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Council renews Downtown Riverside business improvement levy for 2026
Summary
After a presentation from the Riverside Downtown Partnership, the City Council voted unanimously to confirm the downtown BID annual report and levy for calendar year 2026 following public comment and staff recommendation.
The Riverside City Council voted unanimously Dec. 2 to confirm the annual report for the Riverside Downtown Parking and Business Improvement District and to levy the assessment for calendar year 2026.
City staff presented the public hearing on Item 12, explaining the two-step assessment process required by state law and that notices were mailed and published. Malene Carranza, the staff presenter, told the council the BID boundaries and assessment rates are unchanged for 2026 and recommended adoption of the annual report and levy.
Shalini Lockard, chair of the Riverside Downtown Partnership, outlined RDP services and the group’s budget. She said the BID’s activities include business promotion, a daily ambassador patrol from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., event promotion, beautification, and advocacy for parking and safety. Lockard told council the RDP board approved a balanced fiscal-year budget for 07/01/2025–06/30/2026 and expects about $60,025 in additional revenue from membership activities.
One public commenter, Aurora Chavez, asked the council to ensure disabled patrons can exit downtown parking facilities without undue cost and proposed a downtown employee parking pass to ease workers’ burdens.
Councilmember Falcone moved to adopt staff’s recommendation; the motion passed with a unanimous vote reported by the mayor. The council’s action confirms the downtown BID annual report and authorizes the assessment levy for the 2026 calendar year.
The RDP presentation materials and the full resolution and notice are available on the city’s website, as Carranza noted. The council did not change boundaries or rates as part of the vote.
