I’m reaching out on behalf of Blue Zones Project Riverside about our upcoming Kickoff Festival happening on Saturday, May 17, 2025, from 10 AM to 1 PM at the Riverside Municipal Airport.
We’re currently recruiting volunteers and would love to have your support— by helping us spread the word to your network and mentioning it in your neighborhood meeting later today. We’re aiming for 100 volunteers to help bring this exciting, community-centered event to life.
There are a variety of roles and shifts available, and the event will be a great way to connect with others and support a healthier, happier Riverside.
Please RSVP for the BoxSpringsMountain-Park-50th-Anniversary-Celebration ASAP! Your attendance will help celebrate a milestone and an example of powerful civic muscle. Most importantly, it’s a fitting tribute to our UNA neighbors Richard and Jane block. They sparked a 50 years long love of place for one of Riverside’s unique natural treasures. Please join the Friends Of Riverside’s Hills and help us celebrate the Box Springs Mountain Reserve, and to living among giants in the University Neighborhood.
Join City Manager Mike Futrell and Deputy Public Works Director Nathan Mustafa for a discussion about creating the neighborhood of our dreams. Add your input to the topic list:
University Neighborhood Feb 2025 Meeting Discussion Topics
Public Safety
Fire Protection
Wildfire maps
Homeowners Insurance is problematic in our neighborhood.
Status of the fire departments grant to expand awareness of fireproofing residences.
Mt. Vernon properties illegally clearing vegetation
Consider a city-wide ban on discing. Each time it generates more fuel after spring rains.
RTRP – Reconsideration to underground
Freshen the reflective paint stripes along Watkins Dr from the Freeway to Mt. Vernon.
UCR Lawsuits
Status of the City’s
UNA lost their suit over some of the same issues as the City.
Environmental
Donkeys as a public safety issue.
Who in the City is accountable for this? Not a normal job posting.
What is the status of regional collaboration to address the issue
Where do the 311 calls get routed?
How many donkey calls for service in the past five years?
TrafficWatkins Dr – 215 to Spruce
Compare traffic datafrom UCR’s study showing the need for a lighted intersection at Watkins Dr and Big Springs Rd.,to current trends based on camera data from Watkins Big Springs intersection since the lights were hooked up to traffic system.
What is the quantity of cars per hour/day/week since camera data available. Some graphs would be helpful.
How many days has the camera feed been live?
How many big rigs are on camera since camera feed went live?
Watkins Dr parking hazard West side Watkins, Blaine to Valencia Hills Dr
How often is Watkins Dr from Blane to Valencia hills drive maintained?
How many times since parking was removed from the East Side of Watkins, has this stretch been maintained.
Street maintenance: how often is Watkins Dr South of Piccacho Drive to the 215-freeway scheduled for maintenance?
When was the last time a work order was issued for anything along that section of Watkins Dr.
How many over the past 5 years?
How many public works service calls for water or sewer line issues in our neighborhood?
How many on Watkins Dr?
Placemaking Opportunities
Trails
Possibility of paving terminus of Two Trees Rd for enhanced parking Two Trees Trailhead
Parking along Marlborough for trail access behind Nordstrom warehouse
Access to Sugar Loaf trail along Gage Canal South of Citrus
Remove parking on Watkins Dr from Blane to Valencia Hills Dr and the neighborhood specific plan can take shape. This provides for dedicated bike lanes in both directions, plus trail connectivity options to the Gage Canal trail, Islander Park and campus. These could be class A lanes with barriers given the traffic volumes we have.
Trail signage needed.
Bridge, tunnel to reopen access to the Box Springs Reserve and trails.
This is an opportunity to attract State or County funding. The entire Metrolink line has a trail easement for the asking. This is alternative transportation funding and can be applied for. Especially since our trail plan includes Moreno Valley. The line goes to Perris and in plans beyond.
Islander Pool is underutilized. What is the annual operational budget for Islander Park?
What has been the trend for the past five years?
Watkins Dr is the Gateway to the UNA. It leads to campus and points north. It deserves to be treated as such which means a budget to keep it looking attractive, and managed for fire along Coyote Hill, and beautified from Blaine to Spruce along a half mile of chain link fence. Surely we can do better as city of arts and innovation.
BURY RTRP Time To ACT. Show up at City Hall Feb 4 2025 6:15 Public Comment
Let your voice be heard at City Council this coming Tuesday February 4th in the City Council Chamber next to City Hall. It is NOT on the agenda, but — come and speak out during public comment at 6:15 pm. Fill out a speaker card when you arrive. Just showing up will flex our civic muscle.
You DO NOT NEED TO SPEAK to support those who will speak! Wear a white or teal shirt and let the City know that residents want to be protected!
Email all councilmembers NOW and include the mayor and clerk, asking the Clerk to make your comment Public Record; emails are below.
This project began over 18 years ago and our Council has refused to consider today’s current conditions. We need a new connection into our city, but if it is with transmission lines, they need to be buried underground. These transmission lines will be placed in a high-fire/high-wind corridor where SCE frequently shuts our power off.
Australia, Paradise, Maui, now the Eaton and Palisades fires. It’s not if, but when. This is an area where we have had many fires this past season…overhead lines are a DISASTER waiting to happen to Riverside!
Insure our future resiliency and maybe get affordable insurance for our homes. Bury the RTRP. Tell everyone. Spread the word. We deserve better from our public servants. Let them know. See you Tuesday.
Thanks to the University neighbors, Friends of Riverside’s Hills and students who took walk on Watkins Drive, for Love Riverside’s serve day Saturday, Oct. 12th.
Along the way, they picked up 32 large bags of trash, 2-5 gal. cans of toxic waste, 1 tire tread, assorted construction waste, and several green cans worth of invasive green waste and other nasty junk that makes us glad we have public works to take it the last mile- to the landfill.
This is why the UNA is the neighborhood of our dreams. Thank you neighbors.
Click the link above to sign up. Read below to review the questions.
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* 10. Please briefly describe why you wish to serve the City of Riverside as a member of the GPAC. Include any special qualifications, community relationships and insights that you think will add value to the GPAC and General Plan update process.
The following questions are all optional and are not required qualifications to serve on the GPAC.
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By pressing Done, I certify that all statements made on this application are true and correct to the best of my knowledge. I also certify that I commit to fulfill my obligations as member of the GPAC including, but not limited to:
Represent the broad concerns and priorities of the sector or Ward they represent
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At June’s UNA meeting, we will take a vote to submit the following letter on behalf of our neighborhood group, and joining groups from across the city who are demanding a safer, transmission line project.
Thousands of Riverside residents will be affected by higher insurance rates, lower property values, viewshed destruction, enhanced wildfire risk, other public safety risks, plus the theft of generational equity from some of our most disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Dear City Council Members, I am writing to you on behalf of the University Neighborhood Association with a request to reconsider the vote to stop the working group from obtaining the information needed to proceed with a request to underground the power lines in our city.
As a concerned citizen, who has witnessed both past and present Councils echoing the Community’s voice, saying that we do not have enough information or cost data regarding this project, I remain dismayed at the refusal to get that information.
Yet we persist in a course of action we all know is fraught with peril and foreseeable public health and safety risks. The very risks you swore an oath to put foremost in your elected stewardship duties. This is a risk to current and future residents as well as a dire risk to our regional neighbors who expect more from a city always eager to take leadership for innovation.
It is especially dismaying that we are proceeding in spite of State requirements that all new transmission line projects shall be underground. Did we not get the memo?
This is information we do have. We also know the easement needed to proceed is not forthcoming unless this project is underground. We know the longer we delay the greater the fire danger and the costs.
I am wondering if any of you have considered the possibility of having a shovel-ready project in three years and built in five?
What is needed is the political will to request a new EIR or Supplemental EIR to include current conditions. I know that if there was political will, time frames can be shortened.
We also have a mayor who is an expert in this arena and I am urging you Mayor Dawson, to bring the best of your considerable talents, experience, and demonstrated love for Riverside to show up on this. Your legacy is at risk. Have you considered the optics of having an environmental expert as mayor and proceeding with this monstrosity of a project? Even Edison is telling us to underground everywhere except for the City of Riverside apparently.
Political will gives us all the information we need and the project ready to submit in less than a year – if we require it. And if this project is as critical to our future as Staff, Edison, SEIU, the Chamber and a host of paid performers, shilling during Council deliberations, have said it is, then it is equally critical to listen to your community.
One of you needs to step up and request a reconsideration to get this rolling. If we are serious about need and the speed, then the shortest time frame starts with a new EIR process. One or all of you newly elected has an opportunity to step up and demonstrate the kind of leadership we have seen from Councilmen Conder, Hemenway and Councilwoman Cervantes.
We expect you to do your jobs and due diligence on this or risk the likely result of being a one term councilman.
Gurumantra Khalsa
Co Chair, University Neighborhood Assn.
951-640-3868