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.
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 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.
Riverside boards and committees weigh in on budgets, rental assistance, smoke shop zoning, and historic preservation this week.
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). 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)
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)
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)
Approving the installation of speed humps on Lurin Avenue between Taft Street and Wood Road (link)
Land Use Committee
The Land Use Committee (Councilmembers Mill, Falcone, and Cervantes) meets on Mon, April 13, at 9 a.m. (agenda) to discuss its proposed 2026 Work Plan (link) 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)
Board of Library Trustees
The Board of Library Trustees meets on Mon, April 13, at 5 p.m. (agenda) to receive an update on the SPC Jesus S. Duran Eastside Library, (link) a grant award for a Lunch at the Library program, (link) and a proposed two-year library budget that will shape City library services and funding through 2028. (link)
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), 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) to consider a proposed City ordinance that would add a new requirement to report the transport of people who lack stable nighttime housing (link) 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)
Cultural Heritage Board
The Cultural Heritage Board meets on Wed, April 15, at 3:30 p.m. (agenda) 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)
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.
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)
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.
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