All roads, and bike trails, lead to Riverside. (Luke López)
Monday Gazette: September 30, 2024
Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday! As we say goodbye to September, I hope you find the premiere of our Raincross Rundown for October 2024 helpful. One of my mentors has taught me that feedback is "more valuable than all the money in the world," and I would love your feedback on the Rundown or anything else we're doing. Simply reply to this email!
One noticeable omission we made: Love Riverside's annual Citywide Serve Week happening October 10-13. Whoops! Love Riverside is one of our team's favorite organizations in Riverside and this year their Serve Day is expanding to a whole week!
Attentive readers will notice that this week's City Council Special Meeting is to select an Interim City Attorney; we're working to bring you more details later this week on why the Council has to do that.
The City Council is in the process of selecting an Interim City Attorney, while the Governmental Process Committee will soon be reviewing a proposal to end phone-in public comment options for city meetings.
Welcome to our weekly digest on public meetings and agenda items worthy of your attention in the next 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 closed session on Tuesday, October 1, at 11:00 a.m. (agenda) for the "selection of Interim City Attorney."
"This simply reverts back to the way our government operated for decades prior to COVID," said Councilmember Falcone in response to a comment on Instagram last week. "Over a dozen local and similar-sized cities have already done this. Call-in public comment is rarely used and costs significantly in staffing."
If the committee recommends reverting to the old policy, the full City Council will decide at a future meeting. Whatever decision is made will not impact the City's e-comment option, which allows Riversiders to comment in writing on specific agenda items. If you have never used this feature, you can comment on this agenda item before tomorrow's committee meeting.
Riverside Honors Community Champions at 12th Annual Awards Dinner
Grassroots environmental activists, a visually impaired advocate, and a unity leader recognized for transforming neighborhoods.
Pete Benavidez received the Neighborhood Hero Award at the 12th Annual Riverside Neighborhood Partnership Awards Thursday, September 26. (Courtesy Riverside Neighborhood Partnership)
The Riverside Neighborhood Partnership (RNP) celebrated outstanding individuals and groups dedicated to enhancing Riverside at its 12th Annual Awards Dinner. The event, held on September 26 at the Evergreen Masonic Center, brought together residents, neighborhood groups, elected officials, and small business owners to recognize exceptional service and leadership.
Three winners emerged from 17 nominations across three award categories, each demonstrating remarkable commitment to their communities.
Riverside Neighbors Opposing Warehouses (R-NOW) received the Neighborhood Spirit Award for its grassroots activism against a large-scale warehouse development in the Orangecrest and Mission Grove neighborhoods. R-NOW's efforts included organizing thousands of petition signatures, speaking at public meetings, and rallying over 500 community members to attend a crucial March JPA Commission meeting.
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.
