City Council looks to fill open committee seats, Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson and other councilmembers request attention to the Santa Ana River bottom and RUSD seeks to rent two office spaces.
Item 2: Interviewing Individuals Running for City Commission and Boards
During a special morning hearing on Monday, City Council conducted interviews for six open spots on the following commission and boards: three vacancies on the Board of Ethics, one vacancy on the Board of Public Utilities, and two vacancies on the Planning Commission. Also under consideration were ten individuals requesting reappointment to seven different city commissions and boards.
City Council Meeting
Item 8: Approving Master Plan for a Section of Innovation District
On Tuesday, the council will review and potentially approve the master plan for a section of the Innovation District and Triangle District. The plans include areas for residential, industrial, commercial, and civic spaces.
Item 14: Submitting Comment Letter to RCTC Concerning Environmental Report
The council will consider approving a request by the Cultural Heritage Board to submit a letter to the Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC). The letter will address concerns by the commission about the draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) submitted by the RCTC for the Riverside-Downtown Metrolink Station Improvements Project. The commission wrote three different recommendations to the RCTC, including that it extends the comment period for the EIR to 90 days.
Item 15: Submission by Santa Ana River Working Group
A new report about the Santa Ana River will be presented by Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson and Councilmembers Erin Edwards and Steve Hemingway. The group has been working since June 3 and is looking at ways the city can improve the area. In the document, it says, “The Santa Ana River is the namesake of the City of Riverside, but it has been ignored, unsafe, and underutilized in recent years.”
The group will also look to advise that the city manager develop a survey to receive community feedback on the river, create a coordination plan with public and private landowners, and explore the possibility of creating a long-term city group that would focus on the future development of the area around the river.
Item 20: Two Leasing Agreements With the Riverside Unified School District
The council will look to approve two leasing agreements with the Riverside Unified School District (RUSD). The first would approve for the district to rent a space at the Caesar E. Chavez Community Center at Bobby Bonds Park. The city would charge the RUSD $468 a month for a 720 square foot office space. The agreement would be through June 30, 2022.
The second leasing agreement would approve the district to rent a space at the Children’s Health, Education, Enrichment and Resource (CHEER) Center at Bobby Bonds Park. RUSD would pay the city $768.94 a month for a 1,073 square foot office space. The agreement would be through September 30, 2022.
Mayor’s Nominating and Screening Committee
Item 2: Appointments to Historic Preservation Fund Committee
On Tuesday the committee will look to appoint two members to the city’s Historic Preservation Fund Committee. Under consideration are five different individuals who, if appointed, will serve on the committee until March 1, 2024.
Jonathan Linden is a freelance reporter covering politics for The Raincross Gazette. Jonathan graduated from Biola University with a B.A in journalism and also reports for 91.9 KVCR in San Bernardino.
City Council set to consider a 23-unit affordable housing project in La Sierra, a 24-station electric vehicle charging hub at the Riverside Airport, and the $2.4 million purchase of electric trucks for its fleet.
City Council does not meet this week. Potentially stricter rules for industrial development near neighborhoods and a review of the City’s homelessness outreach and cleanup spending are on committee and commission agendas this week.
