> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # 🗞️ Riverside News- February 23, 2026 - URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/riverside-news-february-23-2026/ - Published: 2026-02-23T13:00:47.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-09T02:15:23.000Z - Description: Council approves spending, fire safety; bar permit revocation; museum collection gaps... - Author: Gazette Staff - Tags: Newsletter ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/02/IMG_3790.jpeg) The Riverside County Courthouse, erected in 1903, stands bright against post-storm skies, its ornate facade freshened by recent rains. (Greg Neal) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? [Share it with us](https://goldstandardca.notion.site/13eef165d2ee80fa91c3de069cc9ec29?ref=raincrossgazette.com) and help celebrate the beauty of our community! **Monday Gazette: February 23, 2026** **Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday!** After last week's cold, rainy stretch, the sun is finally making its comeback — today's high is expected to reach the mid-to-high 70s. Not bad for February! Southern California has a way of reminding us why we live here. We hope you're heading into the week refreshed. See you tomorrow! --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169513/image/0?seed=20260223)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169513/click/0?seed=20260223&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [GOVERNMENT](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/government/) ## This Week in City Hall: Feb. 23, 2026 City Council meets Tuesday with $1.8 million in spending approvals and a Fire Department defensible space discussion. The Planning Commission will consider revoking a Downtown bar's permits after repeated code violations and emergency calls. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/02/4-_DSC4129-2.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-feb-23-2026) (Titus Pardee) 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 Tuesday, Feb. 24 in afternoon sessions at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and an evening session at 6:15 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1385260&GUID=D8D2D56C-ACEB-483C-9397-5BF8E35E7757&ref=raincrossgazette.com)). The agenda includes: - Reviewing a [report](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15190174&GUID=28FF2E2B-5D3A-4516-B50A-F2A4482A0BF2&ref=raincrossgazette.com) of the 2025-26 fiscal year’s first quarter and approving various projects totaling $1.8 million – including $400,000 to repair flood damage to City Hall’s 50-year-old basement, and a review of a Measure Z spending plan. - Conducting a state-mandated [public hearing](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15190175&GUID=260B5398-A0AD-4C37-966B-176EABB89B49&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on the number of job vacancies and recruitment efforts in the citywide workforce, where roughly 12 percent of authorized city positions were unfilled as of December 2025. - Discussing Riverside Fire Department’s [2026 Defensible Space](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15190195&GUID=24F2D0CC-5B18-4B01-948F-F79572533441&ref=raincrossgazette.com) - [Inspection Program](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15190195&GUID=24F2D0CC-5B18-4B01-948F-F79572533441&ref=raincrossgazette.com) and plan to inspect and prepare properties located in high-risk fire hazard areas. - Awarding $1.5 million to builders to [construct a median](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15190156&GUID=E4578468-C6BF-4F44-AF1A-A401E240C118&ref=raincrossgazette.com) on Mission Inn Avenue between Redwood Drive and Scout Lane. ### Board of Public Utilities The Board of Public Utilities meets on Monday, Feb. 23, at 6:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1386226&GUID=47CFFB9C-8DFE-4621-BFCF-7A9239BF35E4&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to discuss Riverside’s participation in a [water pipeline research project](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15181389&GUID=78A96BFF-5148-42E3-9158-26B2EE3283CD&ref=raincrossgazette.com) by Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and to consider approval of a $2 million [work order](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15178254&GUID=251B5FF0-9E3B-4C15-9637-46C9A5452D5C&ref=raincrossgazette.com) to update electrical poles and infrastructure throughout the city. ### Community Police Review Commission The Community Police Review Commission meets on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 5:30 p.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1385269&GUID=3BC980BF-4ACA-4B1C-B129-E7D860F69638&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) to discuss the [extension until May of an ad hoc committee](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15157005&GUID=56942344-B1AA-4BEA-BCE1-BE178D385C8C&ref=raincrossgazette.com) investigating the CPRC’s bylaws, policies and procedures, and to review the [results of the 2025 CPRC Workplan](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15157113&GUID=9261D4CB-0DAC-4EA1-ACF7-6046BFDAE2A9&ref=raincrossgazette.com) and develop the 2026 Workplan. ### Planning Commission The Planning Commission meets on Thursday, Feb. 26 at 9 a.m. ([agenda](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1382157&GUID=31FE07C7-3A1F-43A1-8737-EC4A81723993&ref=raincrossgazette.com)) for a public hearing to consider [revoking Downtown Experiment’s bar and nightclub permit](https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15223042&GUID=1E4E1B23-246E-44D4-9C99-559B8767BE75&ref=raincrossgazette.com) and alcohol sale permit due to multiple code violations and a high volume of emergency calls. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/this-week-in-city-hall-feb-23-2026) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [ ![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169514/image/0?seed=20260223) ](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169514/click/0?seed=20260223&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- #### [MUSEUM MONDAYS](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/tag/museum-mondays/) ## Incomplete Chapters: Gaps in the Museum of Riverside's Collections How decades of bias shaped what was — and wasn't — preserved. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/b2/b3b29e3b-298e-485f-86ca-3034c21e3784/content/images/2026/02/A282-2e-Fairmount-Park-Pool-postcard-1.jpg)](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/incomplete-chapters-gaps-in-the-museum-of-riversides-collections) Postcard featuring The Plunge at Fairmount Park in Riverside, California. Circa 1912-1919 (Courtesy of the Museum of Riverside) A presence in the community, but an absence or lack in the Museum of Riverside's collections, reveals biases in how items were acquired over the decades. The African American community, for example, was pivotal to the growth of the City, but the Museum's collections do not yet reflect this reality fully. One key figure in Riverside's African American history was early resident Frank Johnson, owner of Johnson Carriage Company. He unsuccessfully fought to desegregate The Plunge, a pool at Riverside's Fairmount Park in the 1920s. He also initiated a census campaign that took a count of registered voters in the area and led to Black people finally being included on Riverside's juries. Opening in 1912, the Plunge was part of the original John Olmstead plan for Fairmount Park but by 1959 had deteriorated to the point that it had to be closed. [Read and share the complete story...](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/incomplete-chapters-gaps-in-the-museum-of-riversides-collections) --- Advertisement ([Become an advertiser](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/advertise/)) [![Advertisement](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone_static/169515/image/0?seed=20260223)](https://ad.broadstreetads.com/zone%5Fstatic/169515/click/0?seed=20260223&ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- ## Noteworthy [Notre Dame High School claimed the Riverside County Mock Trial Championship](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/notre-dame-high-school-wins-riverside-county-mock-trial-for-second-time) for the second time, defeating MLK High in the final round at the Historic Courthouse, and will now represent the county at the state competition March 20-22 in Oakland. The Riverside Fire and Police Departments are urging drivers to [pull to the right when they see flashing lights or hear sirens](https://riversideca.gov/press/%22pull-right%22-campaign-reminds-drivers-clear-way-emergency-responders?ref=raincrossgazette.com), warning that blocked lanes and hesitant drivers can dangerously delay emergency response times. 📣 ****See something? Say something.** Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please [share it with us](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/contact/). --- ## This Week in Riverside ### Today - [Board of Public Utilities](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/board-of-public-utilities/17245120/2026-02-23T18) at Riverside City Hall - [Goeske Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/goeske-bingo/17920930/2026-02-23T09) at Janet Goeske Center ($20- $100) - [Monday Carillon Recitals](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/monday-carillon-recitals/17079871/2026-02-23T12) at UCR Bell Tower - [**Sip with a Scientist**](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/17942951/2026-02-23T17)at Bar Ni Modo ### Tomorrow - [MSRPAC's Monthly Community Cat Spay/Neuter Day](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/msrpacs-monthly-community-cat-spayneuter-day/17790235/2026-02-24T06) at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's Spay-Neuter Clinic ($45) - [Orange Terrace Library | Lego Club](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/orange-terrace-library-lego-club/17859863/2026-02-24T10) at Orange Terrace Library - [Inland Empire Chorus Rehearsal](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/inland-empire-chorus-rehearsal/17785176/2026-02-24T18) at Temple Beth El Synagogue ### Save the Date - March 9: [REEF's Best Event Ever! Take 9!](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/reefs-best-event-ever-take-9/17943705/2026-03-09T18) at Fox Performing Arts Center ($10- $75) - March 14: [Riverside Sunrise Rotary 22nd Annual Black Tie Bingo](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/riverside-sunrise-rotary-22nd-annual-black-tie-bingo/18141462/2026-03-14T18) at Riverside Convention Center ($130- $250) - March 19: [Empowered Leadership: Cultivating Influence and Impact](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/empowered-leadership-cultivating-influence-and-impact/17934420/2026-03-19T08) at Work Well ($165) - March 21: [LiTEArature: A Fairy-Themed Afternoon Tea](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/litearature-a-fairythemed-afternoon-tea/18160499/2026-03-21T14) at Heritage House ($25) - March 30: [Sip with a Scientist](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/#/details/sip-with-a-scientist/17942951/2026-03-30T17) at Bar Ni Modo 🗓️ [See More Events](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/calendar/)📝 [Submit Your Event](https://hub.cityspark.com/Event/Submission/Raincross?ref=raincrossgazette.com) --- 📸 [Submit a photo](http://raincrossgazette.com/submitphoto?ref=raincrossgazette.com) to be featured in our newsletters and social media accounts. 🏆 [Nominate a remarkable Riversider](https://rgnotw.paperform.co/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) as Neighbor of the Week.