City Council will meet in closed and open sessions on Tuesday, September 1, in afternoon sessions at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. (agenda). The agenda includes:
- Receiving a presentation on the Housing and Human Services Department's performance data — which includes a jump in code enforcement notices, debris removed from homeless encampments and a drop in residents accepting outreach services — plus updates on the City's affordable housing pipeline (item 5).
- Considering an update to City purchasing rules that would raise the dollar amount staff can approve without a Council vote from $100,000 to $220,000 and raise the threshold requiring competitive bidding — a change intended to reduce the number of routine contracts brought before Council (item 30b).
- Considering acceptance of a $6 million state grant to fund design and partial construction of new amenities — including a playground, restrooms, and river-overlook features — at Martha McLean Anza Narrows Park, with the full project estimated at $12 million (item 27).
- Considering a $2.5 million agreement with the Western Riverside Council of Governments to upgrade traffic signal communications along University Avenue and the Alessandro Boulevard-Central Avenue corridor, funded through developer mitigation fees rather than City tax dollars (item 29).
- Considering the appointment of Bill Gallardo and Steven A. Mendoza as interim CEDD deputy directors at $128.43 an hour — a move pulled from the consent calendar for a standalone vote and 5-minute presentation (item 30a).
- Considering a public hearing and agreement to sell Housing Authority property at 2882 Mission Inn Avenue to Grapevine Development, LLC for $1, enabling construction of 10 affordable housing units within a larger 64-unit mixed-use project, with the City's land contribution valued at about $245,861 (item 40).
Housing and Homelessness Committee
The Housing and Homelessness Committee has a special meeting on Monday, August 31, at 3:30 p.m. (agenda) to consider the acquisition and conversion of the Motel 6 and Days Inn into about 148 affordable senior housing units (item 2) and reviewing the City's reapplication for California's Prohousing Designation Program (item 4).
Board of Ethics
The Board of Ethics meets on Thursday, September 3, at 6 p.m. (agenda) to conduct its annual review of the Code of Ethics and Conduct for its effectiveness (item 5), and to hear a presentation overview of Municipal Code 2.78.060.E, regarding prohibited endorsements for compensation. (item 3)
Other notes:
City staff have confirmed a discrepancy between two RHNA (Regional Housing Needs Assessment) permit presentations was the result of a data correction, not a rescinded permit or cancelled project. The March 10 presentation to Council reported 542 above-moderate-income permits issued in 2025, for a 2025 total of 564 units. The Aug. 20 presentation to the Economic Development Committee showed lower figures for the same category and year — 393 above-moderate-income permits and a 415 total — a difference of 149 units in each case.
According to Community & Economic Development Director Miranda Evans, the 149-unit gap stemmed from a project that was inadvertently double-counted in the March presentation.
The error was caught after that meeting, and staff say they have since submitted a corrected count to the state Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and notified City leadership. Evans confirmed the August figures are the accurate ones.
