Thursday Gazette: August 6, 2026
Hello Riverside, and Happy Thursday! Today is Farmworker Appreciation Day! Today's a good day to think about the hands behind our meals: the farmworkers whose long hours in the fields keep produce on our tables and shelves across the Inland Empire. If you're headed to a farmers market this week, it's a fitting moment to say thanks to the people who grow what we eat.
See you tomorrow!
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CITY HALL
Runoff Election Prompts Faster Charter Review Appointment Process
The Governmental Processes Committee says a Wards 2 and 4 runoff has squeezed the timeline for seating the next Charter Review Committee.
The Governmental Processes Committee wants council members to directly appoint the next Charter Review Committee, skipping the usual interview and screening process.
Why it matters: The panel shapes what charter changes reach your ballot — this recommendation aims to keep the review on track for the March 2028 election.
Driving the news: The Governmental Processes Committee backed the change Wednesday after a possible November runoff in Wards 2 and 4 pushed the election calendar later, shrinking the time to recruit members.
- Councilmember Chuck Conder proposed recruitment starting Oct. 1, with appointments finalized by early December — or by newly elected members soon after taking office.
The backstory: The charter requires a review committee every eight years to study possible amendments and gather public input.
- City rules give council three appointment options — the mayor's screening committee, direct councilmember appointments, or another process council chooses; GPC picked the direct route to save time.
What they're saying: Former committee member Malissa McKeith urged the city to start recruiting right away, saying the review "takes a long time to do."
- Falcone said incoming council candidates should know appointing a charter panel member could be one of their first duties in office.
What's next: Recruitment would begin in October, with a committee seated by January 2027 and final ballot language due by November 2027. The full City Council takes up the recommendation next.
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COMMUNITY
For Children in Foster Care, CASA Volunteers Help Make Summer Feel Like Childhood
With nearly 6,000 kids expected in foster care this year, the nonprofit Voices for Children says summer is when kids need CASA volunteers most.
For many children, summer means trips to the beach, bike rides, summer camp and family vacations — but for some children in the foster care system, summer break can come with isolation, less opportunity for fun activities and fewer adults checking in on their well-being.
That's where Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers step in.
Voices for Children — a nonprofit that recruits and trains CASA volunteers for Riverside County's juvenile dependency courts — said its volunteers play a key role during the summer by helping foster youth stay connected and experience activities and the joy of being a kid.
Sharon Morris, managing director of Voices for Children in Riverside County, previously served as a CASA volunteer herself, recalled one child she first met at age 5 and still keeps in touch with today as an adult.
"She'll tell you foster care was not a fun time for her," Morris said. "But the one thing that made it bearable was she knew that I was coming to visit her. She knew exactly when I was coming, and [that] she could get out of the home and just be a kid for a little while."
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Noteworthy
Clear out clutter at this Saturday's bulky item drop-off event, 8 a.m.–noon at the Riverside City Corporation Yard, accepting appliances, e-waste, tires, and more.
Young residents ages 15–24 can apply for the Youth Climate Action Fund, receiving $1,000–$5,000 to lead local sustainability projects; applications open August 17 through September 25.
What's Happening in Riverside
Today
- FREE ADMISSION - First Thursday of every month during Riverside ArtsWalk at Riverside Art Museum
Tomorrow
- Murder Mystery Co. Dinner Theater Show at The Old Spaghetti Factory ($69)
- Jo Jo Jorge Falcon at Fox Performing Arts Center
Save the Date
- August 8: Casino Night with CARE at Riverside Airport Cafe ($50)
- August 8: FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray at Community Yoga Center
- August 8: FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner at Community Yoga Center
- August 9: FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner at Community Yoga Center
- August 10: FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour at Community Yoga Center
- August 10: Interfaith Prayer Meeting at Riverside Baha'i Center
- August 12: FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner at All Saints Episcopal Church
- August 14: Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting at Zacatecas Café
- September 9: Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing at Cowtown Square Dance Center
- October 7: Fifty & Better Health Fair at Janet Goeske Center
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