Monday, October 24
Housing and Homelessness Committee, 3:30pm
Having just passed the Homelessness Action Plan at the October 11 City Council meeting, the Agenda for this week’s Housing and Homelessneass Committee, led by Councilmemebers Edwards, Plascencia and Cervantes, will be reviewing the committee’s “goals and activities” since their first meeting in May of 2020.
Michelle Davis, the City’s Housing Authority Manager, will give a presentation of what’s next for the committee. Items include developing a “Who to Call Guide” for residents, the creation of a local Public Housing Authority, and considering a “Property Vacancy Tax”.
A presentation on affordable housing solutions, both existing and in the pipeline, will also be given by Agripina Neubauer.
Board of Public Utilities, 6:30pm
Item 11 – The RPU Board will consider recommending City Council approves an increase from $500 to $1,000 for the Residential Used Electric Vehicle Rebate. In the 21/22 fiscal year 54 such rebates were approved with a program. The presentation includes an update on the City’s electrical charging infrastructure (currently 244 standard public chargers and 57 Fast Chargers).
Tuesday, October 25
City Council, 6:30pm
This week’s City Council agenda is lighter than usual with only one item on the Discussion Calendar, but it is one many Riversiders have expressed strong opinions about the last two years.
Item 21 – 4th of July Fireworks Displays
Council will consider an agreement with Pyro Spectaculars, Inc. for the downtown 2023-2025 Fourth of July fireworks shows and decide between continuing the last two years of shows at Ryan Bonaminio Park or moving the show back to Mt. Rubidoux.
While both locations would offer a 20 minute fireworks show, a list of pros and cons for each location is highlighted in the City’s presentation. The Mt. Rubidoux location allows for higher visibility of the fireworks due to the elevated launch location and larger shell sizes of 3-10 inches, but requires weed abatement and road repairs. Launching from the Ryan Bonaminio Park offers much lower visibility but requires none of the additional maintenance cost.
These are the estimated costs as presented by City staf:
| PRCSD, Fire, & Police | Fireworks Display | Traffic Plan | Weed Abatement (MtR) / Fencing (RBP) | Portable Restrooms | Security | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mt. Rubidoux | $44,000 | $70,000 | $8,500 | $45,000 | $3,000 | $5,000 | $175,500 |
| Ryan Bonaminio Park | $44,000 | $50,000 | $8500 | $7,500 | $3,000 | $5,000 | $115,500 |
Thursday, October 27
Human Relations Commission, 6:00 pm
The HRC will receive an update on RPD’s use of force statistics. Of 166,084 incidents with police response, 188 involved a use of force.
Comparison Demographics
| Description | Population % | Arrests | Use of Force % |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 28.9% | 26% | 20.9% |
| Black | 5.9% | 21% | 24.5% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 53.6% | 51% | 50.2% |
| Asian/Other | 11.6% | 2% | 4.4% |
