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Recent Press Releases
Santa Ana River Trail Bike Ride and Festival Sunday at Bonaminio Park
Cyclists across Inland Southern California are invited to the Santa Ana River Trail Bike Ride and Festival from 9 a.m. to noon Sunday (6/11) at Ryan Bonaminio Park at the Tequesquite Arroyo, 5000 Tequesquite Avenue near downtown Riverside. Read More...
City of Riverside Seeks Community Input on New Main Library
The City of Riverside is seeking input on what the community would like to see in a new Main Library. Public meetings are scheduled for 5 p.m. June 15 and July 21 in the Art Pick Council Chamber at Riverside City Hall, 3900 Main Street. Read More...
Riverside’s One Stop Shop Boosts Customer Service, Welcomes Investment
The City of Riverside has upped its commitment to customer service even further by creating a “One Stop Shop” that brings together on one floor all City departments that are part of the development process, with exclusive use of an express elevator, cell phone charging stations and a concierge-type system that helps customers obtain permits and approvals faster than ever. Read More...
City of Riverside Places in Top Five in “Equipt to Innovate” National Survey
The City of Riverside has placed in the Top Five in the national “Equipt to Innovate” survey, which evaluates how well local governments are engaged in strategic planning and data-driven performance measurement. Read More...
Downtown Riverside Adds 32 Public Parking Spaces
The City of Riverside has added 32 new short-term, hourly public parking spaces, with the first 90 minutes free, at parking garage #6 at 9th and Orange streets. Read More...
City of Riverside Recognized as Playful City USA 2017
The City of Riverside has been recognized for the tenth consecutive year as a Playful City USA Community, a recognition program sponsored by the non-profit organization KaBOOM! Read More...
Riverside City Council Takes Major Step Forward on Cheech Marin Center
The proposed Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art, Culture and Industry in downtown Riverside took a major step forward Tuesday (5/16) evening when the Riverside City Council unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding to negotiate exact terms between the City, the noted entertainer/art collector and the Riverside Art Museum (RAM). Read More...
Riverside to Celebrate Festival of Lights 25th Anniversary with Rose Parade Float
For the first time in more than 50 years, Riverside will have a float in the Rose Parade to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the annual Festival of Lights and to thank its creators, Mission Inn Hotel & Spa owners Duane and Kelly Roberts. A group of community leaders will raise the estimated $275,000 in private donations that will be needed to build the float and pay for other costs. The non-profit Greater Riverside Chamber Foundation will head up the fundraising effort. Read More...
City of Riverside Jumps to 6 Among Top 100 Best Fleets
The City of Riverside vehicle fleet was recognized as #6 of the 100 Best Fleets in the Americas by Government Fleet Magazine at the annual National Association of Fleet Administrators Institute & Expo. The ranking was a significant jump forward from Riverside’s 2016 ranking of #32 among 38,000 public fleets. Read More...
Doors Open on May 11 to give public a view inside historic downtown buildings
Doors Open is back! The City of Riverside, in partnership with the Old Riverside Foundation, the Riverside Arts Council, the Riverside Downtown Partnership, and the Mission Inn Museum and Foundation, is hosting the city’s second annual Doors Open event. Read More...
Bond Ratings in Riverside Upgraded as a Result of Strong Fiscal Management
Strong management, the passage of Measure Z, strengthened fiscal discipline and recent public discussion by the City Council of increasing General Fund reserves and accelerating repayment of bonds have prompted a major rating agency to upgrade Riverside’s bond ratings, saving the City more than $1 million annually in interest costs moving forward. Read More...
Riverside, Cheech Marin Exploring Possible Museum of Chicano Art
Cheech Marin, the entertainer and owner of what is recognized as the most renowned collection of Chicano art in the United States, is poised to enter formal negotiations with the City of Riverside and the Riverside Art Museum (RAM) to create a museum of Chicano art in historic downtown Riverside. Read More...
Riverside Youth Council Names 25 Most Remarkable Teens
The Riverside Youth Council is pleased to announce the City of Riverside’s “25 Most Remarkable Teens.” The program is designed to recognize Riverside’s youth enrolled in grades 8-12 for excellence in academics, athletics, arts and culture, community involvement, leadership, courage to overcome, acts of valor, or any other remarkable acts. Read More...
New Accept Difference Public Art Erected in Downtown Riverside
Downtown Riverside, which already is home to numerous pieces of public art on the Main Street Mall and elsewhere, has seen its collection increase by one. “Accept Difference,” a seven-foot metal structure that seeks to inspire moments of internal reflection, was installed recently near the intersection of Market Street and University Avenue. Read More...
City of Riverside Internal Audit Division Recognized with National Award
The City of Riverside’s Internal Audit Division has been recognized for excellence by the Association of Local Government Auditors, or ALGA, a group of peers from across the nation. Read More...
Riverside AIRSHOW Celebrates 25th Anniversary Saturday With Full Day of Fun
The Riverside AIRSHOW celebrates its 25th anniversary on Saturday (4/1) with a full day of free family fun, including vintage aircraft for viewing on the ground and in the air, aerobatic performances, parachute teams and aircraft fly-bys. Read More...
City of Riverside Honors Henry W. Coil Jr. with 2016 City Spirit Award
Henry W. Coil Jr., a lifelong Riverside resident whose success in business has been matched only by his devotion to his community, is the recipient of the City of Riverside’s 2016 City Spirit Award. Read More...
Will Allen, Nation’s Foremost Urban Farmer, Headlines GrowRIVERSIDE 2017
Will Allen, America’s foremost urban farmer who turned an abandoned plant nursery in Milwaukee into the center of an urban farming and sustainable food empire, will be the keynote speaker at GrowRIVERSIDE 2017 on March 29-31. Read More...
Fourth Annual Walk to End Homelessness April 8 at Fairmount Park
Registration has opened for the fourth annual Walk to End Homelessness, which raises money for programs that help people who are homeless transition into stable housing. This year’s walk is scheduled for the morning of Saturday, April 8 at Fairmount Park, 2601 Fairmount Boulevard in downtown Riverside. Read More...
Are You Happy or Not? Riverside Wants to Know
The City of Riverside, which places a premium on providing excellent customer service, is starting a new effort to measure customer satisfaction in real time through the use of the “Happy or Not” tool in City Hall offices and on some City websites. Read More...
City of Riverside Closes Marijuana Dispensary on Busy Central Avenue
A marijuana dispensary that had been operating illegally on Central Avenue not far from Highway 91 was closed recently after Riverside officials removed the operators and boarded up the building because of multiple fire/life/safety violations. Read More...
City of Riverside Names Stephanie Holloman Human Resources Director
Stephanie Holloman, who has spent the past dozen years in key positions at the City of Los Angeles, has been selected as Riverside’s new Human Resources Director. Read More...
City of Riverside Recognized For Excellence in Budgeting by Peers Statewide
For the first time, the City of Riverside has received the Excellence in Budgeting Award from the California Society of Municipal Finance Officers, a statewide organization devoted to promoting best practices among California municipal finance professionals. The award recognizes the work of the City in preparing the 2016-2018 biennial budget, which was approved by the City Council in June. Read More...
City of Riverside Forging Bonds With Ensenada on Local Jobs, Deaf Education
Riverside, which for years has worked with its Sister City of Ensenada, Mexico, on trade, economic development and art exchanges, is exploring ways to implement Mayor Rusty Bailey’s initiative to connect the deaf communities in both cities and the institutions that serve them. Read More...
Business Tax Certificate Application Now Available Online
New business owners in Riverside now can join existing businesses in obtaining and renewing their business tax certificate requests online, eliminating the need to do the work in person at City Hall. The new option is designed to help new business owners fulfill the business tax requirement quickly and efficiently. The process can be started at https://www.riversideca.gov/finance/license.asp using an automated system and, where necessary, through emails with City staff. Read More...
Measure Z Spending Priorities Topic of Special City Council Meeting Jan. 31
The City of Riverside will devote a special City Council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 31, to reviewing priorities for how best to utilize an estimated $51.5 million per year in additional revenue that will begin entering city coffers later this year as a result of the passage of Measure Z. Read More...
City of Riverside Selected to Join National What Works Cities Initiative
The City of Riverside has been selected to participate in Bloomberg Philanthropies’ What Works Cities initiative, one of the largest-ever national philanthropic efforts to enhance the use of data and evidence in the public sector. Riverside will receive technical assistance from world-class experts to better use data to address homelessness. Read More...
New Website Answers Questions, Provides Information About Measure Z
The City of Riverside has created a new website to provide information to residents and business owners about the Measure Z sales tax and will hold a special meeting on Jan. 31 to conduct a workshop on how to spend those funds. The website – www.RiversideCA.gov/MeasureZ -- explains why Measure Z was placed on the ballot, including information on cuts that were made last summer to City services and a backlog of unfunded critical needs. Read More...
Riverside Mayor Rusty Bailey to Deliver State of the City Address Jan. 19
Riverside Mayor Rusty Bailey will emphasize the power of partnerships when he delivers the 40th annual State of the City address at the Riverside Convention Center on Jan. 19. The State of the City event, produced by the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce in partnership with the City of Riverside, combines a review of the prior year’s accomplishments with an outline of major issues facing Riverside in 2017. Read More...
Independent Audit Gives Riverside Highest Marks for Financial Accountability
The City of Riverside has received a clean bill of health from the City’s independent auditors, who recently reviewed all the City’s financials, including federal and state grant funds, as well as a system of internal controls. Read More...
With Railroad Quiet Zones Coming Online, Riverside Urges Safety at Crossings
With one railroad quiet zone already reducing the noise from train whistles through much of Riverside and another quiet zone on the way in the coming weeks, city officials are reminding motorists and pedestrians to stay off the tracks when crossing arms are down. The city’s first quiet zone encompasses 12 railroad crossings along seven miles of railroad track between Buchanan and Mary streets. A second quiet zone is expected to launch by the end of 2016 between Mt. Vernon and Marlborough avenues. Read More...
Railroad Track Improvements to Close Iowa Avenue Dec. 28-30
Union Pacific Railroad is planning a three-day closure of the railroad crossing at Iowa Avenue later this month, which will require the closure of Iowa between Spruce Street and Marlborough Avenue. That section of Iowa Avenue will be closed from Wednesday, December 28, at 6:00 a.m. until Friday, December 30, at 6:00 p.m. Read More...
Fires Near Riverside Neighborhood Spur Effort to Reduce Flammable Vegetation
Recent fires in the Santa Ana River bottom that threatened the Bubbling Wells neighborhood adjacent to Fairmount Park have spurred a multi-pronged approach by the City of Riverside to create a larger fire break between the river and the neighborhood. Read More...
Riverside Ranked Highly Among U.S. Cities in 2016 Digital Cities Survey
The City of Riverside has been recognized for its success in using technology to improve citizen services, enhance transparency and encourage citizen engagement. The Center for Digital Government (CDG) ranked Riverside fifth in its 2016 Digital Cities Survey among governments with at least 250,000, but less than 500,000 residents. Read More...
New rides, attractions added to award-winning Riverside Festival of Lights
New rides and attractions will be featured during the 24th Annual Riverside Festival of Lights holiday program, which kicks off Friday, Nov. 25 with a spectacular fireworks display and continues through Jan. 7 in beautiful downtown Riverside. Read More...
City of Riverside Seeking Applicants for New Budget Engagement Commission
The City of Riverside invites registered voters to apply for appointment to the newly-formed Budget Engagement Commission. The 18-member Commission will advise the City Council on spending and policy priorities based on information received through quarterly financial and performance reports, including revenues from the transaction and use tax, known as Measure Z, that was approved by voters on Nov. 8. Read More...
Riverside City Councilman Paul Davis to Provide Leadership on Regional Board
Paul Davis, a Riverside City Council member for nearly eight years, has been named President of the Riverside County Division of the League of California Cities. Read More...
