Category Archives: Health

City Of Our Dreams, Public Policy, Safety

UNA May 2025 Meeting Agenda

April 10, 2025 admin 1 Comment

Every 2nd Thursday 6:30 – 8:30

Map and Directions To Crest Community Church
3431 Mt Vernon Ave, Riverside, CA 92507

1. Welcome – Introductions 5 min.

2. UCR Update RPD Update 15 min.

3. Announcements – Council Updates 10 min.

4. Land Use and Planning Department Q&A 45 min.

5. New Business/Old Business 10 min.

City Of Our Dreams, Economic Development, Public Policy, Safety, Social Capital

City Manager Joins UNA Feb 2025 Meeting

February 12, 2025 admin Leave a comment

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?
Traffic Watkins Dr – 215 to Spruce
- Compare traffic data from 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.
Blaine & Watkins train crossing medians add planters with succulents, natives
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.

City Of Our Dreams, Environment, Open Government, Public Policy, Resoration Economy, Safety, Social Capital

Don’t Let Riverside Burn

February 2, 2025 admin Leave a comment

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 4^th 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.

Councilmembers emails:

Ward 1 pfalcone@riversideca.gov

Ward 2 ccervantes@riversideca.gov Supports Underground

Ward 3 srobillard@riversideca.gov

Ward 4 cconder@riversideca.gov Supports Underground

Ward 5 smill@riversideca.gov

Ward 6 jperry@riversideca.gov

Ward 7 shemenway@riversideca.gov Supports Underground

Mayor 2Mayor@Riversideca.gov Has not stated a position

Clerk City_clerk@riversideca.gov

Environment, Health, Open Government

UNA January 2025 Meeting Agenda

January 7, 2025 admin Leave a comment

Every 2nd Thursday 6:30 – 8:30

Map and Directions To Crest Community Church
3431 Mt Vernon Ave, Riverside, CA 92507

1. Welcome – Introductions 5 min.

2. UCR Update 5 min.

3. Announcements 5 min.

4. Erin Edwards – Blue Zones 20 min.

5. Fortino Morales – Sustainability 20 min.

City Of Our Dreams, Environment, Open Government, Public Policy, Safety, Social Capital

General Plan Update – An Opportunity To Weigh In

September 20, 2024 admin 1 Comment

City of Riverside General Plan Update & Climate Action Adaptation Plan

General Plan Advisory Committee Interest Form

Click the link above to sign up. Read below to review the questions.

Question Title

The City of Riverside is forming a General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) to help craft a comprehensive update of the City’s General Plan and a new Climate Action Adaptation Plan (CAAP). The GPAC will consist of a diverse group of Riversiders convened to provide input, feedback, and recommendations to City staff, the technical consultant team, the Planning Commission, and ultimately the City Council on key components of the General Plan.

The GPAC will help inform and articulate the community’s vision for future growth in the City including identifying opportunity areas, refining the City’s land use plans and circulation networks, and developing objectives the City will pursue related to conservation, infrastructure, parks, education, economic development and so much more. Another primary responsibility of the GPAC is to develop the draft goals and policies to implement the vision which will guide the City’s decision-making process up to 2050.

The core function of the GPAC is to represent the interests and values of Riverside community members. The GPAC is tasked with acting as a conduit for community concerns, opinions, attitudes, values, interests, and expectations. GPAC members will be selected to represent a broad range of sectors, interests, institutions and geographies of the City; however, irrespective of their individual viewpoints or preferences, GPAC members seek the benefit of the entire community in their recommendations and work to build consensus between divergent viewpoints for the betterment of Riverside.

Throughout the process the GPAC may be asked to review public input and amplify voices of the community through collaborative discussion. In this role, they will serve as project ambassadors to the community, creating greater community trust and ownership of the General Plan. GPAC ambassadors will help educate the public on the project, create awareness about upcoming events, and obtain additional community input to be shared during GPAC meetings.

To express interest in joining the GPAC, please complete this interest form no later than Friday, September 20th, 2024 at 5 PM. All interested parties will be notified of the committee selections in October. Interested parties who are not selected to serve on the GPAC are encouraged to participate by attending community events, contributing feedback, and sharing the word about opportunities to engage.

If you are experiencing any technical issues completing the form, please contact the Project Team at Info@Riverside2050.com or text 844-289-8614.

Question Title

* 1. What is your full name?

First:

Last:

Organization:

Question Title

* 2. What is your address? (Business or Residential)

Street:

Suite/Unit/Apt:

City:

State:

Zip code:

Ward:

Question Title

* 3. What is your phone number?

Home/Cell phone:

Business phone:

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* 4. What is your email address?

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* 5. How many years have you lived in the City of Riverside?

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* 6. Do you currently hold any paid office or employment with the City of Riverside, including but not limited to contracted services?

Yes

If “Yes”, please specify

Question Title

* 7. GPAC members will be asked to liaise with and represent the priorities, concerns and interests of the broader community, industry or non-profit groups with which they are connected. Please select any of the following General Plan Update areas of interest below that best relates to your subject matter expertise. Multiple selections are allowed.

Community-based organization: Civil Rights – Social equity, environmental justice, economic and cultural empowerment, development, advocacy, or other work supporting the civil rights of a protected or vulnerable group.

Community-based organization: Disabled Community – Support services, advocacy, engagement, and other experience working with disabled or differently abled community members.

Community-based organization: Environment & Sustainability – Management and preservation of natural resources.

Community-based organization: Faith-based – Engagement related to the needs, interests, and challenges of faith-based communities in Riverside.

Community-based organization: Healthcare – Needs and challenges related to overall wellness, physical activity, and access to health resources in Riverside.

Community-based organization: Historic Preservation – Buildings, sites, and objects that are significant to the history and culture of Riverside.

Community-based organization: Housing & Homelessness – Engagement and advocacy related to the needs, interests, and challenges of those who are housing burdened or unhoused in Riverside.

Community-based organization: Local Businesses – Local and small business needs, interests, challenges, and opportunities.

Community-based organization: Seniors – Engagement, development, advocacy, empowerment, or other services related to older populations.

Community-based organization: Youth – Youth engagement, development, advocacy, empowerment, or other services related to any age group, outside of a formal school setting.

Education: Higher Education – Student engagement, development, advocacy, facilities management, or other services oriented to students at college or university grade levels.

Education: K-12 – Student engagement, development, advocacy, facilities management, or other services oriented to youth in grade levels K-12.

Additionally, please provide any relevant supporting details in the text box below. Please include the project/program name, client or partner names, specific contributions, dates of experience.

– Academic or Professional Research and Instruction related to best practices, industry trends, and policy developments.

– Professional Experience as a consultant, agency employee, or non-profit organization, with direct experience related to General Plan subject matter and/or matters specific to the City of Riverside and its stakeholders.

– Experience Serving in an Advisory Role on a committee, commission, board, or forms of advisory groups, especially those that advised government agencies.

Please use this example as guidance on the level of detail to include in your responses:

From 2018-2021 I served on an advisory committee that was tasked with advising the City of Imagination on best practices for community outreach and environmental justice. In my role, I reviewed presentations related to potential environmental justice programs and provided recommendations that helped the City to develop a policy avoiding housing displacement resulting from park expansion. I also served as an outreach ambassador by leading a phone outreach campaign, sending newsletters, and social media content to promote public engagement opportunities.

Question Title

* 8. Please rank the preferences of the following stakeholder groups you want to serve from the top group as your highest preference and the bottom group as your lowest preference.

Question Title

* 9. Do you have prior experience serving on a General Plan Advisory Committee or similar appointed committee, commission task force or other ad-hoc body? (Not required to serve on the Committee)

Yes

If “Yes”, please specify city and years

Question Title

* 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.

Question Title

11. If you have current or prior civic experience in the City of Riverside, please describe the experience in the text box below. Please include the organization name, your role, and years of membership. Multiple experiences can be included.

Question Title

12. If you have any educational background relevant to the General Plan Update areas of interest, please describe your background in the text box below. Please include the institution name, your area of study, and degree earned. Multiple educational backgrounds can be included.

Question Title

13. If you have owned or currently own a business in Riverside, please describe your business in the text box below. Please include the business name, nature of the business, and the years of operation. Multiple businesses can be included.

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
Act as an ambassador between the project team and their networks
Promote the long-term success of the plan and the City
Commit to attending all meetings
Commit to obtain feedback from networks/sectors and convey to Committee

City Of Our Dreams, Economic Development, Environment, Ethics, Green Energy, Health, Public Policy, Safety, Social Capital

Add Your Name To Riverside Neighbors Demanding Underground RTRP Transmission Lines

June 13, 2024 admin 3 Comments

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

City of Riverside General Plan Update & Climate Action Adaptation Plan

Question Title

Question Title

* 1. What is your full name?

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* 2. What is your address? (Business or Residential)

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* 3. What is your phone number?

Question Title

* 4. What is your email address?

Question Title

* 5. How many years have you lived in the City of Riverside?

Question Title

* 6. Do you currently hold any paid office or employment with the City of Riverside, including but not limited to contracted services?

Question Title

Question Title

* 8. Please rank the preferences of the following stakeholder groups you want to serve from the top group as your highest preference and the bottom group as your lowest preference.

Question Title

* 9. Do you have prior experience serving on a General Plan Advisory Committee or similar appointed committee, commission task force or other ad-hoc body? (Not required to serve on the Committee)

Question Title

* 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.

Question Title

11. If you have current or prior civic experience in the City of Riverside, please describe the experience in the text box below. Please include the organization name, your role, and years of membership. Multiple experiences can be included.

Question Title

12. If you have any educational background relevant to the General Plan Update areas of interest, please describe your background in the text box below. Please include the institution name, your area of study, and degree earned. Multiple educational backgrounds can be included.

Question Title

13. If you have owned or currently own a business in Riverside, please describe your business in the text box below. Please include the business name, nature of the business, and the years of operation. Multiple businesses can be included.

We’re gearing up to give Watkins Drive a much needed dose of TLC. Saturday, Oct 12, 2024

A Neighborhood Of Our Dreams