Oranges ripen on the branch as a Hawarden Hills sunset paints the sky — a scene that's defined Riverside since the days when citrus groves stretched across the hillsides. (Rosalyn Anderson) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? Share it with us and help celebrate the beauty of our community!
Monday Gazette: March 16, 2026
Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday! A quick reminder: you have until this Friday, March 20 to enter our photo contest for a chance to win two tickets to see Hadestown at the Fox Performing Arts Center on April 13. Snap your favorite spot in the city, tell us why it matters to you, and submit at raincrossgazette.com. We'll announce the winner on Sunday.
The 2026 City Council Races Are Set. Here's Who's Running.
Ten certified candidates across three wards will face voters in the June 2 General Municipal Election.
Riverside's June 2 City Council election is official — 10 candidates are certified across three open seats in Wards 2, 4, and 6.
Why it matters: If you live in Ward 2, 4, or 6, your council representative will be decided June 2. Two seats are open due to departures, and one incumbent is defending a third term.
Driving the news: The City Clerk published the final certified candidate list Friday, closing a months-long field-building process the Gazette has tracked since last fall.
The field:
Ward 2 — Four candidates compete for the seat Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes vacates to run for State Assembly: Gracie Torres (Western Municipal Water District board), Christen Montero (entrepreneur, planning commissioner), Aram Ayra (educator, city commissioner), and Mike Vahl (business owner). Dan Florez withdrew last week after self-funding most of his campaign; he endorsed Vahl.
Ward 4 — Councilmember Chuck Conder seeks a third term against Jessica Qattawi (businesswoman) and Rich Vandenberg (finance professional).
Ward 6 — Three candidates compete for the open seat left by retiring Councilmember Jim Perry, who has held it since 2013: Oz Puerta (Arlington Business Partnership), Luis Hernandez (disability services specialist), and Norma Berrellez (Alvord USD school board trustee).
What's next: Election Day is June 2. The Gazette's 2026 Election Guide includes profiles of all Ward 2 candidates, Qattawi, Vandenberg, and Puerta — with Conder, Hernandez, and Berrellez profiles still in progress.
Public meetings this week cover senior housing, parks improvements, historic preservation and a new clean-energy partnership.
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.
Commission on Aging
The Commission on Aging meets on Monday, March 16 at 4 p.m. (agenda) to receive a presentation on Housing and Human Services and to discuss updates on senior health, housing, events, environment, mobility.
Park and Recreation Commission
The Park and Recreation Commission meets on Monday, March 16 at 6:30 p.m. (agenda) to receive presentations on the Riverside Community Services Foundation Update and Gala, the Arlington Pickleball Complex and Fairmount Park’s master plan. It will also review its 2026 Work Plan, which includes its annual planning of parks, recreation and events for residents.
Cultural Heritage Board
The Cultural Heritage Board meets on Wednesday, March 18 at 3:30 p.m. (agenda) to present the city’s Historic Preservation Program in an annual report, review its rules for conducting business and review Brown Act training.
Economic Development Committee
The Economic Development Committee meets on Thursday, March 19 at 3 p.m. (agenda) to receive an update on Riverside Initiative Sustaining Entrepreneurs (RISE): Business Retention Program and to discuss signing a memorandum of understanding to work with Stored Power Technology – a clean-energy company – to obtain sites and permits.
Council Creates Award Honoring Mission Inn Visionaries
Councilmember Chuck Conder proposed the honor to preserve the legacies of residents who shaped Riverside, naming the couple who restored the Mission Inn as its first recipients.
A bronze statue depicting Duane and Kelly Roberts stands in the lobby of the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, surrounded by an arrangement of red roses. The City Council voted March 10 to name a new civic achievement award in their honor. (Titus Pardee)
City Council unanimously created a civic award named for Duane and Kelly Roberts, who rescued the Mission Inn from a seven-year closure in 1992.
Why it matters: The Duane and Kelly Roberts City of Riverside Extraordinary Achievement Award will permanently recognize residents whose contributions shaped Riverside — keeping that history alive as the city grows.
Driving the news: Councilmember Chuck Conder (Ward 4) proposed the award at the March 10 meeting, inspired by concern that Riverside was losing the stories of its most consequential figures.
A laser-cut steel plaque was unveiled on the Council Chamber wall following the unanimous vote.
Catch up quick: The Mission Inn sat behind chain-link fencing for seven years before the Roberts purchased it in December 1992 and reopened it in May 1993. The restoration earned a Guinness World Record for the largest termite tent.
What they're saying: Ward 1 Councilmember Philip Falcone, who once worked at the Mission Inn, recalled the hotel's darkest days.
"If it wasn't for Duane and Kelly Roberts...that would've been the greatest promise never kept."
What's next: Future honorees will include city founder John North and Frank Miller, who originally built the Mission Inn. Duane Roberts passed away Nov. 1, 2025; Kelly Roberts was absent from Tuesday's meeting.
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