Wednesday Gazette: September 2, 2026
Hello Riverside, and Happy Wednesday! Today is Calendar Adjustment Day, a nod to the fact that calendars need tending now and then. With fall on the way, it's a good excuse to refresh the one on the fridge or clear out the clutter on your phone before the busy season hits.
Here's what else is happening around town!
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CITY HALL
Council Moves to Restore Ward 6 Representation, Seating Hernandez on Three Committees
Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes's motion overturned a unanimous screening committee recommendation, handing the newly elected Ward 6 representative a committee chairmanship over more senior colleagues' objections.
Ward 6 now has a voice on three council committees after members bypassed staff advice to leave the seats vacant.
Why it matters: Without a committee seat, Ward 6 residents had no representative shaping early debate on issues like the hotel-to-senior-housing conversion set for an Aug. 31 special meeting.
Driving the news: Council voted unanimously Tuesday, Aug. 25 to adopt a new committee roster from Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes, rejecting a recommendation from the Mayor's Nominating and Screening Committee to leave former Councilmember Perry's seats vacant until January.
- Hernandez becomes vice chair of Economic Development, a Finance Committee member and chair of Housing and Homelessness.
Between the lines: The shakeup turned on a charter dispute — Cervantes noted every councilmember must sit on three committees, undercutting a seniority-based objection from Councilmember Philip Falcone.
- Hernandez said he didn't see how filling a vacant seat was "usurping" anyone's seniority.
Yes, but: Falcone warned the move let Hernandez leapfrog more senior members — including himself, Steven Robillard and Sean Mill — for sought-after assignments.
What's next: The new committee assignments take effect immediately. Regional appointments, like the March Air Reserve Base commission, wait until a new council is seated in January.
- Ward 2 (Gracie Torres vs. Aram Ayra) and Ward 4 (Chuck Conder vs. Rich Vandenberg) head to a Nov. 3 runoff.
Read and share the complete story...
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2026 ELECTION
Meet the Candidates Running for Riverside Unified's School Board this November
Here's what the candidates for Riverside Unified's school board say about their priorities — and why one race won't be decided by voters.
Two seats on the Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) Board of Education are up for election this November — but only one race will actually appear on the ballot.
Trustee Area 1 is contested by three candidates: incumbent Noemi Hernandez Alexander, Jinane Annous and Duffy Atkinson. Trustee Area 5 drew only one qualified candidate — incumbent Brent Lee — so that race won't be decided at the ballot box. Lee will continue in the seat by default.
Here's where the Area 1 candidates stand, in their own words, along with a statement from Lee.
Read and share the complete story...
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ARTS
Mucho Music, Murals, and Something Sinister for September
September ArtsWalk is more night than you have hours for.
Jump-start your Labor Day weekend with September ArtsWalk. We find ourselves, again, in the privileged position of having much more going on than can be done in the few hours allowed. Division 9 is especially busy. The local gallery makes the list twice with a mural unveiling on Orange and a takeover of the Riverside Art Museum’s Julia Morgan building with Mucho Gusto. Make sure to visit Pain Sugar and see some of the best local photographers on display in the Tim Aguilar-curated Out of Focus II. It’s ok if you can’t catch everything; bring a friend, take your time, spend a little money, have fun.
Read and share the complete ArtsWalk Guide...
RAINCROSS RUNDOWN
The Best of Riverside in September 2026
Townhalls, mural unveilings, moon cakes, and a crosstown rivalry with new stakes — here's what's worth your time in Riverside this September.
September in Riverside means the pace picks back up. City Hall is hitting the road with the Ward 1 Townhall Tour, Heritage House is getting ready for moon cakes and lantern light, and a stretch of Orange Street is about to become an outdoor gallery. Add in a stacked run of live music, a crosstown soccer rivalry with real stakes for the first time, and more, and you've got a month worth circling on the calendar. Here's what's on our radar.
Read and share the complete September Rundown...
Noteworthy
RTA buses and administrative offices will pause service this Labor Day, Monday, September 7, with normal operations resuming Tuesday, September 8.
The Riverside Woman's Club's Civic Engagement Committee is collecting new or gently-used suitcases and duffel bags for foster children, with donations accepted at its September 8th meeting
Clean Up Riverside returns this Saturday, September 19, from 8 a.m. to noon at 8095 Lincoln Avenue, offering free recycling for electronics, paper shredding, batteries and textiles, plus a new Goodwill donation station and free compost giveaway from Athens Services.
UCR ranked No. 50 among 1,421 colleges in Washington Monthly's overall rankings — the top 3% nationally — and outranked all but three UC campuses, landing at No. 25 among public universities.
What's Happening in Riverside
Today
- Stretch & Dance Class at Janet Goeske Senior Center
- Men's Soccer vs Life Pacific at UCR Soccer Stadium
- FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner at All Saints Episcopal Church
- History on the Rocks - Round Two! Presented by The Mission Inn Foundation at Mission Inn Foundation ($71.21)
- Riverside East Rotary Club at Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern
Tomorrow
- Backroads of the Americas: a Spanish Guitar journey at The Avenue Church ($32- $79)
- Board of Ethics at Riverside City Hall
- FREE ADMISSION - First Thursday of every month during Riverside ArtsWalk at Riverside Art Museum
- Orange Street Mural Unveiling at Main Museum Pedestrian Walkway (Orange Street)
Save the Date
- Sep 4: FREE YOGA - The Evolution of Ashtanga with Kristin Varner at Community Yoga Center
- Sep 4: Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting at Zacatecas Café
- Sep 5: FREE YOGA - The Art of Vinyasa with Catherine Murray at Community Yoga Center
- Sep 5: FREE YOGA - Yin Yoga with Kristin Varner at Community Yoga Center
- Sep 7: FREE YOGA - Moody Mondays with Cherie Amour at Community Yoga Center
- Sep 9: FREE Beginning Square Dance Lessons with Line Dancing at Cowtown Square Dance Center
- Sep 9: FREE YOGA - Seated Yoga with Kristin Varner at All Saints Episcopal Church
- Sep 13: Welcome Back Party! at First Congregational Church of Riverside
- Sep 18: Open Mic Night at Riverside Baha'i Center
- Sep 25: Moon Festival at Heritage House
- Oct 3: Aquamotion Aquathon at Shamel Pool
- Oct 7: Fifty & Better Health Fair at Janet Goeske Center
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