Friday Gazette: August 28, 2026
Hello Riverside, and Happy Friday! It's gonna be a warm weekend out there, so we've pulled together a few indoor ways to beat the heat. Tonight, head to Paint Your Pet at Hangar 24 Brewing for a laid back painting night that supports shelter pets while you sip and create. Saturday, the Janet Goeske Center is hosting a full day of bingo, prizes and all. And Sunday, the Riverside Art Museum offers a free zine workshop with Brookes Reeder, no experience needed. Check out our community calendar for even more ways to spend the weekend.
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CITY HALL
Council Approves Veterans Tech Training Deal with Data Center Piece Scrapped
Council members split 4-0-3 on the iVETS/StemWorx workforce deal after staff cut a data center provision that had stalled it.
Riverside will fund veteran tech training after council removed a second-phase data center provision from the original deal.
Why it matters: Veterans and other residents can enroll in training for jobs in AI, robotics and quantum computing. The data center piece of the original proposal is gone for now, but a broader city debate over data centers continues into September.
Driving the news: Council voted 4-0 Tuesday to approve the iVETS-StemWorx training agreement, two weeks after staff pulled it from the Aug. 11 agenda over the data center phase.
- CEDD Director Miranda Evans said Tuesday's vote approves no construction, infrastructure or land-use changes.
By the numbers: Three council members — Clarissa Cervantes, Philip Falcone and Luis Hernandez — abstained rather than voting yes or no.
What they're saying: Cervantes cited "a little apprehension" over how drones and autonomous systems are used by police and other groups. Falcone, who's drafting a separate citywide data center ban, called Tuesday's timing "bad."
What's next: The city's Land Use Committee takes up data center policy in September. Falcone's proposed ban is tentatively set for that committee Sept. 14.
Go deeper: Falcone's proposed data center ban
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CITY HALL
Board Recommends Ending Underused EV Rate, Lifting Solar Cap
The board also recommended updates to rules on ADUs, master metering and utility property access, sending all changes to City Council for final approval.
Riverside's utilities board recommended lifting rooftop solar limits, closing an unused EV charging rate and updating three electric service rules.
Why it matters: If you're adding rooftop solar, the program can keep growing past its cap. EV rate customers already enrolled won't be affected, but new applicants lose the option, and ADU builders get clearer service rules.
What's new: The Board of Public Utilities voted unanimously Monday to recommend three changes for City Council to finalize.
- Lift the cap on the Self-Generation solar program, now at 72 megawatts — past its 64-megawatt limit.
- Close the Schedule EV rate to new customers; only 30 of 219 applicants ever completed installation.
- Revise rules on ADU electric service, master metering (closed to new accounts) and utility property access, including a 72-hour access notice standard.
Catch up quick: Net metering closed to new solar customers in 2022 after Riverside hit the state's 32-megawatt cap.
- Customers move to the newer self-generation program if they expand their system over 25%, replace it, or a new resident moves in.
Between the lines: Riverside Public Utilities said net metering created "a pretty large subsidy" other ratepayers covered — part of why the newer program exists.
- Board member Wohlgamuth asked if a newer meter adapter could revive Schedule EV; staff found no option on the market.
What's next: The recommendations head to City Council for final approval; no hearing date has been set yet.
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SPONSORED STORY
Riverside Unified's Early Learning Path: From Six Weeks to Kindergarten
Transitional kindergarten's eligibility date has finally stopped moving. Here's how it fits with Riverside Unified's preschool and infant programs — and how families choose.
For years, figuring out whether a Riverside child was old enough for transitional kindergarten (TK) meant checking a birthday against a cutoff that kept moving. As California phased in universal TK, the date shifted year to year, and many parents gave up tracking it.
That part is over. Heading into 2026-27, eligibility is consistent: a child who turns 4 by Sept. 1 can enroll in transitional kindergarten, full stop. "Now that the age requirement is stable year to year, Riverside families can plan their child's educational path with greater clarity and consistency," said Kristen Bristow, a teacher on special assignment in the elementary education office of Riverside Unified School District (RUSD).
And TK — free and full-day — turns out to be only the top rung of a ladder many families never see in full. In Riverside Unified, a child's path into public school can begin as early as 6 weeks old.
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What's Happening in Riverside
Friday, August 28
- Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting at Zacatecas Café
- Volunteer Interest Hour at Riverside Meals on Wheels
- Courthouse, Murals and Heroes Walking Tour at Mission Inn Foundation ($23.18)
- FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner at Community Yoga Center
- Happy Hour Karaoke at The Hideaway
- La Luz at Farm House Collective
- Paint Your Pet at Hangar 24 Brewing: Sip, Paint & Support Shelter Pets at Hangar 24 Brewing ($55)
Saturday, August 29
- Little LandUse Learners Spring/Summer Programming at LandUse Learning Center
- ScotSurplus Sale at Corporation Yard
- Goeske Bingo at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100)
- Mt. Rubidoux Walking Tour at Mt. Rubidoux Trailhead, a short walk from Ryan Bonaminio Park. ($21.20)
- Amor Prohibido - Tribute to Selena at Riverside Municipal Auditorium
- FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray at Community Yoga Center
- FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner at Community Yoga Center
- Low-Cost Vaccination Clinic at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($10- $28)
Sunday, August 30
- Prayers and Public Information Meeting at Riverside Baha'i Center
- Summer Zine Workshop Series with Brookes Reeder at Riverside Art Museum
- Take and Make Craft: Paper Aquarium at Arlington library
- Sunday Experiment After Dark at Downtown Experiment
Save the Date
- Aug 31: FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour at Community Yoga Center
- Aug 31: FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner 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 4: Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting at Zacatecas Café
- Sep 5: FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray at Community Yoga Center
- Sep 5: FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner at Community Yoga Center
- Sep 9: FREE Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing at Cowtown Square Dance Center
- Sep 13: Welcome Back Party! at First Congregational Church of Riverside
- 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
- Nov 14: Riverside Veterans Parade - Downtown Riverside/Market St.
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