborated with [Adrian Gamero of Inner Pizza](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/a-breath-not-a-stop-riverside-supper-club-wraps-successful-first-year/) — a Neapolitan-style pizza pop-up Gamero had been running for several years. The response to his pizza was so strong that what was meant to be a one-off collaboration turned into an ongoing partnership, pairing experimental pizzas with an ever-changing lineup of natural wines. Gamero said he worked closely with Levario and Turner to develop a menu that complements the flavors of natural wine. "These wines are so unique, it's like each is their own person," Turner said. "When I talk to people at the bar about the wines, I talk about them as if they're people. I'm like, yeah, she's kind of sassy. She's kind of angry right now. Give her, like, 15 minutes to wake up." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/2-3.jpg) Some of the natural wines on offer at Devereaux House, where the lineup changes regularly. (Courtesy of Devereaux House) Gamero knew this partnership was an opportunity to try some "crazy stuff." "I want to say we're very progressive and try to reach outside of society's norm for pizza," Gamero said. "You don't always expect these flavors we're combining. We're always kind of pushing the boundary." Gamero said that the experimental vibe of Devereaux House is part of its identity – a fresh twist on a classic staple. The house itself also helped shape the bar's identity. Levario said many of the details were already there when they took it over – including the exterior with the words "Devereaux House" painted in powder blue. Levario said he recently received an email from the granddaughter of the house's original owners confirming what had once been a local legend: the house was once owned by Harry and Florence Devereaux, and the name now honors that history. "They would have loved what it has flourished into," the granddaughter said, according to Levario. For customers who are new to natural wine, the experience can change how they think about drinking. Turner said people often come in expecting something familiar, then leave with a different perspective. "Their minds have completely changed about the way that they consume things," he said. "We see the same people returning week in, week out, becoming fans of natural wine." One such enthusiast is Ward 3 Council Member Steve Robillard, who nominated Devereaux House for the Riverside Prospers Success award in March. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/2-2.jpg) The Devereaux House team receives the Riverside Prospers Success award at a City Council meeting in March. (Courtesy of Councilmember Steven Robillard) Turner and Levario said the award from city leaders meant a lot to the team, especially after the challenges of opening and sustaining a restaurant. Levario said receiving recognition from the city felt like an affirmation. "Sometimes you get in the weeds and think, does anybody even want this? Do people care about this? So getting recognized for it is really encouraging," he said. The owners also see Devereaux House as part of a wider shift in Riverside. Turner said the city has relied too long on the same kind of nightlife. "The easy button for the past decade in Riverside was 'open nightclub,' and that's it," he said. "There hasn't really been any thoughtfulness in what else could night life look like." They said they hope the space shows that there is room for something else. "Riverside is full of so many incredible, open minded people," Levario said. "I hope this is the beginning." Looking ahead, the owners plan to expand carefully — starting with a more formal cocktail menu in early May, still rooted in the same wine-forward approach. The cocktail menu consists of an espresso martini, lo-pro Negroni, Paloma, “Beer-icano,” a strawberry and pink peppercorn spritz, and a blood orange mint spritz. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/1-4.jpg) Four cocktails from Devereaux House's new menu, which launched in early May. (Courtesy of Devereaux House) They also want to keep the atmosphere intact – with live music on Fridays, tasting nights, chess gatherings and other events that give regulars a reason to come back. "We just want to do more of it," Levario said, "but make sure that we're doing it well." **More information:* Devereaux House is open 6-10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and located at 3739 Nelson St.* ### Riverside-Based Mentor Among Honorees at Big Brothers Big Sisters Inland Empire Awards URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-based-mentor-among-honorees-at-big-brothers-big-sisters-inland-empire-awards/ Last updated: 2026-05-07T19:45:00.000Z Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire honored six mentors at its 2026 Inland Empire Mentor of the Year Awards, held April 30 at Riverside City Hall's Grier Pavilion. Among the honorees was a Riverside-based mentor-mentee pair, Julian Sanchez and his Little Brother Noah, recognized through the agency's Community-Based program. The event brought together community leaders, educators, families and local partners to recognize volunteers from the agency's Community-Based, Workplace Mentoring and High School Bigs programs. One male and one female match were honored from each of the three programs. David Ambroz, a nationally recognized child welfare advocate, bestselling author and Amazon executive, delivered the keynote address. Ambroz, who grew up homeless and in foster care, spoke to the role a single consistent adult can play in a child's life and tied his personal story to the broader need for mentors as young people navigate instability. ### Community-Based Mentors of the Year Julian Sanchez and Noah were named Community-Based Big and Little of the Year. When Noah joined the program at age 10, he was struggling academically and behaviorally; his aunt, who adopted him at age two, was looking for someone who would truly invest in him. Julian became that person. After learning Noah had not been honest about completing his homework, Julian took him to the library and had a direct conversation about honesty and trust — not as a punishment, but as a demonstration of his commitment. Noah has grown more open about his challenges since, which has helped his aunt better support him at home. Their favorite outing is building Legos at the park. Mercedes Howard was named Community-Based Big of the Year alongside her Little Sister Aniyah, the eldest of four siblings who entered the program while navigating her parents' divorce and racially motivated bullying at school. Mercedes attended Aniyah's basketball games, introduced her to new interests like knitting, and stayed connected through FaceTime while studying out of state. When Aniyah grew anxious about starting middle school, Mercedes shared her own experiences and coping strategies. Aniyah's confidence and resilience have grown through the relationship. ### Workplace Mentoring Sherri Inman of Altura Credit Union was named Workplace Mentor of the Year. An HR professional, Inman has participated in the Workplace Mentoring Program for more than four years, mentoring both high school and college students. She shares guidance on the hiring process, resume building and navigating professional spaces, and has reached a wider audience through an educational mentorship video series. David Villa was also honored in the Workplace Mentoring category for his match with college student Mark. The two participated in a 5K together and maintained a relationship that extended beyond their scheduled sessions; when Mark organized an event at his college, Villa agreed to serve as a guest speaker. Mark, once shy and reserved, has emerged as a confident leader now active in his engineering club and working to secure funding to attend a national convention. ### High School Bigs Nichelle Harris of Pacific High School was named High School Big of the Year. Harris, an only child who initially struggled with social confidence, grew into her role through her match with Destiny, a Little who had recently lost her previous mentor and begun to shut down emotionally. Through consistent check-ins and patient guidance, Harris helped Destiny become more confident and engaged at school. She is now matched with Raymound, bonding over video games and arts and crafts. Harris carries a 4.1 GPA and has served as a Big Ambassador for three years. Mitchell Gonzalez of Corona High School was also named High School Big of the Year. His mentoring relationship with his Little, Joel, began before their official match, when Gonzalez tutored him during homework club. He supported Joel through bullying and self-doubt over the years, and pushed through an initial failed attempt to launch a campus Big Brothers Big Sisters club before eventually growing awareness and sign-ups as a Big Ambassador. Gonzalez plans to pursue public administration and a career in nonprofit work. As California's largest Big Brothers Big Sisters agency, BBBS OC & IE serves more than 4,000 youth annually; 47% live at or below the poverty line. The agency says youth with mentors are 20% more likely to enroll in college and can close up to 66% of the economic opportunity gap with their peers. **More information:* Inland Empire residents interested in becoming a mentor can learn more at* [*iebigs.org*](http://iebigs.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### 'We Have a Spending Problem': Candidates Debate Cuts, Taxes at Ward 2, 4 and 6 Forums URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/we-have-a-spending-problem-candidates-debate-cuts-taxes-at-ward-2-4-and-6-forums/ Last updated: 2026-05-08T11:59:29.000Z The Raincross Gazette hosted candidate forums for Wards 2, 4 and 6 last month, asking all candidates the same questions on the city's budget and fiscal services. [Measure Z](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/measure-z-explained-the-sales-tax-increase-on-riversides-june-ballot/), the city's existing sales tax, was a recurring subject throughout all three forums. Moderator Dan Bernstein, a former Press-Enterprise columnist and longtime Riversider, posed this question to candidates at all three forums: *You've been elected to the council. You get the budget and, sure enough, there's not enough money to pay for everything the city needs. What do you protect? What do you cut or eliminate? How do you make those decisions?* Here are each candidates' responses: ### [Ward 2](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-gazette-hosts-first-ever-candidate-forum-for-ward-seat/) Nonprofit director and Budget Commissioner Aram Ayra, entrepreneur and Planning Commissioner Christen Montero, Western Municipal Water District Director Gracie Torres and financial and IT consultant Mike Vahl are running for the Ward 2 seat soon to be vacated by Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes, who is running for state Assembly. Ward 2 covers neighborhoods including Eastside, Canyon Crest, Mission Grove, Sycamore Canyon and the University District. **Vahl:** "For 25 years, I've worked at Canyon Lake. I was the controller and accounting manager for 19 of those \[years\] in charge of budgets, and it was a $10 million budget. And you have to start with your most important priorities, which are public safety, and that's your top one. And then you have to go down from there. You've got staff that's telling you what you need to cut. You work with your different interest groups and figure out that's just a part of being a manager, is figuring out what to cut and who's getting over budget, and why are we spending this much money on this particular thing instead of this much money. But as far as Measure Z goes, no current proposal. I would make it a special tax not a general fund." **Montero:** "I think that is a great idea. But the reality also is, if we do have it as a special tax fund, if we want it to go on the ballot, it has to be a two-thirds vote, which is really difficult for a collectible for us to be able to achieve. I think there's also the issue of accountability, right? We've seen this Measure Z come up, go to the general fund, and then all of a sudden, things that were promised don't get paid for – meanwhile, other things continue to be funded. I think that is where the line needs to be drawn, right? We can't keep pulling money from our hard work that we've done just because the city needs more money. But I'm pretty sure we all, at one point, sat in front of the Chamber of Commerce saying yes to Measure Z. For me, Measure Z right now for this year really helps with infrastructure, and I want to talk a little bit about infrastructure. The city has grown and…we're down quite a few firefighters right now, and just being able to serve our community, we want to continue growing housing, but if we continue growing housing, that means more fire response, more public safety response, that's more demand that we already have a shortage of but we also can't keep relying on the Measure Z to fund everything and every new idea, or deal with the fact that there's inflation and we can't meet those budgets or those needs. So I think it's time to think outside of the box. Increase different ways to have revenue into the city, outside of having this tax that cannot go on forever, God forbid. But also, I would like to challenge everyone to be honest tonight and not change our answers in front of residents and to own our answers tonight." **Torres:** "So thank you for bringing that up. But let's come back to the topic, what would we cut right, or where would we shift things? I think that was the actual question. I've done this before on the water district. Have experience in this and \[looking\] at where funds need to go – and a mentor of mine calls it 'meat and potatoes,' right. Get back to the basics. We got to take care of our roads. We got to take care of our trees. We gotta make sure that we don't have to make traffic worse. And the way I see it when we're talking about affordability, especially for families like myself, if the city isn't taking care of city services, we flip two bills, we pay the taxes, and then we're paying to fix our tires, right? And they were paying to fix, you know, the roof where the tree fell, because the city…didn't take care of its job. So we need to go back to the basics. If we end up with a budget where…we can't pay for everything we're promising in our…speeches, right where we're going to give everybody everything. We need to go back to the basics, because all this is one thing I know we all agree on, is that the quality of life in the city is good, and we need to keep that going. And so as we're looking at budgets, when we're looking at budgets at \[the\] Western Municipal Water District, we stick to the mission: serving good, reliable water and \[all\] that. And if we're doing anything outside of that, and we need to rearrange that budget, those things are the things that get cut, the ones that do not serve that purpose and \[the needs of those who live in the city\]. **Ayra:** "I would like to answer that question, because I think that's always our response, we kick the can down the road. We mismanage the funding, and then we start saying, 'what can we cut?' And you know, I know Gracie mentioned that quality of life is good. I've been knocking on thousands of doors in court too, and that's not what I'm hearing from folks. Our roads are not in good shape. Our infrastructure is not in good shape. Projects that should have been done years ago, like some of our rail grade separations and stuff, have not happened yet. Homelessness is at an all time high as we just heard this is an issue again, with the mismanagement of the funding and the crisis that we go to every single time when we say this is, we promise that this is the last tax that we passed. We promise we're not going to ask you for money again, and then suddenly, 10 years later, we're encumbered for the next three years. And I saw this directly. I'm on the budget engagement commission. We saw the measures in the proposal before it went to Council. This is an issue. We need accountability on how the money is being spent. Do I support fire and public safety? Absolutely. I don't think any of the candidates up here would say anything different if they wanted to get elected, obviously, but I think it's important for us to also consider where are we getting our revenue from? Our development impact fees have not been updated in Riverside for over a decade. So the large warehouses that I know all Ward 2 residents hate and don't like, they're paying the lowest amount of money into the city. They're creating the infrastructure problems that everybody is dealing with, the flat tires, the potholes and everything else. They're creating the pollution that poisons these communities, and we are not getting money from them to pay towards this and they're passing that cost off to you as a taxpayer, so I'm completely opposed to that. I would change that as a council member on day one." ### [Ward 4](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ward-4-challengers-break-with-incumbent-on-homeless-housing-vote-at-first-candidate-forum/) Incumbent Chuck Conder, local business owner Jessica Qattawi and local business owner Rich Vandenberg are vying for the Ward 4 council seat. Ward 4 covers neighborhoods including Alessandro Heights, Mission Grove, Orangecrest and the Greenbelt, which became a part of Ward 4 during redistricting in 2023 – meaning many residents in this area will be voting in a Ward 4 race for the first time this year. **Qattawi:** "Okay, so if I were to cut any budgets…right now we've got City Hall is about to get renovated. Is that a priority for us, or would it be better for us to go and fix some of our roads? That might be something I would cut the budget on. We also have a lot of city employees that are getting paid $300,000, $400,000 a year. Is that right? Is that fair? Do you guys think that's okay? That's our money that should go towards fixing the things that we have issues with, like the homeless issue, the roads, the traffic, figuring out a solution for the traffic." **Vandenberg:** "We have a balanced budget, but to balance that budget required $18 million in cuts for next year. In that $18 million were cuts to our road improvements. Last year, Riverside improved 51 miles of roads, and the timing was a big thing. We did not improve enough roads to maintain the grade we have now, which is a \[poor grade\]...For me, to get this budget under control we, number one, take care of the core services – that's safety, that's infrastructure, parks. Those are the important things, just like when I advise a client who comes into my office who's struggling financially, and we have to rework the budget, we take care of our house first. Beyond that, the non priorities – I don't think Riverside has an income problem, we have a spending problem, and this is going to be one of the goals for me and the \[inspector general\]...just to look into our budget and look for fraud, waste and abuse. Without breaking down all the things, the minor expenditures, if you went through it, \[you'd be a\] little surprised. I think the money we spend, but we prioritize the necessities – that's our safety, that's our roads, that's our parks and our infrastructure." **Conder:** "This is live social media. Too much false information. City Hall is not being renovated, number one…they're doing some work on the first floor... Secondly, we met with everyone of the \[city department directors\]. We call them in, \[asking\] what can you cut? What can you keep your service grades at \[to\] give us what we need and what we cut. He came back with his cuts. He had enough to do…How you balance your checkbooks? You do the needs before the wants, and every one of the divisions, every one of them, sat there, and we got the 18 million we needed in cuts to keep the budget balanced. So if you ask me, What am I going to cut? We don't need to cut anything. We are balanced. We're doing parks, we're doing streets, we're doing fire stations, we're doing police work, we're doing work for the people….We don't need to kind of be thinking of \[cutting funding\]." **Qattawi:** "Well, I met with the city manager a month ago, and he said that the city's already five years in spending, so \[Measure Z's\] coming in, so we can try to figure out all the money we already spent for for the next five years." **Vandenberg:** "In this 'balanced budget,' the city of Riverside invested $3 million into homelessness last year – some considered the most pressing issue of our city… We invested twice as much into homeless pets last year. $6 million in homeless pets, $3 million in homeless people. City money, Chuck, tell me I'm wrong. I said city dollars, city money. 1 percent \[from\] Measure Z, which on the ballot treatment said \[it was\] for homeless services, youth services, senior services. How much went to senior services? Zero. Youth services, zero. I know it's because I asked. 1 percent went to homelessness. Anybody who cares to fact check, please feel free to do so. I'm not going to listen to lies up here and accept them as truth." ### [Ward 6](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/where-do-candidates-stand-on-homelessness-ward-2-4-and-6-hopefuls-weigh-in/) Oz Puerta, executive director of the Arlington Business Partnership, Luis Hernandez, vice chair of the Board of Ethics, and Alvord Unified School District Board of Education Trustee Norma Berrellez are vying for the seat vacated by Councilmember Jim Perry, who announced last year that he is not running for reelection. Berrellez, however, was not in attendance at the April 30 Ward 6 forum. Ward 6 covers neighborhoods including Arlanza, La Sierra, La Sierra Hills, La Sierra South and portions of Arlington. **Hernandez:** "So obviously the qualities of any good leader \[is\] to try and find alternatives other than trying to cut services or eliminate jobs. That's key to this. Obviously bringing in good paying jobs to bring in more revenue \[and\] to bring in more affordable housing. The reality is that the more expensive housing gets, the less money people have in their pockets to spend on local businesses, and that's just a fact. That's a reality. And if we focus on a lot of those different options, we can bring in more revenue. But if it comes to having to make budget cuts, obviously having to cut vital services or vital jobs, everyone at the city works extremely hard. I know from being on the Board of Ethics, I watch how hard these individuals work. So making sure that we take a look at maybe services that aren't as vital or necessary, but help us keep as many vital city services and employees as possible is key to making sure that we stay successful and we keep going forward." **Puerta:** "For a city budget, I think we need to focus on a couple things. First, we need to make sure that all core services that a city needs to provide to its residents are upheld. Public safety, infrastructure, the essentials. Once we use up all that money and we figure out where that's going, then we focus on other external services. We just talked about homelessness. There's a lot of money that the city spends on homelessness. Are we addressing the problem? Is it getting worse? Do we need to keep spending money on certain things? We need to reassess programs, activities, any sort of movement that isn't necessarily getting us results, or it's getting us results at too high of a price. If we focus on the core services, the essentials, we can make sure that we are proactive so we don't have to bring up Measure Z right now for a core service like the fire department – [84 new firefighters, two new fire stations](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-puts-sales-tax-increase-on-june-ballot-to-fund-fire-staffing/). Why are we being forced to react right now? Why wasn't this need anticipated years ago as we saw the calls for service going up, as we saw the population rising? Why did no one think ahead so that way we could plan better so we don't overburden our residents with more taxes?" **Hernandez:** "I don't think that cutting the money that we spend for homelessness is going to really help our situation any at all, but taking a look at how that money is spent and reconsidering how it would be better served and help actually helping people off the street is vital. That's only going to put us in a worse situation when it comes to Measure Z funds, obviously it's been declining. Running a city is expensive and it's difficult to always determine what the needs are in the future. Nobody has a crystal ball. Nobody can tell what the future is going to hold, but what we can do is we can make sure that our city and our frontliners have the resources that they need to be able to protect and serve or to keep us from a situation, for example, like Los Angeles. If we don't take steps to make sure that our firefighters have the services and the resources that they need, we're going to be in a lot of trouble in the future." **Puerta:** "So here's where I disagree. I do think we do see these problems coming up…There was a fire report that told us we needed 84 new firefighters and two new fire stations. What's the problem? The problem is that that report came out now when it's an emergency. What needs to be done is these reports, these studies need to be ... all these trends need to be analyzed earlier. We need to see the state of the city, the state of the county, the state of the state, and adjust accordingly. We do know when we need to fix buildings. We do know when we need to defer maintenance. We do know when we need to buy new equipment, when we need to hire new people. We know those things are coming up. We just need to do a better job of being organized so we handle these situations faster and they don't cost you more in taxpayer dollars." A follow-up question was asked at the Ward 6 forum: *Measure Z when it was passed in 2016 \[was estimated to\] bring in about $50 million a year. The sales tax revenue has brought in about $80 million a year instead. And yet we find ourselves in this situation with low staffing and obviously a very critical area. As a council person seeing this happen, what does this tell you about how the city is run and …should this have been foreseen? What would you do differently?* **Hernandez:** "So it's easy to stand up here and say what we would do and that we could tell the future – but if that were the reality, all the council members that Mr. Puerta is endorsed by should have seen this coming by his own comments. So the reality is that again, it's difficult to run a city and to put this just to say, "Well, I would do this, I would do that." That's easier said than done when it comes to city services and public safety, and obviously maintaining those services means having to make sure that our public employees have a paycheck. So if we really start to nitpick and \[say\], "oh, well, the Measure Z they're trying to pass is like 25 cents to every hundred dollars." The reality is that we're the ones that are going to suffer in the future when we cannot provide those services and when our police officers and firefighters are underfunded." **Puerta:** "So I'll say this about the government in general. I feel that the government doesn't have a money problem, we have a money management problem. We spend money faster than we get it. That's why I'm running. I'm tired of the fiscal \[irresponsibility.\] I know that if we are proactive, if we take the extra steps, if we start doing our homework now, we can make sure that we accommodate smart growth. We can accommodate the after effects of this housing mandate because we're going to have 18,000 new units by 2029\. We need to start thinking ahead in five year terms, 10 year terms, 20 year terms. That's how we get these issues addressed, because unless I'm wrong, fire's a dire need. It's essential. There's no compromise on it. And we're out of money, which is why we need to put this measure on the ballot. That's unacceptable. There shouldn't be a situation where we are reactive like that. We can do our homework ahead of time and at least have an idea of where the city is heading towards and anticipate those needs so we can do them cost effectively." ### 🗞️ Riverside News- May 7, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-may-7-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:04.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/260506-voterguide-1.jpg) **Thursday Gazette: May 7, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Thursday!** Our [2026 Voter Guide](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-election-guide/) just got a comprehensive overhaul — and with the June 2 primary less than a month away, this is the version I want every Riversider to have. The two biggest additions: 1. Recorded video of all three City Council Candidate Forums (Ward 2, Ward 4, and Ward 6) 2. A full overview of Measure Z If you couldn't make a forum in person, you can now watch every candidate answer the same questions in their own words, on your own time. And if you've been hearing about Measure Z but haven't had time to dig in, we tried to make it the shortcut you actually need. One ask. If any of this is useful, ***please pass it along***. Friends and neighbors who don't already get the Gazette will be asked for their email to watch the videos, but there's no fee — they just become free subscribers, same deal most of you have. Forward this email, drop the Voter Guide link in your group chat, post the videos on social. Every Riversider who walks into the polls informed makes this city stronger, and every new neighbor we reach helps us keep this work going. Thanks again to everyone who showed up at the forums — and to everyone now helping us get these videos in front of more Riversiders. [Check out the 2026 Election: Voter Guide](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-election-guide/) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/author_banner-justin-pardee-3.jpg) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260507)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260507&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## City Manager Speaks Out as Council Evaluates His Performance, Conduct The council reviewed Futrell's performance in closed session Tuesday but took no action, as the city manager publicly defended himself and his wife against allegations that have roiled City Hall since December. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/260506-futrellcouncil-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-manager-speaks-out-as-council-evaluates-his-performance-conduct/) City Manager Mike Futrell presents revenue measure options to City Council on Jan. 27, 2026, the meeting that set the city on the path to the June 2 Measure Z renewal. (Justin Pardee) Riverside City Manager Mike Futrell addressed his short-lived departure for Pasadena — and allegations against his wife — while the City Council met in closed session Tuesday to decide his future. **Why it matters:** Futrell's status as city manager remains unresolved, leaving a leadership question over one of Riverside's top administrative posts. **The backstory:** Futrell announced April 15 he had accepted the Pasadena city manager position, then reversed course April 25\. At the center of the dispute is a Dec. 11 letter from then-Mayor Pro Tem Chuck Conder alleging Futrell's wife, Susan Freeman, made "unwanted and harassing" contact with city employees and implied she was "part of the city's decision-making team." **What they're saying:** Futrell called for patience at Tuesday's meeting. - "Judgment should be reserved until the full factual record is available," he said, adding that accountability "must be grounded in facts, not assumptions." **Freeman's account:** In a Facebook post, Freeman said she encouraged Futrell to pursue the Pasadena job after receiving Conder's letter, which she called full of "lies and serious false allegations." She denied the conduct described, saying her interactions with staff were limited to public civic engagement — and that at least one employee had sought her professional services voluntarily. **What's next:** The council took no action in closed session Tuesday. Conder and Futrell both declined to comment after the meeting, and no timeline has been announced for a resolution. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-manager-speaks-out-as-council-evaluates-his-performance-conduct/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260507)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260507&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Measure Z, Explained: The Sales Tax Increase on Riverside's June Ballot Voters will decide June 2 whether to raise the existing Measure Z sales tax to 1.25 percent and remove its 2036 sunset. Here's what's on the ballot, why it's there, and what each side is arguing. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/260506-measurez-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/measure-z-explained-the-sales-tax-increase-on-riversides-june-ballot/) A City of Riverside informational mailer on Measure Z, photographed outside City Hall. Election Day is June 2\. (Justin Pardee / The Raincross Gazette) Riverside residents will vote June 2 on a permanent sales tax increase — from 1% to 1.25% — to fund fire staffing and other city services. **Why it matters:** The city's fire department has the lowest firefighter-to-resident ratio among comparable cities, with average response times now exceeding the department's own 6-minute goal. The extra quarter-cent would cost shoppers an additional 25 cents on a $100 purchase, raising Riverside's total combined sales tax from 8.75% to 9.00%. **Driving the news:** Fire Chief Steve McKinster warned in January the department cannot keep pace with rising calls without new revenue, and a court has already ordered the city to rewrite what it calls a misleading ballot title. - A Superior Court judge ruled the original wording misleading; the measure is now labeled a "sales tax renewal" rather than a "services renewal." **The backstory:** Riverside has held at 225 firefighters for seven years while service calls rose 26%. The existing Measure Z tax — 1% since 2016 — expires in 2036; this measure would remove that sunset. - The department averages 7 min., 18 sec. response times against a 6-minute goal; the staffing plan calls for 84 new firefighters. **Yes, but:** Critics note Measure Z revenue flows into the general fund — not a dedicated fire account — meaning there's no legal guarantee the money reaches the fire department. - Ward 1 resident Jason Hunter, who brought the successful lawsuit over ballot language, warns voters will get "bait-and-switched" as they were in 2016. **What's next:** Ballots are in the mail now. Mail yours by May 27, drop it at a county box, or vote in person at any Riverside County vote center starting May 23\. Election Day is June 2\. A simple majority passes the measure. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/measure-z-explained-the-sales-tax-increase-on-riversides-june-ballot/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260507) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260507&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [BUSINESS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/business/) ## After 54 Years, Sub Station Faces Demolition as UCR Redevelops Bannockburn Richard Munio's Sub Station has fed generations of UCR students since 1972\. Now, with Bannockburn Village slated for demolition, it's counting down its final weeks. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/1-2.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/after-54-years-sub-station-faces-demolition-as-ucr-redevelops-bannockburn/) The exterior of The Sub Station at 104-A in UCR's Bannockburn Village, where the sandwich shop has operated since 1972\. (Maxen Olvera) The Sub Station is being torn down on June 30th, closing after 54 years of operation near the heart of UC Riverside. The eatery, founded in 1972 by Richard Munio in UCR's Bannockburn Village, is being demolished as the aging wood-frame structure has become a safety hazard. For four of those years, I was privileged to be employed there. It has been the best job I've ever had as I have made lifelong friends and memories. Originally from New Jersey, Munio came to California for college, finishing his bachelor's degree at Chico State. His academic achievement was short-lived because he was drafted for the Vietnam War. Munio ended up serving a year in Vietnam. He returned to California and set his sights on a business he could call his own. Soon, he bought a space in UCR's Bannockburn Village. Munio transformed the area by adding an outdoor patio, handmade tables, and seating. It makes The Sub Station feel like home and creates a calming atmosphere, ideal for a lunch break. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/after-54-years-sub-station-faces-demolition-as-ucr-redevelops-bannockburn/) --- ## Noteworthy Arts Bar and Grill's[comeback reopening was featured on CBS LA](https://youtu.be/vx4qqI%5FMGk8?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Tuesday after the beloved Downtown restaurant and bar bounced back from a devastating April 21 flood caused by copper pipe theft. A [UCR Foundation gift established the Esther and Daniel Hays Endowed Chair in Environmental Research](https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/05/01/catalyst-excellence?ref=raincrossgazette.com), funding Distinguished Professor Matthew Barth's sustainable transportation work at CE-CERT, including a multi-university electric vehicle competition. RCC hosted its [4th Annual Supporting Successful Reentry Conference](https://www.rcc.edu/about/news/2026-annual-reentry-conference.html?ref=raincrossgazette.com) on April 16, bringing together students, educators, policymakers, and community leaders to advance equitable pathways for justice-impacted individuals across Riverside and San Bernardino counties. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-05-06T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Reading Assistance Program](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-assistance-program/17973404/2026-05-06T15) at My Learning Studio - [California Preservation Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/california-preservation-conference/18153477/2026-05-06T09) at Riverside Convention Center ($20- $505) - [Eastside Library at Lincoln Park | Mother's Day Craft](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/eastside-library-at-lincoln-park-mothers-day-craft/18330781/2026-05-06T11) at Eastside Library at Lincoln Park - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-05-06T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Riverside Mission Belles](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-mission-belles/16691431/2026-05-06T09) at Victoria Presbyterian Church ### Tomorrow - [Lincoln Park Community Group](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/lincoln-park-community-group/16552274/2026-05-07T18) at Lincoln Park Community Center - [ARTSWALK First Thursday Concert Series at UCR ARTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/artswalk-first-thursday-concert-series-at-ucr-arts/18543143/2026-05-07T18) at Culver Center of the Arts - [FREE ADMISSION - First Thursday of every month during Riverside ArtsWalk](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-admission-first-thursday-of-every-month-during-riverside-artswalk/13230799/2026-05-07T18) at Riverside Art Museum - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-05-07T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Meet & Greet: Ward 2 Candidate Mike Vahl](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/meet-greet-ward-2-candidate-mike-vahl/18736954/2026-05-07T17) at Jackson Home - [Pour Decisions a Comedy Wine Tasting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/pour-decisions-a-comedy-wine-tasting/18703117/2026-05-07T18) at Canyon Crest Winery ($39.19) - [Riverdance 30 - The New Generation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverdance-30-the-new-generation/17245219/2026-05-07T18) at Fox Performing Arts Center ## Save the Date - May 10: [Mother's Day Tea at Backstreet](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mothers-day-tea-at-backstreet/18788757/2026-05-10T11) at Backstreet ($200- $400) - May 10: [Mother’s Day Tea at Citrus Park](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mothers-day-tea-at-citrus-park/18509532/2026-05-10T14) at Sunkist Center at CA Citrus Park ($45- $65) - May 13: [Level Up Your Network: The Pick Group 2026 Membership Summit](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/level-up-your-network-the-pick-group-2026-membership-summit/18625198/2026-05-13T18) at Killer Queens Social House - May 15: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-15T07) at Zacatecas Café - May 16: [Vintage Home Tour “Age is a Work of Art”](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vintage-home-tour-age-is-a-work-of-art/18708216/2026-05-16T10) at Peter J Weber House ($30) - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - May 31: [Oscars, Tonys & Grammys](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oscars-tonys-grammys/18797026/2026-05-31T16) at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($10- $20) - Jun 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ✏️ Correction (May 7, 2026): An earlier version of this newsletter stated that the proposed quarter-cent increase to Measure Z would cost $1.25 on a $100 purchase. That figure reflects the total Measure Z rate at 1.25%, not the cost of the increase itself. The additional cost from a "yes" vote on Measure Z would be 25 cents on a $100 purchase, raising Riverside's combined sales tax rate from 8.75% to 9.00%. The Gazette regrets the error and thanks the reader who flagged it. ### After 54 Years, Sub Station Faces Demolition as UCR Redevelops Bannockburn URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/after-54-years-sub-station-faces-demolition-as-ucr-redevelops-bannockburn/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:05:45.000Z The Sub Station is being torn down on June 30th, closing after 54 years of operation near the heart of UC Riverside. The eatery, founded in 1972 by Richard Munio in UCR's Bannockburn Village, is being demolished as the aging wood-frame structure has become a safety hazard. For four of those years, I was privileged to be employed there. It has been the best job I've ever had as I have made lifelong friends and memories. Originally from New Jersey, Munio came to California for college, finishing his bachelor's degree at Chico State. His academic achievement was short-lived because he was drafted for the Vietnam War. Munio ended up serving a year in Vietnam. He returned to California and set his sights on a business he could call his own. Soon, he bought a space in UCR's Bannockburn Village. Munio transformed the area by adding an outdoor patio, handmade tables, and seating. It makes The Sub Station feel like home and creates a calming atmosphere, ideal for a lunch break. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/2-1.jpg) A window decal at The Sub Station at UC Riverside promotes the shop as "Home of the Big Dude," its most popular cold sub. (Maxen Olvera) Everybody from UCR students to past Riverside mayors has dropped by to enjoy a sandwich. Customers described themselves as devastated by the news, with some starting up a petition to save The Sub Station. Some even wrote letters to the dean of UCR and some higher-ups in the UC system. Their show of support was overwhelming for Munio and his subbers. Munio hopes the redevelopment will leave room for businesses to operate in the area, but Munio is still treating these last couple of months as the end. We are in the final months of The Sub Station being fully operational. Which means, there's not much time left to eat the legendary hoagies that can only be found at The Sub Station. If you haven't had the privilege of eating here, you only have this small window of time. New customers will be astonished once they try their landmark Italian sub "The Big Dude." An assortment of freshly sliced Italian meats topped with provolone cheese, tomatoes, and lettuce infused with mouth-watering juice. The "Big Dude" reigns supreme as the station's most popular cold sub. Sub Station's legacy goes far beyond a sandwich shop. Multiple lifelong relationships have blossomed from the crew's interconnectivity. Every generation of "subbers" has become a makeshift family. The family of "subbers" extends a hand to the customers. Multiple generations of customers have fueled The Sub Station. The last months will be devoted to them with deals offered to long-time customers and past subbers. You can bet that past subbers and old customers will flood The Sub Station during the last week of business. Munio and his subbers plan to throw a party from June 15th to June 20th. The week-long party will have live music, deals on subs, and free goodies. The Sub Station may be closing, but its legacy will shine through the years to come. *By Maxen Olvera* ### Watch – Ward 2 Candidate Forum: Aram Ayra, Christen Montero, Gracie Torres, Mike Vahl URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-ward-2-forum-video/ Last updated: 2026-05-06T20:00:57.000Z On Thursday, April 23, the Raincross Gazette hosted the first of three candidate forums for the 2026 City Council races. More than 100 Ward 2 voters joined us at UC Riverside's Alumni and Visitors Center to hear from the four candidates running to succeed Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes — Aram Ayra, Christen Montero, Gracie Torres, and Mike Vahl. The forum, moderated by longtime Press-Enterprise columnist Dan Bernstein, covered homelessness, public safety, the city manager, neighborhood priorities, and Ward 2-specific concerns including warehouses, wildfire, and the future of UCR's relationship with the city. The forum was hosted by UCR's School of Public Policy at UCR Alumni and Visitors Center. **A note before you watch.** We're asking for your email to access the video. There's no fee — you'll become a free subscriber to The Raincross Gazette and start receiving our morning newsletter, which covers Riverside news, civic events, and election coverage. You can unsubscribe at any time. We're an independent local newsroom, and free subscribers are how we measure our reach and grow our work. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Watch – Ward 6 Candidate Forum: Luis Hernandez, Oz Puerta URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-ward-6-forum-video/ Last updated: 2026-05-06T20:00:53.000Z On Thursday, April 30, the Raincross Gazette hosted the third and final candidate forum for the 2026 City Council races. Ward 6 voters joined us at the Altura Credit Union Magnolia Branch to hear from the candidates running for the open seat being vacated by three-term Councilmember Jim Perry. Two of the three candidates participated: Oz Puerta and Luis Hernandez. Norma Berrellez was absent. The forum, moderated by longtime Press-Enterprise columnist Dan Bernstein, covered homelessness, the Riverside Transmission Reliability Project, the future of the Galleria at Tyler, the Magnolia Corridor, the city manager, and Ward 6-specific concerns including Arlanza, La Sierra, and portions of Arlington. The forum was hosted by Altura Credit Union. **A note before you watch.** We're asking for your email to access the video. There's no fee — you'll become a free subscriber to The Raincross Gazette and start receiving our morning newsletter, which covers Riverside news, civic events, and election coverage. You can unsubscribe at any time. We're an independent local newsroom, and free subscribers are how we measure our reach and grow our work. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Watch – Ward 4 Candidate Forum: Chuck Conder, Jessica Qattawi, Rich Vandenberg URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/watch-ward-4-candidate-forum-chuck-conder-jessica-qattawi-rich-vandenberg/ Last updated: 2026-05-06T20:00:25.000Z On Wednesday, April 29, the Raincross Gazette hosted its second of three candidate forums for the 2026 City Council races. Ward 4 voters joined us at California Citrus State Historic Park to hear from the three candidates running for the Ward 4 seat — incumbent Chuck Conder, Jessica Qattawi, and Rich Vandenberg. The forum, moderated by longtime Press-Enterprise columnist Dan Bernstein, covered warehouses, taxes, public safety, homelessness, the city manager, and the issues defining the race. Following Riverside's 2023 redistricting, the Greenbelt — including California Citrus State Historic Park — became part of Ward 4 for the first time, meaning many residents in this area voted in a Ward 4 race for the first time in 2026. The forum was hosted by the Friends of California Citrus State Historic Park. **A note before you watch.** We're asking for your email to access the video. There's no fee — you'll become a free subscriber to The Raincross Gazette and start receiving our morning newsletter, which covers Riverside news, civic events, and election coverage. You can unsubscribe at any time. We're an independent local newsroom, and free subscribers are how we measure our reach and grow our work. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Measure Z, Explained: The Sales Tax Increase on Riverside's June Ballot URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/measure-z-explained-the-sales-tax-increase-on-riversides-june-ballot/ Last updated: 2026-05-06T18:42:33.000Z Measure Z — the city's existing one-percent sales tax, approved by voters in 2016 — is on the ballot again. This time the City Council is asking voters to raise it to 1.25 percent and remove the 2036 sunset that would otherwise end the tax in a decade. The increase would generate roughly $106 million a year, up from the more than $80 million the existing tax now produces. The measure was placed on the ballot March 3 in response to a January warning from Fire Chief Steve McKinster that the city's fire department had fallen behind its growing call volume and could not catch up without new revenue. By April 1, a Superior Court judge had ordered the city to change both the measure's title and parts of its ballot question, finding the original wording misleading. ### What's on the ballot The court-ordered ballot title now reads "City of Riverside Voter-Approved Transaction and Use Tax Renewal Measure." The full ballot question reads: > To fund general local city services such as 911, fire, police response; preparing for wildfires; recruiting/retaining well-trained firefighters/paramedics; preventing crime; keeping public areas safe/clean; addressing homelessness; repairing potholes/roads; shall a measure renewing the existing City of Riverside voter-approved transaction and use (sales) tax at an updated 1¼¢ rate, providing approximately $106,000,000 annually until ended by voters, subject to audits, spending disclosure, all funds controlled locally, be adopted? The tax does not apply to groceries, prescription medicine, gas or medical devices. A "yes" vote raises the existing Measure Z sales tax from 1 percent to 1.25 percent and removes its 2036 sunset, allowing it to continue until ended by voters. A "no" vote leaves the existing 1 percent tax in place, set to expire in 2036. One structural detail matters for understanding the debate that follows: Measure Z is a *general* tax, not a *special* tax. Revenue flows into the city's general fund and is not legally restricted to any specific service category, even though the ballot question lists fire, police, wildfire preparation and other services by name. ### Why it's on the ballot On Jan. 13, Fire Chief Steve McKinster told the City Council the department is "increasingly strained" by rising calls and stagnant staffing, presenting a [550-page master plan](https://riversideca.gov/press/riverside-fire-department-comprehensive-master-plan-and-resource-assessment-identifies?ref=raincrossgazette.com) that laid out the gap. Riverside staffs 0.69 firefighters per 1,000 residents — the lowest among peer cities AP Triton, the Wyoming-based consultant who prepared the plan, examined, and below the 0.95 ratio the plan recommends. The department has held at 225 firefighters for seven years, even as calls for service have risen 26 percent since the last staffing increase in 2018 and 72 percent since the city's last new fire station opened in 2007\. Average emergency response time has climbed to 7 minutes, 18 seconds — well over the department's 6-minute goal. "Fire departments do not fail all at once. They fall behind slowly," McKinster told the council. "If we do not act, we will not be able to meet the level of service the community expects and deserves." The plan calls for adding 84 firefighters and, in Phase 1, rebuilding or relocating four stations and constructing new stations in Wards 1 and 4 — at $26.1 million annually. Existing Measure Z revenue is [fully committed through 2028](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/budget-commission-questions-its-authority-as-measure-z-locked-through-2028/). On March 3, the council voted unanimously to place a sales tax increase on the June ballot, choosing the staff recommendation over alternatives that included a new independent quarter-cent tax, a hotel-tax increase or some combination. The fire department had recommended extending Measure Z indefinitely. ### The Case For Supporters argue the measure would close the staffing and station gap McKinster described. Former Councilmember Mike Gardner, who writes a monthly column for the Gazette, argued in February that rising response times have measurable consequences in cardiac and fire emergencies. Brain injury from cardiac arrest begins at four to six minutes without oxygen. Structure fires roughly double in size every minute. "No one, myself included, likes taxes, but this is a critical need that we must address. We cannot continue to see response times lengthen, to be understaffed, and hope we don't have a big wildfire like Los Angeles recently had," Gardner wrote. "I will gladly pay 1.25 percent extra sales tax to address this issue. That is $1.25 on a $100 purchase. I hope I never need a fire department response, but if I do, I want them to get there with the proper equipment in time to help me." Council members supporting the measure echoed those concerns. Councilmember Chuck Conder, a heart attack survivor who credits a fast response from Station 9, told the March 3 meeting: "We don't sell public safety, we provide it. And to provide that level that we need, that they deserve, we have to have resources, we have to have manpower." The Riverside City Firefighters Association has supported the measure publicly. At the January council meeting, Association President Mike Detoy told the council, "This isn't a future problem. It's happening right now. Dedication is not a strategy." ### The Case Against Opponents have raised two concerns: spending accountability and ballot transparency. At the March 3 council meeting, Ward 1 resident Jason Hunter argued that because Measure Z revenue enters the city's general fund rather than a dedicated emergency-services fund, there is no legal guarantee any new revenue will reach the fire department. Hunter pointed to [past Measure Z spending](https://riversideca.gov/citymanager/implementation-measure-z?ref=raincrossgazette.com) on pension bonds, employee raises and a new library — uses he said were not disclosed to voters in 2016. "What did our elected officials with the recommendation of staff spend it on? Well, I'll tell the public — unearned raises for staff, pension bonds, a new library and many other things that were never discussed before the passage of Measure Z," Hunter told the council. "We will absolutely get bait-and-switched again, because there will be no controls on how the money is spent." Hunter argued that residents who genuinely want to fund public safety should demand a *special* tax, which carries legal restrictions a general tax does not. Resident Aurora Chavez echoed the concern at the same meeting, saying voters in 2016 trusted the city to spend Measure Z revenue on first responders. "What we didn't vote for was for the city to put their fingers into the pie of the firefighter fund, \[or to\] our first responders fund for things like pickleball or other things that the city needed." Hunter then sued. On April 1, Superior Court Judge Daniel Ottolia ordered the city to rewrite the title and parts of the question, finding the original misleading. The ruling required the city to drop the title "City of Riverside Services Renewal Measure" in favor of the current title identifying the measure as a sales tax. It also replaced the verbs "continue maintaining" with "fund" and "requiring" with "subject to" in the question itself. "The law requires ballot titles and summaries to not be false, misleading, nor partial to one side," Hunter said after the ruling. "Riverside's City Attorney's Office and City Council were found to have violated that guarantee to the public." The city defended its original wording. Senior Deputy City Attorney Ruthann Salera argued the title and summary were meant to be read together. Judge Ottolia disagreed, calling Hunter's proposed title "more accurate." ### What happens next The City of Riverside is hosting [informational meetings across the city through May](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-hosting-measure-z-informational-meetings-across-riverside-through-may/) where residents can hear from city staff and ask questions about how the revenue would be used. Ballots are now in the mail. Voters can return them by mail (with the city advising mailing no later than May 27 due to USPS delivery concerns), drop them at a county drop box or vote in person at any Riverside County vote center beginning May 23\. Election Day is June 2\. Voters can check registration status, request a vote-by-mail ballot or find a vote center through the [City Clerk's voter resources page](https://riversideca.gov/cityclerk/elections/voter-resources?ref=raincrossgazette.com). The measure requires a simple majority to pass. ### Past Coverage **Origin and timeline** - [Fire Chief Warns Department Can't Keep Pace; Seeks 84 Firefighters, 2 New Stations](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/fire-chief-warns-department-cant-keep-pace-seeks-84-firefighters-2-new-stations/) — Jan 14, 2026 - [Council Advances Five Tax Options Despite Voter Fatigue Warnings](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-advances-five-tax-options-despite-voter-fatigue-warnings/) — Jan 28, 2026 - [Council Puts Sales Tax Increase on June Ballot to Fund Fire Staffing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-puts-sales-tax-increase-on-june-ballot-to-fund-fire-staffing/) — Mar 4, 2026 - [Riverside Resident Sues to Change 'Misleading' Measure Z Ballot Language](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-resident-sues-to-change-misleading-measure-z-ballot-language/) — Mar 19, 2026 - [Judge Orders City to Rename Measure Z Ballot Measure, Citing Misleading Language](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/judge-orders-city-to-rename-measure-z-ballot-measure-citing-misleading-language/) — Apr 1, 2026 - [City Hosting Measure Z Informational Meetings Across Riverside Through May](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-hosting-measure-z-informational-meetings-across-riverside-through-may/) — Apr 14, 2026 **Context: oversight of Measure Z spending** - [Council Cuts Budget Engagement Commission in Half to Fix Quorum Problems](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-cuts-budget-engagement-commission-in-half-to-fix-quorum-problems/) — Sep 19, 2025 - [Budget Commission Questions Its Role as Measure Z Locked Through 2028](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/budget-commission-questions-its-authority-as-measure-z-locked-through-2028/) — Feb 17, 2026 - [Council Shrinks Budget Commission Again to Stop Meeting Cancellations](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-shrinks-budget-commission-again-to-stop-meeting-cancellations/) — Apr 8, 2026 ### City Manager Speaks Out as Council Evaluates His Performance, Conduct URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-manager-speaks-out-as-council-evaluates-his-performance-conduct/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:05:46.000Z City Manager Mike Futrell addressed his reversal on his Pasadena job offer — and a dispute over his wife's interactions with city employees — at Tuesday's council meeting as the council discussed his future at Riverside in a closed session. "Questions have been raised about my application to the city of Pasadena and about a letter that was sent to my home and later entered into public discussion," Futrell said during the meeting. "Judgment should be reserved until the full factual record is available. Some of the allegations involve my wife and my family — they deserve the same basic fairness, the opportunity for facts, context and records to be fully reviewed before conclusions are drawn." Futrell continued, "I welcome accountability, I welcome transparency, but accountability must be grounded in facts, not assumptions, not rumors and not incomplete narratives." [Futrell announced April 25 he would stay in Riverside](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mike-futrell-to-remain-as-city-manager/), 10 days after [announcing he had accepted the Pasadena position](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-city-manager-mike-futrell-leaving-for-pasadena/). Councilmembers said no action was taken during the closed session, and city officials remained tight-lipped after the meeting – with Councilmembers Chuck Conder and Sean Mill, along with Futrell, declining to comment. Conder had addressed the matter days earlier at a Ward 4 candidate forum hosted by The Raincross Gazette on April 29, explaining that he signed the letter as the then-mayor pro tem. "That was my duty and my responsibility," he said. Conder said he was unable to discuss the personnel matter further, citing state law, but confirmed the council would take it up in closed session at Tuesday's meeting. "Whatever is best for the city of Riverside — and that's the damn answer," Conder said. "What's best for this city is what we will do. If he stays and it's the right thing, he'll stay." Conder said that if Futrell needed to go, the council would make that call as well. Futrell's wife, Susan Freeman, who is often vocal on social media about her views on city issues and national politics, addressed the controversy in a Facebook post. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-10.jpg) A screenshot of a Facebook post by Susan Freeman, wife of Riverside City Manager Mike Futrell, dated April 30, responding to allegations made against her. (File photo) Freeman said she encouraged Futrell to explore the Pasadena position after a conflict between her and city officials over her communications with city staff. "The recruiter reached out shortly after \[a\] deeply painful letter was sent to our home — a letter containing lies and serious false allegations — about me. Of course I encouraged him to take the call," Freeman's post said. "Mike has continued to serve with professionalism, integrity, and respect for the people of Riverside, so reserve judgment until you understand the facts and the full context." At the center of the issue is a letter Freeman received from [Conder](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ward-4-candidates-clash-over-warehouses-taxes-and-public-safety-at-gazette-forum/) on Dec. 11, alleging she contacted city employees through "unwanted and harassing calls, texts, emails, comments, social media posts and other communications to city employees." The letter also alleged some city staff felt pressure to participate in Freeman's paid services, and alleged that Freeman insinuated she is "part of the city's decision-making team" despite not being a city employee. "Your pattern of communication has been disruptive at the workplace, caused significant distress to city staff and serves no legitimate purpose," Conder wrote. Freeman responded to Conder in an email Dec. 15 denying such behavior. "My communications regarding city matters have been limited to civic engagement in public forums and via public discourse, consistent with the city's acknowledgment that civic engagement and public commentary are foundational to our democracy," Freeman said. In the same email, Freeman said, "There have been a few occasions where one city employee in particular challenged me and my professional work on my private Facebook page. This same employee also requested many of my communications and leadership courses, and I gladly obliged her request free of charge, of course. There is another employee who sought my help in amplifying her voice and gaining greater standing in her career." Resident Keith Nelson brought up Conder's letter during the meeting on Tuesday. "The city manager's responsible … for protecting employees, maintaining professional boundaries, preserving public trust and ensuring that no person connected to him is allowed to create pressure, fear, confusion or influence inside communicating with city staff, sending training materials, seeking access and being treated internally as Mike's wife," he said. "The city manager cannot allow … \[Freeman's\] companies to speak on behalf of the city or the city manager itself. That alone is a breach of trust and based on the evidence now public, I believe he has breached the duties and obligations of his contract." Several other residents at Tuesday's meeting said they were saddened when they heard Futrell would move to Pasadena and urged the council to keep him on. "I'll be honest with you, Mr. Futrell, I was surprised when I saw you took the job at Pasadena. I was actually a little sad. I think you've done a good job," said resident Rich Gardner. Resident Mike Sadeghian told the council he was "devastated" to hear Futrell had planned to leave. "I don't know what happened with Mike…I hope you guys give him a chance to stay here and work with him." Resident Art Alcaraz praised Futrell's leadership. "Under Mike's leadership, Riverside has continued to do well, from improved services to much stronger community engagement," Alcaraz said. ### Janet Goeske Foundation Seeks $3 Million State Grant for Center Expansion URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/janet-goeske-foundation-seeks-3-million-state-grant-for-center-expansion/ Last updated: 2026-05-07T20:45:56.000Z The Janet Goeske Foundation sent a delegation to Sacramento to lobby for a $3 million state grant to renovate and expand the Janet Goeske Center, a senior services hub at 5257 Sierra Street that serves Riverside residents 50 and older. Executive Director Danielle Stevens made the trip April 29 alongside Board Directors Julio Figueroa, Sean Rand, and Diane Kwasman. The group met with state senators, assemblymembers, and legislative staff. Beyond funding the renovation, the foundation is making the case that the Goeske Center's model of care is one worth replicating at senior centers across the Inland Empire, California, and beyond. The center has grown well past what most people picture when they think of a senior center. It offers crisis prevention among a diverse roster of services that help adults navigate the full complexity of aging in one accessible location. That means Medicare and Social Security assistance, housing and food support, driver's license renewals, and grief services. It also means help crossing the digital divide that cuts many older adults off from benefits and services they are entitled to but cannot access on their own. On any given day, Riverside's most experienced residents are shooting pool, getting their hair done, sitting down to a hot meal, and talking through financial questions with someone who knows the answers. The social life of the center is inseparable from its mission. Isolation is one of the most serious threats facing older adults, and the Goeske Center exists in part to prevent it. Members come to handle the business of life and leave knowing they are part of something. "Our goal is to ensure that no senior ages alone," Stevens said. "We act as a connector to vital services, and we're proud that our legislators and community partners are recognizing the impact of this work." The senior population in the Inland Empire is expected to double within the next decade. At the same time, the range of services that older adults need - and that families and communities are looking to someone to provide - keeps growing. Centers like Goeske, which have built the infrastructure and the relationships to deliver wraparound care under one roof, represent a working model for what senior services can look like at scale. Legislators who met with the delegation expressed interest in continuing the conversation and were invited to tour the center firsthand. **More information:* To learn more or support the expansion effort, visit* [*jgf4seniors.org*](http://jgf4seniors.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### 🗞️ Riverside News- May 6, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-april-29-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:05.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/IMG_8289.jpeg) Drooping branches frame a serene view of Lake Evans at Fairmount Park, where lily pads dot the glassy water and reflections of surrounding greenery complete the scene. (Vicky Ross) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Wednesday Gazette: May 6, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Wednesday!** By now, you've probably seen the news: the [Mission Inn is heading to new ownership, with the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-mission-inn-heads-to-new-ownership-yuhaaviatam-of-san-manuel-nation/) set to acquire one of Riverside's most iconic landmarks. It's the kind of story that touches something deep for a lot of people in this community, and the conversations we're seeing reflect that. We want to hear from you. What questions do you have? What are you feeling? Whatever's on your mind, reply to this email or send it to [newsroom@raincrossgazette.com](mailto:newsroom@raincrossgazette.com). See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260506)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260506&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Janet Goeske Foundation Seeks $3 Million State Grant for Center Expansion The Janet Goeske Foundation lobbied Sacramento lawmakers April 29, making the case that its Riverside senior center is a model worth replicating statewide. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-9-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/janet-goeske-foundation-seeks-3-million-state-grant-for-center-expansion/) A delegation from the Janet Goeske Center visits State Senator Kelly Seyarto in Sacramento. From left: Diane Kwansman, Sen. Seyarto, Sean Rand and Goeske Center Director Danielle Stevens. (Courtesy of the Janet Goeske Foundation) The Janet Goeske Foundation lobbied Sacramento lawmakers last week for a $3 million state grant to renovate and expand Riverside's flagship senior services hub. **Why it matters:** If you're 50 or older — or have a parent who is — the Goeske Center at 5257 Sierra Street likely touches your life. The expansion would protect and grow services ranging from Medicare help to grief counseling to hot meals, all under one roof. **Driving the news:** Executive Director Danielle Stevens led a delegation to Sacramento on April 29, meeting with state senators, assemblymembers, and legislative staff to make the funding case. **The big picture:** The foundation isn't just asking for renovation money — it's pitching the Goeske model as a replicable blueprint for senior centers across the Inland Empire, California, and beyond. - The Inland Empire's senior population is expected to double within the next decade. **What they're saying:** "Our goal is to ensure that no senior ages alone," Stevens said. "We act as a connector to vital services." **What's next:** Legislators who met with the delegation expressed interest in touring the center. No vote or funding timeline has been announced. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/janet-goeske-foundation-seeks-3-million-state-grant-for-center-expansion/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260506)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260506&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## 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. [![a man and woman sitting on a couch looking at a tablet](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1706806593440-53c9dab6d39f?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDQzfHxvbGRlciUyMG1vdGhlciUyMGRhdWdodGVyfGVufDB8fHx8MTc3ODAxNTY4NXww&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/more-than-flowers/) ([Centre for Ageing Better](https://unsplash.com/@ageing%5Fbetter?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) Seven major health systems launched "More Than Flowers," urging Riverside County residents to support mothers year-round — not just on the holiday. **Why it matters:** The campaign — backed by Blue Zones Project, Kaiser, IEHP, Molina, and others — reframes Mother's Day as a prompt for practical support: rides to prenatal visits, childcare, and mental health check-ins. It launches on social media and at community events this weekend. **Driving the news:** Blue Zones research shows that when mothers thrive, families and communities follow. • "Mothers are hubs of health," said Erin Edwards, Blue Zones Project Riverside executive director. **If you're celebrating:** Riverside has plenty of ways to mark the weekend — from a free bird walk at the UCR Botanic Gardens Saturday morning and a Bridgerton-themed tea at Loft 84 to La Tardeada Festival at White Park, pressed flower workshops at Arlington and Orange Terrace libraries, and afternoon teas at Backstreet and California Citrus State Historic Park on Sunday. Details on all 10 events in the full story. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/more-than-flowers/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260506) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260506&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Noteworthy This Saturday, May 9, letter carriers will collect non-perishable food donations left by mailboxes for the [34th annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive](https://about.usps.com/newsroom/local-releases/ca/2026/0424-the-stamp-out-hunger-food-drive.htm?ref=raincrossgazette.com), a nationwide effort that has gathered nearly 2 billion pounds of food since its founding. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-05-06T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Reading Assistance Program](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-assistance-program/17973404/2026-05-06T15) at My Learning Studio - [California Preservation Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/california-preservation-conference/18153477/2026-05-06T09) at Riverside Convention Center ($20- $505) - [Eastside Library at Lincoln Park | Mother's Day Craft](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/eastside-library-at-lincoln-park-mothers-day-craft/18330781/2026-05-06T11) at Eastside Library at Lincoln Park - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-05-06T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Riverside Mission Belles](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-mission-belles/16691431/2026-05-06T09) at Victoria Presbyterian Church ### Tomorrow - [Lincoln Park Community Group](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/lincoln-park-community-group/16552274/2026-05-07T18) at Lincoln Park Community Center - [ARTSWALK First Thursday Concert Series at UCR ARTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/artswalk-first-thursday-concert-series-at-ucr-arts/18543143/2026-05-07T18) at Culver Center of the Arts - [FREE ADMISSION - First Thursday of every month during Riverside ArtsWalk](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-admission-first-thursday-of-every-month-during-riverside-artswalk/13230799/2026-05-07T18) at Riverside Art Museum - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-05-07T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Meet & Greet: Ward 2 Candidate Mike Vahl](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/meet-greet-ward-2-candidate-mike-vahl/18736954/2026-05-07T17) at Jackson Home - [Pour Decisions a Comedy Wine Tasting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/pour-decisions-a-comedy-wine-tasting/18703117/2026-05-07T18) at Canyon Crest Winery ($39.19) - [Riverdance 30 - The New Generation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverdance-30-the-new-generation/17245219/2026-05-07T18) at Fox Performing Arts Center ## Save the Date - May 8: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-08T07) at Zacatecas Café - May 13: [Level Up Your Network: The Pick Group 2026 Membership Summit](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/level-up-your-network-the-pick-group-2026-membership-summit/18625198/2026-05-13T18) at Killer Queens Social House - May 16: [Vintage Home Tour “Age is a Work of Art”](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vintage-home-tour-age-is-a-work-of-art/18708216/2026-05-16T10) at Peter J Weber House ($30) - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### More Than Flowers URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/more-than-flowers/ Last updated: 2026-05-06T18:31:06.000Z This Mother's Day, some of Riverside County's largest health organizations are doing something you don't often see: joining forces. [Blue Zones Project Riverside](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/blue-zones-project-riverside-marks-year-one-with-4-500-residents-engaged-28-new-moais-launching-saturday/), Riverside University Health System, Kaiser Permanente, IEHP, Molina Healthcare, Eisenhower Health, and the Inland Empire Health Plan Foundation have come together for a campaign called "More Than Flowers" — a countywide push to reframe what it means to support the moms in our lives. The message is simple but the intention runs deep. Flowers are lovely. But what mothers actually need — mental health check-ins, support at doctor's visits, community that shows up on ordinary days — doesn't come wrapped in cellophane. The campaign draws on Blue Zones research showing that when mothers thrive, families and communities thrive alongside them. The goal is to turn one holiday into a year-round practice. "Mothers are hubs of health and caring for so many," Erin Edwards, Executive Director of Blue Zones Project Riverside and former Riverside Ward 1 Councilmember, told the Gazette. "The More Than Flowers campaign is a reminder to moms to prioritize their own health, too. It's also a shout out to each mom's village to surround her with the support she needs to do so: a ride to a pre-post natal visit or childcare for a moment of rest and relaxation." The "More Than Flowers" campaign launches this Mother's Day across social media and at community events, with Blue Zones Project Riverside County coordinating ongoing activities and resources throughout the year. Think of it as the village model — made official. If you're looking for ways to spend the weekend in that spirit, Riverside has no shortage of options. **Wednesday, May 6 |** [**Mother's Day Craft at Eastside Library at Lincoln Park**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/eastside-library-at-lincoln-park-mother-s-day-craft/18330781/2026-05-06T11) - 11:00am–12:00pm | 4261 Park Ave | Free Kick off the week with a little creativity at Lincoln Park. This storytime-and-craft combo at Eastside Library is a sweet, low-key way to spend a weekday morning with a little one — or just enjoy the kind of simple fun that doesn't require a reservation. **Saturday, May 9 |** [**Around the Gardens Bird Walk**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/around-the-gardens-bird-walk/18543146/2026-05-09T07) - 7:00–10:00am | UC Riverside Botanic Gardens | Free | Register by May 6; arrive by 6:50am An early morning well spent. The Botanic Gardens is a recognized bird hotspot for both resident and migratory species, and this guided walk is open to all skill levels — beginners included. Expect to spot upward of 30 species in a single outing, with light refreshments after. Paid parking available in the BG Visitor Lot or Lots 10 and 13 Blue. **Saturday, May 9 |** [**Goeske Bingo**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-05-09T09) - Doors 9:30am, games begin noon | Janet Goeske Center, 5257 Sierra St | $20 minimum | 18+ Sometimes the best Mother's Day plan is a room full of people rooting for their own numbers. Bingo at the Goeske Center runs every Monday and Saturday — doors at 9:30, games at noon. Packs start at $20, with special games and a Powerball round worth up to $500. **Saturday, May 9 |** [**Bridgerton Mother's Day Tea Party**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bridgerton-mother-s-day-tea-party/18729933/2026-05-09T11) - 11:00am–4:00pm | Loft 84, 3840 Lemon St | $28.52 For the mom who loves a little drama — the fictional kind. This themed tea at Loft 84 leans into the Bridgerton aesthetic with tea, treats, and plenty of occasion to dress up. A fun pick if your crew enjoys an excuse to be a bit extra. **Saturday, May 9 |** [**Mother's Day Tote Bag Painting at Orange Terrace Library**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-terrace-library-mother-s-day-tote-bag-painting/18708163/2026-05-09T15) - 3:00–4:30pm | 20010 Orange Terrace Pkwy | Free | Registration required Paint a custom tote for mom, with mom, or in her memory — the library put it that way themselves, and it's worth noting. This free adult craft event is thoughtful in both design and spirit. Register ahead to hold your spot. **Saturday, May 9 |** [**Pressed Flower Bookmarks at Arlington Library**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/arlington-library-pressed-flower-bookmarks/18722078/2026-05-09T15) - 3:00–4:00pm | Arlington Library, 9556 Magnolia Ave | Free | While supplies last A quiet, beautiful way to spend a Saturday afternoon. This workshop for adults and teens covers the basics of making pressed flower bookmarks — a handmade gift that's also just a genuinely nice thing to make. No registration required, but supplies are limited. **Saturday, May 9 |** [**La Tardeada Festival**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/la-tardeada-festival/18765586/2026-05-09T14) - 2:00–11:00pm | White Park, 3936 Chestnut St | $25; children under 12 free A full afternoon and evening of culture, community, and celebration at White Park. La Tardeada brings together local families, artists, entrepreneurs, and community organizations in a vibrant outdoor setting — the kind of event that feels like Riverside at its best. A natural fit for anyone who wants the weekend to feel festive. **Sunday, May 10 |** [**Mother's Day Tea at Backstreet**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mother-s-day-tea-at-backstreet/18788757/2026-05-10T11) - 11:00am–2:00pm | 3735 Nelson St | $200–$400/table | Prepaid reservations required Reserve a half or full table and settle in for a beautifully put-together afternoon at Backstreet. Fresh florals, a curated tea spread, Backstreet's signature sandwiches and pies, Polaroid keepsakes, and an optional mimosa add-on make this one of the more complete Mother's Day experiences in town. Elevated without being stiff — and worth planning ahead for. **Sunday, May 10 |** [**CA Citrus Park Mother's Day Tea**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/ca-citrus-park-mother-s-day-tea/18509532/2026-05-10T14) - 2:00–5:00pm | Sunkist Center, 9400 Dufferin Ave | $35–$65 There may not be a more Riverside setting for Mother's Day than this — afternoon tea among the orange groves at California Citrus State Historic Park. Live vocals by Carly O'Neill, a photo booth, family photo ops, and a full spread make this one a genuine outing. A lovely choice if you want the day to feel a little like the city itself. **Sunday, May 10 |** [**Paint and Petals Mother's Day**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/paint-and-petals-mother-s-day/18685273/2026-05-10T14) - 2:00–5:00pm | The Experience Riverside, 10081 Indiana Ave #A1 | $44.52 Painting, fresh flowers, and good company — this one keeps it simple and celebratory. A nice option if you're looking for something creative and relaxed that doesn't require a formal reservation setup. ### Where Do Candidates Stand on Homelessness? Ward 2, 4 and 6 Hopefuls Weigh In URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/where-do-candidates-stand-on-homelessness-ward-2-4-and-6-hopefuls-weigh-in/ Last updated: 2026-05-07T15:15:59.000Z The Raincross Gazette hosted city council candidate forums for Wards 2, 4 and 6 last month, asking each candidate the same opening question: what is the city's fundamental obligation to someone living on the street? Moderator Dan Bernstein, a former Press-Enterprise columnist and longtime Riversider, posed this question to candidates at all three forums: *What is your philosophy – not your plan, not your five-point program – about homelessness. What is the city's most basic, fundamental obligation to someone living on the street? Where does that obligation end? Assuming that obligation is met, what do Riverside residents deserve in return?* Here are each candidates' answers on homelessness and housing in the city. ### [Ward 2](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-gazette-hosts-first-ever-candidate-forum-for-ward-seat/) Nonprofit director and Budget Commissioner [Aram Ayra](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/aram-ayra-announces-bid-for-ward-4-city-council-seat-2/), entrepreneur and Planning Commissioner [Christen Montero](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/christen-montero-announces-bid-for-ward-2-city-council-seat/), Western Municipal Water District Director [Gracie Torres](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/gracie-torres-announces-bid-for-ward-2-city-council-seat/) and financial and IT consultant [Mike Vahl](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mike-vahl-announces-bid-for-ward-2-city-council-seat/) are running for the Ward 2 seat soon to be vacated by Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes, who is running for state Assembly. Ward 2 covers neighborhoods including Eastside, Canyon Crest, Mission Grove, Sycamore Canyon and the University District. **Torres:** "This is an issue that everyone is dealing with in every ward, and one thing that we know is that homelessness is not going to be resolved by one person, not by one city. It really is going to take a regional approach. The County of Riverside is going to be receiving funding for mental health care. They're going to be receiving funding for substance abuse, support for job development – and the city of Riverside, it is incumbent upon them to lobby for those dollars. We need to work with our partners. As far as philosophy, though, we need to be accountable to those who are experiencing homelessness, right? Dumping a ton of money into a problem and watching it just go down the well is not the solution. Housing first is the first step, but we need to continue to support those that we are trying to keep housed, and so we do that…not only through regional approaches, but through real accountability on what we are doing with the money that is being spent. …We need to be accountable. We need to take a hard look at what we are doing after somebody is housed, and how we plan to support them. People suffering from homelessness come in many shapes and sizes. Whether it's the lack of jobs, whether it's mental health support or substance abuse support, all those things, they're different. So let's continue to help them through creating jobs. Everyone knows that I want to be the jobs candidate. We have to create jobs. We need to lobby our partners throughout the county, throughout the region." **Vahl:** "...As Gracie said… we dump tens of millions of dollars to these firms out there that say we're going to fix this problem. As a business guy, when you go to an investor, the first thing they say is, 'what are you going to do with our money? And what can we expect?' We want benchmarks…We don't do that. We just say, here's a check, and how much of it goes to administration? God only knows, but what we need to do with these firms is – we're going to give them our money to work on the homelessness problem. I want to see what you are going to spend it on? And what can we expect after one year? Because right now, they say, give me $2 million and next year they come back and say, give me $2.5 million nobody asked, 'what did you do?' They can say, 'Okay, here's the check,' and almost \[nothing\] got better after spending tens of millions of dollars. So accountability with where we're spending the money is a good start, and then we've got it from there. Just figure out the people that have substance problems. We need to get them into treatment programs. They don't want to go, they want to stay on the streets, but we have laws on the books that say we need to put these people into \[mental health\] programs…we have to get work with the county to build some mental health facilities for the people that have mental issues. They may not be on drugs, but they've got mental issues, and those people need to have housing and treatment. That's how you're going to start getting this solved, because…a lot of these people don't want help. We need to start working on it in the next couple of years, because in 2028 in Los Angeles… there's Olympics coming. None of those homeless people that are in Los Angeles are going to be in Los Angeles." **Ayra:** "I think if we're talking about accountability, we also have to talk about accountability for our elected officials and actually doing the right thing. My philosophy is that the city of Riverside was founded on the spirit of neighborliness. This was in our founding documents. In our charter, John W. North only talked about that, about progress, about neighborliness. And we have failed our neighbors in the city. We have failed them, most recently, when the council voted against one of the most consequential investments in homelessness we could have made in a generation – the [University Terrace project](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-rejects-20-million-state-grant-for-homeless-housing-project/) – we turned down $20 million-plus from the state to get a third of our unsheltered folks off the waiting list, which would have been huge. So if we're going to talk about accountability, we should talk about holding our elected officials accountable to actually presenting a solution, not just voting no every time that it's politically convenient, or \[so\] they can use that on the next flyer to say that they protected the community. And if we want to protect the community, we don't have to protect them from homeless people. We have to protect the community from Orange County, LA County, and the other cities that take advantage of our city and do homeless dumping, an issue that many of you know about, many of you have heard about, and I intend to do that through legal action and through a variety of different ways to make sure that our resources and our neighbors are not being taken advantage of." **Montero:** "The accountability piece has been a huge missing part for our city council today, along with compassion. Right now, research shows that tons of our homeless are residents that were one paycheck away from not being able to make rent anymore. At the same time, it's also people struggling with addiction that need help, need those core services. And also research shows that the housing first model is one of the most proven models to actually help people out of homelessness, rather than a shelter model, where it keeps people trapped. It doesn't empower, it doesn't really help them to really get out of the struggle that a lot of us are very sometimes close to. Making just one wrong decision, or maybe it's just completely out of our hands and it's circumstantial, and all of a sudden we're laid off along with that. Not having a lot of shelters anymore is one thing, but having a scattered psych model where people are more inclined to be more involved into the community, surrounded by people that are not homeless as well, so they have a better chance of really getting acclimated back as neighbors back as being able to contribute into our neighborhood in our society as well. My philosophy definitely is housing first \[as a\] priority. At the same time, I think the elephant in the room is the [Quality Inn project](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-rejects-20-million-state-grant-for-homeless-housing-project/). A lot of our city council…talk about accountability. Three years ago, they all voted to apply for that grant, and then in the end, we got the money, and it got turned down for other political agendas. And I think that needs to stop today." ### [Ward 4](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ward-4-candidates-clash-over-warehouses-taxes-and-public-safety-at-gazette-forum/) Incumbent [Chuck Conder](https://www.riversideca.gov/council/wards/ward-4?ref=raincrossgazette.com), local business owner [Jessica Qattawi ](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/jessica-qattawi-announces-bid-for-ward-4-city-council-seat/)and local business owner [Richard Vandenberg](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/rich-vandenberg-announces-bid-for-ward-4-city-council-seat/) are vying for the Ward 4 council seat. Ward 4 covers neighborhoods including Alessandro Heights, Mission Grove, Orangecrest and the Greenbelt, which became a part of Ward 4 during redistricting in 2023 – meaning many residents in this area will be voting in a Ward 4 race for the first time this year. **Vandenberg:** "For me, prevention is the key. I take a pragmatic approach to these things. If we're going to solve a problem, we have to first identify what's the cause of homelessness…in Riverside. It's not drugs, it's not alcohol, it's not laziness, it's affordability. Houses cost too much. We don't have income to support affordability is the issue. So how do we solve that? We build more affordable homes, we provide more living wage jobs. In addition to that, on the prevention side, one of the leading contributors to homelessness is our foster kids aging out of the foster care system. I have a close personal attachment to this. We adopted my daughter when she was seven years old. In the city of Riverside last year, I made a motion on the budget engagement commission to create a $500,000 budget line item for…funds to work with these kids before they reach out to prepare them for a life. Many of these kids are 18 years old, they lose their support and their housing. Drugs and alcohol and mental health are the other two side effects or contributors to homelessness. We have [Proposition 36](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-homelessness-in-riverside-what-we-can-do-what-we-cant-and-why-we-wont-give-up/) now, which gives us teeth to combat these things. We can pull them off the streets, but we cannot apply this yet. You don't have a place to put them. If you have someone dealing with mental health issues, and we can verify that…we can put them in mental health facilities…if they have drug or alcohol addictions, we can put them in drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities. We don't have drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities. So to me, the responsibility \[on\] cities to provide new services, number one of prevention for the kids \[at\] risk, \[then\] drug and alcohol facilities and mental health facilities." **Conder:** "Incorrect information. The problem is drugs, alcohol, and mental illness. Walk the streets, talk to them. We're out there every day talking to them. It is not the price of houses. You might have one or two. That is another problem…This is not a Riverside problem. It is a regional problem. And we cannot solve it \[in Riverside\]. Yes, we have the county seat. We have the most support here, but we can't solve it alone. So the last meeting…we are trying to find ways we have the county jail here ... .Mayor \[Lock Dawson\] and I are working… trying to intercept these people \[so\] when they come out of the jail, \[we\] get them back in their homes, back into the city they're from. The taxpayers \[are tired\]. We cannot keep doing this. We spent over $14 million a year on homelessness. I've got Christ in my heart. I want to help these people. I walk out there and I ask them – I talked to one individual where I said, Well, hey, by the way…I say, I can get you home tonight. I can give you a bath, get you clothing, get whatever you need tonight. And I probably get too close…\[and i say will you\] let me help you? And he leaned forward. "I don't want your efforts." So this is my belief. This is what we're trying to do. I'll ask you once if I can help you. You say no, we'll come back a second time. I'll come back to you a third time, you say no that third time, we're gonna find a way to move \[you\] out of our city. Our people do not need this, our business is my neighborhood. We don't need this around our school." **Qattawi:** "I would like everybody to go do some research and look up the homeless industrial complex. Once you watch this video, it's a 15 minute video, it's going to teach you why most cities don't ever solve the homeless issue. Now, in 2023 the city of Riverside spent $10 million on the homeless, but do you know where the majority of that money went? 90% of that money went to payroll for the city staff, and we need to make sure that we're using our money properly to actually make a difference and either figure out some affordable housing, getting these people mental help. And so I did a survey. I sent out a survey to all of the ward four residents, and homelessness was the main issue that everybody was concerned about as well. We can start with some prevention. I went door knocking, and I met a lady that she's about to lose her home. She's a single mother with two children, and so we can either prevent her from becoming homeless with her and her children by providing some type of assistance. So rather than using the money towards just hiring more people to work for the city, maybe we can use that money to prevent that person from becoming homeless. Also our seniors are living on fixed incomes and the increasing cost of living now, from the food, the gas – they can't afford this, so we need to provide some assistance to our seniors to prevent them from becoming homeless. I also went out interviewing homeless people in Riverside, and I will tell you this, we've got lots of shelters that have all these beds, but do you know why they don't want to go? They don't want to go to the beds. They don't because they don't want rules. So you've got all these homeless shelters that are getting all this funding, and nobody's going in there. They don't want to go in there. They don't want the rules. So we do need to figure out some type of plan. I did create a plan on my platform when I ran for mayor. It's on my social media page. It's a two-part solution. One part is getting them off the streets, because our children did not need to see people shooting up on the streets, or them walking around and they're just coming home from school. And then the second part is a rehab center located within this facility, and I discussed this with the homeless and I discussed some people that were homeless before and they all agreed." ### [Ward 6](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/two-ward-6-candidates-square-off-on-homelessness-rtrp-and-the-gallerias-future/) [Oz Puerta](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/arlington-business-partnership-director-oz-puerta-enters-ward-6-council-race/), executive director of the Arlington Business Partnership, [Luis Hernandez](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-2026-city-council-races-are-set-heres-whos-running/), vice chair of the Board of Ethics, and Alvord Unified School District Board of Education Trustee [Norma Berrellez](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-2026-city-council-races-are-set-heres-whos-running/) are vying for the seat vacated by Councilmember Jim Perry, who announced last year that he is not running for reelection. Berrellez, however, was not in attendance at the April 30 Ward 6 forum. Ward 6 covers neighborhoods including Arlanza, La Sierra, La Sierra Hills, La Sierra South, and portions of Arlington. **Hernandez:** "When it comes to homelessness, it's important for people to understand that these are human beings on the street. Just recently, I was walking around the neighborhoods and ran into a gentleman who I knew from LA Fitness who was homeless. I was trying to talk to him to try and help him get services. And while I was talking to him, a lady came looking for her son, and it really affected me and it hurts when people talk about homelessness and unhoused individuals as if they're just numbers for people to be pushed around to different areas. My philosophy when it comes to homelessness is that the opposite of homelessness is being housed. Four walls and a roof, doesn't matter which shape or it takes. If we want individuals off the street, they have to go somewhere. Pushing them along to other areas is part of what's gotten us where we are today as far as just them moving around to different areas because they're not going to disappear in the thin air. We have to come up with real long-term solutions to address the homelessness crisis that's going on in our city and only getting worse. As is when it comes to homelessness, the increased population of homelessness is unfortunately seniors. That's starting to happen and we're going to have a lot more individuals on the street who are of senior citizen age and that's just unacceptable. And I think no matter who gets elected, no matter who's on city council, this city really needs to make some efforts to address this issue with understanding empathy and the fact that these are human beings and many of them, aside from those individuals who are struggling with severe mental health, want help to get off the street." **Puerta:** "My philosophy is pretty simple. The reason we haven't really dented the homeless problem is because it requires more than one entity to come together to work on a solution. It requires the city. It requires the county and it requires the state. In ward six, we have an influx of county services. The state has legislation that defines what the meaning of great danger is, which can mandate services on individuals with either addiction problems or mental health issues. I completely agree, compassion first, but I don't think compassion should allow for chaos. I don't think we need to let things get to that point where it's impacting our neighborhoods, where it's impacting our residents. I think we need to do a couple things. At a local level, the best way to deal with homelessness is prevention. We set up the right environment for people to succeed so they don't have these problems or don't have these issues. At a county level, we partner up with our county and we make sure that we address how much services are put and where they are located at, so that way we can make sure that each city, the obligation for each city is to take care of its residents, not necessarily for Riverside to bear the brunt of the entire county. And then finally, for the individuals who refuse services and we cannot mandate services on them, I do believe in stronger policing. I believe in enforcing our anti-camping ordinances, and I feel that we give people every opportunity to get off the street, but we help those who want to help themselves. Until laws change, until we can mandate services, we have to move forward. I don't think that compassion should come at your expense." *A follow-up question was asked at the Ward 6 forum: What goes into prevention?* **Hernandez:** "So when it comes to prevention, which is a big key to this, to not increase the number of homelessness that are on the street, is affordable housing. We currently have no affordable housing plans here in Ward six, and the city is focused on market rate housing. Me and my wife, we pay over $3,000 a month rent. That's more than most people paid for their mortgage who bought a home before 2020\. That's ridiculous. There's no wonder that there's homeless people on the street. If you're making minimum wage, I don't know how people survive. A big chunk of prevention is making sure that we have affordable housing for every individual at every level when it comes to their income. So for example, the Cypress Springs Apartments over here on Cyprus and Van Buren, those apartments go off of an individual's income, and it's been incredibly successful in helping people maintain their household, get ahead, save up. Those are the types of things that we need to focus on to try and prevent more homelessness. When it comes to money that's already been spent, oftentimes it's fruitless because it's short term plans that only help individuals for a short amount of time. Again, we need to think long term and we need to develop plans that are in place long after we get elected and someone else takes our place." **Puerta:** "As far as prevention goes, I'm \[of\] the philosophy that no one's going to come save you. You're going to have to put in the work yourself. So I feel that there are two components to this. One of them is housing to make sure that we meet the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) mandate, 18,000 units by 2029, and we have to take a balanced approach on affordability and market rate, because if we take a balanced approach on housing, we can make sure that we set up the right environment so that the business community thrives, so that our sales tax revenues increases and we can provide more of these core services without raising taxes. The other portion of prevention is education, in my opinion. When we talk about fixed incomes, individuals with fixed incomes, financial classes have just started being mandated in California. I believe graduates graduating in 2030 are going to have to take financial literacy classes. We cannot depend solely on pensions\[ and\] retirement programs. We need to do our education, make sure we plan for the future. We plan for the future 20, 40 years ahead of time. I think that right now we've done a good job at addressing youth homelessness with prevention. I believe the mayor just said at the state of the city that we're at [net zero on youth homelessness](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-claims-victory-in-youth-homelessness-fight/), but it comes with education and housing. Those are the two biggest components at a local level." ### 🗞️ Riverside News- May 5, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-april-28-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:06.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/IMG_3871.jpeg) Montezuma bald cypress trees and billowing clouds mirror across a glassy Lake Evans at Fairmount Park last Wednesday. (Cindi Reynolds) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Tuesday Gazette: May 5, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Tuesday!** Over the last two weeks, the Gazette hosted our first-ever candidate forums. Three nights, three wards, nearly 300 of you in the room with us. For a civics nerd like me, it was heaven! I also know there are thousands of Riversiders who couldn't be there, and we want to provide as much value out of these forums as possible. So starting today, we're publishing a multi-part series built directly out of the conversations on stage, organized around the five biggest issues forum registrants asked us to put to the candidates. We begin with homelessness. When we put this question to the candidates, we deliberately did not ask for a plan or a five-point program. We asked for a philosophy. What does the city owe someone living on the street? Where does that obligation end? And what do Riverside residents deserve in return? The answers (often unscripted, sometimes uncomfortable) are exactly the kind of thinking-on-their-feet engagement we hoped for. Here's what to expect from the rest of the series: - Part 1: [Homelessness](https://raincrossgazette.com/where-do-candidates-stand-on-homelessness-ward-2-4-and-6-hopefuls-weigh-in/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) - Part 2: Budget and Fiscal Priorities - Part 3: Housing and Neighborhood Character - Part 4: Economic Development - Part 5: Leadership and the City Manager We did record video of all three forums; it was our first attempt at producing video and I’m a little behind on the production and are working to have them [online in our 2026 voter guide](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-election-guide/) by tomorrow morning. Thank you to everyone who showed up, to the candidates who said yes, and especially to Dan Bernstein for moderating with the kind of care this city deserves. More to come. –Justin P.S. Another thank you to everyone who reached out with encouraging notes about my [Mission Inn sale story yesterday](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-mission-inn-heads-to-new-ownership-yuhaaviatam-of-san-manuel-nation/). It was very encouraging to hear kind words from so many of you. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/author_banner-justin-pardee-2.jpg) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260505)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260505&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [BUSINESS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/business/) ## The Mission Inn Heads to New Ownership: Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation A 33-year era ends as Riverside's most iconic property heads to one of the Inland Empire's most prominent tribal nations. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/260504-missioninn-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-mission-inn-heads-to-new-ownership-yuhaaviatam-of-san-manuel-nation/) The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, a 238-room National Historic Landmark occupying a full city block in downtown Riverside, framed in the distance by the San Bernardino Mountains, homeland of the Yuhaaviatam. (Titus Pardee) The Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation will acquire Riverside's landmark Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, ending the Roberts family's 33-year stewardship of the Downtown anchor. **Why it matters:** The deal transfers stewardship of Riverside's most prominent historic property — and the engine behind the Festival of Lights — to an Inland Empire tribal nation with deep roots in the region. The Festival of Lights will continue under the new ownership. **Driving the news:** The Tribe's San Manuel Investment Authority and Kelly Roberts reached an agreement expected to close as early as the end of May. Pyramid Global Hospitality will manage daily operations. **The big picture:** The acquisition adds the Mission Inn to a non-gaming hospitality portfolio that includes Yaamava' Resort & Casino in Highland, the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, and the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort & Club in Dana Point. - It will be the Tribe's first major property in Riverside — which the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation describes as its ancestral homeland "since time immemorial." **The backstory:** Duane Roberts purchased the Mission Inn in 1992 for $15.6 million and launched the Festival of Lights that same year. He died Nov. 1, 2025, at age 88\. The festival now draws an estimated 700,000 visitors annually and generates an estimated $154 million for the regional economy. **What's next:** Conversations with the Mission Inn Foundation, current staff, and community stakeholders are expected during the monthlong closing period. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-mission-inn-heads-to-new-ownership-yuhaaviatam-of-san-manuel-nation/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260505) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260505&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [2026 ELECTION](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/2026-election/) ## Where Do Candidates Stand on Homelessness? Ward 2, 4 and 6 Hopefuls Weigh In From housing first to stricter enforcement, Ward 2, 4 and 6 candidates outlined their approaches to the city's homelessness challenge. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/Homelessness-5-1.JPG)](https://raincrossgazette.com/where-do-candidates-stand-on-homelessness-ward-2-4-and-6-hopefuls-weigh-in/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Bedding and personal belongings left on a mattress in a Riverside parking lot — the kind of scene that prompted Raincross Gazette-hosted candidate forums in Wards 2, 4 and 6 to open with the same question: what is the city's most basic obligation to someone living on the street? (File photo) The Raincross Gazette hosted city council candidate forums for Wards 2, 4 and 6 last month, asking each candidate the same opening question: what is the city's fundamental obligation to someone living on the street? Moderator Dan Bernstein, a former Press-Enterprise columnist and longtime Riversider, posed this question to candidates at all three forums: *What is your philosophy – not your plan, not your five-point program – about homelessness. What is the city's most basic, fundamental obligation to someone living on the street? Where does that obligation end? Assuming that obligation is met, what do Riverside residents deserve in return?* Here are each candidates' answers on homelessness and housing in the city. [Read and share the complete story...](https://raincrossgazette.com/where-do-candidates-stand-on-homelessness-ward-2-4-and-6-hopefuls-weigh-in/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260505)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260505&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [2026 ELECTION](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/2026-election/) ## Two Ward 6 Candidates Square Off on Homelessness, RTRP and the Galleria's Future With Norma Berrellez absent, Oz Puerta and Luis Hernandez faced questions on the Magnolia Corridor, RTRP construction and the future of the Galleria at Tyler. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/DSC00595-2.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/two-ward-6-candidates-square-off-on-homelessness-rtrp-and-the-gallerias-future/) Raincross Gazette founder and publisher Justin Pardee, left, and moderator Dan Bernstein address attendees as Ward 6 candidates Luis Hernandez and Oz Puerta look on at the Gazette's candidate forum Thursday evening. (Bob Sirotnik) Two of the three candidates for Ward 6 faced off at the Raincross Gazette's [third candidate forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-gazette-is-hosting-its-first-ever-candidate-forums-wards-2-4-and-6/) on Thursday evening. Oz Puerta, executive director of the Arlington Business Partnership, Board of Ethics Vice Chair Luis Hernandez and Alvord Unified School District Board of Education Trustee Norma Berrellez are vying for the seat vacated by [Councilmember Jim Perry](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/perry-wont-seek-reelection-after-three-terms-on-council/), who announced last year that he is not running for reelection. Berrellez, however, was not in attendance on Thursday evening. Ward 6 covers neighborhoods including Arlanza, La Sierra, La Sierra Hills, La Sierra South, and portions of Arlington. The forum was moderated by former Press-Enterprise columnist and longtime Riversider Dan Bernstein, who introduced discussion questions on both citywide issues as well as Ward 6-specific questions. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/two-ward-6-candidates-square-off-on-homelessness-rtrp-and-the-gallerias-future/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [Power Up Your Morning with May's Pick Power Hour!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/power-up-your-morning-with-mays-pick-power-hour/18732619/2026-05-05T07) at The Greater Riverside Chamber of Commerce (free- $10) - [ScotSurplus Public Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/scotsurplus-public-sale/17279943/2026-05-05T11) at ScotSurplus, UCR Corporation Yard - [THE GAME : a Monthly Megagame experience](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-game-a-monthly-megagame-experience/18729924/2026-05-05T18) at Nevermore Game Club ($7.18) - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition at the Hideaway](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-05-05T19) at The Hideaway ### Tomorrow - [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-05-06T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Reading Assistance Program](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-assistance-program/17973404/2026-05-06T15) at My Learning Studio - [California Preservation Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/california-preservation-conference/18153477/2026-05-06T09) at Riverside Convention Center ($20- $505) - [Eastside Library at Lincoln Park | Mother's Day Craft](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/eastside-library-at-lincoln-park-mothers-day-craft/18330781/2026-05-06T11) at Eastside Library at Lincoln Park - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-05-06T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Riverside Mission Belles](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-mission-belles/16691431/2026-05-06T09) at Victoria Presbyterian Church ## Save the Date - May 8: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-08T07) at Zacatecas Café - May 13: [Level Up Your Network: The Pick Group 2026 Membership Summit](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/level-up-your-network-the-pick-group-2026-membership-summit/18625198/2026-05-13T18) at Killer Queens Social House - May 16: [Vintage Home Tour “Age is a Work of Art”](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vintage-home-tour-age-is-a-work-of-art/18708216/2026-05-16T10) at Peter J Weber House ($30) - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### The Mission Inn Heads to New Ownership: Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-mission-inn-heads-to-new-ownership-yuhaaviatam-of-san-manuel-nation/ Last updated: 2026-05-07T12:00:09.000Z The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, the National Historic Landmark that anchors downtown Riverside, will be acquired by the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, the Tribe [announced Monday morning](https://sanmanuel-nsn.gov/news/smia-enters-agreement-purchase-historic-mission-inn-hotel-spa-riverside?ref=raincrossgazette.com). The agreement, between the Tribe's San Manuel Investment Authority and the Roberts family, is expected to close as early as the end of May. The deal ends the 33-year ownership of Duane and Kelly Roberts and brings the 238-room property under the Tribe's stewardship, expanding a hospitality portfolio that already includes Yaamava' Resort & Casino in Highland, the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas and the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort & Club in Dana Point. "The Mission Inn holds a special place in our hearts," Tribal Chairwoman Lynn Valbuena said in a statement. "Generations of our family love the inn for its charming ambience and for the memories we've made there over the years. We recognize its historic, economic and cultural significance to Riverside and the region and would be delighted to include The Mission Inn in our non-gaming hospitality portfolio." The Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, headquartered in Highland, reclaimed its ancestral name in April 2025 after generations of being known under a name imposed by the U.S. government in 1891\. "Yuhaaviatam" means "People of the Pines" in the Maara'yam language, the language of the Serrano people, whose ancestral homelands span the San Bernardino highlands, passes, valleys, mountains and high deserts. The Mission Inn will be the Tribe's first major property in Riverside. Duane Roberts purchased the Mission Inn in December 1992 from Chemical Bank for $15.6 million, following a city-led restoration that pulled the hotel back from years of bankruptcy and decline. That same year, he launched the Festival of Lights, the holiday tradition that draws an estimated 700,000 visitors to downtown Riverside each season and that, [according to a 2023 economic-impact study](https://riversideca.gov/fol/2024%20Riverside%20Festival%20of%20Lights%20EIR%20Report-1.22.pdf?ref=raincrossgazette.com), generates an estimated $154 million for the regional economy. [Roberts died Nov. 1, 2025, at age 88](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mission-inns-future-immigration-fears-top-readers-picks-for-2025s-biggest-stories/). In March, the City Council [created a civic achievement award](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-creates-award-honoring-mission-inn-visionaries/) in his and Kelly Roberts' names, with the couple as the inaugural recipients. "It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as stewards of The Mission Inn," Kelly Roberts said in a statement. "Duane and I poured our hearts into preserving its legacy while evolving it for future generations. I am incredibly proud of what we built together and deeply grateful to our team, the Riverside community, and every guest who has walked through its doors. I have great confidence that Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation will carry this legacy forward with the same care, respect, and vision." In a statement to the Gazette, Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson thanked the Roberts family for stewardship that "elevated the Mission Inn hotel and turned the historic landmark into a cornerstone of our city" and welcomed the incoming owners. "I welcome the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation as the next stewards of this iconic and beloved property," Lock Dawson said. "As Mayor, I look forward to partnering closely with them to ensure this treasured landmark continues to thrive for generations to come." Pyramid Global Hospitality, an independent hotel operator, will manage daily operations at the Mission Inn, the Tribe confirmed to the Gazette. The Festival of Lights — Riverside's most prominent annual tradition — will continue under the new ownership. Conversations with the Mission Inn Foundation, current staff and other community stakeholders are expected during the monthlong closing period. Ward 1 Councilmember Philip Falcone welcomed the news in a statement. "Now, as a new era of ownership will soon begin, I wish Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation great success," Falcone said. "Their commitment and investment in our region also stretches back generations. As the Councilmember who represents the Mission Inn and its surroundings, I look forward to working closely with San Manuel during this transition." The Mission Inn occupies a full city block in the heart of downtown Riverside and is widely considered the largest Mission Revival-style building in the United States. Built up from the [1876 Glenwood Cottage by Frank Augustus Miller](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-making-of-a-landmark-how-the-glenwood-cottage-grew-into-riversides-grand-mission-inn/)beginning in 1880 and expanded across four major architectural phases through 1931, the hotel has hosted four U.S. presidents and two presidential weddings. It earned the [2024 Steward of History and Historic Preservation Award](https://www.historichotels.org/us/press/press-releases/kelly-and-duane-roberts-receive-2024-steward-of-history-and-historic-preservation-award?ref=raincrossgazette.com) from Historic Hotels of America. Riverside has its own deep place in the modern history of California tribal sovereignty. In 1919, leaders from across Southern California Indian Country gathered in Riverside and founded the Mission Indian Federation, which campaigned for tribal home rule and self-determination under the motto "Human Rights and Home Rule." Its members came from Serrano, Cahuilla, Luiseño, Cupeño, Kumeyaay, Tongva and other regional nations. The Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation contributes more than 7,000 jobs to the Inland Empire economy and has given more than $425 million in philanthropic support to regional organizations through its San Manuel Cares program. Its October 2025 acquisition of the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach marked the Tribe's most recent move into luxury non-gaming hospitality; the Mission Inn will be its first acquisition of a property in a region it describes as its home "since time immemorial." Former Mayor Ron Loveridge, who served 18 years during the Roberts era, [spoke with the Gazette in November](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-iconic-mission-inn-hotel-up-for-sale/). "The purchase of the Mission Inn is not just the purchasing of a hotel," Loveridge said. "It's the purchasing of an extraordinary place that represents why people come to downtown, why people come to Riverside." "As a Cahuilla/Serrano descendant I am happy to hear the good news that Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation has purchased the Mission Inn," said Rosy Aranda, a co-director of [*Pá'čapa: A Mt. Rubidoux Story*](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/indigenous-history-of-mt-rubidoux-focus-of-documentary-screening/) and a Gazette contributor, in a statement following the announcement. "Knowing such an iconic building in Riverside is now owned by a local Native tribe feels like a win for all of Indian country. I pray Creator blesses San Manuel on this new endeavor. I know the ancestors smile upon them for continuing to act on their beliefs in a good way." *This story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.* ### 🗞️ Riverside News- May 4, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-may-4-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:07.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/IMG_5857.jpeg) Classic cars and vintage buses roll through the intersection of Market Street and University Avenue during the Show and Go Car Show in Downtown Saturday. (Luke López) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Monday Gazette: May 4, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday!** This is just a quick note to let you know to expect a second email from us later today. I've been working since last November to tell you a story with monumental implications for Riverside, not the first time I tried to share it… things went… poorly. So I'm spending a bit of extra time dotting I's and crossing the T's this morning before we hit publish. Because I think it's such a big deal, you'll be getting a bonus edition later this morning – see you soon! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/author_banner-justin-pardee-1.jpg) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260504)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260504&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## This Week in City Hall: May 4, 2026 City Council weighs speed limits, rezoning and ethics rules Tuesday, with a closed-session city manager performance review also on the agenda. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/15-_DSC4174-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-may-4-2026/) Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### City Council City Council will meet in closed and open sessions on Tuesday, May 5, in afternoon sessions at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1401518&GUID=75E6C0BF-C0EF-469F-9B4D-8E978A49C0D6&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). The agenda includes: - Considering a resolution establishing a formal citywide policy governing how ward-specific special events, programs, and projects are approved and managed across all City Council districts. - Considering an ordinance updating the City's Code of Ethics to add rules addressing misconduct through digital communications by city officials and employees. - Considering adopting an ordinance increasing administrative citation fines to $100 for a first offense, $500 for a second, and $1,000 for repeated violations of the same City rule. - Considering adopting an ordinance rezoning roughly 2.72 acres in Ward 6 from single-family to multi-family residential, which would allow higher-density apartment development on three parcels along Hedrick and Jones Avenues. - Considering transferring existing utility agreements at the City's water treatment plant to a bioenergy company to support a project that would convert organic waste into renewable natural gas. - Considering introducing an ordinance reducing speed limits on streets throughout Riverside under a new citywide program, with new signage and pavement markings to follow on affected roads including Victoria Avenue. - Conducting a closed session to [evaluate the performance](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15424636&GUID=8D8B8B75-7CEA-4B7D-872E-2147809D375F&ref=raincrossgazette.com) of the City Manager, as permitted under California law governing personnel matters. ### Human Resources Board The Human Resources Board meets on Monday, May 4, at 5 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1409694&GUID=3835FAE1-05F6-4B35-8976-F117EC5E4F8B&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to hold public hearings on two proposed City personnel policy updates — one addressing benefits for temporary and seasonal employees, and one covering disability accommodations for job applicants and city workers. ### Planning Commission The Planning Commission meets on Thursday, May 7, at 9 a.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1399047&GUID=CD5F8BC4-6031-4EF9-871A-ACE6BCFD5EE7&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review the city's two-year Capital Improvement Program to determine whether planned public projects are consistent with Riverside's General Plan 2025, as required by California state law. ### Board of Ethics The Board of Ethics meets on Thursday, May 7, at 6 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1402492&GUID=4B9E52C4-5E6A-498B-82EE-53B2ADD01878&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider an educational review of City ethics rules governing confidential information and use of City resources, discuss the formation of working groups under its 2026 work plan and receive an update on a potential ballot measure related to Charter review. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-may-4-2026/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260504) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=202600504&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [FROM THE MAYOR'S DESK](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/mayors-desk/) ## Opinion: How Outside Partnerships are Shaping Riverside's Economic Future A nonprofit "do-tank," Bloomberg Philanthropies and a Harvard fellowship are among the collaborations the mayor says are moving the city forward. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/RG-Feat-Image-Template-8-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-how-outside-partnerships-are-shaping-riversides-economic-future/) Accelerator for America held its 2026 Spring Advisory Council Meeting in Riverside, bringing together mayors from across the country to share best practices in economic development. (Courtesy of the Office of Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson) Riverside’s is putting its strengths to work, telling our story to deliver progress that will expand opportunity for generations to come. We are home to three universities that support businesses with research and talent. We have a greenbelt and a river that connect us with nature. We have beautiful neighborhoods where families can thrive, and a rich history reflected in our architecture and culture. But as a Riverside native, I find myself constantly striving for more for my city. While we are great, we can be even better. We can build a more resilient and diversified economy that creates jobs so people can live where they work. We can create civic spaces where our community gathers and connects. We can ensure there is enough housing and supportive services so that homelessness becomes a thing of the past. These ambitions drive my work every day, because Riverside residents deserve a life filled with opportunity, connection, and pride in their community. Since taking office, my strategy has been simple: seek out opportunities and resources that make Riverside better. Everyday I am pursuing the avenues and supports that will create jobs, support businesses, improve services, address homelessness, and expand recreation and access to nature. This strategy has resulted in strong partnerships with philanthropy, funding from state and federal governments, and collaboration with organizations that share our commitment to improving quality of life for our residents. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-how-outside-partnerships-are-shaping-riversides-economic-future/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260504)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260504&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Noteworthy Riverside's Park and Recreation Commission received an update Wednesday on a [community engagement process to gather public input](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-to-seek-public-input-on-cesar-chavez-community-center-name/) on the Cesar Chavez Community Center's name, with staff emphasizing no renaming has been proposed and a multicultural forum scheduled for June 3. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-05-04T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-05-04T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [Monday Carillon Recitals](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/monday-carillon-recitals/17079871/2026-05-04T12) at UCR Bell Tower ### Tomorrow - [Power Up Your Morning with May's Pick Power Hour!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/power-up-your-morning-with-mays-pick-power-hour/18732619/2026-05-05T07) at The Greater Riverside Chamber of Commerce (free- $10) - [ScotSurplus Public Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/scotsurplus-public-sale/17279943/2026-05-05T11) at ScotSurplus, UCR Corporation Yard - [THE GAME : a Monthly Megagame experience](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-game-a-monthly-megagame-experience/18729924/2026-05-05T18) at Nevermore Game Club ($7.18) - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition at the Hideaway](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-05-05T19) at The Hideaway ### Save the Date - May 6: [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - May 8: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-08T07) at Zacatecas Café - May 13: [Level Up Your Network: The Pick Group 2026 Membership Summit](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/level-up-your-network-the-pick-group-2026-membership-summit/18625198/2026-05-13T18) at Killer Queens Social House - May 16: [Vintage Home Tour “Age is a Work of Art”](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vintage-home-tour-age-is-a-work-of-art/18708216/2026-05-16T10) at Peter J Weber House ($30) - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### This Week in City Hall: May 4, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-may-4-2026/ Last updated: 2026-05-06T12:01:04.000Z Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### City Council City Council will meet in closed and open sessions on Tuesday, May 5, in afternoon sessions at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1401518&GUID=75E6C0BF-C0EF-469F-9B4D-8E978A49C0D6&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). The agenda includes: - Considering a resolution establishing a formal citywide policy governing how ward-specific special events, programs, and projects are approved and managed across all City Council districts. - Considering an ordinance updating the City's Code of Ethics to add rules addressing misconduct through digital communications by city officials and employees. - Considering adopting an ordinance increasing administrative citation fines to $100 for a first offense, $500 for a second, and $1,000 for repeated violations of the same City rule. - Considering adopting an ordinance rezoning roughly 2.72 acres in Ward 6 from single-family to multi-family residential, which would allow higher-density apartment development on three parcels along Hedrick and Jones Avenues. - Considering transferring existing utility agreements at the City's water treatment plant to a bioenergy company to support a project that would convert organic waste into renewable natural gas. - Considering introducing an ordinance reducing speed limits on streets throughout Riverside under a new citywide program, with new signage and pavement markings to follow on affected roads including Victoria Avenue. - Conducting a closed session to [evaluate the performance](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15424636&GUID=8D8B8B75-7CEA-4B7D-872E-2147809D375F&ref=raincrossgazette.com) of the City Manager, as permitted under California law governing personnel matters. ### Human Resources Board The Human Resources Board meets on Monday, May 4, at 5 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1409694&GUID=3835FAE1-05F6-4B35-8976-F117EC5E4F8B&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to hold public hearings on two proposed City personnel policy updates — one addressing benefits for temporary and seasonal employees, and one covering disability accommodations for job applicants and city workers. ### Planning Commission The Planning Commission meets on Thursday, May 7, at 9 a.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1399047&GUID=CD5F8BC4-6031-4EF9-871A-ACE6BCFD5EE7&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review the city's two-year Capital Improvement Program to determine whether planned public projects are consistent with Riverside's General Plan 2025, as required by California state law. ### Board of Ethics The Board of Ethics meets on Thursday, May 7, at 6 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1402492&GUID=4B9E52C4-5E6A-498B-82EE-53B2ADD01878&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider an educational review of City ethics rules governing confidential information and use of City resources, discuss the formation of working groups under its 2026 work plan and receive an update on a potential ballot measure related to Charter review. ### Opinion: How Outside Partnerships are Shaping Riverside's Economic Future URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-how-outside-partnerships-are-shaping-riversides-economic-future/ Last updated: 2026-05-06T11:59:22.000Z Riverside’s is putting its strengths to work, telling our story to deliver progress that will expand opportunity for generations to come. We are home to three universities that support businesses with research and talent. We have a greenbelt and a river that connect us with nature. We have beautiful neighborhoods where families can thrive, and a rich history reflected in our architecture and culture. But as a Riverside native, I find myself constantly striving for more for my city. While we are great, we can be even better. We can build a more resilient and diversified economy that creates jobs so people can live where they work. We can create civic spaces where our community gathers and connects. We can ensure there is enough housing and supportive services so that homelessness becomes a thing of the past. These ambitions drive my work every day, because Riverside residents deserve a life filled with opportunity, connection, and pride in their community. Since taking office, my strategy has been simple: seek out opportunities and resources that make Riverside better. Everyday I am pursuing the avenues and supports that will create jobs, support businesses, improve services, address homelessness, and expand recreation and access to nature. This strategy has resulted in strong partnerships with philanthropy, funding from state and federal governments, and collaboration with organizations that share our commitment to improving quality of life for our residents. As Mayor, I am the chief advocate for the city, but that advocacy doesn’t only happen in Sacramento or Washington, DC. It happens in every single room I enter. Whether I am meeting with private industries, philanthropies, or nonprofits, I am always thinking about what opportunities can be brought home for Riverside. One example is a relationship built with [Accelerator for America](https://www.acceleratorforamerica.org/what-we-do/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) (AFA), a nonprofit organization that supports cities as they build housing, infrastructure, and economic opportunity. They call themselves a “do-tank,” not a think tank, and Riverside has benefited greatly from their hands-on support. Riverside was selected as one of just ten cities nationwide to participate in AFA’s Innovative Infrastructure Initiative. Through this work, we received expert guidance in developing our Zero Emission Vehicle Transition Plan, helping Riverside earn recognition as the Greenest Fleet in North America. AFA has also provided expert guidance on the development of the city’s Inclusive Development Action Plan which helped formulate the City’s Economic Development Strategy approved by Council. Just last month, AFA selected Riverside as their host city, and I was [proud to highlight Riverside’s economic development strategy](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-hosts-national-mayors-forum-on-economic-development/). At this gathering, [mayors from across the country—from Phoenix to Nashville to Montgomery—came together](https://ninezeronine.pixieset.com/acceleratorforamericariverside/skatingtowheretheeconomicpuckisgoing/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to share best practices and experience the best of Riverside. They had a chance to walk through the Citrus State Historic Park, visit The Cheech, and stay at the Mission Inn. The experience made a lasting impression, so much so that Matt Tuerk, the mayor of Allentown, Pennsylvania was inspired to get a tattoo of Riverside’s iconic Raincross at a local shop. This is what I mean by being an ambassador for Riverside in every room I am in, every conversation can lead to an opportunity for Riverside big or small. Another important partner in our work to strengthen Riverside is Bloomberg Philanthropies. Their support has advanced the redevelopment of the Armory at Fairmount Park, expanded our civic engagement efforts to better connect with residents, streamlined our procurement processes, and funded two Harvard fellows who are helping us leverage data to deliver more effective, responsive city services. Just this past week, Bloomberg Philanthropies announced that Riverside will receive a Youth Climate Action grant. This investment supports our Office of Sustainability and empowers our youngest residents to take an active role in protecting the future of our city. Through my involvement with ICLEI—Local Governments for Sustainability—Riverside was selected as the only city in California to receive funding through the Municipal Investment Fund. This grant will support projects such as battery storage, electric vehicle infrastructure, and building decarbonization—investments that strengthen our infrastructure while preparing Riverside for the future. These partnerships and investments deliver real results. They are creating more opportunities, strengthening neighborhoods, and improving the daily lives of our residents. Most importantly, they are helping us build a better future for the next generation. By opening our doors to new ideas and new collaborators, we are bringing the best of the country, and the world, home to Riverside. And together, we are building a city that not only meets the moment but rises to it. ### Palms, Presidents and Pepper Trees URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/palms-presidents-and-pepper-trees/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:05:50.000Z With Samuel C. Evans, Sr.'s arrival in 1874, the landscape and size of Riverside changed. With other investors, including William T. Sayward, Evans purchased land south of what is now Arlington Avenue. Needing water, the new syndicate sought help from John W. North and the Southern California Colony Association. North was opposed, so Evans and company formed the Riverside Land and Irrigation Company. They purchased a controlling interest in the Southern California Colony Association and built the Upper Canal to bring water to their new development. They formed the Riverside Land Co. to market the properties to new settlers. This brief, simplified overview of the land associations in the 1870s lays the groundwork for the main topic, Magnolia Avenue. William T. Sayward envisioned a long avenue, Bloomingdale Avenue, cutting through the property, extending from the base of the Temescal Mountains all the way to San Bernardino. His grandiose idea did not materialize due to the cost and difficulty of obtaining the land for the right-of-way. He had to settle for a grand avenue extending through the property of the Riverside Land and Irrigation Company. With Samuel Evans back in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1875, the management of the Riverside Land and Irrigation Company fell to Evans' brother-in-law, Henry J. Rudisill. Rudisill was responsible for laying out the plans for Magnolia Avenue and the streets connected to it. His wife, Elizabeth Evans Rudisill, suggested the name "Magnolia." The original plan was to plant Magnolia trees along the avenue. However, their high cost and water requirements prevented this. Magnolias were planted at the intersections of the avenues with the Presidential streets, where irrigation ditches supplied the required water. Early historian James Boyd in History of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties wrote: "This grand thoroughfare, both the pride and glory of Riverside, and the pioneer of the many beautiful avenues in Southern California, was laid out in 1875, and the eastern end of it, some three miles in length, graded and planted with shade trees in 1877….The avenue is on a straight line running south 43 degrees west through the lands of the Riverside Land Company, and on the same course through the lands of the South Riverside Company to the Coast Range of mountains, a distance of some fifteen miles from the place of beginning. It is 132 feet wide and is divided into sidewalks on each side of 20 feet in width, a space of 10 feet for the central row of trees, and two roadways of 41 feet each. Streets 80 feet in width cross it at right angles every half mile and are named after the Presidents of the United States, commencing with Washington on the eastern end of the avenue." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/1--Magnolia-Ave-Riverside-Calif.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/2--Stereoview.jpg) From left: Color Magic Lantern Slide of Magnolia Avenue, Color Stereoview Card of Magnolia Avenue from 1900\. (Author's Collection) Starting at the northeast end of the property, where Arlington Avenue would come, the first cross street was Washington Street. After Washington, the streets did not strictly follow the historical order. John Adams was skipped, and then Jefferson and Madison were reversed at the request of Elizabeth Rudisill. No reason for her request is given. Adams (John Quincy) and Monroe were also reversed. The remaining presidents' names are in the correct order: Jackson, Van Buren, Harrison, Tyler, Polk, Taylor, Fillmore, Pierce, Buchanan, Lincoln, Johnson, and Grant. Grant was the President at that time, so the last main cross street was named Temescal, where the street met the Temescal Wash. Lincoln Street in present-day Home Gardens should not be confused with Lincoln Avenue, which runs parallel to Magnolia Avenue. Later, Johnson Street was renamed McKinley in 1901, shortly after his assassination, and years later, Taylor Street became La Sierra. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/3--1905-Directory-cropped-3.jpg) 1905 Map from City Directory which shows Magnolia Avenue and the President cross streets. (Courtesy of the Local History Archives of Main Library) Parallel to Magnolia, a half mile in each direction, two other major streets were laid out, California and Indiana (Evans' home state). Two squares were laid out along Magnolia Avenue as future business districts. The first at the intersection with Van Buren was named Sayward, after W. T. Sayward. The other at the intersection with Lincoln was named Alvord (in present-day Home Gardens). When the area around Van Buren was later developed into a business district, the people renamed it the Village of Arlington. Boyd was given the contract to grade the streets and sidewalks and to plant the trees, caring for them the first year as they took root. James Boyd, Henry and Elizabeth Rudisill, and Albert S. White spent much time choosing the trees to plant along the new avenue. Initially, they chose pepper trees for the center median and blue gums for the sides. The gum tree proved unsatisfactory, and palms and grevilleas were then substituted. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/5--Collier--C-T-Photos-1-GW.jpg) Early Photo by C.T. Collier of a Lady in a Buggy on Magnolia Avenue. (Author's Collection) Albert White purchased 40 acres at the corner of Jefferson and Magnolia and planted the acreage in orange groves. He planted a row of fan palms along the Magnolia side of his property, the first person to use palm trees on Magnolia. White never lived on the property but rather remained a guest of his good friend, Frank Miller, first at the Glenwood Cottage and later at the Glenwood Mission Inn. \[Early Photo by C.T. Collier of a Horse and Buggy on Magnolia Avenue with a Fan Palm Tree. Pepper Trees line the Center Median. – Author's Collection\] Unlike White, some of the early orange growers who purchased property along Magnolia Avenue did build fine houses for their families as they settled into their new home in Riverside. Throughout all of this, Magnolia Avenue remained the center and showplace of the development. Though the editor of the Press and Horticulturist in December 1878 finds fault and a need for improvement: "We do not mention this finely laid out avenue to praise it. It needs no encomiums (high level of praise) from us, and perhaps just now deserves none. Broad and straight as it is, adorned as it is beginning to be by fine trees and fine mansions, it is yet open to criticism. It is shockingly weedy. The almost interminable rows of dark-green citrus trees on either side show but poorly to the tourist if he travels in a 'low-wheeled car,' for he sees them only through the brushy tops of enormous weeds, weeds which it takes California to grow in all their glory. But even their transient glory has departed; they line the roadside, a standing army, holding their brown and brittle spears aloft with the imperturbability of the Old Guard." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/6--Collier--C-T-Photos-3-GW.jpg) Early Photo of Magnolia Avenue with weeds growing in the center median and the road to the left needing grading. (Authors collection) To serve the residents of the new development and make it easier for them to reach downtown Riverside, the Riverside and Arlington Railway Company was incorporated in 1887 to run from Riverside to the town of Arlington. Initially using mule-drawn streetcars, the line was electrified in 1899\. There was no easy, direct, straight line connecting the two ends. The line ran south on Main Street to Prospect, west on Prospect to 14th Street, where it bent westerly to Cypress (today Magnolia Ave). The streetcar then ran south to Bandini, where it turned west until reaching Brockton. There, it followed Brockton to Arlington, then west on Arlington to finally reach Magnolia Avenue. Magnolia Avenue ran straight southwest to Arlington. Along the way, the line later connected to Chemawa Park (built in 1901 and operated by the Riverside and Arlington Railway) and, next door, to Sherman Institute (relocated to Riverside in 1903). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/7--Reynolds--Merick-Photo.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/8--Putnam---Valentine.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/9-People-waiting-for-trolley-1908-cropped.jpg) from left: Early Photo by Putnam and Valentine of Los Angeles of Magnolia Avenue looking northeast. Notice the automobile traveling south to the left. There is a trolley coming down the middle, and to the right is a freight wagon loaded with what looks like citrus crates, Photo of People Waiting for Trolley at Brush Covered Shelter, Color Postcard Showing a Brush Covered Shelter. (Author's Collection) Magnolia Avenue became a tourist attraction for visitors coming to the city. Excursions along its scenic route were promoted by Frank Miller, the Salt Lake Railroad, and others. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/10-Magnolia-Drive-Riverside.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/11--Magnolia-Ave-Salt-Lake-Route.jpg) Postcard of Magnolia Avenue, Riverside, California, On the Salt Lake Route (Author's Collection) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/12-Orange.jpg) Page from Orange Shaped Brochure Produced by the Salt Lake Route Railroad. (Author's Collection) A better, more direct street connection for traveling between the land, homes, and businesses along Old Magnolia Avenue and downtown Riverside was needed. But that is another story. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- May 3, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-may-3-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:08.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/CBU_Commecement-Spring_2026.jpg) Decorated caps fill the floor of California Baptist University's Dale E. and Sarah Ann Fowler Events Center as 1,901 graduates were honored over five commencement ceremonies during the final week of April. (Emily Ma) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Sunday Gazette: May 3, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday!** It's been a whiplash few weeks at City Hall, and my inbox and phone have reflected it. A lot of you reached out after my name appeared in a Facebook post connected to the city manager story earlier this week; I get why that was confusing. Others have accused the Gazette of taking sides — some say we're shielding the people involved, others say we're abandoning them by not airing every grievance. Both can't be true, and neither is. So let me be clear: I'm not on any side in this dispute. Sides are something you stand on. Neighbors are people you stand with. That's the posture I'm trying to hold. I hope it's contagious. I stand with and for Riverside. I launched the Gazette in 2020 because I love this city and I believed Riverside deserved a newsroom that covered it with care, with curiosity, and in the spirit of neighborliness. That mission hasn't changed, and it isn't going to. That's why our job is to publish what we can verify, fairly and on the record — and to leave the rest where it belongs. There are good people all over this story, on every side of it, and I count all of them as my neighbors. Thank you for reading, thank you for caring, and thank you for being neighbors. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/author_banner-justin-pardee.jpg) --- 🧡 Thank you to the Subscribers who became paid supporters this week: Jim Clover, Nancy Olsen, Patricia Reynolds, and Susan Wilson. [Your ongoing financial support](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-march-15-2026-2/#/portal/account/plans) is vital to our success in serving Riverside with the news it deserves! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260503)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260503&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HISTORY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/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. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/4--Magnolia-Ave.-East--Arlington-CA-pm-1911-GW-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/palms-presidents-and-pepper-trees/) Postcard of Trolley Stopping at Business District of Arlington. (Author's Collection) With Samuel C. Evans, Sr.'s arrival in 1874, the landscape and size of Riverside changed. With other investors, including William T. Sayward, Evans purchased land south of what is now Arlington Avenue. Needing water, the new syndicate sought help from John W. North and the Southern California Colony Association. North was opposed, so Evans and company formed the Riverside Land and Irrigation Company. They purchased a controlling interest in the Southern California Colony Association and built the Upper Canal to bring water to their new development. They formed the Riverside Land Co. to market the properties to new settlers. This brief, simplified overview of the land associations in the 1870s lays the groundwork for the main topic, Magnolia Avenue. William T. Sayward envisioned a long avenue, Bloomingdale Avenue, cutting through the property, extending from the base of the Temescal Mountains all the way to San Bernardino. His grandiose idea did not materialize due to the cost and difficulty of obtaining the land for the right-of-way. He had to settle for a grand avenue extending through the property of the Riverside Land and Irrigation Company. With Samuel Evans back in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1875, the management of the Riverside Land and Irrigation Company fell to Evans' brother-in-law, Henry J. Rudisill. Rudisill was responsible for laying out the plans for Magnolia Avenue and the streets connected to it. His wife, Elizabeth Evans Rudisill, suggested the name "Magnolia." The original plan was to plant Magnolia trees along the avenue. However, their high cost and water requirements prevented this. Magnolias were planted at the intersections of the avenues with the Presidential streets, where irrigation ditches supplied the required water. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/palms-presidents-and-pepper-trees/) --- #### [NEIGHBOR OF THE WEEK](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/neighbor-of-the-week/) ## After 45 Years, the SPORT Clinic Is Closing, But Jim Clover's Legacy Isn't Going Anywhere The free morning clinic that shaped a generation of Inland Empire athletes will shut its doors June 15, ending a nearly half-century run that transformed sports medicine across the region. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/Jim-Clover--B-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/after-45-years-the-sport-clinic-is-closing-but-jim-clovers-legacy-isnt-going-anywhere/) Dr. Jim Clover stands inside the SPORT Clinic, which will close June 15 after 45 years of free sports medicine care for Inland Empire student-athletes. (Brenda Flowers) "I honestly don't know if there is a way to accurately express the tremendous impact Jim Clover has had on Riverside as a whole and especially his impact on the world of local youth and high school athletics," said [John Corona](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-john-corona/), a retired track coach and teacher in Riverside Unified School District and Riverside Sports Hall of Fame board member. "In the last 45 years, he has changed just about everything in the realm of athletic training, preventive care and rehabilitation of athletes. His students and mentees populate just about every school in Riverside County." Tony Masi, a retired athletic director in RUSD and Riverside Sports Hall of Fame honoree, put it more directly: "He is a unicorn and the GOAT all in one." "Jim is our pioneer and is the reason so many schools within the IE have athletic trainers at all," said Cassie Vergara, an athletic trainer with Clover Enterprises Inc., the company that partnered with Riverside Medical Clinic to operate the SPORT Clinic. "I've met practitioners in the high desert who have fondly referred to our area as 'Cloverland,' knowing of Jim's precedence." [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/after-45-years-the-sport-clinic-is-closing-but-jim-clovers-legacy-isnt-going-anywhere/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260503)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260503&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [SPONSORED](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/sponsored/) ## Season Tickets on Sale for A CBU Christmas and CBU's 2026-27 Theater Lineup "Clue," "Oklahoma!" and the ninth annual A CBU Christmas anchor a five-show season. Packages start at $67\. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/Group-Shot-JPEG.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/season-tickets-on-sale-for-a-cbu-christmas-and-cbus-2026-27-theater-lineup/) Students perform the "Topsy Turvy" number from "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" during California Baptist University's April 2024 production at the Wallace Theatre. Tickets are selling fast for California Baptist University's 2026-27 theater season. CBU has earned a reputation in the Riverside community for annual traditions like [A CBU Christmas](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/plan-ahead-for-a-season-of-spectacle-tickets-for-a-cbu-christmas-and-2025-26-theatre-now-available/) and fresh theater productions, and audiences are already snatching up spots for next year's performances. Season ticket packages begin at $67, less than $14 per show. The 2026-27 theater season includes two plays and two musicals along with A CBU Christmas, a fan favorite that has become an annual tradition for many Riverside families. Performance dates for each are: - "Clue": Oct. 9, 10, 16, 17 and 18 - "James and the Giant Peach": Nov. 13, 14, 20, 21 and 22 - A CBU Christmas: Dec. 5 and 6 - "These Shining Lives": Feb. 19, 20, 26, 27 and 28 - "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!": April 9, 10, 16, 17 and 18 A CBU Christmas, a musical and theatrical presentation about the birth of Jesus, brings together the entire Collinsworth School of Performing Arts. Entering its ninth year, the production has become one of the most anticipated holiday performances in the Inland Empire. More than 15,000 people attended the 2025 performances, with sold-out shows over two days. CBU projects the 2026 shows will sell out, too. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/season-tickets-on-sale-for-a-cbu-christmas-and-cbus-2026-27-theater-lineup/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260503) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260503&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CREATIVE PROMPTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/creative-prompts/) ## Feeling Chipper A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns. [![a man holding a cell phone and a potato chip in his hand](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1676363913264-683487d04a19?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDV8fGVtcHR5JTIwYmFnJTIwb2YlMjBjaGlwfGVufDB8fHx8MTc3NzY3NDUyMXww&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/feeling-chipper/) ([Bermix Studio](https://unsplash.com/@bermixstudio?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) This week, we’re moving from ways we filter things out of our food to ways that we get food into our mouths. Our creative nudge? An empty chip bag. Yes, the crinkly, colorful, mostly air-filled vessel that once delivered your daily salt intake in a single serving. Not just any chip bag—all chip bags. Crinkled foil pouches, glossy plastic sleeves, family-size, fun-size, gas station impulse buys, and yes, even the cylindrical optimism of a Pringles can. If it once delivered chips into your life, it qualifies. I’ve finished a bowl of sea salt kettle chips and pretzel twists while finishing this column as a meta reflection on snack foods and creativity. Which means I now have two bags to play around with! I picked this for our nudge because I can’t stop finding them. Side of the road, under bushes, tangled in fences, fluttering like accidental flags of the snack economy. I’ve used hundreds in my assemblage work—once weaving them into a kind of cornucopia using chicken wire. Bright reds, radioactive greens, electric blues, an endless wheel of eye-catching colors designed to stand out on a snack rack. [Read and share the complete prompt...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/feeling-chipper/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Sunday, May 3 - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-05-03T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Gardening for Butterflies](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/gardening-for-butterflies/18543239/2026-05-03T09) at Botanic Gardens - [Origami with Michelle](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/origami-with-michelle/18094962/2026-05-03T11) at Botanic Gardens - [Storytime in the Gardens](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/storytime-in-the-gardens/18094961/2026-05-03T10) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [Architectural Walking Tour of Downtown Riverside](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/architectural-walking-tour-of-downtown-riverside/18518811/2026-05-03T11) at Mission Inn Foundation & Visitor Center ($21.20) - [CALIFORNIA WOMEN'S CHORUS CONCERT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/california-womens-chorus-concert/16862130/2026-05-03T14) at CAL BAPTIST-VAN DYNE GYM ($25- $30) - [Competitive Monopoly Fundraiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/competitive-monopoly-fundraiser/18729920/2026-05-03T14) at Thompson Brewing Company ($44.52) - [Noteworthy Connections 20s and 30s: We’re Not Really Strangers](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/noteworthy-connections-20s-and-30s-were-not-really-strangers/18671010/2026-05-03T09) at Back to the Grind - ["The Sound of Riverside" - The 2026 Riverside Arts Academy Gala](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-sound-of-riverside-the-2026-riverside-arts-academy-gala/18503772/2026-05-03T17) at UCR University Theatre ($150- $325) ### Monday, May 4 - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-05-04T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-05-04T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [Monday Carillon Recitals](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/monday-carillon-recitals/17079871/2026-05-04T12) at UCR Bell Tower ### Tuesday, May 5 - [Power Up Your Morning with May's Pick Power Hour!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/power-up-your-morning-with-mays-pick-power-hour/18732619/2026-05-05T07) at The Greater Riverside Chamber of Commerce (free- $10) - [ScotSurplus Public Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/scotsurplus-public-sale/17279943/2026-05-05T11) at ScotSurplus, UCR Corporation Yard - [THE GAME : a Monthly Megagame experience](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-game-a-monthly-megagame-experience/18729924/2026-05-05T18) at Nevermore Game Club ($7.18) - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition at the Hideaway](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-05-05T19) at The Hideaway ### Wednesday, May 6 - [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-05-06T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Reading Assistance Program](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-assistance-program/17973404/2026-05-06T15) at My Learning Studio - [California Preservation Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/california-preservation-conference/18153477/2026-05-06T09) at Riverside Convention Center ($20- $505) - [Eastside Library at Lincoln Park | Mother's Day Craft](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/eastside-library-at-lincoln-park-mothers-day-craft/18330781/2026-05-06T11) at Eastside Library at Lincoln Park - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-05-06T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Riverside Mission Belles](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-mission-belles/16691431/2026-05-06T09) at Victoria Presbyterian Church ### Thursday, May 7 - [Lincoln Park Community Group](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/lincoln-park-community-group/16552274/2026-05-07T18) at Lincoln Park Community Center - [ARTSWALK First Thursday Concert Series at UCR ARTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/artswalk-first-thursday-concert-series-at-ucr-arts/18543143/2026-05-07T18) at Culver Center of the Arts - [FREE ADMISSION - First Thursday of every month during Riverside ArtsWalk](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-admission-first-thursday-of-every-month-during-riverside-artswalk/13230799/2026-05-07T18) at Riverside Art Museum - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-05-07T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Meet & Greet: Ward 2 Candidate Mike Vahl](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/meet-greet-ward-2-candidate-mike-vahl/18736954/2026-05-07T17) at Jackson Home - [Pour Decisions a Comedy Wine Tasting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/pour-decisions-a-comedy-wine-tasting/18703117/2026-05-07T18) at Canyon Crest Winery ($39.19) - [Riverdance 30 - The New Generation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverdance-30-the-new-generation/17245219/2026-05-07T18) at Fox Performing Arts Center ### Friday, May 8 - [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-08T07) at Zacatecas Café - [Certified Farmers Market](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/new-certified-farmers-market-january-9-at-farm-house-collective/17808448/2026-05-08T10) at Farm House Collective - [Family Storytime](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/family-storytime/17755261/2026-05-08T09) at Ameal Moore Nature Center - [Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-and-heroes-walking-tour/17901085/2026-05-08T15) at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18) - [R'Hours at the R'Garden](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rhours-at-the-rgarden/18094958/2026-05-08T08) at R'Garden - [Third Act](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/third-act/18543145/2026-05-08T19) at Culver Center of the Arts - [Mana vs Rock en Español classics, Live tributes! In](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mana-vs-rock-en-espaol-classics-live-tributes-in/18729931/2026-05-08T21) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($17.85) ### Saturday, May 9 - [Permaculture Design Training and Certificate](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/permaculture-design-training-and-certificate/17147647/2026-05-09T09) at Land Use Learning Center - [Around the Gardens- Bird Walk](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/around-the-gardens-bird-walk/18543146/2026-05-09T07) at Botanic Gardens - [Bridgerton Mother's Day Tea Party](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bridgerton-mothers-day-tea-party/18729933/2026-05-09T11) at Loft 84 Wedding and Event Venue ($28.52) - [Orange Terrace Library | Mother's Day Tote Bag Painting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-terrace-library-mothers-day-tote-bag-painting/18708163/2026-05-09T15) at Orange Terrace Library - [Death Cafe: A Community Conversation about Death with Kristin Stolte](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/death-cafe-a-community-conversation-about-death-with-kristin-stolte/18744987/2026-05-09T12) at Main Library - [Blink 182 Tribute](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/blink-182-tribute-by-blink-180true/18120568/2026-05-09T21) at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($20.23) - [MOMS GONE WILD, a Comedy Paint and Sip](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/moms-gone-wild-a-comedy-paint-and-sip/17462032/2026-05-09T11) at Back To The Grind ($23.18) ## Save the Date - May 13: [Level Up Your Network: The Pick Group 2026 Membership Summit](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/level-up-your-network-the-pick-group-2026-membership-summit/18625198/2026-05-13T18) at Killer Queens Social House - May 16: [Vintage Home Tour “Age is a Work of Art”](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vintage-home-tour-age-is-a-work-of-art/18708216/2026-05-16T10) at Peter J Weber House ($30) - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### After 45 Years, the SPORT Clinic Is Closing, But Jim Clover's Legacy Isn't Going Anywhere URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/after-45-years-the-sport-clinic-is-closing-but-jim-clovers-legacy-isnt-going-anywhere/ Last updated: 2026-05-04T17:00:25.000Z After 45 years of free, early-morning care for student-athletes across Riverside and the Inland Empire, the SPORT Clinic will officially close its doors on June 15, 2026. The closure came after Riverside Medical Clinic conducted a fiscal review and notified Dr. Jim Clover, DAT, AT, PTA, CES, the clinic's longtime director, that the Sports Medicine Program would be discontinued. "I am devastated to learn that the Riverside Sports Clinic will be closing after 45 years of service," said Cynthia Cuccio, a CTE sports medicine teacher and athletic trainer at Patriot High School who worked with Clover for 19 years. "The clinic has been a trusted part of our athletic community and has supported generations of patients with compassionate and dependable care." Clover reflected on the clinic's origins in a message to the community shared with the Gazette. It began in 1980–81 with a vision from Art Webb, who had a practice on Brockton Avenue. The clinic later moved to Community Medical Group around 1984, where Dr. Wall played a major leadership role, and was sustained by Riverside Medical Clinic for its final 10 years after Community Medical Group could no longer continue. "The mission was always simple: take care of student-athletes in the Inland Empire," Clover wrote. "And we did." The clinic's early-morning hours — 6 to 8 a.m. — were deliberate. By opening before school, athletes could receive care and still make it to class on time. It operated at no cost to patients. When Clover started, there were only two athletic trainers in the area: Al Boyd at Riverside City College and Vic De Liu at UC Riverside. None worked in local high schools. "We covered games because someone had to," Clover wrote, crediting the volunteers and colleagues who stepped in: Ned Bergert and Rick Smith from the California Angels, and physical therapists and athletic trainers including Chris Mumaw, Shawn Zink, Todd Babcock, Jimmy Winn and Jimmy Buba Elton. "Those early days built something real. We didn't just fill a gap, we created a need and helped establish a profession in this area." Over the years, the clinic participated in 35 All-Star Football Games and 25 Practical Applications in Sports Medicine programs, distributed scholarships and launched a sports medicine fellowship with Kaiser, where Dr. Rubin was the first fellow. Physicians including Dr. Sallis, Dr. Felix, Dr. Chun and Dr. d'Arc provided ongoing support. "I honestly don't know if there is a way to accurately express the tremendous impact Jim Clover has had on Riverside as a whole and especially his impact on the world of local youth and high school athletics," said [John Corona](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-john-corona/), a retired track coach and teacher in Riverside Unified School District and Riverside Sports Hall of Fame board member. "In the last 45 years, he has changed just about everything in the realm of athletic training, preventive care and rehabilitation of athletes. His students and mentees populate just about every school in Riverside County." Tony Masi, a retired athletic director in RUSD and Riverside Sports Hall of Fame honoree, put it more directly: "He is a unicorn and the GOAT all in one." "Jim is our pioneer and is the reason so many schools within the IE have athletic trainers at all," said Cassie Vergara, an athletic trainer with Clover Enterprises Inc., the company that partnered with Riverside Medical Clinic to operate the SPORT Clinic. "I've met practitioners in the high desert who have fondly referred to our area as 'Cloverland,' knowing of Jim's precedence." John Tibbles, assistant principal of athletics at Ramona High School, credited the clinic's reach across area campuses. "The sport trainers Jim sent to Ramona and all the area high schools have all been wonderful to work with," he said. "Thank you to Jim for all he has given to the Riverside community over the years." Hannah Wadding, who spent five years working with Clover and is pursuing a career in medicine, described the clinic's atmosphere as one defined equally by rigor and warmth. "There was never a day in the clinic that wasn't filled with laughter, smiles, and valuable lessons," she said. "Dr. Clover is not only an exceptional sports medicine physician, but also an amazing person who makes everyone around him feel comfortable and cared for — whether that's parents, athletes, or interns." Clover said he does not blame anyone for the closure. "This is not a negative story to me," he said in an interview. "It is the natural end of a remarkable chapter." He remains active. Clover continues to work with athletic trainers throughout the Inland Empire, teaches at Cal State San Bernardino and has completed his fourth book on sports medicine. He is also developing a new project focused on education and safety called ClassroomShield360. "Becki, and my daughters Ryann and Sydney, thank you for letting me go to work every day to take care of other people's kids," he wrote in his community message. "There were early mornings, long days, nights, weekends, and a lot of time that could have been spent at home. You supported me anyway. I couldn't have done this without you." "The SPORT Clinic may be closing, but what it stood for isn't going anywhere. And neither am I. I'll still be around." "It's been one hell of a run." ### Season Tickets on Sale for A CBU Christmas and CBU's 2026-27 Theater Lineup URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/season-tickets-on-sale-for-a-cbu-christmas-and-cbus-2026-27-theater-lineup/ Last updated: 2026-05-04T12:00:31.000Z Tickets are selling fast for California Baptist University's 2026-27 theater season. CBU has earned a reputation in the Riverside community for annual traditions like [A CBU Christmas](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/plan-ahead-for-a-season-of-spectacle-tickets-for-a-cbu-christmas-and-2025-26-theatre-now-available/) and fresh theater productions, and audiences are already snatching up spots for next year's performances. Season ticket packages begin at $67, less than $14 per show. The 2026-27 theater season includes two plays and two musicals along with A CBU Christmas, a fan favorite that has become an annual tradition for many Riverside families. Performance dates for each are: - "Clue": Oct. 9, 10, 16, 17 and 18 - "James and the Giant Peach": Nov. 13, 14, 20, 21 and 22 - A CBU Christmas: Dec. 5 and 6 - "These Shining Lives": Feb. 19, 20, 26, 27 and 28 - "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!": April 9, 10, 16, 17 and 18 A CBU Christmas, a musical and theatrical presentation about the birth of Jesus, brings together the entire Collinsworth School of Performing Arts. Entering its ninth year, the production has become one of the most anticipated holiday performances in the Inland Empire. More than 15,000 people attended the 2025 performances, with sold-out shows over two days. CBU projects the 2026 shows will sell out, too. The theme of the season is "Innocence to Responsibility." This will unfold in the fall with performances that highlight consequence and maturity, while the spring performances wrap up the year with an exploration of justice and morality. [Zachary Bortot](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/shakespeare-festival-brings-comedy-and-history-to-the-stage/), associate professor of theatre arts and the division's director, said the theme reflects the program's growth and the questions he wants students grappling with. "It's a meaningful lens for our students and audiences alike as we consider what it looks like to live with purpose and responsibility in our own lives." "This theme provides a powerful throughline for this season, inviting audiences into stories that are both entertaining and deeply meaningful," said Joseph Bolin, dean of the Shelby and Ferne Collinsworth School of Performing Arts. "From comedy to musical theatre to poignant drama, each production showcases the remarkable versatility and artistry of our students — students who are at CBU pursuing the highest standards of both craft and character." The Collinsworth School of Performing Arts is known for presenting vibrant artistic productions while preparing students to become skilled and versatile performers. Throughout the year, the school's [upcoming events](https://calbaptist.edu/academics/schools-colleges/performing-arts/events?ref=raincrossgazette.com) calendar features performances spanning choir, orchestra, jazz ensembles, opera and commercial music. ***More information:*** - *The Collinsworth School of Performing Arts opens its 2026-27 season Oct. 9 at the Wallace Theatre, 8432 Magnolia Ave.* [*Purchase season tickets.*](https://cbulancers.evenue.net/events/SOPA?ref=raincrossgazette.com) - *A CBU Christmas runs Dec. 5-6 at 2:30 and 7 p.m. at the Dale E. and Sarah Ann Fowler Events Center, 8432 Magnolia Ave.* [*Purchase A CBU Christmas tickets.*](https://cbulancers.evenue.net/events/CHRISTMAS?ref=raincrossgazette.com) ### 🍊Your Riverside Weekend- May 2, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/your-riverside-weekend-april-25-2026-c/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:10.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/02/_DSC5738.jpg) **Your Riverside Weekend- May 2, 2026** **Happy Saturday, Riverside!** We hope your week treated you well. Before you head into your weekend, we've gathered the stories that defined life in our city this week — from City Hall to community happenings. You're in the right place to catch up — your weekend starts here. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260502)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260502&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [Ward 4 Candidates Clash Over Warehouses, Taxes and Public Safety at Gazette ForumIncumbent Chuck Conder, Jessica Qattawi and Richard Vandenberg faced off Wednesday on the issues defining the race.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/1-5.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ward-4-candidates-clash-over-warehouses-taxes-and-public-safety-at-gazette-forum/) [Two Ward 6 Candidates Square Off on Homelessness, RTRP and the Galleria’s FutureWith Norma Berrellez absent, Oz Puerta and Luis Hernandez faced questions on the Magnolia Corridor, RTRP construction and the future of the Galleria at Tyler.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/two-ward-6-candidates-square-off-on-homelessness-rtrp-and-the-gallerias-future/) [Public Utilities Board Backs $3M Shift to Fund 45 Public EV Chargers Across CityThe Board of Public Utilities voted unanimously to recommend the funding move to City Council, with some members questioning whether EV chargers are the right investment for low-income communities.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1631347826177-de288776ed3b)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/public-utilities-board-backs-3m-shift-to-fund-45-public-ev-chargers-across-city/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260502)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260502&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [City Has 401 Affordable Units in Development, but Homelessness Count Ticks UpCity staff reported 401 affordable units in development at Monday’s Housing and Homelessness Committee meeting, as advocates pressed officials to move faster.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-6.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-has-401-affordable-units-in-development-but-homelessness-count-ticks-up/) [From Farm Stand to Farmers Market: Woodcrest Collective Takes RootWhat started as a shuttered farm stand became the foundation for a thriving Riverside market.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteCommunity Contributor![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/IMG_6405.jpeg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-farm-stand-to-farmers-market-woodcrest-collective-takes-root/) [This Is Not a Book Review: On Reading Tod Goldberg’s Only Way OutCati Porter on finally reading Tod Goldberg — and why she waited this long.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteCommunity Contributor![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-4-5.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-is-not-a-book-review-on-reading-tod-goldbergs-only-way-out/) [Raincross Rundown: The Best of Riverside in May 2026A curated list of upcoming events and happenings The Gazette team is most excited about.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-6-3.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-rundown-the-best-of-riverside-in-may-2026/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260502) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260502&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Weather Forecast ⛅ Sunday, May 3 — 76° / 52° · Partly Cloudy 🌤️ Monday, May 4 — 69° / 51° · AM Clouds/PM Sun ⛅ Tuesday, May 5 — 70° / 51° · Partly Cloudy ⛅ Wednesday, May 6 — 78° / 53° · Partly Cloudy ⛅ Thursday, May 7 — 83° / 56° · Partly Cloudy ⛅ Friday, May 8 — 86° / 59° · Partly Cloudy ☀️ Saturday, May 9 — 89° / 58° · Sunny ☀️ *A gentle week ahead in Riverside — mild through midweek, warming into the high 80s by the weekend. Nothing to complain about.* --- ## 💬 Staff Picks — What we're talking about around the Gazette this week 🕺Justin was excited to send his oldest off to prom this weekend until he remembered how old his parents were when *he* went to Junior prom. 👠 Amy is beyond excited to see *Devil Wears Prada 2* this weekend — by all means, move at a glacial pace (IYKYK) getting to the theater, she'll be there opening weekend. --- ## Save the Date - May 3: ["The Sound of Riverside" - The 2026 Riverside Arts Academy Gala](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-sound-of-riverside-the-2026-riverside-arts-academy-gala/18503772/2026-05-03T17) at UCR University Theatre ($150- $325) - May 6: [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - May 8: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-08T07) at Zacatecas Café - May 13: [Level Up Your Network: The Pick Group 2026 Membership Summit](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/level-up-your-network-the-pick-group-2026-membership-summit/18625198/2026-05-13T18) at Killer Queens Social House - May 16: [Vintage Home Tour “Age is a Work of Art”](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vintage-home-tour-age-is-a-work-of-art/18708216/2026-05-16T10) at Peter J Weber House ($30) - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - Jun 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Feeling Chipper URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/feeling-chipper/ Last updated: 2026-05-02T12:00:20.000Z Welcome back! [Last week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/off-kilter-filter/) we strained things out—separating, catching, perhaps releasing our biases about what deserves to pass through and what we hold onto. If you spent time noticing what gets caught, what slips through, and what we choose to keep, you’re already thinking like an editor of the everyday. This week, we’re moving from ways we filter things out of our food to ways that we get food into our mouths. Our creative nudge? An empty chip bag. Yes, the crinkly, colorful, mostly air-filled vessel that once delivered your daily salt intake in a single serving. Not just any chip bag—all chip bags. Crinkled foil pouches, glossy plastic sleeves, family-size, fun-size, gas station impulse buys, and yes, even the cylindrical optimism of a Pringles can. If it once delivered chips into your life, it qualifies. I’ve finished a bowl of sea salt kettle chips and pretzel twists while finishing this column as a meta reflection on snack foods and creativity. Which means I now have two bags to play around with! I picked this for our nudge because I can’t stop finding them. Side of the road, under bushes, tangled in fences, fluttering like accidental flags of the snack economy. I’ve used hundreds in my assemblage work—once weaving them into a kind of cornucopia using chicken wire. Bright reds, radioactive greens, electric blues, an endless wheel of eye-catching colors designed to stand out on a snack rack. Chip bags are fascinating to me. They are tiny billboards—highly engineered objects designed to seek out your food budget. Bold typography, exaggerated flavor names (*Flamin’ Hot*, *Cool Ranch*, *Sweet Heat Mango Tango BBQ Explosion*), celebrity tie-ins, mascots with backstories more developed than some movie characters. And yet, for all that effort, they’re usually in our hands for minutes… then months or years as litter. They also hold a kind of cultural primacy. Snack foods are part of important rituals. Road trips, lunchboxes, halftime shows, late-night cravings. Which makes them perfect for a few minutes of creative attention before they vanish (or worse, stick around where they shouldn’t). I bet you’ve got one near the top of your trash can! If not, this might be just the reason to finish off the Lay’s before breakfast. Poke around under the driver’s seat, or in the office lunchroom for those orphans of the mini snack packs shoved in a random cupboard. They’ll pair wonderfully with one or more of these creative nudges: **1\. Branding Ironic:** Flatten your chip bag and really look at it. Study the color choices, the fonts, the layout. Where do your eyes go first? What’s oversized? What’s hiding? Now imagine this as an artifact from 200 years ago. Sketch or write a museum label for it: *This ceremonial wrapper was used to preserve intense flavor hallucinations.* **2\. Crinkle Comp:** Chip bags are instruments hiding in plain sight. Crinkle, tear, pop, or twist. Each motion creates a different sound. Record a short “chip bag symphony.” Layer rhythms. Add a second bag (or a Pringles can drum if you’re feeling orchestral). Title your piece like a serious composer: *No. 2 in Sodium Major.* **3\. Residuals:** Open the bag and take a cautious inhale. What’s left behind? Salt? Spice? Artificial nostalgia? Write a short piece describing the flavor without naming it. Could someone guess “barbecue” or “cool ranch” from your description alone? Or invent a completely new flavor profile based on the scent. **4\. In the Bag:** Cut the bag into strips and try weaving, folding, or braiding it. Combine multiple bags if you have them. Make something small: a patch, a bracelet, a tiny mat, a repair for something unexpected. This is industrial design meeting handmade improvisation. **5\. It’s the Flava:** You’ve certainly noticed a chip flavor and said to yourself, “who would want that?” Now it’s your turn. Invent a new chip flavor that doesn’t exist yet—but probably will. Come up with a name, describe the taste, design the tagline. *“Backyard Rainstorm Lime.” “Midnight Gas Station Coffee Crunch.”* What would your bag look like? Who is it for? Chip bags are strange cultural artifacts. They’re cheap, disposable, engineered for desire, and somehow everywhere you turn. They reflect what we crave, how we’re marketed to, and how quickly something can go from irresistible to irrelevant. But like all the objects we play with here, they’re more than their intended use. They’re color, texture, sound, memory—temporary canvases waiting for a second look before they fade into the background (or the roadside). So, this week, take a few minutes with something meant to be thrown away. Study it. Play with it. Maybe even make something that lasts longer than the flavor did. Because creativity, like a good snack, doesn’t have to be complicated, it just has to be opened. And shared. *This column was written with the help of ChatGPT, used here as a creative collaborator and helper for those times “I need a word for…”* ### Two Ward 6 Candidates Square Off on Homelessness, RTRP and the Galleria's Future URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/two-ward-6-candidates-square-off-on-homelessness-rtrp-and-the-gallerias-future/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:05:52.000Z Two of the three candidates for Ward 6 faced off at the Raincross Gazette's [third candidate forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-gazette-is-hosting-its-first-ever-candidate-forums-wards-2-4-and-6/) on Thursday evening. Oz Puerta, executive director of the Arlington Business Partnership, Board of Ethics Vice Chair Luis Hernandez and Alvord Unified School District Board of Education Trustee Norma Berrellez are vying for the seat vacated by [Councilmember Jim Perry](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/perry-wont-seek-reelection-after-three-terms-on-council/), who announced last year that he is not running for reelection. Berrellez, however, was not in attendance on Thursday evening. Ward 6 covers neighborhoods including Arlanza, La Sierra, La Sierra Hills, La Sierra South, and portions of Arlington. The forum was moderated by former Press-Enterprise columnist and longtime Riversider Dan Bernstein, who introduced discussion questions on both citywide issues as well as Ward 6-specific questions. ### Magnolia Corridor *Residents describe the Magnolia Corridor between Van Buren and La Sierra as the stretch of Ward 6 they're most frustrated by — encampments, open drug use, trash, vacant storefronts. Name one specific action you'd take in your first six months to begin cleaning it up.* **Puerta:** "So I'll tell you what I'll do at a local level, I'll do what I'm already doing now. I have nonprofits that clean up the streets. I've been on national media for my humanitarian work. We pick up trash, we restrike parking lots, and we make sure that we clean up and we instill community pride. I sit on Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful's board of directors. I want to bring more beautification projects locally, and I want to make sure that we work with our county officials \[and\] our state officials to make sure that we build those relationships so we can address the issues that at a local level we can't address..." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/3.jpg) Board of Ethics Vice Chair Luis Hernandez addresses attendees at the Raincross Gazette's Ward 6 candidate forum Thursday evening. (Bob Sirotnik) **Hernandez:** "So if we make beautification efforts to the Magnolia Corridor, obviously it's not going to solve the whole situation that's going on there. What I would do is I would partner with Riverside PD to go after those individuals who are preying on those who struggle with substance abuse \[and\] dealing with mental health issues. If we address those individuals that are providing those substances, we can start to make a dent in that area. Then we can work to bring in more affordable housing. Let's get rid of the room key project that just provides them vouchers for a couple of days, and bring in more permanent supportive housing, transitional housing. \[Things that would actually get\] individuals off the street, and we can actually start taking action to beautify the area and attract more businesses once those progress." ### Ward 6 Identity *Other parts of Riverside have clear identities — downtown, Canyon Crest, the Greenbelt. What is Ward 6's identity today, and what would you build one around?* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/05/2.jpg) Oz Puerta, executive director of the Arlington Business Partnership, addresses attendees at the Raincross Gazette's Ward 6 candidate forum Thursday evening. (Bob Sirotnik) **Puerta:** "I think currently, Ward 6 is looking for its identity. I think there's a lot of issues, for sure, there's also a lot of potential. When you look at the Galleria, we don't need to rebuild the mall in \[built in\] 1995 – we need to focus on experiences, name brand retailers, dining and family activities. These are the things that we can build around and have the Galleria focus of Ward 6\. So to start with, I want to clear their reputation for Ward 6 so it's considered sort of an uptown and showcase that Riverside is more than just downtown and with that comes a vibrant business community." **Hernandez:** "I think the culture of Ward six is representative of the residents who live here. We're mostly Latino population here in Ward six, and you can see that by a lot of the restaurants, the shops, individuals who live here in the area. But it's also \[a\] very mixed community, and I love that. I want to keep focusing on that – bringing in more events that focus on the culture that exist here, the overall mixed culture here in Ward 6 I think is something that we should focus on to bring in more foot traffic for our local businesses." ### Code Enforcement *Some Ward 6 residents are asking for code enforcement on evenings and weekends — when complaints like illegal dumping, party noise, and weekend nuisance issues come in but officers aren't on duty. What would you do to make sure code enforcement can respond to these complaints?* **Puerta:** "So just like what we do when the city needs to address another thing. Right now for the police department, for example, the city designed that piece of team to deal with certain issues, with mental health issues and whatnot. So all we have to do is designate a new team, a new force that can service as needed. Obviously, we do our homework to make sure what time these calls are made, any consistencies on trends, making sure that if it happens every Wednesday of the month at this time, we can be cost efficient at addressing these issues without necessarily having to hire an army of people." **Hernandez:** "So obviously, when it comes to illegal dumping, things like that, I hear the complaints of the residents when I go knocking on doors. They \[said they call police\] to see what they can do, there's no answer. They don't come. And I know everything that's going on here in our area is going on throughout the city, so we need to make sure that we can provide more support for these individuals that address these issues like illegal dumping, and make sure that you know they have the resources that they need, so we can expand the times where they can address these issues." ### RTRP [Riverside Transmission Reliability Project](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/rtrp-construction-is-finally-underway-heres-what-riversiders-can-expect-in-the-next-several-months/) construction is active right now and headed toward Arlanza, directly behind homes that were evacuated during the [Mandalay Fire last June](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/fire-crews-quickly-contain-mandalay-wilderness-fire-evacuation-orders-lifted/). The route, the schedule, and the four-miles-underground split are locked. What would you actually push for during construction to protect Ward 6 — and what's your standard for whether the city has done its job here?\* **Hernandez:** "So when it comes to the above ground portion of the RTRP project, I've been very vocal that I'm against the above ground portion. Initially, this project was supposed to go through Ward 3\. For some reason it didn't go through there anymore. Right now it's going through here. Why is it that they can change that, but they can't find alternatives to make it underground..Why? Because they don't want to. I know, there's the excuse \[that\] we can't find the money. It's convenient when you can find when you want something really bad, you can find the money. I think the safety of our residents is something important enough for us to find money to protect the future of this area." **Follow-up question:** *During the construction, there are certain things that could be done, I believe, by city council members to make sure that things go smoothly, to protect the ward, maybe getting things on schedule, environmental issues. In other words, make this construction program accountable, so that the residents don't worry that \[the work\] is being done correctly.* **Hernandez:** "You know, it's, it's important that we make sure that…we look at the environmental effect that that project will have on that area. That's one of the major reasons I'm against this. Well, as far as the construction, I know it's already started. But as far as it's going to make sure that they're following along with the plans that we're already in place, and making sure that we have some oversight in place to make sure that things are going along." **Puerta:** "So…I would push to make sure that your power stays on. The state mandate was done 20 years ago in 2006\. Riverside is not the same Riverside today as it was 20 years ago. If we have the money to make this project fully underground, by all means, I don't think anyone is disagreeing with it. And correct me if I'm wrong, I believe this project costs around $600 million and it would be another $600 \[million\] to get this fully underground. If the money's there, I don't have a problem with that. At least one of the council members said the money was there. I don't understand why if a standing council member says the money is there and nothing has been done about it – maybe the money is not there. I will say this, the need for a second connection to the state \[grid\] has never been more important. Now I want to make sure that in the summer, when it gets hot, you turn on your AC, that it actually turns on. And as far as the standard for whether the city has done its job here, I think that there's been a lot of information going around. There's been a lot of community engagement. The problem was that this model, this method, was designed years ago, and I can't speak for whether or not that right outreach was done to make sure that the needs of the community was heard when those decisions were made. I feel like we are supposed to be reactive, and we're risking your reliability tax dollars, so we can make sure that we make a smart decision – preferably what you guys prefer – to make sure that you guys don't lose a core service like your electricity." ### Street Vendors *State law permits what cities can do about sidewalk vendors – no outright bans, capped fines, no criminal charges. But some of the respondents to the registrants complained that Riverside has too many unpermitted street vendors. Riverside already has a vending ordinance. Ward six residents see unpermitted vending every day, so what should the city be doing about it and where do you draw the line between enforcing it and also allowing some economic opportunity for these vendors?* **Hernandez:** "So obviously, here in Ward six, a majority Latino community, we see a lot of individuals…who actually want to make money to start a business of their own…but don't have the financial opportunity… As council members of the city, we can work together to provide programs to be able to teach them the proper way, to be able to grow businesses, to work with them, and maybe provide places where they can set up. There's already places over there by Target where some of the food trucks will set up. Perris has done this in the past, where they have an area of vacant property where they just allow them to set up – there's that way. It's concentrated in one area, and it doesn't bother the neighbors. We need to provide opportunities for these individuals who want to work, who want to create a business for themselves, who aren't in the financial position to do that by paying really expensive rent for a storefront." **Puerta:** "I think this is an area where the city can easily lead with compassion. First, we can address unpermitted vendors by showing them maybe a pamphlet, guidebook, something that says, these are the steps you need to be compliant to make sure that you meet the safety standards… I think number two, if we continue to see the same people going that aren't permitted, that's when we need to enforce what whatever policing policies we have – which means, if we need to fine them, we fine them….I don't think anyone is against someone making a living, but we all abide by rules in the society. We all voted. We may not agree with all of the rules, but we did…come to a consensus with them." ### Galleria at Tyler *The Galleria at Tyler has lost* [*Nordstrom and Forever 21*](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/whats-next-for-the-post-nordstrom-galleria-at-tyler/)*, and the JCPenney property sale fell through last year. The mall's largest vacancy is over 150,000 square feet with no public plan to fill it. What should happen to the Galleria — and what's the council's role in making it happen?* **Puerta:** "So I've spoken about this before, and the question is: why do people shop in person when they can buy something online? The answer is simple, it's for the experience. So we'll talk about adding things like family dining, entertainment and family activities, then we can revitalize something like the mall. What does a council's role take place in that? It's simple: on the business side, permitting and processing. If we streamline the process, we get more consistent answers. We'll have a reputation of being business friendly. So that way these bigger businesses, like I said earlier, they don't come out of compassion, they do their math, they do their homework. We make sure that they're sustainable,...Currently, I believe Riverside is ranked the 19th city, best city to start a small business. That means we have 18 spots to do better. There's always room for improvement. And I think that if we start at city hall we start with consistent answers and we'll build that reputation that makes it easier to attract these businesses." **Hernandez:** "So the reason a lot of these stores are closing…we have to pay attention to what's going on nationally, locally. Obviously, the economy is having a huge impact on residents, right? Online shopping has put a dent in storefronts…I don't want to lose Tyler Mall. It's been here ever since I've lived here. It's a landmark for the city. So I think council members should work together to try and keep it alive by making it maybe multipurpose. Maybe we can bring in art galleries. Maybe we can bring in different things \[so\] the Tyler Mall will bringa little bit of new life… Not just the same old stores, not just the same old restaurants, something a little different. That's usually what sparked people's interest. If the Tyler Mall is like, oh, I have something new, usually people want to go check it out, right? So just thinking outside the box, just the regular retail and regular restaurant stuff, thinking differently." ### Looking Forward *Ward 6 is an open seat after Jim Perry's 13 years. You win this election. Four years from now you're running for re-election. Tell voters concretely what you'll have accomplished in your term.* **Hernandez:** "So I aim to be as responsive to residents as Jim Perry. Whether people disagree with Jim Perry, everyone agrees that he's always been responsive to their needs. He's always reached out to them. He's always come to them and \[said\], 'hey, you know, what's the problem? What do you need?' Whether it be one of his assistants, whether it be himself, in person, that's one of the things I aim to be. The other one is obviously bringing in more affordable housing…the unhoused situation in our area \[is\] never going to go away, and nobody's ever going to fully solve that. But if we can make a difference and take some of those individuals off the street, that's something that I aim to accomplish, obviously keeping people off the street by bringing in \[more affordable housing\]. That is one of the main things I aim to accomplish, along with infrastructure, making sure that some of the streets that haven't been paved or done in a while get done, areas with families that have children running around, \[making sure\] that they have sidewalks \[so\] those families don't have to worry about getting run over. So those are just some of the things I aim to accomplish in those four years." **Puerta:** "So I want to take advantage of things like the city of Riverside and their volunteer list of people who want to help, people who want to give back. I want to make sure that those people are presented with every opportunity to go forward. Because every time I come to a forum, every time I go to a group, I meet people with new organizations that I've never heard of before, there's a lot of good work being done in our city, and we need to take advantage of that. There's a lot of smart people in our city. I also want to work on making sure that Riverside meets its housing mandate, because we have a situation where Alvord has just voted to \[let go\] over 100 educators because of the anticipated lack of enrollment numbers. If we address housing, we can make sure that our teachers have a job, we make sure that we create the right opportunities by creating career-technical pathways for our students. We start at the high school level, we learn about what our college students are learning. So that way, we can approach it in two ways: we can educate them on the jobs that are available here \[and\] talk about the opportunities that I will bring in from other industries based on what the students are already learning. Things like advanced manufacturing, things that we've talked about before. But what I really want to do is make sure that we address all these big issues: housing, quality jobs, a vibrant business economy, because I think that those are some core concepts that we can, at a local level, get the most return on investment." ### Closing Statements **Puerta:** "Well, first I want to say thank you to everyone for coming out tonight. I also want to thank…Jim Perry for his 13 years of service. I've heard from knocking on doors that Jim Perry is accessible, and he hears people out. Working with him for the last eight years, I can tell you that's absolutely true. If he doesn't know the answer, he'll find someone else to get it to you. That's the level of service that this Ward expects. That's the minimum level of service it needs. Moving forward, he has set that standard. We need to make sure that whoever sits on that dais for Ward 6, make sure that Ward 6 gets the attention it deserves, because, in my opinion, it's the most neglected ward in our city. There's a lot of opportunity. There's a lot of things we can do about it. We need to make sure we have someone on that dais that doesn't just wait for opportunities to come to them – but they go out there and find them, they go out there and make things happen. I'm the most experienced candidate. I can do that." **Hernandez:** "So I agree with Mr. Oz Puerta that our ward is one of the most neglected, and I could change that. I'm running because I live here and I know and I experience all of the challenges that our families and local businesses go through in this area. It's important to me that someone who's local, that knows the area, that lives here \[is\] on City Council so that they can represent the individuals in this area. My campaign is rooted in community, advocacy, education, transparency and accountability. But most importantly, standing up for working families. Our residents deserve leadership that is transparent and consistent. Thank you." *Correction Sat. May 2, 11:55 a.m.* An earlier version of this story incorrectly quoted Board of Ethics Vice Chair Luis Hernandez as saying he would partner with Riverside PD to go after those who struggle with substance abuse. Hernandez said he would partner with Riverside PD to go after those who are preying on those who struggle with substance abuse. The story has been updated. ### City to Seek Public Input on Cesar Chavez Community Center Name URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-to-seek-public-input-on-cesar-chavez-community-center-name/ Last updated: 2026-05-03T12:00:33.000Z Riverside is preparing to gather public input on whether the Cesar Chavez Community Center should keep its name — but city staff said that no renaming proposal has been advanced. The Park and Recreation Commission on Wednesday received an informational update on the issue, which comes after [the city in March removed a Cesar Chavez Day item from its agenda and instead observed Farmworkers Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-pulls-cesar-chavez-honors-calls-for-review-of-chavez-named-facilities/). [Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson also in March called for a broader review](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-responds-to-chavez-allegations-latino-network-postpones-annual-event/) of public facilities and monuments named after Chavez. The city's actions come after the New York Times published an [article](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/us/cesar-chavez-sexual-abuse-allegations-ufw.html?ref=raincrossgazette.com) in March that brought to light decades-old allegations of sexual abuse by Chavez, a labor unionist and civil rights activist who died in 1993. Staff said the Cesar Chavez Community Center, which is currently closed for renovations, is expected to reopen in spring 2027. At Wednesday's meeting, staff emphasized that the city is not recommending a name change at this stage — only beginning a community engagement process that could include meetings, surveys and outreach to neighborhood groups and community organizations. City staff said that the mayor's multicultural forum will meet on June 3 from 8-9:30 a.m. in the Main Library committee room as part of a broader outreach effort to gather community input on the center's renaming. Staff also noted that the city's naming policy requires public input before any recommendation is sent to the City Council. City policy also states that a facility named for an individual should not be renamed after another individual. Commissioner Kevin Dawson urged the city not to move too quickly. "I think it would be a mistake to rush to rename it after a person or something," he said, adding that the matter deserved "an appropriate amount of time of pause and reflection." Other commissioners said they support a community discussion, while others argued the commission should avoid spending too much time on internal procedural changes when parks-related issues are pending. ### Raincross Rundown: The Best of Riverside in May 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-rundown-the-best-of-riverside-in-may-2026/ Last updated: 2026-05-03T11:59:29.000Z May arrives in Riverside with something for everyone — from the first notes of a banda set echoing across White Park to a yoga mat spread out under open sky and the smell of fresh tacos on a warm May evening. This month the city leans into its traditions while making room for new ones, and whether you're raising a glass on Cinco de Mayo, making something with your hands, or dancing through the last Saturday of the month under a Pride flag, there's something for everyone and plenty of reason to be out and about. ### ARTS & CULTURE [**May 1–Aug 3 — An All-American City: A Celebration of America 250**](https://riversideca.gov/calendar/event/riverside-all-american-city-celebration-america-250-museum-exhibit?date=Friday%2C%20May%201%2C%202026&ref=raincrossgazette.com) - Opening reception: Friday, May 1 at 6 p.m. - Mission Inn Foundation Gallery, 3598 Main St, Riverside - Free This new exhibit at the Mission Inn Museum traces Riverside's place in the American story through art, artifacts, and history — just in time for the nation's 250th anniversary. On view through August 3, it draws on the Mission Inn's remarkable collection: a Paul Revere handbell from Frank Miller's bell trove, Civil War–era street portraits, presidential mementos, and a retrospective of Riverside's own 1976 Bicentennial celebration. The opening reception on May 1 at 6 p.m. is open to all, and the exhibit runs free through the summer. [**May 3 — First Sundays at Riverside Art Museum & The Cheech**](https://riversideartmuseum.org/event/free-admission-first-sunday-of-every-month-in-collaboration-with-rac/2026-05-03/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) - Sunday, May 3, 12–5 p.m. - Riverside Art Museum (Julia Morgan Building) & The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture, Downtown Riverside - Free May kicks off the First Sundays series — a collaboration between the Riverside Arts Council and Riverside's two flagship art institutions. Both RAM and The Cheech open their doors free of charge from noon to 5 p.m., with no tickets required. It's the easiest way to spend a Sunday afternoon in downtown Riverside, and the first of many this year. Also on May 7, both venues are free again from 6–9 p.m. for the monthly Riverside ArtsWalk. [**May 3 — Carlos Puma: Cheech @ The Cheech — First Sundays Reception**](https://riversideartmuseum.org/event/carlos-puma-cheech-the-cheech-arts-walk-and-reception/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) - Sunday, May 3, 2–4 p.m. - The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture, Downtown Riverside - Free Fold this one right into your First Sundays afternoon. Photographer Carlos Puma has spent nearly a decade documenting The Cheech from the inside — starting in 2017, he had exclusive behind-the-scenes access to Cheech Marin as the cultural center took shape. His black-and-white photographs trace the center's journey from concept to institution, and this reception is a chance to hear the story directly. Stay for the art, linger for the conversation. [**May 21 — In Conversation: Terry Evans, Mark Klett, and Laura McPhee on Landscape Photography**](https://ucrarts.ucr.edu/events/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) - Thursday, May 21, 1 p.m. PST - Virtual / California Museum of Photography - Free UCR ARTS hosts a free virtual conversation with three celebrated photographers — Terry Evans, Mark Klett, and Laura McPhee — exploring landscape, place, and the influence of writer Barry Lopez. The discussion connects to the exhibition *From Here to the Horizon*, which gathers fifty artists responding to the sweeping American landscape. If you've ever stood somewhere and felt the land asking something of you, this conversation is for you. ### CINCO DE MAYO Cinco de Mayo falls on a Tuesday this year, and Riverside's got no shortage of ways to mark it. [**Route 30 Brewing — Cinco de Drinko**](https://www.instagram.com/p/DXrmlyAkUwk/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) - Tuesday, May 5, 5–10 p.m. - Route 30 Brewing, 11620 Sterling Ave Ste C, Riverside - Free Route 30 is going all out for Cinco — margaritas, slushes, horchata, micheladas, and Taco Tuesday making a one-night-only comeback. It's a neighborhood brewery doing what it does best: turning a Tuesday into a party. [**Taco Station — Cinco de Mayo Mariachi**](https://www.instagram.com/taco%5Fstation/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) - Tuesday, May 5, 5–7 p.m. - Taco Station, 4088 Mission Inn Ave (corner of Brockton & Mission Inn Ave), Riverside - Free Stop by Taco Station early in the evening for live mariachi and authentic Mexican food on one of the year's best days to eat tacos. A perfect warm-up before the night continues elsewhere. [**Tacos Che Taqueria — Cinco de Mayo Night Market**](https://www.instagram.com/p/DXt99qJiVeE/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) - Tuesday, May 5, 5 p.m. - Tacos Che Taqueria, 1635 University Ave, Riverside - Free A community-rooted Cinco celebration at Tacos Che: $1.99 tacos, live music, a complimentary mocktail, margaritas, and a photo booth. The flyer says it plainly — "we will find a way to spread the message of love, unity, empowerment, and joy." Come hungry and stay for the music. ### COMMUNITY EVENTS [**May 2 — Show and Go Car Show**](https://www.showandgo.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) - Saturday, May 2, 7 a.m. - Downtown Riverside - Free admission The Riverside East Rotary Club and the Old Farts Racing Team bring back the Show and Go Car Show for another year in Downtown Riverside. Running from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 4300 Main St, this is a full day made for car lovers — gleaming hoods, good conversation, and a downtown street scene that's hard to beat. Attendance is free; car registration is available at [showandgo.org](http://showandgo.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). [**May 16 — Ward 3 Beautification Project**](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdR6pP8hXR4n6DLs%5FcmJwTaPQ2dyeNmygYiIEAKHYsWB9RFFA/viewform?ref=raincrossgazette.com) - Saturday, May 16, 8–11 a.m. (check-in at 7:45 a.m.) - Nichols Park, Dewey Ave, Riverside, CA 92504 - Free Keep Riverside Clean & Beautiful invites volunteers to join the Ward 3 Beautification Project for a morning of litter removal, light landscaping, and community pride. All supplies are provided — just bring closed-toe shoes, sun protection, a reusable water bottle, and a great attitude. You'll be grouped with a team on arrival. Register via the link above or contact [anguyen@riverside-chamber.com](mailto:anguyen@riverside-chamber.com) with questions. ### FESTIVALS [**May 9 — La Tardeada Banda Festival**](https://www.latardeadafestival.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) - Saturday, May 9, 2–11 p.m. - White Park, Downtown Riverside - Kids 12 & under free Just in time for Mother's Day weekend, La Tardeada brings what it bills as the biggest banda fest in Riverside to White Park — and the lineup backs it up. Voces del Rancho leads a stacked bill that includes Los Plebes de Sinaloa, Banda Imperio, La Kultura, Desde Cero, Mariachi Tecuala, J Valentino, and more, across two live stages running from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. Add Lucha Libre, Baile Folklórico, food and art vendors, a beer garden, and kids' activities, and you've got a full day for the whole family. [**May 30 — 4th Annual Riverside Inland Empire Pride Festival**](https://www.riversideprideie.org/event/festival26/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) - Saturday, May 30, 12–9 p.m. - White Park, Downtown Riverside - Free (RSVP at [riverside.lgbt/festival26](http://riverside.lgbt/festival26?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) The 4th Annual IE Pride Festival returns to White Park for a full day under the theme *Stonewall Lives: Existence is Resistance*. With 120+ vendors, food, a beer garden, music, DJ, drag performances, a youth zone, and workshops, this is one of the biggest free events Riverside hosts all year. RSVP online for your free tickets and bring the whole crew. ### HEALTH & WELLNESS [**Blue Zones Project Riverside — Moais**](https://www.eventbrite.com/o/94536645423?ref=raincrossgazette.com) - Ongoing — various days, times & locations - Free A moai is a small group of people who commit to showing up for each other regularly — a concept borrowed from Okinawa, one of the world's original Blue Zones, where lifelong social circles are linked to longer, healthier lives. Blue Zones Project Riverside runs a rotating calendar of free moais across the city: a Downtown Walking Moai with Erin Edwards (Tuesday mornings, 3311 Market St), a Reading Moai at the Main Library, Vinyasa and Yin Yoga Moais at Community Yoga Center, and a Harvest Moai at Overflow Farms. All started in April but are open to new members — check the Eventbrite page to find one that fits your schedule and just show up. [**May 16 — Ananda Yoga Festival**](https://www.anandayogafestival.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) - Saturday, May 16, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. - White Park, Downtown Riverside - TBD (check website) White Park gets a completely different energy on May 16 when the Ananda Yoga Festival fills it with movement, music, and what the organizers call "intentional commUNITY." A full day of yoga classes anchors the festival, alongside live music, a Cacao Ceremony, a restorative Audacity to Rest experience, a Soulful Musical Journey, a collaborative Community Mural, and a Little Yogis Zone for kids. Whether you're a serious practitioner or yoga-curious, this is one of those days that leaves you feeling genuinely better than when you arrived. ### MAKE SOMETHING [**May 3 — UCR Arts Family First Sunday: Cyanotype Collages & Thaumatropes**](https://ucrarts.ucr.edu/events/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) - Sunday, May 3, 1–4 p.m. - California Museum of Photography & Culver Center of the Arts, Riverside - Free UCR ARTS opens its Family First Sunday with two hands-on workshops that feel like a time machine to the 19th century. In the cyanotype workshop, participants coat paper with light-sensitive chemicals, arrange negatives and found objects, and expose them under UV light to produce stunning cyan-blue prints. In the second activity, Gluck Fellow Hannah Tishkoff leads a thaumatrope-making session — spin the toy fast enough and two separate drawings become one. Free, open to all ages, and genuinely magical. ### MUSIC & PERFORMANCE [**May 22–30 — Farm House Spring Series**](https://www.instagram.com/p/DWsQpd0AFKJ/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) - Various dates, Farm House, 1393 University Ave, Riverside - Tickets on sale now Farm House's Spring Series rolls into its May stretch with five nights of live music: Boogaloo Assassins (May 22), TOPS (May 23), Blood Club (May 28), Salami Rose Joe Lewis (May 29), and Mismiths (May 30). It's a curated run of shows in one of Riverside's most beloved intimate venues — grab tickets now before they go. ### OUT & ABOUT [**May 1 — Bar Ni Modo One-Year Anniversary**](https://www.instagram.com/p/DXvAc%5F%5FIiSY/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) - Friday, May 1, happy hour all day - Farm House, 1393 University Ave, Riverside - Free Bar Ni Modo turns one this Friday and they're celebrating with happy hour all day, $11 cocktail specials (Root Reviver, Coco Mami, and Fresita), and $1 shots off the ice luge. Don't miss the negroni fountain. It's a party for the regulars and a welcome invitation for anyone who hasn't made it to Farm House yet. [**May 6 — Star Wars Trivia: Revenge of the Sixth**](https://www.instagram.com/p/DXrmlyAkUwk/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) - Wednesday, May 6, 6:30 p.m. - Route 30 Brewing, 11620 Sterling Ave Ste C, Riverside - Free The force is strong at Route 30 on May 6, when Star Wars trivia takes over the taproom the night after May the Fourth. Themed slushes, blue milk, prizes, and a special character appearance make this one worth rallying your crew for. May the trivia be with you. *Riverside in May is a city that knows how to show up for itself. Whether you're at White Park watching banda stages light up the night or sitting in a gallery tracing the quiet arc of 250 years of American history, the common thread is the same: people choosing to be here, together, in this place we call home. See you out there.* ### 🗞️ Riverside News- May 1, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-may-1-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:11.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/IMG_0749.jpeg) Golden hour light washes over the Riverside Art Museum. (Kathy Allavie) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Friday Gazette: May 1, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Friday!** Last night, we wrapped up our Ward Community Forum series with an evening focused on Ward 6 candidates, closing out three nights that also brought us Ward 4 and, where it all began, Ward 2\. These forums meant a lot to us to put together, and hearing from those of you who attended, well, it's meant even more. We've received kind words and genuine appreciation from folks who called these some of the best political events they've been to in Riverside. That's because of you: the neighbors who showed up, sent in thoughtful questions, and were present in the room. Thank you, sincerely, for making this series what it was. See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260501)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260501&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [2026 ELECTION](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/2026-election/) ## Ward 4 Candidates Clash Over Warehouses, Taxes and Public Safety at Gazette Forum Incumbent Chuck Conder, Jessica Qattawi and Richard Vandenberg faced off Wednesday on the issues defining the race. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/1-6.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ward-4-candidates-clash-over-warehouses-taxes-and-public-safety-at-gazette-forum/) Ward 4 candidates Chuck Conder, Jessica Qattawi and Richard Vandenberg face questions from moderator Dan Bernstein at the Raincross Gazette's candidate forum Wednesday. Three Ward 4 candidates clashed sharply Wednesday at the Raincross Gazette's candidate forum, trading challenges over warehouse development, a proposed sales tax increase and years of unfulfilled promises on public safety infrastructure. Incumbent Chuck Conder, local business owner Jessica Qattawi and local business owner Richard Vandenberg are vying for the Ward 4 council seat. Ward 4 covers neighborhoods including Alessandro Heights, Mission Grove, Orangecrest and the Greenbelt, which became a part of Ward 4 during redistricting in 2023 – meaning many residents in this area will be voting in a Ward 4 race for the first time this year. The forum was moderated by former Press Enterprise columnist and longtime Riversider Dan Bernstein, who introduced discussion questions on both citywide and Ward 4-specific questions. [Read and share the complete Ward 4 Forum Recap...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ward-4-candidates-clash-over-warehouses-taxes-and-public-safety-at-gazette-forum/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260501)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260501&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [RAINCROSS RUNDOWN](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/raincross-rundown/) ## The Best of Riverside in May 2026 A curated list of upcoming events and happenings The Gazette team is most excited about. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-6-4.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-rundown-the-best-of-riverside-in-may-2026/) The Walking Moai — because the best steps are the ones you take together. Moais are small social circles rooted in Okinawan tradition and [central to the Blue Zones philosophy](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/blue-zones-project-riverside-marks-year-one-with-4-500-residents-engaged-28-new-moais-launching-saturday/). This is just one of the many ways Riverside is building community this May. (Erin Edwards) May arrives in Riverside with something for everyone — from the first notes of a banda set echoing across White Park to a yoga mat spread out under open sky and the smell of fresh tacos on a warm May evening. This month the city leans into its traditions while making room for new ones, and whether you're raising a glass on Cinco de Mayo, making something with your hands, or dancing through the last Saturday of the month under a Pride flag, there's something for everyone and plenty of reason to be out and about. [Read and share the complete May Rundown...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-rundown-the-best-of-riverside-in-may-2026/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260501) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260501&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [Adoptable Pet of the Week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag//) ## Meet Jerry Blu! Meet this week’s featured furry friend from the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center. Dedicated to eliminating pet homelessness, the center provides compassionate care and facilitates adoptions for animals in need of loving homes. Find your new companion and help support their mission of humane care and responsible pet ownership. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-7-4.jpg)](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Meet Jerry Blu, probably the most easygoing dog you’ll come across. Jerry Blu is 7yrs old and is happy taking life at a leisurely pace. He enjoys going out for walks, especially if it’s followed up by some quality time and a good round of pets. Jerry Blu’s personality and demeanor have a way of making everyone he meets immediately fall in love, especially when he leans in for attention and more scratches on his velvety soft head. He’d do best as the only dog in the home, where he can relax and enjoy having his people all to himself. If you’re looking for a steady, low-key companion, Jerry Blu might be your guy. Come meet Jerry Blu and all the adoptable pets at the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center in person. Stop by any day except Tuesdays, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., or learn more at [petsadoption.org](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). ****Alumni update**: Tilly was adopted! 🥳 --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Friday, May 1 - [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-01T07) at Zacatecas Café - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-05-01T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Deck of Cards Silent Auction - Your Pet's Photo in a Special Deck of Cards](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/deck-of-cards-silent-auction-your-pets-photo-in-a-special-deck-of-cards/18702160/2026-05-01T00) at Online for Mary S. Roberts pet Adoption Center ($10.00) - [OLPH Fiesta](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/olph-fiesta/18629119/2026-05-01T17) at OLPH Parish & School - [The Fake Actors Guild: Bob's Burgers Table Read for PRIDE! B2tG](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-fake-actors-guild-bobs-burgers-table-read-for-pride-b2tg/18672411/2026-05-01T19) at Back To The Grind ($12.51) - [Into the Breeches! by George Brant at Riverside Community Players](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/into-the-breeches-by-george-brant-at-riverside-community-players/18450344/2026-05-01T19) at Riverside Community Players ($20.00 - $22.24) - [Riverside: An All-American City — A Celebration of America 250](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-an-allamerican-city-a-celebration-of-america-250/18699658/2026-05-01T18) at Mission Inn Foundation and Museum - [La Santa Cecilia](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/la-santa-cecilia/18501415/2026-05-01T19) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium - [Las Alucines -Tu Nuevo Estilo de Vida US Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/las-alucines-tu-nuevo-estilo-de-vida-us-tour/18501417/2026-05-01T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [Painting Fairies Night, a Comedy Paint and Sip](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/painting-fairies-night-a-comedy-paint-and-sip/18671851/2026-05-01T19) at Carbon Nation Brewing ($28.52) - [Riverside Children's Theater - Disney's Little Mermaid Junior](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-childrens-theater-disneys-little-mermaid-junior/18642373/2026-05-01T19) at JW North High School ($15.00) - [Riverside Off-Road & Jeep Nights](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-offroad-jeep-nights/18477720/2026-05-01T17) at D'Elia's Grinders - [World Music Festival](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/world-music-festival/17756870/2026-05-01T19) at University Theatre ### Saturday, May 2 - [Show and Go Car Show](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/show-and-go-car-show/18748418/2026-05-02T07) at Downtown Riverside - [Milkweed sale and Monarch Celebration](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/milkweed-sale-and-monarch-celebration/18519473/2026-05-02T09) at LandUse Learning Center - [Evergreen Cemetery Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/evergreen-cemetery-tour/18672412/2026-05-02T10) at Evergreen Memorial Park ($23.18) - [FREE Paper Shred Event Hosted by The Perrone Team](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/free-paper-shred-event-hosted-by-the-perrone-team/18684890/2026-05-02T09) at D'Elia's Grinders Orangecrest - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-05-02T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [Olive Country Charcuterie Bar](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/olive-country-charcuterie-bar/18702821/2026-05-02T09) at Olive Country Charcuterie Bar - [Riverside Cinco De Mayo Bar Crawl](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-cinco-de-mayo-bar-crawl/16365263/2026-05-02T17) at Killer Queens Social House - [Sublime Tribute by Don't Push!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sublime-tribute-by-dont-push/18179810/2026-05-02T21) at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($20.23) ### Sunday, May 3 - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-05-03T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Gardening for Butterflies](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/gardening-for-butterflies/18543239/2026-05-03T09) at Botanic Gardens - [Origami with Michelle](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/origami-with-michelle/18094962/2026-05-03T11) at Botanic Gardens - [Storytime in the Gardens](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/storytime-in-the-gardens/18094961/2026-05-03T10) at UCR Botanic Gardens - [Architectural Walking Tour of Downtown Riverside](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/architectural-walking-tour-of-downtown-riverside/18518811/2026-05-03T11) at Mission Inn Foundation & Visitor Center ($21.20) - [CALIFORNIA WOMEN'S CHORUS CONCERT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/california-womens-chorus-concert/16862130/2026-05-03T14) at CAL BAPTIST-VAN DYNE GYM ($25- $30) - [Competitive Monopoly Fundraiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/competitive-monopoly-fundraiser/18729920/2026-05-03T14) at Thompson Brewing Company ($44.52) - [Noteworthy Connections 20s and 30s: We’re Not Really Strangers](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/noteworthy-connections-20s-and-30s-were-not-really-strangers/18671010/2026-05-03T09) at Back to the Grind - ["The Sound of Riverside" - The 2026 Riverside Arts Academy Gala](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-sound-of-riverside-the-2026-riverside-arts-academy-gala/18503772/2026-05-03T17) at UCR University Theatre ($150- $325) ## Save the Date - May 6: [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - May 8: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-08T07) at Zacatecas Café - May 13: [Level Up Your Network: The Pick Group 2026 Membership Summit](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/level-up-your-network-the-pick-group-2026-membership-summit/18625198/2026-05-13T18) at Killer Queens Social House - May 16: [Vintage Home Tour “Age is a Work of Art”](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vintage-home-tour-age-is-a-work-of-art/18708216/2026-05-16T10) at Peter J Weber House ($30) - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Ward 4 Candidates Clash Over Warehouses, Taxes and Public Safety at Gazette Forum URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ward-4-candidates-clash-over-warehouses-taxes-and-public-safety-at-gazette-forum/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:05:54.000Z Three Ward 4 candidates clashed sharply Wednesday at the Raincross Gazette's candidate forum, trading challenges over warehouse development, a proposed sales tax increase and years of unfulfilled promises on public safety infrastructure. Incumbent Chuck Conder, local business owner Jessica Qattawi and local business owner Richard Vandenberg are vying for the Ward 4 council seat. Ward 4 covers neighborhoods including Alessandro Heights, Mission Grove, Orangecrest and the Greenbelt, which became a part of Ward 4 during redistricting in 2023 – meaning many residents in this area will be voting in a Ward 4 race for the first time this year. The forum was moderated by former Press Enterprise columnist and longtime Riversider Dan Bernstein, who introduced discussion questions on both citywide and Ward 4-specific questions. ## Ward 4-Specific Questions ### Warehouses and the March Land *Last May, the* [*March JPA voted 8–0 to reject a project*](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/march-innovation-hub-project-rejected-by-joint-powers-commission/) *on roughly 800 acres of former military land — including about 143 acres of warehouses — next to Mission Grove and Orangecrest, now under Riverside County's jurisdiction. Do you support warehouse development there, and what role should a Riverside councilmember play in the county's decision?* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/2-3.jpg) Incumbent Chuck Conder stands to make a point as fellow candidates Jessica Qattawi and Richard Vandenberg look on during the Raincross Gazette's Ward 4 forum Wednesday. **Conder**: "...We had a \[Fortune\] 50 company come in here for high tech, and they killed it. How are we going to get that back? Now we have no say. It's in the hands of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, five people. We don't have a say in Riverside anymore, and that's a sad thing. We have enough warehouses. We don't have as many open spaces of individuals over here right now, warehouses, you talk to VIA, there are people scrambling to try to find a large warehouse, because everything is moving internet sales. Every one of \[you\] probably got Amazon, eBay or something. Where's that come from? A warehouse." **Vandenberg**: "Mr. Conder, weren't you one of the ones who voted for that budget? So you just stomped your foot and said they killed it." **Conder**: "We voted on that project. We had the next project in line, and that was stopped." **Vandenberg**: "I went to the meeting in March when they were there, talking about their good-paying jobs, and I went to all eight booths. Now, one of the people there was qualified to speak on the jobs. They couldn't tell me what the jobs were or what they paid. Not a word. I went through with an open mind. We have enough warehouses in the Mission Grove, \[Orangecrest\] area…the Council, about three months ago, took a vote. It was the warehouse zoning update. Okay, that's one thing they did good. They voted 4-3 to reduce the size of warehouses the closer we got to our house, schools and parks bigger offset more plants and trees to kind of hide them. That was a 4-3 vote. Mr. Conder, care to share how you voted on that one?" **Conder**: "Go look at the warehouses that we are actually trying to build and put out there. Not the 100,000 square feet one you're trying to do. Nobody wants the small one. We're trying to sell the big ones." **Vandenberg**: "If you are elected to City Council, you're elected to represent your constituents. Your constituents overwhelmingly do not want these big warehouses in the backyard. Even if you're the smartest guy in the room, you're not elected to be king." **Qattawi**: "Yeah, so no warehouses in Ward four. That is definitely the sentiment from all the residents. I'm also door knocking, and I actually sent out a survey, and I wanted to give you my results. When it came to warehouses, I asked my constituents, did they want to continue expansion of that property right next to the Grove Church? And 17% said yes, 73% said no. 10% said unsure, and 5% said tell more. So we're going to say about 15% don't really know what's going on, so they don't want to make a decision. But 73% of the residents don't want warehouses. And this is the responsibility of a city council person: to represent the residents. Residents first. And that's what we need to remembe…you guys are electing us to represent you, and what has been happening on that dias, they are \[not\] representing us. They lie to you and tell you everything that you want to hear. And then when they get up there, what do they do? They vote against everything they ever promised you. And I believe that should be illegal, and there should be some type of repercussions for doing that, especially when we have proof of it." ### Road Conditions *Big rigs on Van Buren and Washington, potholes on Victoria, truck ordinances barely enforced — and Van Buren, one of Ward 4's busiest corridors, is the city-county line. What's the single most important thing you'd do on Ward 4's roads in your first six months?* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/3-3.jpg) Jessica Qattawi addresses the audience as moderator Dan Bernstein looks on during the Raincross Gazette's Ward 4 candidate forum Wednesday. **Qattawi**: "I don't even need to start in the next six months. I already started trying to do the work. I personally met with Senator Kelly to discuss some ideas and options for how we can start alleviating traffic in Ward four, it is getting really busy. What has happened is that the city has poor planning skills. They have not planned for the growth of our city, and now we're dealing with lots of traffic. One of the things we discussed…is the 215 and the 60\. We need to get involved with Caltrans, we need to speak with them as a city and taking care of our residents we need to make sure that we start reaching out to them, and for future planning we need to make sure that we are putting in the roads that we need to ensure that there is a good flow for our community." **Vandenberg**: "We need to prioritize our road repairs. We have done a poor job investing in our roads. We don't invest in the maintenance, and then the repairs become much more expensive. That's one. Number two, we need enforcement. Traffic enforcement up in the area. We're one of the safer areas in Riverside. Because of that, we don't have the same police force in our neighborhoods. The other big \[thing\] here…the safety issue is not necessarily break-ins. It's traffic. It's speeders. It's mostly walking inside of the road, and people are speeding fast, and that's an issue for me. It's traffic enforcement. We need to get them up there. We need to get them \[to\] knock these big rigs we're driving up and down roads. They're doing the most damage to the streets. Increasing the fines, I think it was done. If it hasn't been done … I'll make that an escalated fine… I think that's the easiest thing that actually would generate funding for our city." **Conder**: "So we've been working hard to restrict truck traffic. You can't control trucks on the truck line…our area, we have put restrictions on…It's a very difficult thing. We haven't played anybody heard of the BIG project? Probably not. It's called the Barstow Intermodal Gateway, and what we're working on is getting the trucks off the road. All this stuff out of the ports are going to come by a train to Barstow. You see the massive train yard that's out there? That's where the stuff will come in. And from that point, you truck down that'll get a lot of stuff off of our streets. You're always going to have trucks…if you're doing business in the area…We continue to restrict them. We spend more money on road surfacing this year than they ever have. Same thing for next year. Our internal team, they're doing the potholes. Our external team with the pay-per-roads. It costs us a lot less to do slurry, we're doing the slurrying, but we're taking care of this city with the money we have. We can do more – Y'all want to be taxed more? I'll go to the boss and ask for higher taxes in the city if you want more. We're doing with what we've got, there's eight of us fighting for that pot of money." ### Greenbelt and Prop R / Measure C *Proposition R and Measure C have protected the Greenbelt from development since 1979 and 1987\. Are those protections strong enough as written — or do they need to be updated, and if so, in which direction?* **Conder**: "Many of you know I worked 10 years here, for MacArthur in the Greenbelt…the Green Belt is sacred to us…\[the laws are\] stern enough to protect us now. Now, is it too stern? Well, that depends on if you want to sell your land and build houses on it. I love the Greenbelt. If we want a Greenbelt here, we need to help protect it. I have, for years, fought to try to find a way to have RPU have a lower rate for the Greenbelt Prop 218 is killing me on that. But if the citizens want an open area, like the citizens want fire protection, please prepare. You want the open area, we all have to pay for it because these people are struggling with water. That is the biggest thing…" ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/4-2.jpg) Richard Vandenberg addresses the audience as Jessica Qattawi and Chuck Conder listen during the Raincross Gazette's Ward 4 candidate forum Wednesday. **Vandenberg**: "I don't know if \[the laws\] are strong enough. If they're not, they need to be. We need to protect the Greenbelt. We don't have Riverside without the Greenbelt. At one point in history, we were the richest city per capita because of our roads, our industry. We need to protect it. Make Victoria Avenue beautiful again, was the project on Victoria La Sierra…I would protect the Greenbelt at all costs." **Qattawi**: "We would need to protect the Greenbelt. I was speaking with a lady earlier, she said that she's having to take all her navels out and replant them with avocados now, because of the Oriental fly and all this damage, and it's not possible anymore to have the navels. Riverside is known for oranges, right? So it's kind of sad to hear that but we definitely need to make sure that we take care of our farmers and our farms, and they're part of the workforce I'd definitely commit to doing whatever I can to help them." ### Police Presence *92508 residents say police presence in Mission Grove and Orangecrest is basically nonexistent. A Ward 4 police substation has been on the table for years but never funded. Should that change — and where does the money come from?* **Qattawi**: "Public Safety should be our priority. When we live in a city, we want to make sure that we are safe. One of the survey questions that I did…I asked \[residents\] to tell me anything that you're concerned about in Riverside. And one of them said Daisy Street…one of our residents said that one out of every three homes on that street had been burglarized. What are we doing as a city? We do need to make sure that we provide a substation in that area, and we need to make sure that, until then, that we have a police force constantly going through those areas to ensure that we're safe. Ward 4's known for having the higher end homes, right? So we definitely want to make sure that we protect our area." **Conder**: "Your police chief, Larry Gonzalez, one of the finest men you'll ever want to meet, he lives in Ward four. He has been working to find ways to increase patrols, which we have. Y'all remember, the CHP station is down here…their commander came to me a couple years ago and said, You want us in Riverside, Riverside, I want you here. He said, We can't be here anymore. We are tapped out. We have no room. We've got to move. We can't afford to do it. So I sat with him, and I sat with the police chief, who talked about doing something, and I designed a station to go along behind the grove on 13.9 acres. It would be a combination of Riverside police officers and the CHP. …We had a meeting here…Guess who killed the project. Sacramento…They're the ones that killed the project…Your police chief is looking for ways to put something up there, trying to decide how to do it, where to do it, his offices that had to go up there. They are the best. Your police chief knows what he's doing. He's going to get something up to the matter. Right now the downtown station is what's sucking up all the funds." **Vandenberg**: "Chief Gonzalez is fantastic. I did meet with him about two months ago. We met for about an hour. We talked about police presence in Ward four. He said Ward four is not the biggest concern in the city. There are bigger concerns, and he didn't have the staff to cover the whole city. I understand now we're fully staffed. I would support a fire station, a police station in Ward four. I received a pamphlet in the mail today for Mr. Conder, and he's promising a police station in Ward four, knowing we're going through budget cuts, $18 million cut this year, I'd like to give you an opportunity to share where the funding is coming from." **Conder**: "Funding comes from Measure Z. If you go, spend three minutes on the internet…it show you what measure Z funds are, and 70% of it in we've invested in police cars, police helicopters, aircraft, personnel, equipment. Larry Gonzalez is going to get something done, we need to find places to do it." ### Measure Z *Measure Z was passed in 2016, scheduled to expire in 2036 but* [*the measure that's on the ballot raises the sales tax from 1% to 1.25% indefinitely*](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-puts-sales-tax-increase-on-june-ballot-to-fund-fire-staffing/)*. In other words, no expiration. So are you for that?* **Vandenberg**: "I serve in the budget engagement commission. I'm the Vice Chair. I am not for the increase or the permanency of this thing. Number one, we gotta show that we've used the money where I do so far, it's been in effect for 10 years. It was expected to generate $48 million and did $84 million last year. The increased draw on fire should have been offset by the increase in revenue generated from that. In the ballot statement, the original, it said we're going to fund, police, fire, homelessness services, youth, Senior Services, roads and infrastructure and other general services. …\[They\] spend a majority … on fire and police, however, not a penny for seniors, not a penny for youth, 1% for homelessness. Let's go back and reprioritize money first before we tax. It's not a good time to be increasing taxes. People are struggling with rising costs from gas, utilities, everything else…it is not the time. It's time to dig in our pockets…it's time to make cuts in the city, to prioritize the money that we have, and make sure it is used as voters approved it almost 10 years ago. As far as sunsetting, we got 10 years left. What's the rush to make this permanent? You make it permanent, we lose accountability. Right now, we gotta go back to taxpayers to say here's how we spent the money for the last 20 years. Did we do okay? Should we extend it?" **Qattawi**: "I kind of mentioned this earlier. I personally met with Mike Furtell about Measure Z, and I was one of the individuals that signed the opposition statement to make sure that they edited what is going to be on the ballot when it goes out to all the residents, because it was not transparent where the money was going to go. We want to make sure that …Measure Z was going to go towards fire and public safety, but this one is not. It's going to go to the general fund. And if you're okay with that, then vote yes, right? If you want to ensure that your money is going towards your safety, then vote no. And let's figure something else out. I did ask Mike to provide me with the money that was spent for last year, which Measure Z brought in..and he provided me a list of all the places that the money went, but he did not provide me with the exact amounts where how much was spent at each place. He said he's going to send it to me. I'm still waiting on that it's been a month." **Conder**: "Well, the reason it is indefinite is because you can kill it next year. This one is for 20 years. If we put a 20 year date on it, we're stuck with it for 20 years. If the citizenry decides in 2031 to put it on the ballot, it can stop it. That's why. If you're voting on Measure Z in Ward four, you're going to get public safety, and that is a flat damn truth. Right now, public safety is struggling in Ward four. Response times for fire exceed twice the average in Riverside because of the traffic…We need a fire station…I've worked with the city manager and we're going to deal with it as soon as we buy that land. We're going to put temporary housing up there for the firefighters of the trucks and we're going to get fire protected there..." **Vandenberg**: "Do you support tax increases or not, yes or no?" **Conder**: "Yes." **Vandenberg**: "And that \*pamphlet right there says he does not." **Conder**: "For what I need to do for my city, you're damn right." \*A campaign mailer distributed by Conder's campaign pledged he would hold "City Hall accountable by opposing new taxes," a claim Vandenberg cited during the exchange. ### Wildfire Prevention & Response *Much of Ward 4 now sits in high fire hazard zones — Hawarden Hills, the Alessandro arroyos, the Greenbelt — and the* [*2024 Hawarden fire*](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/hawarden-hills-fire-damages-houses-and-displaces-residents/) *raised serious questions about both response and prevention. Where does the city need to do better, and do you support stricter brush clearance enforcement on private property?* **Qattawi**: "I think some people might not be too ecstatic about this answer…the Hawarden fire, it took a lot longer for them to get to the fire because of the road being closed off. And I bring this up because if that bridge was finished, it could possibly eliminate traffic. It would make it a lot safer for the residents that live there. What does the city need to do better? I personally also met with the fire chief, and we had a conversation. They had an outside company come in which they paid money for…and they said, okay, well, your city isn't fire safe, and we're one minute slower in response time than we're supposed to be. So they want to bring in two more fire stations, and I want to say 84 more firemen. It's very convenient that this comes up when they also want to position Measure Z and let us know that we need to vote for Measure Z to protect us. But they also do have a program now called Firewise, and if you sign up for it, it will give you a chance to make sure that you are safe, but also possibly lower your insurance because I know a lot of people there in terms have gone up. So that's something to look into, but that is something that the city is doing and I'm grateful for that…we also have to talk about the positive things that are out there…" **Vandenberg**: "What is the biggest cause of fires in Riverside? It's not fireworks. It's not homeless, which that's kind of what I thought it would be. It is power lines, transformers and utility lines. RTRP would have been a good place to start. Putting those underground would have been a great way to start, right? That aside, I will fully support brush clearance. We need that dedicated funding source for the brush clearance…right now we deal with issues as a default. I took a walk just yesterday with a gentleman in the room, and he showed me some of the areas that are overlooked that are overgrown fire hazards. We need to have a more proactive approach to clearing our brush hazards, trimming our trees, and clearing the debris." **Conder**: "Yeah, we need to get better at doing it. The challenges are with the houses that back up to an arroyo, part of which they can't get into because it's controlled by the Riverside Conservancy. A former fire marshal…and I, we worked, we talked, we put together a plan with the city…we need to do a better job, because the winds blow. Houses are being built. Go up into the houses being built on the south side, they're like, 10 feet apart. One house catches fire. It's going to run down the road, so we've got to be very careful. We have to do the fire clearance. They're not telling you, it'll rip your birds of paradise from the front of your house with the things. They're just telling you, just why keep the dead stuff away. Make sure you find your house fire safe. All that is good, but our houses are mostly stucco, the roofs are tiled, we just gotta do a better job of closing off some vents where some of the embers of the fires from Hawarden flew in and that was a tragedy, but could have been worse." **Qattawi**: "But what can the city do? There's an organization called CCC, and Senator Kelly told me about this, they will come out for free and remove brush. So why are we not utilizing that service? And it's free to us." ### Overlook Parkway *The Overlook Parkway extension — and the bridge over the Alessandro Arroyo it requires — has been proposed, stalled, and revived since at least the 1980s. Should it be built — yes or no, and why?* **Qattawi**: "I would say yes, I do believe we should build it. But of course, this would also take some consideration of figuring out a way to open up Madison, because we do want to look at what that will look like after we open it up, right? So it will debase some of the traffic, but we also have to look at the next streets over, like Madison and Washington. I actually had a constituent email me a whole plan, and he worked on this about 10 years ago, and I would love to be able to present it to everybody and see if it makes sense. At the end of the day we just want to make sure that we can live in our city. Be happy. Get to work, get home to our children safely and do our thing because we got to do this every day over and over and over." **Vandenberg**: "There's two parts to this, right? There's an extension, and then there's a bridge. I would support the extension. I don't know why we haven't done it. It wouldn't cost a lot of money. There's not a lot to it. It would alleviate traffic on Via Vista. … I'm for the extension. I don't know if we \[should\] put a bridge yet or not…I believe it was part of the master plan. There are no driveways that back into Overlook. I don't know enough, to be honest, about that. I would support the extension; the bridge would take more research, traffic studies, before I can support or not support it." **Conder**: "The extension requires a bridge. It requires two bridges connected. It was taken out of the general plan by my predecessor. I had it put back and looked at and studied. He's incorrect. There are a couple of houses that open up on Overlook, but not many. The danger is it's going to be one way in, one way out, if a fire burns. It is part of the city's general traffic plan. It needs to be looked at. There are ways to slow down traffic on it. We can put in rotaries…we can do things in traffic without so it is back into the plan. It's going to get one get looked at…there are good ways to deal with traffic study, and I've got the traffic engineers to think outside the box that the best way to make this work and come back with a study and they're working on it someday, somewhere you will see a study for that." ### Mission Grove Apartments *The council voted 6–1 to approve 347 apartments at the old Kmart site in Mission Grove, overriding an airport-safety density cap set for the area near March Air Reserve Base. Was that the right call?* **Vandenberg**: "Infill projects I support if we're going to build housing. That was an opportunity to do so, we were told by the councilman, there was nothing we could do about the four stories, about the multiple units, about the lack of three to four bedroom apartments for housing, it was for family housing, which didn't make sense with one or two bedroom apartments and the lack of parking. Folks…fought hard and got a deal struck with the developer that I think they were satisfied with. That's the way things work. When you come and you negotiate and you work with the people, you kind of get things done when the city works together. We were told there was nothing you could do on that project." **Conder**: "There wasn't nothing you couldn't do. The corporation that bought the land from the Rubin family. They came with the first plan. 347\. Came back, groups work, talked to Michelle who runs the company, and it's down to 188\. We need housing, this is top line housing…this is a fantastic place. It's a place you can walk…You've got grocery stores, you've got the movie theaters, you've got the gym going in there...." **Qattawi**: "I think it's a great place for a mixed use property, and like I was thinking about earlier, with the businesses and the homes above it, we just want to make sure that wherever we build, that we do have enough parking and that the streets can accommodate the traffic. I think that what we're lacking in Ward four is like the Canyon Crest Town Center. And that's one of my visions for our area, is…seeing if we could create that within our ward. Who's ever been to Canyon Crest Town Center? It's beautiful, right? Don't you guys want to have one for us? So I think it would be great, we were able to create that within that…shopping, living and trails." ### Looking Forward *You win this election. Four years from now you're running for re-election. Tell voters concretely what you'll have accomplished in your term.* **Qattawi**: "So first, I accomplished making sure that the warehouses were \[not\] built in my ward. I also brought in a fire station. I brought in a police station to make sure that we are safe. I was able to create a plan with Caltrans so they could work on the freeways the 215 and the 60, so that way we can alleviate the traffic going on through Van Buren and on Alessandro... I also helped bring a senior center, because Ward four doesn't have a senior center. I also brought a Farmers Market event, and started hosting a community event for our ward for the children." **Vandenberg**: "We have fine tooth comb-picked our budget. We've eliminated wastewater use. We did not have to increase taxes to meet our safety needs in the city. We did not develop logistics warehouses, we brought new jobs to the city, we met our housing mandates for low and moderate income housing, we reduced homelessness in the city." **Conder**: "Well, we have a balanced budget. We got a strong police force. We got a fire department, which is one of the best quality fire departments in America. We're bringing in business. We are safe. Our streets are in bad shape, and they're getting better…We are on the right path. We have a council working together for the better of Riverside. We had some challenges a couple of years ago, now we're working together. We got a great staff. Let me tell you, we have professional people downstairs that love this city, and they are working. We work with them. We're getting things done. Now's \[not\] the time for opportunities to come in and change the things that we're doing. It's working. We got business coming here, let me tell you why they come here…because people want to live here. We are doing a good job, we have good schools, good fire, good police…and we have good parks." ### 🗞️ Riverside News- April 30, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-april-23-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:13.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/4.png) **Thursday Gazette: April 30, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Thursday!** TONIGHT, the Gazette wraps up [its first-ever candidate forum series](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-gazette-is-hosting-its-first-ever-candidate-forums-wards-2-4-and-6/) with Ward 6\. It's the final chance to hear directly from the candidates who want to represent your neighborhood before the June election, and there's still room if you'd like to join us. Altura Credit Union will provide a light dinner and refreshments. Be sure to [reserve your spot](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-gazette-is-hosting-its-first-ever-candidate-forums-wards-2-4-and-6/)! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260430)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260430&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [2026 ELECTION](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/2026-election/) ## Ward 2 Candidates Weigh In on Warehouses, Wildfire and UCR The Gazette posed four Ward 2-specific questions that didn't make it into last week's forum. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-5-6.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ward-2-candidates-weigh-in-on-warehouses-wildfire-and-ucr/) Ward 2 City Council candidates Aram Ayra, Christen Montero, Gracie Torres and Mike Vahl answer questions at the Gazette's April 23 candidate forum. (Bob Sirotnik) Three of the four candidates vying for the Ward 2 City Council seat weighed in this week on UCR's relationship with the city, wildfire risk in Canyon Crest, warehouse development near Sycamore Canyon and their vision for a first term — questions that ran out of time at the Raincross Gazette's [April 23 candidate forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-gazette-hosts-first-ever-candidate-forum-for-ward-seat/). Aram Ayra, Christen Montero and Mike Vahl responded to the Gazette's follow-up questions. Torres had not responded by publication deadline. Ward 2 covers neighborhoods including Eastside, Canyon Crest, Mission Grove, Sycamore Canyon and the University District. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ward-2-candidates-weigh-in-on-warehouses-wildfire-and-ucr/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260430)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260430&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Public Utilities Board Backs $3M Shift to Fund 45 Public EV Chargers Across City The Board of Public Utilities voted unanimously to recommend the funding move to City Council, with some members questioning whether EV chargers are the right investment for low-income communities. [![black car on parking lot during daytime](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1631347826177-de288776ed3b?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDR8fGV2JTIwY2hhcmdlcnxlbnwwfHx8fDE3Nzc0OTc5NTB8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/public-utilities-board-backs-3m-shift-to-fund-45-public-ev-chargers-across-city/) ([Oxana Melis](https://unsplash.com/@oksdesign?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) Riverside Public Utilities will shift $3 million toward 45 public fast-chargers at city facilities — if City Council approves. **Why it matters:** If you rent or live in an apartment without home charging access, these Level 3 chargers at libraries, fire stations, downtown garages and other city sites could be your nearest option. Charging won't be free, but rates are still being set. **Driving the news:** The Board of Public Utilities voted unanimously Tuesday to recommend the funding shift — drawing from RPU's low carbon fuel standard reserve — to the full City Council for final approval. **By the numbers:** $3 million will cover the chargers and electrical infrastructure for 45 units, but not parking lot modifications or other onsite work. **Yes, but:** Resident Malissa McKeith and board member Gary Montgomery both questioned whether EV chargers are what disadvantaged communities actually want from this money. - RPU's Tracy Sato responded that low-income EV adoption is rising due to "substantial rebates" and that cleaner air benefits everyone. **What's next:** The item heads to City Council for a final funding vote. Charger sites — which could include libraries, police and fire stations, City Hall, downtown parking garages and the airport — are still being selected. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/public-utilities-board-backs-3m-shift-to-fund-45-public-ev-chargers-across-city/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260430) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260430&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [BOOKS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/books/) ## This Is Not a Book Review: On Reading Tod Goldberg's Only Way Out Cati Porter on finally reading Tod Goldberg — and why she waited this long. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-4-6.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-is-not-a-book-review-on-reading-tod-goldbergs-only-way-out/) A copy of Tod Goldberg's **Only Way Out*. (Cati Porter) Tod Goldberg's latest book, Only Way Out, debuted last December to wide acclaim. Just this week, it was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in fiction. Tod is an award-winning author and the founder and director of UCR Palm Desert's low-residency MFA program. My own acquaintance with his work roughly coincides with the publication of Gangsterland, the first in his series of crime novels which follow the exploits of Sal Cupertino aka Rabbi David Cohen. None of which I've read. Yes, in my previous life as executive director of Inlandia Institute, I hosted Tod as a guest presenter over the years. Yes, I own signed copies of his books. One could ask, why buy the books and then not read them? I suppose you might say I was a little… apprehensive? [Read and share the complete review...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-is-not-a-book-review-on-reading-tod-goldbergs-only-way-out/) --- ## Noteworthy Riverside invites the public to [shape the city's land use future](https://sur-vey.typeform.com/to/UhA9TJ1W?ref=raincrossgazette.com) at a free General Plan Update and Climate Action workshop this Saturday, May 2, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Salvation Army Corps on 1st Street. A UCR business professor has developed an [AI tool that corrects "retrospective bias"](https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/04/22/reclaiming-context-creative-works?ref=raincrossgazette.com) in genre classification, helping films, music, and other creative works be understood as audiences experienced them at release — not through today's cultural lens. RCC animation students and alumni [screened short films and fielded audience Q&As at the 24th Annual Riverside Film Festival](https://www.rcc.edu/about/news/2026-rcc-annimation-film-festival.html?ref=raincrossgazette.com), with alumni Sarah Ruyle and Annika Maganua among the honored selections in the Student Animation Shorts program. A La Sierra University student filmmaker's [documentary on Arizona's Holbrook Indian School](https://lasierra.edu/article/students-indian-school-film-selected-for-sda-festival-nad-series/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) — shot during a Christmas break mission trip — was selected for the Sonscreen Film Festival and included in a 10-part NAD documentary web series on faith in action. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Arlington Library| Propagation Station: Plant Swap](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/arlington-library-propagation-station-plant-swap/17642280/2026-04-30T10) at Arlington Library - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-04-30T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [**Raincross Gazette: Ward 6 Community Forum**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-6-community-forum/18495207/2026-04-30T18) at Altura Credit Union (10725 Magnolia Ave.) ### Tomorrow - [**Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-01T07) at Zacatecas Café - [The Fake Actors Guild: Bob's Burgers Table Read for PRIDE! B2tG](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-fake-actors-guild-bobs-burgers-table-read-for-pride-b2tg/18672411/2026-05-01T19) at Back To The Grind ($12.51) - [La Santa Cecilia](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/la-santa-cecilia/18501415/2026-05-01T19) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium - [Las Alucines -Tu Nuevo Estilo de Vida US Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/las-alucines-tu-nuevo-estilo-de-vida-us-tour/18501417/2026-05-01T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [OLPH Fiesta](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/olph-fiesta/18629119/2026-05-01T17) at OLPH Parish & School - [Painting Fairies Night, a Comedy Paint and Sip](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/painting-fairies-night-a-comedy-paint-and-sip/18671851/2026-05-01T19) at Carbon Nation Brewing ($28.52) - [Riverside: An All-American City — A Celebration of America 250](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-an-allamerican-city-a-celebration-of-america-250/18699658/2026-05-01T18) at Mission Inn Foundation and Museum - [Riverside Off-Road & Jeep Nights](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-offroad-jeep-nights/18477720/2026-05-01T17) at D'Elia's Grinders - [World Music Festival](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/world-music-festival/17756870/2026-05-01T19) at University Theatre ## Save the Date - May 3: ["The Sound of Riverside" - The 2026 Riverside Arts Academy Gala](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-sound-of-riverside-the-2026-riverside-arts-academy-gala/18503772/2026-05-03T17) at UCR University Theatre ($150- $325) - May 6: [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - May 8: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-08T07) at Zacatecas Café - May 13: [Level Up Your Network: The Pick Group 2026 Membership Summit](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/level-up-your-network-the-pick-group-2026-membership-summit/18625198/2026-05-13T18) at Killer Queens Social House - May 16: [Vintage Home Tour “Age is a Work of Art”](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vintage-home-tour-age-is-a-work-of-art/18708216/2026-05-16T10) at Peter J Weber House ($30) - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### This Is Not a Book Review: On Reading Tod Goldberg's Only Way Out URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-is-not-a-book-review-on-reading-tod-goldbergs-only-way-out/ Last updated: 2026-05-01T23:15:17.000Z "The biggest thing he got from books was that even though his life was prone to dumb-fuckery, there were opportunities out there to fuck up that far exceeded his own limited imagination." —Mitch Diamond, Only Way Out Tod Goldberg's latest book, Only Way Out, debuted last December to wide acclaim. Just this week, it was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in fiction. Tod is an award-winning author and the founder and director of UCR Palm Desert's low-residency MFA program. My own acquaintance with his work roughly coincides with the publication of Gangsterland, the first in his series of crime novels which follow the exploits of Sal Cupertine aka Rabbi David Cohen. None of which I've read. Yes, in my previous life as executive director of Inlandia Institute, I hosted Tod as a guest presenter over the years. Yes, I own signed copies of his books. One could ask, why buy the books and then not read them? I suppose you might say I was a little… apprehensive? I'll give you some context: When Breaking Bad premiered in 2008, I wanted to watch it, really I did, but I just couldn't get past the bloody bathtub scene. IYKYK. It was only during the doldrums of the pandemic lockdown that I finally broke through that wall. I do not regret it. So what if I covered my eyes and ears and waited for my husband's signal that it was safe to look? Admittedly, this is harder to do with books. Tod's books are, by all accounts, murder-y. But now that I am older and can finally not look away when the phlebotomist draws my blood, I decided I'd give Tod's crime fiction another go, starting with his most recent book, Only Way Out. Like his other books, the story is populated by morally flexible characters. I was definitely worried there'd be scenes that I would have to skip over but frankly they were so comedic and not especially graphic that not once did I have to close my eyes and ears and skip ahead. Only Way Out is a fast, fun read with short breezy chapters. It's funny. And, in spite of it mostly taking place in Oregon, Inland Empire readers will be glad to see side trips into SoCal's Wonder Valley, Twentynine Palms, and Joshua Tree, and even a sojourn into Yuma, Arizona, because it wouldn't be Tod Goldberg without the desert. There are plenty of legitimate book reviews out there, so if that's what you're looking for, you'll have to look elsewhere. The back cover tells you all you need to know before cracking the spine, so rather than risk spoilers, below are some salient passages that I underlined as I read. —"What would make you punch a poet?" "Time and proximity." —"No one wants to die in view of a discount Chico's." —"You're dressed like the Russians are going to attack the aquarium." —"Your prostate is the size of a raccoon." —"It's irredeemable to kill a dog. You can't even do that in a book or in a movie." —"It was like smoking a yoga mat dipped in formaldehyde." —"The toilet was his spiritual lodestar." —"Fourteen years old and with the general countenance and effervescence of a budding serial killer." —"Was there ever a boy named Devin who grew into a man people respected?" —"I would rather watch a hyena eat a puppy than babysit this weak child." —"Why are you always reading?" "It keeps me from thinking about my own death." There's a little something for everyone. Read them as koans. Commit them to memory. Recite them at parties. Will this book change your life? Probably not. Will it improve your moral character? Doubtful. However, it will keep you from thinking about your own death, at least until you turn the last page. *Cati Porter is a writer, editor, and publisher based in Riverside, California. Find her on the web at* [*www.catiporter.com*](http://www.catiporter.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*. Her hybrid memoir, Clay Bodies, is forthcoming in 2027.* *Tod Goldberg, Only Way Out. Thomas & Mercer, Seattle, 2025\. ISBN 9781662525629* ### Public Utilities Board Backs $3M Shift to Fund 45 Public EV Chargers Across City URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/public-utilities-board-backs-3m-shift-to-fund-45-public-ev-chargers-across-city/ Last updated: 2026-05-01T19:15:55.000Z Riverside Public Utilities will move $3 million to help pay for 45 publicly accessible EV chargers at city facilities, after the Board of Public Utilities unanimously voted on Tuesday to recommend the funding shift to the City Council. The money will come from RPU's low carbon fuel standard reserve, a state-funded program that generates credits through reduced transportation emissions. The proposal supports Riverside's Electrify Riverside program, which staff said is designed to expand public charging access and lower installation costs. Under the plan, the funds will cover the chargers themselves and some of the electrical infrastructure needed to connect them, but not onsite work such as parking lot modifications. Assistant General Manager Tracy Sato told the board on Tuesday that the city plans to buy Level 3 fast chargers from [Chaevi](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-signs-agreement-with-korean-ev-company-exploring-u-s-expansion/), a South Korea-based charging company. The city's November 2025 [memorandum of understanding](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15391266&GUID=D2BEB11F-C709-4B37-BE68-8452721CD5AA&ref=raincrossgazette.com) with Chaevi calls for 45 chargers, and officials said they are still selecting charger sites. Possible locations include libraries, police stations, fire stations, City Hall, downtown parking garages and the airport, according to the meeting discussion. Officials said they are also looking at whether some chargers could be placed on county property. The city says the project is intended to benefit EV owners, including residents who cannot charge at home because they rent or live in multifamily housing. Staff also noted that state rules require at least half of the funding to benefit disadvantaged low-income communities. While Sato said charging rates are still being negotiated, she noted that the chargers will not be free — and that they are expected to generate enough revenue to help cover operations and maintenance. "I do support the city having more EV chargers . . . \[but\] when I hear us presume what disadvantaged communities want, I have to point out that none of us in this room are probably disadvantaged and we might actually want to reach out to some of those communities and see what they would prefer such a large sum of money be spent for," said resident Malissa McKeith. Board member Gary Montgomery echoed McKeith's concerns, telling staff, "I don't know a lot of low-income people that own EVs." Sato said the city is seeing an increase in low-income customers buying EVs because of the "substantial rebate." "So we are seeing more folks, especially in low income and disadvantaged communities participating in this. And then . . . everybody benefits from clean air." The board also approved a separate item that updated a [Riverside Transmission Reliability Project](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/rtrp-construction-is-finally-underway-heres-what-riversiders-can-expect-in-the-next-several-months/) agreement with Southern California Edison, lowering the city's interconnection facility costs from $15.9 million to $14.2 million and revising the project schedule. The EV charger item will go to the City Council for final approval. ### Ward 2 Candidates Weigh In on Warehouses, Wildfire and UCR URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ward-2-candidates-weigh-in-on-warehouses-wildfire-and-ucr/ Last updated: 2026-05-01T12:00:49.000Z Three of the four candidates vying for the Ward 2 City Council seat weighed in this week on UCR's relationship with the city, wildfire risk in Canyon Crest, warehouse development near Sycamore Canyon and their vision for a first term — questions that ran out of time at the Raincross Gazette's [April 23 candidate forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-gazette-hosts-first-ever-candidate-forum-for-ward-seat/). Aram Ayra, Christen Montero and Mike Vahl responded to the Gazette's follow-up questions. Torres had not responded by publication deadline. Ward 2 covers neighborhoods including Eastside, Canyon Crest, Mission Grove, Sycamore Canyon and the University District. ### UCR as a Civic Asset UCR has 27,000 students and is one of the largest employers in the city. Name one thing the city should be doing with UCR that it is not doing very well now or not doing at all. **Ayra:** "One of the most important things the City can do is partner closely with UC Riverside to ensure more students are housed on-campus, rather than pushing demand into surrounding residential neighborhoods. With the university on track to bring in 35,000 students by 2035, expanding on-campus housing is not optional. If we don't build for that growth on campus, our Riverside neighborhoods will continue to absorb the impact. The City should be an active partner in that effort and hold the university accountable to meeting its housing commitments. As a UCR alum and a longtime University neighborhood resident, I've seen how the current gap plays out. Students face high rents and limited options when they go off-campus, while areas like the University neighborhood have to deal with illegal unit conversions and quality-of-life issues. The rollback of programs like UNET has also removed important tools that once helped manage these impacts. As a councilmember, I would push for stronger coordination with UCR, clear housing benchmarks, and enforcement of good-neighbor standards so growth benefits both students and residents." **Montero:** "Currently UC systems are supposed to share the core city service costs…the police, the fire, all the first response…that goes to that campus and currently the city hasn't received any of that money back, which means that a lot of the taxpayer money from all our residents has been going to subsidizing that cost that you see, or hasn't \[been\] paid. So one thing that I would change immediately is really working with UCR to hold them accountable to the fact that the sharing course services for public safety on campus is more of a requirement not something that is avoidable. There just needs to be accountability and shared cost. I \[also\] think there hasn't been enough built-in pipeline to companies that are right here in Riverside for our UC students, including CBU, and surrounding. I think there needs to be more support when it comes to students and the different careers that they're looking to get into. That way, they can stay right here at home along with supporting more entrepreneurship, larger co-working spaces, companies that are think tanks that really allow for the innovation that we want to see right here in Riverside." **Vahl:** "I would say showcasing it. UCR is a great asset. They started approximately 20 years ago cleaning up the university so we would have a nice thoroughfare between downtown and UCR. They're about maybe halfway there. They still need to get more businesses going on University so that it's a nice gateway from downtown to UCR." ### Wildfire Risk and Canyon Crest Portions of Canyon Crest, Sycamore Highlands, and neighborhoods near Box Springs Mountain sit in high fire hazard zones. Across California, the number of homeowners forced to seek basic insurance from the state continues to climb. What can and will you do to help make these neighborhoods more fire safe? Should the city take a more active role in "vegetation management" on public land? **Ayra:** "The City needs to lead, but also give residents the tools and support to protect their homes and neighborhoods. I would prioritize helping neighborhoods enroll in the Firewise USA program and organize local Firewise groups, similar to neighborhood watch programs but focused on fire safety. Many major insurance companies offer 5 to 10 percent discounts on insurance rates to homes that are in Firewise communities, which can provide some relief as costs continue to rise. I would also look to revamp Riverside's Municipal Volunteer Program to coordinate debris cleanups, expanding vegetation management on public land, and even using tools like targeted goat grazing where appropriate. I think the City should invest in home hardening as well, such as ember-resistant vents and fire filter upgrades, to make properties more resilient. I would also support exploring a volunteer firefighter or community response program that trains residents to assist during emergencies and provides an added layer of protection when fires break out." **Montero:** "One of the biggest ways we can avoid fires is doing weed abatement making sure that all of the Sycamore area really gets trimmed down. There are natural ways to do that too — cities have worked with small farmers to bring in sheep, goats or cows to clear vegetation, which also provides natural fertilizer. We also just need to make sure that we can staff more fire stations…and find new places where we can grow our fire stations, and also increase our fire response unit." **Vahl:** "The department is already working on that. They are in the high risk areas. They are putting out directives with instructions on how to clean out some of the brush around your house so that you're not subject to getting that stuff catching fire. And then they come out and inspect your house. So by doing that, especially whether it's just in Ward 2 or all, you know, down Van Buren over in Woodcrest, they're helping mitigate your fire risk. I used to work for Canyon Lake and we used to do lot clearing. If you had a vacant lot in the winter, the grass grows three feet tall and then starts to dry out when you get to about April or May. And you had to clean it down to within two inches of the ground or they fine you. The city should be working on the same type of principle where if we have any places with long grass, that should be getting cut down to a couple inches. And \[maybe\] it's the city workers who would have to go cut the grass…once it turns brown, it doesn't grow very much. But they need to keep that stuff down to help do our part to mitigate fire." ### Warehouse Encroachment In 2022, the council approved [two warehouses totaling 600,000 square feet right next to Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-january-29-2026/) — your Ward 2 council member voted no. Do you support a citywide moratorium on new warehouse development, or is there a place for warehouses in Riverside's economic future? **Ayra:** "I think Riverside has already built more than its fair share of warehouses. Many of them have been built with a focus on short-term profit instead of long-term environmental health and economic sustainability. As we have seen from recent studies, our reliance on logistics and warehousing leaves the city really vulnerable as we face rising fuel costs, supply chain disruptions and the rapid growth of automation, which will displace a large share of jobs in this industry. We need to double down on our efforts to shift toward sectors like education, healthcare, and clean technology that offer more durable, higher-quality jobs. I'm certainly open to exploring a citywide moratorium on warehousing, but the bigger issue is holding developers and logistics companies accountable for the impacts their industry causes. Warehouse developers should be paying their fair share for road damage, infrastructure strain, and pollution impacts. Many of Riverside's development impact fees are outdated, and the costs have been pushed onto taxpayers. As Council Member, I would prioritize updating the fee structure and holding developers accountable to robust community benefit agreements that will reinvest back into our communities." **Montero:** "Our prior City Council saw as an opportunity with creating jobs. That's something that I don't support, I really believe that warehouses end up creating a lot of transportation issues for us residents in the community. They contribute to a lot of carbon footprint as well. So I do think that it does need to be limited and the spaces that we're using for them is definitely – especially out up here in the Canyon Crest area – huge problem. Right now we've cut down a lot of park area that some of our fellow neighbors would take hiking trails to. At the same time when it comes to this encroachment, having the hundred feet away rule is one way to reduce it. But I think also we need to be creative and how we're filling that space. We can check the box and say okay, let's get a bunch of plants that are pretty cheap, but look great or we can get plants that actually filter the air and help contribute in a positive impact to help equal out some of the prior decisions that we've made to have these warehouses. I think definitely when it comes to warehousing it doesn't have to be just logistics – \[it could be\] having advanced manufacturing, even biofacilities, come in and build as a new way to provide jobs that have more career forward movement, salaries and pay that one could eventually buy a home with versus living paycheck to paycheck." **Vahl:** "I do not support warehouse projects at the current time. We have so much empty warehouse space. There's no reason to be building anymore. That project on Sycamore Canyon off of Alessandro is still empty, so we have plenty of warehouse space. There's probably a couple million square feet at least empty. We have enough warehouse space and enough traffic on Alessandro and enough traffic on Van Buren and enough traffic on the 215 and the 60\. We don't need a bunch more semis running around." ### Vision for Your First Term Look ahead. Imagine four years from now you are running for re-election. Tell voters, concretely, what you expect to have accomplished during your first term as the Ward 2 council member. **Ayra:** "By the end of my first term, I want voters to be able to point to real, measurable progress in their daily lives. First, we will have expanded access to childcare and started bringing costs down for working families. That means more available slots, stronger partnerships with providers, and real investment in making childcare affordable so parents can work and kids can thrive. If we're serious about economic opportunity in Riverside, we have to be serious about childcare. Second, we will have made clear progress on long-overdue infrastructure. I expect to have secured the majority of funding and approvals to move forward on the Spruce Street rail grade separation, a project that will improve safety, reduce traffic delays, and better connect our neighborhoods. We will also make real progress on basic street repairs, fixing potholes, and paving roads that residents rely on every day. At the same time, we will have advanced plans to physically connect Islander Park to the Box Springs Mountain reserve, expanding access to open space and improving quality of life in Ward 2. Third, we will have taken meaningful steps to address the housing crisis. That includes updating the University Avenue Specific Plan with strong community input to unlock new affordable housing opportunities, while also strengthening renter protections to prevent displacement and keep families housed. I will work to track private equity ownership of local housing and establish an impact fee that reinvests into our Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Fourth, we will have brought more accountability to City Hall. I will push to establish campaign contribution limits for City Council races so residents can have more trust in who their elected officials are answering to. I will also work to restore and protect public participation by defending virtual comment options, pushing back on efforts to limit public input, and ensuring major decisions are fully discussed, not buried on consent calendars. And I will stand firm against unnecessary rate increases from Riverside Public Utilities, because families are already stretched thin. My goal is to have meaningfully lowered costs, strengthened infrastructure, improved access to housing and restored trust at City Hall." **Montero:** "One thing is, I'd like to see what has changed in some of the planning and development. And getting rid of some of the projects that residents aren't really fond of or maybe aren't economically viable for our community. At the same time I would like to see the University Corridor a lot more renovated and cleaned up, \[and become\] a place that's more active. I'd like to see housing for the homeless, having Housing First as a priority, but also having a scattered site model approach, providing services to the individuals that are in need, and making sure that we really have a revitalized pathway from University all the way down to Downtown Mission Inn. \[I'd like to see\] it as a place where people are walking and biking down that whole strip and there's not a part of it that people are afraid to walk through anymore." **Vahl:** "I will have worked very hard on maintaining fiscal discipline, having improved accountability for people that we're giving money to to help the city so that we're getting our money's worth, and making sure that our public safety has been fully funded so that we have the best public safety in Riverside County." ### 🗞️ Riverside News- April 29, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-april-29-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:14.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/Eventbrite-Template---8-.png) **Wednesday Gazette: April 29, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Wednesday!** TONIGHT is the night! [The Raincross Gazette's candidate forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-gazette-is-hosting-its-first-ever-candidate-forums-wards-2-4-and-6/) for City Council Ward 4 is happening this evening, and it's expected to be standing room only. Hear directly from the candidates and get what you need to make an informed choice before June. We'd love to see you there. [Be sure to register.](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-gazette-is-hosting-its-first-ever-candidate-forums-wards-2-4-and-6/) The forum is free and open to all Riverside residents. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260429)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260429&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HOUSING](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/housing/) ## City Has 401 Affordable Units in Development, but Homelessness Count Ticks Up City staff reported 401 affordable units in development at Monday's Housing and Homelessness Committee meeting, as advocates pressed officials to move faster. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-8.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-has-401-affordable-units-in-development-but-homelessness-count-ticks-up/) Riverside has 401 affordable units in its construction pipeline, but city data shows it has completed fewer than 1% of the very-low-income housing required by the state's 2029 deadline. **Why it matters:** If you're among the roughly 252 people on Riverside's housing waitlist — or among the 614 unsheltered residents counted in 2025 — the city's pace of production directly affects how long you wait. **By the numbers:** According to state Regional Housing Needs Assessment data presented to the committee Monday, the city has completed just 47 of 4,861 required very-low-income units. It has reached 9.3% of its low-income goal and 8.2% of its moderate-income target, while nearing 41% of its above-moderate-income goal. **Driving the news:** The Housing and Homelessness Committee received a dual update Monday — on the affordable housing pipeline and on progress toward the city's 2022 Homeless Action Plan. - The unsheltered population has ticked up slightly, from 605 to 614, between 2023 and 2025. **Yes, but:** The city has met some benchmarks — including a 5% increase in affordable housing inventory and an 84% rental assistance retention rate. In the first half of the current fiscal year, it provided emergency shelter to 339 people and made street outreach contacts with more than 3,200. **What's next:** Committee Chair Clarissa Cervantes said she plans to bring portions of the Homeless Action Plan back for deeper discussion at future meetings and floated inviting the county's Continuum of Care to present on regional resources. The status of a Housing Authority-owned duplex at 2348 University Ave. — proposed for demolition and redevelopment as affordable housing — will return to the full City Council for a vote; no date has been set. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-has-401-affordable-units-in-development-but-homelessness-count-ticks-up/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260429)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260429&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [2026 ELECTION](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/2026-election/) ## Four Candidates, One Room: Ward 2 Voters Get a Closer Look The Gazette brought Ward 2's City Council race to UCR, where four candidates faced questions from more than 100 residents. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-3-6.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/four-candidates-one-room-ward-2-voters-get-a-closer-look/) Ward 2 candidates field questions from more than 100 residents during the open discussion portion of the Raincross Gazette's candidate forum at the University of California, Riverside on April 23\. (Erik Chen) The Alumni & Visitors Center at the University of California, Riverside was packed on Thursday, April 23rd, as more than 100 residents gathered for one of the city's first ward-specific candidate forums. Hosted by Riverside's Raincross Gazette, the forum allowed community members — most of whom appeared to be from Ward 2 — to hear directly from the candidates running to represent them on the City Council. The forum lasted roughly an hour and a half, running from 6:30 to 8 p.m., and was divided into two segments. The first portion featured an open discussion, a 40-minute block in which candidates spoke at length on key issues. The second portion, a rapid-fire round, gave each candidate about a minute to address specific topics relevant to Ward 2. A wide range of issues were discussed throughout the evening, including homelessness, housing, economic development, and Measure Z. Each candidate offered thoughtful responses, giving attendees a clearer sense of their priorities — while also making their decision process more difficult. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/four-candidates-one-room-ward-2-voters-get-a-closer-look/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260429) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260429&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-04-29T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-04-29T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [Reading Assistance Program](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-assistance-program/17973404/2026-04-29T15) at My Learning Studio - [The Comedy Lobby](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-comedy-lobby/18671850/2026-04-29T20) at The Lobby ($9.85) - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-04-29T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Out in the I.E.](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/out-in-the-ie/18475868/2026-04-29T12) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Riverside Mission Belles](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-mission-belles/16691431/2026-04-29T09) at Victoria Presbyterian Church - [Riverside Open Mic Music Series](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-open-mic-music-series/15529475/2026-04-29T17) at BACK TO THE GRIND - [**Raincross Gazette: Ward 4 Community Forum**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-4-community-forum/18495206/2026-04-29T18) at Riverside Citrus State Park - Sunkist Center ### Tomorrow - [Arlington Library| Propagation Station: Plant Swap](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/arlington-library-propagation-station-plant-swap/17642280/2026-04-30T10) at Arlington Library - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-04-30T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [**Raincross Gazette: Ward 6 Community Forum**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-6-community-forum/18495207/2026-04-30T18) at Altura Credit Union (10725 Magnolia Ave.) ## Save the Date - April 30: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 6 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-6-community-forum/18495207/2026-04-30T18) at Altura Credit Union (10725 Magnolia Ave.) - April 30: [INVITE: Green Secretary of State candidate Michael Feinstein](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/invite-green-secretary-of-state-candidate-michael-feinstein-in-riverside/18728291/2026-04-30T18) at Tio Tacos - May 1: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-01T07) at Zacatecas Café - May 3: ["The Sound of Riverside" - The 2026 Riverside Arts Academy Gala](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-sound-of-riverside-the-2026-riverside-arts-academy-gala/18503772/2026-05-03T17) at UCR University Theatre ($150- $325) - May 6: [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - May 13: [Level Up Your Network: The Pick Group 2026 Membership Summit](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/level-up-your-network-the-pick-group-2026-membership-summit/18625198/2026-05-13T18) at Killer Queens Social House - May 16: [Vintage Home Tour “Age is a Work of Art”](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vintage-home-tour-age-is-a-work-of-art/18708216/2026-05-16T10) at Peter J Weber House ($30) - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Four Candidates, One Room: Ward 2 Voters Get a Closer Look URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/four-candidates-one-room-ward-2-voters-get-a-closer-look/ Last updated: 2026-04-30T23:15:38.000Z The Alumni & Visitors Center at the University of California, Riverside was packed on Thursday, April 23rd, as more than 100 residents gathered for one of the city's first ward-specific candidate forums. Hosted by Riverside's Raincross Gazette, the forum allowed community members — most of whom appeared to be from Ward 2 — to hear directly from the candidates running to represent them on the City Council. The forum lasted roughly an hour and a half, running from 6:30 to 8 p.m., and was divided into two segments. The first portion featured an open discussion, a 40-minute block in which candidates spoke at length on key issues. The second portion, a rapid-fire round, gave each candidate about a minute to address specific topics relevant to Ward 2. A wide range of issues were discussed throughout the evening, including homelessness, housing, economic development, and Measure Z. Each candidate offered thoughtful responses, giving attendees a clearer sense of their priorities — while also making their decision process more difficult. Currently, four candidates are vying for the Ward 2 position, each bringing a distinct background and set of experiences. Aram Ayra, a graduate of the University of California, Riverside, currently serves as the associate director of development at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire, a nonprofit focused on mentorship for youth. Christen Montero, one of the younger candidates, is a Riverside native who graduated from Citrus High School and earned her MBA from the University of Redlands. Since, she has built her career around scaling small businesses, particularly in marketing and software. Gracie Torres, a chemist, professor, and mother, also serves on the Western Municipal Water District Board — a role she frequently referenced during the forum. Mike Vahl, the oldest of the candidates, works as a consultant at Suncliff, Inc., a personal care product manufacturing company located in Tacoma, Washington. Unlike traditional forums that group all candidates together, this ward-specific format was designed to bring the conversation closer to the communities directly affected. "The goal of this forum is to promote a different kind of conversation," Raincross Gazette Forums Coordinator Sarah Murphey said. "We want to foster a sense of neighborhood in Riverside and create a space where candidates and residents can engage in a way that feels more structured, candid, and organic. The idea is to help residents hear from candidates in a way that feels natural — more like neighbors talking to each other — so the information is easier to understand and connect with." Many residents came for a similar reason, hoping to use this opportunity to better understand the candidates who are running to represent them in the future. "For me, it was simple," one resident said. "I don't know much about the candidates in Ward 2, so I wanted to come and learn more about them. Right now, I narrowed it down to two, which is exactly what my goal was in coming here tonight." Beyond simply informing voters, the forum also allowed residents to observe real-time reactions from the community. One notable moment occurred during the second half of the forum, when the discussion turned to a $20 million grant proposal that would have converted the Quality Inn on University Avenue to permanent supporting housing. Candidate Gracie Torres remarked that she "didn't see residents speak out" on the issue, prompting an immediate and vocal response from the audience, with many asserting that they had. Moments like this allowed attendees to gauge not only the candidates' positions, but also the reactions of the community. Despite this standout exchange, the forum overall was run very smoothly by longtime Enterprise columnist Dan Bernstein, whose moderation balanced a firm yet warm tone. Many residents expressed that they left the event feeling more informed, a sentiment echoed by the candidates. "This was one of the best forums I've attended because we were actually able to engage with each other and contrast our differences," candidate Aram Ayra said. "It felt more like a real conversation rather than rehearsed responses." With additional ward-specific forums scheduled for April 29 and April 30, the initiative aims to continue fostering more direct and localized conversations between candidates and the communities they hope to represent. Ballots are expected to be mailed to residents beginning May 4. *By Erik Chen* ### City Has 401 Affordable Units in Development, but Homelessness Count Ticks Up URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-has-401-affordable-units-in-development-but-homelessness-count-ticks-up/ Last updated: 2026-04-30T12:00:10.000Z Riverside's Housing and Human Services Department updated the Housing and Homelessness Committee on Monday on the city's affordable housing pipeline and homelessness action plan — as advocates and residents urged officials to pick up the pace. City Housing Authority project manager Agripina Neubauer told the committee the city has 401 affordable units in the pipeline, including 336 traditional affordable units, 24 permanent supportive housing units and 41 transitional housing units. Approximately 90 of those are expected to come online by the end of 2026, with 49 more in 2027 and 262 in 2028 or later. During public comment, Ward 3 resident Dan Hoxworth displayed state Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) data he said had been presented to the full City Council in March. According to Hoxworth, the city has completed just 47 of the 4,861 very-low-income housing units required by the state's 2029 deadline — [less than 1% of the goal](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-falls-far-short-of-state-housing-mandate-report-shows/). He said the city has reached 9.3% of its low-income target and 8.2% of its moderate-income goal, while nearing 41% of its above-moderate-income target. "We have a lot of work to do in Riverside," Hoxworth told the committee. Among the projects Neubauer highlighted: [Mulberry Gardens](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-approves-3-million-in-loans-to-keep-mulberry-gardens-on-track/), a 59-unit senior affordable housing complex at 2524 Mulberry St. in Ward 1 developed by Eden Housing, is under construction near the 91 Freeway's Spruce Street offramp. Applications for senior units will be accepted starting summer 2026\. Some units will be reserved for people referred through the city's homeless prevention programs. A separate phase of 150 affordable family housing units is planned for the same site. Also in Ward 2, The Place at 2800 Hulen Place — a 31-unit permanent housing facility operated by Riverside University Health Systems Behavioral Health — is under construction and was expected to be complete this month. In Ward 7, Sunrise at Bogart, a 22-unit permanent supportive housing development at 11049 Bogart Ave. by Neighborhood Partnership Housing Services, broke ground July 2, 2025. The committee also received an update on the city's [Homeless Action Plan](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-renewed-fight-against-homelessness-enforcement-and-compassion/), a 2022 framework. Megan Stoye of the Housing and Human Services Department gave the committee a "report card" on the plan's progress. She said the city has met some benchmarks — [including a 5% increase in affordable housing inventory and an 84% rental assistance retention rate](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-reports-success-in-curbing-homelessness-growth-through-prevention-programs/) — but is still falling short on reducing the number of unsheltered individuals. The unsheltered count has risen slightly, from 605 to 614, between 2023 and 2025. Stoye said the department serves 3,779 existing affordable housing units and, in the first half of the current fiscal year, provided emergency shelter to 339 individuals, rapidly rehoused 129 clients and made street outreach contacts with more than 3,200 people. [Family Promise of Riverside](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/letter-to-the-editor-the-hidden-toll-of-homelessness-on-riversides-children/) executive director Claire Jefferson-Glipa urged the committee to do more. "The fact that our goal toward decreasing homelessness has not been met is not at all a reflection of the hard work" of city staff, she said, calling on elected officials to take a more creative approach. A point of contention at the meeting was the Housing Authority-owned duplex at 2348 University Ave., which staff proposed demolishing and rebuilding as affordable housing. That item was pulled from the April 7 City Council consent calendar after Councilmember Philip Falcone raised questions about whether demolition was the best use of the site. Committee Chair [Clarissa Cervantes](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/legal-firms-community-urge-council-to-reconsider-20-1-million-homekey-grant/) said she was frustrated by the delay, noting the city had weighed options for the property over five years before settling on demolition. Staff said the item will return to the full council for a vote, though no date has been set. Hoxworth returned during public comment on the homelessness action plan to raise the [University Terrace Homes controversy](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/why-four-councilmembers-voted-against-university-terrace/), claiming the city [forfeited $20 million in state funding](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-rejects-20-million-state-grant-for-homeless-housing-project/) when the council rejected that project, which he said would have housed 94 individuals in permanent supportive housing. He also claimed that nearby Redlands opened a comparable 100-unit permanent supportive housing project and reduced its homeless population by 30% each of the past two years — figures the Gazette has not independently verified. He said approximately 252 homeless individuals in Riverside are currently on a waiting list seeking housing, attributing that figure to someone named Michelle Davis, though he did not identify her role or affiliation. Councilmember Steven Robillard echoed concerns about Riverside bearing a disproportionate share of the county's homeless services burden. "We can't be relied upon for the entire county to house the homeless population of the county," he said, calling for a more regional approach. Cervantes said she intends to bring back portions of the Homeless Action Plan for deeper discussion at future meetings and floated inviting the county's Continuum of Care to present on regional resources and housing pipelines. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- April 28, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-april-28-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:15.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/IMG_1246.jpeg) A rider takes a swan boat out on Lake Evans at Fairmount Park, with the historic boathouse visible in the background. (Ken Crawford) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Tuesday Gazette: April 28, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Tuesday!** Today is National Superhero Day, though the heroes it honors don't have capes or superpowers. They're the firefighters, nurses, soup kitchen volunteers, and neighbors who show up for people every day. If someone in your life fits that description, [nominate them for Neighbor of the Week](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). Questions? Reach us at [newsroom@raincrossgazette.com](mailto:newsroom@raincrossgazette.com). See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260428)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260428&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [BUSINESS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/business/) ## From Farm Stand to Farmers Market: Woodcrest Collective Takes Root What started as a shuttered farm stand became the foundation for a thriving Riverside market. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/IMG_6405-1.jpeg)](https://raincrossgazette.com/from-farm-stand-to-farmers-market-woodcrest-collective-takes-root/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Vendors and visitors fill the grassy field behind the Woodcrest Library during the Woodcrest Collective on Saturday, April 18\. (Erik Chen) A Riverside resident turned a shutdown farm stand into a thriving community market — and it's already expanding. **Why it matters:** The Woodcrest Collective brings local vendors directly to a neighborhood that doesn't have a dedicated marketplace, with everything from açai bowls to fresh produce available twice monthly near Woodcrest Library. **The backstory:** Laura Wright and her husband Brandon launched the market in December 2025 after the city shut down their Groovy Gopher Lavender Farm stand weeks after it opened. - "When that door closed, we realized it was an opportunity to do something bigger and better," Wright said. **Driving the news:** The collective held its latest market April 18, drawing vendors ranging from Whitegates Country Cottage (jams, jellies, nut butters) to Viuearth Water, an Irvine-based company selling vapor-distilled water. **What's next:** Starting in June, the market shifts to morning hours — 8 a.m. to noon — while keeping its first-and-third-Saturday schedule. - **Location:** Behind Woodcrest Library, 16625 Krameria Ave. Follow [@woodcrestmarketcollective](https://www.instagram.com/woodcrestmarketcollective/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) on Instagram for vendor updates. [Read and share the complete story...](https://raincrossgazette.com/from-farm-stand-to-farmers-market-woodcrest-collective-takes-root/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260428) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260428&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Riverside 4-Year-Old Is One Vote Away From a National Wildlife Win Zephyr Bolaños, born and raised in Riverside, is in first place in the Ranger Rick Jr. Ranger contest — but the voting window closes Thursday. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-14.jpg)](https://raincrossgazette.com/riverside-4-year-old-is-one-vote-away-from-a-national-wildlife-win/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Zephyr Bolaños poses near a garden pond. (Photo courtesy of Jr. Ranger/National Wildlife Federation) Zephyr Bolaños, a Riverside boy raised on Mt. Rubidoux hikes and backyard monarch butterflies, is currently in first place in the 2026 Jr. Ranger contest — and needs local votes to advance. **Why it matters:** Riverside readers can vote free, once daily, to help Zephyr win a $20,000 education fund and a national feature that his mom says would spotlight the city that shaped him. **Driving the news:** The voting window for the current round closes Thursday, April 30 at 7 p.m. PDT at [jr-ranger.org](http://jr-ranger.org/2026/zephyr-0004?ref=raincrossgazette.com). **The backstory:** Zephyr, born at Parkview Community Hospital in 2022, has grown up exploring Riverside's outdoors — sunrise hikes up Mt. Rubidoux, visits to California Citrus State Historic Park, and wildlife encounters in the San Bernardino mountains. **By the numbers:** The grand prize includes a hands-on wildlife experience with biologist and TV host Jeff Corwin, a feature profile in *Ranger Rick* magazine, and $20,000 in education funds for Zephyr and his older brother. **What's next:** Cast a free daily vote at [jr-ranger.org](http://jr-ranger.org/2026/zephyr-0004?ref=raincrossgazette.com) through Thursday. The overall contest runs through June 4, 2026. [Read and share the complete story...](https://raincrossgazette.com/riverside-4-year-old-is-one-vote-away-from-a-national-wildlife-win/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260428)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260428&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Noteworthy [Sherman Indian High School's 40th Annual Youth Pow Wow](https://viewpointsonline.org/2026/04/a-powwow-right-in-the-middle-of-riverside/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) returned to Riverside on April 18 after a year's absence, drawing Native American tribal members from across North America for dancing, drumming, and cultural competition on the school's football field. [No. 7 RCC baseball erupted for 21 runs in a 21-3 blowout of Fullerton College](https://viewpointsonline.org/2026/04/riverside-city-college-baseball-explodes-for-21-runs-in-blowout-win/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) at Evans Sports Complex, with sophomore Grant Gray going 4-for-6 with six RBIs as the Tigers improved to 29-10 overall. UCR School of Medicine researchers have [discovered previously unrecognized immune "sentinel" cells inside hair follicles](https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/04/24/immune-surveillance-structures-found-skin-hair-follicles?ref=raincrossgazette.com) that may explain how skin monitors microbial threats despite its thick, multi-layered structure. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [Special Seminar: Avocado, Cherimoya, and Mango Flowering Basics](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/special-seminar-avocado-cherimoya-and-mango-flowering-basics/18675024/2026-04-28T15) at LandUse Learning Center - [MSRPAC's Monthly Community Cat Spay/Neuter Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/msrpacs-monthly-community-cat-spayneuter-day/17790235/2026-04-28T06) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($45) - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-04-28T19) at The Hideaway ### Tomorrow - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-04-29T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-04-29T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [Reading Assistance Program](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-assistance-program/17973404/2026-04-29T15) at My Learning Studio - [The Comedy Lobby](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-comedy-lobby/18671850/2026-04-29T20) at The Lobby ($9.85) - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-04-29T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Out in the I.E.](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/out-in-the-ie/18475868/2026-04-29T12) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Riverside Mission Belles](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-mission-belles/16691431/2026-04-29T09) at Victoria Presbyterian Church - [Riverside Open Mic Music Series](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-open-mic-music-series/15529475/2026-04-29T17) at BACK TO THE GRIND - [**Raincross Gazette: Ward 4 Community Forum**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-4-community-forum/18495206/2026-04-29T18) at Riverside Citrus State Park - Sunkist Center ## Save the Date - April 29: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 4 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-4-community-forum/18495206/2026-04-29T18) at Riverside Citrus State Park - Sunkist Center - April 30: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 6 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-6-community-forum/18495207/2026-04-30T18) at Altura Credit Union (10725 Magnolia Ave.) - April 30: [INVITE: Green Secretary of State candidate Michael Feinstein](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/invite-green-secretary-of-state-candidate-michael-feinstein-in-riverside/18728291/2026-04-30T18) at Tio Tacos - May 1: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-01T07) at Zacatecas Café - May 3: ["The Sound of Riverside" - The 2026 Riverside Arts Academy Gala](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-sound-of-riverside-the-2026-riverside-arts-academy-gala/18503772/2026-05-03T17) at UCR University Theatre ($150- $325) - May 6: [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - May 13: [Level Up Your Network: The Pick Group 2026 Membership Summit](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/level-up-your-network-the-pick-group-2026-membership-summit/18625198/2026-05-13T18) at Killer Queens Social House - May 16: [Vintage Home Tour “Age is a Work of Art”](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vintage-home-tour-age-is-a-work-of-art/18708216/2026-05-16T10) at Peter J Weber House ($30) - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### From Farm Stand to Farmers Market: Woodcrest Collective Takes Root URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-farm-stand-to-farmers-market-woodcrest-collective-takes-root/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:05:58.000Z Vendors lined the grassy field behind the Woodcrest Library on a sunny afternoon Saturday, April 18\. The event, known as the Woodcrest Collective, provides an opportunity to strengthen connections between customers and the people behind their beloved products. The Woodcrest Collective was founded and organized by Riverside resident Laura Wright. Wright and her husband Brandon Wright are the owners of the Groovy Gopher Lavender Farm, a local business that sells small-batch, handcrafted lavender products, as well as raw honey. Initially, the pair opened a small farm stand in front of their home in an attempt to bring high-quality products to the local community. However, their efforts were shut down shortly after opening. Rather than seeing this as an endpoint, Wright viewed it as a turning point, expanding a small, home-based idea into something that could serve the entire community. "My husband and I own Groovy Gopher Lavender Farm here in the Riverside area," Wright said. "We originally opened a small farm stand in front of our property, but it was shut down just a few weeks after we started. When that door closed, we realized it was an opportunity to do something bigger and better. This market really grew out of the idea that small businesses need access to the local community, and the community needs access to all this incredible talent." The Woodcrest Collective officially launched in December 2025, and has since met consistently every first and third Saturday of each month. From açai bowls and fruit jams to clothes and fresh produce, small businesses within the Riverside community offer a wide range of products for the residents to choose from. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/IMG_6415.jpeg) Whitegates Country Cottage displays jams, jellies and nut butters at its booth during the Woodcrest Collective. (Erik Chen) While exploring the market's diverse offerings, one product in particular stood out: vapor-distilled water. The product was sold by Viuearth Water, a company based in Irvine, California. To achieve their ambitious water label, the company ensures its water goes through an advanced distillation process. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/IMG_6417.jpeg) The Viuearth Water booth at the Woodcrest Collective showcases the company's vapor-distilled water products. (Erik Chen) "Our water goes through a more advanced purification process," founder and CEO Elizabeth Akomolafe said. "It's vapor distilled, which removes contaminants and impurities that you might find in tap water or plastic-bottled water. After that, we add minerals back in to improve the quality and taste. The end product is definitely much smoother and tastes cleaner compared to tap water or standard bottled water." Currently, one of the biggest challenges for small businesses is outreach and getting their product out there. The Woodcrest Collective hopes to ease this barrier by providing a bigger platform that can directly connect the business with their consumer. "The Woodcrest Collective is an opportunity for vendors to share their story and build relationships with customers," Wright said. "Many small businesses don't have a physical space to do that, so this gives them a meaningful way to grow and pursue their passions." Many vendors share this sentiment. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/IMG_6407.jpeg) Shoppers browse vendor booths at the Woodcrest Collective on Saturday, April 18\. (Erik Chen) "We're a new company—we launched in January—so we're focused on building brand awareness," Akomolafe said. "Events like this allow us to connect with the local community so that people recognize us when they start seeing our product in stores or restaurants." The Woodcrest Collective serves as an opportunity not just for small businesses, but for local residents as well, bringing the full market experience closer to home. "I hope visitors leave feeling inspired," Wright said. "Within this collective of talent, you can enjoy good food, listen to music, watch kids play, and most importantly, connect directly with the people behind the products." As the Woodcrest Collective continues to evolve, Wright hopes to expand both the variety of vendors and the ways the community can engage with the market. "We're always looking to expand the variety of products and businesses we bring in," Wright said. "I especially see growth in the farm side of the market, with more seasonal crops coming in during the summer. We're also exploring adding informational booths for service-based businesses so they can connect with the community. A big part of our growth will come from listening to both vendors and visitors—what they want to see and experience." Looking ahead, the Woodcrest Collective plans to shift to morning hours beginning in June, running from 8 a.m. to noon, while continuing to operate on the first and third Saturday of each month. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/IMG_6411.jpeg) A sign outside the Woodcrest Market Collective advertises new morning hours beginning in June. (Erik Chen) "We want to keep the market consistent," Wright said. "Even more so, we want to make it special—something people can look forward to." **More Information:* The Woodcrest Collective meets the first and third Saturday of each month behind the Woodcrest Library, 16625 Krameria Ave., Riverside. Beginning in June, the market will run from 8 a.m. to noon. For vendor updates and upcoming dates, follow the market on Instagram at* [*@woodcrestmarketcollective*](https://www.instagram.com/woodcrestmarketcollective/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* *By Erik Chen* ### Riverside 4-Year-Old Is One Vote Away From a National Wildlife Win URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-4-year-old-is-one-vote-away-from-a-national-wildlife-win/ Last updated: 2026-04-29T19:45:31.000Z "Mom, turn off the water — you are using too much." Francesca Lichauco wasn't surprised when her 4-year-old son Zephyr Bolaños scolded her mid-shower. Whether he's sorting the recycling, quizzing adults on the difference between venom and poison, or chasing monarch butterflies through the family's backyard, Zephyr has had a passion for the natural world almost from birth — and now a national contest is taking notice. Zephyr is competing in the 2026 Jr. Ranger contest, presented by Ranger Rick magazine and the National Wildlife Federation, and he is currently in first place in his group. Riverside readers can help push him to the next round by casting a free daily vote at [jr-ranger.org](http://jr-ranger.org/2026/zephyr-0004?ref=raincrossgazette.com) — but the window closes Thursday, April 30 at 7 p.m. The grand prize includes a feature profile in Ranger Rick magazine, a hands-on wildlife experience with Emmy Award-winning biologist and TV host Jeff Corwin, and $20,000 in education funds for Zephyr and his older brother. Zephyr was born at Parkview Community Hospital in 2022\. The family moved to Riverside in 2020 and has made the region's landscape a constant presence in Zephyr's life — sunrise hikes up Mt. Rubidoux, visits to the California Citrus State Historic Park, and close-enough-to-count encounters with rattlesnakes and coyotes in the San Bernardino mountains. "The local environment and history is rich," Lichauco wrote to the Gazette. If Zephyr wins, she said, she hopes the Ranger Rick feature will turn a national spotlight on Riverside — the city is already woven through his contest profile in photos and stories from local outings. Lichauco said she entered Zephyr on a whim after coming across the contest online. "I now think our whim could turn into a win for him and, more importantly, the community that has nurtured his interests since he was born — Riverside," she wrote. Votes are free and can be cast once per day through the end of the contest. The Jr. Ranger contest is operated by Colossal, a fundraising platform, on behalf of DTCare, a registered public charity that directs donations to the National Wildlife Federation. Paid votes, which count for more, are also available. **More information:* To vote for Zephyr, visit* [*jr-ranger.org*](http://jr-ranger.org/2026/zephyr-0004?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*. Voting for the current round closes Thursday, April 30, 2026 at 7 p.m. PDT. The overall contest closes June 4, 2026.* ### 🗞️ Riverside News- April 27, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-april-2-2026-4/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:16.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-12.jpg) A vibrant daylily catches the morning light at The Grove Community Church. (Becky Turnage) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Monday Gazette: April 27, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday!** [Last Thursday, the Raincross Gazette hosted its first-ever candidate forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-gazette-hosts-first-ever-candidate-forum-for-ward-seat/), and it was a great night. Four Ward 2 candidates squared off on some of the issues that matter most to Riverside residents: homelessness, housing, public safety, and the future of University Avenue. You can read the recap [right here](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-gazette-hosts-first-ever-candidate-forum-for-ward-seat/). The forum series continues this week. The Ward 4 forum is this Wednesday, and Ward 6 follows on Thursday. Ward 4 still has a handful of spots left, and Ward 6 has room as well. Both forums are free and open to every Riverside resident. [Reserve your seat today](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-gazette-is-hosting-its-first-ever-candidate-forums-wards-2-4-and-6/). See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260427)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260427&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## This Week in City Hall: April 27, 2026 Riverside boards take up homelessness housing updates, utility contracts, EV infrastructure, a park land purchase, and the future name of the Cesar Chavez Community Center. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/1-_DSC4113-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-april-27-2026/) Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### Housing and Homelessness Committee The Housing and Homelessness Committee meets on Monday, April 27, at 3:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1405732&GUID=93EA92A5-B12D-48A1-AEE9-0F8DEC26370A&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to receive updates on the city's [Homelessness Action Plan](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15391676&GUID=DA280BBD-D5E3-4E81-80B2-9493920E68CC&ref=raincrossgazette.com) and [Housing Authority pipeline projects](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15391672&GUID=63615008-5C27-4A25-B7F5-B3F0A3A74902&ref=raincrossgazette.com), including a proposal to remove two Garden Street properties from the list of potential supportive housing sites. ### Board of Public Utilities The Board of Public Utilities meets on Monday, April 27, at 6:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1404184&GUID=DCC6CDDC-7FBC-42F1-8A52-64EFC0E6FEF8&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review several utility infrastructure items, including a proposed $3 million allocation for [EV charger installations](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=13d99a74-e3a0-4bb2-86a7-bc70751b3cb1.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) at city facilities and a [contract amendment](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=d5861d67-f33a-40c5-8861-8be18be0c080.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com)with Southern California Edison that would reduce project costs by roughly $1.7 million. ### Park and Recreation Committee The Park and Recreation Committee has a special meeting on Wednesday, April 29, at 6:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1403340&GUID=1F35055F-8E2F-41EC-BF47-74FAFB40DE44&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider the proposed [purchase of a vacant parcel](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15402629&GUID=2AB2F7AC-C4F3-428A-82D0-A25641897B05&ref=raincrossgazette.com) adjacent to Fairmount Park and to discuss a proposed community engagement process to gather [resident input on the name of the Cesar Chavez Community Center](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15402626&GUID=B5DDC9C9-F45D-4E5C-BDDA-AF4C52D4F166&ref=raincrossgazette.com) following the mayor's call for a review of city facilities bearing that name. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-april-27-2026/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260427) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260427&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [MUSEUM MONDAYS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/museum-mondays/) ## How Bill Wilkman Found Riverside's Butterfly Man A rare specimen, finally cataloged. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-12-2.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/how-bill-wilkman-found-riversides-butterfly-man/) A boulder monument at Washington Park commemorates Charles Montagu Dammers, Riverside's Butterfly Man. The marker was designed by historian Bill Wilkman and installed through the efforts of Victoria Avenue Forever. (Courtesy of the Museum of Riverside) *An interview follows with Bill Wilkman of Wilkman Historical Services about Charles Montagu Dammers, known as Riverside’s Butterfly Man. Charles Dammers was a British sailor who eventually made Riverside his home in the 1920s. He became an accomplished scientist, naturalist, author, and scientific illustrator, particularly of butterflies. He has fourteen species named in his honor and has greatly influenced butterfly science throughout the decades into modern times.* **Please introduce yourself. What is Wilkman Historical Services?** I have a master's degree in urban planning from Michigan State University with an emphasis on urban history. I worked as a city planner for the City of East Lansing, Michigan, and later for the City of Riverside, where I spent my last six years managing the Historic Preservation Section. That work gave me a strong interest in historic preservation. After my retirement in 2003, I founded Wilkman Historical Services, a consulting firm specializing in historic resources research and evaluations. Since then, I've completed over 50 commissions, including 14 years as the City of Norco's Cultural Resources Consultant. **How did you stumble upon Dammers' story?** In October 2011, the City of Riverside approached me about researching the history of Charles Montagu Dammers, the former owner of 6893 Victoria Avenue. Very little was known about him beyond his work with butterflies. The City was planning to demolish his residence to accommodate a Stater Bros. expansion — one that required taking a portion of Washington Park and expanding it to Victoria Avenue. It was my job to fully research Dammers and write a report on his history and accomplishments. [Read and share the complete interview...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/how-bill-wilkman-found-riversides-butterfly-man/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260427)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260427&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-04-27T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Board of Public Utilities](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/board-of-public-utilities/18584290/2026-04-27T18) at Riverside City Hall - [Housing and Homelessness Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/housing-and-homelessness-committee/18431186/2026-04-27T15) at Riverside City Hall - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-04-27T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [Monday Carillon Recitals](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/monday-carillon-recitals/17079871/2026-04-27T12) at UCR Bell Tower - [**Sip with a Scientist**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/18634884/2026-04-27T17)at Bar Ni Modo ### Tomorrow - [Special Seminar: Avocado, Cherimoya, and Mango Flowering Basics](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/special-seminar-avocado-cherimoya-and-mango-flowering-basics/18675024/2026-04-28T15) at LandUse Learning Center - [MSRPAC's Monthly Community Cat Spay/Neuter Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/msrpacs-monthly-community-cat-spayneuter-day/17790235/2026-04-28T06) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($45) - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-04-28T19) at The Hideaway ### Save the Date - April 27: [Sip with a Scientist](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/18634884/2026-04-27T17) at Bar Ni Modo - April 29: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 4 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-4-community-forum/18495206/2026-04-29T18) at Riverside Citrus State Park - Sunkist Center - April 30: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 6 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-6-community-forum/18495207/2026-04-30T18) at Altura Credit Union (10725 Magnolia Ave.) - April 30: [INVITE: Green Secretary of State candidate Michael Feinstein](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/invite-green-secretary-of-state-candidate-michael-feinstein-in-riverside/18728291/2026-04-30T18) at Tio Tacos - May 1: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-01T07) at Zacatecas Café - May 3: ["The Sound of Riverside" - The 2026 Riverside Arts Academy Gala](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-sound-of-riverside-the-2026-riverside-arts-academy-gala/18503772/2026-05-03T17) at UCR University Theatre ($150- $325) - May 6: [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - May 13: [Level Up Your Network: The Pick Group 2026 Membership Summit](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/level-up-your-network-the-pick-group-2026-membership-summit/18625198/2026-05-13T18) at Killer Queens Social House - May 16: [Vintage Home Tour “Age is a Work of Art”](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vintage-home-tour-age-is-a-work-of-art/18708216/2026-05-16T10) at Peter J Weber House ($30) - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### This Week in City Hall: April 27, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-april-27-2026/ Last updated: 2026-04-29T12:00:10.000Z Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### Housing and Homelessness Committee The Housing and Homelessness Committee meets on Monday, April 27, at 3:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1405732&GUID=93EA92A5-B12D-48A1-AEE9-0F8DEC26370A&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to receive updates on the city's [Homelessness Action Plan](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15391676&GUID=DA280BBD-D5E3-4E81-80B2-9493920E68CC&ref=raincrossgazette.com) and [Housing Authority pipeline projects](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15391672&GUID=63615008-5C27-4A25-B7F5-B3F0A3A74902&ref=raincrossgazette.com), including a proposal to remove two Garden Street properties from the list of potential supportive housing sites. ### Board of Public Utilities The Board of Public Utilities meets on Monday, April 27, at 6:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1404184&GUID=DCC6CDDC-7FBC-42F1-8A52-64EFC0E6FEF8&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review several utility infrastructure items, including a proposed $3 million allocation for [EV charger installations](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=13d99a74-e3a0-4bb2-86a7-bc70751b3cb1.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) at city facilities and a [contract amendment](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=d5861d67-f33a-40c5-8861-8be18be0c080.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com)with Southern California Edison that would reduce project costs by roughly $1.7 million. ### Park and Recreation Committee The Park and Recreation Committee has a special meeting on Wednesday, April 29, at 6:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1403340&GUID=1F35055F-8E2F-41EC-BF47-74FAFB40DE44&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider the proposed [purchase of a vacant parcel](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15402629&GUID=2AB2F7AC-C4F3-428A-82D0-A25641897B05&ref=raincrossgazette.com) adjacent to Fairmount Park and to discuss a proposed community engagement process to gather [resident input on the name of the Cesar Chavez Community Center](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15402626&GUID=B5DDC9C9-F45D-4E5C-BDDA-AF4C52D4F166&ref=raincrossgazette.com) following the mayor's call for a review of city facilities bearing that name. ### How Bill Wilkman Found Riverside's Butterfly Man URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/how-bill-wilkman-found-riversides-butterfly-man/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:06:00.000Z *An interview follows with Bill Wilkman of Wilkman Historical Services about Charles Montagu Dammers, known as Riverside’s Butterfly Man. Charles Dammers was a British sailor who eventually made Riverside his home in the 1920s. He became an accomplished scientist, naturalist, author, and scientific illustrator, particularly of butterflies. He has fourteen species named in his honor and has greatly influenced butterfly science throughout the decades into modern times.* **Please introduce yourself. What is Wilkman Historical Services?** I have a master's degree in urban planning from Michigan State University with an emphasis on urban history. I worked as a city planner for the City of East Lansing, Michigan, and later for the City of Riverside, where I spent my last six years managing the Historic Preservation Section. That work gave me a strong interest in historic preservation. After my retirement in 2003, I founded Wilkman Historical Services, a consulting firm specializing in historic resources research and evaluations. Since then, I've completed over 50 commissions, including 14 years as the City of Norco's Cultural Resources Consultant. **How did you stumble upon Dammers' story?** In October 2011, the City of Riverside approached me about researching the history of Charles Montagu Dammers, the former owner of 6893 Victoria Avenue. Very little was known about him beyond his work with butterflies. The City was planning to demolish his residence to accommodate a Stater Bros. expansion — one that required taking a portion of Washington Park and expanding it to Victoria Avenue. It was my job to fully research Dammers and write a report on his history and accomplishments. **What motivated you to research Dammers' work?** Curiosity! I have a love of mysteries, and doing historic resources consulting is like being a detective. You have very little information at first, but every bit leads you to another piece of the puzzle. And eventually you get the entire story. I find that process just to be a lot of fun. **Where did the research take you? Who did you meet along the way?** The research introduced me to a wide cast of people, each one unlocking the next layer of Dammers' story: - James Bryant, Curator of Natural History at the then Riverside Metropolitan Museum - Jane Lamar, a long-time neighbor of Dammers - Gail Vanderlinde, Dammers' granddaughter - Richard Hulser, Chief Librarian at the LA County Museum of Natural History - Julian Donahue, Curator Emeritus in Entomology at the LA County Museum of Natural History, with firsthand knowledge of Dammers - Floyd Preston, a personal associate of Dammers - Jack Levy, Research Associate at the LA County Museum of Natural History - John Snyder, Webmaster of the Lepidopterists' Society, who helped me make contact with people who had known Dammers - Doug Yanega, UCR Entomology Research Museum **The most lasting connections were with Gail Vanderlinde, Julian Donahue, James Bryant, and Floyd Preston.** It's like peeling the layers of an onion — you peel one layer back, you see another, and eventually you have a pretty good story and an understanding of the history. And that was certainly the case with Charles Dammers. **Dammers' story had been all but forgotten. What hurdles did you face, and why was his memory fading?** The memory of Dammers' accomplishments had faded because there was never any popular literature about him. He made a significant contribution to the field of lepidopterology, but that contribution was limited to journal articles shared among only a small cadre of scientists. Nobody had done anything about him, such as what you're doing right now with the exhibition at Heritage House. **What was the community reception like when you brought Dammers' story to life?** Gail Vanderlinde knew very little about her grandfather and was deeply appreciative of what I uncovered. She spread the word among her family and we eventually all had lunch together at the Mission Inn. She also arranged to have a headstone placed at Dammers' grave at Evergreen Cemetery, which had been completely unmarked. I later worked with Darleen DeMason of Victoria Avenue Forever to design and place a monument at the corner of Victoria Avenue and Mary Street. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/Copy-of-NHAI1001007_033_195x_CWDammersFieldBooks_a.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/Dammers-self-portrait.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/img20251015_15281378.jpg) Charles Montagu Dammers left behind a rich visual record of his life and work. His detailed butterfly illustrations and the whimsical "Dream of an Ecologist" — in which he depicted himself surrounded by butterflies at all stages of development — reveal a man equally devoted to science and art. A self-portrait signed in 1915 captures him years before he made Riverside his home. (Courtesy of the Museum of Riverside) **What role did you have in erecting the memorial marker at Mary Street and Victoria Avenue?** I designed the marker and located the boulder upon which it was placed. Darleen DeMason of Victoria Avenue Forever felt a monument would be a meaningful way to make Dammers' story more widely known, and she spearheaded the installation. **What legacy does Dammers leave behind?** His story has been told through my research, and the monument has helped spread the word. He certainly helped put Riverside on the map as a renowned scientist in the field of lepidopterology, and this Heritage House exhibition brings further awareness to that legacy. **How does it feel to see Dammers being rediscovered through this exhibition?** I feel really good about it. I provided the essential information that helped shape the exhibition, and it's gratifying to know it will carry his story to more people. *A Victorian Heritage: Riverside’s Butterfly Man* on view at Heritage House through June 28, 2026, stands on the foundation of one man's curiosity. The Museum of Riverside is deeply grateful to Bill Wilkman for the years of research and care he devoted to recovering the story of Charles Montagu Dammers. Without him, that story may have been lost entirely. It is our honor to help carry that story forward and introduce Dammers to a new generation of Riverside residents. To find more information out about Charles Montagu Dammers or Wilkman Historical Services, reach out to Bill at [wilkman.history@gmail.com](mailto:wilkman.history@gmail.com). ### Neighbor of the Week: Natalie Nicole Peralta URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-natalie-nicole-peralta/ Last updated: 2026-04-26T12:00:47.000Z Natalie Nicole Peralta has only lived in Riverside for about a year, but in that time the city left a mark on her — and she left one on it. A former Phoenix Scholar at Norco College, Natalie recently transferred to UC Irvine to pursue her bachelor's degree in art. The Phoenix Scholars Program works to improve educational outcomes for current and former foster youth by increasing access to college and supporting students through the process. It was through the program that Natalie connected with fellow artist Gabriel, and the two soon discovered a shared ambition: to become muralists. Natalie has since completed several murals in the Riverside area, including two indoor pieces for Kindful Restoration, a nonprofit serving justice-impacted residents. This week, she and Gabriel finished a mural together at Immanuel Lutheran School. Natalie's roots in the foster system have shaped both her life and her art. She has navigated much of adulthood on her own, raising her four-year-old daughter Jalynn while pursuing her education and building a career as an artist. She describes art as the through-line of it all — her way of healing, communicating, and pushing forward. Her involvement in Riverside's art scene has run deep: she has attended figure drawing sessions at Urge Palette, participated in workshops at Division 9 Gallery, and is currently a exhibiting artist in the Riverside Center for Social Justice and Civil Liberties' "Body of Freedom" exhibition. She has also been active in organizations serving foster youth, including serving as a Youth Voice Board Member at Building Resilience Together. As she prepares to move to Orange County and begin the next chapter of her education, Natalie says Riverside will stay with her. The city's community and art scene, she says, built her as an artist — and she plans to stay connected to both. --- **What does Riverside mean to you?** Riverside holds a special place in my heart. Even though I have only been living here for about a year, I have seen the amazing community and people within it that have made my journey here amazing. It's a really special place where people can be free to be themselves and embrace each other's differences together. It's a place to celebrate life with many different cultures and communities. I am happy and proud to be a part of Riverside's community and make a good impact. **What is your Mt. Rubidoux summit count (estimated)?** 1 😄 **What is your favorite restaurant outside of Downtown Riverside?** My favorite restaurant in Riverside has to be Amy's Cafe on Magnolia or Tio's Tacos! **What is the most beautiful building in Riverside?** I really love Tio's Tacos restaurant — it's one of the most beautiful buildings to me in Riverside. Most of the art is made of tin, metal, and scraps, but they are amazingly huge and every last piece has found a home, beautifully decorating the restaurant from head to toe and making it more than just a restaurant but a place of art. **What is your favorite Riverside small business?** Urge Palette or Division 9 Gallery, where I like to participate in art workshops. **What is your favorite Riverside non-profit organization?** Kindful Restoration, because they have amazing resources. I also work for them — they do amazing work for people and for youth who are disadvantaged. **The Festival of Lights: Every year on opening night or maybe on a Tuesday?** I absolutely love it and have not been to opening night yet, but last Christmas I went to the Festival of Lights about twenty-plus times — not kidding. **What is your go-to sandwich in town?** Cheba Hut "bomb" and a classic Subway tuna/veggie sandwich. **What is your idea of a perfect weekend day in Riverside?** Walking downtown and visiting small shops and exploring around. I would check out the library — I have not yet been in! — and visit the museums in the art district, possibly go to Game Lab. I would also probably see a movie at Tyler Mall AMC and walk around the mall a bit with my little sisters, or go for a hike or run. **What is your favorite spot for a date night?** A walkthrough of the Downtown Riverside art museums and a movie at Tyler Mall AMC. I would also consider Fairmount Park — walking around the lake or setting up a painting date there in front of the water. **Do you call it the Galleria or Tyler Mall?** Tyler Mall. **What is one place in Riverside you would bring back if you could?** Festival of Lights all year round. I love the vibe and getting lost in the people, the music, and the atmosphere. **If you could put one message on a billboard on the 91, what would it be?** Never betray what you love — you'll lose yourself so completely you forget what happiness feels like. With the one chance we have, do what you love with your whole heart, whatever it may be, big or small. The rest will fall into place, and slowly life will fill the cracks of what once felt empty. **Finally, tell us what you're working on and how our readers can support your efforts!** I am currently attending UC Irvine in the fall and live alone with my daughter on a housing program. A year ago we were homeless for a little while, but Norco College helped us get into programs. Facing financial instability and transportation issues, any help would be really appreciated to support me in my art journey while working, going to school, and taking care of my daughter. I am also trying to get a new car because I need to drive from Orange County to Riverside almost every day for work and to finish school. I would also love more opportunities to make murals and paintings — it keeps me motivated and happy. To help beautify Riverside and communicate with the world gives me energy and a sense of completeness that I crave and love, and I am honored. If I can change one person's mind or inspire them to be themselves and follow their heart, I have done my job in life. I would also like to ask others to support the foster youth community in any way possible, directly or through donating to nonprofits like Building Resilience Together. Most of us have had to learn to do it alone, and any support, donations, or opportunities can help former foster youth, students, and young moms like me follow our dreams. This is what keeps me going, and I am so grateful to have this opportunity to share myself and my art with Riverside. Thank you. *Neighbor of the Week is our way of celebrating the hidden heroes of Riverside—those who go above and beyond to make our community stronger, kinder, and more vibrant. We believe every remarkable Riversider deserves their story told. Know someone who’s making a difference?* [*Nominate a Neighbor of the Week*](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) ### 🗞️ Riverside News- April 26, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-april-26-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:17.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/Sunset_04_20_26.jpg) Layers of orange, pink and purple sweep across the sky at sunset over the San Gabriel Mountains, viewed from Canyon Crest near Ransom and Via Loma on April 20\. (Bob Sirotnik) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Sunday Gazette: April 26, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday!** This past week marked National Park Week, and with most spring breaks now in the rearview mirror, we're hoping some of you spent time out among the trees, trails, and wide open skies of one of the country's 63 national parks. If you did, we'd love to see it. Send your favorite photo and the story behind it to [newsroom@raincrossgazette.com](mailto:newsroom@raincrossgazette.com) and we'll feature it in an upcoming newsletter and on social media. See you tomorrow! --- 🧡 Thank you to the Subscribers who became paid supporters this week: Judy Kanouse, Laura Westafer McGowan, Suzanne Rice, Gregory Smith, David Stuart, and Sandra Woods. [Your ongoing financial support](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-march-15-2026-2/#/portal/account/plans) is vital to our success in serving Riverside with the news it deserves! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260426)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260426&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Mike Futrell to Remain as City Manager Futrell cites Riverside's economic momentum and June 2 Measure Z campaign as reasons to continue; Pasadena confirms withdrawal. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/DSC04960.jpeg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mike-futrell-to-remain-as-city-manager/) City Manager Mike Futrell prepares to present revenue measure options to City Council on Jan. 27, 2026, the meeting that set the city on the path to the June 2 Measure Z renewal. (Justin Pardee) Mike Futrell has reversed course, withdrawing from his Pasadena appointment to remain Riverside's city manager. **Why it matters:** Riverside avoids a leadership transition mid-stream on Measure Z, housing policy, and a $4B+ economic development push — all now staying under the same hand that started them. **Driving the news:** Futrell announced the decision Saturday in a public letter, citing the city's "significant momentum" and the need to navigate the June 2 Measure Z renewal vote. - He had been set to start as Pasadena's city manager May 13 following his April 15 appointment there. **By the numbers:** During Futrell's tenure since 2023, the city credits more than $4 billion in new investment, 100% police staffing for the first time in two decades, and a 35% drop in crime. **What's next:** Four neighborhood informational meetings on Measure Z are scheduled through May ahead of the June 2 vote. Pasadena confirmed Interim City Manager Matthew Hawkesworth will continue in that role. **What they're saying:** "I am pleased he has decided to stay in Riverside to continue the years-long, successful work he has done," Ward 1 Councilmember Philip Falcone said. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mike-futrell-to-remain-as-city-manager/) --- #### [NEIGHBOR OF THE WEEK](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/neighbor-of-the-week/) ## Neighbor of the Week: Natalie Nicole Peralta Neighbor of the Week is a series profiling the hidden heroes of Riverside, doing incredible works of service throughout our different neighborhoods. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/Natalie-Nicole-Peralta--C-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-natalie-nicole-peralta/) Natalie Nicole Peralta and fellow artist Gabe Rodgers stand before the mural they painted together at Immanuel Lutheran School in Riverside. (Brenda Flowers) Natalie Nicole Peralta has only lived in Riverside for about a year, but in that time the city left a mark on her — and she left one on it. A former Phoenix Scholar at Norco College, Natalie recently transferred to UC Irvine to pursue her bachelor's degree in art. The Phoenix Scholars Program works to improve educational outcomes for current and former foster youth by increasing access to college and supporting students through the process. It was through the program that Natalie connected with fellow artist Gabriel, and the two soon discovered a shared ambition: to become muralists. Natalie has since completed several murals in the Riverside area, including two indoor pieces for Kindful Restoration, a nonprofit serving justice-impacted residents. This week, she and Gabriel finished a mural together at Immanuel Lutheran School. Natalie's roots in the foster system have shaped both her life and her art. She has navigated much of adulthood on her own, raising her four-year-old daughter Jalynn while pursuing her education and building a career as an artist. She describes art as the through-line of it all — her way of healing, communicating, and pushing forward. Her involvement in Riverside's art scene has run deep: she has attended figure drawing sessions at Urge Palette, participated in workshops at Division 9 Gallery, and is currently a exhibiting artist in the Riverside Center for Social Justice and Civil Liberties' "Body of Freedom" exhibition. She has also been active in organizations serving foster youth, including serving as a Youth Voice Board Member at Building Resilience Together. As she prepares to move to Orange County and begin the next chapter of her education, Natalie says Riverside will stay with her. The city's community and art scene, she says, built her as an artist — and she plans to stay connected to both. [Get to know Natalie Nicole...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-natalie-nicole-peralta/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260426)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260426&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [2026 ELECTION](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/2026-election/) ## Raincross Gazette Hosts First-Ever Candidate Forum for Ward Seat Four Ward 2 hopefuls square off on homelessness, housing and public safety. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/1-4.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-gazette-hosts-first-ever-candidate-forum-for-ward-seat/) Moderator Dan Bernstein, left, leads a discussion with Ward 2 candidates Aram Ayra, Christen Montero, Gracie Torres and Mike Vahl during the Raincross Gazette's first-ever candidate forum Thursday evening. (Bob Sirotnik) Four candidates for City Council Ward 2 debated homelessness, housing, economic development and more at the Raincross Gazette's first-ever candidate forum on Thursday evening. Nonprofit director and Budget Commissioner Aram Ayra, entrepreneur and Planning Commissioner Christen Montero, Western Municipal Water District Director Gracie Torres and financial and IT consultant Mike Vahl are running for the seat soon to be vacated by [Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-election-guide/), who is running for state Assembly. Ward 2 covers neighborhoods including Eastside, Canyon Crest, Mission Grove, Sycamore Canyon and the University District. The forum was moderated by former Press Enterprise columnist and longtime Riversider Dan Bernstein, who introduced discussion questions on both citywide issues as well as Ward 2-specific questions. "The hope is that \[after the forum\] you have a better idea of who you want to represent you in Ward 2," Bernstein said. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-gazette-hosts-first-ever-candidate-forum-for-ward-seat/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260426) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260426&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CREATIVE PROMPTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/creative-prompts/) ## Off Kilter Filter A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns. [![red strawberries in stainless steel strainer](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1585505642358-2cd65f5c39d4?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDF8fHN0cmFpbmVyfGVufDB8fHx8MTc3NzA2MjExOXww&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/off-kilter-filter/) ([James Yarema](https://unsplash.com/@jamesyarema?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) This week’s creative nudge comes from the kitchen drawer, the drying rack, or that cabinet where pots and pans hide between performances: the strainer. I cook a lot; I have a few metal ones, a large plastic one for Sunday pasta dinner, and a fourth one I’m not entirely sure what kind of food to use it on. A strainer does some of the least glamorous but most important work in a kitchen. It separates, catches, rinses, skims, and clarifies. It helps us finish sauces, rinse produce, pull fat from what we cook without sacrificing flavor, and rescue dinner from becoming a soggy disappointment. Sometimes what we leave out is exactly what lets the rest shine. And then there’s the part that gets discarded. A strainer reminds us that what gets filtered out isn’t automatically worthless. Anyone who has ever saved a mug of cloudy pasta water to help a sauce come together already knows the so-called waste can be the thing that makes the whole dish work. [Read and share the complete prompt...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/off-kilter-filter/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Sunday, April 26 - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-04-26T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [**78th Annual Riverside Flower Show and Garden Tour**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/78th-annual-riverside-flower-show-and-garden-tour/18520936/2026-04-26T09) at Riverside Elks Lodge (free- $10) - [Riverside Children's Theater - Disney's Little Mermaid Junior](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-childrens-theater-disneys-little-mermaid-junior/18642373/2026-04-26T13) at JW North High School ($15) - [Olive Country Charcuterie Bar](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/olive-country-charcuterie-bar/18702821/2026-04-26T09) at Olive Country Charcuterie Bar - [Deck of Cards Silent Auction - Your Pet's Photo in a Special Deck of Cards](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/deck-of-cards-silent-auction-your-pets-photo-in-a-special-deck-of-cards/18702160/2026-04-26T00) at Online for Mary S. Roberts pet Adoption Center ($10) - [Heart Centered Alignment: A Soundbath Experience](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/heart-centered-alignment-a-soundbath-experience/18675652/2026-04-26T15) at SALT STUDIOS : A DANCE STUDIO FOR ADULTS ($28.52) - [Into the Breeches! by George Brant at Riverside Community Players](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/into-the-breeches-by-george-brant-at-riverside-community-players/18450344/2026-04-26T14) at Riverside Community Players ($20.00 - $22.24) - [The Juicy Story, Series Two - FREE Citrus Heritage Presentation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-juicy-story-series-two-free-citrus-heritage-presentation/18335368/2026-04-26T13) at Citrus State Park - Sunkist Center - [VELZY Tribute Band (THE STROKES, ARCTIC MONKEYS & CAGE THE ELEPHANT) 04/25](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/velzy-tribute-band-the-strokes-arctic-monkeys-cage-the-elephant-0425/18450286/2026-04-26T21) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($12.51) ### Monday, April 27 - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-04-27T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Board of Public Utilities](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/board-of-public-utilities/18584290/2026-04-27T18) at Riverside City Hall - [Housing and Homelessness Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/housing-and-homelessness-committee/18431186/2026-04-27T15) at Riverside City Hall - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-04-27T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [Monday Carillon Recitals](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/monday-carillon-recitals/17079871/2026-04-27T12) at UCR Bell Tower - [**Sip with a Scientist**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/18634884/2026-04-27T17)at Bar Ni Modo ### Tuesday, April 28 - [Special Seminar: Avocado, Cherimoya, and Mango Flowering Basics](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/special-seminar-avocado-cherimoya-and-mango-flowering-basics/18675024/2026-04-28T15) at LandUse Learning Center - [MSRPAC's Monthly Community Cat Spay/Neuter Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/msrpacs-monthly-community-cat-spayneuter-day/17790235/2026-04-28T06) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($45) - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-04-28T19) at The Hideaway ### Wednesday, April 29 - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-04-29T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-04-29T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [Reading Assistance Program](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-assistance-program/17973404/2026-04-29T15) at My Learning Studio - [The Comedy Lobby](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-comedy-lobby/18671850/2026-04-29T20) at The Lobby ($9.85) - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-04-29T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Out in the I.E.](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/out-in-the-ie/18475868/2026-04-29T12) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Riverside Mission Belles](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-mission-belles/16691431/2026-04-29T09) at Victoria Presbyterian Church - [Riverside Open Mic Music Series](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-open-mic-music-series/15529475/2026-04-29T17) at BACK TO THE GRIND - [**Raincross Gazette: Ward 4 Community Forum**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-4-community-forum/18495206/2026-04-29T18) at Riverside Citrus State Park - Sunkist Center ### Thursday, April 30 - [Arlington Library| Propagation Station: Plant Swap](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/arlington-library-propagation-station-plant-swap/17642280/2026-04-30T10) at Arlington Library - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-04-30T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [**Raincross Gazette: Ward 6 Community Forum**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-6-community-forum/18495207/2026-04-30T18) at Altura Credit Union (10725 Magnolia Ave.) ### Friday, May 1 - [**Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-01T07) at Zacatecas Café - [The Fake Actors Guild: Bob's Burgers Table Read for PRIDE! B2tG](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-fake-actors-guild-bobs-burgers-table-read-for-pride-b2tg/18672411/2026-05-01T19) at Back To The Grind ($12.51) - [La Santa Cecilia](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/la-santa-cecilia/18501415/2026-05-01T19) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium - [Las Alucines -Tu Nuevo Estilo de Vida US Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/las-alucines-tu-nuevo-estilo-de-vida-us-tour/18501417/2026-05-01T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [OLPH Fiesta](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/olph-fiesta/18629119/2026-05-01T17) at OLPH Parish & School - [Painting Fairies Night, a Comedy Paint and Sip](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/painting-fairies-night-a-comedy-paint-and-sip/18671851/2026-05-01T19) at Carbon Nation Brewing ($28.52) - [Riverside: An All-American City — A Celebration of America 250](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-an-allamerican-city-a-celebration-of-america-250/18699658/2026-05-01T18) at Mission Inn Foundation and Museum - [Riverside Off-Road & Jeep Nights](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-offroad-jeep-nights/18477720/2026-05-01T17) at D'Elia's Grinders - [World Music Festival](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/world-music-festival/17756870/2026-05-01T19) at University Theatre ### Saturday, May 2 - [Community Yard Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/downtown-community-yardsale/18675016/2026-05-02T07) at Downtown Riverside - [Milkweed sale and Monarch Celebration](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/milkweed-sale-and-monarch-celebration/18519473/2026-05-02T09) at LandUse Learning Center - [Riverside GPU & CAAP: Community Workshop](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-gpu-caap-community-workshop/18697084/2026-05-02T11) at Riverside Salvation Army Corps - [2026 Southern Divisions Convention](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/2026-southern-divisions-convention/18120514/2026-05-02T00) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [Evergreen Cemetery Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/evergreen-cemetery-tour/18672412/2026-05-02T10) at Evergreen Memorial Park ($23.18) - [Riverside Cinco De Mayo Bar Crawl](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-cinco-de-mayo-bar-crawl/16365263/2026-05-02T17) at Killer Queens Social House - [Sublime Tribute by Don't Push!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sublime-tribute-by-dont-push/18179810/2026-05-02T21) at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($20.23) ## Save the Date - May 3: ["The Sound of Riverside" - The 2026 Riverside Arts Academy Gala](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-sound-of-riverside-the-2026-riverside-arts-academy-gala/18503772/2026-05-03T17) at UCR University Theatre ($150- $325) - May 6: [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - May 13: [Level Up Your Network: The Pick Group 2026 Membership Summit](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/level-up-your-network-the-pick-group-2026-membership-summit/18625198/2026-05-13T18) at Killer Queens Social House - May 16: [Vintage Home Tour “Age is a Work of Art”](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vintage-home-tour-age-is-a-work-of-art/18708216/2026-05-16T10) at Peter J Weber House ($30) - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Mike Futrell to Remain as City Manager URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/mike-futrell-to-remain-as-city-manager/ Last updated: 2026-04-28T12:00:11.000Z Mike Futrell will remain as Riverside's city manager, citing the city's economic momentum and the [June 2 vote on the renewal of Measure Z](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-puts-sales-tax-increase-on-june-ballot-to-fund-fire-staffing/) as reasons to continue in the role. In a public letter Saturday morning, Futrell wrote: "After thoughtful consideration, I have decided to remain in Riverside and continue serving as your City Manager. Riverside is not just where I work — it is our home." The letter, signed by Futrell and his wife Susan Freeman, cited the city's "significant momentum" in economic development, infrastructure, public safety and housing. "We are in the middle of public education about the June 2 vote on the revenue renewal of 'Measure Z' with later work required navigating the outcome of that vote," Futrell wrote. The city is hosting [four neighborhood informational meetings](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-hosting-measure-z-informational-meetings-across-riverside-through-may/) on the measure through May. Futrell had been scheduled to begin as Pasadena's city manager May 13, following [his April 15 appointment](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-city-manager-mike-futrell-leaving-for-pasadena/) by that city's council. On Saturday, Mayor Victor Gordo and the Pasadena City Council, in a statement [first reported by Pasadena Now](https://pasadenanow.com/main/futrell-will-not-be-pasadenas-next-city-manager?ref=raincrossgazette.com), acknowledged Futrell's withdrawal and confirmed that Interim City Manager Matthew Hawkesworth will continue in that role. "The Council respects his decision and wishes Mike the very best," the statement said. Futrell has served as Riverside's city manager since 2023\. The city has [credited his tenure](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-managers-year-in-review-4-3-billion-in-growth-highlights-economic-momentum-and-emerging-public-safety-pressures/) with more than $4 billion in new investment, 100% police staffing for the first time in two decades, and a 35% reduction in crime. His decision to stay extends his role through several efforts already underway, including the June 2 Measure Z renewal and the city's housing policy work under its Prohousing Designation. In his letter, Futrell credited "city employees, community partners, and residents who are doing extraordinary work every day" and wrote that he is "staying to see these efforts through." "Mike Futrell has been a dedicated and steadfast city manager," Ward 1 Councilmember Philip Falcone said in a text to the Gazette Saturday. "I am pleased he has decided to stay in Riverside to continue the years-long, successful work he has done to improve the quality of life in town." The Gazette reached out to the mayor and city council members on Saturday. This story will be updated as additional information becomes available. ### 🍊Your Riverside Weekend- April 25, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/your-riverside-weekend-april-25-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:18.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/02/_DSC5738.jpg) **Your Riverside Weekend- April 25, 2026** **Happy Saturday, Riverside!** We hope your week treated you well. Before you head into your weekend, we've gathered the stories that defined life in our city this week — from City Hall to community happenings. You're in the right place to catch up — your weekend starts here. --- [The Gazette Is Hosting Its First-Ever Candidate Forums — Wards 2, 4, and 6Free, ward-specific forums this April ahead of the June election, where the questions come from the community, not the campaign.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-27.png)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/Neighborhood-Forum-Series--3--1.png)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-gazette-is-hosting-its-first-ever-candidate-forums-wards-2-4-and-6/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260425)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260425&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [Raincross Gazette Hosts First-Ever Candidate Forum for Ward SeatFour Ward 2 hopefuls square off on homelessness, housing and public safety.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/size/w1200/2026/04/1-3.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-gazette-hosts-first-ever-candidate-forum-for-ward-seat/) [Sazón and Cultura Bring Riverside’s Tamale Festival TogetherThe Spanish Town Heritage Foundation’s 13th annual Tamale Festival returned to White Park on April 18, bringing food, ballet folklórico and Ozomatli in honor of the Trujillo Adobe’s historic designation.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteCommunity Contributor![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RRF-224.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/sazon-and-cultura-bring-riversides-tamale-festival-together/) [RTRP Construction Is Finally Underway — Here’s What Riversiders Can Expect in the Next Several MonthsThe Riverside Transmission Reliability Project is now under active construction — with lane closures expected across Jurupa Valley in the months ahead.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/260421-rtrp.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/rtrp-construction-is-finally-underway-heres-what-riversiders-can-expect-in-the-next-several-months/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260425)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260425&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [Downtown Lime Street Portion Named to Honor Fallen Riverside FirefighterSigns honoring Captain Tim Strack went up Tuesday along the stretch of Lime between 3rd and 14th streets, where Strack once served at Station 1.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/DSC05171.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/downtown-lime-street-portion-named-to-honor-fallen-riverside-firefighter/) [Riverside Nonprofit NORA Marks Denim Day With Community Event April 29Banner Bank is partnering with the sexual assault resource organization for a solidarity gathering at its Riverside branch.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteAmy López![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1576995853123-5a10305d93c0)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-nonprofit-nora-marks-denim-day-with-community-event-april-29/) [City Council Approves $3 Million in Loans to Keep Mulberry Gardens on TrackLoans will help cover construction delays at the 25-unit senior and 9-unit family affordable housing project on Mulberry Street.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-5-3.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-approves-3-million-in-loans-to-keep-mulberry-gardens-on-track/) [Still Standing: Post 79’s Clubhouse Turns 100Built on land donated by a Riverside mayor, the American Legion’s Lake Evans home has served veterans for a century.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteGlenn Wenzel![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/1--Nov-2022-ZW.JPG)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/still-standing-post-79s-clubhouse-turns-100/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260425) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260425&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Weather Forecast 🌤️ Sunday, April 26 — 68° / 50° · AM Clouds/PM Sun ⛅ Monday, April 27 — 71° / 48° · Partly Cloudy ⛅ Tuesday, April 28 — 80° / 52° · Partly Cloudy 🌥️ Wednesday, April 29 — 76° / 52° · Mostly Cloudy 🌤️ Thursday, April 30 — 80° / 54° · Mostly Sunny ☀️ Friday, May 1 — 86° / 56° · Sunny ⛅ Saturday, May 2 — 87° / 57° · Partly Cloudy ⛅ *Riverside starts the week in the upper 60s before warming back into the mid-to-upper 80s by the weekend. Enjoy the cool start while it lasts.* --- ## 💬 Staff Picks — What we're talking about around the Gazette this week ️☔️ Justin was excited for an April shower this weekend, and disappointed to find out the Sunday rain on his weather app will be falling while he's fast asleep 🚗 Amy has a new form of weekend entertainment — speed humps were just installed on her street, and she can't stop watching from her front window to see who slows down gracefully and who… does not. --- ## Save the Date - April 25: [Frozen: The Broadway Musical](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-24T19) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) - April 25: [78th Annual Riverside Flower Show and Garden Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/78th-annual-riverside-flower-show-and-garden-tour/18520936/2026-04-25T09) at Riverside Elks Lodge (free - $10) - April 27: [Sip with a Scientist](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/18634884/2026-04-27T17) at Bar Ni Modo - April 29: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 4 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-4-community-forum/18495206/2026-04-29T18) at Riverside Citrus State Park - Sunkist Center - April 30: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 6 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-6-community-forum/18495207/2026-04-30T18) at Altura Credit Union (10725 Magnolia Ave.) - May 1: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-01T07) at Zacatecas Café - May 3: ["The Sound of Riverside" - The 2026 Riverside Arts Academy Gala](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-sound-of-riverside-the-2026-riverside-arts-academy-gala/18503772/2026-05-03T17) at UCR University Theatre ($150- $325) - May 6: [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - May 13: [Level Up Your Network: The Pick Group 2026 Membership Summit](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/level-up-your-network-the-pick-group-2026-membership-summit/18625198/2026-05-13T18) at Killer Queens Social House - May 16: [Vintage Home Tour “Age is a Work of Art”](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/vintage-home-tour-age-is-a-work-of-art/18708216/2026-05-16T10) at Peter J Weber House ($30) - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Off Kilter Filter URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/off-kilter-filter/ Last updated: 2026-04-25T12:00:07.000Z Welcome back, all you porch performers! [Last week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ring-ring/) we stepped inside the circle, studying the symbolism of rings or what it means to be watched by the polite robots we’ve installed on millions of front porches. Perhaps you staged a humorous pratfall for a neighbor’s Ring or tapped out secret messages on flat surfaces with your wedding band. Maybe you noticed how those small gestures—circular, repetitive, intentional—started to feel like a kind of language. Or maybe you just enjoyed the strange comfort of performing for an audience that may or may not ever watch. This week’s creative nudge comes from the kitchen drawer, the drying rack, or that cabinet where pots and pans hide between performances: the strainer. I cook a lot; I have a few metal ones, a large plastic one for Sunday pasta dinner, and a fourth one I’m not entirely sure what kind of food to use it on. A strainer does some of the least glamorous but most important work in a kitchen. It separates, catches, rinses, skims, and clarifies. It helps us finish sauces, rinse produce, pull fat from what we cook without sacrificing flavor, and rescue dinner from becoming a soggy disappointment. Sometimes what we leave out is exactly what lets the rest shine. And then there’s the part that gets discarded. A strainer reminds us that what gets filtered out isn’t automatically worthless. Anyone who has ever saved a mug of cloudy pasta water to help a sauce come together already knows the so-called waste can be the thing that makes the whole dish work. I’ve been thinking about the metaphorical ways we strain our digital diets. The headlines we skip. The opinions we let pass through. The noise we turn down. The petty nonsense we decide not to carry forward. Recognizing that we do this isn’t selfish. It’s often how we protect the most creative and positive parts of ourselves. We strain not just to remove, but to support what we hope will remain. Let’s use that wisdom of the kitchen by applying our creative efforts for several minutes using one or more of these nudges: **1\. MeshLens:** Hold a strainer up between your eye and something ordinary: a window, your face in a mirror, the afternoon sky. What changes when the world is broken into dozens of little openings? Photograph what you see or sketch the distorted view. What becomes pattern? What disappears? What suddenly feels framed, protected, or far away? **2\. Drain tap:** Set the strainer beneath a thin stream of water, or tap its rim, bowl, and handle with a spoon or a chopstick. Build a short rhythm or sound collage from those noises. This is kitchen percussion with practical origins. Bonus points if you perform it while waiting for the noodles. **3\. Strainular:** Instead of treating the strained-out part as waste, give it star treatment. Save a little pasta water and use it to thin out sauce. Or choose another edible leftover—a broth, softened vegetables, steeped fruit, even seasoned drippings—and turn it into a tiny improvement or invention. Write a short recipe card or tasting note devoted to the thing that usually gets tossed. What became desirable the moment you paid attention? **4\. The Pour Off:** Hold the strainer, trace the rim, the handle, the mesh, the places where things catch. Then make two lists: one for what you want more of in your life, and one for what you’d like to see less. Noise? Doomscrolling? Other people’s urgency? Your own perfectionism? Turn those lists into a short poem or a note to yourself. This is about recognizing how much care it takes to keep your creative side fed. **5\. Friend App:** Invent a strainer for a friend. Not just one that handles pasta or stock, but one that filters something literal and something metaphorical. Maybe it removes seeds and self-doubt. Maybe it catches burnt bits, bad advice, spam texts, and unnecessary guilt while letting humor, courage, and flavor through. Draw it like a patent sketch or write the directions that would come in the box. Who gets this gift? What, exactly, are you hoping they no longer have to carry? Strainers remind us that creativity isn’t only about adding more. Sometimes it’s about choosing what gets through. Sometimes it’s about rescuing what nearly got thrown away. And sometimes it’s about trusting that a few well-placed holes in your process makes the whole thing work better. *This column was written with the help of ChatGPT, used here as a creative collaborator to bring some new ways of thinking into the world.* ### Raincross Gazette Hosts First-Ever Candidate Forum for Ward Seat URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-gazette-hosts-first-ever-candidate-forum-for-ward-seat/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:06:02.000Z Four candidates for City Council Ward 2 debated homelessness, housing, economic development and more at the Raincross Gazette's first-ever candidate forum on Thursday evening. Nonprofit director and Budget Commissioner Aram Ayra, entrepreneur and Planning Commissioner Christen Montero, Western Municipal Water District Director Gracie Torres and financial and IT consultant Mike Vahl are running for the seat soon to be vacated by [Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/2026-election-guide/), who is running for state Assembly. Ward 2 covers neighborhoods including Eastside, Canyon Crest, Mission Grove, Sycamore Canyon and the University District. The forum was moderated by former Press Enterprise columnist and longtime Riversider Dan Bernstein, who introduced discussion questions on both citywide issues as well as Ward 2-specific questions. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/2-2.jpg) Moderator Dan Bernstein addresses the audience at the Raincross Gazette's Ward 2 candidate forum, with a slide listing the four candidates projected behind him. (Bob Sirotnik) "The hope is that \[after the forum\] you have a better idea of who you want to represent you in Ward 2," Bernstein said. ## Ward 2-specific questions ### Quality Inn/Homekey+ Vote **Question:** In January, the council narrowly voted to turn down a [$20 million grant that would have converted the Quality Inn on University Avenue to permanent supportive housing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-rejects-20-million-state-grant-for-homeless-housing-project/). [This decision is now being contested in court](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-faces-lawsuits-as-deadline-passes-for-20-1-million-housing-project/) on the grounds that it violated antidiscrimination laws. If you had been on the council, would you have voted to accept or reject this grant money? And why? **Ayra:** "I would have resoundingly supported that project, no questions asked. I think it was a major misstep by the council to turn down that kind of money. It was a once-in-a-generation investment in homelessness. It sent the wrong signal to our Riverside community, it sent the wrong signal to the state of California, it put our pro-housing designation at risk, and it told people that Riverside's not interested in solutions, it's interested in partisanship and just political showmanship. It was wrong, and I would really hope all the answers here are that they would have supported this as well." **Montero:** "That Quality Inn project was huge for us, and given the fact that that is something that we applied for and then in the end turned down when we were given the funds, what does that tell the state when we want to come back and ask for more funding to improve our housing? Especially if right now we're not meeting our housing goals, where are we going to get the money from? Do we have to increase measures anymore? I don't think so." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/3-2.jpg) Christen Montero speaks during the Raincross Gazette's Ward 2 candidate forum. (Bob Sirotnik) **Torres:** "I wasn't on the city council when it happened. What I wanted to know is how many residents, and I know people want to turn that into businesses, but how many residents were actually engaged with about this project? I couldn't get an answer for that, right? What I know is that we need projects like these. We need housing. I'm supportive of those things, but the reality is this didn't happen…because the council was unwilling to work together…If I had been on the council and known that no resident was talked to, then I would have voted against it, which is what I said before." **Vahl:** "I would have voted against it. One of the things that I found out was that this is a 50-year project, which you're getting a $20 million grant for. The time for over 50 years was over $100 million the city would be responsible for. And so you're getting $20 million to spend $100 \[million\]. Is that a good deal?" ### University Avenue **Question:** There's a lot of vacant, city-owned property along University Avenue that has been up for sale and off the tax rolls for years. What kind of development do you want to see, and what will you do to get things moving? **Ayra:** "I've talked about this a lot. [The University Avenue specific plan has not been updated in over 20 years](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-approves-pilot-program-to-redistribute-unused-housing-capacity-along-university-avenue/). There's components in there that maybe made sense at the time that no longer make sense today for the development. We need to prioritize, I think, housing development first and foremost, especially along University Avenue. If there's ways to put in retail spaces, if there's ways to put in small businesses, I fully support that. But the priority needs to be housing. It's already zoned. Therefore, we have an opportunity to really build along a very nice transit corridor. That would be my priority. And to get things moving on day one, I would convene the University Avenue specific plan to get a group going and make sure residents had input on how it was developed as well." **Montero:** "A lot of these lands are vacant because of the changes recently in different policies when it comes to housing. I think definitely because it's already zoned…I think it's really important to continue to provide housing for our residents, whether it's middle-class housing, multi-unit housing. At the same time, that doesn't mean we overlook why some commercial entities refuse to purchase those properties. Some of those properties are actually poisoned with things that are leaking out of the ground from generations of businesses having been on there in the past and just covering it up and staff reports to turn it into residential housing. I think we also need to look into the detail of how those pieces of land have been taken care of before we just build on it as well." **Torres:** "I would like to see more third spaces. We need places for our students to hang out. So they're not partying in our neighborhoods. We need a lot more of that, of those types of spaces in this corridor." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/5-1.jpg) Mike Vahl speaks during the Raincross Gazette's Ward 2 candidate forum as Gracie Torres looks on to his right. (Bob Sirotnik) **Vahl:** "I would go for some parks. If we're doing new housing, the less apartments, the better. We don't need buildings with 300 apartments at $2,500 a month." ### Investor-Owned Rentals and Student Housing Near UC Riverside **Question:** Residents near UC Riverside say corporations and investors are buying up single-family homes, adding bedrooms and packing them with students. Parking disappears. Neighborhoods change drastically. Ordinary families feel under siege. Should the city limit how many unrelated people can live in a single-family home? Which rules currently on the books need stricter enforcement? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/6-1.jpg) Aram Ayra speaks during the Raincross Gazette's Ward 2 candidate forum as Christen Montero looks on to his left. **Ayra:** "Being a resident that lived in those homes during my time in college, this is something that was poorly managed, I think, by the city. They allowed cut-ups. You have landlords, again, from out of state, from out of country sometimes, buying up a single family home and cutting it up into seven, eight rooms. That brings the parking. That brings the trash, the noise disturbances. At the same time, we pulled back funding for things like UNED, which managed some of those and mitigated some of those impacts on the community. I think the city should limit, but at the same time, we need to go after the source of the problem, which is treating housing as an investment. That is what has propagated this most importantly in these neighborhoods because it's been allowed to happen. Secondly, like I said before, I would really push the university to build more housing on campus and help them, get them state grants, work with them to lobby up at the UC regions to make sure that we're housing more students off campus – on campus and less off campus." **Montero:** "If we limit the unrelated amount of people in a household, that's covering the symptom, not the problem. The problem is truly we need to limit the amount of corporations that are owning our homes and what they're doing with it, and we need to give that back to the people, back to the residents, so we can own our homes, so our kids can own homes, so our grandchildren can own homes, and really take a look at putting a percentage on how much corporations can own in our own housing and looking at, you know, how many of our housing today is actually owned by residents and going through data-driven results." *Torres and Vahl did not answer; the moderator moved on for the sake of time.* ### Crime and Public Safety **Question:** Multiple residents who registered for this forum wrote about the same thing: crime. They want and need help. Riverside's crime rate is 27% above the national average and the UCR neighborhood rates among the city's higher crime areas. What is one specific thing you, as a council member, will push for to make Ward 2 safer? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/4-1.jpg) Gracie Torres speaks during the Raincross Gazette's Ward 2 candidate forum as Christen Montero looks on to her right. (Bob Sirotnik) **Torres:** "We need to lower the response times. We need to make sure that our dispatchers are taken care of and paid well. One thing that's different between us public employees and the police is that they can't – they don't have the luxury to call an emergency and stay home. They have to go to work. And so we need to be able to take care of them so they can take care of us." **Vahl:** "I would get with Police Chief Larry Gonzalez and try to work out some type of a coverage plan with the officers and the local lieutenant to make sure that we had more – at least 20% to 40% more patrols. And so the more visible police are, the less crime you're going to get." *Ayra and Montero did not answer; the moderator moved on for the sake of time.* ### 🗞️ Riverside News- April 24, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-april-17-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:19.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/Victorious_Cubs-1.jpeg) The California School for the Deaf, Riverside Girls Softball Team gathers on the field in advance of the 2026 Hoy Softball Tournament, a national competition for deaf schools set for April 24–25 in Fremont, CA. More information is available at [csdeagles.com](https://www.csdeagles.com/apps/events/2026/4/24/35278751/?id=1&ref=raincrossgazette.com). (Robert Reul) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Friday Gazette: April 24, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Friday!** Last night, the Raincross Gazette hosted its first-ever candidate forum, and the Ward 2 race took center stage. We are so proud to have brought this to our community, and we are just getting started. Forums for Ward 4 and Ward 6 are still ahead, and if your ward is on that list, [now is the time to grab your spot](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-gazette-is-hosting-its-first-ever-candidate-forums-wards-2-4-and-6/). Both are free and open to all Riverside residents. [Register today](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-gazette-is-hosting-its-first-ever-candidate-forums-wards-2-4-and-6/) and come ready to hear directly from the candidates who want to represent your neighborhood. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260424)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260424&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HOUSING](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/housing/) ## City Council Approves $3 Million in Loans to Keep Mulberry Gardens on Track Loans will help cover construction delays at the 25-unit senior and 9-unit family affordable housing project on Mulberry Street. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-5-4.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-approves-3-million-in-loans-to-keep-mulberry-gardens-on-track/) Riverside's City Council unanimously approved nearly $3 million in loans to keep an affordable senior and family housing project on Mulberry Street on track after construction delays. **Why it matters:** With Riverside permitted on less than 20% of its state-mandated housing target, every affordable unit counts — and these 34 units serve seniors at risk of homelessness and low-income families. **Driving the news:** Council approved a $2,025,365 loan for the senior phase at 2520 Mulberry Street and a $971,108 loan for the family phase at 2560 Mulberry Street. - Delays stemmed from a state fire marshal permitting lag and ongoing firestopping issues found during inspections. **By the numbers:** Mulberry Gardens will add 25 restricted senior units and nine restricted family units to Riverside's affordable housing stock. **The backstory:** Riverside's housing shortfall is severe — nearly all permitted homes since 2021 have been above-moderate-income, with no new very-low-income units approved since then and no low- or moderate-income units since 2023. **What's next:** The senior phase is expected to receive a temporary certificate of occupancy in November 2026; the family phase follows in November 2027. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-approves-3-million-in-loans-to-keep-mulberry-gardens-on-track/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260424)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260424&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Riverside's Police Review Commission Delays Recommendations on Racial Disparities in Stops The Community Police Review Commission voted unanimously to delay recommendations on 2024 RIPA data showing Black residents were stopped at more than twice their share of the population. [![blue bmw car in a dark room](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1608095476825-d4e0f916372f?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDF8fHBvbGljZXxlbnwwfHx8fDE3NzY5ODE0ODl8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-police-review-commission-delays-recommendations-on-racial-disparities-in-stops/) ([Scott Rodgerson](https://unsplash.com/@scottrodgerson?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) Riverside's Community Police Review Commission postponed its racial disparity recommendations for a second time, pushing a final vote to May 27. **Why it matters:** The delay affects a report examining why Black residents — about 6.6% of Riverside's population — accounted for roughly 15% of more than 21,000 police stops in 2024, more than double their population share. **Driving the news:** Commissioners voted unanimously April 22 to hold off, saying the current draft identifies concerns but doesn't yet specify concrete actions or accountability measures. - "I think there are some additional edits that we do need to make," Commissioner Eileen Teichert said. **The backstory:** The California Racial and Identity Profiling Act requires agencies to collect and analyze stop data. The commission has been reviewing Riverside's latest RIPA report since last year, following a 71% spike in police stops — from roughly 15,000 in 2023 to more than 21,000 in 2024. **Yes, but:** Hispanic residents made up about 55% of stops in 2024, roughly proportionate to their share of the population. **What's next:** The commission targets a May 27 vote. Commissioners are also weighing whether to set citywide goals for reducing disproportionate stops of Black residents and issue a formal racial profiling finding. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-police-review-commission-delays-recommendations-on-racial-disparities-in-stops/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260424) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260424&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Local Food Bank Warns State Funding Cut Could Spike Hunger in Inland Region Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino says a 90% drop in CalFood money would come as federal food aid faces separate rollbacks. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-3-4.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/local-food-bank-warns-state-funding-cut-could-spike-hunger-in-inland-region/) A youth participant holds a freshly harvested onion at a local farm. (Courtesy of Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino) A state program supplying Inland SoCal food banks with locally grown produce faces a roughly 90% funding cut if California lawmakers don't act before it lapses. **Why it matters:** Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino already serves more than 5 million people annually in the region — and with federal CalFresh benefit reductions expected through 2026 and 2027, demand is likely to climb just as resources shrink. **By the numbers:** CalFood is currently funded at $60 million annually; without renewal, it reverts to an $8 million baseline. - The program serves 6 million Californians per month statewide. **The backstory:** FARSB served 1.5 million people at the height of the pandemic in 2020\. By 2025, that number had grown to more than 5 million — roughly 1 in 5 households in the region now faces food insecurity. **What they're saying:** "Other funding has already decreased," Interim CEO Joanna Solorio said, warning food banks are "expected to do more with less." **What's next:** Residents can act before the end of April — [submit a sign-on letter](https://act.cafoodbanks.org/component/sbxactions/30?ref=raincrossgazette.com) supporting CalFood renewal, [donate](https://www.feedingamericaie.org/donate?ref=raincrossgazette.com), [organize a food drive](https://www.feedingamericaie.org/food-drives?ref=raincrossgazette.com), or [volunteer for a warehouse sorting shift](https://www.feedingamericaie.org/volunteer?ref=raincrossgazette.com) at [feedingamericaie.org](http://feedingamericaie.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/local-food-bank-warns-state-funding-cut-could-spike-hunger-in-inland-region/) --- #### [Adoptable Pet of the Week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag//) ## Meet Fawn! Meet this week’s featured furry friend from the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center. Dedicated to eliminating pet homelessness, the center provides compassionate care and facilitates adoptions for animals in need of loving homes. Find your new companion and help support their mission of humane care and responsible pet ownership. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-10-1.jpg)](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Meet Fawn, 2 year old, 20lb sweetheart who has come a long way since arriving in February. She started off shy and unsure, but thanks to time in a caring foster home, she’s grown more confident and is really starting to shine. Fawn enjoys walks, does great on leash, gets along with other dogs, and has a playful side that comes out in happy bursts of zoomies. She can be a little timid when meeting new people, but with patience and a gentle approach, her sweet, affectionate, and goofy personality quickly comes through. Fawn is looking for a home that will give her the time and understanding she needs to keep blossoming. Come meet Fawn and all the adoptable pets at the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center in person. Stop by any day except Tuesdays, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., or learn more at [petsadoption.org](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Friday, April 24 - [**Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-04-24T07)at Zacatecas Café - [R'Hours at the R'Garden](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rhours-at-the-rgarden/18094958/2026-04-24T08) at R'Garden - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-04-24T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Bioblitz at the LandUse Learning Center](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bioblitz-at-the-landuse-learning-center/18519618/2026-04-24T19) at LandUse Learning Center - [Chris Rinne Invitational](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/chris-rinne-invitational/18543242/2026-04-24T12) at UC Riverside - [Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-and-heroes-walking-tour/17901085/2026-04-24T15) at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18) - [The Fake Actors Guild: Bob's Burgers Table Read for PRIDE!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-fake-actors-guild-bobs-burgers-table-read-for-pride-raincross-dist/18672406/2026-04-24T19) at The Raincross District ($12.51) - [**Frozen: The Broadway Musical**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-24T19) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) - [Into the Breeches! by George Brant at Riverside Community Players](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/into-the-breeches-by-george-brant-at-riverside-community-players/18450344/2026-04-24T19) at Riverside Community Players ($20- $22.24) - [Jose Maria Napoleon - Hasta Siempre. Tour de Despedida](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/jose-maria-napoleon-hasta-siempre-tour-de-despedida/18051799/2026-04-24T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [Murder Mystery Co. Dinner Theater Show at The Old Spaghetti Factory](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/murder-mystery-co-dinner-theater-show-at-the-old-spaghetti-factory/18000822/2026-04-24T19) at The Old Spaghetti Factory ($69) - [Noche de Cumbia](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/noche-de-cumbia-the-hideaway-riverside/18672407/2026-04-24T21) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($12.51) - [Out in the I.E.](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/out-in-the-ie/18475868/2026-04-24T12) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern ### Saturday, April 25 - [**78th Annual Riverside Flower Show and Garden Tour**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/78th-annual-riverside-flower-show-and-garden-tour/18520936/2026-04-25T09)at Riverside Elks Lodge (free- $10) - [**Frozen: The Broadway Musical**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-24T19) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) - [Riverside Insect Fair Celebrating Earth Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-insect-fair-celebrating-earth-day/18055336/2026-04-25T10) at Riverside Main Library - [Habitat Garden Tours](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/habitat-garden-tours/18506282/2026-04-25T13) at Ryan Bonaminio Park - [Greatest American Cleanup](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/greatest-american-cleanup/18297395/2026-04-25T09) at Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce - [Little LandUse Learners Spring/Summer Programming](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/little-landuse-learners-springsummer-programming/18501508/2026-04-25T10) at LandUse Learning Center - [Historic Churches of Downtown Riverside](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/historic-churches-of-downtown-riverside/18314285/2026-04-25T10) at Mission Inn Foundation ($21.20) - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-04-25T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [ALT Rock Tribute Night w/ Tributes to DEFTONES & BUSH!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/alt-rock-tribute-night-w-tributes-to-deftones-bush/18672408/2026-04-25T21) at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($20.23) - [Black Veil Brides: North American Tour 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/black-veil-brides-north-american-tour-2026/18009457/2026-04-25T17) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium - [Riverside Children's Theater - Disney's Little Mermaid Junior](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-childrens-theater-disneys-little-mermaid-junior/18642373/2026-04-25T13) at JW North High School ($15) - [Riverside "Greatest American Cleanup" with the IE Alumni Network](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-greatest-american-cleanup-with-the-ie-alumni-network/18543130/2026-04-25T09) at University Avenue between Iowa Ave. and Canyon Crest Drive - [VELZY Tribute Band (THE STROKES, ARCTIC MONKEYS & CAGE THE ELEPHANT) 04/25](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/velzy-tribute-band-the-strokes-arctic-monkeys-cage-the-elephant-0425/18450286/2026-04-25T21) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($12.51) ### Sunday, April 26 - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-04-26T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Heart Centered Alignment: A Soundbath Experience](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/heart-centered-alignment-a-soundbath-experience/18675652/2026-04-26T15) at SALT STUDIOS : A DANCE STUDIO FOR ADULTS ($28.52) - [The Juicy Story, Series Two - FREE Citrus Heritage Presentation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-juicy-story-series-two-free-citrus-heritage-presentation/18335368/2026-04-26T13) at Citrus State Park - Sunkist Center - [Out in the I.E. Poetry Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/out-in-the-ie-poetry-night/18508657/2026-04-26T16) at Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California ## Save the Date - April 27: [Sip with a Scientist](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/18634884/2026-04-27T17) at Bar Ni Modo - April 29: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 4 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-4-community-forum/18495206/2026-04-29T18) at Riverside Citrus State Park - Sunkist Center - April 30: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 6 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-6-community-forum/18495207/2026-04-30T18) at Altura Credit Union (10725 Magnolia Ave.) - May 1: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-01T07) at Zacatecas Café - May 3: ["The Sound of Riverside" - The 2026 Riverside Arts Academy Gala](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-sound-of-riverside-the-2026-riverside-arts-academy-gala/18503772/2026-05-03T17) at UCR University Theatre ($150- $325) - May 6: [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - May 13: [Level Up Your Network: The Pick Group 2026 Membership Summit](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/level-up-your-network-the-pick-group-2026-membership-summit/18625198/2026-05-13T18) at Killer Queens Social House - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Riverside's Police Review Commission Delays Recommendations on Racial Disparities in Stops URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riversides-police-review-commission-delays-recommendations-on-racial-disparities-in-stops/ Last updated: 2026-04-27T12:00:20.000Z For nearly a year, the Community Police Review Commission has been digging into racial disparities in police stops — which jumped 71 percent in 2024 from the previous year — and what to do about it. However, the commission unanimously voted at the April 22 meeting to postpone making its recommendations for the city’s Safety, Wellness and Youth Committee until May 27. “I think there are some additional edits that we do need to make,” Commissioner Elieen Teichert said, saying the commission needs to define what actions it’s asking the committee to take. The California Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA) requires law enforcement agencies to collect and analyze data on traffic and pedestrian stops. The commission was tasked last year with reviewing the city’s latest report and suggesting ways to address any disparities. Riverside police made more than 21,000 stops in 2024, up 71 percent from about 15,000 the year before, according to [city data](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15317419&GUID=7ED77929-F042-4AC2-9116-73630C1C276E&ref=raincrossgazette.com). Black residents, who make up about 6.6 percent of the city’s population, accounted for roughly 15 percent of those police stops – more than double their share of the population. Hispanic residents, the city’s largest demographic group, made up about 55 percent of stops, roughly proportionate to census data. From the data, disparities appear across other categories as well. Black residents account for a higher share of warnings, citations and arrests relative to their population size, while men make up about three-quarters of all stops despite representing roughly half of Riverside’s population. Two complaints alleging racial profiling were filed during the reporting period, both dismissed after review. The commission’s [recommendations](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15382051&GUID=550D45F2-4AFE-4F04-8830-9695290737B5&ref=raincrossgazette.com) currently include refining datasets to focus on officer-initiated stops, setting thresholds for when disparities warrant action and taking a closer look at how the police department conducts internal audits. However, commissioners said they want the final recommendations to clearly outline not just concerns, but specific actions and accountability, saying the current draft does not yet fully accomplish this. Some have also raised the possibility of setting citywide goals to reduce disproportionate stops of black residents and issuing a formal finding on whether the data indicates racial profiling. The delay follows similar concerns raised during its March meeting, when the commission first reviewed the proposals and agreed more time was needed. No members of the public spoke on the item Wednesday. ### Local Food Bank Warns State Funding Cut Could Spike Hunger in Inland Region URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/local-food-bank-warns-state-funding-cut-could-spike-hunger-in-inland-region/ Last updated: 2026-04-27T11:59:19.000Z Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino is calling on state lawmakers to renew the CalFood program before funding lapses, warning that a lapse would strip away the majority of resources the program uses to supply Inland Southern California food banks with locally grown produce and staples. CalFood has been funded at $60 million annually in recent years, with an additional one-time allocation of $50 million. Without renewal, the program would revert to an $8 million baseline — a reduction of roughly 90%. The program currently serves 6 million Californians per month. The timing concerns local food bank leaders. Federal legislation and coming changes to CalFresh, California's food stamp program, are expected to reduce benefits for some recipients through 2026 and 2027, adding pressure to food banks already stretched thin. "CalFood is vital funding, especially at this critical time, as it connects farmers, food banks, and neighbors in need," Interim CEO Joanna Solorio said in a statement. "Other funding has already decreased, and as we brace for upcoming changes with CalFresh, we are likely to see the needs in our area rise as food banks are expected to do more with less," she said. FARSB has tracked rising demand since the pandemic. The organization served 1.5 million people at the height of the COVID-19 crisis in 2020; by 2025, that number had grown to more than 5 million. Roughly 1 in 5 households in the region currently faces food insecurity, according to the organization. **More information:* Residents can support the effort in several ways:* [*submit a sign-on letter*](https://act.cafoodbanks.org/component/sbxactions/30?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *in support of CalFood funding before the end of April;* [*donate*](https://www.feedingamericaie.org/donate?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *to help food banks weather the uncertainty;* [*organize a food drive*](https://www.feedingamericaie.org/food-drives?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*; or* [*sign up for a volunteer sorting shift*](https://www.feedingamericaie.org/volunteer?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *at the warehouse. Visit* [*feedingamericaie.org*](http://feedingamericaie.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *for additional information.* ### City Council Approves $3 Million in Loans to Keep Mulberry Gardens on Track URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-approves-3-million-in-loans-to-keep-mulberry-gardens-on-track/ Last updated: 2026-04-25T20:16:20.000Z Riverside approved nearly $3 million in additional funding to keep the Mulberry Gardens affordable senior housing project moving forward. The City Council unanimously approved a $2,025,365 loan for the senior housing phase at 2520 Mulberry Street, and a $971,108 loan for the family housing phase at 2560 Mulberry Street. The senior phase was delayed more than three months getting a building permit from the state fire marshal and another ongoing three-month delay tied to firestopping issues found during inspections, according to a staff report. Mulberry Gardens is expected to include 25 restricted units for seniors at risk of homelessness and nine restricted affordable family units. The project is already funded through a mix of sources, including the Prohousing Incentive Pilot, state grants and developer funds. The senior phase is scheduled to get a temporary certificate of occupancy in November 2026, and the family phase is expected to follow in November 2027. Staff said the money is available from its Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Round 3 and Permanent Local Housing Allocation funds. Earlier this month, the city and Riverside County [received $20.4 million in HHAP Round 6 funds from the state](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-awarded-20-4-million-to-fund-homelessness-programs-as-housing-concerns-grow/). [A city report in March showed Riverside has permitted less than 20% of its target of 18,458 new homes for the 2021-2029 cycle](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-applies-for-1-44-million-pro-housing-grant-amid-state-scrutiny/). Nearly all approvals have been for above-moderate-income homes, with no new very-low-income housing since 2021 and none for low- or moderate-income levels since 2023. The city also faced state and community criticism in January, when [the City Council rejected $20.1 million in Homekey+ funding](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/legal-firms-community-urge-council-to-reconsider-20-1-million-homekey-grant/) that would have [converted the Quality Inn on University Avenue into 114 permanent supportive units](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-to-vote-on-30-million-homeless-housing-project-after-state-awards-funding/). ### 🗞️ Riverside News- April 23, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-april-23-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:20.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/Eventbrite-Template---5-.png) **Thursday Gazette: April 23, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Thursday!** Tonight is the night. The Raincross Gazette's first-ever candidate forum kicks off this evening with the Ward 2 race, and we could not be more excited. The room is expected to be standing room only, and moderating the series is someone whose name means something in this city: Dan Bernstein, who spent 32 years at the Press-Enterprise writing a must-read column grounded in real reporting discipline. If you've been on the fence, consider this your invitation. [Be sure to RSVP so we know to expect you — it's free.](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/neighborhood-series-ward-2-tickets-1984646497098?utm-camp%5B%E2%80%A6%5D=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260423)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260423&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HOUSING](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/housing/) ## Council Approves Pilot Program to Redistribute Unused Housing Capacity Along University Avenue The University Avenue Density Transfer Pilot Program lets developers move unused residential capacity between parcels — without increasing the corridor's overall housing limit. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-4-4.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-approves-pilot-program-to-redistribute-unused-housing-capacity-along-university-avenue/) City Council members deliberate during Tuesday's meeting, where they unanimously approved a housing density transfer pilot program along the University Avenue corridor. Riverside can now shuffle unused housing development rights between properties along University Avenue, a tool city officials hope will unlock stalled housing projects in the corridor. **Why it matters:** University Avenue has capacity for nearly 6,800 homes — but fewer than 10% have been built. This program gives developers a new mechanism to make projects pencil out. **Driving the news:** The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to launch the University Avenue Density Transfer Pilot Program, covering parcels from Park Avenue to the 215 Freeway. **How it works:** Developers can move unused residential capacity two ways: - Through a city-run bank where eligible properties deposit or withdraw units - Through direct transfers negotiated between a donor and receiver property owner **Yes, but:** Most parcels can donate units, but fully built residential lots, properties without residential capacity, and most Housing Element opportunity sites are excluded. Affordable housing projects will also need a separate housing agreement. **What's next:** City staff will return in roughly a year with a report on whether to expand or make the program permanent. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-approves-pilot-program-to-redistribute-unused-housing-capacity-along-university-avenue/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260423)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260423&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Riverside Fines for Code Violations to Jump as High as $1,000 Under New Ordinance The City Council updated an administrative fine structure that had been unchanged since 1999, raising the maximum penalty from $500 to $1,000\. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/IMG_7981-2.jpeg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-fines-for-code-violations-to-jump-as-high-as-1-000-under-new-ordinance/) Riverside's maximum fine for repeat municipal code violations triples to $1,000 under a new ordinance the City Council approved Tuesday. **Why it matters:** Property owners and businesses who ignore code violations — think overgrown lots, unpermitted work, or nuisance properties — face significantly steeper penalties starting now. **By the numbers:** The updated fine structure: - 1st offense: $100 (unchanged) - 2nd offense: $500 (up from $200) - 3rd or subsequent offense: $1,000 (up from $500) **The backstory:** The previous fine amounts date to 1999\. City staff argued they'd grown too low to motivate compliance, shifting enforcement costs onto taxpayers. **What's next:** The Land Use Committee unanimously passed the change Jan. 12\. City staff will report back in one year on whether the higher penalties are improving compliance. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-fines-for-code-violations-to-jump-as-high-as-1-000-under-new-ordinance/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260423) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260423&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Riverside Pet Shelter at Capacity, Needs Fosters and Adopters The nonprofit is juggling capacity pressures shared by county animal services while offering residents multiple ways to step up for animals in need. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-5.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-pet-shelter-at-capacity-needs-fosters-and-adopters/) Adopters and their new dogs celebrate at the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center. (Courtesy Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center) The Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center is at capacity for adult dogs, with economic pressures pushing more pets into the shelter system than staff can handle. **Why it matters:** If you've considered adopting or fostering a pet, right now is when it counts — every placement directly relieves a shelter system stretched well beyond capacity. **Driving the news:** As of early April, the center had 31 dogs in foster care. Its partner agency, Riverside County Department of Animal Services, was operating at more than 200% capacity. - The center regularly pulls animals from county facilities to free up space there — a pipeline that only works if the center itself has room. **The backstory:** Staff point to housing instability, rising costs, and limited access to low-cost spay and neuter services as root causes — meaning more animals are entering the system than homes can absorb. **What they're saying:** "The 'problem' isn't necessarily less adoptions happening, but instead it's more pets available than there is space to house them," the organization said. **What's next:** The PAC Walk is Saturday, May 9 — a monthly morning walk where participants walk alongside adoptable pets at the center. The center also runs low-cost vaccination and spay/neuter clinics open to the public. **Go deeper:** Find adoptable pets, foster applications, volunteer sign-ups and the full event calendar at [petsadoption.org](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). The center is at 6165 Industrial Ave.; call (951) 688-4340\. (3 min. read) [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-pet-shelter-at-capacity-needs-fosters-and-adopters/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [**Raincross Gazette: Ward 2 Community Forum**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-2-community-forum/18495178/2026-04-23T18)at UCR Alumni & Visitors Center - [Riverside's Butterflies: A Natural History](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riversides-butterflies-a-natural-history/18508635/2026-04-23T18) at Riverside Main Library - [Very Hungry Caterpillar Painting Session](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/very-hungry-caterpillar-painting-session/18505930/2026-04-23T16) at Marcy Library - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-04-23T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [**Frozen: The Broadway Musical**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-23T19) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) ### Tomorrow - [**Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-04-24T07) at Zacatecas Café - [R'Hours at the R'Garden](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rhours-at-the-rgarden/18094958/2026-04-24T08) at R'Garden - [Bioblitz at the LandUse Learning Center](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bioblitz-at-the-landuse-learning-center/18519618/2026-04-24T19) at LandUse Learning Center - [Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-and-heroes-walking-tour/17901085/2026-04-24T15) at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18) - [Into the Breeches! by George Brant at Riverside Community Players](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/into-the-breeches-by-george-brant-at-riverside-community-players/18450344/2026-04-24T19) at Riverside Community Players ($20- $22.24) - [Jose Maria Napoleon - Hasta Siempre. Tour de Despedida](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/jose-maria-napoleon-hasta-siempre-tour-de-despedida/18051799/2026-04-24T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [Murder Mystery Co. Dinner Theater Show at The Old Spaghetti Factory](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/murder-mystery-co-dinner-theater-show-at-the-old-spaghetti-factory/18000822/2026-04-24T19) at The Old Spaghetti Factory ($69) ## Save the Date - April 25: [Frozen: The Broadway Musical](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-24T19) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) - April 25: [78th Annual Riverside Flower Show and Garden Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/78th-annual-riverside-flower-show-and-garden-tour/18520936/2026-04-25T09) at Riverside Elks Lodge (free - $10) - April 27: [Sip with a Scientist](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/18634884/2026-04-27T17) at Bar Ni Modo - April 29: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 4 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-4-community-forum/18495206/2026-04-29T18) at Riverside Citrus State Park - Sunkist Center - April 30: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 6 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-6-community-forum/18495207/2026-04-30T18) at Altura Credit Union (10725 Magnolia Ave.) - May 1: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-04-24T07) at Zacatecas Café - May 3: ["The Sound of Riverside" - The 2026 Riverside Arts Academy Gala](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-sound-of-riverside-the-2026-riverside-arts-academy-gala/18503772/2026-05-03T17) at UCR University Theatre ($150- $325) - May 6: [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - May 13: [Level Up Your Network: The Pick Group 2026 Membership Summit](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/level-up-your-network-the-pick-group-2026-membership-summit/18625198/2026-05-13T18) at Killer Queens Social House - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Council Approves Pilot Program to Redistribute Unused Housing Capacity Along University Avenue URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-approves-pilot-program-to-redistribute-unused-housing-capacity-along-university-avenue/ Last updated: 2026-04-24T19:30:23.000Z The City Council on Tuesday approved a pilot program that lets developers transfer unused housing units from one parcel to another along University Avenue – a move city officials say could help make long-planned housing projects viable. The University Avenue Density Transfer Pilot Program applies only to parcels within the University Avenue Specific Plan area, which ranges from Park Avenue to the 215 Freeway. The city council unanimously supported the project. “One of the biggest things I’ve noticed over the last five years is the challenge of being able to see some of these sites move forward, so I hope that this pilot project could be a creative opportunity and solution to see us bring housing online,” Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes said at the meeting. Riverside began considering a housing density transfer program in the early 2020s when the newly-adopted housing element recognized that such a program could add more housing for Riversiders, assistant planner Clarissa Manges said at the meeting. The program creates two ways to move residential development rights: through a city-run bank or through direct transfers between property owners. Through the bank method, eligible donor sites can deposit unused housing units and eligible receiver sites can later withdraw them. For direct transfers, a donor and a receiver site negotiate an agreement and formalize it through a recorded document. The University Avenue Specific Plan allows up to 6,819 housing units – but the staff report says fewer than 10% of that capacity has been built. Most parcels in the corridor can serve as donor sites, with the exceptions of fully built residential parcels, parcels without residential capacity and most Housing Element opportunity sites. City-owned surplus parcels and Housing Element sites can serve as receiver sites. The city will supply the bank with residential capacity from surplus parcels. Projects involving affordable housing will also need an affordable housing agreement. Staff cited several regional cities – including Fontana, Eastvale and Palm Springs – as running similar programs. City staff will return in about a year with a report on how the pilot is working and whether it should be expanded or made permanent. There were no public commenters on the project at the meeting. ### Riverside Fines for Code Violations to Jump as High as $1,000 Under New Ordinance URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-fines-for-code-violations-to-jump-as-high-as-1-000-under-new-ordinance/ Last updated: 2026-04-24T12:00:38.000Z The City Council on Tuesday moved to sharply increase fines for violating Riverside's municipal code. Under the previous rules, administrative citations were $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second and $500 for a third or subsequent offense. The new ordinance updates those amounts to $100, $500 and $1,000. City staff said the previous fine structure, adopted in 1999, is outdated and has not been strong enough to encourage compliance. Higher fines would encourage property owners and businesses to address problems sooner, reducing the burden on city staff and limiting the cost of enforcement to taxpayers, according to the ordinance. "Without adequate penalties, the cost of enforcement falls on taxpayers," the staff report stated. "By adjusting fines to reflect current economic conditions and the seriousness of violations, the city can ensure that those responsible for non-compliance contribute to the cost of maintaining community standards." City staff argue that raising fines also helps offset enforcement costs, which involve inspections, administrative processing and sometimes legal actions – all of which require city funds. "Ultimately, strengthening penalties promotes greater accountability among property owners and businesses," the report said. "It encourages a culture of compliance, leading to cleaner neighborhoods, improved property values, and a safer, more livable environment for all city of Riverside residents. This amendment is a necessary step to protect the integrity of the community, ensure fairness in enforcement, and enhance overall quality of life." The Land Use Committee passed the change unanimously on Jan. 12 and asked staff to return in one year with an update on how well the new penalties are working. ### Riverside Pet Shelter at Capacity, Needs Fosters and Adopters URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-pet-shelter-at-capacity-needs-fosters-and-adopters/ Last updated: 2026-04-24T11:59:37.000Z The Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center in Riverside is at capacity for adult dogs, and officials say broader economic pressures are driving more pets into the shelter system than there is space or staff to handle. As of early April, the center had 31 canines in foster care; figures may have shifted since. The nonprofit, which has operated in Riverside for more than a century, partners closely with the Riverside County Department of Animal Services (RCDAS), regularly transferring animals from county facilities to free up space there. That partnership has become especially important recently: as of early April, RCDAS was operating at more than 200% capacity. "We can assume that the 'problem' isn't necessarily less adoptions happening, but instead it's more pets available than there is space to house them," the organization said. Staff point to a range of causes, including housing instability among pet owners, the cost of living, and limited access to low-cost spay and neuter services — which means more animals are born without guaranteed homes. For families considering adoption, the center notes that every adopted dog arrives already spayed or neutered, microchipped, dewormed and current on vaccinations. Those upfront costs are covered by the adoption fee, which staff say makes even a modest fee reduction significant: it can be the nudge that gets a family through the door. For those not ready to adopt, fostering is among the most direct ways to help. As of early April, the center had 12 adult dogs and 19 underage puppies in foster care; those numbers fluctuate as animals move in and out. Volunteers who open their homes to animals, even for just a few days, give pets a break from the shelter environment that can meaningfully reduce stress and improve their chances of adoption. The center also welcomes volunteers in other roles: working directly with animals, helping at its thrift store on Magnolia Avenue, assisting at events, or contributing professional skills. Sharing adoptable pet profiles on social media is another low-barrier way to help. Upcoming opportunities to connect with the organization include the PAC Walk on Saturday, May 9, a monthly morning event where participants walk alongside adoptable pets at the center. The center also holds a monthly nail trim clinic and operates low-cost vaccination and spay/neuter clinics open to the public. **More information:* The Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center is located at 6165 Industrial Ave. in Riverside. The adoption center can be reached at (951) 688-4340; the clinic line is (951) 977-8634\. Adoptable pets, foster applications, volunteer sign-ups and a full event calendar are available at* [*petsadoption.org*](http://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### Riverside Nonprofit NORA Marks Denim Day With Community Event April 29 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-nonprofit-nora-marks-denim-day-with-community-event-april-29/ Last updated: 2026-04-23T22:15:34.000Z The Network of Organizations for Resiliency and Advocacy (NORA) will host a Denim Day event Wednesday, April 29, from noon to 3 p.m. at Banner Bank, 5030 Arlington Ave., with a brief program beginning at 12:30 p.m. Denim Day is a nationally recognized awareness effort rooted in solidarity with survivors of sexual violence. NORA's event will bring together community members, advocates, and organizational partners to highlight survivor-centered support and the role community partnerships play in sustaining it. "Supporting the incredible work at NORA with our time and donations is how we put those values into action," said Elgin James, vice president and branch manager of Banner Bank. "We invite the community to join us as we bring awareness to supporting survivors and standing against violence." Attendees are encouraged to wear denim in solidarity. Light refreshments and conversation will follow the program. NORA provides trauma-informed, survivor-centered services to the Riverside community and is involved in prevention and education efforts year-round. **More information:* email* [*info@callnora.org*](mailto:info@callnora.org) *or call (951) 686-7273\. NORA's 24-hour confidential hotline is also available at that number for anyone in need of support. Donations can be made at* [*the* ](https://www.callnora.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)[*Riverside Hope Builders giving page*](https://givebutter.com/RiversideHopeBuilders?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/NORA-Denim-Day-Media-Post.png)](https://givebutter.com/RiversideHopeBuilders?ref=raincrossgazette.com) ### 🗞️ Riverside News- April 22, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-april-22-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:21.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/Act-1-Frozn-372--1--copy-Large.jpeg) Brooke Nol performs “Let It Go” in Frozen: The Broadway Musical at Woodcrest Christian School in Riverside, which drew nearly 1,000 attendees on opening weekend and continues [with additional performances this week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129). The production features a talented student cast, immersive visuals, and powerful vocals that bring this beloved story to life for audiences of all ages. (Courtesy of Woodcrest Christian School) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Wednesday Gazette: April 22, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Wednesday!** The Ward 2 candidate forum is TOMORROW! If you have a seat reserved, we'll see you there. If you haven't registered yet, [there's still time to grab a spot](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/neighborhood-series-ward-2-tickets-1984646497098?aff=oddtdtcreator&ref=raincrossgazette.com) before doors open. Ward 4 and Ward 6 forums are right around the corner as well. All three forums are free and open to every Riverside resident. [Register today](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-gazette-is-hosting-its-first-ever-candidate-forums-wards-2-4-and-6/). See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260422)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260422&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Downtown Lime Street Portion Named to Honor Fallen Riverside Firefighter Signs honoring Captain Tim Strack went up Tuesday along the stretch of Lime between 3rd and 14th streets, where Strack once served at Station 1\. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/DSC05171-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/downtown-lime-street-portion-named-to-honor-fallen-riverside-firefighter/) Strack family members and Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson, right, hold up the new "Captain Tim Strack Parkway" street sign alongside the existing Lime Street sign during a ceremony at Riverside Fire Station 1 on Tuesday. A stretch of Downtown Lime Street now carries a second name honoring Captain Tim Strack, a 28-year Riverside firefighter who died in April 2023. **Why it matters:** The renaming is ceremonial — residents and businesses on the corridor between 3rd and 14th streets won't need to update their addresses. But the new signs mark a permanent public tribute to a firefighter who shaped both local and statewide labor advocacy. **Driving the news:** City officials, firefighters, and Strack's family gathered Tuesday outside Fire Station 1 — along the renamed stretch — for a sign unveiling ceremony. - One of the new green signs, signed by attendees at the ceremony, will eventually be given to the Strack family. **The backstory:** Strack served as president of Riverside City Firefighters' Association Local 1067 for 21 years — the longest in the union's 100-year history. He also spent a decade as 1st District Vice President of California Professional Firefighters, lobbying in Sacramento and Washington for firefighter safety standards. **What they're saying:** Fire Chief Steve McKinster called the renamed street "a tribute traveled daily by our members and the community — a constant reminder of Tim's dedication." **What's next:** The signs are installed. The stretch between 3rd and 14th streets will now display "Lime Street" as the primary name with "Captain Tim Strack Parkway" in smaller lettering below. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/downtown-lime-street-portion-named-to-honor-fallen-riverside-firefighter/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260422)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260422&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [LETTERS TO THE EDITOR](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/letters-to-the-editor/) ## A Call for Higher Standards in Public Comment at City Council Meetings We can debate policy without demeaning people. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/cityhall-10-entrance-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/letter-to-the-editor-a-call-for-higher-standards-in-public-comment-at-city-council-meetings/) I want to address the tone and conduct that has developed across more than six recent meetings. Healthy debate is expected in this chamber. Strong disagreement is expected. But the repeated pattern of baseless accusations, personal attacks, and shaming directed at Councilmembers is NG (No Good). It does not strengthen arguments, and it does not improve outcomes. Across these meetings, coordinated groups have delivered harsh and personal language toward the dais. In one instance, a speaker even accused the council of "mocking" them because of a facial expression. Councilmembers are human. They listen, they react, they think. Interpreting normal human reactions as disrespect, while delivering aggressive or accusatory comments, creates an unhealthy double standard. [Read and share the complete Letter to the Editor...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/letter-to-the-editor-a-call-for-higher-standards-in-public-comment-at-city-council-meetings/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260422) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260422&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [EVENTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/events/) ## 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. [![selective focus photography of hanged denim jeans](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1576995853123-5a10305d93c0?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDh8fGRlbmltfGVufDB8fHx8MTc3Njc5MDM2Mnww&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-nonprofit-nora-marks-denim-day-with-community-event-april-29/) ([Jason Leung](https://unsplash.com/@ninjason?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) NORA brings Denim Day to Banner Bank on April 29, rallying community support for sexual violence survivors. **Why it matters:** If you want to show solidarity with survivors, this is a low-barrier way to do it — just wear denim and show up. **Driving the news:** The Network of Organizations for Resiliency and Advocacy (NORA) hosts the free event Wednesday, April 29, noon–3 p.m. at Banner Bank, 5030 Arlington Ave., with a brief program at 12:30 p.m. **What they're saying:** "We invite the community to join us as we bring awareness to supporting survivors and standing against violence," said Elgin James, Banner Bank's vice president and branch manager. **What's next:** Wear denim, attend the program, and stay for light refreshments. To learn more, visit [callnora.org](https://callnora.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). Donations can be made at [the ](https://www.callnora.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)[Riverside Hope Builders giving page](https://givebutter.com/RiversideHopeBuilders?ref=raincrossgazette.com). - NORA's 24-hour confidential hotline: (951) 686-7273. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-nonprofit-nora-marks-denim-day-with-community-event-april-29/) --- ## Noteworthy A [UC Riverside-led study of 2,459 emergency department patients](https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/04/17/measles-vaccine-gaps-persist-among-er-patients?ref=raincrossgazette.com) found widespread MMR vaccine knowledge gaps and under-vaccination tied to race, language, and insurance status, as California reports its highest measles case count in seven years. RCC's Student Equity Committee has named [sociology professor Tim Gutierrez, PhD, its latest Faculty Equity Spotlight honoree](https://www.rcc.edu/about/news/2026-april-tim-equity-spotlight.html?ref=raincrossgazette.com), recognizing his decade of work supporting incarcerated, undocumented, LGBTQ, and other underserved students. With Chief Mark DiMaggio's contract concluded, [Sgt. Octavio Rojas has stepped in as RCC's acting police chief](https://viewpointsonline.org/2026/04/three-peat-in-command-sgt-rojas-steps-up-as-acting-chief/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) for the third time in his 20-plus-year career while the district searches for a permanent replacement. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-04-22T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [2026 Earth Day Festival](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/2026-earth-day-festival/18543119/2026-04-22T10) at UCR-Pierce Lawn - [Bordwell Park Advisory Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bordwell-park-advisory-committee/16552261/2026-04-22T11) at Stratton Community Center - [Celebrate Earth Day at the Marcy Library](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/celebrate-earth-day-at-the-marcy-library/18252052/2026-04-22T14) at Marcy Library - [Earth Day Painting & Mixed Media Artivity](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/earth-day-painting-mixed-media-artivity/18505876/2026-04-22T14) at Marcy Library - [Eastside Library at Lincoln Park | Earth Day Storytime and Scavenger Hunt](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/eastside-library-at-lincoln-park-earth-day-storytime-and-scavenger-hunt/18330765/2026-04-22T11) at Eastside Library at Lincoln Park - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-04-22T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Reading Assistance Program](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-assistance-program/17973404/2026-04-22T15) at My Learning Studio - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-04-22T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Riverside Mission Belles](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-mission-belles/16691431/2026-04-22T09) at Victoria Presbyterian Church - [Riverside Open Mic Music Series](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-open-mic-music-series/15529475/2026-04-22T17) at BACK TO THE GRIND - [Until Help Arrives Emergency Preparedness Training](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/until-help-arrives-emergency-preparedness-training/18366775/2026-04-22T09) at Community Room Riverside Main Library ### Tomorrow - [Frozen: The Broadway Musical](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-23T19) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-04-23T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Riverside's Butterflies: A Natural History](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riversides-butterflies-a-natural-history/18508635/2026-04-23T18) at Riverside Main Library - [Very Hungry Caterpillar Painting Session](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/very-hungry-caterpillar-painting-session/18505930/2026-04-23T16) at Marcy Library - [**Raincross Gazette: Ward 2 Community Forum**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-2-community-forum/18495178/2026-04-23T18) at UCR Alumni & Visitors Center ## Save the Date - April 24: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-01T07) at Zacatecas Café - April 24-25: [Frozen: The Broadway Musical](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-24T19) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) - April 25: [78th Annual Riverside Flower Show and Garden Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/78th-annual-riverside-flower-show-and-garden-tour/18520936/2026-04-25T09) at Riverside Elks Lodge (free - $10) - April 27: [Sip with a Scientist](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/18634884/2026-04-27T17) at Bar Ni Modo - April 29: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 4 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-4-community-forum/18495206/2026-04-29T18) at Riverside Citrus State Park - Sunkist Center - April 30: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 6 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-6-community-forum/18495207/2026-04-30T18) at Altura Credit Union (10725 Magnolia Ave.) - May 3: ["The Sound of Riverside" - The 2026 Riverside Arts Academy Gala](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-sound-of-riverside-the-2026-riverside-arts-academy-gala/18503772/2026-05-03T17) at UCR University Theatre ($150- $325) - May 6: [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - May 13: [Level Up Your Network: The Pick Group 2026 Membership Summit](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/level-up-your-network-the-pick-group-2026-membership-summit/18625198/2026-05-13T18) at Killer Queens Social House - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Letter to the Editor: A Call for Higher Standards in Public Comment at City Council Meetings URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/letter-to-the-editor-a-call-for-higher-standards-in-public-comment-at-city-council-meetings/ Last updated: 2026-04-23T11:59:40.000Z I want to address the tone and conduct that has developed across more than six recent meetings. Healthy debate is expected in this chamber. Strong disagreement is expected. But the repeated pattern of baseless accusations, personal attacks, and shaming directed at Councilmembers is NG (No Good). It does not strengthen arguments, and it does not improve outcomes. Across these meetings, coordinated groups have delivered harsh and personal language toward the dais. In one instance, a speaker even accused the council of "mocking" them because of a facial expression. Councilmembers are human. They listen, they react, they think. Interpreting normal human reactions as disrespect, while delivering aggressive or accusatory comments, creates an unhealthy double standard. It has also become easy for some speakers to attack the council, particularly on items related to helping disadvantaged populations. The seriousness of the subject seems to be used as permission to speak in a manner they themselves would never tolerate if directed at them. Strong advocacy is appropriate, but baseless accusations, shaming, and personal attacks do not strengthen the argument. They only undermine the integrity of the discussion. Disagreement is part of public life. But turning policy discussions into character judgments, assigning motives without evidence, and using emotional pressure instead of facts undermines the integrity of the process. These tactics do not reflect the standards of civic engagement that this community deserves. As a constructive suggestion, the presiding officer could remind public commenters to keep their remarks clear of personal attacks, accusations, and shaming. A simple direction at the start of public comment, encouraging speakers to focus on issues rather than individuals, would help maintain a respectful environment for everyone. We can debate policy without demeaning people. We can express concerns without attacking character. We can advocate without assuming bad intent. The community benefits when arguments are made on their merits, not on the volume or hostility of the delivery. I am asking that we hold ourselves to a higher standard of respect in the council chamber. The public deserves a civic environment where ideas are discussed constructively and where all participants, including Councilmembers, are treated with basic dignity. *By Mark Elliott* ### Downtown Lime Street Portion Named to Honor Fallen Riverside Firefighter URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/downtown-lime-street-portion-named-to-honor-fallen-riverside-firefighter/ Last updated: 2026-04-23T11:59:00.000Z A stretch of Downtown Lime Street now carries a second name honoring a longtime Riverside firefighter, following a ceremony Tuesday outside Fire Station 1 where family, city officials, and firefighters gathered to unveil the new signs. The portion of Lime Street between 3rd and 14th streets will also be known as "Captain Tim Strack Parkway," recognizing Strack's 28 years with the Riverside Fire Department before his death in April 2023\. Because the renaming is ceremonial, residents and businesses along the corridor will not need to update their addresses. Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson, who co-proposed the naming alongside Councilmember Phillip Falcone, recalled Strack as a leader without peer. "Tim was truly a leader for the ages — there really is none to compare to," Lock Dawson told those gathered. "Funny, practical, determined, and respected." Strack served as president of the Riverside City Firefighters' Association Local 1067 for 21 years, about a fifth of the organization's 100-year history, making him its longest-serving president. He also served 10 years as 1st District Vice President of California Professional Firefighters, advocating for state and federal legislation improving safety standards for firefighters and the communities they protect. Fire Chief Steve McKinster said the street renaming carries meaning beyond the symbolic. "It's a tribute traveled daily by our members and the members of the community, which will now serve as a constant reminder of Tim's dedication and his commitment to others," McKinster said at the ceremony. Strack's brother Jeff, speaking on behalf of the family, said the honor reflects a life spent serving others both in Riverside and beyond. "Tim was a loving brother, husband, father, and friend to many," Jeff Strack said. "He could talk to anyone, joke with everyone — and he was doing exactly that, in Riverside, Sacramento, and D.C., advocating for his firefighting brothers and sisters." Falcone, who represents Ward 1 and helped lead the renaming effort, noted the street's particular significance: Strack spent a portion of his career at the old Fire Station 1, which sits directly along the renamed stretch of Lime. "Lime Street has existed in Downtown Riverside since the founding of our city," Falcone said at the ceremony. "It's fitting that we have both the moniker of Lime Street as well as Captain Tim Strack Parkway on the signage." Following the unveiling, attendees were invited to sign the back of one of the new green street signs before it was installed at the final intersection — 10th and Lime. That sign will eventually be given to the Strack family. The new signs display "Lime Street" as the primary name with "Captain Tim Strack Parkway" in smaller lettering below. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- April 21, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-april-14-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:22.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-10.jpg) An impossibly yellow prickly pear cactus bloom stands out on Mt. Rubidoux, surrounded by buds just beginning to open. (Rachel Williams) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Tuesday Gazette: April 21, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Tuesday!** Just a reminder: [the Ward 2 candidate forum is this Thursday](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/neighborhood-series-ward-2-tickets-1984646497098?utm-camp[%E2%80%A6]=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl&ref=raincrossgazette.com). If you live in Ward 2 or just want to be in the room when candidates make their case, [now is the time to reserve your spot](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/neighborhood-series-ward-2-tickets-1984646497098?utm-camp[%E2%80%A6]=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl&ref=raincrossgazette.com). The Ward 4 and Ward 6 forums are coming up right behind it. All three forums are free and open to every Riverside resident. [Register today](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-gazette-is-hosting-its-first-ever-candidate-forums-wards-2-4-and-6/). --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260421)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260421&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## RTRP Construction Is Finally Underway — Here’s What Riversiders Can Expect in the Next Several Months The Riverside Transmission Reliability Project is now under active construction — with lane closures expected across Jurupa Valley in the months ahead. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/260421-rtrp-1.jpg)](https://raincrossgazette.com/rtrp-construction-is-finally-underway-heres-what-riversiders-can-expect-in-the-next-several-months/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) The Riverside Transmission Reliability Project corridor, where RPU and Southern California Edison are building a second high-voltage connection to the state power grid. A decade-long effort to give Riverside a second connection to the state power grid is now under construction — bringing lane closures to parts of Jurupa Valley, Norco, and Riverside through 2029. **Why it matters:** Right now, Riverside runs on a single grid connection. If it fails, the whole city loses power. The Riverside Transmission Reliability Project (RTRP) fixes that — but construction will disrupt local roads for years. **What to expect near you:** This April and May, watch for intermittent traffic near Tyler Street and Mandalay Court. - Jurupa Valley sees the heaviest near-term disruption: lane closures on Wineville Avenue and 68th Street, plus road closures on Pat's Ranch Road with detours. **The backstory:** CAISO identified the need for this project in 2006; RPU began planning in January 2007\. The joint RPU–Southern California Edison project has been nearly two decades in the making. **By the numbers:** The underground and overhead line route runs 10 miles, stretching from Jurupa Valley east along the Santa Ana River to an SCE substation. **What's next:** Construction wraps in late 2029\. Affected neighborhoods will receive "Dear Neighbor" notices in English and Spanish before disruptions begin. [Read and share the complete story...](https://raincrossgazette.com/rtrp-construction-is-finally-underway-heres-what-riversiders-can-expect-in-the-next-several-months/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260421) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260421&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Sazón and Cultura Bring Riverside's Tamale Festival Together The Spanish Town Heritage Foundation's 13th annual Tamale Festival returned to White Park on April 18, bringing food, ballet folklórico and Ozomatli in honor of the Trujillo Adobe's historic designation. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RRF-224-1.jpg)](https://raincrossgazette.com/sazon-and-cultura-bring-riversides-tamale-festival-together/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Ozomatli performs under the decorated White Park gazebo at the 13th annual Riverside Tamale Festival on April 18, 2026, as attendees crowd the stage. (Courtesy of the 13th annual Riverside Tamale Festival) Hundreds gathered at White Park on April 18 for the Spanish Town Heritage Foundation's Tamale Festival, celebrating Chicano culture and the Trujillo Adobe's recent historic designation. **Why it matters:** The festival offered a rare opportunity to experience regional ballet folklórico, authentic tamales, and live music — all rooted in Riverside's Chicano cultural heritage. **Driving the news:** This year's theme, "Todos Juntos" ("All Together"), marked the Trujillo Adobe's addition to the National Register of Historic Places last May. **What was there:** Food vendors including The Original Tamale Co. drew long lines, while the White Park gazebo hosted mariachi and Ballet Folklórico de Riverside throughout the evening. - Ozomatli — the L.A. band known for blending cumbias and rancheras with reggae and hip-hop — closed out the night. **What they're saying:** "All of us came from different places, different traditions and different music," said Ozomatli's Ulises Bella. "But the common factor was trying to get people to dance." [Read and share the complete story...](https://raincrossgazette.com/sazon-and-cultura-bring-riversides-tamale-festival-together/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260421)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260421&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [Earth Day Storytime](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/earth-day-storytime/18252005/2026-04-21T11) at Marcy Library - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-04-21T19) at The Hideaway - [National Library Week Scavenger Hunt](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/national-library-week-scavenger-hunt/18505790/2026-04-21T10) at Marcy Library - [ScotSurplus Public Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/scotsurplus-public-sale/17279943/2026-04-21T11) at ScotSurplus, UCR Corporation Yard ### Tomorrow - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-04-22T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [2026 Earth Day Festival](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/2026-earth-day-festival/18543119/2026-04-22T10) at UCR-Pierce Lawn - [Bordwell Park Advisory Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bordwell-park-advisory-committee/16552261/2026-04-22T11) at Stratton Community Center - [Celebrate Earth Day at the Marcy Library](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/celebrate-earth-day-at-the-marcy-library/18252052/2026-04-22T14) at Marcy Library - [Earth Day Painting & Mixed Media Artivity](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/earth-day-painting-mixed-media-artivity/18505876/2026-04-22T14) at Marcy Library - [Eastside Library at Lincoln Park | Earth Day Storytime and Scavenger Hunt](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/eastside-library-at-lincoln-park-earth-day-storytime-and-scavenger-hunt/18330765/2026-04-22T11) at Eastside Library at Lincoln Park - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-04-22T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Reading Assistance Program](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-assistance-program/17973404/2026-04-22T15) at My Learning Studio - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-04-22T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Riverside Mission Belles](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-mission-belles/16691431/2026-04-22T09) at Victoria Presbyterian Church - [Riverside Open Mic Music Series](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-open-mic-music-series/15529475/2026-04-22T17) at BACK TO THE GRIND - [Until Help Arrives Emergency Preparedness Training](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/until-help-arrives-emergency-preparedness-training/18366775/2026-04-22T09) at Community Room Riverside Main Library ## Save the Date - April 23-25: [Frozen: The Broadway Musical](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-17T19) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) - April 18: [Blue Zones Project Riverside: Moai Launch Party](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/blue-zones-project-riverside-moai-launch-party/18380677/2026-04-18T10) at North Park - April 18: [Fant-A-She’s](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fantashes/18337803/2026-04-18T20) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ($37- $97) - April 18: [Frozen: The Broadway Musical](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-18T13) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) - April 18: [MAGIC UNDERGROUND](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/magic-underground/18337412/2026-04-18T19) at Back To The Grind ($30- $45) - April 23: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 2 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-2-community-forum/18495178/2026-04-23T18) at UCR Alumni & Visitors Center - April 24: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-01T07) at Zacatecas Café - April 25: [78th Annual Riverside Flower Show and Garden Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/78th-annual-riverside-flower-show-and-garden-tour/18520936/2026-04-25T09) at Riverside Elks Lodge (free - $10) - April 29: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 4 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-4-community-forum/18495206/2026-04-29T18) at Riverside Citrus State Park - Sunkist Center - April 30: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 6 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-6-community-forum/18495207/2026-04-30T18) at Altura Credit Union (10725 Magnolia Ave.) - May 3: ["The Sound of Riverside" - The 2026 Riverside Arts Academy Gala](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-sound-of-riverside-the-2026-riverside-arts-academy-gala/18503772/2026-05-03T17) at UCR University Theatre ($150- $325) - May 6: [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - May 13: [Level Up Your Network: The Pick Group 2026 Membership Summit](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/level-up-your-network-the-pick-group-2026-membership-summit/18625198/2026-05-13T18) at Killer Queens Social House - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### RTRP Construction Is Finally Underway — Here’s What Riversiders Can Expect in the Next Several Months URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/rtrp-construction-is-finally-underway-heres-what-riversiders-can-expect-in-the-next-several-months/ Last updated: 2026-04-23T11:58:25.000Z Construction is underway on the [Riverside Transmission Reliability Project (RTRP)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-approves-controversial-riverside-transmission-reliability-project/), a long-planned effort to secure the city's power supply by adding a [second high-voltage connection to California's electrical grid](https://raincrossgazette.com/2022/05/12/council-consultant-will-study-alternatives-to-transmission-project/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). The project – a [joint venture between Riverside Public Utilities (RPU) and Southern California Edison](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/rtrp-inches-forward-judge-overrules-norcos-objections-citing-essential-benefits-for-riverside/) – gives Riverside additional power capacity to serve existing and projected electrical demand and avoid blackouts, according to RPU's website. "RTRP will provide a crucial second point of interconnection to the grid, improving the overall reliability and resiliency of the electric supply in the region," said Jeff Monford, a spokesperson for SoCal Edison. "Riverside only has one connection to the state power grid; if that connection fails, Riverside will have a serious and lengthy power outage. The solution is RTRP." Active construction began in June 2025 with underground work in Jurupa Valley, according to Monford. The 10-mile project stretches four miles south from Cantu Galleano Ranch Road to Wineville Avenue in Jurupa Valley with underground power lines, then turns east at 68th Street and runs along the Santa Ana River until it reaches the SCE Wildlife Station with its 230 kV hybrid overhead power lines. This April and May, Riverside residents will see intermittent traffic to support overhead grading around the Tyler Street and Mandalay Court intersection. However, Jurupa Valley residents will experience the most disruption in the months ahead, while preconstruction work continues for upcoming segments across Norco and Riverside. In Jurupa Valley, the northbound lanes on the stretch of Wineville Avenue south to Bellgrave Avenue will see localized lane closures to access underground equipment; sections of Pat's Ranch Road will close with detours to Wineville Avenue to support trenching excavations and equipment installations; and portions of northbound lanes on 68th Street will close intermittently for the same. As construction continues, project teams use "Dear Neighbor" letters in English and Spanish to notify surrounding neighborhoods ahead of disruptions, Monford said. Construction on the project is expected to be completed in late 2029, according to RPU. The project has been in the works since June 2006, when the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) – the independent organization responsible for planning the statewide transmission grid – conducted studies identifying a need for the project. RPU began planning meetings by January 2007. ### Sazón and Cultura Bring Riverside's Tamale Festival Together URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/sazon-and-cultura-bring-riversides-tamale-festival-together/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:06:08.000Z The aromas of tamales returned to White Park for the [13th annual Tamale Festival](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-tamale-festival-returns-april-18-to-celebrate-adobes-historic-designation/) on April 18. The festival, hosted by the Spanish Town Heritage Foundation, celebrated the Trujillo Adobe's addition to the National Register of Historic Places last May. This year's theme, "Todos Juntos," translating to "All Together," lived up to its significance. Hundreds of people gathered, getting a taste of Latino culture. It was my first time at the festival. "I grew up with all this," said Delilah Martinez, a first-time attendee. "I like these events because I always find out something new about my culture." Agua fresca, tamales and quesadillas captured the culture's flavor. People waited in line, trying different food but what caught my attention was The Original Tamale Co. I ordered a chicken chile verde (green salsa) tamal that was delicious. The ratio between the masa (flour) and the chicken was well-balanced. I enjoyed that the salsa wasn't spicy and I was able to taste the flavor of the tomatillo, a fruit native to Mexico. Martinez rated the tamales from the festival being a 10 out of 10. Entertainment kept the crowd moving at the White Park gazebo, with mariachi and ballet folklórico filling the schedule. Ebeny Marin, a dancer with Ballet Folklórico de Riverside, performed at the festival. It was her first time performing with the group, and her family came out to support her. Ballet folklórico is a predominant style of dancing in Mexico. Arianna Marin, who is also part of the group, shared that different regions in Mexico have adapted their own style of dancing. She felt that this is what makes folklórico special because it caters to everyone's roots. "For the first time performing here, I think it went really good," said Arianna Marin. Toward the end of the night the festival welcomed Ozomatli, a Los Angeles band that blends cumbias and rancheras with reggae and hip-hop, drawing in a wide audience by mixing styles. "All of us came from different places, different traditions and different music," said Ulises Bella. "But the common factor was trying to get people to dance." Raúl Pacheco said he brought more classic funk and Mexican music to the group. The band from the start used their music to open up the discussion about political and social causes as Bella described, "music with a message." "That part of Ozomatli has been there from the beginning," said Bella. "Whatever we could do to use our music to help." "Each album is a representation of our first influences," Bella said. "By our third, fourth record we're delving into all kinds of music from around the world." "A figure on the Aztec calendar, a little monkey and it represents dance, movement," said Pacheco. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/crowd-.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/dancing.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/lucha-libre-.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/marachi-crowd.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/marachi.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/tomale-.jpg) Scenes from the 13th annual Riverside Tamale Festival at White Park on April 18, 2026, including crowd gatherings, mariachi performances, lucha libre wrestling, dancing and the Best Tamale competition trophy display. (Marissa Perez) *By Marissa Perez* ### 🗞️ Riverside News- April 20, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-april-20-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:23.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/IMG_4914-1.jpeg) A fiery sunset reflected in the still waters of Lake Evans draws a family to the shore at Fairmount Park. (Julian Barham) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Monday Gazette: April 20, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday!** The first of [the Raincross Gazette's candidate forums is this Thursday](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-gazette-is-hosting-its-first-ever-candidate-forums-wards-2-4-and-6/). The Ward 2 forum is just days away, and if you haven't reserved your seat yet, now is the time. Come ready to hear directly from the candidates who want to represent your neighborhood and be part of the conversation before June's election. All forums are free and open to every Riverside resident. [Reserve your spot today](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-gazette-is-hosting-its-first-ever-candidate-forums-wards-2-4-and-6/). See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260420)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260420&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## This Week in City Hall: April 20, 2026 A busy week at City Hall includes housing proposals, substance bans, and the search for a new City Attorney. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/DSC05316-1.jpeg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-april-20-2026/) Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### City Council City Council will meet in a special meeting Monday, April 20 at 8 a.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1405987&GUID=078B74D7-586B-416C-9093-02AB67E10966&ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and closed and open sessions on Tuesday, April 21, in an afternoon session at 3 p.m. and an evening session at 6 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1404112&GUID=CAF64CC0-B2DB-41B3-BA73-98C6192175FD&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). The agenda for Monday’s special meeting includes: - Considering the recruitment of a new City Attorney during a closed-door session authorized under California state law, a position that serves as the City's chief legal adviser. The agenda for Tuesday’s meeting includes: - Considering a [proposal to rezone and redesignate](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=49ec5cbf-39ab-4fb0-9682-1897078a67c8.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) approximately 2.72 acres on Hedrick and Jones Avenues from single-family to multi-family residential to allow construction of a 117-unit apartment complex. - Considering a [pilot program](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=ea6aa9ef-342c-4b16-9ef9-01f2ded9ee62.pdf&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that would allow housing density to be redistributed among City-owned surplus properties and designated housing sites along University Avenue to encourage residential development in that corridor. - Considering an [ordinance](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=c55f6b49-9446-4893-a217-40a01fb8a6ab.pdf&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that would increase City fines for any violation of the city’s municipal code to $100 for a first offense, $500 for a second, and $1,000 for each subsequent offense of the same type. - Adopting [updated airport rules](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=7ab3d586-03b7-41eb-8038-c1cbcd3b8731.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) covering animal control on the airfield, unauthorized access to aircraft movement areas, tenant events, and restrictions on off-airport commercial vendors. - Adopting an [ordinance reducing the membership](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=d17f7342-453b-4c3c-a238-0dbc2566f5a7.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) of the City's Budget Engagement Commission to 10 members. - Considering [loan agreements](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=212fcd7f-a58f-4b63-ba6a-da0e6e4afd64.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) totaling approximately $3 million to support construction of 25 affordable senior housing units and 9 affordable family housing units on Mulberry Street. - Considering a [resolution supporting a local nonprofit's application](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=490c1ba1-82a1-4420-acf1-369510ea6b42.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for up to $3 million in state grant funding to study and advance factory-built housing options for small lots in Riverside. - Considering a [contract](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=a14dbbec-9e6a-4a06-8c73-4a84bc83dbb1.doc&ref=raincrossgazette.com) worth up to $1.85 million with a North Carolina vendor to provide specialty equipment for police vehicles through 2029, funded by Measure Z. - Adopting an ordinance [prohibiting the sale and distribution of kratom products](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=2a78e2f0-01b4-4851-9dc5-53421645feb0.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) within Riverside city limits. - Adopting an ordinance [prohibiting the sale and distribution of nitrous oxide](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=cd414aa8-6ff0-4d65-8e45-1a2b9172bfa2.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) within Riverside city limits. ### Community Police Review Commission The Community Police Review Commission meets on Wednesday, April 22, at 5:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1405721&GUID=55210620-CC34-4C75-B8EB-6E85ED374B35&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review a policy recommendation on racial and identity profiling data collected during police stops and consider the CPRC's draft 2025 Annual Report on police oversight activity. ### Planning Commission The Planning Commission meets on Thursday, April 23, at 9:00 a.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1399046&GUID=6539F1AE-DA0A-4AB9-B27A-0A8D98759E60&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review its 2026 procedural rules while postponing — at the applicant's request — a public hearing on a proposed Arlington Avenue gas station and convenience store that would require rezoning residential land in Ward 3. ### Economic Development Committee The Economic Development Committee (Councilmembers Robillard, Cervantes, and Hemenway) meets on Thursday, April 23, at 3:00 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1405432&GUID=7600FFE6-DF01-4628-9DC4-08D5B9CE90E4&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review presentations on local technology partnerships, workforce apprenticeship programs and economic development initiatives. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-april-20-2026/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260420) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260420&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GARDNER GAUGE](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/gardner-gauge/) ## Opinion: 2026 is Shaping Up to Be a Mixed Bag in the Water World Full reservoirs and a drought-free California offer short-term relief, but a vanished snowpack and unresolved Colorado River negotiations signal rougher water ahead. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/opinion_banner-mike_gardner-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-2026-is-shaping-up-to-be-a-mixed-bag-in-the-water-world/) As our climate continues to warm and shifts to longer dry periods and shorter, more intense, wet periods with more precipitation in the form of rain and less snow, water providers are concerned about longer term supply if 2026 turns out to be a dry year. On the plus side, California and the Colorado River Basin both had a pretty good year in terms of overall precipitation, but warmer storms with rain rather than snow and a historically warm March destroyed the snowpack that would normally provide capturable runoff throughout the spring. The graphic below shows April snowpack for the last four years. As you can see, we didn't have any this year. The rapidly melting snowpack and rain runoff did a great job of filling California's reservoirs, but there was far more runoff than there was room to store it and a great deal simply flowed out the Golden Gate into the Pacific Ocean. On the Colorado River, little water was lost and storage in Lake Mead significantly increased although both Lake Mead and Lake Powell remain far below full capacity. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-2026-is-shaping-up-to-be-a-mixed-bag-in-the-water-world/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260420)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260420&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-04-20T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-04-20T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [Monday Carillon Recitals](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/monday-carillon-recitals/17079871/2026-04-20T12) at UCR Bell Tower ### Tomorrow - [Earth Day Storytime](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/earth-day-storytime/18252005/2026-04-21T11) at Marcy Library - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-04-21T19) at The Hideaway - [National Library Week Scavenger Hunt](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/national-library-week-scavenger-hunt/18505790/2026-04-21T10) at Marcy Library - [ScotSurplus Public Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/scotsurplus-public-sale/17279943/2026-04-21T11) at ScotSurplus, UCR Corporation Yard ### Save the Date - April 23-25: [Frozen: The Broadway Musical](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-17T19) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) - April 18: [Blue Zones Project Riverside: Moai Launch Party](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/blue-zones-project-riverside-moai-launch-party/18380677/2026-04-18T10) at North Park - April 18: [Fant-A-She’s](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fantashes/18337803/2026-04-18T20) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ($37- $97) - April 18: [Frozen: The Broadway Musical](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-18T13) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) - April 18: [MAGIC UNDERGROUND](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/magic-underground/18337412/2026-04-18T19) at Back To The Grind ($30- $45) - April 23: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 2 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-2-community-forum/18495178/2026-04-23T18) at UCR Alumni & Visitors Center - April 25: [78th Annual Riverside Flower Show and Garden Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/78th-annual-riverside-flower-show-and-garden-tour/18520936/2026-04-25T09) at Riverside Elks Lodge (free - $10) - April 29: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 4 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-4-community-forum/18495206/2026-04-29T18) at Riverside Citrus State Park - Sunkist Center - April 30: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 6 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-6-community-forum/18495207/2026-04-30T18) at Altura Credit Union (10725 Magnolia Ave.) - May 1: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-club-meeting/18634391/2026-05-01T07) at Zacatecas Café - May 3: ["The Sound of Riverside" - The 2026 Riverside Arts Academy Gala](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-sound-of-riverside-the-2026-riverside-arts-academy-gala/18503772/2026-05-03T17) at UCR University Theatre ($150- $325) - May 6: [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - May 13: [Level Up Your Network: The Pick Group 2026 Membership Summit](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/level-up-your-network-the-pick-group-2026-membership-summit/18625198/2026-05-13T18) at Killer Queens Social House - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### This Week in City Hall: April 20, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-april-20-2026/ Last updated: 2026-04-22T01:15:54.000Z Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### City Council City Council will meet in a special meeting Monday, April 20 at 8 a.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1405987&GUID=078B74D7-586B-416C-9093-02AB67E10966&ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and closed and open sessions on Tuesday, April 21, in an afternoon session at 3 p.m. and an evening session at 6 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1404112&GUID=CAF64CC0-B2DB-41B3-BA73-98C6192175FD&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). The agenda for Monday’s special meeting includes: - Considering the recruitment of a new City Attorney during a closed-door session authorized under California state law, a position that serves as the City's chief legal adviser. The agenda for Tuesday’s meeting includes: - Considering a [proposal to rezone and redesignate](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=49ec5cbf-39ab-4fb0-9682-1897078a67c8.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) approximately 2.72 acres on Hedrick and Jones Avenues from single-family to multi-family residential to allow construction of a 117-unit apartment complex. - Considering a [pilot program](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=ea6aa9ef-342c-4b16-9ef9-01f2ded9ee62.pdf&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that would allow housing density to be redistributed among City-owned surplus properties and designated housing sites along University Avenue to encourage residential development in that corridor. - Considering an [ordinance](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=c55f6b49-9446-4893-a217-40a01fb8a6ab.pdf&ref=raincrossgazette.com) that would increase City fines for any violation of the city’s municipal code to $100 for a first offense, $500 for a second, and $1,000 for each subsequent offense of the same type. - Adopting [updated airport rules](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=7ab3d586-03b7-41eb-8038-c1cbcd3b8731.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) covering animal control on the airfield, unauthorized access to aircraft movement areas, tenant events, and restrictions on off-airport commercial vendors. - Adopting an [ordinance reducing the membership](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=d17f7342-453b-4c3c-a238-0dbc2566f5a7.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) of the City's Budget Engagement Commission to 10 members. - Considering [loan agreements](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=212fcd7f-a58f-4b63-ba6a-da0e6e4afd64.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) totaling approximately $3 million to support construction of 25 affordable senior housing units and 9 affordable family housing units on Mulberry Street. - Considering a [resolution supporting a local nonprofit's application](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=490c1ba1-82a1-4420-acf1-369510ea6b42.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) for up to $3 million in state grant funding to study and advance factory-built housing options for small lots in Riverside. - Considering a [contract](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=a14dbbec-9e6a-4a06-8c73-4a84bc83dbb1.doc&ref=raincrossgazette.com) worth up to $1.85 million with a North Carolina vendor to provide specialty equipment for police vehicles through 2029, funded by Measure Z. - Adopting an ordinance [prohibiting the sale and distribution of kratom products](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=2a78e2f0-01b4-4851-9dc5-53421645feb0.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) within Riverside city limits. - Adopting an ordinance [prohibiting the sale and distribution of nitrous oxide](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=cd414aa8-6ff0-4d65-8e45-1a2b9172bfa2.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com) within Riverside city limits. ### Community Police Review Commission The Community Police Review Commission meets on Wednesday, April 22, at 5:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1405721&GUID=55210620-CC34-4C75-B8EB-6E85ED374B35&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review a policy recommendation on racial and identity profiling data collected during police stops and consider the CPRC's draft 2025 Annual Report on police oversight activity. ### Planning Commission The Planning Commission meets on Thursday, April 23, at 9:00 a.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1399046&GUID=6539F1AE-DA0A-4AB9-B27A-0A8D98759E60&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review its 2026 procedural rules while postponing — at the applicant's request — a public hearing on a proposed Arlington Avenue gas station and convenience store that would require rezoning residential land in Ward 3. ### Economic Development Committee The Economic Development Committee (Councilmembers Robillard, Cervantes, and Hemenway) meets on Thursday, April 23, at 3:00 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1405432&GUID=7600FFE6-DF01-4628-9DC4-08D5B9CE90E4&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to review presentations on local technology partnerships, workforce apprenticeship programs and economic development initiatives. ### Opinion: 2026 is Shaping Up to Be a Mixed Bag in the Water World URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/opinion-2026-is-shaping-up-to-be-a-mixed-bag-in-the-water-world/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:06:10.000Z As our climate continues to warm and shifts to longer dry periods and shorter, more intense, wet periods with more precipitation in the form of rain and less snow, water providers are concerned about longer term supply if 2026 turns out to be a dry year. On the plus side, California and the Colorado River Basin both had a pretty good year in terms of overall precipitation, but warmer storms with rain rather than snow and a historically warm March destroyed the snowpack that would normally provide capturable runoff throughout the spring. The graphic below shows April snowpack for the last four years. As you can see, we didn't have any this year. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-20-at-9.14.46---AM.png) (Courtesy of Western Water and CDWR) The rapidly melting snowpack and rain runoff did a great job of filling California's reservoirs, but there was far more runoff than there was room to store it and a great deal simply flowed out the Golden Gate into the Pacific Ocean. On the Colorado River, little water was lost and storage in Lake Mead significantly increased although both Lake Mead and Lake Powell remain far below full capacity. Notably, 2026 is the first year in a quarter century that none of California was considered to be in some stage of drought. This, coupled with full reservoirs will get us through 2026 with no issues, but the reservoirs will draw down rapidly if we have a dry summer and fall. Weather forecasts are varied, but there is a strong indication an El Niño is forming, and precipitation in El Niño years varies from very little to a great deal. We will have to see what the summer and fall bring. If it is a dry year we may face reduced allocations of State Water Project water next year. Overall, California can handle a three year drought with some inconvenience and additional conservation, but anything longer is likely to result in draconian cuts in water supply. The passage of Senate Bill 72, which requires the state to identify an additional 9 million acre feet of water supply by 2040, and Governor Newsom incorporating this into his water plan bodes well for the future. Although the planning effort is just getting underway it seems likely it will include the Sites Reservoir project which will store 1.5 million acre feet of water collected in times of high runoff for use in times of shortage. This project has been in planning for decades and is finally getting to its final permitting stages. Preliminary construction could begin as early as late this year or early 2027 if there are no further delays. Interagency cooperative agreements like the one recently executed by Western Water and the San Diego County Water Authority put our region in a good position to share water resources across jurisdictional boundaries (see last month's Gardner Gauge for details on this historic agreement). Western's sister agency, Eastern Municipal Water District, signed a similar agreement with San Diego earlier this month. These agreements also provide a degree of protection for Western and Eastern in the event of a reduction of deliveries through the State Water Project. We must also anticipate a reduction in Colorado River water available to California. The seven states, 21 Tribal nations, and the country of Mexico, each of which have some level of rights to Colorado River Water, have still not reached agreement on how to share a reduced supply of Colorado River water. There was a Valentines Day deadline to reach agreement which passed with no action. If the parties cannot reach agreement, the US Bureau of Reclamation can mandate allocations. Regardless of how reallocation of rights is decided, California will certainly receive less Colorado River water than it does today despite the significant cutbacks we have already made. All of this emphasizes the need for California to build new infrastructure to capture and store excess water when we have it for use during the inevitable dry periods. ### Still Standing: Post 79's Clubhouse Turns 100 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/still-standing-post-79s-clubhouse-turns-100/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:06:11.000Z One hundred years ago, on August 8, 1925, Riverside Post 79 laid the cornerstone for a clubhouse on the shores of Lake Evans. Seven months later, on April 9, 1926, the building was completed and dedicated. One hundred years later, that historic clubhouse still proudly stands and serves the present members of the local American Legion. World War I ended with the armistice signed by the Allies and Germany on November 11, 1918\. A few months later, on March 15-17, 1919, members of the American Expeditionary Force gathered in Paris to set up an organization for veterans. On May 8-10, a gathering was held in St. Louis, and the official name of the American Legion was adopted, along with a draft of a constitution. The United States Congress officially chartered the American Legion on September 16, 1919\. The American Legion was founded. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/2-emblem.png) Emblem of the American Legion. (Courtesy of the American Legion Website) Communities across California quickly jumped in. By early July, more than 30 posts had been organized in the state, serving over 140,000 veterans from the recent war. The veterans in Riverside were not far behind. In early October, the Riverside Service Men's Club merged into the newly formed Riverside Post of the American Legion. About a week later, on Wednesday, October 15, American Legion Post 79 voted to accept the incorporation with 16 charter members. Those who joined before November 11 (Armistice Day) that year were also considered charter members. Plans were already in the works for a clubhouse, and a military ball on Armistice Day was a fundraiser for the building. Over the next few years, Post 79 and the Women's Auxiliary raised funds for a clubhouse. Newly formed Lake Evans was dedicated on July 4, 1924, culminating in an evening of a boat parade and fireworks over the lake. Mayor Samuel C. Evans, Jr., in early 1923, had donated 40 acres of land adjoining Fairmount Park to add another lake. This was the third land donation from the Evans family to Fairmount Park. American Legion members viewed this new lake as an ideal location for their proposed clubhouse. Three pieces of property were offered to the club, two by Mayor Samuel C. Evans and one by Arthur H. Brown. The post in April 1925 accepted one of the parcels from Evans, consisting of three-quarters of an acre of land situated northwest of the lake. The deed was recorded on July 24, 1925, and construction started. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/3-Map-Stewart.jpg) Map showing the location (#11) of the American Legion Clubhouse near Lake Evans. (Map Courtesy of Pat Stewart) By the end of the month, the foundation was poured, and some of the walls were framed. Work progressed, and as the building rose, local members claimed it was the prettiest clubhouse in the whole Citrus Belt. On Saturday, August 8, 1925, National Chaplain Joseph Lonergan presided at the laying of the dedication stone for the American Legion clubhouse and gave an inspiring speech. Mayor Samuel Evans, who had donated the land, expressed his pleasure at helping the Legion obtain it for their own clubhouse. Inscribed on the dark marble slab were the words: For God and Country, Riverside Post 79, The American Legion MCMXXV." Over 500 people attended and joined in singing "America" to open the ceremonies. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/4-Dedication.jpg) Photo of Dedication Ceremony Showing Chaplain Joseph Lonergan speaking. (Courtesy of American Legion Post 79) The new clubhouse was formally dedicated and opened on Friday, April 9, 1926\. Mayor J. T. Jarvis welcomed those attending and praised the Legion and the clubhouse as it "amplifies the forward spirit of the legion, and it was hoped that the citizens of Riverside might better appreciate the high level of the group of men who have banded together in time of peace for the furtherance of patriotic work." Samuel Evans, the land donor, introduced the guest speaker, National Adjutant James Barton. Several hundred people filled the auditorium of the new clubhouse for the dedication ceremony. Over the past 100 years, since the dedication on April 9, 1926, many veteran social events have been held at the clubhouse, including dances, banquets, anniversaries, memorial services, and other community activities. The site continues to serve as a center for US military veterans. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/5-Dance.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/6-American-Legion-PC-pm-1937.jpg) From left: Photo of a Dance Held at the Clubhouse (Courtesy of the American Legion Post 79), Postcard Invitation for the Armistice Day Dance in 1937 at the American Legion Post (Author's Collection) Since 1949, the members of the American Legion Post have cared for the "Water Buffalo" situated across the road from the clubhouse on the edge of Lake Evans. Many of the "Water Buffalo" or LVT (Landing Vehicle – Tracked) were built in Riverside at the Food Machinery Corporation plant. They were tested in Lake Evans. After the war, Riverside proposed obtaining one of these units for installation on the shore of Lake Evans. The Navy donated one of the "Water Buffalo," and on Armistice Day, November 11, 1949, the vehicle was dedicated. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/7--Fairmount-Park-Water-Buffalo.jpg) Postcard of the Water Buffalo at Lake Evans. (Author's Collection) One hundred years after the dedication on April 9, 1926, the clubhouse on the shoreline of Lake Evans in Fairmount Park still serves American Legion Post 79 and stands as a tribute to the veterans who have served our country. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- April 19, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-april-12-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:24.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/File.png) On Bicycle Day, we thought it was fitting to share our managing editor's bicycle built for two — parked outside the Riverside Historic Courthouse. Catch her and her husband cruising Downtown on an evening or weekend and you just might get a wave. (Luke López) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Sunday Gazette: April 17, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday!** Today is Bicycle Day, and Riverside has something fitting to celebrate. The Blue Zones Project Riverside launched its first moais yesterday, including the [Biking Moai](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bzp-riverside-biking-moai-with-riverside-light-parade-tickets-1986223194041?aff=ebdsoporgprofile&ref=raincrossgazette.com): a 10-week Saturday morning ride through the city, hosted by the Riverside Light Parade crew. It's relaxed, it's open to everyone, and it meets at Fairmount Park at 8 a.m. If you want the full story on [what Blue Zones has been building here over the past year](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/blue-zones-project-riverside-marks-year-one-with-4-500-residents-engaged-28-new-moais-launching-saturday/), it's worth a read. See you tomorrow! --- 🧡 Thank you to the Subscribers who became paid supporters this week: Marcella Cook, Andrew Corr, and Debbi Guthrie. [Your ongoing financial support](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-march-15-2026-2/#/portal/account/plans) is vital to our success in serving Riverside with the news it deserves! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260417)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260417&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HISTORY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/history/) ## 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. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/1--Nov-2022-ZW-1.JPG)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/still-standing-post-79s-clubhouse-turns-100/) Photo of the American Legion Post 79 Clubhouse in November 2022\. (Zachary Wenzel) One hundred years ago, on August 8, 1925, Riverside Post 79 laid the cornerstone for a clubhouse on the shores of Lake Evans. Seven months later, on April 9, 1926, the building was completed and dedicated. One hundred years later, that historic clubhouse still proudly stands and serves the present members of the local American Legion. World War I ended with the armistice signed by the Allies and Germany on November 11, 1918\. A few months later, on March 15-17, 1919, members of the American Expeditionary Force gathered in Paris to set up an organization for veterans. On May 8-10, a gathering was held in St. Louis, and the official name of the American Legion was adopted, along with a draft of a constitution. The United States Congress officially chartered the American Legion on September 16, 1919\. The American Legion was founded. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/still-standing-post-79s-clubhouse-turns-100/) --- #### [SPONSORED](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/sponsored/) ## Where to Find the Best Coffee in Riverside? Arcade Coffee Roasters Has Spent 13 Years Earning That Answer Tips on what to plant, when to pick, and what to watch out for in your home garden. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-7-3.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/where-to-find-the-best-coffee-in-riverside-arcade-coffee-roasters-has-spent-13-years-earning-that-answer/) Arcade Coffee Roasters co-founders Stevie Hasemeyer and Shane Levario at the production facility that launched their Riverside roasting operation. On the roasting floor of Arcade Coffee Roasters' production facility, Monday and Tuesday are the most important days of the week. That's when head roaster Westin Mills and lead roaster Gabe Beltran work through a schedule of single-origin coffees, blends, and wholesale orders — roasting, bagging, and getting everything on shelves by Wednesday. Everything on those shelves was roasted the day before you buy it. "You are the last line of defense to make sure this coffee is good," co-founder Stevie Hasemeyer tells his team. "This coffee started at a farm in Colombia. That guy worked hard to make sure the soil was good, that there was enough water. Then it got processed, dried, shipped here. There's so much work that went into getting it to that point — don't mess it up." That sense of accountability — to the coffee, to the farmer, and to the customer — is what has made Arcade Coffee Roasters the benchmark for specialty coffee in Riverside and across the Inland Empire. Co-founders Stevie Hasemeyer and Shane Levario started roasting out of a small home roaster in the early 2010s. Today, Arcade operates three Riverside locations: Downtown, the Tasting Room in the University neighborhood, and the Bakehouse in Canyon Crest. The obsession that built those locations hasn't changed. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/where-to-find-the-best-coffee-in-riverside-arcade-coffee-roasters-has-spent-13-years-earning-that-answer/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260417)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260417&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [NEIGHBOR OF THE WEEK](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/neighbor-of-the-week/) ## Neighbor of the Week: Sir Williams Neighbor of the Week is a series profiling the hidden heroes of Riverside, doing incredible works of service throughout our different neighborhoods. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/NotW---Sir-Williams--A-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-sir-williams/) Sir Williams at Tyler Mall, one of his favorite spots to connect with Riverside youth. (Brenda Flowers) Sir Williams came to Riverside looking to move forward with his education. What he didn't expect was finding an opportunity to mentor youth the way he had been mentored during his own high school years through Young Life. These days, when he's not hitting the books as a finance major at California Baptist University, you might find him at Tyler Mall chatting with Riverside youth over a Cinnabon or hot pretzel. As a dedicated Young Life leader, Sir consistently shows up for local high school students, building meaningful relationships and creating a safe, supportive space where teens feel valued and encouraged. He volunteers countless hours mentoring students, attending their games and events, and walking alongside them through the challenges of adolescence. What sets Sir apart is his genuine care for the youth he serves. Through Young Life clubs, camps, and weekly time spent with students, he has made a lasting impact on many young people in Riverside. His commitment, humility, and passion for serving others make him exactly the kind of neighbor who makes a real difference — and Riverside is better for it. [Get to know Sir...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-sir-williams/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260417) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260417&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CREATIVE PROMPTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/creative-prompts/) ## Ring, Ring A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-16-at-4.18.11---PM.png)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ring-ring/) ([Milos Lopusina](https://unsplash.com/@miloslopusina?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) This week’s creative nudge uses something that we try to make as noticeable as possible. In fact, some would say that this week’s object is often on display…and always broadcasting. This week our creative push comes from a ring. It might be the ones you wear on your digits—gold or silver or prize from a vending machine. It could also be the one on many front porches—the digital eye, the corporate-branded “Ring,” watching comings and goings like a polite but nosey neighbor. A ring can mean commitment, status, memory, identity. It can record something personal or broadcast something public. When I take walks and trigger a Ring just by walking on the sidewalk, I have to admit being a little annoyed by the robotic intrusion into the community space. Perhaps choosing this nudge is a way for me to see these moments in a more creative way. [Read and share the complete prompt...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ring-ring/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Sunday, April 19 - [Gardening for Butterflies](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/gardening-for-butterflies/18543239/2026-04-19T09) at Botanic Gardens - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-04-19T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [The Bonner Singers](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-bonner-singers/18563572/2026-04-19T17) at Trinity Lutheran Church - [Curator-led Tour of From Here to the Horizon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/curatorled-tour-of-from-here-to-the-horizon/18543116/2026-04-19T13) at California Museum of Photography - [Dancing for Fun](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/dancing-for-fun/18329491/2026-04-19T14) at Janet Goeske Center - [Family Concert - Maracas & Magic, with UCR Orchestra and Chamber Singers](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/family-concert-maracas-magic-with-ucr-orchestra-and-chamber-singers/18508800/2026-04-19T15) at University Theatre, University of California, Riverside - [Hideaway Lounge History & Paranormal Tours](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/hideaway-lounge-history-paranormal-tours/18450284/2026-04-19T16) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($44.52) - [Sunday Experiment After Dark](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sunday-experiment-after-dark/14528750/2026-04-19T21) at Downtown Experiment ### Monday, April 20 - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-04-20T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-04-20T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [Monday Carillon Recitals](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/monday-carillon-recitals/17079871/2026-04-20T12) at UCR Bell Tower ### Tuesday, April 21 - [Earth Day Storytime](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/earth-day-storytime/18252005/2026-04-21T11) at Marcy Library - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-04-21T19) at The Hideaway - [National Library Week Scavenger Hunt](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/national-library-week-scavenger-hunt/18505790/2026-04-21T10) at Marcy Library - [ScotSurplus Public Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/scotsurplus-public-sale/17279943/2026-04-21T11) at ScotSurplus, UCR Corporation Yard ### Wednesday, April 22 - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-04-22T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [2026 Earth Day Festival](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/2026-earth-day-festival/18543119/2026-04-22T10) at UCR-Pierce Lawn - [Bordwell Park Advisory Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bordwell-park-advisory-committee/16552261/2026-04-22T11) at Stratton Community Center - [Celebrate Earth Day at the Marcy Library](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/celebrate-earth-day-at-the-marcy-library/18252052/2026-04-22T14) at Marcy Library - [Earth Day Painting & Mixed Media Artivity](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/earth-day-painting-mixed-media-artivity/18505876/2026-04-22T14) at Marcy Library - [Eastside Library at Lincoln Park | Earth Day Storytime and Scavenger Hunt](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/eastside-library-at-lincoln-park-earth-day-storytime-and-scavenger-hunt/18330765/2026-04-22T11) at Eastside Library at Lincoln Park - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-04-22T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Reading Assistance Program](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-assistance-program/17973404/2026-04-22T15) at My Learning Studio - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-04-22T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Riverside Mission Belles](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-mission-belles/16691431/2026-04-22T09) at Victoria Presbyterian Church - [Riverside Open Mic Music Series](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-open-mic-music-series/15529475/2026-04-22T17) at BACK TO THE GRIND - [Until Help Arrives Emergency Preparedness Training](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/until-help-arrives-emergency-preparedness-training/18366775/2026-04-22T09) at Community Room Riverside Main Library ### Thursday, April 23 - [Very Hungry Caterpillar Painting Session](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/very-hungry-caterpillar-painting-session/18505930/2026-04-23T16) at Marcy Library - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-04-23T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Riverside's Butterflies: A Natural History](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riversides-butterflies-a-natural-history/18508635/2026-04-23T18) at Riverside Main Library - [**Frozen: The Broadway Musical**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-23T19) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) - [**Raincross Gazette: Ward 2 Community Forum**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-2-community-forum/18495178/2026-04-23T18) at UCR Alumni & Visitors Center ### Friday, April 24 - [R'Hours at the R'Garden](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rhours-at-the-rgarden/18094958/2026-04-24T08) at R'Garden - [Bioblitz at the LandUse Learning Center](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/bioblitz-at-the-landuse-learning-center/18519618/2026-04-24T19) at LandUse Learning Center - [Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-and-heroes-walking-tour/17901085/2026-04-24T15) at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18) - [Into the Breeches! by George Brant at Riverside Community Players](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/into-the-breeches-by-george-brant-at-riverside-community-players/18450344/2026-04-24T19) at Riverside Community Players ($20- $22.24) - [Jose Maria Napoleon - Hasta Siempre. Tour de Despedida](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/jose-maria-napoleon-hasta-siempre-tour-de-despedida/18051799/2026-04-24T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [Murder Mystery Co. Dinner Theater Show at The Old Spaghetti Factory](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/murder-mystery-co-dinner-theater-show-at-the-old-spaghetti-factory/18000822/2026-04-24T19) at The Old Spaghetti Factory ($69) ### Saturday, April 25 - [Riverside Insect Fair Celebrating Earth Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-insect-fair-celebrating-earth-day/18055336/2026-04-25T10) at Riverside Main Library - [**78th Annual Riverside Flower Show and Garden Tour**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/78th-annual-riverside-flower-show-and-garden-tour/18520936/2026-04-25T09) at Riverside Elks Lodge (free - $10) - [Little LandUse Learners Spring/Summer Programming](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/little-landuse-learners-springsummer-programming/18501508/2026-04-25T10) at LandUse Learning Center - [Habitat Garden Tours](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/habitat-garden-tours/18506282/2026-04-25T13) at Ryan Bonaminio Park - [Greatest American Cleanup](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/greatest-american-cleanup/18297395/2026-04-25T09) at Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce - [Historic Churches of Downtown Riverside](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/historic-churches-of-downtown-riverside/18314285/2026-04-25T10) at Mission Inn Foundation ($21.20) - [Orange Terrace Library | Dungeons and Dragons](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-terrace-library-dungeons-and-dragons/18297729/2026-04-25T15) at Orange Terrace Library - [Taylor Swift Poetry Writing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/taylor-swift-poetry-writing/18506543/2026-04-25T16) at Marcy Library - [Black Veil Brides: North American Tour 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/black-veil-brides-north-american-tour-2026/18009457/2026-04-25T17) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium - [Tribute Bands (THE STROKES, ARCTIC MONKEYS & CAGE THE ELEPHANT)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/velzy-tribute-band-the-strokes-arctic-monkeys-cage-the-elephant-0425/18450286/2026-04-25T21) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($12.51) ## Save the Date - April 26: [78th Annual Riverside Flower Show and Garden Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/78th-annual-riverside-flower-show-and-garden-tour/18520936/2026-04-26T09) at Riverside Elks Lodge (free - $10) - April 29: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 4 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-4-community-forum/18495206/2026-04-29T18) at Riverside Citrus State Park - Sunkist Center - April 30: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 6 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-6-community-forum/18495207/2026-04-30T18) at Altura Credit Union (10725 Magnolia Ave.) - May 3: ["The Sound of Riverside" - The 2026 Riverside Arts Academy Gala](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-sound-of-riverside-the-2026-riverside-arts-academy-gala/18503772/2026-05-03T17) at UCR University Theatre ($150- $325) - May 6: [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - May 13: [Level Up Your Network: The Pick Group 2026 Membership Summit](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/level-up-your-network-the-pick-group-2026-membership-summit/18625198/2026-05-13T18) at Killer Queens Social House - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - Jun 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Neighbor of the Week: Sir Williams URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-sir-williams/ Last updated: 2026-04-21T12:00:27.000Z Sir Williams came to Riverside looking to move forward with his education. What he didn't expect was finding an opportunity to mentor youth the way he had been mentored during his own high school years through Young Life. These days, when he's not hitting the books as a finance major at California Baptist University, you might find him at Tyler Mall chatting with Riverside youth over a Cinnabon or hot pretzel. As a dedicated Young Life leader, Sir consistently shows up for local high school students, building meaningful relationships and creating a safe, supportive space where teens feel valued and encouraged. He volunteers countless hours mentoring students, attending their games and events, and walking alongside them through the challenges of adolescence. What sets Sir apart is his genuine care for the youth he serves. Through Young Life clubs, camps, and weekly time spent with students, he has made a lasting impact on many young people in Riverside. His commitment, humility, and passion for serving others make him exactly the kind of neighbor who makes a real difference — and Riverside is better for it. --- **What does Riverside mean to you?** Family and community. Riverside has all the life and excitement one could ask for. **What is your Mt. Rubidoux summit count (estimated)?** I've actually never been. **What is your favorite restaurant outside of Downtown or Magnolia Center?** Cheesecake Factory. **What is the most beautiful building in Riverside?** Barnes and Noble. **What is your favorite Riverside small business?** Tim Boba. **What is your favorite Riverside non-profit organization?** Young Life. **The Festival of Lights: every year on opening night, or maybe on a Tuesday?** Every year on opening night. **What is your go-to sandwich in town?** Philly cheesesteak from Jersey Mike's. **What is your idea of a perfect weekend day in Riverside?** Going to Castle Park and the drive-in movie theater. **What is your favorite spot for a date night?** GLO Mini Golf. **Do you call it the Galleria or Tyler Mall?** Tyler Mall. **What is one place in Riverside you would bring back if you could?** TGI Fridays. **If you could put one message on a billboard on the 91, what would it be?** "Jesus Loves You!" **Tell us what you're working on right now and how our readers can support your efforts.** I'm working for a nonprofit called Young Life. The donations and support we receive go straight back into the community, helping bring high schoolers closer to Christ. *Neighbor of the Week is our way of celebrating the hidden heroes of Riverside—those who go above and beyond to make our community stronger, kinder, and more vibrant. We believe every remarkable Riversider deserves their story told. Know someone who’s making a difference?* [*Nominate a Neighbor of the Week*](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) ### Where to Find the Best Coffee in Riverside? Arcade Coffee Roasters Has Spent 13 Years Earning That Answer URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/where-to-find-the-best-coffee-in-riverside-arcade-coffee-roasters-has-spent-13-years-earning-that-answer/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:06:13.000Z On the roasting floor of Arcade Coffee Roasters' production facility, Monday and Tuesday are the most important days of the week. That's when head roaster Westin Mills and lead roaster Gabe Beltran work through a schedule of single-origin coffees, blends, and wholesale orders — roasting, bagging, and getting everything on shelves by Wednesday. Everything on those shelves was roasted the day before you buy it. "You are the last line of defense to make sure this coffee is good," co-founder Stevie Hasemeyer tells his team. "This coffee started at a farm in Colombia. That guy worked hard to make sure the soil was good, that there was enough water. Then it got processed, dried, shipped here. There's so much work that went into getting it to that point — don't mess it up." That sense of accountability — to the coffee, to the farmer, and to the customer — is what has made Arcade Coffee Roasters the benchmark for specialty coffee in Riverside and across the Inland Empire. Co-founders Stevie Hasemeyer and Shane Levario started roasting out of a small home roaster in the early 2010s. Today, Arcade operates three Riverside locations: Downtown, the Tasting Room in the University neighborhood, and the Bakehouse in Canyon Crest. The obsession that built those locations hasn't changed. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-03-24-at-11.14.52---AM.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-03-24-at-11.10.08---AM.png) Arcade roasts on Mondays and Tuesdays so everything on shelves by Wednesday was roasted the day before. (Courtesy of Arcade Coffee Roasters) ### From a Fishing Trip and a Tibetan Plateau Stevie traces his first real memory of coffee to a fishing trip at Lake Perris with his dad. Black coffee out of a thermos on the boat, just the two of them. He spent his college years as a self-described Starbucks fanatic before a stint living in China changed everything. "I found this really awesome coffee shop, and we went up on the Tibetan Plateau and the owner was teaching someone how to roast coffee," Stevie said. "We were eating fresh coffee beans out of the roaster. That's where the whole vision for Arcade came from — he'd get there crazy early in the morning to roast coffee, and the shop would just fill with the smell of it." That shop had blind baristas who had developed exceptional palates precisely because they couldn't rely on sight, and an ethos of building something meaningful somewhere unexpected. Stevie came home motivated to do the same thing in Riverside. Shane's path started earlier — childhood mornings drinking coffee heavily laced with hazelnut Coffee-mate with his mom — and eventually ran through the Los Angeles Arts District, where a specialty roaster called Handsome Coffee had opened around 2010 with a vintage 1950s Probat roaster. "I remember driving all the way out to LA all the time just to get coffee," Shane said. "It got me excited to go find other places like that." The two were already connected — meeting regularly at Starbucks — when Stevie proposed teaching Shane to roast. The catch: he'd have to fix a broken home roaster called the HotTop first. Shane took it home, and he and his dad repaired the motherboard. "My dad was like, 'please don't burn down the house,'" Shane recalled. Their first batch on the repaired machine was, by their own admission, badly burned. But they kept going, eventually doing their first cupping together, and Stevie informally announced on Instagram that Shane was their new coffee roaster. "I was like, wait — what?" Shane said. "I guess I'm a coffee roaster." ### The Science Behind a Better Cup The question of what separates Arcade's specialty coffee from a chain — or even from a café buying quality pre-roasted beans — comes down to Shane's palate and what a decade-plus of deliberate training has made possible. Shane is a [certified Q grader](https://www.coffeeinstitute.org/our-work/q-grader/?ref=raincrossgazette.com), the international standard for objectively scoring coffee on a 100-point scale. Specialty coffee starts at 80; Arcade typically looks for coffees scoring 85 and above. The certification process is rigorous — tasters work in red-lit rooms so they can't see the color of what they're drinking, and they're asked to identify specific acid compounds present in each cup. "Coffee contains acids like citric, malic, and phosphoric that contribute to flavors we associate with citrus and fruit," Shane explained. "Citric acid is the same acid found in citrus — when you taste an orange and think 'citrus,' you're literally tasting the same thing. Malic acid is found in apples. When you say a coffee tastes like fruit, you're not imagining it. You're tasting those exact compounds." The certification requires not just identifying those acids, but distinguishing between coffees that have been spiked with different concentrations of each — a taste-based blind test that demands both technical knowledge and what Shane calls palate calibration. "Technical knowledge is a little bit easier to learn than the palate," he said. "Understanding what a coffee tastes like and then knowing what to do about it — that's the hard part." That sensory precision gets applied every Tuesday, when the Arcade team gathers for quality control cuppings. Every coffee roasted the previous day gets brewed the same way: ground coffee in an open cup, hot water poured directly over it, a four-minute steep, the crust broken and skimmed, then tasted blind. "We flip the coins at the end so everyone knows which coffee is which," Shane said. "Then we talk about it. If something's tasting underdeveloped, we look at the roast profile and make adjustments — maybe develop it a couple extra degrees, or address something in the middle of the roast." Baristas from the tasting room rotate through the Tuesday cuppings alongside the roasters. It's intentional — Stevie wants everyone serving coffee to understand what's in the cup. ### Sourcing: Relationships Over Transactions Arcade's coffee menu operates on a consistent structure: an espresso blend (the 3672), a filter-forward blend (the Third Street), a decaf, and four rotating single origins — two from the Americas, two from Africa or Asia — that cycle in and out every couple of months to keep things fresh and seasonally accurate. In the early days, Stevie recalls buying from whoever had good coffee, including an importer who'd show up in an Astro van with contacts in Ethiopia. "He had amazing coffee," Stevie said. "But he was terrible to work with." Now, Arcade's sourcing is built around long-term relationships with importers who are calibrated to exactly what they're looking for. Shane has worked with one importer, Joel from Red Fox, for about a decade — without ever meeting in person. "He knows what we like," Shane said. "He'll say, 'you guys will like this coffee.' And he's right, like 90 percent of the time." Current single-origin offerings include an El Salvador called Los Pirineos — described by Shane as "the perfect coffee," sweet and well-rounded — and the Misty Valley, from Ethiopia, which head roaster Westin lists as his personal favorite. The lineup also features Kenyan coffees, which Shane has championed since the early days, to Stevie's perpetual skepticism. "Two weeks ago I had drip at the tasting room and I was like, 'guys, what is this?'" Stevie said. "And Shane goes and tries it and says, 'No, it's good — it's just a Kenya.' That's just been a thing since the beginning. Shane's always been into Kenyas." On the experimental end, Arcade has featured co-fermented coffees inoculated with cultures from fruit — including one that genuinely tastes like watermelon tea. And looking further ahead, Arcade is actively pursuing a direct-trade relationship with a coffee farmer in Indonesia, working to have samples scored and, if quality holds, to build a year-over-year buying relationship. "That's been a dream forever," Stevie said. "If that farmer is currently getting three grand a year from his crop and we can help him get five, and he can reinvest in his farm — that means something." ### Training Everyone to Not Mess It Up Arcade's commitment to quality in sourcing and roasting would mean nothing if it fell apart at the espresso machine — so the brand has invested heavily in training to make sure it doesn't. "We tell our team: you are the last line of defense," Stevie said. "Everything from the farmer who managed the soil, to the person who processed and dried the beans, to the importer who got it here, to us roasting it — all of that work is in your hands. Nine months of effort could be undone in the final 30 seconds." Baristas at Arcade complete a tiered certification track before they're cleared to work independently — starting with general barista skills, then espresso, then milk. The process is overseen by Valeria Salgado, a dedicated training coordinator whose sole job is to run classes and conduct one-on-one sessions with new team members. That philosophy — passing knowledge forward — is now embedded across the whole organization. Roasters like Westin and Gabe are expected to develop the people below them, not just master the craft themselves. "If you want to move up, you have to train the person underneath you," Stevie said. "That's always been the expectation." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-03-24-at-11.17.21---AM.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-03-24-at-11.16.55---AM.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-03-24-at-10.59.08---AM.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-03-24-at-11.07.51---AM.png) The Arcade team across its three Riverside locations — Downtown, the University neighborhood Tasting Room, and the Canyon Crest Bakehouse. (Courtesy of Arcade Coffee Roasters) ### Why Riverside — and the Inland Empire — Should Care When Stevie was going to college in Riverside, the city's specialty coffee options were nearly nonexistent. The vision Arcade carried from the start was that Riverside deserved what places like Portland and Seattle had: a genuine coffee culture, built by people who cared about the craft. Thirteen years in, they've helped make that happen. The Riverside coffee scene has grown dramatically, and Arcade has been a consistent anchor of quality throughout — a place that set the standard for what specialty coffee in Riverside looks and tastes like, and one that coffee lovers from across the Inland Empire make the trip for. "We've always wanted to help be the start of good food and good things happening out here," Stevie said. "And it's happening." Stevie and Shane still roast here, still source with this community in mind, and still hold their team to the same standard every week. The 13 years of work behind every cup is why, when someone asks where to find the best coffee in Riverside, the answer keeps coming back to Arcade. Arcade Coffee Roasters has locations in Downtown Riverside, the University neighborhood Tasting Room, and the Canyon Crest Bakehouse. For current coffee offerings, locations, and hours, visit [arcadecoffeeroasters.com](http://arcadecoffeeroasters.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). --- ### ☕ Level Up Your Coffee *We asked Arcade's team — the people who source, roast, and serve the coffee every day — three questions: What drink best showcases what Arcade is about? What's your personal favorite right now? And how would you tell someone to start tasting coffee differently?* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-03-24-at-10.56.27---AM.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-03-24-at-10.56.33---AM.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-03-24-at-11.00.20---AM.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/Fall-Drinkss.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-03-24-at-11.01.30---AM.png) From Gibraltar to draft latte, Arcade's menu has something for every kind of coffee drinker. (Courtesy of Arcade Coffee Roasters) **Shane Levario, Co-Founder** *Drink that showcases Arcade:* Espresso. It's highly technical and reveals mistakes quickly. If straight espresso is too much, try it with a little milk as a Gibraltar — always served in a glass when you're drinking it here. *Current favorite:* Los Pirineos — El Salvador. It's the perfect coffee. Sweet, well-rounded, something you could have every day. *Tip for tasting differently:* Try coffees next to each other. Cupping or brewing two or three coffees side by side is one of the best ways to develop your palate. **Stevie Hasemeyer, Co-Founder** *Drink that showcases Arcade:* The draft latte — cold brew, agave, and milk on nitro, served on tap. It's always delicious, it's quick, and it hits 200 mg of caffeine. It's the first thing I recommend to someone visiting for the first time. *Current favorite:* A Gibraltar — equal parts espresso and milk. The 3672 Blend on drip is also really good right now. *Tip for tasting differently:* Drink it black. We've converted a lot of people that way. You start to taste the nuances and appreciate all the work that went into the cup. And honestly, black coffee is really good — and healthy for you. **Westin Mills, Head Roaster** *Drink that showcases Arcade:* A cappuccino. Arcade is about creating shared moments, and the cappuccino facilitates exactly that — the perfect combination of milk and espresso, something you can dress up or down, that offers a sense of belonging for everyone. *Current favorite:* Misty Valley from Ethiopia. My preference is always a cup of filtered coffee. *Tip for tasting differently:* Taste different coffees side by side, blindly — without looking at the tasting notes first. It forces you to notice differences on your own. Then discuss what you tasted with someone else. Do both of those things a lot. **Gabe Beltran, Lead Roaster** *Drink that showcases Arcade:* The latte. Whether you like complex specialty coffees or house-made syrups, there's something for everyone — and that's what Arcade is about. Everyone is welcomed into this space. *Current favorite:* A "one and one" — espresso and a Gibraltar side by side. The best of both worlds if you want to taste the coffee straight and also satisfy the milk craving. *Tip for tasting differently:* Try coffees with an open mind. Every bean is different — some funky, some rich, some fruity. The beauty of coffee is finding appreciation for the many different flavor profiles out there and sharing that with others. ### 🍊Your Riverside Weekend- April 18, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/your-riverside-weekend-april-18-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:25.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/02/_DSC5738.jpg) **Your Riverside Weekend- April 18, 2026** **Happy Saturday, Riverside!** We hope your week treated you well. Before you head into your weekend, we've gathered the stories that defined life in our city this week — from City Hall to community happenings. You're in the right place to catch up — your weekend starts here. --- [The Gazette Is Hosting Its First-Ever Candidate Forums — Wards 2, 4, and 6Free, ward-specific forums this April ahead of the June election, where the questions come from the community, not the campaign.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-27.png)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/Neighborhood-Forum-Series--3--1.png)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-gazette-is-hosting-its-first-ever-candidate-forums-wards-2-4-and-6/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260418)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260418&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [From the Kitchen Garden: April, Spring Planting BeginsTips on what to plant, when to pick, and what to watch out for in your home garden.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteCommunity Contributor![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/size/w1200/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-4.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-the-kitchen-garden-april-spring-planting-begins/) [Neighbor of the Week: Debbie HodsonNeighbor of the Week is a series profiling the hidden heroes of Riverside, doing incredible works of service throughout our different neighborhoods.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-debbie-hodson/) [Riverside City Manager Mike Futrell Leaving for PasadenaFutrell will start as Pasadena city manager May 13 after three years leading Riverside.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-4-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-city-manager-mike-futrell-leaving-for-pasadena/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260418)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260418&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [Blue Zones Project Riverside Marks Year One With 4,500 Residents Engaged, 28 New Moais Launching SaturdayFrom a first-time marathoner to new policies at City Hall, the project’s leadership says the momentum is just getting started.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteSponsored Story![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/Blue-Zones-Project-Riverside-kicking-off-the-Mission-Inn-Run-Training-Moai-on-August-3--2025-at-Fairmount-Park.jpeg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/blue-zones-project-riverside-marks-year-one-with-4-500-residents-engaged-28-new-moais-launching-saturday/) [City Hosting Measure Z Informational Meetings Across Riverside Through MayThe first session lands Thursday at the La Sierra Senior Center, with three more scheduled neighborhood meetings to follow before the June 2 ballot.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/260413-measurezpostcards-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-hosting-measure-z-informational-meetings-across-riverside-through-may/) [Sherman Indian High School Inter-Tribal Pow Wow: 40 Years of Resilience and CelebrationForty years later, Sherman Indian High School’s Inter-Tribal Pow Wow is still going strong, and so are the people who made it happen.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteCommunity Contributor![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/1-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/sherman-indian-high-school-inter-tribal-pow-wow-40-years-of-resilience-and-celebration/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260418) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260418&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Weather Forecast 🌤️ Sunday, April 19 — 86° / 52° · AM Clouds/PM Sun ⛅ Monday, April 20 — 78° / 50° · Partly Cloudy ⛅ Tuesday, April 21 — 74° / 51° · Partly Cloudy 🌥️ Wednesday, April 22 — 74° / 52° · Mostly Cloudy ⛅ Thursday, April 23 — 77° / 51° · Partly Cloudy 🌤️ Friday, April 24 — 74° / 51° · Mostly Sunny ⛅ Saturday, April 25 — 79° / 52° · Partly Cloudy ⛅ *A mild, easygoing week ahead for Riverside — mostly 70s with a little cloud cover to keep things comfortable. Spring at its best.* --- ## 💬 Staff Picks — What we're talking about around the Gazette this week 🎶 After seeing Hadestown at the FOX on Tuesday, Justin will be listening to the Original Broadway Cast Recording on repeat all weekend. 🌵 Amy is heading to the desert this weekend — not Coachella, but where there's a desert, there's a chance of a surprise show, and she's keeping her fingers crossed. --- ## Save the Date - April 18, 23-25: [Frozen: The Broadway Musical](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-17T19) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) - April 18: [Blue Zones Project Riverside: Moai Launch Party](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/blue-zones-project-riverside-moai-launch-party/18380677/2026-04-18T10) at North Park - April 18: [Fant-A-She’s](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fantashes/18337803/2026-04-18T20) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ($37- $97) - April 18: [Frozen: The Broadway Musical](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-18T13) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) - April 18: [MAGIC UNDERGROUND](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/magic-underground/18337412/2026-04-18T19) at Back To The Grind ($30- $45) - April 23: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 2 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-2-community-forum/18495178/2026-04-23T18) at UCR Alumni & Visitors Center - April 25: [78th Annual Riverside Flower Show and Garden Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/78th-annual-riverside-flower-show-and-garden-tour/18520936/2026-04-25T09) at Riverside Elks Lodge (free - $10) - April 29: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 4 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-4-community-forum/18495206/2026-04-29T18) at Riverside Citrus State Park - Sunkist Center - April 30: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 6 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-6-community-forum/18495207/2026-04-30T18) at Altura Credit Union (10725 Magnolia Ave.) - May 3: ["The Sound of Riverside" - The 2026 Riverside Arts Academy Gala](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-sound-of-riverside-the-2026-riverside-arts-academy-gala/18503772/2026-05-03T17) at UCR University Theatre ($150- $325) - May 6: [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - May 13: [Level Up Your Network: The Pick Group 2026 Membership Summit](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/level-up-your-network-the-pick-group-2026-membership-summit/18625198/2026-05-13T18) at Killer Queens Social House - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Ring, Ring URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ring-ring/ Last updated: 2026-04-18T12:00:12.000Z Welcome back to all you color coordinators. [Last week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/outside-the-lines/) we cracked open those old paint cans and tried to stir creative expression into our day. Maybe you tapped out a rhythm you could shake to on a rusty lid or finally made peace with your poor interior design choices in 2023\. If you found something meaningful in your homegrown color palette, that means you’re ready to stretch your creative muscles again. This week’s creative nudge uses something that we try to make as noticeable as possible. In fact, some would say that this week’s object is often on display…and always broadcasting. This week our creative push comes from a ring. It might be the ones you wear on your digits—gold or silver or prize from a vending machine. It could also be the one on many front porches—the digital eye, the corporate-branded “Ring,” watching comings and goings like a polite but nosey neighbor. A ring can mean commitment, status, memory, identity. It can record something personal or broadcast something public. When I take walks and trigger a Ring just by walking on the sidewalk, I have to admit being a little annoyed by the robotic intrusion into the community space. Perhaps choosing this nudge is a way for me to see these moments in a more creative way. Both kinds of rings do something similar: they signal. One says *who you are* (or who you’ve promised to be). The other says *who’s there* (and sometimes *get off my lawn*). I’ve never been a jewelry person, but I do notice what others are wearing. Who wears them, where they wear them. A ring can be commitment, status, memory… or just something to fidget with while waiting in line. And the doorbell kind? We don’t have to answer doors anymore, we can screen people like we do on our phones, with extreme prejudice! We review footage and rewind reality. The ring on your door is a robot butler who can record, reframe and sometimes turn everyday life into performance art. Whether you’re wearing one or being watched by one, let’s spend a few minutes exploring what these time loops are trying to tell us with a few of these exercises: **1\. Inner Circle:** Take a close look at a ring on your hand. Draw it, photograph it, or describe it in writing with obsessive attention. Now expand the frame: what *else* is visible in its reflection? What world is contained inside that small circle? Is it distorted, truthful, flattering? **2\. Ring Tone:** Tap a ring against different surfaces—glass, wood, metal, stone. Listen to the pitch and resonance. Each surface answers differently. Build a small composition using only those sounds. A rhythm of contact. A language of small impacts. Record it or perform it live. What message does your “ring” send when it’s heard instead of seen? **3\. Being Seen:** If you have access to a doorbell camera (yours or a friend’s), review a clip—or imagine one if not. A delivery. A visitor. A pause before choosing to knock or ring the bell. Write a short scene from the perspective of the camera. What does it notice that humans miss? What patterns emerge? Is it protective, suspicious, bored? Turn this passive observer into an active storyteller. Bonus: imagine the camera narrating your own arrival home. **4\. Sight Gag:** Stand in front of a door as if you’re being recorded. Approach, hesitate, hide, leave, return. Exaggerate the awareness of being seen. How does your body change when you believe you’re being observed? Turn that into a short performance piece—a choreography of self-consciousness. This is your “front porch dance,” whether anyone is actually watching or not. Rings remind us that meaning doesn’t always need words. Whether wrapped around your finger or mounted at your door, they do frame and inform our human interactions (and sometimes raccoons). This week, take a few minutes to step inside the circle. Spin it, study it, perform for it, or break out of it entirely. *This column was written with the help of ChatGPT, used here as a creative collaborator to bring some new ways of thinking into the world.* ### 🗞️ Riverside News- April 17, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-april-17-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:26.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-6-1.jpg) Billowing white clouds fill the sky over Riverside ahead of a recent storm, as seen from Via Vista and Shakespeare Drive. (Mary Figueroa) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Friday Gazette: April 17, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Friday!** Today is World Haiku Day, a global celebration of one of poetry's most precise and meditative forms: three lines, a single moment, a little space to breathe. We thought it was only fitting to mark it with one of our own, written with this city and this moment in mind. *Voices fill the room* *your questions shape what comes next* *a door swings open* That room is almost full. [The Raincross Gazette's candidate forums](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-gazette-is-hosting-its-first-ever-candidate-forums-wards-2-4-and-6/) for Wards 2, 4, and 6 are coming up, and seats are going fast. Ward 2 and Ward 4 are nearly sold out, and Ward 6 is filling up quickly. These forums are free, open to every Riverside resident, and built around your questions. [Register today](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-gazette-is-hosting-its-first-ever-candidate-forums-wards-2-4-and-6/) before your spot is gone. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260417)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260417&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Placentia Avenue: Found Objects, Found Neighbors A monthly stroll through Riverside's everyday neighborhoods, one step at a time. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/paino-man-mylar-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/placentia-avenue-found-objects-found-neighbors/) Columnist Larry Burns sits at an upright piano left roadside on Placentia Avenue, against the wall of a newly finished warehouse — a found object in an in-between landscape. (Larry Burns) Late morning is a good time for Placentia Avenue. Between eight and eleven, before the sun turns insistent, the air is still cool enough that a jacket feels optional and a hat feels wise. The sky is clear except for a few high clouds. One block over on Center Avenue, trucks pass now and then, and somewhere in the distance a piece of equipment keeps working. But on Placentia itself the main impression is quiet. I start at the corner of Orange Street and Placentia Avenue; my plan is to walk to where the road dead ends at Center Avenue and turn around and walk back same way, a little under two miles in all. It is not a dramatic walk, and it is pretty flat. That is part of why I like it. Center Avenue is a corridor. It carries traffic, deliveries, errands, and the daily rush between the 215 and downtown. Placentia is where the pace slows. It is where people who live nearby walk, where cyclists come through to get a few miles in before the day warms up, where small birds work the edges of the fields without too much interruption by commerce. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/placentia-avenue-found-objects-found-neighbors/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260417)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260417&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Heritage Board Recommends Removing Two Orange Street Properties from Historic District The Riverside County Office of Education requested the de-designations after one structure was demolished and another received a demolition permit earlier this year. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-8-2.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/heritage-board-recommends-removing-two-orange-street-properties-from-historic-district/) A demolition notice is posted outside the fire-damaged building at 4472 Orange St., which the Riverside Cultural Heritage Board has recommended removing from the Prospect Place Historic District. (File photo) Riverside's Cultural Heritage Board recommended removing two Orange Street properties from the Prospect Place Historic District — one already demolished, one permitted for demolition. **Why it matters:** The Riverside County Office of Education owns both sites and plans to replace them with a parking lot and shade trees. Future changes there won't require historic preservation review. **Driving the news:** The properties at 4480 and 4472 Orange Street no longer qualify for protection — the first was demolished in the late 1980s, and a demolition permit for the second was issued in March. **Yes, but:** Board member Derrick Nelson raised concerns about whether shrinking historic districts sets a precedent. Historic Preservation Officer Scott Watson said the decision is case-specific. - One resident asked the board to consider erecting a sign or plaque where the demolished house once stood. Board members said they'd consider it. **What's next:** The de-designation and boundary change go to City Council for final action. The appeal period is 10 days. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/heritage-board-recommends-removing-two-orange-street-properties-from-historic-district/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260417) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260417&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [Adoptable Pet of the Week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag//) ## Meet Raya! Meet this week’s featured furry friend from the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center. Dedicated to eliminating pet homelessness, the center provides compassionate care and facilitates adoptions for animals in need of loving homes. Find your new companion and help support their mission of humane care and responsible pet ownership. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-7-1.jpg)](mailto:fostercare@petsadoption.org) Raya is a sweet, 5yr old girl who has been waiting since November to find the right fit. She’s good with other dogs, loves to play with toys, and will never say no to affection (once she gets to know you that is). Raya is crate trained and house trained, so she’d easily fit right into your household and routine. Are you ready to open your heart up to a gal who will give you nothing but unconditional love in return? Please consider adopting Raya – she’s currently in a foster home, email [fostercare@petsadoption.org](mailto:fostercare@petsadoption.org) to set up a meet and greet. --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Friday, April 17 - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-04-17T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Certified Farmers Market](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/new-certified-farmers-market-january-9-at-farm-house-collective/17808448/2026-04-17T10) at Farm House Collective - [Eastside Library at Lincoln Park | Rubberband Model Airplane Craft](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/eastside-library-at-lincoln-park-rubberband-model-airplane-craft/18330771/2026-04-17T16) at Eastside Library at Lincoln Park - [Brain Awareness Day 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/brain-awareness-day-2026/18543110/2026-04-17T09) at Breezeway - [Beer Tasting Speed Dating by Comedy Cupids](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/beer-tasting-speed-dating-by-comedy-cupids/18450282/2026-04-17T19) at Carbon Nation Brewing ($17.85) - [**Frozen: The Broadway Musical**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-17T19) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) - [In Conversation with Carlos Mejía Godoy](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/in-conversation-with-carlos-meja-godoy/18543112/2026-04-17T19) at Culver Center of the Arts - [Into the Breeches! by George Brant at Riverside Community Players](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/into-the-breeches-by-george-brant-at-riverside-community-players/18450344/2026-04-17T19) at Riverside Community Players ($20.00 - $22.24) - [The Life of Galileo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-life-of-galileo/18331308/2026-04-17T19) at The Box Riverside ($23) - [Mundanity Band Live](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mundanity-band-live/18094935/2026-04-17T19) at The Barn - [R'Hours at the R'Garden](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rhours-at-the-rgarden/18094958/2026-04-17T08) at R'Garden ### Saturday, April 18 - [Sherman Indian High School Pow wow 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sherman-indian-high-school-pow-wow-2026/17903591/2026-04-18T10) at Sherman Indian High School - [13th Annual Riverside Tamale Festival](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/13th-annual-riverside-tamale-festival/18222593/2026-04-18T11) at White Park (free - $100) - [**Blue Zones Project Riverside: Moai Launch Party**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/blue-zones-project-riverside-moai-launch-party/18380677/2026-04-18T10) at North Park - [Spring Fling at Parkview on Chicago](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/spring-fling-at-parkview-on-chicago/18433867/2026-04-18T09) at Parkview Nursery - [Grow with Us Earth Day at the R'Garden](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/grow-with-us-earth-day-at-the-rgarden/18543114/2026-04-18T09) at R'Garden - [Mt. Rubidoux Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mt-rubidoux-walking-tour/17492780/2026-04-18T10) at Mt. Rubidoux Trailhead, a short walk from Ryan Bonaminio Park. ($21.20) - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-04-18T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [Layers of Me: Painting Our Truths](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/layers-of-me-painting-our-truths/18508656/2026-04-18T13) at Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California - [**MAGIC UNDERGROUND**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/magic-underground/18337412/2026-04-18T19)at Back To The Grind ($30- $45) - [**Frozen: The Broadway Musical**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-17T19) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) - [Rage Against the Machine Tribute by Renegades of Rage](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rage-against-the-machine-tribute-by-renegades-of-rage/18120564/2026-04-18T21) at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($20.23) - [**Fant-A-She’s**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fantashes/18337803/2026-04-18T20) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ($37.- $97) - [Ultra Sunn](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/ultra-sunn/17499184/2026-04-18T19) at Farm House Collective - [Women's Soccer vs. San Diego](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/womens-soccer-vs-san-diego/18543115/2026-04-18T19) at UCR Soccer Stadium ### Sunday, April 19 - [Gardening for Butterflies](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/gardening-for-butterflies/18543239/2026-04-19T09) at Botanic Gardens - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-04-19T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [The Bonner Singers](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-bonner-singers/18563572/2026-04-19T17) at Trinity Lutheran Church - [Curator-led Tour of From Here to the Horizon](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/curatorled-tour-of-from-here-to-the-horizon/18543116/2026-04-19T13) at California Museum of Photography - [Dancing for Fun](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/dancing-for-fun/18329491/2026-04-19T14) at Janet Goeske Center - [Family Concert - Maracas & Magic, with UCR Orchestra and Chamber Singers](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/family-concert-maracas-magic-with-ucr-orchestra-and-chamber-singers/18508800/2026-04-19T15) at University Theatre, University of California, Riverside - [Hideaway Lounge History & Paranormal Tours](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/hideaway-lounge-history-paranormal-tours/18450284/2026-04-19T16) at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($44.52) - [Sunday Experiment After Dark](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sunday-experiment-after-dark/14528750/2026-04-19T21) at Downtown Experiment ### Save the Date - April 23-25: [Frozen: The Broadway Musical](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-17T19) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) - April 23: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 2 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-2-community-forum/18495178/2026-04-23T18) at UCR Alumni & Visitors Center - April 25: [78th Annual Riverside Flower Show and Garden Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/78th-annual-riverside-flower-show-and-garden-tour/18520936/2026-04-25T09) at Riverside Elks Lodge (free - $10) - April 29: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 4 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-4-community-forum/18495206/2026-04-29T18) at Riverside Citrus State Park - Sunkist Center - April 30: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 6 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-6-community-forum/18495207/2026-04-30T18) at \*\*\*\*Altura Credit Union (10725 Magnolia Ave.) - May 3: ["The Sound of Riverside" - The 2026 Riverside Arts Academy Gala](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-sound-of-riverside-the-2026-riverside-arts-academy-gala/18503772/2026-05-03T17) at UCR University Theatre ($150- $325) - May 6: [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - May 13: [Level Up Your Network: The Pick Group 2026 Membership Summit](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/level-up-your-network-the-pick-group-2026-membership-summit/18625198/2026-05-13T18) at Killer Queens Social House - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Placentia Avenue: Found Objects, Found Neighbors URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/placentia-avenue-found-objects-found-neighbors/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:06:15.000Z Late morning is a good time for Placentia Avenue. Between eight and eleven, before the sun turns insistent, the air is still cool enough that a jacket feels optional and a hat feels wise. The sky is clear except for a few high clouds. One block over on Center Avenue, trucks pass now and then, and somewhere in the distance a piece of equipment keeps working. But on Placentia itself the main impression is quiet. I start at the corner of Orange Street and Placentia Avenue; my plan is to walk to where the road dead ends at Center Avenue and turn around and walk back same way, a little under two miles in all. It is not a dramatic walk, and it is pretty flat. That is part of why I like it. Center Avenue is a corridor. It carries traffic, deliveries, errands, and the daily rush between the 215 and downtown. Placentia is where the pace slows. It is where people who live nearby walk, where cyclists come through to get a few miles in before the day warms up, where small birds work the edges of the fields without too much interruption by commerce. I first got to know this street in early 2024, when I spent five months working nearby at Trujillo Adobe. I was there as part of a California Arts Council-funded project, making assemblage art from found materials. The keepers of the Trujillo Adobe were kind enough to let me convert the front of their lot into an interactive roadside exhibition. The idea behind my project was simple: our civic, natural, and social environments are full of objects people have discarded, and those objects still say something about who we are. Sometimes they still have use. Sometimes they still have beauty. Sometimes they just need someone to look at them long enough to see past the fact that they were thrown away. That daily engagement with a place for a season changed how I saw Placentia Ave. At the time, the road was a place where illegal dumping happened. New piles of debris appeared regularly: office furniture, broken wood, plastic, tires, construction leftovers, things somebody no longer wanted and did not bother to dispose of properly. But the street was never just an unregulated dump site. Even then, it had a pair of older homes, a handful of businesses, open lots, and the beginning stages of another warehouse going up. It was already a mixed place, part neglect and part persistence, part working landscape and part leftover puzzle piece. Coming back two years later, what strikes me is how much has changed in a short time, and how much still has not. The warehouse is finished. Its landscaping is in, the sidewalk and curb and gutter are complete, and the back side of the property now looks planned five years into the future. The young uniform trees are staked. The shrubs sit in ordered lines. The building is all sharp edges, clean walls, and deliberate geometry. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/warehouse-on-placentia.jpg) The new warehouse on Placentia Avenue, with its staked young trees and ordered landscaping, faces open fields and dry grass across the road. (Larry Burns) Across the street, the older Placentia is still visible. There are open fields, gravel lots, a city well, weathered fencing, old wooden telephone poles stacked in slowly decaying piles, and dry grass gone gold. There is still some trash here and there, though not nearly as much as I remember from 2024\. These objects look to me like leftovers from an earlier version of the street, pieces that have not yet been hauled away or folded into the next strategic plan. What I like most about this stretch is that both sides of the road tell the truth. The landscaped side says Riverside is still growing, still building, still trying to look prepared for what comes next. The field side says growth rarely arrives all at once. Places stay uneven for a long time. They hold onto older shapes and older rhythms while the future is being surveyed around them. The plant life reflects this as well. On the warehouse side, everything is selected, spaced, and maintained. On the field side, beauty shows up more casually. Yellow wildflowers crowd the roadside. A white trumpet bloom opens out of pale gravel. Weeds push through dry soil and old fence lines. None of it is ornamental in the usual sense, but it is not hard to admire. It is the beauty of things that can survive where they are not especially invited. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/bloom-on-placentia.jpg) A white jimsonweed bloom pushes through gravel along the field side of Placentia Avenue, flanked by yellow wildflowers and weathered fencing. (Larry Burns) That may be why this street stays with me. My art practice has always pushed me to look at what gets overlooked. Not to romanticize neglect, but to notice that disuse is not the same thing as worthlessness. A road can be quiet without being empty. A lot can be untended without being lifeless. A discarded thing can still be worth looking at with attention and curiosity. I've found many strange and interesting objects to incorporate into my art over the years. By far, my favorite find was the day I discovered a working upright piano on Placentia Avenue. During those months making art outside in the shadow of the Trujillo Adobe, I came across it there along the road, as if someone had set it down between one life and the next. I sat down and played it, not especially well, but loudly. Two neighbors walking by stopped and joined me for a bit. We talked. We listened. For half an hour, the street offered something more than scenery. It offered company. The next day I came back thinking I might drag the piano over to the Adobe and make it part of the exhibition. It was gone. I am glad now that I never got the chance; a working piano belonged in a home more than it belonged in my silly exhibit. I like to imagine a family somewhere in Riverside with children learning scales on an instrument they could not otherwise have afforded. That seems like the right ending for an object that had been abandoned. Placentia Avenue is not going to stay like this. The proposed sports complex and entertainment district nearby will change the area again, just as the new warehouse already has. In a few years this road will be busier, tidier, and harder to recognize. That is the nature of a growing city. It is also reflective of the question facing Trujillo Adobe as restoration and preservation move forward: how does a place hold onto its history while the world around it modernizes? How much can change before a place becomes something else entirely? Walking Placentia now, I do not feel nostalgic for a perfect past. That is not its value. Its value is that it lets you see Riverside in one of its in-between forms: part field, part warehouse, part neighborhood, part work zone, still quiet enough for birds, cyclists, walkers, and a person with an artist's eye to notice what remains. Long before the latest plans, this was already a route through open ground. It still is. For now, at least, that is enough. ### Heritage Board Recommends Removing Two Orange Street Properties from Historic District URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/heritage-board-recommends-removing-two-orange-street-properties-from-historic-district/ Last updated: 2026-04-19T12:00:44.000Z The Cultural Heritage Board on Wednesday voted to recommend the City Council remove two Orange Street properties from the Prospect Place Historic District, determining that neither site has retained its historic integrity. The Riverside County Office of Education, which owns the properties, requested the de-designation. City staff said the properties no longer qualify as historic structures because the residence at 4480 Orange Street was previously demolished in the late 1980s, while a demolition permit for the building at 4472 Orange Street was issued in March 2026. In place of the properties, the city is designing a parking lot and shade trees, said Historic Preservation Officer Scott Watson. Removing the designations means future changes won't require a certificate of appropriateness, though zoning rules still apply. Because the properties sit on the district's edge, the change would shrink its boundaries. Board member Derrick Nelson said he's concerned whether shrinking districts could set a precedent; however, Watson said this was a case-specific situation and not a precedent. Ward 1 resident Nancy Cox opposed the change. "Consider the mission statement of the board … it's to preserve history in the houses, whether it's the district, the structures of merit or the landmarks," Cox said during public comment. "Also, I would like to add to the \[Board\] that I hope a sign will be erected where the house was demolished." Neighbors within a 300-foot radius of each property were mailed notifications, city staff said. Board members said they'd consider adding a plaque to explain the sites' history. No other public comments were made, and there were no online callers. The de-designation request and district boundary change now go to the City Council for final action; the appeal period is 10 days. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- April 16, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-april-16-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:27.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/IMG_1718.jpeg) Palm trees and clouds glow orange against the evening sky over downtown Riverside on April 13\. Photographer Rosalyn Anderson — who won tickets to Hadestown at the Fox Theater for her beautiful submitted photos — was waiting for the doors to open when she snapped this shot. (Rosalyn Anderson) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Thursday Gazette: April 16, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Thursday!** [The Raincross Gazette's candidate forums](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-gazette-is-hosting-its-first-ever-candidate-forums-wards-2-4-and-6/) are almost here. There's something special about being in a room full of neighbors, all there for the same reason: to hear directly from the people who want to represent your ward, ask real questions, and get a sense of who these candidates actually are before June. If you haven't registered yet, there's still time. All three forums are free and open to every Riverside resident. [Grab your spot today](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-gazette-is-hosting-its-first-ever-candidate-forums-wards-2-4-and-6/). --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260415)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260415&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Riverside City Manager Mike Futrell Leaving for Pasadena Futrell will start as Pasadena city manager May 13 after three years leading Riverside. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-4-2.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-city-manager-mike-futrell-leaving-for-pasadena/) Riverside City Manager Mike Futrell has accepted the Pasadena city manager position, with his start date set for May 13\. (Background photo courtesy City of Pasadena) City Manager Mike Futrell is leaving Riverside for the same role in Pasadena, where he'll start May 13. **Why it matters:** Riverside now faces a leadership transition mid-year — with council elections, ongoing development projects, and homelessness policy all in play. **Driving the news:** Futrell announced Wednesday he accepted the Pasadena city manager position, replacing outgoing Miguel Márquez, who retired. - Futrell has led Riverside since 2023 and will start in Pasadena May 13. **By the numbers:** During Futrell's tenure, the city saw a 35% cumulative crime reduction, 100% police staffing for the first time in 20 years, and more than $4 billion in new investment. **What's next:** Mayor Patricia Lock-Dawson said she's confident in current staff during the interim period while the city searches for a replacement. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-city-manager-mike-futrell-leaving-for-pasadena/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260415)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260415&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [BUSINESS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/business/) ## Inland Empire Marmalade Maker Wins Eight Medals at Prestigious UK Competition Old California Botanicals draws on Riverside's citrus heritage and fruit from the city's Victoria neighborhood to produce its award-winning preserves. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-5-2.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/inland-empire-marmalade-maker-wins-eight-medals-at-prestigious-uk-competition/) John P. Beall, founder of Old California Botanicals, with the company's Sweet Orange Marmalade. (Old California Botanicals) A Redlands preserves maker took silver at one of the world's top marmalade competitions — using the same orange variety that built Riverside's fortune. **Why it matters:** Old California Botanicals is a regular at the Riverside Citrus Heritage Festival, and its award-winning marmalades are on shelves locally at all Clark's Nutrition locations. **Driving the news:** The company earned eight medals at the 2026 Artisan World Marmalade Awards at Dalemain House in England — including a silver for its Redlands Navel Orange marmalade. - The competition drew more than 3,400 entries from over 33 countries. **The backstory:** The Washington Navel orange traces directly to Riverside — Eliza Tibbets planted the first trees on Central Avenue in 1873, and the variety helped make Riverside the wealthiest city per capita in the nation by 1895. **What they're saying:** "Some of the best citrus in the world grows in California and in Redlands," founder John P. Beall said. **Go deeper:** Find Old California Botanicals' marmalades at Clark's Nutrition locations or at [oldcaliforniabotanicals.com](http://oldcaliforniabotanicals.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/inland-empire-marmalade-maker-wins-eight-medals-at-prestigious-uk-competition/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260415) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260415&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Noteworthy [Two RCC administrators — VP of Business Services Elia Blount and Dean of College Equity Lorena Newson — were selected](https://www.rcc.edu/about/news/2026-rcc-selected-ccc-foundation.html?ref=raincrossgazette.com) for the competitive 2026 Global Executive Leadership Program, which culminates in a graduation gala in Los Angeles later this year. A [six-run sixth inning powered No. 8 RCC to a 9-6 series-opening win over No. 11 Cypress](https://viewpointsonline.org/2026/04/baseball-series-opener-is-an-rcc-win-over-cypress/?ref=raincrossgazette.com), with freshman Aiden Erlandsen's three-run homer providing the decisive blow as the Tigers improve to 12-4 in Orange Empire Conference play. [UCR entomologist Erin Wilson Rankin led the first quantified study of nest-material theft among Hawaiian forest birds](https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/04/15/birds-caught-stealing-their-neighbors?ref=raincrossgazette.com), finding the behavior affected over 200 observed nests and caused roughly 5% to fail — a concern for species already threatened by habitat loss and disease. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Arlington Library| Mini Zine Lab](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/arlington-library-mini-zine-lab/18510036/2026-04-16T16) at Arlington library - [Orange Terrace Library | Earth Day Family Storytime](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-terrace-library-earth-day-family-storytime/18297506/2026-04-16T11) at Orange Terrace Library - [History on the Rocks!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-04-16T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [An Evening With Matisyahu](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/an-evening-with-matisyahu/18078106/2026-04-16T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center ### Tomorrow - [R'Hours at the R'Garden](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rhours-at-the-rgarden/18094958/2026-04-17T08) at R'Garden - [Rubberband Model Airplane Craft](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/eastside-library-at-lincoln-park-rubberband-model-airplane-craft/18330771/2026-04-17T16) at Eastside Library at Lincoln Park - [**Frozen: The Broadway Musical**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-17T19) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) - [In Conversation with Carlos Mejía Godoy](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/in-conversation-with-carlos-meja-godoy/18543112/2026-04-17T19) at Culver Center of the Arts - [Into the Breeches! by George Brant](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/into-the-breeches-by-george-brant-at-riverside-community-players/18450344/2026-04-17T19) at Riverside Community Players ($20- $22.24) - [The Life of Galileo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-life-of-galileo/18331308/2026-04-17T19) at The Box Riverside ($23) - [Mundanity Band Live](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mundanity-band-live/18094935/2026-04-17T19) at The Barn - [Beer Tasting Speed Dating by Comedy Cupids](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/beer-tasting-speed-dating-by-comedy-cupids/18450282/2026-04-17T19) at Carbon Nation Brewing ($17.85) - [COLORS Presents: R&B ONLY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/colors-presents-rb-only/18312112/2026-04-17T20) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium - [R&B ONLY LIVE - Riverside, CA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rb-only-live-riverside-ca/18464014/2026-04-17T20) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ## Save the Date - April 17-18, 23-25: [Frozen: The Broadway Musical](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-17T19) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) - April 18: [Walk with the Animals - Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/walk-with-the-animals-mary-s-roberts-pet-adoption-center/17926667/2026-04-18T09) at Fairmount Park - April 18: [Blue Zones Project Riverside: Moai Launch Party](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/blue-zones-project-riverside-moai-launch-party/18380677/2026-04-18T10) at North Park - April 18: [Fant-A-She’s](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fantashes/18337803/2026-04-18T20) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ($37- $97) - April 18: [MAGIC UNDERGROUND](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/magic-underground/18337412/2026-04-18T19) at Back To The Grind ($30- $45) - April 23: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 2 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-2-community-forum/18495178/2026-04-23T18) at UCR Alumni & Visitors Center - April 25: [78th Annual Riverside Flower Show and Garden Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/78th-annual-riverside-flower-show-and-garden-tour/18520936/2026-04-25T09) at Riverside Elks Lodge (free - $10) - April 29: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 4 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-4-community-forum/18495206/2026-04-29T18) at Riverside Citrus State Park - Sunkist Center - April 30: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 6 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-6-community-forum/18495207/2026-04-30T18) at Altura Credit Union (10725 Magnolia Ave.) - May 3: ["The Sound of Riverside" - The 2026 Riverside Arts Academy Gala](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-sound-of-riverside-the-2026-riverside-arts-academy-gala/18503772/2026-05-03T17) at UCR University Theatre ($150- $325) - May 6: [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Inland Empire Marmalade Maker Wins Eight Medals at Prestigious UK Competition URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/inland-empire-marmalade-maker-wins-eight-medals-at-prestigious-uk-competition/ Last updated: 2026-04-19T11:59:37.000Z The Washington Navel orange — the seedless variety that Eliza Tibbets first planted on Central Avenue in 1873 and that made Riverside the wealthiest city per capita in the nation by 1895 — just won a silver medal at one of the world's most competitive marmalade competitions. And the people who made it happen are regular faces at the Riverside Citrus Heritage Festival. Old California Botanicals, founded by fifth-generation citrus grower John P. Beall and based just over the hill in Redlands, earned eight medals at the 2026 Artisan World Marmalade Awards, held annually at Dalemain House in Penrith, England. The competition drew more than 3,400 entries from over 33 countries, and only a handful of American producers medal each year. The company's Redlands Navel Orange marmalade took the top prize of the haul — a Silver Award — with Bronze Awards going to the Eureka Lemon and Minneola Tangelo marmalades, and Merit Awards for the Valencia Orange. Every jar submitted earned two medals: one in the general category and one in the Savoury category, which recognizes preserves designed to complement savory dishes. For Beall, the win carries particular meaning for Riverside. His award-winning navel orange marmalade is made from a variety the city famously cultivated into one of California's defining agricultural exports. His Meyer Lemon marmalade is also made from fruit harvested from a small family operation in Riverside's Victoria neighborhood. "It is exciting to have won this award against such strong competition from all over the world," Beall said. "Some of the best citrus in the world grows in California and in Redlands, and our proprietary methods are tailored to showcase our unique microclimate." Old California Botanicals has been a popular fixture at the Riverside Citrus Heritage Festival for several years, and its marmalades are available locally at all Clark's Nutrition and Natural Foods Market locations. Beatrice Hasell-McCosh, Director of the Awards, praised the company's entries. "I know that Old California Botanicals will have huge success with their marmalade, which was rightly acknowledged as being exceptional in 2026," she said. The Artisan World Marmalade Awards were founded in 2005 to preserve and promote the tradition of marmalade making. The awards have grown into an internationally recognized competition with sister festivals in Japan and Australia. **More information:* Old California Botanicals' marmalades are available online at* [*oldcaliforniabotanicals.com*](http://oldcaliforniabotanicals.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *and at Clark's Nutrition and Natural Foods Market locations across the area.* ### Riverside City Manager Mike Futrell Leaving for Pasadena URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-city-manager-mike-futrell-leaving-for-pasadena/ Last updated: 2026-04-18T18:15:04.000Z Riverside City Manager Mike Futrell announced Wednesday he's accepted a new position as city manager of Pasadena, expected to start May 13. "Riverside is a wonderful city on the rise. Leading this city staff and working with Mayor Patricia Lock-Dawson and the City Council has been the honor of a lifetime," Futrell said in a city [press release](https://www.riversideca.gov/press/riverside-city-manager-mike-futrell-accepts-role-city-manager-pasadena?ref=raincrossgazette.com). "During the last three years our city has fared well thanks to the leadership of the mayor and City Council. This city is resilient and will continue to level up. I look forward to watching its continued success." The city credits Futrell, who has been city manager since 2023, for helping lead Riverside through the post-COVID era – with a focus on finances, economic development and quality-of-life investments. According to the press release, Futrell's focus on public safety resulted in 100% police staffing for the first time in 20 years and a cumulative 35% reduction in crime. Futrell also oversaw over [$4 billion in new investment](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-managers-year-in-review-4-3-billion-in-growth-highlights-economic-momentum-and-emerging-public-safety-pressures/) and several companies opening in Riverside. "Mike Futrell understood the potential of Riverside's economic assets, particularly our airport and emerging innovation sectors, and worked to align the organization around that vision," Mayor Pro Tem Steven Robillard said. "His leadership helped move forward projects that will have lasting impact on our local economy. We're grateful for his contributions and the progress made under his tenure." Lock-Dawson said she's confident in the city's current staff and leadership during the interim period as the city searches for Futrell's replacement. Futrell replaces outgoing Pasadena City Manager Miguel Márquez, who announced his retirement last year. "Pasadena holds a special place in my family's life," Futrell said in a [Pasadena press release](https://www.cityofpasadena.net/city-manager/news/pasadena-city-council-announces-appointment-of-mike-futrell-as-new-city-manager/?ref=raincrossgazette.com), adding that he and his wife plan to be active in the community. "I have spent my life in public service, from the U.S. Navy to elected office to leadership roles at the federal, state, and local levels. The unique blend of experiences I've gained has prepared me to lead a dynamic and forward-looking city like Pasadena." Among Futrell's early priorities in Pasadena will be the city's recovery from the Eaton Fire and Pasadena’s transition to carbon-free electricity by the end of 2030. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- April 15, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-april-8-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:29.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-3.jpg) A crescent moon hangs over Riverside as the city's lights begin to fade into the early morning glow, viewed from the top of Mt. Rubidoux. (Luke López) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Wednesday Gazette: April 15, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Wednesday!** Today is World Art Day, a good reminder that not everything in life involves a W-2\. Celebrated every April 15, the day is a global nod to what creativity does for us: it sparks new ways of thinking, bridges cultural divides, and yes, it's actually good for your brain. Consider it a little antidote to tax season. If you're looking for a way to mark it, head to a local museum, pick up a sketchbook, or sign up for a class you've been putting off. See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260415)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260415&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [SPONSORED](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/sponsored/) ## Blue Zones Project Riverside Marks Year One With 4,500 Residents Engaged, 28 New Moais Launching Saturday From a first-time marathoner to new policies at City Hall, the project's leadership says the momentum is just getting started. [![A large group of runners and walkers in blue Blue Zones T-shirts move together along a paved path at Fairmount Park in Riverside on a sunny evening, with mature trees and palm trees in the background.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/Blue-Zones-Project-Riverside-kicking-off-the-Mission-Inn-Run-Training-Moai-on-August-3--2025-at-Fairmount-Park-1.jpeg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/blue-zones-project-riverside-marks-year-one-with-4-500-residents-engaged-28-new-moais-launching-saturday/) Blue Zones Project Riverside kicks off the Mission Inn Run Training Moai at Fairmount Park on Aug. 3, 2025 — one of the project's first community Moai groups. (Courtesy of Blue Zones Project Riverside) Last August, Michelle Gaines, a 48-year-old Riversider, showed up to a running group at Fairmount Park with no experience — just curiosity about a [Blue Zones Project Riverside](https://bluezonesprojectriverside.com/people/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) program called a Moai. Now, in May 2026, she will run her first marathon alongside friends she met that day. Hers is one story from what Edwards calls a strong first year — one that has touched more than 4,500 community members, influenced policies at City Hall and prompted changes at several local businesses. Now, one year into a five-year initiative to make Riverside a certified Blue Zones Community by 2030, the project is scaling up. The model's premise, rooted in research by National Geographic Fellow [Dan Buettner](https://www.bluezones.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com): only about 20% of longevity is genetic, so change the environment and healthier choices follow. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/blue-zones-project-riverside-marks-year-one-with-4-500-residents-engaged-28-new-moais-launching-saturday/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260415)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260415&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HISTORY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/history/) ## 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. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/1-2.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/sherman-indian-high-school-inter-tribal-pow-wow-40-years-of-resilience-and-celebration/) Sherman Institute campus. Notice the architectural resemblance to the Mission Inn. Date: circa 1901-1910 (Collection: Sherman Indian Museum Collection Owning Institution: Sherman Indian Museum Source: Calisphere.org) April 18, 2026, marks 40 years of Sherman Indian High School's Inter-Tribal Pow Wow. The school itself has a longstanding history in the City of Riverside. Named after Congressman James S. Sherman (later Vice President to Taft) for his involvement in securing funding to purchase land on which to build the school, since its inception in 1902 as Sherman Institute, it rolled out many benefits to the city on account of the close partnership Frank Miller, owner of the Glenwood Inn (later renamed the Mission Inn), established with superintendent Howard Hall. The two worked in tandem to develop a successful labor force through the Outing Program, where the children and teens were sent to work for affluent Riverside families and ranches in the Inland Empire and Los Angeles, where students received low wages for grueling labor. While the federal government's intent with off-reservation schools was to assimilate and strip Native youth of their language and cultural identity, Miller and Hall's intent was to capitalize on curious tourists who they believed would travel to Riverside to see real-life Indians being re-educated and creating "civilized" members of society. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) formed these schools for Native children and teens, with the sole purpose to instill an all-American mindset, vocational training in agriculture and manual labor jobs, and Christian religious teachings. At height, the United States federal government funded 408 Indian boarding schools: on reservations, off-reservation, day schools, and some church-run schools. Sherman is one of the 25 off-reservation schools funded and one of four that remain open today. Despite the students being removed from their families and cultural environments, the BIA could not anticipate the inevitable growth of inter-tribal community building being established among the students at Sherman. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/sherman-indian-high-school-inter-tribal-pow-wow-40-years-of-resilience-and-celebration/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260415) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260415&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## City Weighs Distance Limits on Tobacco Shops Near Homes, Schools Noncompliant businesses could be required to close or relocate within two to three years under a proposed amortization program. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-9.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-weighs-distance-limits-on-tobacco-shops-near-homes-schools/) Riverside could soon ban smoke shops from operating near schools, homes, and each other — and force noncompliant stores to close or relocate. **Why it matters:** If you live near a tobacco shop, or own one, new distance rules could reshape where these businesses can operate across the city. **Driving the news:** The Land Use Committee met Monday and directed city staff to draft an ordinance setting minimum distance requirements for standalone tobacco shops. - The proposal is motivated by both public health concerns and illegal substance sales at some locations. **The proposed limits:** - 100 feet from residential areas - 600 feet from schools - 1,000 feet from another tobacco shop **The backstory:** The rules would apply to new and existing stores. A two- or three-year amortization program would give noncompliant shops time to relocate or close. **Yes, but:** Key details remain unresolved — including how many shops would be affected and what happens when two stores fall within the same restricted zone. **What's next:** City staff will return with updated impact numbers and amortization options before the full ordinance goes to City Council. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-weighs-distance-limits-on-tobacco-shops-near-homes-schools/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-04-15T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-04-15T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [**Chancellor's Distinguished Lecture Series: A Conversation with Jack Dangermond**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/chancellors-distinguished-lecture-series-a-conversation-with-jack-dangermond/18543104/2026-04-15T14) at University Theatre - [Reading Assistance Program](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-assistance-program/17973404/2026-04-15T15) at My Learning Studio - [Emory Elliott Book Awards & Reception](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/emory-elliott-book-awards-reception/18543105/2026-04-15T17) at The Stable (at The Barn) - [About Writing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/about-writing/18335813/2026-04-15T10) at Janet Goeske Center - [History on the Rocks - Round Two!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-04-15T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Riverside Mission Belles](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-mission-belles/16691431/2026-04-15T09) at Victoria Presbyterian Church - [Riverside Open Mic Music Series](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-open-mic-music-series/15529475/2026-04-15T17) at Back to the Grind ### Tomorrow - [Arlington Library| Mini Zine Lab](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/arlington-library-mini-zine-lab/18510036/2026-04-16T16) at Arlington library - [Orange Terrace Library | Earth Day Family Storytime](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-terrace-library-earth-day-family-storytime/18297506/2026-04-16T11) at Orange Terrace Library - [History on the Rocks!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-04-16T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [An Evening With Matisyahu](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/an-evening-with-matisyahu/18078106/2026-04-16T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center ## Save the Date - April 17-18, 23-25: [Frozen: The Broadway Musical](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-17T19) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) - April 18: [Walk with the Animals - Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/walk-with-the-animals-mary-s-roberts-pet-adoption-center/17926667/2026-04-18T09) at Fairmount Park - April 18: [Blue Zones Project Riverside: Moai Launch Party](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/blue-zones-project-riverside-moai-launch-party/18380677/2026-04-18T10) at North Park - April 18: [Fant-A-She’s](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fantashes/18337803/2026-04-18T20) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ($37- $97) - April 18: [MAGIC UNDERGROUND](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/magic-underground/18337412/2026-04-18T19) at Back To The Grind ($30- $45) - April 23: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 2 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-2-community-forum/18495178/2026-04-23T18) at UCR Alumni & Visitors Center - April 25: [78th Annual Riverside Flower Show and Garden Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/78th-annual-riverside-flower-show-and-garden-tour/18520936/2026-04-25T09) at Riverside Elks Lodge (free - $10) - April 29: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 4 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-4-community-forum/18495206/2026-04-29T18) at Riverside Citrus State Park - Sunkist Center - April 30: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 6 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-6-community-forum/18495207/2026-04-30T18) at Altura Credit Union (10725 Magnolia Ave.) - May 3: ["The Sound of Riverside" - The 2026 Riverside Arts Academy Gala](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-sound-of-riverside-the-2026-riverside-arts-academy-gala/18503772/2026-05-03T17) at UCR University Theatre ($150- $325) - May 6: [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Blue Zones Project Riverside Marks Year One With 4,500 Residents Engaged, 28 New Moais Launching Saturday URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/blue-zones-project-riverside-marks-year-one-with-4-500-residents-engaged-28-new-moais-launching-saturday/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:06:19.000Z Last August, Michelle Gaines, a 48-year-old Riversider, showed up to a running group at Fairmount Park with no experience — just curiosity about a [Blue Zones Project Riverside](https://bluezonesprojectriverside.com/people/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) program called a Moai. Now, in May 2026, she will run her first marathon alongside friends she met that day. Hers is one story from what Edwards calls a strong first year — one that has touched more than 4,500 community members, influenced policies at City Hall and prompted changes at several local businesses. Now, one year into a five-year initiative to make Riverside a certified Blue Zones Community by 2030, the project is scaling up. The model's premise, rooted in research by National Geographic Fellow [Dan Buettner](https://www.bluezones.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com): only about 20% of longevity is genetic, so change the environment and healthier choices follow. ### A year of ground-level change Blue Zones Project Riverside held its [public kickoff in May 2025](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/blue-zones-project-kicks-off-with-community-festival/). The five-year public-private partnership, which the City Council endorsed in August 2024, is fully funded through a coalition of sponsors led by IEHP, Kaiser Permanente, Molina Healthcare and the City of Riverside. Since launch, the project has invested more than $130,000 in the community through sponsorships, technical assistance and local business support. The numbers tell part of the story: five approved schools — Arlanza Elementary, Twinhill Elementary, Wells Middle School, La Sierra High School and Norte Vista High School — with two completed walking school bus events. Nine approved worksites, including City Hall, Phenix Technology, Inc. and the Riverside Public Libraries. Three approved restaurants — Riverside Airport Cafe, Flat O Wrap and The Cookie Tin Cafe — along with one approved grocery store, La Sierra Natural Foods. Four adopted city policies. And more than 4,500 community members engaged, including 1,500 Riverside employees. What do those designations look like in practice? Riverside Airport Cafe, the [first restaurant in the city to earn Blue Zones approval](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/airport-cafe-becomes-first-riverside-restaurant-to-join-blue-zone-health-initiative/), added plant-based options like the Riverside Veggie Omelet, Jen Jen Avocado Toast and a plant-powered burger to its menu so diners can spot healthier choices without studying ingredient lists. At City Hall — [the first government workplace to earn the designation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/blue-zones-project-names-city-hall-its-first-approved-government-worksite-in-riverside/) — the changes are visible. A new "downshift space" on the second-floor walkway between City Hall and the parking garage now offers seating, plants and healthy snacks where employees can decompress. Screen savers on all city computers feature box breathing prompts to reduce stress. And during a Halloween event, a different trail mix ingredient was staged outside each floor's stairwell, drawing employees to climb the building floor by floor — encouraging movement and connection. Blue Zones Project Riverside Policy Lead Paloma Montes appeared before the City Council with a jar of cigarette litter collected from around the city to advocate for a tobacco retail moratorium — and the council passed it. Additional adopted policies address alcohol outlet density, food systems and the built environment. ![A woman holds up a large jar filled with cigarette butts and litter at a podium during a Riverside City Council public comment session, with a "Tobacco Moratorium Pass" banner visible on screen.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/Paloma-Montes--Policy-Lead-of-Blue-Zones-Project-Riverside--presenting-cigarette-litter-collected-from-around-the-city-_-advocating-before-the-City-Council.PNG) Blue Zones Project Riverside Policy Lead Paloma Montes presents collected cigarette litter to the City Council while advocating for the city's tobacco moratorium, which passed. (Courtesy of Blue Zones Project Riverside) But it's the less quantifiable moments that Executive Director Erin Edwards, a former Ward 1 councilmember who championed the initiative, points to when describing what Year 1 has felt like on the ground. "What surprised the team the most has been the appetite for this type of work," she said. "People not only embrace the Blue Zones model — they are leading it." She described watching Riverside's earliest adopters — Phenix Technology, Inc. and The Cookie Tin Cafe among them — rally to support one another at their ribbon-cutting ceremonies as they earned approved status. ![About 20 Phenix Technology employees gather on the front steps of their building for a blue ribbon-cutting ceremony, with a large pair of blue scissors and a congratulatory Blue Zones banner behind them.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/Blue-Zone-Ribbon-Cutting-Ceremony-for-Phenix-Technology-2.17--22-.jpg) The team at Phenix Technology, Inc. celebrates becoming a Blue Zones Project Approved worksite on Feb. 17, 2026\. (Courtesy of Blue Zones Project Riverside) The project also received the 2026 Good Steward Award from Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful. "It felt like the community saying, 'The work we are doing together matters,'" Edwards said. "This recognition is a reminder of why we do this." Edwards said the key is meeting Riversiders where they already are. "When you begin to shift the environments and spaces that people interact with daily, that's when the lasting change happens," she said. Blue Zones communities are measured by the [Gallup Well-Being Index](https://news.gallup.com/topic/well-being-index.aspx?ref=raincrossgazette.com), and Riverside's first-year data is in. The project tracks 20 well-being metrics identified by its steering committee, comparing local results against both previous years and national averages. One early indicator: Gallup's most recent data showed an increase in community pride, bringing Riverside closer to the national average. The early data echoes results from other Blue Zones communities. In Southern California's Beach Cities, a similar initiative produced a 14% drop in obesity and a 30% drop in smoking among participants. "The purpose of our Blue Zones Project is to support everyone, everywhere in Riverside to live better, longer," Edwards said. "But it's not just about living a long life. It's about having more good years." ### Cooking pozole in Arlanza, and other stories from the ground Community Engagement Lead Grace Manzo, who has spent the past year in Riverside neighborhoods, said the most memorable connections happen in unexpected moments. The Arlanza neighborhood has been a focus from the beginning. A $1 million "Connecting Neighbors to Neighbors" [grant from the Governor's Office](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/1-million-grant-brings-blue-zones-project-to-increase-public-health-and-longevity-in-the-arlanza-neighborhood/) and California Volunteers program helped bring the Blue Zones model to the neighborhood. More than 80 neighbors turned out for a [white bean pozole verde cooking demonstration](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/how-to-have-a-blue-zones-holiday/) at the Arlanza Community Garden. "It was amazing to see community members gather around not just to learn about the Blue Zones Project, but to learn how their cultural dishes can be reimagined with a Plant Slant twist that maintains the same nutritional elements and delicious flavor of their family recipes," Manzo said. "People even lined up for seconds." During a Power 9 presentation — where participants explore the nine longevity principles through a personal assessment — one attendee shared: "Through this assessment I learned how much impact human belonging and purpose have on our health and well-being. I had no idea how much these two contribute to our longevity." At Twinhill Elementary, students participated in a "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" walk-to-school event in December — an early example of how the project's principles are reaching Riverside's youngest residents. ![A group of elementary school students walk together holding a yellow "Walking School Bus" banner during a Blue Zones walk-to-school event.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-3-2.jpg) Students at Twinhill Elementary lead the way during the "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" walk-to-school event on Dec. 12, 2025 — part of Blue Zones Project Riverside's work with five approved schools across the city. (Courtesy of Blue Zones Project Riverside) ### What is a Moai — and why should you care? The word Moai (pronounced moh-eye) comes from Okinawa, Japan, where it roughly means "coming together for a common purpose." In Riverside, that means a group committing to a healthy activity together once a week for 10 weeks. "To someone who has never heard of a Moai — get ready to learn your new favorite word," Manzo said. "A Moai is a social support group for your social, financial, health or spiritual interests. It's a way to align your well-being interests with a group of people who have similar goals and who can keep each other accountable while creating friendships along the way." This Saturday's [Moai Launch Party](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/blue-zones-project-riverside-moai-launch-party-celebration-tickets-1985075102067?ref=raincrossgazette.com) at North Park marks the beginning of 28 new Moais across the city. The project placed groups in every ward so that no matter where a Riversider lives, there's something nearby. The range is broad: reading groups, walking groups, yoga, pickleball — even a "wine at 5" Moai. Community partners including Community Yoga Center, Overflow Farms, Run Riverside, Somos Uno Riverside, Affirmotion, Aquamotion, Jazzercise, Riverside Pickleball, the EFNEP program and the Riverside Light Parade all stepped up to make it happen. Every Moai is free. As the roster of approved businesses and organizations grows, Edwards sees a broader network forming. "As more local business owners, community leaders and entrepreneurs become approved, we are excited to help facilitate a network where these relationships will continue to grow organically," she said. ![A group of about 20 people sit on yoga mats in a large industrial-style indoor space, stretching with their arms raised overhead, led by an instructor on the right side of the frame.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/Mindful-Movement-Moai-with-Andrew-Flores-from-Zhu-Strength-and-Mobility.JPG) Participants in the Blue Zones Project Riverside Mindful Movement Moai stretch with Andrew Flores of Zhu Fitness during the Fall 2025 session. (Courtesy of Blue Zones Project Riverside) ### How to get involved The project recently released a short video, "[Watch Us](https://youtu.be/IZdHGVcFoD8?si=iARFAhMUz7CEAZ3m&ref=raincrossgazette.com)," produced by Raincross, a local media company. The video spans the initiative — from City Hall to local businesses to neighborhoods — with a challenge: don't just watch Riverside become a Blue Zones Community. Join in. The Moai Launch Party is Saturday, April 18, from 10 a.m. to noon at North Park, 3200 Mission Inn Ave. The free event features music, açaí bowls and giveaways while supplies last. Attendees can meet their Moai group on the spot or browse options and sign up later. To [browse and sign up for a Moai](https://www.eventbrite.com/o/94536645423?ref=raincrossgazette.com) before Saturday, visit the Blue Zones Project Riverside Eventbrite page. **More information:* Riversiders can also follow the project on* [*Facebook and Instagram @bzpriverside*](https://www.instagram.com/bzpriverside/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *or sign up for the Blue Zones Project Riverside newsletter at* [*bluezonesprojectriverside.com*](http://bluezonesprojectriverside.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### Sherman Indian High School Inter-Tribal Pow Wow: 40 Years of Resilience and Celebration URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/sherman-indian-high-school-inter-tribal-pow-wow-40-years-of-resilience-and-celebration/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:06:20.000Z April 18, 2026, marks 40 years of Sherman Indian High School's Inter-Tribal Pow Wow. The school itself has a longstanding history in the City of Riverside. Named after Congressman James S. Sherman (later Vice President to Taft) for his involvement in securing funding to purchase land on which to build the school, since its inception in 1902 as Sherman Institute, it rolled out many benefits to the city on account of the close partnership Frank Miller, owner of the Glenwood Inn (later renamed the Mission Inn), established with superintendent Hawood Hall. The two worked in tandem to develop a successful labor force through the Outing Program, where the children and teens were sent to work for affluent Riverside families and ranches in the Inland Empire and Los Angeles, where students received low wages for grueling labor. While the federal government's intent with off-reservation schools was to assimilate and strip Native youth of their language and cultural identity, Miller and Hall's intent was to capitalize on curious tourists who they believed would travel to Riverside to see real-life Indians being re-educated and creating "civilized" members of society. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/2-1.jpg) Students pouring cement Date: circa 1920-1940 Collection: Sherman Indian Museum Owning Institution: Sherman Indian Museum Source: Calisphere.org) The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) formed these schools for Native children and teens, with the sole purpose to instill an all-American mindset, vocational training in agriculture and manual labor jobs, and Christian religious teachings. At height, the United States federal government funded 408 Indian boarding schools: on reservations, off-reservation, day schools, and some church-run schools. Sherman is one of the 25 off-reservation schools funded and one of four that remain open today. Despite the students being removed from their families and cultural environments, the BIA could not anticipate the inevitable growth of inter-tribal community building being established among the students at Sherman. As early as 1923, Sherman graduates returned to work at their alma mater. One such student is Ross Townsend, Paiute from Fort Bidwell, Calif. Shortly after graduating in 1930, he took a job as an assistant carpenter offered by assistant principal A.P. Westhafer. He spent the rest of his life, with the exception of four years to serve in the military during WWII, working and raising his five children in a small housing unit on the Sherman campus. His wife, Laura Premo (Shoshone), also a Sherman graduate, worked as an assistant matron for the school. Although the pay was much less than their white counterparts, and Native employees held part-time positions while the latter held full-time employment, they managed to remain proud of their Native identity. Native employees could have entered Riverside's workforce; they instead chose to work at Sherman to support the next generation of students. The motto "we arrive as strangers and leave as family" underscores the enduring connections formed at Sherman. By the 1950s, students were encouraged to share their cultural ways and traditions. Implemented into the academic experience was the Navajo Program, where students were given the opportunity to share their food, songs, stories, and dances with their Sherman community. This generated tribal clubs within the school, and other tribes began sharing their cultural ways. By the 1960s these events began to spread off campus, and the public was invited to join in the festivities. This drew the attention of Riverside city officials, and in 1970 a proclamation was created by Mayor Ben H. Lewis proclaiming Sept. 25 to be "American Indian Day" — a day in which "our citizens are urged to express their personal good wishes to the Riverside Indian community." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/3-1.jpg) (Sherman Indian High School student in black tribal dress and northern woman's breastplate. (Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection) In 1971, the school became accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and, with the input of the students, took the official name Sherman Indian High School, which is written on the water tower visible from the 91 Freeway heading west from Magnolia Center. By this time, the student body was made up of high school-aged youth and no longer served elementary and middle school children. The changes happening at Sherman would further foster the beauty of Native heritage and reverse the attempt at erasure. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/4.jpg) Sherman Indian High School in Riverside, CA ([Homes.com](https://www.homes.com/school/riverside-ca/sherman-indian-high-school/m5bpz0ffnynbe/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)) In 1986, Sherman hosted its first Inter-Tribal Pow Wow. It was no easy feat as safety for the students raised concerns. An event of its magnitude with so many people on campus could be risky. The school was no longer open to the public as it had been in the past, so the responsibility fell to the staff to ensure the safety, health, and welfare of each student. Donna Villa, Tonita Largo-Glover, Mary Mojado and Victor Begay made up the pow wow committee that year and were tasked with ensuring the day went smoothly. Traditionally, pow wows are celebrated for three days; one of the tradeoffs of hosting at a school would mean they would only celebrate one day. The committee took this as a win. Since the first year of Sherman Pow Wow, it has continued each year apart from the pandemic and one year when it was rained out. Much has remained the same, including the Ms. Sherman Pageant being held the night before the Pow Wow. This is when a student is chosen to be the cultural ambassador for a year, and the current ambassador passes her crown on to the incoming winner. On the day of the Pow Wow, participants from various Native communities share their dances and performances, set up booths that include arts and crafts, and traditional foods. These booths help create a beautiful display of Native culture and heritage in a respectful way that is both collaborative and educational. Local colleges and universities are also invited to set up informational booths. The event is open to the public and always free, with the exception of a small parking fee. All proceeds raised, after costs, assist graduates and create scholarships. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/5.jpg) Two of the women responsible with bringing the first Sherman Pow Wow to fruition. (Sherman Museum Archives) Pow Wow Vendor Coordinator Teresa Iyotte shares: "Pow wows have historically brought together individuals from diverse tribal nations across the U.S., allowing participants to exchange traditional values and cultural practices that may be inaccessible in their local communities. Through the annual school pow wow, students learn about pow wow etiquette and are exposed to a variety of dances and songs representing numerous tribes." In 2008, 22 years after the first Sherman Indian High School Inter-Tribal Pow Wow, the City of Riverside again created another proclamation, this time recognizing the third Saturday of April as "Sherman Indian High School Inter-Tribal Pow Wow Day." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/6.jpg) Grandpa White Cloud, Spiritual Advisor and Bob Rivera, Arena Director.(Sherman Museum) Today, while Sherman Indian High School is still funded and operated by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Education/Bureau of Indian Affairs, it has progressed into something nothing like its former self. It is a success in that it has brought tribes from all over the country together to celebrate the rich diversity of Native American heritage — not meant to relive the sins of the past, but to highlight a powerful testament to resilience and enduring strength from a people that are still standing, still celebrating, still thriving and succeeding. As Riversiders, let us be eager to join in and support the students for a day full of learning, community and culture. **More information:* The Sherman Indian High School Inter-Tribal Pow Wow takes place Saturday, April 18, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Sherman Indian High School, 9010 Magnolia Ave. Admission is free; parking on the campus lot is $5\. For more information, visit* [*raincrossgazette.com*](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sherman-indian-high-school-pow-wow-2026/17903591/2026-04-18T10)*.* *By Rosy Aranda, in collaboration with Dr. Daisy Ocampo, Lorene Sisquoc and Teresa Iyotte* ### City Weighs Distance Limits on Tobacco Shops Near Homes, Schools URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-weighs-distance-limits-on-tobacco-shops-near-homes-schools/ Last updated: 2026-04-16T11:59:58.000Z The city is considering a rule that would ban tobacco shops from operating within minimum distances of residential areas, schools and other smoke shops – and require stores that don't meet such standards to close or relocate within two or three years. Council members Philip Falcone, Clarissa Cervantes and Sean Mill discussed the matter at a Land Use Committee meeting Monday, and asked city staff to return with an ordinance that would set new distance limits and to come back with more data on how many shops would be affected. The [proposed rules would ban standalone tobacco shops](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/committee-directs-ban-on-standalone-smoke-shops-after-meth-pipe-findings/) from operating within 100 feet of a residential area, within 600 feet of a school and within 1,000 feet of another tobacco shop. Staff said the rules would apply to both new and existing stores, and that an [amortization program](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/committee-directs-ban-on-standalone-smoke-shops-after-meth-pipe-findings/) could require noncompliant businesses to relocate or close within a set period. City staff said they introduced the motion due to both [public health concerns and concerns about illegal sales of illicit substances](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/land-use-committee-cancels-meeting-after-failing-quorum-delays-smoke-shop-policy-review/). Paloma Montes, the public policy leader for Riverside's [Blue Zone Project](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/1-million-grant-brings-blue-zones-project-to-increase-public-health-and-longevity-in-the-arlanza-neighborhood/), told the committee during public comment that the group supports limiting smoke shops near sensitive sites. "\[This\] is an urgent topic in regards to safety and health in our community," Montes said. "A study in the National Library of Medicine showed that people living in neighborhoods with high densities of tobacco retailers are more likely to be diagnosed with or die from tobacco-related disease." Staff said the proposal is consistent with the city's Blue Zones goal of reducing tobacco exposure for vulnerable populations. Mill said he wanted to expand the regulations to ban smoke shops from operating within 1,000 feet across all sensitive locations. Falcone agreed, adding that the rules would help prevent overconcentration in one ward. He also said he favored "a little more strong \[sic\] rules" on tobacco shops because the issue "has been out in the community" and residents have raised concerns. Committee members said they wanted more information on how many existing smoke shops would be forced to move or shut down. Cervantes asked whether the city needed to determine "who gets to stay and who has to move" if two shops fall within the same restricted area, saying the city should "legally check into that." City staff will return in the coming weeks with updated numbers and possible options for a two- or three-year [amortization period](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-september-15-2025/). The ordinance will then go to the City Council for further consideration. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- April 14, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-april-14-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:30.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/IMG_1664.jpeg) Storm clouds catch the last light of day over Hawarden Hills, framing palm trees in silhouette against a pink and gray sky. (Rosalyn Anderson) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Tuesday Gazette: April 14, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Tuesday!** The Ward 2, 4, and 6 candidate forums are just around the corner, and there's still time to register. What do you actually want to ask these candidates? What's the issue in your neighborhood that isn't getting enough attention? What would you want answered before you cast your vote in June? [Register today](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-gazette-is-hosting-its-first-ever-candidate-forums-wards-2-4-and-6/) and send your questions and concerns for your ward to [newsroom@raincrossgazette.com](mailto:newsroom@raincrossgazette.com). --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260414)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260414&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## City Hosts National Mayors Forum on Economic Development Mayor Lock-Dawson joins national mayors forum to chart Riverside's green tech economy future. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-7.jpg)](https://raincrossgazette.com/city-hosts-national-mayors-forum-on-economic-development/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Mayor Patricia Lock-Dawson speaks during an Accelerator for America Advisory Council panel at the Barbara and Art Culver Center. (Micaela Ricaforte) Mayor Lock-Dawson says Riverside's economic future is green tech — and it's already in motion. **Why it matters:** Riverside is positioning for serious economic growth around industries it already has: aerospace, defense, healthcare, and an expanding green-tech sector. This isn't a vision statement — companies are hiring, UCR is training local students, and the city's fleet is ranked No. 1 green in North America. **Driving the news:** Lock-Dawson hosted a two-day Accelerator for America forum at the Mission Inn and Culver Center, joining mayors and civic leaders to map out local economic strategy centered on green tech and university partnerships. **What's taking shape:** - Riverside-based Voltu Motor is developing fast-charging electric fleet technology designed to eliminate heavy infrastructure costs. - UCR is positioning the city as a "living laboratory" where companies test real-world solutions while hiring graduates who stay in the region. - UCR's medical school is expanding toward an outpatient clinic and eventually a teaching hospital — training local doctors to stay local. **The big picture:** Lock-Dawson cited a Brookings Institution framework for economic clusters — industry-driven, research-supported, policy-enabled — and said Riverside now hits all three marks. Her phrase: "green belt to green tech." **What's next:** No formal votes or deadlines emerged from the forum, but the mayor framed the city's goal as aligning UCR, local government, and industry around clean-tech growth. [Read and share the complete story...](https://raincrossgazette.com/city-hosts-national-mayors-forum-on-economic-development/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260414) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260414&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## City Hosting Measure Z Informational Meetings Across Riverside Through May The first session lands Thursday at the La Sierra Senior Center, with three more scheduled neighborhood meetings to follow before the June 2 ballot. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/260413-measurezpostcards.jpg)](https://raincrossgazette.com/city-hosting-measure-z-informational-meetings-across-riverside-through-may/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) City of Riverside mailers announcing Measure Z informational meetings began arriving in residents' mailboxes this week. Riverside is hosting four neighborhood meetings to field questions about Measure Z, the sales tax renewal on the June 3 ballot. **Why it matters:** The measure would raise Riverside's sales tax from 1% to 1.25% — with no expiration date — generating revenue the city says would fund fire staffing, police, homelessness programs, and road repairs. **The backstory:** Voters first approved Measure Z in 2016 at 1%. The June ballot measure would increase the rate and extend it indefinitely. **Yes, but:** Measure Z is a general tax — proceeds go into the general fund and aren't legally restricted to the services named in the ballot measure. **What's next:** Meetings are ward-specific. Find yours: - **Wards 6 & 7** — Thursday, April 16, 6 p.m., La Sierra Senior Center, 5215 La Sierra Ave. - **Wards 1 & 2** — Thursday, April 30, 6 p.m., Bordwell Park/Stratton Center, 2008 Martin Luther King Blvd. - **Ward 4** — Wednesday, May 6, 5 p.m., Orange Terrace Center, 20010 Orange Terrace Pkwy. - **Wards 3 & 5** — Thursday, May 21, 6 p.m., Janet Goeske Senior Center, 5257 Sierra St. [Read and share the complete story...](https://raincrossgazette.com/city-hosting-measure-z-informational-meetings-across-riverside-through-may/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260414)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260414&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## Riverside Artists Invited to Design Official City Poster for Nation's 250th Birthday The winning design will be displayed at a national mayors' conference in Long Beach this summer. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2-2.jpg)](https://raincrossgazette.com/riverside-artists-invited-to-design-official-city-poster-for-nations-250th-birthday/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) The City of Riverside is seeking artists to design an official poster for America 250, a national initiative marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Artists of any experience level can submit designs representing Riverside in a national anniversary art project — deadline is Sunday. **Why it matters:** Your design could represent Riverside at a national mayors' conference and appear in print and digital publications nationwide — with cash prizes for the top three finalists. **What's new:** Riverside is accepting poster submissions for the America 250 City Art Poster Project, a nationwide initiative organized by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National Endowment for the Arts. - The selected design will represent Riverside at the Conference of Mayors' 94th Annual Meeting in Long Beach. **By the numbers:** Cash honorariums go to the top three finalists — $450 for first, $300 for second, $150 for third. **What's required:** - Include the words "Riverside" and "America 250" - Reflect themes of civic pride and historical connection - Stay nonpartisan - Size at 22 by 30 inches with bleed; submit as high-quality PDF **What's next:** Submissions are due Sunday, April 26\. Email entries to [SpecialEvents@RiversideCA.gov](mailto:SpecialEvents@RiversideCA.gov) or drop them off at City Hall (Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.), attention Jessica Hernandez. Full details at riversideca.gov. [Read and share the complete story...](https://raincrossgazette.com/riverside-artists-invited-to-design-official-city-poster-for-nations-250th-birthday/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Noteworthy The Mission Inn Foundation is [inviting artists to submit dog bandana designs](https://www.instagram.com/p/DW-pnhdgLOk/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) for this year's Mission Inn Run, with the winner featured as a sponsor on the official race t-shirt — entries due April 27 at the Foundation Store on Main Street. A new [UCR study finds Southern California's hybrid honeybees](https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/04/10/socal-honeybees-can-fend-deadly-mites?ref=raincrossgazette.com) naturally suppress deadly Varroa mites, with locally raised queen colonies averaging 68% fewer mites than commercial counterparts — a potential breakthrough as U.S. beekeepers reported losing up to 62% of managed colonies in 2025. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [Arlington Library| Take and Make Craft: Earth Day Craft](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/arlington-library-take-and-make-craft-earth-day-craft/18510156/2026-04-14T10) at Arlington library - [Liberty Elementary School Leadership Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/liberty-elementary-school-leadership-day/18113021/2026-04-14T08) at Liberty Elementary School - [Orange Terrace Library | BrainSTEM: DIY Recycled Paper](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-terrace-library-brainstem-diy-recycled-paper/18290428/2026-04-14T15) at Orange Terrace Library - [Orange Terrace Library | Lego Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-terrace-library-lego-club/18328174/2026-04-14T10) at Orange Terrace Library - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-04-14T19) at The Hideaway ### Tomorrow - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-04-15T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-04-15T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [**Chancellor's Distinguished Lecture Series: A Conversation with Jack Dangermond**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/chancellors-distinguished-lecture-series-a-conversation-with-jack-dangermond/18543104/2026-04-15T14) at University Theatre - [Reading Assistance Program](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-assistance-program/17973404/2026-04-15T15) at My Learning Studio - [Emory Elliott Book Awards & Reception](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/emory-elliott-book-awards-reception/18543105/2026-04-15T17) at The Stable (at The Barn) - [About Writing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/about-writing/18335813/2026-04-15T10) at Janet Goeske Center - [History on the Rocks - Round Two!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-04-15T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Riverside Mission Belles](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-mission-belles/16691431/2026-04-15T09) at Victoria Presbyterian Church - [Riverside Open Mic Music Series](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-open-mic-music-series/15529475/2026-04-15T17) at Back to the Grind ## Save the Date - April 17-18, 23-25: [Frozen: The Broadway Musical](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-17T19) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) - April 18: [Walk with the Animals - Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/walk-with-the-animals-mary-s-roberts-pet-adoption-center/17926667/2026-04-18T09) at Fairmount Park - April 18: [Blue Zones Project Riverside: Moai Launch Party](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/blue-zones-project-riverside-moai-launch-party/18380677/2026-04-18T10) at North Park - April 18: [Fant-A-She’s](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fantashes/18337803/2026-04-18T20) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ($37- $97) - April 18: [MAGIC UNDERGROUND](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/magic-underground/18337412/2026-04-18T19) at Back To The Grind ($30- $45) - April 23: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 2 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-2-community-forum/18495178/2026-04-23T18) at UCR Alumni & Visitors Center - April 25: [78th Annual Riverside Flower Show and Garden Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/78th-annual-riverside-flower-show-and-garden-tour/18520936/2026-04-25T09) at Riverside Elks Lodge (free - $10) - April 29: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 4 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-4-community-forum/18495206/2026-04-29T18) at Riverside Citrus State Park - Sunkist Center - May 3: ["The Sound of Riverside" - The 2026 Riverside Arts Academy Gala](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-sound-of-riverside-the-2026-riverside-arts-academy-gala/18503772/2026-05-03T17) at UCR University Theatre ($150- $325) - May 6: [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### City Hosting Measure Z Informational Meetings Across Riverside Through May URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-hosting-measure-z-informational-meetings-across-riverside-through-may/ Last updated: 2026-04-15T18:15:46.000Z The City of Riverside is holding four neighborhood informational meetings this spring to answer resident questions about Measure Z, the voter-approved sales tax renewal measure heading to the June 2 ballot. The first meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 16, at 6 p.m. at La Sierra Senior Center, 5215 La Sierra Ave. That session is intended for residents of Wards 6 and 7. Three additional meetings are planned for different parts of the city. Ward 1 and Ward 2 residents are invited to a session on Thursday, April 30, at 6 p.m. at Bordwell Park/Stratton Center, 2008 Martin Luther King Blvd. Ward 4 residents can attend a meeting on Wednesday, May 6, at 5 p.m. at Orange Terrace Center, 20010 Orange Terrace Pkwy. A final session for Wards 3 and 5 will be held Thursday, May 21, at 6 p.m. at Janet Goeske Senior Center, 5257 Sierra St. Measure Z is a general transactions and use tax that Riverside voters first approved in 2016 at a 1 percent rate, with a sunset date of 2036\. The June ballot measure would increase the rate to 1.25 percent and extend it indefinitely. City officials have said the additional revenue would support fire department staffing and infrastructure, police services, homelessness programs, and road repairs. The measure is a general tax, meaning proceeds go into the city's general fund and are not legally restricted to the services named in the ballot measure. **More information:* Visit* [*RiversideCA.gov/Vote*](http://riversideca.gov/Vote?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### Riverside Artists Invited to Design Official City Poster for Nation's 250th Birthday URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-artists-invited-to-design-official-city-poster-for-nations-250th-birthday/ Last updated: 2026-04-14T11:59:42.000Z If you've ever wanted to put Riverside on a national stage, here's your chance. The city is looking for artists to design an official poster marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence – and submissions are due April 26. The project is part of the America 250 City Art Poster Project, a nationwide effort organized by the U.S. Conference of Mayors in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. Riverside's selected design will represent the city at the U.S. Conference of Mayors' 94th Annual Meeting in Long Beach. "The arts have always played an important role in telling the story of who we are as a community," Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said in a statement. "Through the America 250 City Art Poster Project, we have an opportunity to celebrate Riverside's history, creativity, and optimism for the future." Anyone can enter -- there are no age or experience requirements. Designs must include the words "Riverside" and "America 250," reflect themes of civic pride and historical connection, and stay nonpartisan. Artwork should be sized at 22 by 30 inches with bleed and submitted as a high-quality PDF or dropped off in person. The top three finalists will receive cash honorariums: $450 for first place, $300 for second, and $150 for third. Selected works may also appear in national print and digital publications, and all submissions may be used for local community posters. **More information:* Entries are due Sunday, April 26\. Send submissions to* [*SpecialEvents@RiversideCA.gov*](mailto:SpecialEvents@RiversideCA.gov) *or bring them to Riverside City Hall, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., attention Jessica Hernandez. Details can be found at* [riversideca.gov](https://riversideca.gov/press/city-riverside-invites-artists-participate-%E2%80%9Camerica-250-city-art-poster-project%E2%80%9D-celebrate?ref=raincrossgazette.com). ### City Hosts National Mayors Forum on Economic Development URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-hosts-national-mayors-forum-on-economic-development/ Last updated: 2026-04-15T12:00:50.000Z Mayor Patricia Lock-Dawson and fellow mayors from across the country discussed plans to further economic development in their cities – with a focus on green tech – at the [Accelerator for America](https://acceleratorforamerica.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) (AFA) Advisory Council forum. AFA is a nonprofit organization that supports mayors and local leaders to develop economic mobility in their communities. The two forum panels took place on Sunday afternoon at the Mission Inn Hotel and Monday morning at the Barbara and Art Culver Center. Lock-Dawson, who joined the AFA council last year, told the Gazette her economic development strategy is to build on existing strengths. "I think the best thing we can do is build on what we have here in Riverside, not try to create something new," she said, adding that she didn't want to recreate something other cities like Silicon Valley had. "We have robust industry here in Riverside already: aeronautics, defense, medicine and healthcare, arts and tourism, all of those things are centers of excellence in our city that we are promoting right now and actively growing," Lock-Dawson said. During Monday's panel, Lock-Dawson was joined by Dr. Rosibel Ochoa, UC Riverside's Associate Vice Chancellor for Technology Partnerships, George Gebhart, founder and CEO of Riverside-based electric truck company [Voltu Motor](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-utility-board-recommends-1-7m-electric-truck-purchase-from-local-manufacturer/), and Michelle Decker, president and CEO of the Inland Empire Community Foundation. The panelists discussed their strategy for growing Riverside's economy, centered around green tech and university-driven innovation. ### Green tech development Lock-Dawson said she began working with the AFA three years ago to transition the city's vehicles to alternative-fuel and hybrid vehicles. Riverside was named the [No. 1 green fleet in North America](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/green-tech-revolution-takes-root-in-riverside/) by the NAFA Fleet Management Association in 2022 and made the top 50 green fleet list by the same association in 2025. Gebhart described the city as a growing green tech hub supported by a local supply chain and workforce pipeline. His company is developing fast-charging solutions designed around fleet needs. "Charging is usually a pain," he said, explaining that his company's technology will allow fast charging without fleets making heavy infrastructure investments. ### University partnerships UC Riverside also plays a key role, said Ochoa, noting that the campus is both a major research institution and a local mobility engine. "Ninety-two percent of our students are California residents. Forty-eight percent of our students are from Riverside," Ochoa said. "The university plays a transformational role in their future." She said UCR is positioning the city as a "living laboratory" where companies can test technologies in real life while hiring students who gain skills and stay in the region. "See the university and the city, the whole region, as a living laboratory where companies come \[and\] test their \[solutions\] in real conditions… because that's what we want. We want them to really sell and be successful," Ochoa said. Ochoa pointed to [UC Riverside School of Medicine](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ucr-school-of-medicine-receives-620-000-boost-in-scholarships-from-hca-healthcare/) as an example of the approach. "The medical school is really a training school. It started because of the lack of \[physicians\], and the idea is that the students, once they graduate, spend at least two years in the community… before they leave," Ochoa said, adding that the school is working with the community to expand into an outpatient clinic and eventually a teaching hospital. "We are working with the community to expand the medical school, to create an outpatient clinic and then a teaching hospital… The idea is to recruit local but also regional, to train these doctors that do not need our region to go somewhere else," Ochoa said. ### City development Lock-Dawson said the city's strategy also includes strong quality-of-life investments, including parks, streets, housing and clean air. "It's all for naught if you have filthy air and you have no parks and no place for people to recreate and no restaurants," she said. "We are investing in our parks… our streets… and ensuring that we have adequate and diverse housing supply so people can afford to live here." Referencing a [Brookings Institution report on economic clusters](https://www.brookings.edu/articles/rethinking-cluster-initiatives/?ref=raincrossgazette.com), the mayor said Riverside now meets the three conditions for a successful cluster: industry-driven activity, research support and enabling government policy. "Economic clusters, when they form, have three common factors. One is that they are industry driven, they are research supporting and that they have policies by the government that support them," she said. "We have all three here in Riverside to support a green and green-tech \[cluster\]… to go from green belt to green tech, which is what we're doing right now." The city's longer-term goal, she added, is to align universities, local government and industry around clean-technology growth. "I put that expectation on myself and everybody in this room to use the assets that we have in place to create the future," she said. ### This Week in City Hall: April 13, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-april-13-2026/ Last updated: 2026-04-15T11:59:19.000Z Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### City Council City Council will meet in closed and open sessions on Tuesday, April 14, at 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1396543&GUID=C5BDD779-CB6A-4EFC-8F95-63ACED04D82F&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). The agenda includes: - Reviewing mid-year budget adjustments totaling more than $11 million in revenue changes, new appropriations, and fund transfers that will affect how City funds — including voter-approved Measure Z sales tax dollars — are spent for the remainder of the budget year. ([link](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=91087142-4963-4e76-b4e9-13dbb12a4806.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Ratifying agreements totaling more than $1.7 million to fund rental assistance case managers serving residents at risk of losing their housing, including a dedicated program for transitional-age youth, through 2027\. ([link](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=92ede786-9a0c-41e1-955a-5146852d8405.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Considering a $235,240 contract to develop a citywide Intelligent Transportation Systems master plan that would guide how Riverside modernizes its traffic management technology through 2029\. ([link](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=5678040e-8fcd-4735-bda4-5525095770cc.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Approving the installation of speed humps on Lurin Avenue between Taft Street and Wood Road ([link)](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15364619&GUID=CF46CAEB-721B-4314-BD8B-0568D4B3A9EC&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ### Land Use Committee The Land Use Committee (Councilmembers Mill, Falcone, and Cervantes) meets on Mon, April 13, at 9 a.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1397655&GUID=3367FCB6-8442-4A29-B499-B67E325AE828&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to discuss its proposed 2026 Work Plan ([link](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=c7a44e2d-453f-4e94-8ee6-38aaa42cb42c.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and to review proposed zoning changes that would establish minimum distance requirements between smoke shops and schools, parks, childcare facilities — and require existing shops that don't meet those standards to relocate or close within three years — following City reports of illegal sales activity at some locations. ([link](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15353986&GUID=5EC3326C-7963-4246-8C1D-72BCFCB7D611&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Board of Library Trustees The Board of Library Trustees meets on Mon, April 13, at 5 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1405173&GUID=D94914EA-BF45-499B-8798-0E7A38A65BBD&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to receive an update on the SPC Jesus S. Duran Eastside Library, ([link](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=4a353b89-a66c-4d51-8d9e-3620ee3bf6ce.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) a grant award for a Lunch at the Library program, ([link](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=83d752c7-6ce3-4a4b-ab25-ea774794f372.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and a proposed two-year library budget that will shape City library services and funding through 2028\. ([link](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=58c99588-d9c8-4c2a-8312-d27639b8dd43.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Board of Public Utilities The Board of Public Utilities meets on Mon, April 13, at 6:30 p.m. (agenda) to review proposed two-year electric and water utility budgets totaling over $645 million in projected revenues for 2026-27 ([link](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=82a9d31c-dd75-4289-9e67-32d7897e49fb.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and consider equipment purchases and infrastructure contracts that support water and electrical system operations. ### Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee The Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee (Councilmembers Perry, Conder, and Mill) meets on Wed, April 13, at 1 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1400169&GUID=BAEEA79F-801D-4350-B53C-0748A4FC7127&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider a proposed City ordinance that would add a new requirement to report the transport of people who lack stable nighttime housing ([link](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15365745&GUID=F15C23C3-13B3-4879-8E0C-884FE021527A&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and review Phase 1 implementation of the Riverside Fire Department Master Plan, which outlines the first steps in a broader plan for City fire services. ([link](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=037febd0-cd0c-47a4-b461-662a807c953a.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Cultural Heritage Board The Cultural Heritage Board meets on Wed, April 15, at 3:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1402825&GUID=9F00E4ED-F83F-4346-A897-8E09F552D89E&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider a request by the Riverside County Office of Education to remove two Orange Street properties from their historic landmark status and redraw the Prospect Place Historic District boundary, which would eliminate current preservation protections on those parcels. ([link](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15372009&GUID=24C75961-8BA6-44FF-99EB-A1BE62DB83E3&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### 🗞️ Riverside News- April 13, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-april-6-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:31.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/SunsetGlow.jpg) A fiery sunset blazes over the horizon along Central Avenue near the 60/215 Freeway interchange. (Bob Sirotnik) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Monday Gazette: April 13, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday!** Today is International Special Librarians Day, a chance to recognize the professionals who go far beyond the shelves to connect people with exactly the knowledge they need. Whether they're supporting a research project, a business decision, or a student chasing down a hard-to-find source, special librarians turn complex information into clear, useful answers. If you know someone in Riverside who brings that same spirit of service to their community, [nominate them for Neighbor of the Week](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260413)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260413&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## This Week in City Hall: April 13, 2026 Riverside boards and committees weigh in on budgets, rental assistance, smoke shop zoning, and historic preservation this week. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/FullSizeRender-1.jpeg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-april-13-2026/) Welcome to our weekly digest of public meetings and agenda items worth your attention for this coming week. This guide is part of our mission to provide everyday Riversiders like you with the information to speak up on the issues you care about. ### City Council City Council will meet in closed and open sessions on Tuesday, April 14, at 3 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1396543&GUID=C5BDD779-CB6A-4EFC-8F95-63ACED04D82F&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). The agenda includes: - Reviewing mid-year budget adjustments totaling more than $11 million in revenue changes, new appropriations, and fund transfers that will affect how City funds — including voter-approved Measure Z sales tax dollars — are spent for the remainder of the budget year. ([link](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=91087142-4963-4e76-b4e9-13dbb12a4806.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Ratifying agreements totaling more than $1.7 million to fund rental assistance case managers serving residents at risk of losing their housing, including a dedicated program for transitional-age youth, through 2027\. ([link](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=92ede786-9a0c-41e1-955a-5146852d8405.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Considering a $235,240 contract to develop a citywide Intelligent Transportation Systems master plan that would guide how Riverside modernizes its traffic management technology through 2029\. ([link](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=5678040e-8fcd-4735-bda4-5525095770cc.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) - Approving the installation of speed humps on Lurin Avenue between Taft Street and Wood Road ([link)](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15364619&GUID=CF46CAEB-721B-4314-BD8B-0568D4B3A9EC&ref=raincrossgazette.com) ### Land Use Committee The Land Use Committee (Councilmembers Mill, Falcone, and Cervantes) meets on Mon, April 13, at 9 a.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1397655&GUID=3367FCB6-8442-4A29-B499-B67E325AE828&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to discuss its proposed 2026 Work Plan ([link](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=c7a44e2d-453f-4e94-8ee6-38aaa42cb42c.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and to review proposed zoning changes that would establish minimum distance requirements between smoke shops and schools, parks, childcare facilities — and require existing shops that don't meet those standards to relocate or close within three years — following City reports of illegal sales activity at some locations. ([link](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15353986&GUID=5EC3326C-7963-4246-8C1D-72BCFCB7D611&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Board of Library Trustees The Board of Library Trustees meets on Mon, April 13, at 5 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1405173&GUID=D94914EA-BF45-499B-8798-0E7A38A65BBD&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to receive an update on the SPC Jesus S. Duran Eastside Library, ([link](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=4a353b89-a66c-4d51-8d9e-3620ee3bf6ce.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) a grant award for a Lunch at the Library program, ([link](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=83d752c7-6ce3-4a4b-ab25-ea774794f372.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and a proposed two-year library budget that will shape City library services and funding through 2028\. ([link](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=58c99588-d9c8-4c2a-8312-d27639b8dd43.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Board of Public Utilities The Board of Public Utilities meets on Mon, April 13, at 6:30 p.m. (agenda) to review proposed two-year electric and water utility budgets totaling over $645 million in projected revenues for 2026-27 ([link](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=82a9d31c-dd75-4289-9e67-32d7897e49fb.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com)), and consider equipment purchases and infrastructure contracts that support water and electrical system operations. ### Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee The Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee (Councilmembers Perry, Conder, and Mill) meets on Wed, April 13, at 1 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1400169&GUID=BAEEA79F-801D-4350-B53C-0748A4FC7127&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider a proposed City ordinance that would add a new requirement to report the transport of people who lack stable nighttime housing ([link](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15365745&GUID=F15C23C3-13B3-4879-8E0C-884FE021527A&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) and review Phase 1 implementation of the Riverside Fire Department Master Plan, which outlines the first steps in a broader plan for City fire services. ([link](https://riversideca.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=037febd0-cd0c-47a4-b461-662a807c953a.docx&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) ### Cultural Heritage Board The Cultural Heritage Board meets on Wed, April 15, at 3:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1402825&GUID=9F00E4ED-F83F-4346-A897-8E09F552D89E&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to consider a request by the Riverside County Office of Education to remove two Orange Street properties from their historic landmark status and redraw the Prospect Place Historic District boundary, which would eliminate current preservation protections on those parcels. ([link](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15372009&GUID=24C75961-8BA6-44FF-99EB-A1BE62DB83E3&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-april-13-2026/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260413) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260413&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [HOUSING](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/housing/) ## Riverside Awarded $20.4 Million to Fund Homelessness Programs as Housing Concerns Grow The state HHAP grant arrives as the city continues to fall short on affordable housing targets and faces fallout from its January rejection of a $20.1 million Homekey+ award. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-3.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-awarded-20-4-million-to-fund-homelessness-programs-as-housing-concerns-grow/) Mulberry Village, a 10-cottage community developed by Habitat for Humanity Riverside, offers permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless residents. The city contracted with Riverside Housing Development Corporation to manage the property. (Habitat for Humanity/[Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/C2-TvAGPENu/?img%5Findex=3&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) The state awarded Riverside city and county $20.4 million in homelessness funding — even as the city faces scrutiny over housing performance and a rejected affordable housing grant. **Why it matters:** The funds will support shelter operations, hotel and motel vouchers, and move-in assistance for Riverside residents experiencing homelessness — but the city's broader housing record remains under pressure from state regulators. **Driving the news:** Gov. Newsom announced the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Round 6 awards April 8, distributing $145.4 million across eight regions statewide. - Riverside County, the City of Riverside, and the Riverside City & County Continuum of Care will share the $20.4 million allocation. **The backstory:** The award lands amid mounting tension over Riverside's housing track record. The city has permitted less than 20% of its 2021–2029 target of 18,458 new homes — with virtually no approvals for very-low, low-, or moderate-income units in recent years. - In January, the City Council rejected $20.1 million in Homekey+ funding that would have converted a University Avenue motel into 114 permanent supportive units, drawing legal concern from housing advocates and state regulators. **Yes, but:** HHAP and Homekey+ are separate programs — different funding sources, different purposes. HHAP money is formula-based and flows automatically; Homekey+ is competitive and project-based. The city had planned to use HHAP dollars as a partial match for the rejected Homekey+ project, and how those funds will now be deployed remains unresolved. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-awarded-20-4-million-to-fund-homelessness-programs-as-housing-concerns-grow/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260413)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260413&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-04-13T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Interfaith Prayer Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/interfaith-prayer-meeting/18484085/2026-04-13T19) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-04-13T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [Hadestown (Touring)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/hadestown-touring/16641314/2026-04-13T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center - [Meet Your Candidates for Judge](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/meet-your-candidates-for-judge/18508687/2026-04-10T17) at Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce - [Monday Carillon Recitals](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/monday-carillon-recitals/17079871/2026-04-13T12) at UCR Bell Tower ### Tomorrow - [Arlington Library| Take and Make Craft: Earth Day Craft](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/arlington-library-take-and-make-craft-earth-day-craft/18510156/2026-04-14T10) at Arlington library - [Liberty Elementary School Leadership Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/liberty-elementary-school-leadership-day/18113021/2026-04-14T08) at Liberty Elementary School - [Orange Terrace Library | BrainSTEM: DIY Recycled Paper](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-terrace-library-brainstem-diy-recycled-paper/18290428/2026-04-14T15) at Orange Terrace Library - [Orange Terrace Library | Lego Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-terrace-library-lego-club/18328174/2026-04-14T10) at Orange Terrace Library - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-04-14T19) at The Hideaway ### Save the Date - April 17-18, 23-25:: [Frozen: The Broadway Musical](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-23T19) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) - April 23: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 2 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-2-community-forum/18495178/2026-04-23T18) at UCR Alumni & Visitors Center - April 25: [78th Annual Riverside Flower Show and Garden Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/78th-annual-riverside-flower-show-and-garden-tour/18520936/2026-04-25T09) at Riverside Elks Lodge (free- $10) - April 29: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 4 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-4-community-forum/18495206/2026-04-29T18) at Riverside Citrus State Park - Sunkist Center - May 3: ["The Sound of Riverside" - The 2026 Riverside Arts Academy Gala](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-sound-of-riverside-the-2026-riverside-arts-academy-gala/18503772/2026-05-03T17) at UCR University Theatre ($150- $325) - May 6: [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Neighbor of the Week: Debbie Hodson URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-debbie-hodson/ Last updated: 2026-04-12T12:00:35.000Z If Arts Bar & Grill is a Riverside institution, Debbie Hodson is the soul of it. A server at Arts for four decades, Debbie has become as much a part of the restaurant as the menu itself. She started her Riverside career at Howard Johnson on University Avenue back in the race track days, where she crossed paths with more than a few NASCAR drivers, before finding her home at Arts in 1985\. She never left. Over the years, Gazette contributors have mentioned her by name more than once, including in a recent piece about Downtown Riverside life, where a regular noted that Debbie always knows her order before she sits down. That kind of presence is hard to put into words, but her regulars have tried. "Debbie is far more than a great waitress at Arts," say two regulars. "She's the kind of person who makes you feel genuinely seen. On packed Taco Tuesdays she somehow spots us from across the room and delivers our regular drink order without missing a beat, and after a stretch away, her warm welcome home is the first thing that greets us at the door. If you're having an off day, she'll be at your side before you've said a word, asking the only question that matters: 'you good?'" A Taco Tuesday group of regulars agrees: "When you walk into Arts, Debbie makes you feel like you're walking into her dining room for dinner. She knows your name, where you like to sit, what you like to drink, and brings it to you before you can order it. Even though there are often six of us, she knows what we order and our tacos magically appear. Debbie has a wicked sense of humor and welcomes our ongoing banter — to say she gives as good as she gets is an understatement. When we're unable to make our Tuesday visit, we certainly miss the delicious tacos, but we miss seeing Debbie even more." Debbie has called Riverside home for more than three decades, raising her family here before eventually moving to Temecula after remarrying. But her heart, as she'll tell you, never really left. She still shows up for her customers every shift the same way she always has: like family. --- **What does Riverside mean to you?** It's home. I raised my family here, I lived in Riverside for at least 34 years. I remarried after the death of my husband and moved to Temecula. Arts Bar & Grill has been a staple in Riverside — great food, great people, great atmosphere, a fun place. Everyone has become so important to me and I like to think I am to all the customers. I call them my peeps. I love making new friends as new customers come in. This is the best restaurant in town as far as I'm concerned. **What is your Mt. Rubidoux summit count (estimated)?** I've been to the top at least six times. Beautiful. The view is spectacular. **What is your favorite restaurant outside of Downtown or Magnolia Center?** Well, it used to be Spunky Steer on Van Buren and Jurupa Road. But they closed. **What is the most beautiful building in Riverside?** Besides the Mission Inn, I think the Fox Theater is very nice. Nothing beats the Mission Inn. I've been in the Fox at least a half dozen times — it's beautiful. Gone to concerts there. **What is your favorite Riverside small business?** Arts Bar & Grill of course. Next would be Back to the Grind. Darren is the best! Great coffee and atmosphere. **What is your favorite Riverside non-profit organization?** Habitat for Humanity. They do a lot for so many people. It's a great organization. **The Festival of Lights: Every year on opening night or maybe on a Tuesday?** I've always worked on opening night of the Festival of Lights, but watched the fireworks from Arts. They put on a great, fun time for adults and kids every year. **What is your go-to sandwich in town?** Well, that's easy — the Figgy Piggy at Arts. Backstreet also has great sandwiches, although I haven't been in a while. **What is your idea of a perfect weekend day in Riverside?** Going fishing with my husband at the park off Crestmore. Or a BBQ at Fairmount Park or Rancho Jurupa Park. Always a nice, relaxing day. Took my kids and grandchildren there for years. **What is your favorite spot for a date night?** The Market Broiler for dinner. Great food, relaxing. **Do you call it the Galleria or Tyler Mall?** Tyler Mall. **What is one place in Riverside you would bring back if you could?** The Riverside Raceway. It brought so many people to Riverside. I never understood why they took it away for another mall. **If you could put one message on a billboard on the 91, what would it be?** Best food in town at Arts. Or: Be kind to one another — everyone is going through something. **Finally, what are you working on right now, and how can our readers support your efforts?** One of my passions is that I believe everybody should be celebrated on their birthday. I try to celebrate people. Every day God gives you should be celebrated. Enjoy life, enjoy other people, make friends and be a friend. Be the ear people need, and help when possible. *Neighbor of the Week is our way of celebrating the hidden heroes of Riverside—those who go above and beyond to make our community stronger, kinder, and more vibrant. We believe every remarkable Riversider deserves their story told. Know someone who’s making a difference?* [*Nominate a Neighbor of the Week*](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) ### 🗞️ Riverside News- April 12, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-april-12-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:32.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/IMG_3029.jpeg) Palm trees line Victoria Avenue as dusk settles over Riverside. (James Rowland) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Sunday Gazette: April 12, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Sunday!** On Thursday we announced 50 additional spots for the Ward 2 and Ward 4 candidate forums, and the response has been strong. Ward 6 still has room. If you've been on the fence, this is your sign: these forums exist so you can sit across from the people who want to represent your neighborhood, ask the questions that matter to you, and walk into the June election feeling informed. Your voice deserves to be in that room. If spots fill up, you can still join the waitlist, and we're hoping to accommodate standing room at the back of the Ward 2 and Ward 4 venues as well. All three forums are free and open to every Riverside resident. [Register today](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-gazette-is-hosting-its-first-ever-candidate-forums-wards-2-4-and-6/) before seats are gone. See you tomorrow! --- 🧡 Thank you to the Subscribers who became paid supporters this week: Keith Alex, Linda Armstrong, Natalie Brown, Mary Bryant, Pam Cuthbertson, Maureen Audsley Kane, Mike Mensel, Richard Moslenko, Stephanie Redmond, and Sara Truitt. [Your ongoing financial support](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-march-15-2026-2/#/portal/account/plans) is vital to our success in serving Riverside with the news it deserves! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260412)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260412&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GARDENING](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/gardening/) ## From the Kitchen Garden: April, Spring Planting Begins Tips on what to plant, when to pick, and what to watch out for in your home garden. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-5.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-the-kitchen-garden-april-spring-planting-begins/) A productive April garden in full swing — raised beds bursting with strawberries, nasturtiums, and cool-season greens before the summer heat arrives. (Kim Malstrom) April is when the garden really starts to take off. Everything looks greener, fuller, and you can finally feel that shift into spring. And every year, I get the same question: "Can I plant my tomatoes yet?" Normally, I'd say wait a couple more weeks. But this year? With how warm our winter has been, I'm stepping out of the norm — go ahead and plant them. I already have over 30 tomato plants in the ground in my own kitchen garden! Just know there's a little risk. April nights can still dip into the 40s, and tomatoes don't love that. If you plant now, be ready to cover them on colder nights — an old sheet, blanket, or painter's cloth works just fine. If you'd rather skip that step, waiting until mid to late April makes things a lot easier. Because of the early heat, most cool-season crops are already on their way out. If your lettuce, cilantro, or celery is bolting, go ahead and pull it. It's done. If you've still got some hanging on, enjoy it now — this is your last window before the heat takes over. Also, remember to check your March utility bill. Riverside Public Utilities gives out free trees every year, and April is a great time to get yours planted before summer hits. The Tree Program runs through the end of June. [Read and share the complete Guide to April Gardens...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-the-kitchen-garden-april-spring-planting-begins/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260412)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260412&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [NEIGHBOR OF THE WEEK](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/neighbor-of-the-week/) ## Neighbor of the Week: Debbie Hodson Neighbor of the Week is a series profiling the hidden heroes of Riverside, doing incredible works of service throughout our different neighborhoods. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-2.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-debbie-hodson/) Debbie Hodson at Arts Bar & Grill in Downtown, where she has worked since 1985 and where, regulars will tell you, she knows your order before you sit down. (Brenda Flowers) If Arts Bar & Grill is a Riverside institution, Debbie Hodson is the soul of it. A server at Arts for four decades, Debbie has become as much a part of the restaurant as the menu itself. She started her Riverside career at Howard Johnson on University Avenue back in the race track days, where she crossed paths with more than a few NASCAR drivers, before finding her home at Arts in 1985\. She never left. Over the years, Gazette contributors have mentioned her by name more than once, including [in a recent piece about Downtown life](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/downtown-has-quirks-the-perks-win/), where a regular noted that Debbie always knows her order before she sits down. That kind of presence is hard to put into words, but her regulars have tried. "Debbie is far more than a great waitress at Arts," say two regulars. "She's the kind of person who makes you feel genuinely seen. On packed Taco Tuesdays she somehow spots us from across the room and delivers our regular drink order without missing a beat, and after a stretch away, her warm welcome home is the first thing that greets us at the door. If you're having an off day, she'll be at your side before you've said a word, asking the only question that matters: 'you good?'" A Taco Tuesday group of regulars agrees: "When you walk into Arts, Debbie makes you feel like you're walking into her dining room for dinner. She knows your name, where you like to sit, what you like to drink, and brings it to you before you can order it. Even though there are often six of us, she knows what we order and our tacos magically appear. Debbie has a wicked sense of humor and welcomes our ongoing banter — to say she gives as good as she gets is an understatement. When we're unable to make our Tuesday visit, we certainly miss the delicious tacos, but we miss seeing Debbie even more." Debbie has called Riverside home for more than three decades, raising her family here before eventually moving to Temecula after remarrying. But her heart, as she'll tell you, never really left. She still shows up for her customers every shift the same way she always has: like family. [Get to know Debbie...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/neighbor-of-the-week-debbie-hodson/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260412) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260412&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [CREATIVE PROMPTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/creative-prompts/) ## Outside the Lines A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns. [![a blue paint can with a brush in it](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1670940094923-6f75e4dc5c3a?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDJ8fHBhaW50JTIwY2FufGVufDB8fHx8MTc3NTg0NjMyOHww&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/outside-the-lines/) ([Astrid Schaffner](https://unsplash.com/@familyschaffner?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) This week, we’re opening ourselves up creatively with a nudge that has a little more heft: a used paint can. Half full, fully forgotten. When you shake them, they can sometimes sounds like your belly if you try to run after downing a half days worth of water in one sitting. Sometimes they feel empty even though you swear there was some paint left when you finished the spare room remodel. When they are completely dried out, they feel empty; the surface inside hardens into a strange topography of color mixed with a sprinkling of entropy. You probably have a few around…I definitely do. Right now they are organized in a neat, upright pile in a corner of my backyard, like colorful time capsules and peeling labels: “Eggshell Beige, 2017,” “Kitchen Cobalt” “Don’t Open This One.” I keep mine after art or home improvement projects, partly because they still feel useful, partly because I’m never quite sure what to do with them. There are recycling programs, but they come with rules, limited access, labeling standards. Just enough friction to make procrastination feel like a reasonable solution. [Read and share the complete prompt...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/outside-the-lines/) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Sunday, April 12 - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-04-12T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [The Expeditions of Juan Bautista de Anza through Riverside County](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-expeditions-of-juan-bautista-de-anza-through-riverside-county/18308461/2026-04-12T13) at Riverside Medical Clinic Basement Meeting Room - [Sunday Experiment After Dark](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sunday-experiment-after-dark/14528750/2026-04-12T21) at Downtown Experiment ### Monday, April 13 - [Volunteer Interest Hour at Riverside Meals on Wheels](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) - [Interfaith Prayer Meeting at Riverside Baha'i Center](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) - [Goeske Bingo at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100)](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) - [Hadestown (Touring) at Fox Performing Arts Center](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) - [Meet Your Candidates for Judge at Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) - [Monday Carillon Recitals at UCR Bell Tower](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) ### Tuesday, April 14 - [Arlington Library| Take and Make Craft: Earth Day Craft](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/arlington-library-take-and-make-craft-earth-day-craft/18510156/2026-04-14T10) at Arlington library - [Liberty Elementary School Leadership Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/liberty-elementary-school-leadership-day/18113021/2026-04-14T08) at Liberty Elementary School - [Orange Terrace Library | BrainSTEM: DIY Recycled Paper](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-terrace-library-brainstem-diy-recycled-paper/18290428/2026-04-14T15) at Orange Terrace Library - [Orange Terrace Library | Lego Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-terrace-library-lego-club/18328174/2026-04-14T10) at Orange Terrace Library - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-04-14T19) at The Hideaway ### Wednesday, April 15 - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-04-15T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-04-15T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [**Chancellor's Distinguished Lecture Series: A Conversation with Jack Dangermond**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/chancellors-distinguished-lecture-series-a-conversation-with-jack-dangermond/18543104/2026-04-15T14) at University Theatre - [Reading Assistance Program](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-assistance-program/17973404/2026-04-15T15) at My Learning Studio - [Emory Elliott Book Awards & Reception](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/emory-elliott-book-awards-reception/18543105/2026-04-15T17) at The Stable (at The Barn) - [About Writing](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/about-writing/18335813/2026-04-15T10) at Janet Goeske Center - [History on the Rocks - Round Two!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-04-15T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Riverside Mission Belles](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-mission-belles/16691431/2026-04-15T09) at Victoria Presbyterian Church - [Riverside Open Mic Music Series](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-open-mic-music-series/15529475/2026-04-15T17) at Back to the Grind ### Thursday, April 16 - [Arlington Library| Mini Zine Lab](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/arlington-library-mini-zine-lab/18510036/2026-04-16T16) at Arlington library - [Orange Terrace Library | Earth Day Family Storytime](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-terrace-library-earth-day-family-storytime/18297506/2026-04-16T11) at Orange Terrace Library - [History on the Rocks!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-04-16T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [An Evening With Matisyahu](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/an-evening-with-matisyahu/18078106/2026-04-16T19) at Fox Performing Arts Center ### Friday, April 17 - [R'Hours at the R'Garden](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rhours-at-the-rgarden/18094958/2026-04-17T08) at R'Garden - [Rubberband Model Airplane Craft](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/eastside-library-at-lincoln-park-rubberband-model-airplane-craft/18330771/2026-04-17T16) at Eastside Library at Lincoln Park - [**Frozen: The Broadway Musical**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-17T19) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) - [In Conversation with Carlos Mejía Godoy](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/in-conversation-with-carlos-meja-godoy/18543112/2026-04-17T19) at Culver Center of the Arts - [Into the Breeches! by George Brant](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/into-the-breeches-by-george-brant-at-riverside-community-players/18450344/2026-04-17T19) at Riverside Community Players ($20- $22.24) - [The Life of Galileo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-life-of-galileo/18331308/2026-04-17T19) at The Box Riverside ($23) - [Mundanity Band Live](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mundanity-band-live/18094935/2026-04-17T19) at The Barn - [Beer Tasting Speed Dating by Comedy Cupids](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/beer-tasting-speed-dating-by-comedy-cupids/18450282/2026-04-17T19) at Carbon Nation Brewing ($17.85) - [COLORS Presents: R&B ONLY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/colors-presents-rb-only/18312112/2026-04-17T20) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium - [R&B ONLY LIVE - Riverside, CA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rb-only-live-riverside-ca/18464014/2026-04-17T20) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ### Saturday, April 18 - [13th Annual Riverside Tamale Festival](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/13th-annual-riverside-tamale-festival/18222593/2026-04-18T11) at White Park (free- $100) - [Blue Zones Project Riverside: Moai Launch Party](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/blue-zones-project-riverside-moai-launch-party/18380677/2026-04-18T10) at North Park - [Sherman Indian High School Pow wow 2026](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sherman-indian-high-school-pow-wow-2026/17903591/2026-04-18T10) at Sherman Indian High School - [Mt. Rubidoux Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mt-rubidoux-walking-tour/17492780/2026-04-18T10) at Mt. Rubidoux Trailhead, a short walk from Ryan Bonaminio Park. ($21.20) - [Create Your Own Custom Slime | National Stress Awareness Month](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/create-your-own-custom-slime-national-stress-awareness-month/18503795/2026-04-18T15) at Marcy Library - [**Frozen: The Broadway Musical**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-17T19) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) - [Grow with Us Earth Day at the R'Garden](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/grow-with-us-earth-day-at-the-rgarden/18543114/2026-04-18T09) at R'Garden - [Layers of Me: Painting Our Truths](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/layers-of-me-painting-our-truths/18508656/2026-04-18T13) at Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California - [Spring Fling at Parkview on Chicago](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/spring-fling-at-parkview-on-chicago/18433867/2026-04-18T09) at Parkview Nursery - [Ultra Sunn](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/ultra-sunn/17499184/2026-04-18T19) at Farm House Collective - [Women's Soccer vs. San Diego](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/womens-soccer-vs-san-diego/18543115/2026-04-18T19) at UCR Soccer Stadium - [MAGIC UNDERGROUND](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/magic-underground/18337412/2026-04-18T19) at Back To The Grind ($30- $45) - [Rage Against the Machine Tribute](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rage-against-the-machine-tribute-by-renegades-of-rage/18120564/2026-04-18T21) at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($20.23) - [**Fant-A-She’s**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fantashes/18337803/2026-04-18T20) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ($37- $97) 📆 ****Correction:** In [Friday's Earth Month Guide](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-celebrates-earth-month-with-bugs-blooms-and-new-social-circles/), the location for the Moai Launch Party was listed incorrectly — the event will be held at North Park, 3200 Mission Inn Ave. For more information, visit [riversideca.gov](https://riversideca.gov/calendar/event/blue-zones-project-riverside-moai-launch-party?date=Saturday%2C%20April%2018%2C%202026&ref=raincrossgazette.com). ## Save the Date - April 17-18, 23-25:: [Frozen: The Broadway Musical](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-23T19) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) - April 23: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 2 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-2-community-forum/18495178/2026-04-23T18) at UCR Alumni & Visitors Center - April 25: [78th Annual Riverside Flower Show and Garden Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/78th-annual-riverside-flower-show-and-garden-tour/18520936/2026-04-25T09) at Riverside Elks Lodge (free- $10) - April 29: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 4 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-4-community-forum/18495206/2026-04-29T18) at Riverside Citrus State Park - Sunkist Center - May 3: ["The Sound of Riverside" - The 2026 Riverside Arts Academy Gala](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-sound-of-riverside-the-2026-riverside-arts-academy-gala/18503772/2026-05-03T17) at UCR University Theatre ($150- $325) - May 6: [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### From the Kitchen Garden: April, Spring Planting Begins URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-the-kitchen-garden-april-spring-planting-begins/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T18:06:24.000Z ### This Month in the Garden April is when the garden really starts to take off. Everything looks greener, fuller, and you can finally feel that shift into spring. And every year, I get the same question: "Can I plant my tomatoes yet?" Normally, I'd say wait a couple more weeks. But this year? With how warm our winter has been, I'm stepping out of the norm — go ahead and plant them. I already have over 30 tomato plants in the ground in my own kitchen garden! Just know there's a little risk. April nights can still dip into the 40s, and tomatoes don't love that. If you plant now, be ready to cover them on colder nights — an old sheet, blanket, or painter's cloth works just fine. If you'd rather skip that step, waiting until mid to late April makes things a lot easier. Because of the early heat, most cool-season crops are already on their way out. If your lettuce, cilantro, or celery is bolting, go ahead and pull it. It's done. If you've still got some hanging on, enjoy it now — this is your last window before the heat takes over. Also, remember to check your March utility bill. Riverside Public Utilities gives out free trees every year, and April is a great time to get yours planted before summer hits. The Tree Program runs through the end of June. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/IMG_0036.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/IMG_0034.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/IMG_0032.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/IMG_0009.jpeg) April kitchen gardens in Riverside — raised beds, fresh plantings, spring blooms, and a stunning purple cauliflower ready for harvest. (Kim Malstrom) ### What Are We Picking? **Vegetables:** Lettuce, spinach, kale, Swiss chard, carrots, radishes, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, green onions **Herbs:** Rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley, cilantro **Flowers:** Pansies, violas, snapdragons, calendula, sweet peas, stock, nasturtiums **Fruits:** Citrus (lemons, oranges, mandarins), strawberries ### What Are We Planting? April is that in-between month where you're doing both: wrapping up your cool-season garden while bringing in your summer crops. You can still squeeze in a round of lettuce, spinach, or peas if you want one more harvest before the heat really sets in. At the same time, start adding warm-season plants like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and squash. Just keep an eye on those nighttime temps — everything does better once nights stay consistently warm. If your beds are looking overgrown or tired, now's a great time to pull what's done and make space for something new. Try not to leave empty soil sitting around for too long — bare ground turns into weeds fast. Even a quick crop like lettuce is better than nothing, and keeps your garden working for you. If you took fall and winter off from gardening, or are starting fresh, avoid tilling your soil. Turning soil disrupts the beneficial organisms that support plant health and brings dormant weed seeds to the surface. Instead, add a layer of compost or fresh soil on top to improve fertility while preserving what's already working down below. ### What to Watch Out For **Cutworms in the soil:** Brown caterpillars that hide in the soil during the day. At night, they chew young plant stems at ground level — often cutting plants off completely. Remove by hand when you find them. **Aphids on new growth:** Clusters of tiny insects showing up on tender, fresh growth, especially leafy greens. This is when they start multiplying quickly. Spray off with a strong stream of water every few days and stay consistent. **Whiteflies in the garden:** A cloud of tiny white insects that fly up when you brush your plants. They become more common as temperatures warm. Use yellow sticky traps and plant alyssum to attract beneficial insects. **Bolting lettuce and cilantro:** Plants suddenly shoot up tall and start to flower as temperatures rise — this means the plant is going to seed. Harvest what you can immediately, then pull plants once they bolt. **Irrigation changes needed:** Plants begin needing more water as temperatures rise and growth speeds up. Current gardens may still be on cooler-season schedules. Check your irrigation and adjust as needed. Right now, I'm watering every other day for about 10 minutes in my own garden, and will switch to daily watering as the heat increases. **Free tree coupon update from Riverside Public Utilities:** Riverside Public Utilities now requires residents to redeem their free tree coupon online instead of using the paper version. If you're not sure how to navigate it, there's a step-by-step video walkthrough available at [riversideca.gov](https://riversideca.gov/utilities/residents/rebates/tree-power?ref=raincrossgazette.com). ### Gardener's To-Do List - Add a fresh layer of compost to your beds before your main spring planting. - Start planting warm-season crops mid to late April once nights stay consistently above 50°. This is the season for tomatoes, peppers, beans, cucumbers, and all the squashes — pumpkin, zucchini, yellow squash, spaghetti squash, and acorn squash. - Check your irrigation now, before it gets hot. You don't want to find leaks or clogs in July. - Harvest your greens often so they don't bolt as temperatures rise. - Redeem and plant your free Riverside tree while the weather is still mild and the selection is wide. - Add mulch around plants to help hold moisture as we head into warmer days. ### Closing Tip April is a sweet spot in the garden. Everything is growing quickly, but we're not in the stress of summer yet. If you've been meaning to get things planted, this is your window — don't let it slip by. And seriously, grab that free tree from Riverside Public Utilities. It's easy to forget about, but down the road you'll be really glad you planted it. **More information:* Kim Malstrom designs, installs, and teaches vegetable gardens for beginners and families in Riverside. To learn more, visit* [*kitchengardensbykim.com*](https://kitchengardensbykim.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *or follow along on Instagram at* [*@kitchengardensbykim*](https://www.instagram.com/kitchengardensbykim/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### Outside the Lines URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/outside-the-lines/ Last updated: 2026-04-11T12:00:50.000Z Welcome back, fellow creatives. [Last week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/dispensable-dalliance/) we got all wrapped up in napkins by turning them into amateur origami, imagining impossible materials, and maybe even confronting the evident overabundance buried in glove boxes and kitchen drawers. Perhaps you answered the question of whether napkins should be placed over your lap or tucked into your shirt at dinner. If you turned something disposable into something worth holding onto, even for a few minutes, you’re sustaining a creative outlet in your busy life, well done! This week, we’re opening ourselves up creatively with a nudge that has a little more heft: a used paint can. Half full, fully forgotten. When you shake them, they can sometimes sounds like your belly if you try to run after downing a half days worth of water in one sitting. Sometimes they feel empty even though you swear there was some paint left when you finished the spare room remodel. When they are completely dried out, they feel empty; the surface inside hardens into a strange topography of color mixed with a sprinkling of entropy. You probably have a few around…I definitely do. Right now they are organized in a neat, upright pile in a corner of my backyard, like colorful time capsules and peeling labels: “Eggshell Beige, 2017,” “Kitchen Cobalt” “Don’t Open This One.” I keep mine after art or home improvement projects, partly because they still feel useful, partly because I’m never quite sure what to do with them. There are recycling programs, but they come with rules, limited access, labeling standards. Just enough friction to make procrastination feel like a reasonable solution. As an assemblage artist, my favorite materials are discarded objects and illegally dumped trash piles. Last year, near the Painted Hills where the Interstate 10 meets Highway 62 heading into Joshua Tree, I came across dozens of identical white discarded paint cans dumped into the desert just steps from the shoulder. In my studies of hundreds of these sites, this is often the last, and hidden, step in a home remodeling project. I did what any reasonable artist might do—I built a pyramid out of them! A monument to neglect. Or reuse. Or just curiosity about what viewer’s reactions would be. When I came back six months later, they were gone. It felt like I had conjured some kind of cleanup genie that whisked the mess away and (hopefully) delivered it somewhere more appropriate. It left me wondering: was the art the pile itself, or the act of paying attention to it long enough for it to disappear? Used paint cans live in that same in-between space of “perhaps.” Not quite trash, not quite treasure, making them perfect for a few minutes of creative exploration. Here are five ways to make play from what remains: **1\. Dry Skin:** Open the can and study the surface of the dried paint. Cracks, ridges, bubbles, strange color shifts. Treat it like an aerial map or an alien terrain. Sketch it, photograph it, or write a field report from this newly discovered world. **2\. Desert Rattler:** Using a stir stick, screwdriver, or your knuckles, tap the can, the lid, the rim. Each part has a different tone—hollow, dull, metallic, sharp. Build a rhythm. Add a second can if you’re feeling ambitious. Record your composition or perform it live for an unsuspecting neighbor **3\. Fumigate:** Carefully catch a faint whiff (don’t huff it—this is art, not a health hazard). Paint has a way of carrying memory—fresh starts, long weekends, unfinished projects. Write a short memory triggered by the smell. Or invent one. **4\. Transfer Station:** If the paint is still usable (or even semi-usable), use a stick, brush, or found object to apply it to something unexpected: cardboard, scrap wood, a rock, or your own body. Focus on the texture. Thick, clumpy, smooth, resistant. Let the imperfections lead the way. This isn’t about painting something, it’s about painting with what’s left. **5\. Carry On:** Pick up the can. Hold it. Carry it around for a minute or two. Notice how your body adjusts; the grip, the balance, the subtle compensation for weight. Now exaggerate that movement. Turn it into a slow-motion performance. A dance about carrying unfinished things. About holding onto what we don’t quite know how to let go of. Used paint cans are rarely empty. They hold paint, yes—but also time, effort, hesitation, and change. This week isn’t about finishing the job. It’s about noticing what’s left behind and letting that be enough to begin again. So, whether you turn yours into art, music, memory—or finally drop it off at the right recycling center—take a few minutes first to see it differently. *This column was written with the help of ChatGPT, used as a creative collaborator to paint a better picture of the world as I see it.* ### 🍊Your Riverside Weekend- April 11, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/your-riverside-weekend-april-11-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:33.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/02/_DSC5738.jpg) **Your Riverside Weekend- April 11, 2026** **Happy Saturday, Riverside!** We hope your week treated you well. Before you head into your weekend, we've gathered the stories that defined life in our city this week — from City Hall to community happenings. You're in the right place to catch up — your weekend starts here. --- [The Gazette Is Hosting Its First-Ever Candidate Forums — Wards 2, 4, and 6Free, ward-specific forums this April ahead of the June election, where the questions come from the community, not the campaign.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/icon/rg-1-27.png)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/Neighborhood-Forum-Series--3--1.png)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-gazette-is-hosting-its-first-ever-candidate-forums-wards-2-4-and-6/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260411)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260411&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [The Riverside Art Market Is Back at White Park This Saturday With 100 Artists and Free AdmissionA free, all-day market brings 100 artists to White Park this Saturday — with live music, food, kids’ activities, and the chance to take home something made right here in Riverside.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteSponsored Story![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-29.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-riverside-art-market-is-back-at-white-park-this-saturday-with-100-artists-and-free-admission/) [First Notes at DawnWhen Riverside held its first Easter Sunrise Pilgrimage in 1909, Gustav Hilverkus was there — cornet in hand, music echoing off the mountain.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteGlenn Wenzel![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/1--Hillverkus--Gustav--1909-Easter-CLD1-209---Copy-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/first-notes-at-dawn/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260411)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260411&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- [Council Bans Nitrous Oxide, Kratom Sales CitywideThe ordinances carry penalties of up to $1,000, six months in jail or loss of a tobacco retail permit.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/240719-cityhallwall.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-bans-nitrous-oxide-kratom-sales-citywide/) [Council Shrinks Budget Commission Again to Stop Meeting CancellationsThe city cut the advisory body from 13 to 10 seats Tuesday, with a further reduction to nine planned, after chronic quorum failures canceled 10 meetings since 2023.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteMicaela Ricaforte![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/cityhall-14-grierpavillion.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-shrinks-budget-commission-again-to-stop-meeting-cancellations/) [Rick Croy Leaves CBU as a Legend and the Future Looks BrightAfter thirteen years, Rick Croy leaves CBU with a WAC title, a tournament appearance, and a program built to last.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteKen Crawford![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/size/w1200/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-30.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/rick-croy-leaves-cbu-as-a-legend-and-the-future-looks-bright/) [The Mapping Company Next Door: How Esri and UCR Shaped a Global Industry from the Inland EmpireA free public summit on April 15 celebrates the half-century partnership between the Redlands-based tech giant and UC Riverside.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteSponsored Story![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/thumbnail/RG-Feat-Image-Template-33.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-mapping-company-next-door-how-esri-and-ucr-shaped-a-global-industry-from-the-inland-empire/) [Riverside Concert Band Celebrates 150 Years of Music at Fairmount ParkA free, all-day festival on April 25 brings together eight bands to mark the oldest all-volunteer band in America.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The Raincross GazetteGazette Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/size/w1200/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-27.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-concert-band-celebrates-150-years-of-music-at-fairmount-park/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260411) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260411&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Weather Forecast 🌧️ Sunday, April 12 — 64° / 48° · Rain 🌥️ Monday, April 13 — 66° / 48° · Mostly Cloudy ⛅ Tuesday, April 14 — 74° / 49° · Partly Cloudy 🌤️ Wednesday, April 15 — 79° / 51° · Mostly Sunny ⛅ Thursday, April 16 — 77° / 51° · Partly Cloudy ⛅ Friday, April 17 — 78° / 53° · Partly Cloudy ⛅ Saturday, April 18 — 80° / 55° · Partly Cloudy 🌧️ *A cooler, cloudier week ahead for Riverside — starting with rain Sunday and staying mostly in the 60s and 70s all week. Not a bad thing this time of year.* --- ## 💬 Staff Picks — What we're talking about around the Gazette this week ⛳️ Justin is spending the weekend in Temecula at a board planning conference while dreaming of spending it on the couch all weekend watching The Masters. 🎡 Amy has a little Coachella FOMO this weekend, but she's making peace with it — she's streaming it from home, the snacks and drinks are free, and she's not trudging through Sunday's possible mud. --- ## Save the Date - April 11: [11th Annual Riverside Art Market](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/11th-annual-riverside-art-market/18280944/2026-04-11T10) at White Park - April 13: [Meet Your Candidates for Judge](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/meet-your-candidates-for-judge/18508687/2026-04-10T17) at Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce at Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce - April 17-18, 23-25: [Frozen: The Broadway Musical](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-17T19) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) - April 18: [Walk with the Animals - Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/walk-with-the-animals-mary-s-roberts-pet-adoption-center/17926667/2026-04-18T09) at Fairmount Park - April 18: [Blue Zones Project Riverside: Moai Launch Party](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/blue-zones-project-riverside-moai-launch-party/18380677/2026-04-18T10) at North Park - April 18: [Fant-A-She’s](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fantashes/18337803/2026-04-18T20) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ($37- $97) - April 18: [MAGIC UNDERGROUND](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/magic-underground/18337412/2026-04-18T19) at Back To The Grind ($30- $45) - April 23: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 2 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-2-community-forum/18495178/2026-04-23T18) at UCR Alumni & Visitors Center - April 25: [78th Annual Riverside Flower Show and Garden Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/78th-annual-riverside-flower-show-and-garden-tour/18520936/2026-04-25T09) at Riverside Elks Lodge (free - $10) - April 29: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 4 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-4-community-forum/18495206/2026-04-29T18) at Riverside Citrus State Park - Sunkist Center - May 3: ["The Sound of Riverside" - The 2026 Riverside Arts Academy Gala](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-sound-of-riverside-the-2026-riverside-arts-academy-gala/18503772/2026-05-03T17) at UCR University Theatre ($150- $325) - May 6: [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Riverside Awarded $20.4 Million to Fund Homelessness Programs as Housing Concerns Grow URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-awarded-20-4-million-to-fund-homelessness-programs-as-housing-concerns-grow/ Last updated: 2026-04-14T12:00:25.000Z The city of Riverside — along with Riverside County — received $20.4 million from the state to address homelessness as the city faces mounting pressure over its ongoing housing performance challenges. "We're making critical investments through programs to help local communities expand housing, strengthen services, and better support people experiencing homelessness," said Gov. Gavin Newsom in an April 8 press release. "But just investing money is not enough — we have to invest in programs and local governments that are producing real results." ### HHAP Round 6 breakdown Riverside is one of eight regions sharing $145.4 million in Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Round 6 funds, a statewide program that supports shelter operations, outreach services, rental assistance, and other interventions for people experiencing homelessness. HHAP has helped transition more than 100,000 Californians into permanent stable housing since its creation, according to the press release. According to the [April 8 announcement from the California Department of Housing and Community Development](https://www.hcd.ca.gov/about-hcd/newsroom/HHAP6-batch3-awards?ref=raincrossgazette.com), the $20.4 million will be shared among Riverside County, the City of Riverside, and the Riverside City & County Continuum of Care, and is designated to support shelter operations, fund hotel and motel vouchers, and provide financial assistance for move-in costs. These formula-based awards were calculated from regional homeless population data. The City of Riverside's Public Information Office did not respond with a comment in time for publication. ### Housing performance under pressure The city remains under scrutiny as it works to improve its record on affordable housing. A [city report last month](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-falls-far-short-of-state-housing-mandate-report-shows/) showed Riverside has permitted less than 20% of its target of 18,458 new homes for the 2021–2029 cycle. Nearly all approvals have been for above-moderate-income homes, with no new very-low-income housing since 2021 and none for low- or moderate-income levels since 2023. The city also faced state and community criticism in January, when the [City Council rejected $20.1 million in Homekey+ funding](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/why-four-councilmembers-voted-against-university-terrace/) that would have converted the [Quality Inn on University Avenue](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-weighs-35-million-conversion-of-hotel-into-permanent-supportive-housing/) into 114 permanent supportive units. The decision also drew legal concern from housing advocates, including [Inland Counties Legal Services, the ACLU of Southern California, and the Public Interest Law Project](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-faces-lawsuits-as-deadline-passes-for-20-1-million-housing-project/), as well as from the California Department of Housing and Community Development. A spokesperson for the HCD [told the Gazette last month](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-applies-for-1-44-million-pro-housing-grant-amid-state-scrutiny/) that "HCD is closely monitoring the Riverside matter." ### Are HHAP and Homekey+ related? Though the $20.4 million Riverside received from the HHAP program is a similar amount to the $20.1 million Homekey+ grant rejected by the City Council in January, the grants are from two separate programs with distinct funding sources and purposes. Homekey+ is funded by Proposition 1 bond revenue and administered by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and is meant for transforming buildings into permanent supportive housing, particularly for people with serious behavioral health challenges. Awards are competitive and project-based. HHAP Round 6 is funded through a $1 billion state general fund appropriation authorized by Assembly Bill 166 and also administered by HCD. Allocations are formula-based, determined by local homeless counts and not by discretionary application. The money is intended for shelters, vouchers, case management, outreach, and move-in assistance. However, the city had planned to contribute around $6.5 million in HHAP funds as a capital match to support the University Terrace Homekey project, plus $2.75 million in operating match from HHAP and federal sources, according to a January city [report](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15049689&GUID=9F2C18DD-B745-4B2E-851B-6CC4BCD707C1&ref=raincrossgazette.com). When the council rejected Homekey+, the intended use of those HHAP dollars was left unresolved. ### The Mapping Company Next Door: How Esri and UCR Shaped a Global Industry from the Inland Empire URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-mapping-company-next-door-how-esri-and-ucr-shaped-a-global-industry-from-the-inland-empire/ Last updated: 2026-04-14T01:15:17.000Z UC Riverside will host a [Chancellor's Distinguished Lecture on April 15](https://events.ucr.edu/event/chancellors-distinguished-lecture-series-a-conversation-with-jack-dangermond?ref=raincrossgazette.com) that brings together Chancellor S. Jack Hu and Esri founder Jack Dangermond, a global leader in GIS system innovations. The conversation will celebrate and strengthen a partnership between the two organizations that has helped shape how we see our world. The public event at the University Theater starting at 2 p.m. will feature a conversation between Hu and Dangermond. It will be preceded by [workshops highlighting GIS research and educational opportunities at UCR](https://events.ucr.edu/event/mapping-the-future-geographic-information-systems-gis-at-ucr-esri-innovation-demo-day?ref=raincrossgazette.com). Organizers say the summit reflects a shared ambition to position the Inland Empire as a global center for GIS innovation. "This is much more than a lecture," Hu said. "While Esri and UCR both rose to prominence at the same time, we are now strengthening our relationship to make the Inland Empire the world's center for GIS innovation, education and application." The relationship between UCR and Esri traces back more than half a century. While pursuing a master's degree in geography at UCR in the early 1970s, David Nichols also worked for a small startup in nearby Redlands that was developing ways for computers to draw maps. The work involved running early mapping programs on UCR's mainframe computer. "It was a symbiotic relationship," Nichols said. "The company got access to the computer, and UCR could use the software it developed." Nichols served as the assistant director of Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Engineering and Science Directorate before retiring in 2015. The startup, founded in 1969 by Jack and Laura Dangermond, would become Environmental Systems Research Institute—now known as Esri. Since those early days of using computer time at UCR in the evenings, Esri has grown into a world leader in geographic information systems, or GIS, software. Its technology is used by governments, businesses, and researchers worldwide to analyze spatial data and guide decisions—from urban planning to disaster response, environmental management and public health, among many other applications. Still headquartered in Redlands, Esri employs more than 5,000 people and operates more than 40 offices and research centers across four continents. The April summit underscores how both institutions have evolved in tandem. As Esri pioneered advances in GIS software, UCR expanded from a small agricultural research station into a major research university with strengths in the arts, humanities, sciences, engineering, medicine, and environmental studies. Enrollment has grown fivefold over that time to more than 27,000 students. The partnership remains active and visible across campus. About 190 UCR alumni now work at Esri, according to LinkedIn, and the company regularly hires between six and 12 UCR students as interns at any given time. UCR also is expanding its academic offerings in the field. This year, the university launched a minor in Geospatial Analysis, with plans for a full interdisciplinary major pending approval. On the research front, UCR's School of Public Policy established the Center for Geospatial Sciences in 2017\. It is led by Professor Tony Grubesic, who earlier in his career worked as an Esri software developer. Grubesic, a federally certified drone pilot, studies how emerging data sources—including drone imagery—can be used for high-resolution mapping and urban analysis. He is an author of a book on the subject. "Our research is as varied as it is collaborative, but the common thread is to find new ways to visualize increasingly available spatial data to better understand our world so we can build a better future," Grubesic said. The center's interdisciplinary projects span public policy, health, and environmental challenges. Researchers have analyzed drug and human trafficking networks to improve detection strategies, optimized sensor placement in wastewater systems for better disease surveillance, and examined inequities in water and sewer rates across U.S. communities. Other work includes analyzing nationwide emergency medical services data to better understand disparities in trauma care access, as well as modeling air pollution patterns using low-cost sensor networks. The center's work has even extended into popular culture. One project used network analysis to trace the evolution of "yacht rock," identifying a core group of Los Angeles studio musicians who helped shape the genre and propel bands such as Toto and Steely Dan. These modern applications highlight how far GIS has advanced since the early days when Nichols and others programmed maps using punched cards on UCR's IBM 360/50 mainframe—a room-sized machine with less than a megabyte of memory. At the time, programmers created maps using letters, numbers, and symbols, layer alphanumeric characters to create grayscales to simulate terrain and other features. The work supported projects such as planning an artificial island in Osaka Bay that would later become Kansai International Airport. "The Geography Department supported Esri by having that equipment and people, including people like me, operating it and providing access to the computer center," Nichols said. "And we benefited—the department gained access to all of the software that Jack and his team had developed." **More information:* Esri founder Jack Dangermond joins UCR Chancellor S. Jack Hu for a free public conversation on Wednesday, April 15, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at UCR's University Theatre.* [*Register online.*](https://myadv.ucr.edu/forms/jackdangermond26?ref=raincrossgazette.com) ### 🗞️ Riverside News- April 10, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-april-2-2026-3/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:34.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/MJE_9119-copy.JPG) Raincross Gazette founder and publisher Justin Pardee (center) receives the Chairman's Award from the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce at their inaugural annual dinner. Pictured with Chamber Chairman of the Board Jennifer Binkley (left) and President/CEO Nicholas Adcock (right). (Michael J. Elderman) **Friday Gazette: April 10, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Friday!** Wednesday night, I received the Chairman's Award from the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce at their inaugural annual dinner. And I want to tell you why that was so meaningful to me. First, the award was selected and presented by Jennifer Binkley, President/CEO of Altura Credit Union. Altura was the Gazette's founding annual advertising partner. Before anyone else took a chance on a scrappy digital newsroom, Altura did. They signed on as our first Community Pillar partner and they are still with us today. The Gazette would literally not exist without their early belief in this work, and receiving this award from Jennifer, who leads an organization as deeply invested in this city as Altura, made the moment that much more meaningful. Second, California Baptist University president Dr. Ronald Ellis, was honored as Citizen of the Year. Dr. Ellis himself was one of the first ten Riversiders to become a paid supporter of the Gazette back in December 2020 and CBU was our second annual advertising partner. Dr. Ellis's leadership has not just made massive impacts on Riverside, but directly contributed to continuing the Gazette's efforts. In 2020, I decided it was a great idea to start a newspaper; and to deliver it only by email, so people can't even call it a newspaper! It was the sixth major pivot in my career, and people told me I was crazy (they were right). But I had spent the first 20 years of my professional life watching Riverside get defined by people who don't live here, by headlines written by newsrooms that don't know us. I still believe: Riverside deserves better than that. We deserve a newsroom that wakes up every morning thinking about this city the way we do. The timing of this honor is extra special. As you know, earlier this week the Gazette crossed 15,000 total subscribers. One out of every 16 adults in Riverside looks to their inbox every morning to find out what's happening in their city. You're showing up to council meetings. You're discovering new businesses. You're filling seats at events you didn't know existed until you read about them here. Here's what five years of this work has taught me: quality local news is economic development. When people know what's happening in their city, they engage. They show up. They spend money. They invest. They stay. In a world actively being divided by profiteering algorithms designed to keep us in scarcity, comparison, and outrage, a connected local community is precious, and a competitive advantage for Riverside. Building this newsroom has been the single most difficult work of my professional life, and I am still committed to not just building the newsroom Riverside deserves but to becoming the single most transformative business in the history of this city. Yep, I just said that, and I mean it. We're five years in, and we're just getting started. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/author_banner-justin-pardee-1.jpg) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260410)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260410&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [SPONSORED](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/sponsored/) ## The Mapping Company Next Door: How Esri and UCR Shaped a Global Industry from the Inland Empire A free public summit on April 15 celebrates the half-century partnership between the Redlands-based tech giant and UC Riverside. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-33-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-mapping-company-next-door-how-esri-and-ucr-shaped-a-global-industry-from-the-inland-empire/) UCR Chancellor S. Jack Hu and Esri founder Jack Dangermond will appear together at the UCR University Theatre on April 15 for a free public conversation on GIS innovation. (Stan Lim/ UC Riverside) UCR and Redlands-based Esri are deepening a 50-year partnership — and hosting a free public conversation Wednesday to mark it. **Why it matters:** The event is open to all, and organizers say the goal is to position the Inland Empire as a global center for GIS innovation — a field that shapes everything from urban planning to public health decisions. **Driving the news:** Chancellor S. Jack Hu and Esri founder Jack Dangermond will talk Wednesday, April 15, at UCR's University Theatre — the first public summit of its kind for the two institutions. - Workshops on GIS research and education at UCR precede the 2 p.m. conversation. **The backstory:** The relationship traces to the early 1970s, when a small Redlands startup used UCR's mainframe to run early mapping software. That startup became Esri — now a global GIS leader with 5,000+ employees and offices on four continents. **By the numbers:** About 190 UCR alumni work at Esri today; the company hires 6–12 UCR interns at any given time. UCR launched a Geospatial Analysis minor this year, with a full major pending approval. **What's next:** Wednesday, April 15, 2–3:30 p.m. at UCR's University Theatre. Free and open to the public — registration required. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-mapping-company-next-door-how-esri-and-ucr-shaped-a-global-industry-from-the-inland-empire/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260410)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260410&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## 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. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-32-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-celebrates-earth-month-with-bugs-blooms-and-new-social-circles/) A young visitor poses with a large recycled-metal insect sculpture at a past Riverside Insect Fair in Downtown. (Courtesy of the City of Riverside) Riverside's April calendar is loaded with free events, from insect races to home garden tours — here's a sampling. **Why it matters:** Earth Month in Riverside runs all April, and most events are free and open to the public, making it easy to get outside and connect with neighbors. **The lineup:** **Blue Zones Project Riverside: Moai Launch Party** — Saturday, April 18 at Riverside Municipal Airport. Free event celebrating the launch of 20+ new Moais — small social support circles rooted in an Okinawan longevity tradition. Features music, açaí bowls and giveaways while supplies last. **Riverside Insect Fair** — Saturday, April 25, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. at the Main Library, 3900 Mission Inn Ave. More than 50 vendors, cockroach races, live entertainment and a butterfly tent from the Museum of Riverside. UCR entomology grad students will staff their own booths. Free admission. **Riverside Community Flower Show and Garden Tour** — Saturday–Sunday, April 25–26, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. at the Riverside Elks Lodge. Displays from the Raincross Rose Society, local orchid and iris societies and UCCE Master Gardeners, plus a craft fair. Free. Self-guided tours of six private home gardens available for $10 (free for ages 16 and under), 10 a.m.–5 p.m. **Plant Bingo at Riverside Airport** — Wednesday, April 22 (Earth Day), 10 a.m.–noon in the Airport Terminal Lobby. Free bingo with plants and flowers as prizes while supplies last. Seating is limited. **Go deeper:** Full Earth Month calendar at [riversideca.gov](https://riversideca.gov/press/earth-month?ref=raincrossgazette.com). [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-celebrates-earth-month-with-bugs-blooms-and-new-social-circles/) --- #### [Adoptable Pet of the Week](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag//) ## Meet Tilly! Meet this week’s featured furry friend from the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center. Dedicated to eliminating pet homelessness, the center provides compassionate care and facilitates adoptions for animals in need of loving homes. Find your new companion and help support their mission of humane care and responsible pet ownership. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/Tilly_dog--standing-and-looking-at-camera.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/Crosby_dog.jpg) Tilly is a 5yr old Doberman mix with a gentle nature and an unbreakable spirit. After losing a hind leg earlier this year, she’s adjusted incredibly well and continues to grow more confident every day. While spending time in a foster home, Tilly proved to be an easy companion, walking nicely on leash, settling in comfortably, and enjoying being near people. She’s sweet, friendly, affectionate, and ready to bring her calm, loving presence into her new home. Come meet Tilly and all the adoptable pets at the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center in person. Stop by any day except Tuesdays, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., or learn more at [petsadoption.org](https://petsadoption.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). ****Alumni Update:** Crosby (right) was adopted. 🥳 --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260410) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260410&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Noteworthy La Sierra University's women's flag football team is among six programs [competing for a spot](https://gsacsports.org/tournaments/?id=11419&ref=raincrossgazette.com) in the GSAC's inaugural Women's Flag Football Championship, a two-day event April 16–17 at the Arizona Cardinals' flag football facility near State Farm Stadium in Glendale. [UCR Writers Week returns May 5–8 for its 49th year](https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/04/08/big-names-rising-stars-writers-week-may-5-8?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as California's longest-running free literary festival, featuring 11 authors including Pulitzer Prize winner Viet Thanh Nguyen and MacArthur Fellows Jonathan Lethem and Ilya Kaminsky. The Assessor-Clerk-Recorder's Office is [warning property owners about a surge in fraudulent mailers](https://abc7.com/post/riverside-county-officials-warn-residents-wary-mail-scam-targeting-property-owners/18780835/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) requesting payment for deeds and other documents that are available free through the county. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Friday, April 10 - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-04-10T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Certified Farmers Market](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/new-certified-farmers-market-january-9-at-farm-house-collective/17808448/2026-04-10T10) at Farm House Collective - [R'Hours at the R'Garden](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rhours-at-the-rgarden/18094958/2026-04-10T08) at R'Garden - [Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-and-heroes-walking-tour/17901085/2026-04-10T15) at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18) - [Family Storytime](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/family-storytime/17755261/2026-04-10T09) at Ameal Moore Nature Center - [**Meet Your Candidates for Judge**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/meet-your-candidates-for-judge/18508687/2026-04-10T17)at Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce - [Orange Terrace Library | Chess Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-terrace-library-chess-club/18305898/2026-04-10T14) at Orange Terrace Library - [Orange Terrace Library | Lego Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-terrace-library-lego-club/18328174/2026-04-10T10) at Orange Terrace Library - [Senior Tech Help](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-tech-help/17755285/2026-04-10T11) at Lincoln Park ### Saturday, April 11 - [**11th Annual Riverside Art Market**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/11th-annual-riverside-art-market/18280944/2026-04-11T10)at White Park - [Permaculture Design Training and Certificate](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/permaculture-design-training-and-certificate/17147647/2026-04-11T09) at Land Use Learning Center - [Mt. Rubidoux Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mt-rubidoux-walking-tour/17492780/2026-04-11T10) at Mt. Rubidoux Trailhead, a short walk from Ryan Bonaminio Park. ($21.20) - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-04-11T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [Olivewood Cemetery Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/olivewood-cemetery-tour/18153476/2026-04-11T10) at Olivewood Cemetery ($21.20) - [Men's Soccer vs. BIOLA](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/mens-soccer-vs-biola/18543094/2026-04-11T17) at UCR Soccer Stadium - [Women's Soccer vs. Concordia, Irvine](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/womens-soccer-vs-concordia-irvine/18543091/2026-04-11T10) at UCR Soccer Stadium - [Led Zeppelin Tribute by Zeppelin Revisited](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/led-zeppelin-tribute-by-zeppelin-revisited/18120561/2026-04-11T21) at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($20.23) - [Painting Hamilton, a Comedy Paint and Sip Show](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/painting-hamilton-a-comedy-paint-and-sip-show/17711277/2026-04-11T11) at Back to the Grind ($23.18) - [Qual](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/qual/17499183/2026-04-11T19) at Farm House Collective - [Ripperside Cinema Galore Presents: Prom Night](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/ripperside-cinema-galore-presents-prom-night/18450281/2026-04-11T19) at Back To The Grind ($12.51) - [Rockaways ( Ramones ) & Pretty Okay](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/rockaways-ramones-pretty-okay-at-packinghouse-brewing-co/18552668/2026-04-11T18) at Packinghouse Brewing Co. ### Sunday, April 12 - [Prayers and Public Information Meeting](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/prayers-and-public-information-meeting/16726617/2026-04-12T11) at Riverside Baha'i Center - [**The Expeditions of Juan Bautista de Anza through Riverside County**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-expeditions-of-juan-bautista-de-anza-through-riverside-county/18308461/2026-04-12T13) at Riverside Medical Clinic Basement Meeting Room - [Sunday Experiment After Dark](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sunday-experiment-after-dark/14528750/2026-04-12T21) at Downtown Experiment ## Save the Date - April 13: [Meet Your Candidates for Judge](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/meet-your-candidates-for-judge/18508687/2026-04-10T17) at Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce at Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce - April 17: [Frozen: The Broadway Musical](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-17T19) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) - April 18: [Walk with the Animals - Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/walk-with-the-animals-mary-s-roberts-pet-adoption-center/17926667/2026-04-18T09) at Fairmount Park - April 18: [Blue Zones Project Riverside: Moai Launch Party](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/blue-zones-project-riverside-moai-launch-party/18380677/2026-04-18T10) at North Park - April 18: [Fant-A-She’s](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fantashes/18337803/2026-04-18T20) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ($37- $97) - April 18: [MAGIC UNDERGROUND](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/magic-underground/18337412/2026-04-18T19) at Back To The Grind ($30- $45) - April 23: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 2 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-2-community-forum/18495178/2026-04-23T18) at UCR Alumni & Visitors Center - April 25: [78th Annual Riverside Flower Show and Garden Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/78th-annual-riverside-flower-show-and-garden-tour/18520936/2026-04-25T09) at Riverside Elks Lodge (free - $10) - April 29: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 4 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-4-community-forum/18495206/2026-04-29T18) at Riverside Citrus State Park - Sunkist Center - May 3: ["The Sound of Riverside" - The 2026 Riverside Arts Academy Gala](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-sound-of-riverside-the-2026-riverside-arts-academy-gala/18503772/2026-05-03T17) at UCR University Theatre ($150- $325) - May 6: [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House - June 1: [REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-27th-annual-golf-tournament/18542190/2026-06-01T07) at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175) 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Riverside Celebrates Earth Month With Bugs, Blooms and New Social Circles URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-celebrates-earth-month-with-bugs-blooms-and-new-social-circles/ Last updated: 2026-04-13T12:00:53.000Z The City has a full calendar of Earth Month events this April, from insect fairs to community garden tours. The observance traces its roots to April 22, 1970, when Sen. Gaylord Nelson organized a national teach-in that eventually grew into a global movement. This year's theme, "Our Power, Our Planet," centers on community-driven action around clean energy and environmental protection. The City's complete calendar is at [riversideca.gov](http://riversideca.gov/press/earth-month?ref=raincrossgazette.com); below are four highlights. ### Blue Zones Project Riverside: Moai Launch Party **Saturday, April 18** Blue Zones Project Riverside is throwing a free launch party to kick off more than 20 new Moais — small social circles rooted in an Okinawan tradition linked to longer, healthier lives. In Okinawa, Japan, one of the world's recognized longevity cultures, moais are lifelong social support groups in which members commit to supporting each other's health, finances and wellbeing. Blue Zones Project Riverside, a five-year community health initiative, launched in Riverside in 2025. The event is at North Park, 3200 Mission Inn Avenue and features music, açaí bowls, coffee and giveaways while supplies last. ### Riverside Insect Fair **Saturday, April 25** The annual Riverside Insect Fair returns to the Main Library at 3900 Mission Inn Ave. from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. More than 50 vendors will be on hand alongside cockroach races, live entertainment and a butterfly tent featuring live butterflies presented by the Museum of Riverside. UC Riverside entomology graduate students will staff their own booths, and the Wyland Mobile Learning Experience, sponsored by Riverside Public Utilities, will be on site. The Riverside Arts Council hosts a creative art experience inside the library. Admission is free. ### 2026 Riverside Community Flower Show and Garden Tour **Saturday–Sunday, April 25–26** The annual Riverside Community Flower Show and Garden Tour runs both days at the Riverside Elks Lodge with this year's theme: Garden Party. Longtime partners including the Raincross Rose Society, the Riverside/San Bernardino Counties Orchid Society, the Inland Region Iris Society, the Inland Koi Society and UCCE Riverside Master Gardeners will have displays on site alongside a craft and vendor fair. The free flower show runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. For an additional $10 (free for ages 16 and under), visitors can take a self-guided tour of six local home gardens. The tour runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. ### Plant Bingo at Riverside Airport **Wednesday, April 22** The Airport Terminal Lobby hosts a free plant-themed bingo event on Earth Day from 10 a.m. to noon. Winners of each round take home a plant or flower while supplies last. Seating is limited. **More information:* The full City of Riverside Earth Month calendar, including additional events throughout April, is available at* [*riversideca.gov/press/earth-month*](http://riversideca.gov/press/earth-month?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* ### 🗞️ Riverside News- April 9, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-april-2-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:35.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/IMG_1517.jpeg) A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket leaves a glowing trail across the evening sky over Hawarden Hills on April 6 after launching 25 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The booster later landed on a droneship in the Pacific Ocean. Launch was at 7:50 p.m. (Rosalyn Anderson) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Thursday Gazette: April 9, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Thursday!** [The Raincross Gazette's first-ever candidate forums](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-gazette-is-hosting-its-first-ever-candidate-forums-wards-2-4-and-6/) are coming up, and they're your chance to hear directly from the people running for City Council in Wards 2, 4, and 6 ahead of the June election. ***Good news on registration***: after hitting capacity earlier this week, we were able to secure 50 additional spots for both the Ward 2 and Ward 4 forums. Those seats are open now, but they will go fast. Ward 6 still has plenty of room as well. If Ward 2 or Ward 4 fills up again, don't count yourself out. Sign up for the waitlist and we're hoping to accommodate standing room at the back of both venues as well. All three forums are free and open to every Riverside resident. [Register today](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-gazette-is-hosting-its-first-ever-candidate-forums-wards-2-4-and-6/) before the new spots are gone. --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260409)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260409&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Council Loosens Billboard Rules, Opens Door to Relocations and Digital Signs A unanimous vote updates decades-old restrictions that had blocked most advertiser-initiated requests. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-31-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-loosens-billboard-rules-opens-door-to-relocations-and-digital-signs/) Billboards at 14th and Market streets in Downtown. The City Council this week approved new rules creating a path for billboard relocations, replacements and modernizations through agreements negotiated with the city. (File photo) Riverside can now negotiate billboard relocations, replacements and digital upgrades under rules the City Council approved unanimously Tuesday. **Why it matters:** The change opens the door to digital billboards in Riverside for the first time — and gives the city new leverage to extract public benefits, like infrastructure upgrades or revenue-sharing, in exchange for any approvals. **Driving the news:** The update came after Lamar Advertising submitted an unsolicited relocation request in 2025 that the old rules couldn't accommodate — the previous code only applied to a narrow set of county-annexed parcels and blocked applicant-initiated requests entirely. **What changed:** The revised ordinance lets billboard owners or the city initiate Billboard Relocation Agreements, which can cover sign dimensions, analog vs. digital format, single- or double-sided display, and location. - Agreements can require takedown ratios — operators remove existing signs to earn permission for new ones. - City Council retains sole authority to approve or deny any agreement. **Yes, but:** New billboards remain banned. The new rules create a path only for relocation, replacement or modernization of existing signs — not net-new advertising structures. **What's next:** The Community and Economic Development director can issue Billboard Relocation Permits once an agreement clears Council. No agreements have been approved yet. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-loosens-billboard-rules-opens-door-to-relocations-and-digital-signs/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260409)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260409&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Leash Up: New Airport Ordinance Targets Loose Animals, Permit Compliance A new city ordinance addresses animal restraint, commercial permitting and unauthorized access to aircraft movement areas at Riverside's airport. [![black and brown dog](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1558283039-65e97ffe4ac6?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDEwfHxsZWFzaHxlbnwwfHx8fDE3NzU2ODE2ODB8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/leash-up-new-airport-ordinance-targets-loose-animals-permit-compliance/) ([Kevin Lehtla](https://unsplash.com/@kev200?ref=raincrossgazette.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)) Animals must be leashed or restrained on Riverside airport property under an ordinance the City Council approved Tuesday. **Why it matters:** If you're traveling through or working at the airport with a pet or service animal, the new rule is now in effect — loose animals can now result in an enforcement action. **Driving the news:** The ordinance makes three updates to the airport code: a new animal restraint requirement, clearer permit rules for commercial activity, and updated language around unauthorized access to runways and taxiways. **What they're saying:** City staff cited safety risks from loose animals, including "conflicts with other animals, distractions to airport users and unexpected movements" that could disrupt operations. **What's next:** The changes take effect as part of the adopted ordinance. Airport tenants and commercial operators should verify their permits and licenses are current under the updated code. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/leash-up-new-airport-ordinance-targets-loose-animals-permit-compliance/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260409) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260409&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Family Storytime](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/family-storytime/17755264/2026-04-09T11) at Lincoln Park - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-04-09T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Movie Bingo: Demon Slaying K-Pop Edition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/movie-bingo-demon-slaying-kpop-edition/18450280/2026-04-09T18) at Thompson Brewing Co. ($23.18) ### Tomorrow - [Certified Farmers Market](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/new-certified-farmers-market-january-9-at-farm-house-collective/17808448/2026-04-10T10) at Farm House Collective - [Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/courthouse-murals-and-heroes-walking-tour/17901085/2026-04-10T15) at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18) - [**Meet Your Candidates for Judge**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/meet-your-candidates-for-judge/18508687/2026-04-10T17) at Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce ## Save the Date - April 11: [11th Annual Riverside Art Market](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/11th-annual-riverside-art-market/18280944/2026-04-11T10) at White Park - April 11: [Olivewood Cemetery Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/olivewood-cemetery-tour/18153476/2026-04-11T10) at Olivewood Cemetery ($21.20) - April 12: [The Expeditions of Juan Bautista de Anza through Riverside County](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-expeditions-of-juan-bautista-de-anza-through-riverside-county/18308461/2026-04-12T13) at Riverside Medical Clinic Basement Meeting Room - April 17: [Frozen: The Broadway Musical](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-17T19) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) - April 18: [Walk with the Animals - Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/walk-with-the-animals-mary-s-roberts-pet-adoption-center/17926667/2026-04-18T09) at Fairmount Park - April 18: [Blue Zones Project Riverside: Moai Launch Party](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/blue-zones-project-riverside-moai-launch-party/18380677/2026-04-18T10) at North Park - April 18: [Fant-A-She’s](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fantashes/18337803/2026-04-18T20) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ($37- $97) - April 18: [MAGIC UNDERGROUND](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/magic-underground/18337412/2026-04-18T19) at Back To The Grind ($30- $45) - April 23: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 2 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-2-community-forum/18495178/2026-04-23T18) at UCR Alumni & Visitors Center - April 25: [78th Annual Riverside Flower Show and Garden Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/78th-annual-riverside-flower-show-and-garden-tour/18520936/2026-04-25T09) at Riverside Elks Lodge (free - $10) - April 29: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 4 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-4-community-forum/18495206/2026-04-29T18) at Riverside Citrus State Park - Sunkist Center - May 3: ["The Sound of Riverside" - The 2026 Riverside Arts Academy Gala](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-sound-of-riverside-the-2026-riverside-arts-academy-gala/18503772/2026-05-03T17) at UCR University Theatre ($150- $325) - May 6: [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Leash Up: New Airport Ordinance Targets Loose Animals, Permit Compliance URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/leash-up-new-airport-ordinance-targets-loose-animals-permit-compliance/ Last updated: 2026-04-09T11:59:02.000Z On Tuesday, April 7, the City Council approved a new ordinance requiring animals to be leashed or otherwise securely restrained on airport property. The ordinance makes three changes to the airport code: restricting animals, clarifying permit requirements for commercial activity and updating language around unauthorized access to aircraft movement areas. The new rule is intended to reduce safety risks posed by loose animals. "Unrestrained animals can create various safety concerns, including potential conflicts with other animals, distractions to airport users and unexpected movements that could interfere with airport operations," said city staff in an April 7 report. The ordinance would also make clearer that commercial and business activities on airport property require the proper city-issued permits and licenses. The report said the change is aimed at improving enforceability and ensuring consistent compliance with safety, insurance and zoning requirements among airport tenants and operators. The ordinance also updates language in the code section covering unauthorized access to aircraft movement areas — including runways and taxiways, where the city says controlled access is essential to preventing pedestrians, vehicles and other intrusions that could interfere with aircraft operations or reduce pilot awareness. City staff said the changes are part of periodic updates to the airport code and are designed to improve safety and operational consistency. ### Council Loosens Billboard Rules, Opens Door to Relocations and Digital Signs URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-loosens-billboard-rules-opens-door-to-relocations-and-digital-signs/ Last updated: 2026-04-12T12:00:07.000Z The City Council on Tuesday approved changes to the city's billboard rules that would allow advertisers to seek relocations, replacements and modernizations under new agreements negotiated with the city. The ordinance maintains the City Council as the sole authority to approve or deny billboard relocation agreements and to decide the terms of those agreements. City staff said the update is meant to add flexibility to a rule that effectively blocked most billboard relocation requests. The changes come after [Lamar Advertising submitted an unsolicited application in 2025](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-january-19-2026/) to relocate and replace its billboards in Riverside. Under the city's former rules, that proposal could not move forward because the code did not allow applicant-initiated relocation requests and only applied to a narrow set of billboards on parcels once approved by Riverside County and later annexed into the city. [Riverside's existing billboard policy still bans new billboards](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-january-19-2026-2/) — but the revised rules create a path for city-initiated or applicant-initiated billboard relocation, replacement or modernization if the city and billboard owner enter into a Billboard Relocation Agreement. Once that agreement is approved, the Community and Economic Development director can issue a Billboard Relocation Permit. The council can now negotiate a wide range of terms in those agreements — including the dimensions and type of sign, whether it is analog or digital, whether it is single-sided or double-sided, and where it is located. The ordinance also allows agreements to include takedown ratios, requiring billboard operators to remove existing signs in exchange for permission to install new ones. The city can also negotiate public benefit provisions. Those may include site improvements, public art, street or infrastructure upgrades, public messaging, annual fees, revenue-sharing arrangements or other measures that provide community or fiscal benefits. City staff said the changes would give Riverside more leverage in dealing with billboard operators while still keeping control over the approval process. The report also noted that the city's previous rules do not allow digital or electronic displays and generally require relocated billboards to stay on the same parcel and remain the same size and type. [The council held an initial hearing on the changes March 24](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-march-25-2026/) and voted unanimously to give final approval Tuesday. ### 🗞️ Riverside News- April 8, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-april-8-2026/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:36.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/15000-banner.png) **Wednesday Gazette: April 8, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Wednesday!** If you noticed yesterday morning's newsletter arrived at 7:15 instead of its usual 5:00 a.m., here's why: overnight, the Gazette crossed 15,000 subscribers — and our sending platform wouldn't let us deliver another edition until we upgraded to the next level. I will happily pay for that upgrade every single time. Fifteen thousand is a big number, but here's the math that really gets me: ***every morning, the Gazette reaches 1 in every 16 adults in Riverside!*** These are our neighbors who have made the choice to invite us into their inbox each day. That fills me with so much joy!! I launched the Gazette because I believed Riverside deserved it because this city needed it; I’m so happy that our efforts are resonating with this city we love. This milestone feels like another great moment to thank the 659 Riversiders who go a step further as paid supporters. You are the financial backbone of this operation. Thank you! We're not there yet, but you better believe we'll be celebrating at 20,000\. Our next big target is 24,500, when the Gazette will be reaching 1 in every 10 adults in Riverside every morning. If you know a neighbor, a coworker, anyone who loves this city and isn't reading the Gazette yet, please send them this newsletter and encourage them to subscribe — it's free! We're just getting started. Thank you for joining us on this ride. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/author_banner-justin-pardee.jpg) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260408)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260408&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [SPORTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/sports/) ## Rick Croy Leaves CBU as a Legend and the Future Looks Bright After thirteen years, Rick Croy leaves CBU with a WAC title, a tournament appearance, and a program built to last. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-30-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/rick-croy-leaves-cbu-as-a-legend-and-the-future-looks-bright/) CBU men's basketball coach Rick Croy surveys the action from the sideline. (CBU Men's Basketball/[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1355926029879289&set=a.459616776176890&type=3&mibextid=wwXIfr)) Rick Croy has accepted the associate head coaching position at Arizona State University, ending a thirteen-year tenure at California Baptist University that transformed the Lancers from a transitional Division II program into a Division I tournament participant. Croy's departure reunites him with Randy Bennett, the mentor under whom he served at Saint Mary's before taking the CBU job in 2013, and puts him on the sideline alongside his son, JRob, who flipped his Saint Mary's commitment to follow Bennett to Tempe. This is dream job material, he will be missed, but the move makes a lot of sense. He leaves having just delivered the best season in CBU Division I history. The Lancers went 25-9, won the program's first WAC Tournament championship, and made their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament, falling to Kansas 68-60 in the Round of 64\. Lancer Nation traveled to San Diego for that game. It was the ending a thirteen-year story deserved. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/rick-croy-leaves-cbu-as-a-legend-and-the-future-looks-bright/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260408)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260408&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Council Shrinks Budget Commission Again to Stop Meeting Cancellations The city cut the advisory body from 13 to 10 seats Tuesday, with a further reduction to nine planned, after chronic quorum failures canceled 10 meetings since 2023\. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/cityhall-14-grierpavillion-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-shrinks-budget-commission-again-to-stop-meeting-cancellations/) Riverside's Budget Engagement Commission is shrinking from 13 to 10 seats — and eventually nine — after canceled meetings repeatedly stalled its work on city spending oversight. **Why it matters:** The commission advises the council on the general fund and Measure Z revenue. Ten canceled meetings since 2023 have delayed public input on both — and frustrated commissioners who arranged childcare or travel only to find meetings called off. **Driving the news:** Council voted Tuesday to approve the reduction, the second cut in six months after trimming the commission from 18 to 13 seats in October 2025. - The Brown Act requires a physical quorum of more than half the full membership, so vacancies compound the cancellation problem — fewer seats means a lower threshold to meet. **By the numbers:** Each canceled meeting costs roughly $1,250 in direct labor and materials for staff alone, not counting time to prepare materials or attend. - The commission has canceled 10 meetings since 2023 and carried three vacant seats as of March 1. **What's next:** The new 10-seat structure keeps seven ward-based seats and two mayoral citywide appointments. A further reduction to nine is planned as vacancies occur naturally. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-shrinks-budget-commission-again-to-stop-meeting-cancellations/) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260408) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260408&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## Council Bans Nitrous Oxide, Kratom Sales Citywide The ordinances carry penalties of up to $1,000, six months in jail or loss of a tobacco retail permit. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/240719-cityhallwall-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-bans-nitrous-oxide-kratom-sales-citywide/) Riverside now prohibits retail sales of nitrous oxide and kratom, targeting products police found openly stocked at smoke shops and gas stations citywide. **Why it matters:** If you buy kratom products — including kratom energy drinks — or nitrous oxide at local smoke shops or convenience stores, those sales are now illegal. Violators face fines up to $1,000 or six months in jail. **Driving the news:** City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve both bans, following a Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee recommendation in February. - Health officials linked synthetic kratom to fatal overdoses and nitrous oxide abuse to nerve damage, cognitive impairment, and increased DUI incidents. **Yes, but:** Several residents urged the council to regulate rather than ban kratom outright, arguing natural whole-leaf kratom differs from synthetic products. One resident said it helps him manage chronic pain. - The council had the option to adopt rules mirroring Riverside County's October 2025 regulations — which allow low-potency kratom for adults 21+ — but chose the stricter path. **The backstory:** California's AB 1088, which would have set statewide kratom regulations, stalled in the legislature in 2025 without reaching a final Senate vote. **What's next:** The bans carve out exceptions for nitrous oxide in medical, dental, pharmacy, wholesale, food preparation, and vehicle performance contexts. No exceptions apply to kratom. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-bans-nitrous-oxide-kratom-sales-citywide/) --- #### [SPONSORED](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/sponsored/) ## The Riverside Art Market Is Back at White Park This Saturday With 100 Artists and Free Admission A free, all-day market brings 100 artists to White Park this Saturday — with live music, food, kids' activities, and the chance to take home something made right here in Riverside. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-29-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-riverside-art-market-is-back-at-white-park-this-saturday-with-100-artists-and-free-admission/) Visitors browse artwork at the Riverside Art Market at White Park in Downtown. At left is the booth of Yolanda Terrell, whose vibrant paintings draw a loyal following year after year. (Courtesy of the Riverside Art Alliance) One hundred artists descend on White Park this Saturday for the Riverside Art Alliance's free annual Art Market — the biggest edition yet of an event that started with six. **Why it matters:** Admission is free and artists keep 100% of sales, meaning your dollars go directly to makers. Proceeds benefit the Riverside Art Museum's children's programs, classroom instruction, and student scholarships. **What's new:** For the first time, the Art Alliance will run its own booth featuring member work, with all proceeds benefiting the museum. - Live oil and acrylic demonstrations, a silent auction, Ballet Folklorico, and choirs from Stokoe Elementary and Promenade round out the program. **For families:** The Children's Pavilion offers free rock painting, wood ornament painting, sidewalk chalk, and face painting. **What they're saying:** Painter Yolanda Terrell, a 20-year market veteran, captures the appeal galleries can't match. - "I have people that come and they're so — 'I couldn't wait to see your new collection,'" she said. "That's the key to selling in the art market." **What's next:** Saturday, April 11, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. at White Park, 3936 Chestnut St. Free admission. Rain or shine. More info at [riversideartmuseum.org](http://riversideartmuseum.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-riverside-art-market-is-back-at-white-park-this-saturday-with-100-artists-and-free-admission/) --- ## Noteworthy [CA Citrus State Historic Park](https://www.instagram.com/p/DW1tj3-GBjS/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) is seeking photographer submissions for its spring newsletter, with entries accepted via DM through April 13 and the winner announced April 17. Riverside Public Utilities' [Shade Tree Campaign](https://riversideca.gov/utilities/residents/rebates/tree-power?ref=raincrossgazette.com) runs through June 30, offering eligible customers one free shade tree valued up to $40, reserved online and claimed at a participating nursery. Riverside's [Earth Month 2026](https://riversideca.gov/press/city-riverside-invites-public-celebrate-earth-month-2026?ref=raincrossgazette.com) kicks off in April with a lineup of family-friendly events — from the annual Insect Fair to library story times and neighborhood cleanups — organized by the city's Office of Sustainability. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## What's Happening in Riverside ### Today - [Riverside East Rotary Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-east-rotary-club/13565436/2026-04-08T07) at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern - [Stretch & Dance Class](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/stretch-dance-class/17541755/2026-04-08T09) at Janet Goeske Senior Center - [Reading Assistance Program](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reading-assistance-program/17973404/2026-04-08T15) at My Learning Studio - [Slap Bracelets](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/slap-bracelets/18503770/2026-04-08T16) at Marcy Library - [Becoming Neighbors: A Community Conversation on Resettlement and Belonging](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/becoming-neighbors-a-community-conversation-on-resettlement-and-belonging/18231310/2026-04-08T18) at Cellar Door Bookstore - [History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-round-two-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314303/2026-04-08T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Riverside Mission Belles](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-mission-belles/16691431/2026-04-08T09) at Victoria Presbyterian Church - [Riverside Open Mic Music Series](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-open-mic-music-series/15529475/2026-04-08T17) at Back to the Grind ### Tomorrow - [Family Storytime](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/family-storytime/17755264/2026-04-09T11) at Lincoln Park - [History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/history-on-the-rocks-presented-by-the-mission-inn-foundation/18314294/2026-04-09T17) at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21) - [Movie Bingo: Demon Slaying K-Pop Edition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/movie-bingo-demon-slaying-kpop-edition/18450280/2026-04-09T18) at Thompson Brewing Co. ($23.18) ## Save the Date - April 11: [11th Annual Riverside Art Market](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/11th-annual-riverside-art-market/18280944/2026-04-11T10) at White Park - April 11: [Olivewood Cemetery Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/olivewood-cemetery-tour/18153476/2026-04-11T10) at Olivewood Cemetery ($21.20) - April 12: [The Expeditions of Juan Bautista de Anza through Riverside County](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-expeditions-of-juan-bautista-de-anza-through-riverside-county/18308461/2026-04-12T13) at Riverside Medical Clinic Basement Meeting Room - April 17-18, 23-25: [Frozen: The Broadway Musical](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-17T19) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) - April 18: [Blue Zones Project Riverside: Moai Launch Party](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/blue-zones-project-riverside-moai-launch-party/18380677/2026-04-18T10) at North Park - April 18: [Fant-A-She’s](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fantashes/18337803/2026-04-18T20) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ($37- $97) - April 23: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 2 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-2-community-forum/18495178/2026-04-23T18) at UCR Alumni & Visitors Center - April 29: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 4 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-4-community-forum/18495206/2026-04-29T18) at Riverside Citrus State Park - Sunkist Center - May 6: [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Rick Croy Leaves CBU as a Legend and the Future Looks Bright URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/rick-croy-leaves-cbu-as-a-legend-and-the-future-looks-bright/ Last updated: 2026-04-11T00:45:51.000Z Rick Croy has accepted the associate head coaching position at Arizona State University, ending a thirteen-year tenure at California Baptist University that transformed the Lancers from a transitional Division II program into a Division I tournament participant. Croy's departure reunites him with Randy Bennett, the mentor under whom he served at Saint Mary's before taking the CBU job in 2013, and puts him on the sideline alongside his son, JRob, who flipped his Saint Mary's commitment to follow Bennett to Tempe. This is dream job material, he will be missed, but the move makes a lot of sense. He leaves having just delivered the best season in CBU Division I history. The Lancers went 25-9, won the program's first WAC Tournament championship, and made their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament, falling to Kansas 68-60 in the Round of 64\. Lancer Nation traveled to San Diego for that game. It was the ending a thirteen-year story deserved. I watched several of those seasons from two rows back, baseline, between the corner and the basket. Close enough to hear the coaching. Close enough to see the faces. I watched JRob warm up with the team. He went from a skinny kid warming up his dad's team, to a 6'5" combo guard with a great outside shot and the unique poise only seen in coaches kids. It will be amazing to watch them work together in Tempe on TV next season. Rick Croy is a great coach. The thirteen-year record, the transition from Division II to Division I, the WAC title, the tournament appearance are the credentials. But great coaches are defined by the intangibles. His toughness was respected, never cold. It was the toughness of a man who believed in what his players could become and refused to let them settle for less. From two rows back you could see: it was never about him. It was always about them. Over the years I watched Dejon Davis, Milan Acquah, Tre and Taran Armstrong and others who became part of what CBU basketball meant to this city. The ones who stayed understood what Croy was offering. And in an era when staying is a choice, a remarkable number of them stayed. Taran Armstrong is the most vivid illustration of what that relationship produced. He arrived as the No. 2 prospect in Australia, won WAC Freshman of the Year, and left after two seasons for the Australian NBL and eventually a two-way contract with the Golden State Warriors, becoming the first Tasmanian to sign in the NBA. When it happened, Croy got a text from Taran's father in Tasmania. "Incredible joy," Croy told NBC Sports Bay Area. "Watching the ability to learn about somebody accomplishing a dream — there's nothing better." That is not the language of a tactician. That is the language of someone who understood his job was about people first. In his farewell letter to Lancer Nation, Croy wrote that his high school coach Frank Allocco Sr. used to tell him: "Don't forget to say hello before it is time to say goodbye." For thirteen years, he showed up with gratitude. Riverside felt it. College basketball in 2026 is arguably the most tumultuous landscape in American sports. The transfer portal has made roster continuity a relic. NIL has reordered recruiting logic entirely. The G League and international professional contracts pull prospects before they ever set foot on a college campus. In this environment, building anything durable requires something beyond strategy. It requires trust. What made Croy genuinely unusual was that he mastered both sides of the new landscape simultaneously. He retained his own stars while using the portal to add experienced fifth-year contributors who fit rather than disrupted. Dominique Daniels Jr., the WAC Player of the Year and one of the top scorers in Division I this season at 23.2 points per game, is the most visible product of that approach. Croy did both, on a mid-major budget, for thirteen years. None of it happened in a vacuum. Croy was an integral part of an institutional commitment, a deliberate bet that Riverside deserved a program built to compete and built to last. The Fowler Center is the physical expression of that bet. A premier venue planted just off the 91 freeway, in the middle of a city that has too often been an afterthought in the regional conversation. This past season CBU averaged more than 4,800 fans per home game, the highest attendance of any Division I program in California without a football team. CBU said something with that building. Croy spent thirteen years giving it something to say. As he wrote on his way out the door: "If you build it... they will come. And we did." CBU did not flinch. Kyle Getter arrives as the program's thirteenth head coach with a resume that commands immediate respect. He was on the bench at VCU in 2011 when Shaka Smart's Rams became the first team to reach the Final Four after starting in the First Four. He spent five seasons under Tony Bennett at Virginia, including the 2019 national championship. Most recently he served three seasons as associate head coach at Notre Dame. He has spent nearly a quarter century learning from some of the best, and now gets his first head coaching opportunity. The portal will test him immediately. It would be naive to suggest the roster survives intact. When coaches leave, players explore options. That is the reality of the game as it is played today. But a coach with Getter's credentials sends a message to portal-curious players that the program's ambitions have not diminished. What Getter inherits is a program with an identity, a world-class facility, and a fanbase that averaged nearly 5,000 fans a night. He also inherits a rivalry. CBU enters the Big West Conference next season, putting the Lancers in the same league as the UC Riverside Highlanders for the first time. Two universities in the same city, representing different traditions and different communities, competing on the same floor with conference stakes attached. Riverside has not had that before. It is the kind of thing that builds programs, fills arenas, and gives a city something to argue about on a Tuesday night in February. Rick Croy built the foundation for all of it. He earned his exit. Now Kyle Getter gets to find out what he can do with what was left behind. ### Council Bans Nitrous Oxide, Kratom Sales Citywide URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-bans-nitrous-oxide-kratom-sales-citywide/ Last updated: 2026-04-08T11:59:52.000Z The City Council on Tuesday, April 7, unanimously voted to ban the sale of nitrous oxide and kratom in the city. The council's vote comes after the [Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-committee-cracks-down-on-nitrous-oxide-kratom-sales/) recommended the council approve the bans in February after a Feb. 18 committee meeting. The move prohibits the sale of nitrous oxide in the city except for authorized uses in the medical, dental and pharmacy industry, in the wholesale capacity, and for food preparation and vehicle performance. The council also banned the sale of kratom-based products, as kratom contains several alkaloids including potent psychoactive compound 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH). Health officials linked synthetic kratom to fatal overdoses, and nitrous oxide long-term abuse to nerve damage, cognitive impairments and increased DUI incidents. The crackdown comes after police observed nitrous oxide and kratom products sold at [smoke shops and gas stations](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-committee-cracks-down-on-nitrous-oxide-kratom-sales/)throughout the city. Deputy Chief Charles Payne told the committee Feb. 18 he noticed energy drinks containing kratom sold on shelves next to regular energy drinks in convenience stores — Councilmember Sean Mill said he saw nitrous oxide products at smoke shops. Both emphasized the potential danger of customers accidentally buying products that contained such substances. Violations of both ordinances are punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 or up to six months in jail. Police offered two options for kratom: a full ban or tighter regulations. The regulation option would have banned synthetic kratom products and marketing targeted toward children, while still allowing kratom with less than 2 percent 7-OH to be sold only to adults 21 and older. Those proposed rules matched measures Riverside County adopted in October 2025. Not everyone agreed with the stricter approach. Several people spoke against a ban on kratom and urged the committee to opt for regulation instead. They said natural whole-leaf kratom is different from synthetic products, and one Riverside resident said it helps him manage chronic pain and live a more normal life. However, the committee recommended the full ban. This comes after California Assembly Bill 1088, introduced in 2025 to regulate kratom statewide, stalled in the legislature. The bill would have restricted sales to those under 21 and imposed packaging and potency limits, but it did not reach a final Senate vote before legislative deadlines. ### Council Shrinks Budget Commission Again to Stop Meeting Cancellations URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/council-shrinks-budget-commission-again-to-stop-meeting-cancellations/ Last updated: 2026-04-10T12:00:59.000Z The City Council voted Tuesday, April 7, to cut its Budget Engagement Commission from 13 to 10 seats – with a further reduction to nine planned later – in an effort to fix recurring attendance problems that have repeatedly canceled meetings and crippled the commission's effectiveness. According to an April 7 staff report, the commission has [canceled 10 meetings since 2023](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/city-council-cuts-budget-engagement-commission-in-half-to-fix-quorum-problems/) because too few members were present, and has struggled with vacancies since it was created in 2017. In October 2025, the council voted to reduce the commission's membership from 18 to 13, with the intent to incrementally phase down to nine as vacancies occur. As of March 1, 2026, the commission had three vacant seats, according to the staff report. Under the Brown Act, a quorum requires more than half of the full membership to be physically present to conduct a meeting, which means the commission needed at least 10 members to meet when it had 18 seats – then still faced problems even after the council reduced it to 13 last fall. By reducing the total number of seats, city staff say the council can lower the quorum threshold and keep meetings on schedule. The proposed structure would keep seven ward-based seats and two citywide seats appointed by the mayor, while allowing resident and business appointments at the discretion of the appointing official. The staff report argued that the smaller commission would save time and money by preventing canceled meetings. The report says each meeting requires about 25 labor hours and $1,250 in direct labor and material costs just for the secretary and communications team – not including other staff time needed to prepare materials and attend meetings. The city also says canceled meetings have delayed input on [Measure Z initiatives](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/budget-commission-questions-its-authority-as-measure-z-locked-through-2028/) and quarterly financial reports with supplemental appropriations. For commissioners, the missed meetings can also mean lost time arranging work, childcare or travel only to find the meeting canceled. The Budget Engagement Commission advises the council on spending and policy priorities, especially around the general fund and [Measure Z revenue](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/judge-orders-city-to-rename-measure-z-ballot-measure-citing-misleading-language/). The city describes it as a public engagement body meant to help guide budget decisions and expand transparency around fiscal priorities. ### The Riverside Art Market Is Back at White Park This Saturday With 100 Artists and Free Admission URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-riverside-art-market-is-back-at-white-park-this-saturday-with-100-artists-and-free-admission/ Last updated: 2026-04-10T11:59:34.000Z Yolanda Terrell sold her first painting when she was nine or 10 years old. It was a large portrait of Charlie Chaplin. Terrell was growing up in Philadelphia, where her mother had set it outside the house, and a woman walking by stopped, fell in love with it, and paid $10 for it. "I was so overwhelmed with the idea of someone wanting my painting," Terrell recalled. "I don't know if I was happy or more so excited. The idea of selling a painting — I didn't even care if I sold it for a penny. It was just the idea." Terrell has been painting ever since, and for more than 20 years, one venue keeps pulling her back: the open-air art market. Specifically, the [Riverside Art Market](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-art-market-celebrates-10th-anniversary-as-community-cultural-hub/), presented by the Riverside Art Alliance at White Park in Downtown. The Riverside Art Market takes place Saturday, April 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at [White Park](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/from-swampland-to-sanctuary-albert-whites-legacy-in-riverside/), 3936 Chestnut St. Admission is free. The event will go on rain or shine. For more information, visit [riversideartmuseum.org](http://riversideartmuseum.org/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). ### What's New This Year For the first time, the Art Alliance will have its own dedicated booth at the market, featuring work by members and their families. All proceeds benefit the museum and its programs. Art Alliance President Tami Fleming-Maio says the new booth brought her back to her own creative work. "This has been especially inspiring for me," she said. "Like many people, I've put my own creative work on the back burner over the years, and this opportunity encouraged me to return to it. It's been incredibly fulfilling, and I'm truly looking forward to seeing how the community responds." Riverside Community Arts Association painters Car Garnett (oil) and Raymond Fernandez (acrylic) will offer art demonstrations. A silent auction will feature work donated by the market's artists. The 2026 lineup features live musical performances, Ballet Folklorico, the Stokoe Elementary and Promenade choirs and free children's activities in the Children's Pavilion — rock painting, wood ornament painting, sidewalk chalk and face painting. Food vendors and a beer and wine garden round out the day. ### From Six Artists to One Hundred The Riverside Art Alliance, the fundraising arm of the Riverside Art Museum since 1965, proposed a free outdoor market about 11 years ago — nothing between maker and buyer. This year's edition is [among the most anticipated events on Riverside's April calendar](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/raincross-rundown-the-best-of-riverside-in-april-2026/). "The original vision was simple but powerful," Fleming-Maio said. "To bring local artists and the community together in one place, giving artists a platform to showcase and sell their work while making art more visible and accessible to the public." The first year, the organizers hoped for around 10 artists. They got six. This year, they have 100. "The growth has been incredible," Fleming-Maio said. "Beyond just size, the scope and impact have expanded tremendously. We now draw a large and diverse crowd, offer entertainment, food, and interactive experiences, and have become a highly anticipated community event. It's not just a market anymore — it's a celebration of art and community." Kathy Allavie, a founding member of the Art Market and former Art Alliance president, agreed: "Art Market is unique among our projects because it was always conceived as a free event for the public, designed to help artists and craftspeople by giving them a public outlet to sell their creations." Terrell, who has shown at the market for more than 20 years, sees the Alliance's role clearly. "The Riverside Art Alliance and many other art associations — they're the backbone of a lot of artists," she said. "That's what keeps the art community thriving. And those are the ones that keep art alive. Because if you left it up to the galleries and the museums — how many people go out and say, 'Kids, come on, let's go to a museum'? It's not going to happen. But the excitement of the art market — the games, the music, the different crafts — that's the excitement. That's why I support the art alliances." Fleming-Maio says the event is designed with exactly that openness in mind. "We want to remove barriers so everyone can experience art, regardless of their financial situation," Fleming-Maio said. "It allows people to come, explore, and engage with artists without hesitation. We prefer the public spend their money buying art." Artists keep 100% of whatever they sell, and about 75% of vendors return each year. Proceeds benefit the Riverside Art Museum directly — supporting RAM's children's art program, the Art-to-Go program, which delivers instruction into Riverside classrooms, and student scholarships. "The Riverside Art Museum is one of the only places in Riverside which offers art classes for the youngest child to the oldest senior," Allavie said. "It is much more than art hung on a wall. It is a gathering place for all artists and would-be artists in our city." ### Why Artists Keep Coming Back Yolanda Terrell describes herself as an impressionist. She works primarily with a palette knife — a technique she spent 20 years developing and now sometimes teaches. "The palette knife allowed me to lift the paint up and spread it the way I wanted to," she said. "And it gave me excitement because it's a preference. It's not that it's better than a brush — it's that the palette knife allows you to blend and you don't have to be precise. That's what I like about it. It goes well with being an impressionist." "With a palette knife, you do see the thickness, but you don't necessarily see the details. It's implied. And that's what I like about the palette knife," she said. "If you look carefully at some of my paintings, you would think it was done with a brush. But if you look close, it's actually implied to make you think that's what you see. You can imply something and people think they really see it." She paused. "And if you look carefully — you do kind of see it. That's the art of the palette knife." "We don't really want to tell you about the painting," she said. "We want you to interpret that painting how you see it. We want you to tell us how it makes you feel, or what you see. We'll answer you — but it's not what we want you to say." Terrell has sold to galleries, private collectors and strangers who found her — including, three years ago at the Riverside Art Market, all 35 paintings she brought. But the sellout isn't what keeps her coming back. "I have people that look for me," she said. "I have people that come and they're so — 'Oh, I couldn't wait to see your new collection. I brought five of your paintings before and I want to add another one.' Just the feedback, the excitement, talking to people, the smell of the air, the adrenaline. It's nothing better than being up close and personal with the ones who buy your art." The open market, she says, gives her something a gallery never could. "When you're at the open market and with private individuals, they're so excited," she said. "They ask me: what were you thinking when you did this? How long did it take you? I love your bright colors. I get the feedback that feeds me, that keeps me going. That's the key to selling in the art market. You don't see who bought your art in a gallery. You don't get to talk to them. With the open art market — especially the Riverside Art Market — I've been doing it for so many years that I have a following, and they come there just to see my paintings and buy my paintings." ### Come See for Yourself "If you've never been to the Art Market, you are in for a treat," Fleming-Maio said. "Come ready to enjoy a full experience. There's something for everyone — live entertainment, incredible art, delicious food, a local brewery and wine and our popular Children's Corner where kids can create their own art for free." ### 🗞️ Riverside News- April 7, 2026 URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-march-31-2026-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-09T02:14:37.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/IMG_7358.jpeg) Crowds make the early morning climb to the top of Mt. Rubidoux for Easter sunrise service this past Sunday — marking 117 consecutive years of the beloved Riverside tradition. (Maria Driver) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Tuesday Gazette: April 7, 2026** 🚨 We apologize that this morning's newsletter is arriving to you 2.25 hours after our standard 5 a.m. delivery timing. There is an incredibly exciting reason for this we'll be sharing later this week! **Hello Riverside, and Happy Tuesday!** [We've had our eyes on the city council races lately](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/the-gazette-is-hosting-its-first-ever-candidate-forums-wards-2-4-and-6/), but there's more on the June 2 ballot than Ward seats. Our friends at Inland Empire Law Weekly (IELW) are hosting free public forums this week with each of the three candidates running for Riverside County judge, right here in downtown Riverside. Jennifer Loflin, a criminal defense attorney and former public defender, is up first on Wednesday (5–7 p.m.), followed by prosecutor-turned-county-executive Michelle Paradise on Thursday (5:30–7:30 p.m.), and immigration law specialist Andrea Garcia on Sunday (5–7 p.m.). Each two-hour event includes a sit-down interview with IELW editor Aidan McGloin, audience questions, and a meet and greet, all at the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce on University Ave. Tickets are free and you can register for one or all three at [eventbrite.com](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/riverside-judicial-candidate-interview-series-tickets-1986110624342?ref=ielaw.news). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/judicialcandidates.jpg) The three candidates for Riverside County judge: Jennifer Loflin, Michelle Paradise, and Andrea Garcia. (Courtesy of Inland Empire Law Weekly) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260407)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260407&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [EVENTS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/events/) ## Riverside Concert Band Celebrates 150 Years of Music at Fairmount Park A free, all-day festival on April 25 brings together eight bands to mark the oldest all-volunteer band in America. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-27-1.jpg)](https://raincrossgazette.com/riverside-concert-band-celebrates-150-years-of-music-at-fairmount-park/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) Members of the Riverside Military Band pose for a photo at Fairmount Park during the 1920 dedication of the park's bandshell. The band, founded in 1876, performs today as the Riverside Concert Band. (Charles Anderson/[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=4178338895643710&set=gm.4433370616952667&idorvanity=1566807130275711)) The Riverside Concert Band — founded in 1876 and the oldest all-volunteer band in the country — celebrates its 150th anniversary with a free, all-day festival at Fairmount Park on April 25. **Why it matters:** This is a rare, milestone community event — free, family-friendly, and rooted in 150 years of Riverside history. Eight ensembles perform across six hours. **Driving the news:** Festival at Fairmount runs Saturday, April 25, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Fairmount Park, 2601 Fairmount Blvd. - Seven guest ensembles join the Concert Band, including groups from Long Beach, Pomona, Temecula, and San Bernardino. **The backstory:** The band has performed at some of Riverside's most defining moments — the first Mission Inn Festival of Lights, the Easter Sunrise Service on Mt. Rubidoux, and President Theodore Roosevelt's campaign tour through the city. Its members, ages 16 to 90, are unpaid volunteers. **What they're saying:** "Knowing our purpose helps to keep us focused on serving our community," said band president Charles Anderson. **What's next:** Arrive early and bring a lawn chair. Food trucks will be on site; no alcohol permitted. Free admission. More at [riversideconcertband.org](http://riversideconcertband.org/150th-year-celebration/?ref=raincrossgazette.com). [Read and share the complete story...](https://raincrossgazette.com/riverside-concert-band-celebrates-150-years-of-music-at-fairmount-park/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260407) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260407&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [COMMUNITY](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/community/) ## RUSD to Host Free "You Are Enough" Wellness Event at Ramona High School April 11 The seventh annual community event brings mental health resources, activities, and more than 30 organizations to Riverside families. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/04/RG-Feat-Image-Template-28-1.jpg) Families and community members connect with local organizations during Riverside Unified School District’s 2025 “You Are Enough” Community Wellness Event at Ramona High School. The annual event brings together students, families, and partners for a morning of interactive activities, wellness resources, and meaningful engagement focused on supporting mental health and overall well-being. (Courtesy of Riverside Unified School District) Riverside Unified School District's seventh annual "You Are Enough" Community Event brings free mental health resources, activities, and food to Ramona High School this weekend. **Why it matters:** The event is open to all families — not just RUSD students — and connects attendees with more than 30 community organizations offering mental health, nutrition, and fitness resources at no cost. **Driving the news:** The April 11 event kicks off RUSD's broader Mental Health Awareness Month observance and launches a six-session caregiver workshop series running through mid-May. **What's happening Saturday:** - Interactive wellness activities, arts and crafts, face painting, dance, and yoga - Access to 30+ community resource organizations - Free food and giveaways - Saturday, April 11 | 9 a.m.–noon | Ram Stadium, Ramona High School, 7675 Magnolia Ave. **What's next:** A free six-session caregiver workshop series runs April 15–May 13, offered in-person and virtually. Topics include building positive mindsets, co-regulation techniques, suicide warning signs, and managing challenging behaviors in young children. [Read and share the complete story...](https://raincrossgazette.com/rusd-to-host-free-you-are-enough-wellness-event-at-ramona-high-school-april-11/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260407)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260407&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Noteworthy A UCR research team has developed a [robot that maps soil moisture tree by tree](https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/04/02/watering-smarter-not-more?ref=raincrossgazette.com) across entire orchards, giving California growers a precise tool to combat overwatering amid tightening groundwater regulations and rising costs. La Sierra University's marketing creative director Cynthia Tapia Leyva [earned a silver Addy Award](https://lasierra.edu/article/la-sierra-admissions-box-design-nabs-silver-addy-award/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) at the American Advertising Federation Inland Empire chapter's March 26 ceremony for designing an admissions welcome box being mailed to 2,000 admitted students Both RCC tennis teams [qualified multiple players for the 3C2A State Championship](https://viewpointsonline.org/2026/04/tennis-teams-shine-for-rcc-at-orange-empire-conference-tournament/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) after a strong Orange Empire Conference Tournament showing, with sisters Angelina and Julianna Capraro — named OEC Doubles Team of the Year — among those advancing to the April 23–26 event in Ojai. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [Magnolia Farmers Market](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-magnolia-farmers-market/18520373/2026-04-07T10) at Riverside community hospital - [Volunteer Interest Hour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/volunteer-interest-hour/18161070/2026-04-06T09) at Riverside Meals on Wheels - [Financial Aid Awareness Week: Application Assistance](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/financial-aid-awareness-week-application-assistance/18303039/2026-04-06T10) at Welcome Center - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-04-06T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [Monday Carillon Recitals](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/monday-carillon-recitals/17079871/2026-04-06T12) at UCR Bell Tower ### Tomorrow - [Orange Terrace Library | Lego Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-terrace-library-lego-club/18328174/2026-04-07T10) at Orange Terrace Library - [ScotSurplus Public Sale](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/scotsurplus-public-sale/17279943/2026-04-07T11) at ScotSurplus, UCR Corporation Yard - [Karaoke Tuesday Competition](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/karaoke-tuesday-competition-at-the-hideaway/18262381/2026-04-07T19) at The Hideaway - [Humbe](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/humbe/17660591/2026-04-07T18) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ## Save the Date - April 11: [11th Annual Riverside Art Market](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/11th-annual-riverside-art-market/18280944/2026-04-11T10) at White Park - April 11: [Olivewood Cemetery Tour](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/olivewood-cemetery-tour/18153476/2026-04-11T10) at Olivewood Cemetery ($21.20) - April 12: [The Expeditions of Juan Bautista de Anza through Riverside County](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/the-expeditions-of-juan-bautista-de-anza-through-riverside-county/18308461/2026-04-12T13) at Riverside Medical Clinic Basement Meeting Room - April 17: [Frozen: The Broadway Musical](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/frozen-the-broadway-musical/18267129/2026-04-17T19) at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20) - April 18: [Blue Zones Project Riverside: Moai Launch Party](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/blue-zones-project-riverside-moai-launch-party/18380677/2026-04-18T10) at North Park - April 18: [Fant-A-She’s](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/fantashes/18337803/2026-04-18T20) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ($37- $97) - April 23: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 2 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-2-community-forum/18495178/2026-04-23T18) at UCR Alumni & Visitors Center - April 29: [Raincross Gazette: Ward 4 Community Forum](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/raincross-gazette-ward-4-community-forum/18495206/2026-04-29T18) at Riverside Citrus State Park - Sunkist Center - May 6: [Senior Conference](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/senior-conference/18498792/2026-05-06T10) at Janet Goeske Center - May 17: [Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/oldfashioned-ice-cream-social/18378314/2026-05-17T12) at Riverside's Heritage House 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week. ### Riverside Concert Band Celebrates 150 Years of Music at Fairmount Park URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-concert-band-celebrates-150-years-of-music-at-fairmount-park/ Last updated: 2026-04-08T23:16:00.000Z The Riverside Concert Band is turning 150 this year, and it's throwing a party worthy of the milestone. Founded in 1876 to mark the nation's Centennial, the band is the oldest all-volunteer band in America, according to Charles Anderson, the band's president. Its members — ranging in age from 16 to 90, some with nearly five decades of service — receive no pay. "We are not here for the money," Anderson said. "We serve by sharing our gifts and talents through music. Knowing our purpose helps to keep us focused on serving our community." That commitment has carried the band through 150 years of Riverside history. It performed at the first Mission Inn Festival of Lights, the laying of the Riverside County Courthouse cornerstone and time capsule, the opening of the Victoria Street Bridge and the first Easter Sunrise Service on Mt. Rubidoux. The band also played for President Theodore Roosevelt's campaign tour through Riverside and the grand opening of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library. Ward 1 Councilmember Philip Falcone, whose ward includes Fairmount Park — designed by the sons of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted — said the setting is fitting for a celebration of this scale. "For this park to be the background for Riverside Concert Band's 150th anniversary celebration seems the most fitting of places," Falcone said. "I hope this inculcates a sense of community pride in knowing that generations upon generations of Riversiders have enjoyed this music, have played in this band, and have stood — or danced — where we stood. It has to make one feel like we are connected to the Riversiders who came before us." To mark the anniversary, the band will host Festival at Fairmount on Saturday, April 25, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Fairmount Park, 2601 Fairmount Blvd. Seven additional ensembles will perform alongside the Concert Band: the Moreno Valley Wind Symphony, Long Beach Concert Band, Pomona Concert Band, Valley Winds Community Concert Band of Temecula, Empire Wind Ensemble of San Bernardino, American Legion Post 79 color guard with a National Anthem performance by Nannette, and Cahuilla Indian Birdsongs. Anderson encouraged first-time attendees to arrive early and bring a lawn chair. "An individual who has never heard the band perform will be totally surprised at how professional the band sounds," he said. "No recording or video creates the same energy, excitement, and thrill as a live performance." **More information:* Festival at Fairmount takes place Saturday, April 25, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Fairmount Park, 2601 Fairmount Blvd., Riverside. Admission is free. Food trucks will be on site. No alcohol permitted. More at* [*riversideconcertband.org*](http://riversideconcertband.org/150th-year-celebration/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.* _Includes the latest 500 public posts. Use `/sitemap.xml` for the complete archive of public content._