Amid the summer lull of browns and grays, the tuxedoed Black Phoebe stands out—active, distinctive and ever-present—embodying Riverside’s resilience and charm year‑round.
Sunrise over Riverside: golden light spills across the skyline and mountains to start the day. (Ken Crawford)
Monday Gazette: July 7, 2025
Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday! We hope you had a fun and safe holiday weekend. Our weeklong summer membership campaign has officially wrapped—thank you to everyone who supported us! We’ll be sharing an update on that soon.
There’s plenty to look forward to this summer, so be sure to check out our community calendar. Hosting something yourself? It’s free to add your event and help more neighbors find out about it!
Expect a quiet week at City Hall. City Council does not meet, and most other commission meetings are cancelled.
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.
Human Resources Board
The Human Resources Board meets on Monday, July 7, at 5:00 p.m. (agenda) for an update from the City's Community & Economic Development department and review of the Board's rules.
No other boards or commissions are meeting this week.
Museum of Riverside Begins Long-Awaited Renovation and Expansion
After years of planning and delays, construction is finally underway at the historic downtown site. The redesigned museum will blend old and new, with purpose-built galleries, a rooftop terrace, and expanded space for exhibitions and education.
Original 1913 blueprints for the U.S. Post Office in Downtown— the building we now know as the Museum of Riverside. (Courtesy of the Museum of Riverside)
The Museum of Riverside is under way! The long-awaited work to rehabilitate, expand and reopen the downtown site is finally beginning. But not all readers may know just how long-awaited this project has been. Many will remember the site closing in September 2017, but that was only the start of the most recent chapter in a long list of efforts to address the needs of a historic building that was never intended to function as a museum.
In fact, museum records document eight prior attempts to tackle the site's challenges, the earliest dating back to the 1980s.
It’s well known that the building was originally a U.S. Post Office—perhaps less well known is that it also once housed the Police Department and various other city functions. In the mid-1960s, the museum became the sole occupant. In 2018, museum staff began designing the project that is now entering the construction phase. While planning was delayed by the pandemic and other city priorities, it eventually gained the traction it needed.
As we celebrate our nation’s independence, let’s recommit to the civility and respect that make Riverside strong.
This past weekend, as my family — and families across the country — gathered to celebrate the Fourth of July, I found myself reflecting on what first drew me to public service and what continues to inspire me today. I believe deeply in the promise of democracy, but I also know it doesn’t fulfill itself. The gifts of personal freedom and opportunity come with responsibility: to care for our community, to listen across differences, and to show up for one another — especially when it’s hard.
That belief is rooted in my own experience, but I also see it reflected every day here in Riverside. We are a city of doers, of problem-solvers, of neighbors who look out for each other. Local government may not dominate the headlines like Washington or Sacramento, but it’s where the real work happens — and where people feel it most. When a streetlight goes out or a pothole needs fixing, it’s City Hall you call. That closeness creates trust, connection, and accountability. It’s what makes Riverside... Riverside.
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