A pond reflects the trees and hills at Crestmore Manor. (Lea Aragon) Have a photo that captures the spirit of Riverside? Share it with us and help celebrate the beauty of our community!
Monday Gazette: May 11, 2026
Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday! It's been one week since the Mission Inn sale stopped Riverside in its tracks — and in that time, you've had plenty to say. Today we share what we heard, from community organizations and local advocates to neighbors like you. Still have thoughts? Send them to newsroom@raincrossgazette.com.
From electric buses to a River District workplan, City Council and six other boards and commissions hold meetings across 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, May 12, in afternoon sessions at 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. (agenda). The agenda includes:
Considering the purchase of two electric buses for $753,124 to replace aging vehicles in the Riverside Connect para-transit service used by seniors and residents with disabilities. (item 15)
Considering a $2.28 million contract to renovate the City Hall lobby, relocating the City Clerk's Office to the main floor for easier public access and replacing a closed café space with a grab-and-go food area, funded through General Fund reserves. (item 12)
Considering adoption of a workplan for a proposed River District along the Santa Ana River that would guide future decisions on public access, habitat restoration and development of underutilized City-owned parkland in Wards 1, 3, and 7. (item 14)
Board of Library Trustees
The Board of Library Trustees meets on Monday, May 11, at 5:00 p.m. (agenda) to review updates on construction of the new Eastside Library, a state grant funding free summer lunches at library locations, and a proposed two-year budget that would reduce Sunday library hours to address projected City-wide shortfalls.
Board of Public Utilities
The Board of Public Utilities meets on Monday, May 11, at 6:30 p.m. (agenda) to review two RPU programs: a proposed renewal of no-cost energy efficiency upgrades for mobile-home and multi-family residents (item 8), and a community working group's plan for spending $34 million in electric bill surcharge reserves on battery storage, solar and low-income energy programs. (item 9)
The Mobility and Infrastructure Committee (Councilmembers Conder, Hemenway, and Perry) meets on Thursday, May 14, at 1:00 p.m. (agenda) to review the Transportation Board's 2026 work plan, which calls for developing school-specific safe routes plans, establishing a Vision Zero traffic safety action plan aimed at eliminating traffic fatalities, and designing the South Main Complete Streets Project. (item 2)
Airport Commission
The Airport Commission meets on Thursday, May 14, at 3:00 p.m. (agenda) to receive the Riverside Municipal Airport's quarterly operations report, which describes aircraft activity up 4.7% through the first three months of 2026 compared to the same period last year, with revenues tracking above projections. (item 1)
Budget Engagement Commission
The Budget Engagement Commission meets on Thursday, May 14, at 5:00 p.m. (agenda) to review a proposed $34 million in cuts to the city’s $1.57 billion 2026-28 budget (item 4), and to review the city's mid-year financial report — which describes the general fund as on track but under pressure from rising police overtime costs, declining revenues and rising oil prices (item 6).
The Mission Inn's New Stewards, Welcomed and Watched
Civic leaders, preservationists and readers spent the week welcoming the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation. They also began asking, carefully, what comes next.
The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa anchors a full city block at the heart of downtown Riverside, with the city's Arts & Entertainment district rising behind it. (Titus Pardee)
A week after Riverside learned that the Mission Inn would change hands — that the property was, in fact, for sale, and that the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation had agreed to purchase it from the Roberts family — the response from across the city has been broad and, mostly, welcoming. It has also been measured. There are open questions, and the people most invested in the property have begun asking them.
The Tribe's announcement settled some details and held others. Pyramid Global Hospitality will operate the property, the Festival of Lights will continue, gambling is not on the table, and closing is expected by the end of May. Operational specifics will be discussed after the sale closes. The Yuhaaviatam contribute more than 7,000 jobs to the Inland Empire economy and have given more than $425 million in philanthropic support through the San Manuel Cares program. Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson, in a statement Monday, said the Tribe's "deep-rooted commitment to our region positions them well to carry the Mission Inn forward."
The Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce applauded the sale and welcomed the Tribe as "thoughtful stewards." Stephanie Standerfer, chair of the chamber's board of directors, called the Mission Inn "central to Riverside's identity and economic vitality," thanked the Roberts family for "decades of vision and care" and welcomed the transition. The chamber's president and CEO, Nicholas Adcock, said the chamber expects to continue its longtime partnerships with the Inn, including the monthly Good Morning Riverside breakfast and the Festival of Lights. "The Mission Inn has always been where community, culture, and commerce come together," Adcock told the Gazette.
Wards 2, 4 and 6 Candidates Outline Housing Priorities as City Lags State Targets
With Riverside far behind on state housing targets, candidates in three ward races outlined their approaches to growth, density and neighborhood character.
The Raincross Gazette hosted candidate forums for Riverside City Council Wards 2, 4, and 6, bringing together candidates and community members for an open exchange ahead of the election. (Bob Sirotnik/Raincross Gazette)
The Raincross Gazette hosted candidate forums for Wards 2, 4 and 6 last month, asking all candidates the same questions on affordable housing and Riverside's neighborhood character.
Moderator Dan Bernstein, a former Press-Enterprise columnist and longtime Riversider, posed this question to candidates at all three forums:
The state is pushing cities to build more housing – not just affordable housing but housing in general. Homes and apartments. But Riverside has issued permits for less than 20% of the units the state says it needs. Yet, residents across the city worry about what growth is doing to their neighborhoods. More density. More traffic. More corporate-owned rentals. And less of what made them choose to live here in the first place.
How do you strike a balance between these two competing interests? Where can housing be added in your ward, and which neighborhoods would be most severely and unfairly disrupted by new residential construction?
See something? Say something. Your tips and ideas are what fuel The Raincross Gazette. If you know of something newsworthy happening in our city, please share it with us.
