City Council takes up a $3.16 billion two-year budget, an adaptive reuse ordinance and a transit-oriented development plan among a packed agenda; other boards and commissions meet throughout the week.
Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday! From time to time, we want to share volunteer opportunities that are really making a difference in our community. Today we're starting with Nancy Olsen, a Gazette reader who retired six years ago and found her purpose through Voices for Children, a local nonprofit that trains Court Appointed Special Advocates, also known as CASAs. These volunteers advocate for children in foster care to ensure their voices are heard and needs are met.
Through Voices for Children, Nancy was matched with a teenage girl. What followed was five years of bowling trips, art shows, homework sessions, and what Nancy's CASA kid now calls "adulting" together. Today, that young woman is 19: a high school graduate with a 3.6 GPA, a cosmetology school grad, a community college student, and a dancer who found her talent along the way.
More than 180 children in Riverside County are currently waiting for that one consistent advocate in their corner. If you're interested in learning more about becoming a CASA, sign up for an info session at speakupnow.org.
City Council takes up a $3.16 billion two-year budget, an adaptive reuse ordinance and a transit-oriented development plan among a packed agenda; other boards and commissions meet throughout the week.
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 in closed and open sessions on Tuesday, June 23, in afternoon sessions at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and an evening session at 6:15 p.m. (agenda). The agenda includes:
Adopting the City's 2026-27 spending plan for approximately $9 million in federal housing and emergency services grants, including Community Development Block Grant and HOME funds used to support low-income residents and community programs (item 6).
Updating the City's fee schedule to add new charges for public records copies and notary services through the City Clerk's Office (item 7).
Considering an Adaptive Reuse Ordinance that would establish rules and incentives for converting vacant or underused commercial buildings into housing in designated areas of the city (item 8).
Adopting the City's 2025 Urban Water Management Plan and Water Shortage Contingency Plan, which outline long-term water supply strategy and drought response protocols for Riverside residents (item 44).
Holding a public hearing to consider adopting a two-year City budget totaling approximately $3.16 billion across fiscal years 2026-28, including a Measure Z spending plan and capital improvement projects (item 49).
Housing and Homelessness Committee
The Housing and Homelessness Committee meets on Monday, June 22, at 3:30 p.m. (agenda) to receive updates on the Housing Authority's active projects — which include 336 affordable housing units, 24 permanent supportive housing units, and 41 transitional housing units in the development pipeline (item 2) and the status of the City's Homelessness Action Plan (item 4).
Board of Public Utilities
The Board of Public Utilities meets on Monday, June 22, at 6:30 p.m. (agenda) to approve the City's ethics code for possible revisions (item 9) and approving a five-year, $1.66 million software agreement to continue support for the utility operations management system used to run Riverside's water and electric services (item 10).
Museum of Riverside Board
The Museum of Riverside Board meets on Wednesday, June 24, at 3 p.m. (agenda) to recommend additions to the Museum of Riverside's permanent collection including archival and historic items (item 5), and recommending the returnof 44 Native American objects associated with the Morongo Band of Mission Indians from the permanent collection (item 7).
Community Police Review Commission
The Community Police Review Commission meets on Wednesday, June 24, at 5:30 p.m. (agenda) to review the City's Code of Ethics and Conduct for possible updates (item 4).
Human Relations Commission
The Human Relations Commission meets on Thursday, June 25, at 6 p.m. (agenda) to review the City's Code of Ethics and Conduct (item 6).
A 3.5-inch pencil in the Museum of Riverside holds the story of how the city began.
John North's pencil, circa 1870. (Courtesy of the Museum of Riverside)
Domestic silk moths (Bombyx mori) were the foundation of modern Riverside ... or rather, the failure of the silkworm industry was. In 1860s Los Angeles, the California Silk Center Association (CSCA) set its sights inland. CSCA purchased thousands of acres of land with the plan to establish a silk-growing industry. The environment was right and the moths were healthy but, in 1870, the silkworm egg boom bombed. Louis Provost, the president of the CSCA, died and with him the scheme lost its appeal.
The collapse of the silk farming industry laid the foundation for the settlement scheme known as the "Southern California Colony Association" created by John W. North, James Greves and others.
Stored in the Museum of Riverside is an incredibly powerful object documenting Southern California history, and it's only 3.5 inches long. It arrived at the Museum with a letter from the donor, dated September 27, 1971. In it, she explained, "I am forwarding it to you ... just as I found it - sealed in an envelope with a note in her handwriting ..." She added, "My mother was five years old when the family went to Riverside, so her school experience began there. I can well understand her respect for the pencil."
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