Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Riverside public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
50 issues with high priority
Small business support and retention
With over 80% of Riverside businesses being small businesses, the SBDC reported $50 million in economic impact last year and is pushing a strategy to grow businesses under $100K in revenue into half-million-dollar operations. Small Business Week programming and Riverside Rewards incentives reinforce that effort.
Fueling station and convenience store at Arlington and Monroe
A developer wants to build a gas station with a large convenience store on the southeast corner of Arlington and Monroe, which would require rezoning land now set aside for single-family homes and office use, plus special approvals to sell beer and wine in an area already saturated with alcohol licenses. The case was continued off-calendar at the applicant's request, so neighbors will get another chance to weigh in later.
Riverside 2050 General Plan and Climate Action update
The city's nearly 20-year-old general plan is getting a rewrite with ten simple "place types" replacing dozens of land-use categories, plus a climate action plan targeting state emissions goals by 2040. Nearly 5,000 public comments have shaped the draft so far.
Drone as First Responder Program
Riverside PD received a grant for a drone-as-first-responder program and has picked a vendor, hoping to launch in the spring.
Chinatown Project — Riverside County Office of Education
The Riverside County Office of Education is bringing its Chinatown Project to the Heritage Board for input at a workshop. The site is historically significant — it even has a National Register nomination — so how the project treats that heritage is what's at stake.
Sewer Services Five-year Rate Plan through 2031
Nine years without sewer rate increases left the fund near a debt-coverage crisis. The proposed plan starts with a smaller bump in January 2027, then annual increases through 2031 to fix aging pipes, avoid spills like the $6.5 million ruptures since 2016, and fund $380 million in needed projects.
Measure Z street repair funding
Measure Z dollars fix aging park facilities, but the allocation is being cut from $3.5 million to $2 million a year, pausing planned repairs.
Proposed 45-Day Data Center Moratorium
Members debated whether Riverside should proactively set a policy on data centers — big electric loads with heavy water use — after hearing the city has no official position or pros-and-cons analysis. A future agenda item was requested.
Substation transformer procurement and capital work orders
The board approved a $3.45 million project replacing aging poles, wires, and transformers on the northside to prep Circuit 26 for the faster 12kV system. Hunter Substation is 60-65% done, with commissioning in early 2027 and full cut-over by mid-2027.
Adult and family literacy funding
A $46,000 state grant is funding an expanded literacy program — about 20 adult learners, family literacy programming, group sessions, and better tutor training after post-COVID enrollment dipped.
Virtual Self-Generation solar program for multi-tenant buildings
Riverside hit its 64-megawatt cap on the solar self-generation program — actual installed solar is now 72 MW — so the board voted to remove the cap so new solar customers can keep signing up. Solar growth hasn't slowed at all since the program started in 2022.
Revised Rules of Library Conduct (RMC 9.75)
The library is tightening its conduct rules so serious misbehavior can lead straight to exclusion without a formal warning notice, and so police or security can issue exclusion notices. Excluded patrons stay out while their appeal is pending. It's part of the city's broader work managing conduct and homelessness in libraries.
Making the Board of Ethics independent via City Charter
The board is floating a charter change that would write the ethics board into the City Charter — like the Community Police Review Commission — so a future council can't dissolve it, and would let the Inspector General, not council members, appoint its members. Complaint findings and penalties could also shift from City Council to the Inspector General. The ideas are early-stage and head to the Charter Review Committee, which convenes in 2027, with possible voter approval in March 2028.
Citywide Artificial Intelligence Strategy
Councilmember Robillard proposed a three-member working group to develop the city's AI policy over 13 months, addressing how the city governs and uses AI tools.
Paid endorsements prohibited under RMC 2.78.060.E
The board was scheduled for a refresher presentation on the rule barring city officials from accepting payment for endorsements. It's the kind of rule that matters whenever officials are asked to back businesses, ballot measures, or campaigns.
Ethics complaint against Councilmember Philip Falcone
A resident filed an ethics complaint alleging a councilmember used his city email to mock and stonewall her over a controversial social media post. The board found no likely ethics violation and dismissed it, which some say shows the process needs better informal resolution options.
New Inspector General's office takes shape
Riverside finally filled the watchdog position voters approved in 2024. Lori K.M. Cox will audit city spending and investigate fraud and waste starting October 19 — and residents immediately lined up asking her to look at city purchase cards and contracts.
Speed humps requested on Muirfield Road
Residents say speeders, construction trucks, and a hillside curve make the road dangerous for walkers, cyclists, and a resident in a wheelchair. The board overrode staff's denial and sent the humps to Council.
Poplar Avenue parking near Main Street project
Commissioners flagged dangerous speeding on Main Street where the tap room sits. A grant-funded 'safe streets' project would cut lanes from four to two, add median parking, crosswalks and bike lanes — construction expected summer 2027.
Rail Crossing Improvements at Palm and Brockton
Nearly $912,000 in gas tax and Measure A money was slated for street improvements at the Palm and Brockton avenue rail crossings in Ward 3.
Fatal collisions and MAIT quarterly update
Ten fatal crashes with eleven deaths have occurred this year, better than last year but still high. Police say unsafe turning is now the top cause and is hard to enforce because it can happen anywhere.
New Markets Tax Credits Community Development Entity application
The Corporation wants federal New Markets Tax Credits status, which would open up a big pool of money for investing in lower-income Riverside neighborhoods. The application wasn't acted on because the meeting collapsed over quorum.
Riverside Police Department community relations update
The Police Department was scheduled to brief the Human Relations Commission — a chance for commissioners focused on equal opportunity and justice to hear directly about policing in the city.
Main museum renovation and operations
The main museum's renovation hit a milestone with a topping-out ceremony, and reopening exhibition preparations are underway. Board members also noted public confusion about a 2027 reopening date circulating on social media.
Booster station power distribution improvements
The board approved $227,000 in work orders to upgrade power distribution at four water booster stations — Lemona, Cook, Mockingbird, and Jefferson — plus an $86,500 tank recoating contract at the energy center.
Affordable housing grant application
A $3.5 million state grant agreement was on the consent calendar to pay for transit-related amenities at the Entrada affordable housing project on Seventh Street.
Legislation affecting utility affordability and PFAS
The board met privately to get legal advice on the city's federal lawsuit against 3M and other manufacturers (MDL No. 2873), likely related to PFAS contamination; no reportable action resulted.
Missing middle housing pre-approved plans
Free city-approved plans for duplexes and bungalows cut out architect costs and speed up building homes, including multi-generational options.
2027 Electric Resource Adequacy Plan
Riverside filed its annual plan showing it has enough power capacity — system, local, and flexible — to meet 2027 grid reliability requirements at the lowest cost. Staff also flagged coming CAISO rule changes that could devalue short-duration battery resources.
Federal immigration enforcement reporting under Resolution No. 24310
Under Resolution 24310, the city must keep reporting ICE activity. In July, 311 got zero community reports but police got two notifications of ICE or Border Patrol activity in the city — updates will continue at both council and commission meetings.
Voltu Motor electric truck manufacturing in Riverside
Voltu Motor has started producing all-electric heavy-duty pickup trucks in Riverside and delivered its first trucks to RPU and the city. It's hiring and building a training pipeline with local schools.
Cultural Heritage Board vacancies and quorum risk
Two commissioners resigned recently, leaving 11 active members, and with quorum at eight, three absences can stall business. Vacancies exist in Ward 6, Ward 7, and a Ward 3 citywide seat, and council offices are actively recruiting.
USC Sunstone 'Renew' workforce strategy
A USC graduate team that won first place statewide presented a roadmap to fix Riverside's jobs mismatch: 80% of residents commute out for work while employers can't fill roles. Recommendations include hiring two workforce coordinators and piloting healthcare and aerospace-medicine training.
E-bike and bicycle safety ordinance
A resident urged the committee to scrap the no-bicycles-on-sidewalks rule for minors and build protected bike lanes, following the deaths of two 14-year-olds in an e-bike/e-motorcycle collision. Chair Mill stressed the ordinance work began months before the crash.
Tow fees charged by police-contracted tow companies
The city charges contracted tow companies $70 per police-referral tow, including junk and low-value hauls nobody will ever claim — a cost tow operators say is unfair since they lose money cleaning up city streets. Meanwhile, the towing and storage rates companies may charge haven't budged in about a decade and sit 30–50% below area averages. The committee wants data and a fee comparison before deciding whether to change either.
HAWK Signal at Madison & Emerald
Casa Blanca residents say the pedestrian-activated HAWK signal confuses drivers and has caused near-misses near a church, library, and senior community. The council chose to repay Caltrans and revert to a four-way stop.
Arts and Culture Grants Program Oversight
A resident questioned who authorized roughly $1 million in arts and culture grants to nonprofits and suggested the new Inspector General look into it.
Arterial and minor street maintenance paving contract
The council awarded a $7.677 million contract to repave major corridors including Day Street, Brockton Avenue, Wood Road, La Sierra Avenue and Washington Street, plus 2.7 miles of neighborhood streets and 132 bollards to keep vehicles off Main Street pedestrian areas.
Vehicle Vandalism in Casa Blanca Senior Community
A resident reported more than 40 cars vandalized in recent months in his 55-plus community and asked for more police patrols.
Senior housing referral pathways
Commissioners and staff discussed where senior centers should send residents with housing needs — the city housing department, Janet Goskey Center, or County Office on Aging — and agreed more training and coordination is needed. Mayor Lock Dawson has brought in a Harvard Bloomberg fellow to review the city's housing processes.
Cesar Chavez Community Center Naming Review
After controversy around Cesar Chavez's legacy, the city surveyed 500-plus residents and held listening sessions about renaming the community center. The commission recommended "East Side Community Center" over "University Heights" — but City Council makes the final call, likely by early 2027 to sync with the building's renovation.
Senior support and elder abuse prevention (Y.A.N.A.)
The police-run YANA program calls isolated seniors weekly, but with only 7 volunteers for 26 participants it can't take anyone new. Volunteers must first complete the 11-week Citizens Academy and a background check, which slows recruitment.
Statewide Parks Program grant
Big spending is moving: Bobby Bonds library, skate park and pool deck, Patterson Park renovation, Chavez Community Center, plus grant applications for a La Sierra pool, Fairmont urban greening, and a proposed deaf cultural center at Nichols Park.
Accessibility of City facilities
The commission is moving past talking to actually visiting city facilities — starting with parks — to evaluate firsthand how well they serve people with disabilities. An ad hoc committee will build a standard set of accessibility questions first.
Community survey on disability access
The commission wants to hear how the city is serving residents with disabilities. After debate over keeping it open versus closing it, the survey was approved to run continuously with yearly data reviews, promoted through city marketing, QR codes at city buildings, and paper copies for residents without internet access.
Deaf Community Center effort
Commissioners emphasized that isolation hurts mental health and that a Deaf community center in Riverside is a top priority. Dr. David Reynolds is working with Parks and Recreation to move it forward.
2027 Deaf Commission workplan and goals
Four goals: a Deaf community/culture center, better access and equity in city services (emergency communication, interpreters, captioning), jobs and accessible housing for deaf residents, and digital civic engagement in ASL. It goes to the January meeting, then the city's Safety and Wellness Committee.
Public Benefits Energy Surcharge Fund spending plan
A community working group spent several meetings developing recommendations for spending the Public Benefits Energy Surcharge Fund reserves. The Board was scheduled to weigh options and potentially forward a preferred plan to the City Council.
Inspector General recruitment and Measure L oversight
Two years after Riverside voters passed Measure L with 65% support, the city is still working on standing up independent oversight — now via an Inspector General position the council itself is recruiting in closed session. Critics say an employee who answers to the council isn't truly independent oversight, and they're frustrated it's being handled through a special meeting with e-comments turned off.
New air traffic control tower advocacy
The airport is lobbying federal officials, including Senator Schiff's office, for funding to replace its 1960s-era control tower, which lacks an elevator and has line-of-sight obstructions to part of runway 16-34.