Wednesday Gazette: July 29, 2026
Hello Riverside, and Happy Wednesday! We want to know how you're beating the heat this week. Maybe it's a favorite cold drink at a spot Downtown, a go-to ice cream or paleta stand, or a place with air conditioning strong enough to make you forget it's summer at all. Maybe it's somewhere with a mister fan set up just right on the patio. Whatever your go-to cool down spot is, send it our way at newsroom@raincrossgazette.com. Bonus points for a photo. We'll share your favorites from the neighborhood soon.
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COMMUNITY
Public Forums Set on Renaming Chávez Community Center
Two community forums this weekend will gather feedback following sexual abuse allegations against the late labor union activist.
Riverside will gather public feedback this weekend on renaming the César Chávez Community Center amid sexual abuse allegations against its namesake.
Why it matters: Eastside residents who rely on the community center can share their input at two forums this week, before the city decides on a new name.
Driving the news: United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta, 95, alleged in a March statement that Chávez sexually abused her in the 1960s.
- The City responded by pulling Chávez's name from March's agenda and observing Farmworkers Day instead.
What's next: The city hosts two forums at the Youth Opportunity Center, 2060 University Ave.
- Thursday, July 30, from 6 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, Aug. 1, from 10 a.m. to noon.
What they're saying: Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson called the center "a gathering place for many Eastside residents for decades."
Yes, but: The César Chávez statue Downtown belongs to the Latino Network of Riverside, not the city, which is working with the group on the statue's future.
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HOMELESSNESS
Riverside Now Requires 24-Hour Notice Before Dropping Off Unhoused Individuals
New ordinance targets organizations that transport unhoused people into the city without coordinating shelter or services first.
Riverside now requires 24 hours' notice before any agency transports an unhoused person into city limits, officials said in a release Tuesday.
Why it matters: Hospitals, government agencies and other institutions dropping someone off in Riverside must coordinate with the city first — or face citations — under the new ordinance.
What's required:
- Written notice submitted online at least 24 hours before drop-off
- Notice goes to the City Manager's office and the Director of Housing and Human Services
- Drop-offs limited to 8 a.m.–5 p.m., when staff and service providers are available
Driving the news: Officials cited a recent case in the release: a Riverside County Sheriff's deputy dropped off a person experiencing homelessness from Jurupa Valley outside the Riverside Access Center without coordinating with the city beforehand.
- The city says stabilizing one unsheltered person costs roughly $63,000 in shelter, rental assistance and case management.
Yes, but: The ordinance doesn't apply to people relocating on their own, and it doesn't restrict charities from providing basic survival assistance, per state law.
What's next: First violations draw a warning. A second can bring an administrative citation, with a hearing and appeal process, and the city says it may pursue civil action to collect unpaid fines.
By the numbers: Riverside counted 614 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the county's 2025 Point-in-Time Count.
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COMMUNITY
40 Years On, Project Food's Mission Remains Unfinished
The First Congregational Church program has served weekly meals for over 40 years, but volunteers say the need it addresses hasn't faded.
Descending the narrow staircase below the First Congregational Church, visitors are greeted by an unexpectedly lively scene: volunteers hurriedly carrying trays between tables, aromatic scents drifting about, and a DJ playing soft, ambient music beneath glowing chandeliers.
Project Food is a social service project of the First Congregational Church, aiming to serve the immediate needs of the homeless in Riverside. For over 40 years, they have been providing weekly hot meals, clothes, and sanitary supplies. Even so, Project Food's longevity also reflects an uncomfortable reality: four decades later, the need it was created to address still exists.
Since The Raincross Gazette last covered Project Food in 2025, some aspects of the program have changed while its mission has remained the same.
"What stands out to me is that we're still filling a need," cofounder Barbara Wilson said. "When we started, we hoped we would eventually work ourselves out of a job, that someday Project Food wouldn't be needed anymore. But here we are, 40 years later, and that need still exists. It shows that the problem is still there, and we're doing what we can to help."
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Noteworthy
American Legion Riverside Post 79 hosts a Veterans Resource Fair Thursday, July 30, from 6 to 8 p.m., connecting veterans and military families with local, state, and federal benefits, healthcare, and employment resources.
The Santa Ana River Trail at Mission Boulevard will close on weekdays through August 12 for bridge construction, remaining open weekends, with trail users rerouted at Carlson Park or turned back near the bridge's north side.
Mark your calendars: Riverside's remaining 2026 Clean Up events run August 15, September 19, and October 17, offering residents free bulky item and e-waste disposal from 8 a.m. to noon with proof of residency.
What's Happening in Riverside
Today
- Riverside East Rotary Club at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern
- Stretch & Dance Class at Janet Goeske Senior Center
Tomorrow
- History on the Rocks! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation at Mission Inn Foundation ($65.50 - $71.21)
Save the Date
- July 31: 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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🏆 Nominate a remarkable Riversider as Neighbor of the Week.