Tuesday Gazette: June 28, 2026
Hello Riverside, and Happy Tuesday! A big thanks to everyone submitting summer vacation photos. Readers are loving them and looking forward to a new one each morning, so keep them coming. They're a nice bit of brightness as we sit in the middle of the dog days of summer. Fun fact: the name has nothing to do with panting pups. It actually comes from Sirius, the Dog Star, which the ancient Greeks and Romans blamed for summer's heat.
See you tomorrow!
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CITY HALL
Inspector General Search Narrows to Two Candidates
The watchdog position, created by voters in 2024, has drawn both support and criticism as the search continues.
The City Council is weighing two finalists for inspector general after closed-door interviews last week.
Why it matters: The inspector general will investigate fraud, waste and abuse in city government — this hiring decision shapes who holds City Hall accountable.
Driving the news: Council interviewed candidates in two closed sessions last Monday and Tuesday morning, Councilmember Steven Robillard said.
- "At this point, the Council is deliberating and considering the candidates," Robillard told the Gazette in an email Friday.
The backstory: Voters approved Measure L in November 2024 with 64% support, creating an inspector general office to probe fraud, waste and abuse.
- Council formally established the office in November 2025 on a 6-1 vote after months of debate over its independence.
Yes, but: Critics question whether an inspector general appointed by elected officials can independently investigate those same officials.
- Resident Keith Nelson told the council Monday: "That is not independent oversight."
- Councilmember Philip Falcone, the lone vote against creating the role, called it "expensive, untested, and unnecessary."
What's next: Council resumes closed-session deliberations Tuesday, July 28, according to the meeting agenda.
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FOOD & DRINK
Mikey G's Feeling at Home in Midtown
The Elizabeth Street shop is thriving, and its new bagel line, inherited from the bakery it once shared a kitchen with, has customers coming in for reasons beyond the coffee.
Four months into its Elizabeth Street location, Mikey G's is among the first food and drink businesses to open in Midtown.
Why it matters: If you want coffee and bagels without downtown parking hassles, Mikey G's now offers both under one roof after absorbing Parzel's Bagelry.
The backstory: Magnolia Center — now increasingly called Midtown — has been a Riverside business hub for more than 50 years.
- The Sire has endured on Magnolia Avenue for decades, while Condron Coffee and The Outpost are among Sunnyside Drive's newer successes.
What's new: Mikey G's acquired Parzel's Bagelry from founder Kali Hathaway, who once shared a kitchen with the shop at Harvest Christian Fellowship on Arlington.
- Owner Jake Driscoll said some customers come in just for bagels, then discover the espresso tonics and matcha on tap.
What they're saying: Driscoll isn't fazed by Riverside's ongoing wave of new coffee shops.
- "More coffee in Riverside helps coffee in Riverside as a whole," he said.
What's next: Driscoll wouldn't confirm additional locations but said Mikey G's is "always open to other opportunities."
- The original Arlington Avenue location still opens Sundays, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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MUSEUM MONDAYS
Museum of Riverside Expands Community Programs Ahead of 2028 Reopening
Heritage House hosts new nature programs, fall events and school tours while the museum's Downtown site awaits renovation.
The Museum of Riverside’s Education Division has been on the go, engaging with the community throughout Riverside. As we eagerly await the reopening of our rehabilitated and expanded main site in downtown Riverside, we are offering new programs at Heritage House. We are creating connections with local libraries and community centers, and popping up at events such as Artswalk and First Sundays. The Museum has also grown its volunteer program and developed exhibitions and programs for our spring 2028 reopening.
Heritage House, an 1890s historic house museum, has provided the backdrop for new highlight exhibitions, exciting new programs, and special tours. Natural history programming makes up some of these new offerings with after-dark hunts for insects and spiders and the celebration of World Snake Day all taking place in Heritage House’s gardens. Save the date for two events happening at Heritage House this fall: one an anticipated event, Moon Festival, and one just in its second year: Dark Carnival. Both are free and open to the public. Moon Festival will be held on September 25, from 6-9 p.m. and Dark Carnival on October 17,from noon-4 p.m. We’ve also expanded our school tours s at Heritage House with a new hands-on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) program exploring the importance of bringing water to early Riverside’s citrus groves.
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Noteworthy
Riverside Public Utilities is urging residents to set thermostats to 78° or higher, close windows to trap cooled air, and visit a community cooling center during Flex Alerts triggered by summer heat.
Registration is open for the Second Annual Riverside Turkey Trot, a Thanksgiving morning 5K through Midtown benefiting Olive Crest, which drew more than 600 runners, walkers and neighbors last year.
UCR computer scientists led by doctoral student Rohit Kundu unveiled SAGA, a new tool that not only detects AI-generated fake videos but also pinpoints which of 19 different AI systems created them.
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)
- Summer Seed Exchange at Marcy Library
- Civics Summer Camp at Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California
- The Art of Reading & Writing at My Learning Studio ($57)
- Multiplication Madness (MM) at My Learning Studio ($57)
- Reading Comprehension Group at My Learning Studio ($57)
- Reading Foundational Skills (RFS) at My Learning Studio ($196)
- Seed to Scale: Explore Controlled Environment Agriculture at UCR at University of California, Riverside
- 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
Save the Date
- July 29: FREE ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA at Community Yoga Center
- July 31: Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting at Zacatecas Café
- August 8: Casino Night with CARE at Riverside Airport Cafe ($50)
- October 7: Fifty & Better Health Fair at Janet Goeske Center
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