City boards and commissions take up pallet yard zoning, parks budget cuts, housing conversions, and historic preservation at a busy week of civic meetings.
City boards and commissions take up pallet yard zoning, parks budget cuts, housing conversions, and historic preservation at a busy week of civic meetings.
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, May 19, at 12 p.m. at Hunter Hobby Park for a luncheon and tour by Riverside Live Steamers, and in afternoon sessions at 3 p.m. and an evening session at 6:15 p.m. (agenda). The agenda includes:
Consider an urgency ordinance that would immediately halt new or expanded wooden pallet storage yards in Riverside for 45 days while the city develops permanent zoning rules for such businesses. (item 7)
Scheduling a public hearing on June 23 to consider proposed City service fee increases for 2026-27 and a City rule change that would allow future fees to rise automatically each year tied to inflation. (item 8)
Scheduling a public hearing on June 23 to discuss the City's proposed two-year budget for 2026-28, which includes measures described as addressing a projected deficit, alongside a spending plan for Measure Z sales tax funds. (item 9)
Discussing the recruitment of a city attorney (item 17a)
Evaluating the city manager’s performance in a closed session (item 17b)
Considering a new City rule requiring reporting when people experiencing homelessness are transported. (item 31)
Approving the final subdivision map for a 49-home development at Victoria and La Sierra Avenues, including three units designated affordable for very low-income households. (item 35)
Considering an agreement with Lamar Central Outdoor, LLC to relocate 10 billboards in exchange for $2.5 million and a share of future advertising revenue paid to the City. (item 39)
Commission on Aging
The Commission on Aging meets on Monday, May 18 at 4:00 p.m. (agenda) to receive a presentation from the Riverside Police Department on the Blue Envelope Program — a voluntary tool that allows drivers with developmental disabilities or other cognitive conditions to communicate their needs to officers during traffic stops by presenting a specially marked envelope containing their documents and medical information. (item 2)
Park and Recreation Commission
The Park and Recreation Commission meets on Monday, May 18 at 6:30 p.m. (agenda) to review two-year departmental budget that includes roughly $2.7 million in cuts affecting recreation programs, arts events, security at community centers and park maintenance. (item 4)
Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee
The Safety, Wellness, and Youth Committee (Councilmembers Perry, Conder, and Mill) meets on Wednesday, May 20, at 1:00 p.m. (agenda) to review updates on two public safety items: a phased plan to add 84 firefighters and seven frontline units to increase fire response capacity, (item 4) and a shift in commercial truck enforcement toward joint patrols with the California Highway Patrol that issue state citations carrying license record points rather than city fines. (item 3)
Cultural Heritage Board
The Cultural Heritage Board meets on Wednesday, May 20, at 3:30 p.m. (agenda) to review rehabilitation plans for two historic Riverside properties — the Harada House National Historic Landmark on Lemon Street (item 6) and the 1891 Barley Mills Building on Commerce Street (item 5) — as part of separate Certificate of Appropriateness requests before the board.
The Economic Development Committee (Councilmembers Robillard, Cervantes, and Hemenway) meets on Thursday, May 21, at 3:00 p.m. (agenda) to review staff funding recommendations for the City's Arts and Cultural Affairs Sponsorship Program, which proposes distributing $158,214 among applicants for the July-December 2026 period (item 2) and receive a report on City-sponsored activities during National Small Business Week — including workshops on business funding, a local business spotlight, and a Riverside Rewards shopping promotion at participating businesses. (item 6)
Civic Engagement Reporter who calls the Inland Empire home. Five years covering SoCal. APU journalism grad. Good conversations over coffee and stories that matter.
The 301-day design-build project will relocate the City Clerk's Office to the ground floor and add a grab-and-go food area, funded partly through Measure Z reserves.
The Board of Public Utilities backed a working group's six-project spending plan, though some members questioned whether city-facility investments would deliver enough direct benefit to customers.
