After a week off meetings, Council has a full plate revising retail cannabis regulations, $1.53 million in road resurfacing, and reviewing the final report on the City's 2025 Strategic Plan.
There’s a new gelateria in town, Benedetto Gelato, founded by Argentine expats who missed the gelato they used to get at home. Seth took a spin through the freezer case and is happy to report it’s a great spot for ice cream and a great reason to visit the Farm House Collective.
The Mission Inn glows at twilight as the streetlights flicker on—golden domes, a crescent moon, and palm silhouettes mark the start of another Riverside evening. (Kathy Allavie) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? Share it with us and help celebrate the beauty of our community!
Monday Gazette: July 14, 2025
Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday! It’s National Give Something Away Day—a perfect excuse to bag up those clothes, shoes, or household items you’re no longer using. When the Gazette team tackles a closet purge, two of our favorite donation spots are Savers—you’ll get a coupon to shop when you donate, making it a great start to sustainable back-to-school shopping—and Pink Ribbon Thrift. 100% of contributions to Pink Ribbon Thrift help fund no-cost resources through The Pink Ribbon Place, which offers counseling, support groups, wigs, and wellness services for those impacted by cancer.
Drone Crackdown on Illegal Fireworks Yields 65 Citations, $97,500 in Fines
New aerial surveillance program shows mixed results across neighborhoods as complaints increase.
Drone footage, captured by the Riverside Police Department, shows illegal fireworks erupting over a Riverside neighborhood on July 4, part of evidence that led to 65 citations carrying $1,500 fines each. (Courtesy Riverside Police Department)
Riverside's first-ever aerial surveillance program targeting illegal fireworks resulted in 65 citations during the Fourth of July period. The collaborative effort between police, fire, and code enforcement used drones to document violations, with each citation carrying a $1,500 penalty.
Driving the news: The city deployed small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) with enhanced zoom capabilities to monitor and collect evidence of illegal fireworks activity from June 27 to July 4, 2025.
Fireworks-related calls increased by 15% from last year, with 547 calls to emergency services and 431 complaints to the 311 center.
Why it matters: Illegal fireworks pose a serious threat to public safety, potentially causing devastating fires and life-changing injuries.
The recent Mandalay Fire, which burned over 83 acres and forced evacuations, is suspected to have been caused by illegal fireworks.
The impact: Experiences varied across the city, with some neighborhoods reporting significant improvements while others saw little change.
Jane Adams noticed a decrease in fireworks activity, especially in the days following the Fourth of July.
What's next: The data collected during this year's operation will inform future enforcement strategies.
A presentation detailing the enforcement efforts, including heat maps showing citation concentrations, will be given at the July 15 City Council meeting.
After a week off meetings, Council has a full plate revising retail cannabis regulations, $1.53 million in road resurfacing, and reviewing the final report on the City's 2025 Strategic Plan.
(Ken Crawford)
Welcome to our weekly digest on public meetings and agenda items worth your attention in the 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 15, at 1 p.m., 3:00 p.m., and 6:15 p.m. (agenda). The agenda includes:
Considering awarding a $1.53 million contract that would resurface 1.56 miles of streets in Wards 5 and 6 and construct 24 sidewalk ramps citywide, funded primarily through federal Community Development Block Grant funds.
Reviewing the City's third quarter financial projections that show a projected $211,978 General Fund surplus, with a proposed $500,000 transfer to support the Fairmount Lake Dredging project.
Conducting three required public hearings to approve annual assessments for street lighting and landscape maintenance districts and placing liens on properties with unpaid code enforcement costs, with rates remaining unchanged for citywide street lighting ($31.44), increasing slightly for Sycamore Highlands ($114.69) and Riverwalk ($365.52) landscape districts, and recovering $300,111 in unpaid property cleanup costs through tax liens.
Considering modification of the Hawthorne House City Landmark, a historic Monroe Street home on the California Baptist University campus, designation to authorize the removal of a eucalyptus tree due to safety concerns.
Considering landmark designations for City Hall and the Boyd Residence (4649 Ninth St.) that would recognize their architectural significance.
Revisiting retail cannabis business regulations that would prohibit stores in Downtown and Midtown areas and require a 1,000-foot separation between cannabis businesses and parks and schools.
Board of Public Utilities
The Board of Public Utilities meets on Monday, July 14, at 6:30 p.m. (agenda) for a public hearing on the Utility's 2025 Public Health Goals report that identifies seven drinking water constituents exceeding non-enforceable health goals while meeting all regulatory standards and a review of a greenhouse gas emissions inventory that identifies transportation (57%) and energy usage (38%) as Riverside's primary emission sources to inform the City's 2050 General Plan Update and Climate Action Plan development.
Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee
The Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee (Councilmembers Perry, Conder, and Mill) meets on Wednesday, July 16, at 1 p.m. (agenda) to consider regulations that would require property owners to pay for emergency response costs at dangerous buildings and for repeated false alarms.
Planning Commission
The Planning Commission meets on Thursday, July 17, at 9 a.m. (agenda) to review a proposal to expand Woodcrest Christian School that would add 74,921 square feet of new facilities, increase enrollment capacity by 204 students, and implement traffic circulation improvements to minimize neighborhood impacts.
Economic Development Committee
The Economic Development Committee (Councilmembers Robillard, Cervantes, and Hemenway) meets on Thursday, July 17, at 3 p.m. (agenda) to preview a proposed Building Plan Check Self-Certification Program that would allow qualified architects and engineers to certify their own building plans for smaller residential and commercial projects, reducing permit approval times from weeks to days.
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