Tuesday Gazette: August 25, 2026
Hello Riverside, and Happy Tuesday! We're down to just a handful of days left to share your summer vacation photos with us. Fitting timing too, since today marks National Park Service Founders Day, honoring the 1916 signing that created the agency tasked with protecting our national parks. If your summer travels took you through a park, we would love to see it.
Keep those photos coming. We've gotten a wonderful response, and if yours doesn't end up in the newsletter, please accept our apologies. There are only so many days in the week to feature them all. 🧡
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CITY HALL
City Panel Advances Plan for Green-Tech Loan Fund, Grant-Funded Lender Deal
First Community Capital would administer state-funded loans for startups and small businesses under a proposed five-year deal.
A nonprofit lender will run Riverside's new $135,000 green-tech loan fund if the city council signs off next month.
Why it matters: Green-tech and innovation businesses can apply for $10,000-$20,000 loans at 6.25% interest — money that comes from a state grant, not city taxpayers.
Driving the news: The Economic Development Committee voted unanimously Thursday to send a five-year agreement with First Community Capital Inc. to the full council.
- FCCI would handle applications, underwriting, servicing and collections for $8,000 a year, or $40,000 over the contract term.
By the numbers: The fund and FCCI's fee both draw from a $250,000 grant Riverside received in October 2025 through Thrive Inland SoCal's Catalyst Funding program.
Yes, but: A public commenter questioned the math, saying the administrative fee approaches a third of the fund itself and that the loan sizes seem too small to move the needle economically or environmentally.
- Committee chair Steven Robillard said the loans are meant to be one piece of a larger funding "stack," not standalone financing.
Between the lines: FCCI's default exposure is limited — a state guarantee program covers 80% of losses, backed by a matched loan-loss reserve. Founder Jay Diallo said a past $250,000 grant to FCCI has grown to about $420,000 through repayment and reinvestment.
What's next: The council takes up the agreement in the coming weeks. If approved, it would be executed next month, with marketing running through September and October and applications opening in October.
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COMMUNITY
Riverside to Honor Dell Roberts With Day Celebrating His 90th Birthday
The city will hold a public ceremony Tuesday honoring Roberts' decades of civic leadership and community service.
Riverside will hold an official Dell Roberts Day Tuesday, recognizing the longtime civic leader's 90th birthday and decades of community service.
Why it matters: The ceremony is free and open to the public — anyone can attend to honor a leader who's shaped civic life across Riverside for decades.
Driving the news: The city holds the ceremony Tuesday at 3 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall, 3900 Main St.
- Roberts has led the Bordwell Park Advisory Board and the Adrian Dell and Carmen Roberts Foundation.
The backstory: Roberts has spent decades on civic initiatives, including the Riverside Black History Parade, now in its 46th year.
What they're saying: Roberts and Mayor Lock Dawson both issued statements ahead of the ceremony.
- "I am humbled and appreciative of the city's recognition," Roberts said.
- "Dell Roberts exemplifies the very best of our community spirit," Lock Dawson said.
What's next: Rep. Mark Takano, state Sen. Sabrina Cervantes, Assemblymember Corey Jackson and County Supervisor Jose Medina are expected to attend.
- The event is free; RSVP requested through the linked form.
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SPONSORED STORY
What If High School Students Could Try College Before They Graduate?
CBU's Pre-College Credit program lets high school students take online college courses for free, earning credit and confidence before graduation.
For many high school students, college can feel like a big unknown. Can I handle the coursework? What will professors expect? Am I really ready?
California Baptist University is giving local high school students an opportunity to answer those questions before they graduate — and, in the process, discover what they're capable of.
Through CBU's Pre-College Credit program, eligible high school sophomores, juniors and seniors can take fully online college courses taught by CBU professors while earning credit toward both high school and college. The first course is free.
For families who have participated in the program, the benefits have extended beyond earning college credit.
"The most valuable part of the PCC experience was having my daughter realize she is capable of handling college-level courses," one parent shared.
That kind of confidence can come from experiencing the expectations of a college course while students still have the familiarity and support of high school. PCC students complete the same college-level coursework and are taught by CBU professors, giving them an early opportunity to develop skills such as time management, independent learning and communication with faculty and classmates.
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Noteworthy
Downtown's incoming Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar is edging closer to its fall debut, with the Mission Inn Avenue spot now taking signups for opening-date updates, a 107-seat dining room with three private event spaces.
A UCR biomedical sciences researcher has received a $2.1 million, five-year NIH grant to uncover hidden functions of the primary cilium, a tiny cell structure linked to energy use and brain development.
More than 2,000 new students turned out for Riverside City College's revamped Welcome Day, connecting with clubs, financial aid, and support services ahead of the fall semester.
Three La Sierra University students shared how the school's Presidential Service Award, a $15,000 renewable scholarship, eased financial stress and shaped their first-year experience.
The Community College District's Board of Trustees is weighing cuts to seven staff positions tied to lost federal funding, while easing credit rules for prior learning and approving a new comic and graphic novel certificate.
This Week in Riverside
Today
- MSRPAC's Monthly Community Cat Spay/Neuter Day at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($45)
- City Council at Riverside City Hall
- Karaoke Tuesday Competition at the Hideaway at The Hideaway
Tomorrow
- Riverside East Rotary Club at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern
- Stretch & Dance Class at Janet Goeske Senior Center
- Community Police Review Commission at Riverside City Hall
- FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner at All Saints Episcopal Church
- History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21)
Save the Date
- Aug 28: FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner at Community Yoga Center
- Aug 28: Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting at Zacatecas Café
- Aug 29: FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray at Community Yoga Center
- Aug 29: FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner at Community Yoga Center
- Aug 31: FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour at Community Yoga Center
- Sep 2: FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner at All Saints Episcopal Church
- Sep 3: Orange Street Mural Unveiling at Main Museum Pedestrian Walkway (Orange Street)
- Sep 9: FREE Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing at Cowtown Square Dance Center
- Sep 18: Open Mic Night at Riverside Baha'i Center
- Sep 25: Moon Festival at Heritage House
- Oct 3: Aquamotion Aquathon at Shamel Pool
- Oct 7: Fifty & Better Health Fair at Janet Goeske Center
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