This Week at City Hall, September 19

Monday September 19th

Parks and Recreation Commission

Line 4- Parks and Neighborhood Specialist (PANS) Update

City Staff will provide an update regarding the progress on PANS staffing, equipment, training, accomplishments and future goals of the program. PANS was first introduced on March 21 by the Riverside Police Department. The program prioritizes the safety and welfare for residents and visitors of city parks, trails and recreation areas.

Line 6- Arlington Park Pickleball Courts update

Pickleball has taken the country by storm and is very popular in Riverside. City Staff has sent out a Request for Proposals for design/build services for the Arlington Park Pickleball Court. It is proposed there will be nine new pickleball courts with two courts for tournament play including bleachers for guests to view the game. The expectant date for the RFP being posted on the city’s bidding website is October 2022 with a closing date in November 2022 and City Council award in January 2023. The goal is to have the project completed by Fall 2023.

Tuesday September 20th

City Council meeting

Line 10- Extending the Paving Moratorium

May 12th, the Mobility and Infrastructure committee unanimously recommended the extension of the paving moratorium from three years to five years. The Public Works Department has continued to research how to extend the useful life of roads in a practical way. Extending the moratorium from three to five years would help to get closer to that goal. If approved the staff would update and communicate the change with the utility companies to better coordinate with the Public Works department to see that the completion of underground utility work is done prior to paving and resurfacing projects. The Public Works Department provides a list of planned paving projects so the companies can plan their projects ahead of time. The five-year paving moratorium will also provide additional incentives to utility purveyors to work with staff to upgrade and/or repair systems prior to paving operations.

Line 26- Adopt an Ordinance to regulate encampments in high fire areas.

Continued from September 6th council meeting – It is recommended that council amends sections of the Riverside Municipal Code that would make it unlawful and a public nuisance to sit, lie, sleep or store/maintain any bulky item or personal property in high fire areas.

Line 34- Issuing a press release outlining and clarifying facts about an incident that occurred on July 30, 2022.

Councilmember Cervantes recommends that council approves issuing a press release that will outline the facts about the event that took place on July 30th, 2022. The press release will clarify that no City Councilwoman took part in the protest outside the courthouse where the pro-choice organization, Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights defaced public property with as the group described it, “washable paint”. Riverside Sheriff, Chad Bianco posted on various social media platforms a message that implied that a Riverside City Councilwoman was involved and/or supported the protest. This led to all three councilwomen receiving numerous threatening messages. The video evidence obtained from an officer’s bodycam shows that no city councilwoman was involved.

Line 39- Potential expansion of Arlington Business Improvement District for Fiscal Year 2022-2023

The Finance Department recommends that council adopt a resolution that will declare the City of Riverside’s intention to amend the boundaries and assessment amounts of the Arlington Business Improvement District (BID). The district area was between Arlington Avenue on the north, along Van Buren to Lincoln on the south and a portion along Magnolia Avenue from Tyler on the west to Jackson Street on the east. The changes would expand the district boundaries along Hole Ave., Tyle St., Magnolia Ave., Indiana Ave., La Sierra Ave., Polk St., Sherman Dr., Rudicill St. The assessment is currently set an amount equal to 90% of the business tax charge or $400, whichever comes out to less. If the Council approves the changes the Arlington Business Project concluded that 72% of the current businesses would see an annual increase of $45. The City collects the assessments and passes them directly for the Arlington BID via the annual business tax process.

Wednesday, September 21

Safety, Wellness and Youth Committee

Line 2- July 4th firework shows and celebration update

The Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department (PRCSD) recommend that the committee consider hosting the Fourth of July shows on the Saturday prior due to an increase in attendance. They also ask that the cost savings are taken into consideration by not hosting the event on a holiday. PRCSD continues to work with the Riverside City Fire Department to seek out potential second locations for the firework show. Potential locations include, Mt. Rubidoux, Ryan Bonaminio Park, Ab Brown Sports Complex and UCR Sports Complex. The first show will continue at La Sierra Park.

Thursday, September 22

Economic Development, Placemaking, and Branding/ Marketing Committee

Line 2- Fairmount Park Golf Course Update

The Community and Economic Development Department receive an update on the proposed inclusive design charette and community engagement program. The design and community and engagement program have been paused due to new information regarding potential use limitations and deciding on how to define the “River District” that will be inclusive and equitable. A 1992 Federal Land and Water Conservation Grant was found, and further research needs to be done to determine what changes can be made to the land.

Human Relations Commission

Line 4- Police Use of Force- Update

The update shows that the police have responded to 166,084 incidents and 188 of them required the use of force.