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 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 before your spot is gone.
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COMMUNITY
Placentia Avenue: Found Objects, Found Neighbors
A monthly stroll through Riverside's everyday neighborhoods, one step at a time.
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.
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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.
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.
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Adoptable Pet of the Week
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.
What's Happening in Riverside
Friday, April 17
- Volunteer Interest Hour at Riverside Meals on Wheels
- Certified Farmers Market at Farm House Collective
- Eastside Library at Lincoln Park | Rubberband Model Airplane Craft at Eastside Library at Lincoln Park
- Brain Awareness Day 2026 at Breezeway
- Beer Tasting Speed Dating by Comedy Cupids at Carbon Nation Brewing ($17.85)
- Frozen: The Broadway Musical at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20)
- In Conversation with Carlos Mejía Godoy at Culver Center of the Arts
- Into the Breeches! by George Brant at Riverside Community Players at Riverside Community Players ($20.00 - $22.24)
- The Life of Galileo at The Box Riverside ($23)
- Mundanity Band Live at The Barn
- R'Hours at the R'Garden at R'Garden
Saturday, April 18
- Sherman Indian High School Pow wow 2026 at Sherman Indian High School
- 13th Annual Riverside Tamale Festival at White Park (free - $100)
- Blue Zones Project Riverside: Moai Launch Party at North Park
- Spring Fling at Parkview on Chicago at Parkview Nursery
- Grow with Us Earth Day at the R'Garden at R'Garden
- Mt. Rubidoux Walking Tour at Mt. Rubidoux Trailhead, a short walk from Ryan Bonaminio Park. ($21.20)
- Goeske Bingo at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100)
- Layers of Me: Painting Our Truths at Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California
- MAGIC UNDERGROUND at Back To The Grind ($30- $45)
- Frozen: The Broadway Musical at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20)
- Rage Against the Machine Tribute by Renegades of Rage at The Concert Lounge - Romano's Mission Grove ($20.23)
- Fant-A-She’s at Riverside Municipal Auditorium ($37.- $97)
- Ultra Sunn at Farm House Collective
- Women's Soccer vs. San Diego at UCR Soccer Stadium
Sunday, April 19
- Gardening for Butterflies at Botanic Gardens
- Prayers and Public Information Meeting at Riverside Baha'i Center
- The Bonner Singers at Trinity Lutheran Church
- Curator-led Tour of From Here to the Horizon at California Museum of Photography
- Dancing for Fun at Janet Goeske Center
- Family Concert - Maracas & Magic, with UCR Orchestra and Chamber Singers at University Theatre, University of California, Riverside
- Hideaway Lounge History & Paranormal Tours at The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge ($44.52)
- Sunday Experiment After Dark at Downtown Experiment
Save the Date
- April 23-25: Frozen: The Broadway Musical at Woodcrest Christian School Royals Pavilion ($15- $20)
- April 23: Raincross Gazette: Ward 2 Community Forum at UCR Alumni & Visitors Center
- April 25: 78th Annual Riverside Flower Show and Garden Tour at Riverside Elks Lodge (free - $10)
- April 29: Raincross Gazette: Ward 4 Community Forum at Riverside Citrus State Park - Sunkist Center
- April 30: Raincross Gazette: Ward 6 Community Forum at ****Altura Credit Union (10725 Magnolia Ave.)
- May 3: "The Sound of Riverside" - The 2026 Riverside Arts Academy Gala at UCR University Theatre ($150- $325)
- May 6: Senior Conference at Janet Goeske Center
- May 13: Level Up Your Network: The Pick Group 2026 Membership Summit at Killer Queens Social House
- May 17: Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social at Riverside's Heritage House
- June 1: REEF's 27th Annual Golf Tournament at Canyon Crest Country Club ($140- $175)
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