Council hears regional updates on transit, proposed air-quality rules, water projects and cloud seeding

Councilmembers on Wednesday summarized recent regional meetings affecting transportation, air quality and water resources in Riverside County and neighboring jurisdictions.

Vice Mayor Jack Casillas reported that the Riverside County Transportation Agency board awarded an agreement to New Flyer of America to purchase five 40-foot hydrogen fuel cell buses, with the vehicles expected on the road by mid-2026. Councilmember Wes (West) highlighted preliminary design work to extend toll lanes on State Route 91 between the 15 and Pierce, a step he said could create more entry points and possibly lower toll rates.

In an update from the Western Riverside Council of Governments, a councilmember reported that the executive committee unanimously voted to oppose proposed South Coast Air Quality Management District rules (referred to in the meeting as Rule 1111 and Rule 1121) that would transition residential furnaces and water heaters to zero-emission alternatives. The committee's stated rationale, as reported to the council, was concern about high implementation costs for residents and limited air-quality benefits at the local scale.

The Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority (SAWPA) steering committee report noted competition for Proposition 4 funding; staff said jurisdictions are seeking a share of funds and that prior Prop 1-funded projects in the region have shown success capturing stormwater for local use. The committee also discussed cloud seeding research and an upcoming restart of ground-based cloud-seeding tests.

A member of the public, identified as Mr. Morgan, spoke about potential costs to homeowners if appliance electrification is required. He said a panel upgrade to add a 220-volt outlet "would be probably, I'm guessing I have friends that do electrical stuff. It'd probably still be 2 to $3,000." That comment was recorded in relation to the AQMD rule discussion and a scheduled AQMD hearing the next day.

Council members did not take formal action on these regional updates in this meeting; the items were informational reports and regional boards' actions were reported back to the council for situational awareness.