Riverside Commission on Disabilities keeps bylaws intact, seeks clearer city feedback on 2025 work plan

The Riverside Commission on Disabilities voted to keep its standing bylaws unchanged and pressed city staff for clearer direction and better follow-up on the commission’s 2025 work plan.

During public comment, Pete Benavidez, president and CEO of Blindness Support Services Incorporated, said he is organizing a collective of disability-service organizations to provide coordinated input to city boards and commissions. Vice Chair Stewart emphasized the commission’s duties and reading from the standing rules, saying, “We are to advise the city council on all matters affecting persons with disabilities in the community,” and urged that invited presenters tell the commission not only what they do but where they need help.

Commissioners spent the bulk of the meeting reconsidering how the commission receives information from departments and community groups. They proposed a standard questionnaire for presenters so departments arrive prepared to answer targeted questions; staff agreed to produce a fillable digital version of the proposed forms and a department contact list. Commissioners also discussed developing a standard presentation deck that could be used at events and by commissioners who present on behalf of the commission.

Several members cited specific access problems at city events and parks. One commissioner described a festival where an accompanist in a wheelchair could not find an accessible bus or restroom and urged the commission to press departments to improve planning and accessibility. The group debated whether 3-1-1 complaint logs or department tracking systems would best identify problem sites; staff said they would query departments and 3-1-1 to determine existing complaint-tracking capabilities.

On timing and procedure, staff told commissioners the 2026 work-plan draft is typically prepared in January and reviewed by council committees around February–March. Commissioners asked to agendize an ad hoc/work-plan discussion in January to align duties, but the body ultimately voted to leave the standing bylaws in place and to instead create a process to better implement the work plan within the existing duties.

Votes at a glance: • Motion to approve consent calendar with the minutes moved to discussion (motion passed; roll-call recorded all present voting yes). • Motion to add an amendment to the November 20 minutes (moved and seconded; roll-call recorded all present voting yes). • Motion to keep the commission’s bylaws as written and not form an ad hoc to amend them (moved by Vice Chair Stewart, seconded; roll-call recorded all present voting yes).

What’s next: Staff will return a revised, fillable event-request form (forms A and B) with edits that add a line for which commissioners will attend, additional materials, and logistics details. Commissioners also asked staff to explore how presentations and department responses can be more tightly aligned to the commission’s seven duties so the commission can offer targeted advice to council.

Quotes from the meeting reflect the focus on making presentations actionable and improving follow-up: “I currently serve as the president and CEO for Blindness Support Services Incorporated,” said Pete Benavidez; and Vice Chair Stewart said, “25 percent of our population is disabled,” stressing the scope of needs the commission must address.

The commission closed by scheduling future items, including a potential presentation from Pickleball for Special Needs, and wished the group well for the holidays.