Wednesday Gazette: January 14, 2026
Hello Riverside, and Happy Wednesday! The warmer temperatures this week have us thinking about spring and getting back into our gardens: pulling weeds, refreshing old planters, and maybe even tackling that neglected corner of the yard. Why not get ahead of the season by learning how to garden more waterwise?
Riverside Public Utilities and the Riverside-Corona Resource Conservation District are hosting a series of free landscape workshops designed to help you save water, create a beautiful yard, and learn sustainable gardening practices. Coming up: Step-by-Step Rebate Process for Turf Replacement on January 27, Defensible Landscapes: Firescaping & Fire Hardening Your Home on February 28, and The Dirt on Soil: Structure, Texture, Mulch and More on March 14.
See you tomorrow!
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HOUSING
Council Rejects $20 Million State Grant for Homeless Housing Project
4-3 vote kills 114-unit conversion of University Avenue motel; Homekey+ funds return to state.
Riverside sends $20.1 million in state funding back to Sacramento, killing the city's largest permanent supportive housing project after a 4-3 vote.
Why it matters: The rejected Homekey+ grant would have converted the Quality Inn on University Avenue into 114 studio apartments for homeless and low-income residents—housing that 312 people are currently waiting for on the city's coordinated entry list.
Driving the news: Council members Falcone, Robillard, Conder and Mill voted against the University Terrace Homes project Tuesday, arguing Housing First policies fail without addressing underlying mental health and substance abuse issues.
- "Housing First has failed," Mill said, calling the approach "housing stabilization without human stabilization."
Yes, but: Ward 2 Councilmember Cervantes, who lives half a mile from the site, called the rejection fiscally irresponsible.
- "We are not in a position to say no to over $21 million of state grant funding when we are tightening our budgets."
By the numbers:
- $29.7 million: Total project cost
- 114 units: Proposed studio apartments (94 permanent supportive, 20 affordable)
- 312 people: Currently on the city's housing waitlist
The backstory: The Quality Inn has generated 160+ police calls since January 2024. Nearby business owners, including the Bailey family who invested $15 million in Farmhouse Collective, opposed the project citing concerns about the corridor's revitalization.
What's next: The $20.1 million returns to the state. The city's $9.5 million in committed local funds faces expenditure deadlines in coming months.
Read and share the full story... (5 min. read)
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TRANSPORTATION
Mission Bridge Replacement Set to Begin After Council OKs $4M Funding Boost
Construction begins this spring on 67-year-old span; city's share of $91 million project rises to $5.2 million.
City Council approved a $4 million funding increase Tuesday for the Mission Boulevard Bridge replacement—bringing Riverside's share of the $91 million project to $5.2 million and clearing construction to start this spring.
Why it matters: If you cross between Riverside and Jurupa Valley, expect lane reductions starting spring 2025 through September 2029—but you'll get a seismically safe bridge with a protected 12-foot bike and pedestrian trail.
Driving the news: The 67-year-old bridge over the Santa Ana River has seismic deficiencies flagged since 1997 and no safe option for cyclists.
- Construction costs jumped 137% since 2015 due to pandemic inflation and permit delays.
By the numbers:
- $91 million total project cost (federal and state funds cover 91%)
- $5.2 million Riverside's share—just 5.7% of total
- 12-foot protected multipurpose trail along the south side
What's changing: The new bridge will be 23 feet longer, 27 feet wider, and raised 5 feet to meet flood standards while maintaining four traffic lanes with standard shoulders and a concrete median barrier.
During construction: Two lanes open in the peak direction, one lane opposite—a reduction from current two lanes each way—while crews build the north half first, then shift traffic and complete the south side.
The big picture: The trail creates a key link in Riverside's River District vision, connecting the Santa Ana River Trail to Carlson Park and neighborhoods on both sides.
- Parks Director Pamela Galera: "Many people in the community didn't even know we had a river."
What's next: Construction runs spring 2025 through September 2029. Riverside County awarded the $58.9 million construction contract to Skanska USA in December.
Read and share the full story... (3 min. read)
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COMMUNITY
Nonprofit Connecting UCR Students with Refugee Support Work in Riverside County
Human Migration Institute presentation Wednesday highlights volunteer roles, climate factors driving displacement.
Students and community members can learn about volunteer opportunities with refugee families Wednesday at a UC Riverside presentation by the Human Migration Institute.
Why it matters: If you're a UCR student interested in community engagement or nonprofit work, you can explore volunteer positions, work-study opportunities, and long-term partnerships supporting Riverside County refugees.
What's happening: Programs Director Allison Severns and Case Manager Tomma Velez will discuss how HMI supports refugees through community building and how students can get involved.
- The session runs 2-3:20 p.m. Wednesday in Student Success Center Room 125.
The big picture: HMI began in 2015 supporting Syrian refugees through ESL classes and community building—a response to displacement driven partly by severe drought that pushed 1.5 million Syrians from rural areas before the 2011 civil war.
Between the lines: Climate factors increasingly contribute to displacement, though HMI focuses on responding to what families face after arriving in Riverside County.
- "Our role isn't to label people as 'climate refugees,' but to respond to what families are actually facing here," Severns said.
What's available: Volunteer positions, UCR work-study opportunities, and campus group partnerships for longer-term engagement.
What's next: Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2-3:20 p.m., UCR Student Success Center Room 125. Anyone interested in refugee support and migration issues is welcome.
Read and share the full story... (1 min. read)
NATURALLY RIVERSIDE
Why the Hass Variety Reigns as Avocado Royalty
From ugly duckling to Super Bowl favorite, a Whittier postman's discovery transformed California agriculture.
It's avocado season. Specifically, it's the part of avocado season when Riverside's Farmers Markets start transitioning from the green thin-skinned varieties – Bacon, Fuerte and Zutano – to the black thick-skinned Hass variety. Hass is the world favorite. An estimated quarter billion (with a "b") pounds of avocados (the great majority being Hass) were consumed for 2025's Super Bowl Sunday alone. Mexico is the world's primary producer of avocados (mostly Hass), and California is the number one avocado-producing state (95% Hass). And the Hass truly has its roots in Southern California.
It wasn't always this way. In the early days of the avocado in California, everybody "knew" that a black-skinned avocado was a rotten avocado. Fuerte – so named because it survived the terrible frost of 1913 – reigned as avocado royalty for much of the 20th century.
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Noteworthy
Riverside Public Library issued 23,462 new library cards in 2025 while recording 894,037 book checkouts and 1.6 million visits, with Stephen King's "Never Flinch" topping adult fiction and the lending library's most popular items ranging from C-clamps to California State Park passes.
UCR bioengineering researchers discovered the caudate nucleus, a deep brain region, emerged as the strongest predictor of grip strength in older adults during functional MRI scans of 60 Riverside-area participants, potentially enabling earlier detection of frailty before physical decline begins.
What's Happening in Riverside
Today
- Stretch & Dance Class at Janet Goeske Senior Center
- Riverside East Rotary Club at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern
- Commission of the Deaf at Riverside City Hall
- Finance Committee at Riverside City Hall
- History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation at Mission Inn Foundation ($60)
- Vision board creation with Connie at Packing house brewery
- Riverside Mission Belles at Victoria Presbyterian Church
- Riverside Open Mic Music Series at Back to the Grind
- RUSD Honors Musical: Singin' in the Rain at Fox Performing Arts Center
Tomorrow
- Mobility and Infrastructure Committee at Riverside City Hall
- 80's Music Bingo at Thompson Brewing Co.
- Haunt Me at Riverside Municipal Auditorium- Garden Room
- History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation at Mission Inn Foundation Store ($60)
- Cal Baptist Lancers Women's Basketball vs. Abilene Christian Wildcats at Dale E. and Sarah Ann Fowler Events Center
- Women's Basketball vs Long Beach State at SRC Arena
Save the Date
- January 17: Woodcrest Market Collective at Woodcrest Public Library
- February 1: On Peace & Friendship - History of the Peace Tower & Friendship Bridge at Riverside Medical Clinic Basement Meeting Room
- February 11: Galentine's Women's Health Event at Janet Goeske Center
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