From pothole repairs to a new Mission Boulevard Bridge and a long-awaited Third Street railroad solution, the city is making major investments in its transportation infrastructure.
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
On Tuesday, March 3, City Council will skip its typical 1 p.m. session this week, but will keep its sessions at 3 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. (agenda). During the evening session, the council will consider which – if any – of several revenue options to place before voters on the June ballot to fund fire department staffing and other city needs. Options include extending Measure Z beyond its current 2036 sunset, adding a quarter-cent sales tax, raising the hotel tax from 13 to 14 percent, doing some combination of these options or choosing none.
Measure Z, the city’s existing one-cent general sales tax approved in 2016, currently generates more than $80 million per year – nearly twice its initial projections – and is primarily used for boosting fire, police and other key city services. However, Measure Z funds are already fully committed through 2028, which is why city leaders say an extra sales tax could be necessary to address additional city needs.
Transportation Board
The Transportation Board meets on Wednesday, March 4, at 5:30 p.m. (agenda) to discuss a program that would lower speed limits citywide and to consider a request to add speed humps on Lurin Avenue between Taft Street and Wood Road.
Board of Ethics
The Board of Ethics meets on Thursday, March 5, at 6 p.m. (agenda) to discuss the formation of an ad hoc committee to review and evaluate the Board of Ethics’ standing rules.
City Council meets Tuesday with $1.8 million in spending approvals and a Fire Department defensible space discussion. The Planning Commission will consider revoking a Downtown bar's permits after repeated code violations and emergency calls.
Riverside's annual planning session revealed big ambitions — and council frustration over homelessness, fire staffing and uneven investment across the city.
