Friday Gazette: October 23, 2026
Hello Riverside, and Happy Friday! When you shop small, you're supporting the neighbors behind the counter: the shop owners, makers and families who make Riverside feel like home. We're still gathering picks for our Shop Small guide, out on Thanksgiving Day. Which local shop always has just the right gift? A bookstore, a boutique, a vendor at the farmers market? Reply and tell us what makes it special.
Here's what else is happening around town:
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2026 ELECTION
RUSD Trustee Area 1 Candidates Weigh In on Bond Oversight, Repairs and Public Voice
Candidates address a state audit that found bond funds spent appropriately but with insufficient transparency for taxpayers.
How should Riverside Unified earn taxpayers’ trust before asking them to fund more school construction? And how should families and teachers help shape the district’s decisions?
In the second installment of the Gazette’s Trustee Area 1 election questionnaire, candidates were asked about Measure O bond oversight, future facilities spending, public participation at board meetings and instructional coaching for teachers.
Jinane Annous and Duffy Atkinson, who are challenging incumbent Noemi Hernandez Alexander, responded. Hernandez Alexander did not submit her answers by press deadline.
Readers can find the candidates’ responses on district finances in the first installment of this series.
Read and share the questions and each responding candidate’s full answers...
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COMMUNITY
Volunteers Give Casa Blanca Center a Kaiser-Backed Refresh
Nearly 60 volunteers spent a single day restoring benches, outdoor areas and the center's donation closets.
Sixty volunteers spent Sept. 18 refreshing Casa Blanca Home of Neighborly Service, a community center with roots in the 1950s.
Why it matters: The center runs a public food pantry and clothing closet, plus programs and giveaways for families in need. Those spaces just got a top-to-bottom tune-up.
Driving the news: Kaiser Permanente Riverside and Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful chose Casa Blanca for Kaiser’s annual facility service project.
- Kaiser’s National Facility Design and Construction Services picks one organization each year, and it cited Casa Blanca’s decades of service.
- Volunteers restored benches and outdoor areas, added plants, and organized the pantry and clothing closet.
What they’re saying: Executive Director Jerry Pulido said the work meant more than fresh paint.
- “It’s a reminder that our community sees our work,” he said.
The backstory: Neighbors started the center in the 1950s to support their community.
- Pulido grew up in the Casa Blanca neighborhood and rose from volunteer to executive director.
Stop by: The center is at 7680 Casa Blanca St. and is open weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- It posts upcoming events, including food distributions and backpack giveaways, on Instagram.
Read and share the complete story...
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COMMUNITY
Downtown Staycation
A monthly stroll through Riverside's everyday neighborhoods, one step at a time.
I usually begin these walks by deciding where to park. This time I’m looking for somewhere to sleep.
My family had to leave our Canyon Crest home for three nights, driven away by a terrific (using the British emphasis) termite infestation. I’ve moved around Riverside since I arrived in the '90s, but I’ve never lived Downtown. Relocating to the Hyatt Place at Fifth and Market gave me a chance to see Downtown from another side. I’ve spent plenty of time Downtown, even written two books about things to do here. Now I have a different assignment: find out what it feels like to have all those things mere steps from my door.
Impressions and experiences shared in this month’s walk came together in a series of short walks from the hotel, often accompanied by Boots, our red-nosed pit bull. Boots is friendly, occasionally skittish, and stronger than she realizes. I give her room to investigate smells and let people decide for themselves whether they want to meet her.
Walking with a dog influences what you notice. I spend more time looking down, considering the sidewalk from her perspective. There is apparently quite a lot happening down there. Boots’s low slung approach lets me appreciate the yard art and thoughtfulness put into these postage stamp front yards, privately enjoyed but publicly visible. Fencing, trees, signs, and paths all help people who live here co-exist with neighbors, and visitors like me.
Read and share the complete story...
Noteworthy
Poly High School’s Melanie Herrera is the newest Laker Girl, introduced by KTLA’s Megan Telles during the station’s coverage of the Lakers’ season tip-off against the Golden State Warriors.
UCR’s Homecoming concert is free and open to the public this year, with hip-hop pioneer Funk Flex headlining Saturday, Nov. 7, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Bell Tower, alongside UCR alum DJ Alf Alpha.
Police arrested 12 people at Ryan Bonaminio Park after months of operations targeting stolen city light poles, copper wire theft and drug complaints, recovering city property from 10 encampments in the park and nearby river bottom.
What's Happening in Riverside
Friday, October 23
- The Art of Reading & Writing at My Learning Studio ($90)
- Art Workshop at My Learning Studio ($96)
- How to Write a Letter at My Learning Studio ($64)
- Painting at My Learning Studio ($96)
- Science of Magic at My Learning Studio ($96)
- Women's Volleyball vs. California Baptist at SRC Arena
- Murder Mystery Co. Dinner Theater Show at The Old Spaghetti Factory ($69)
- Darkwave Records Presents: Riverside After Dark at Riverside Municipal Auditorium (Garden Room)
- Haunted Tour + Halloween Maze: Campus History, Community Memory, and Student Storytelling at Landis Performing Arts Center
- Bingo Loco (21+) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium
Saturday, October 24
- When the Science of Reading Meets the Science of Motivation at Ruth Lewis Center at Reid Park
- Pink on Parade Breast Cancer Awareness Walk at Ryan Bonaminio Park ($22.20 - $32.80)
- Vintage Car and Warbird Show at Riverside Airport - Commemorative Air Force Hanger and Museum
- Barktoberfest at White Park ($25- $75)
- Fall Festival at Louis Robidoux Parkland and Pecan Grove
- Fall Festival at the R'Garden! at R'Garden
- Backrooms at Culver Center of the Arts
- Conversational Spanish at My Learning Studio ($60)
- Doors Open Riverside at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern
- Dying For Art at Heritage House
- Art Workshop at My Learning Studio ($64)
- Storytime at My Learning Studio ($64)
- Facebook to Instagram at My Learning Studio ($20- $48)
- Friends of the Mission Inn 1920 silent movie "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" at Mission Inn hotel in Grand Parisian Ballroom ($30- $35)
- Friends of the Mission Inn Fall Silent Movie at Mission Inn Hotel & Spa ($30- $35)
- Magic Underground at Back to the Grind ($30- $45)
- Men's Soccer vs San Diego State at UCR Soccer Stadium
- Riverside Halloween Bar Crawl at Palenque kitchen by Mezcal
- Skeleton Keys at First United Methodist Church of Riverside
- TradiciĂłn, Arte y PasiĂłn: Mariachi Los Camperos at Fox Performing Arts Center
Sunday, October 25
- A Glorious Celebration of America at 250 at Calvary Presbyterian Church ($15- $25)
- Halloween Hop at First United Methodist Church of Riverside
- Prayers and Public Information Meeting at Riverside Baha'i Center
- Spooky Spider Web Art Workshop at Culver Center of the Arts
- Traditional Korean Music with Jeongmin Son at UCR ARTS
- UCR Softball vs La Sierra at Amy S. Harrison Softball Field
Save the Date
- Oct 26: FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amourat Community Yoga Center
- Oct 26: FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner at Community Yoga Center
- Oct 28: FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner at All Saints Episcopal Church
- Oct 30: Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting at Zacatecas Café
- Oct 31: FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray at Community Yoga Center
- Oct 31: FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner at Community Yoga Center
- Nov 1: BIG BROADWAY BINGO at Avila’s Historic 1929 ($125- $150)
- Nov 4: Medicare EXPO at Janet Goeske Center
- Nov 5: KindnessWORKS Summit at Riverside Community College | BLCIS Multipurpose Room ($50)
- Nov 5: LEAC Comedy and Magic Show at The Box Theater ($60)
- Nov 5: Les Miserables at Woodcrest Christian School ($15- $20)
- Nov 7: Art in the Gardens at UCR Botanic Gardens
- Nov 7: The Art of Celebration! at Riverside Art Museum
- Nov 14: Riverside Veterans Parade - Downtown Riverside/Market St.
- Nov 30: The Wiz at Fox Performing Arts Center
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