Monday Gazette: August 10, 2026
Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday! It's Update Your Bio Day! Today's a nudge to revisit how you introduce yourself online, whether that's a social media bio or a work profile that hasn't caught up with everything you've accomplished lately. A few minutes of updating can make your online snapshot feel a little more like you.
Here's what else is happening around town.
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GOVERNMENT
This Week in City Hall: August 10, 2026
Council weighs Fairmount Park Armory contract, crosswalk signal funding and a 3.7-acre land sale, while committees take up pallet storage safety rules, library donations and a Linden Street lane reduction pilot.
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, August 11, in afternoon sessions at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. (agenda). The agenda includes:
- Considering a resolution affirming City support for Proposition 1, a $11.25 billion statewide affordable housing and veterans' housing bond on the November 2026 ballot, with no cost to the City (item 15).
- Approving a $3 million design-build contract to renovate the Fairmount Park Armory building, which will be leased to a private operator for a beer garden and community event space (item 16).
- Approving a $289,700 contract to install a pedestrian-activated crosswalk signal at Third Street and Anderson Avenue, funded largely through reimbursement from the Riverside Transit Agency (item 21).
- Establishing a pilot program allowing art crosswalks and pavement murals as a traffic-safety option, citing a study reporting reduced injury crashes at similar sites elsewhere, though no dedicated funding is being created (item 25).
- Considering the sale of a 3.7-acre City-owned property for $650,000 to a developer proposing four affordable homes and a self-storage facility, at a price below the property's appraised value (item 27).
Land Use Committee
The Land Use Committee (Councilmembers Mill, Falcone, and Cervantes) meets on Monday, August 10, at 9 a.m. (agenda) to review options — ranging from new safety regulations to an outright ban — for wooden pallet storage yardsfollowing 29 emergency responses and a fire that hospitalized three firefighters (item 3).
Board of Library Trustees
The Board of Library Trustees meets on Monday, August 10, at 5 p.m. (agenda) to accept donations of accessible technology equipment including a privacy booth, family workstations, light tables, and sewing machines from the California State Library (item 7), accepting a donation of mobile facility equipment, furniture, and instructional supplies from Demco for literacy programming spaces (item 8), and reviewing an update on the statewide Every Story Counts Library survey (item 9).
Board of Public Utilities
The Board of Public Utilities meets on Monday, August 10, at 6:30 p.m. (agenda) to extend the Service Lateral Replacement Program for three years with $350,000 in annual funding (item 5), recommend City Council approval of a cost reimbursement agreement with a property owner for holding tank expenses pending sewer connection (item 6), and award contracts for transformer procurement and substation expansion projects totaling more than $20 million (item 7).
Mayor’s Nominating and Screening Committee
The Mayor’s Nominating and Screening Committee meets on Tuesday, August 11, at 11 a.m. (agenda) to consider committee assignments for City Council members that would remain in place only temporarily until being revisited following a November 2026 runoff election (item 2).
Finance Committee
The Finance Committee (Councilmembers Hemenway, Robillard, and Falcone) meets on Wednesday, August 12, at 3 p.m. (agenda) to recommend the City Council approve an updated Investment policy governing how City funds are invested (item 2), and to recommend City Council receive a report on Financial Health Indicators used to assess the City's overall fiscal condition (item 3).
Planning Commission
The Planning Commission meets on Thursday, August 13, at 9 a.m. (agenda) to consider an amendment to the General Plan's Public Safety Element to update its reference to the City's Local Hazard Mitigation Plan in compliance with a state law requirement (item 2).
Mobility and Infrastructure Committee
The Mobility and Infrastructure Committee meets on Thursday, August 13, at 1:00 p.m. (agenda) to review a pilot projectthat would temporarily reduce Linden Street between Chicago and Iowa Avenues from four lanes to two lanes and add buffered bike lanes (item 2).
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EDUCATION
Riverside Unified Superintendent Selected for Yale Leadership Fellowship
Dr. Sonia Llamas is one of 26 education leaders nationwide chosen for the Broad Center's fellowship at Yale School of Management.
RUSD Superintendent Sonia Llamas joins a national leadership fellowship, one of just 26 educators selected this year.
Why it matters: Llamas will spend a week this fall at Yale, bringing leadership strategies back to Riverside Unified's 51 schools and 38,000 students as the district rolls out its new five-year Strategic Plan.
What's new: Llamas was chosen for the 2026-27 Fellowship for Public Education Leadership, hosted by The Broad Center at Yale School of Management.
- Fellows take part in week-long leadership residencies at Yale this fall, working alongside faculty and peer superintendents nationwide.
By the numbers: Llamas became RUSD's 13th superintendent in July 2025 after more than 30 years in public education.
- She's a first-generation college graduate, bilingual educator and licensed clinical social worker.
What they're saying: Llamas said the fellowship lets her exchange ideas and apply them to Riverside Unified's Strategic Plan.
- "Leadership begins with learning," Llamas said.
What's next: The 2026-27 cohort begins week-long residencies at Yale this fall as RUSD rolls out its new five-year Strategic Plan.
- The plan, approved by the Board of Education in June 2026, targets student outcomes, college pathways, well-being and district systems.
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This Week in Riverside
Today
- Interfaith Prayer Meeting at Riverside Baha'i Center
- Board of Public Utilities at Riverside City Hall
- FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour at Community Yoga Center
- Land Use Committee at Riverside City Hall
- Zen Educate Riverside Hiring event: Teach Substitute and Thrive at Riverside Convention Center
Tomorrow
- Cleveland Wedge Clinic and Fitting at Canyon Crest Country Club ($250)
- Mayor's Nominating and Screening Committee at Riverside City Hall
- Karaoke Tuesday Competition at The Hideaway
Save the Date
- August 12: FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner at All Saints Episcopal Church
- August 14: FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner at Community Yoga Center
- August 14: Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting at Zacatecas Café
- August 15: FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray at Community Yoga Center
- August 15: FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner at Community Yoga Center
- August 17: FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour at Community Yoga Center
- September 9: Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing at Cowtown Square Dance Center
- September 18: Open Mic Night at Riverside Baha'i Center
- October 7: Fifty & Better Health Fair at Janet Goeske Center
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