City Council will discuss placing tax measures on the June ballot including a potential 0.25% sales tax generating $21 million annually and consider warehouse development restrictions.
City Council will discuss placing tax measures on the June ballot including a potential 0.25% sales tax generating $21 million annually and consider warehouse development restrictions.
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, Jan. 27, in a afternoon session at at 3 p.m. and an evening session at 6:15 p.m. (agenda). The agenda includes:
Discussing whether to place one or more tax measures on the June 2026 ballot, including a potential new 0.25% sales tax generating an estimated $21 million annually or the possible extension of Measure Z beyond its 2036 expiration, with a March 6 deadline for ballot placement and no other opportunity until 2028 if Council takes no action.
Considering updates to the City's Good Neighbor Guidelines for industrial development—a multi-year effort that began in 2022 and now incorporates new state law (AB 98) regulating warehouse construction in the Inland Empire. The proposed changes would restrict warehouse size based on proximity to homes and schools, establish floor area ratio limits reducing allowable building space near neighborhoods, and require on-site notification signage for proposed projects.
Housing and Homelessness Committee
The Housing and Homelessness Committee (Councilmembers Cervantes, Mill, and Falcone) meets on Mon, Jan. 26, at 3:30 p.m. (agenda) for a workshop presentation on homelessness response that covers the City's outreach and housing programs, spending levels, homeless population data showing recent stabilization, and a new state law expanding criteria for involuntary psychiatric holds to include people with severe substance use disorders.
Planning Commission
The Planning Commission meets on Thu, Jan. 29, at 9 a.m. (agenda) to consider a zoning change in an industrial area near Kansas and Massachusetts avenues—once planned as part of the City's Innovation District—to allow two warehouses totaling 200,000 square feet with no tenant yet identified, along with a permit for an Arlington liquor store to relocate to a larger space within the same shopping center.
Commission on Aging
The Commission on Aging meets on Thu, Jan. 29, at 4 p.m. (agenda) to review it’s 2025 accomplishments and 2026 priorities, which focus on connecting older residents with housing resources, healthcare education, and social programs.
City Council does not meet this week. The Economic Development Committee will consider billboard rule changes allowing digital displays in exchange for revenue sharing, and the Safety Committee is reviewing a shopping cart tracking pilot program.
