Taco Station celebrated the opening of their new outdoor patio bar last week, so if you’re looking for a fresh spot to spend Taco Tuesday tomorrow head down to 4088 Mission Inn Ave and be sure to tell them The Raincross Gazette sent you! (Luke López)
Monday Gazette: October 21, 2024
Hello Riverside, and Happy Monday!
We're just over two weeks away from the election, and for those of you looking for help making up your mind on Riverside-specific ballot issues, I wanted to give you a heads-up that we're working on publishing interviews with the candidates running for school board within the week. See you Wednesday.
Riverside City Council Could Reconsider Nonprofit Resilience Fund, Amid Alleged Concerns Over Redirecting Funds
Close to $3 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds could be used to provide loans to nonprofit organizations dedicated to serving city, residents.
Michelle Decker, CEO of the Inland Empire Community Foundation, facilitates a conversation with nonprofit leaders at the Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California. (Courtesy IECF)
A proposal to create a revolving loan fund in Riverside to support nonprofit organizations is back on the city council’s agenda for October 22. The council will consider voting on a contract with the Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) to administer the ‘Non Profit Resilience Fund’ using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars.
Under the initiative, qualified organizations would receive from $150,000 to $200,000 in loans to help temporarily address program and staffing costs. Those organizations would eventually pay those loans back on fixed interest rates.
But there’s concern among several nonprofit organizations, including IECF, that the council is opting to redirect those dollars for road improvements instead. Local organizations hope city leaders vote to support the contract.
The City Council is busy this week with an agenda that includes adopting an 8% tax on cannabis, extending the City Manager's contract by two years, a $500,000 partnership for a trial of autonomous shuttles, and reconsidering a $2.8 million nonprofit resilience fund agreement.
Welcome to our weekly digest on public meetings and agenda items worthy of your attention in the next 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, October 22, in afternoon sessions at 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. and an evening session at 6:15 p.m. (agenda). The agenda includes:
Considering an increase to approved funding (from $702,900 to $3,758,016.08) and applying for a state grant to cover higher costs for the Jurupa Avenue Extension project.
Extending the City Manager Mike Futrell's contract by two years and approving a 5% salary increase.
Approving 17 new Mills Act agreements to preserve historic properties, which would result in about $11,327 in annual property tax reductions and secure over $2.5 million in property improvements over ten years.
Santa Ana River Watershed Cloud Seeding Program Update
Santa Ana Watershed's cloud seeding added 11,000 acre-feet of snow, but the next phase is postponed due to wildfire risks. California enters the new water year with strong reserves.
The Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority (SAWPA) has concluded the first year of its planned four-year Santa Ana River Watershed Cloud Seeding Pilot Program. The first year of cloud seeding began in November of 2023 and officially ended on April 15, 2024. All of the cloud seeding for this project was conducted using ground-based equipment that dispersed vaporized silver iodide into storm clouds. No aircraft-based cloud seeding was utilized.
Very preliminary data from a validation study carried out by the Desert Research Institute indicate the cloud seeding may have resulted in about 11,000 acre feet of additional precipitation in the target areas of the Santa Ana, San Gabriel, San Bernardino and San Jacinto mountains, and significantly, that the seeding did not appear to diminish precipitation down wind of the target areas.
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