City Council will review a River District feasibility study for Santa Ana River improvements and PFAS water treatment upgrades requiring customer surcharges starting at $1-4 monthly in 2026.
Local leeches get a bad rap, but these blood-sucking creatures have fascinating abilities and surprising medical uses - plus they're right here in Riverside's waterways.
City Council will review a River District feasibility study for Santa Ana River improvements and PFAS water treatment upgrades requiring customer surcharges starting at $1-4 monthly in 2026.
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, Oct. 28, with an afternoon at 3 p.m. and an evening session at 6:15 p.m. (agenda). The agenda includes:
Reviewing a feasibility study for creating a River District along the Santa Ana River that would improve parks, trails, and public safety to reconnect residents with the waterway through partnerships and revenue strategies designed to make the district financially self-sustaining.
Establishing a new Community Facilities District that authorizes annual special taxes totaling approximately $642 per home on a 150-unit townhome development to fund public safety and maintenance services.
Considering water treatment infrastructure upgrades that would construct three new facilities to remove PFAS contamination from groundwater using settlement proceeds from manufacturers to offset approximately $36 million of the $97 million capital cost, with the remaining balance funded through bonds and recovered via a monthly customer surcharge starting at $1-4 in 2026 and increasing to $9-21 by 2032 based on household water usage.
Housing and Homelessness Committee
The Housing and Homelessness Committee (Councilmembers Cervantes, Mill, and Robillard) meets on Monday, Oct. 27, at 3:30 p.m. (agenda) to review the Housing Authority's affordable housing development pipeline totaling 497 units citywide, with one-third of those designated for people experiencing homelessness, several major projects awaiting final state funding decisions and Ward 1's 278-unit concentration representing over half of all planned development.
Board of Public Utilities
The Board of Public Utilities meets on Monday, Oct. 27, at 6:30 p.m. (agenda) to consider five infrastructure and program updates, including:
Expanding electric vehicle rebate programs using state revenue to increase support for low-income residents purchasing used electric vehicles and installing home chargers.
Councilmembers explain their votes on immigration enforcement transparency—including why some who supported banning protest masks now object to masked federal agents.
Procedures updated for first time in two years give presiding officer broader discretion to curtail speaker time, with six-month review added after residents raise concerns about reduced public access.
