This Week in City Hall: November 3, 2025

Welcome to our weekly digest on public meetings and agenda items worth your attention in the 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, Nov. 4, in afternoon sessions at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. (agenda).

Council will likely waive standard public notice requirements, at the request of Councilmembers Cervantes, Mill, and Perry, to consider an emergency reallocation of $100,000 from a senior rental assistance program to The Salvation Army Emergency Food Access Program that would provide food aid to residents affected by the federal government shutdown, including federal employees and households losing SNAP benefits on November 1st, due to the immediate nature of the food security crisis.

Council will also review a proposal to launch a six-month valet parking pilot program Downtown. Under the proposal, a vendor would operate the service on weekends, charging customers $20 per vehicle during regular operations and $30 during special events. The trial program would run from January 1, 2026, through June 30, 2026.

City staff project the pilot program would cost $334,597 to operate while generating an estimated $144,000 in revenue, resulting in a projected loss of $190,597. The revenue estimate assumes an average of 100 vehicles per weekend day at $20 per vehicle. Staff indicate available funds in the Parking Fund would cover the anticipated shortfall during the pilot period, with revenue expected to increase as Downtown businesses promote the service to customers.

The valet service would provide uniformed attendants on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, with specific hours yet to be determined.

Finally, Council will also consider waving standard public notice requirements, at the request of Councilmembers Mill, Robillard, and Hemenway, to consider a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Chaevi Co., Ltd., a South Korean electric vehicle charging company, that would establish a framework for the company to open its first U.S. office in Riverside by January 2026 and potentially develop a headquarters or manufacturing facility that the City projects could create at least 100 jobs.

Governmental Processes Committee

The Governmental Processes Committee (Councilmembers Falcone, Perry, and Conder) meets on Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 9:00 a.m. (agenda) for a review of the City's governance framework for boards and commissions that would establish baseline operating standards across all 16 advisory bodies while addressing ongoing volunteer attendance challenges that recently cut the Budget Engagement Commission membership in half.

Planning Commission

The Planning Commission meets on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 9:00 a.m. (agenda) to consider appeals and conditional use permits for two outdoor storage facilities that would serve a recreational vehicle business on Indiana Avenue and expand an aerospace manufacturing campus on 12th Street, both requiring screening walls and landscaping to separate industrial operations from nearby residential and commercial properties.

Board of Ethics

The Board of Ethics meets on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 6:00 p.m. (agenda) to conduct three separate hearings on complaints filed by cannabis businesses against Councilmembers Mill, Perry, and Robillard. Each councilmember faces allegations of violating city ethics rules by knowingly assisting another official in breaking ethics codes and engaging in prohibited private contact about quasi-judicial matters.

The complaints, originally filed in August 2025, stem from actions related to cannabis business licensing. In September, the Board determined all three complaints had sufficient evidence to proceed to formal hearings. During preliminary review, the Board narrowed the complaints, determining that evidence showed potential violations of two specific ethics code sections.