Robert Reich: The Poster Child for Living Off Government Ties?* Robert Reich has managed to cultivate a very public persona as an economic commentator, political pundit, and former Secretary of Labor under the Clinton Administration. Despite that résumé, his career is a shining example of someone who has primarily leveraged government positions and contacts for personal […]

The recent Los Angeles Times article about Riverside City Manager Mike Futrell and his wife, Susan Freeman, reads less like a hard look at City Hall dysfunction and more like an attempt to reframe a documented governance crisis into a sympathetic story about anonymous letters, free speech, and political disagreement. That framing is incomplete. The […]

Transmission towers over smoky burning river bottom

As the Bain Fire burns in the Santa Ana River bottom near Limonite Avenue and Bain Street, the smoke over our region should remind every Riverside resident of a debate some members of the Riverside City Council tried to dismiss, minimize, and politicize. This fire is not just a brush fire. It is a real-time […]

As Riverside voters prepare to decide the future of Measure Z and evaluate candidates for City Council, one issue deserves far more scrutiny than campaign slogans, glossy mailers, or coordinated social media posts: Who is funding these campaigns — and what do they expect in return? Voters should exercise extreme caution when candidates campaigning for […]

Woman speaking at city council podium labeled Citizen Speakers with council members and audience in background

A City Council meeting is not a private corporate board meeting. It is a public meeting where public business is conducted. The Brown Act could not be clearer: “All meetings of the legislative body of a local agency shall be open and public, and all persons shall be permitted to attend.” California law also says […]

Politician pointing and shouting at a podium with banners saying fear, terror, pandemic, crime wave

The most troubling aspect of the current Measure Z extension campaign is not the debate over taxes itself — it is the continued use of fear as a political weapon. When elected officials and their allies repeatedly push “vote for this tax or people will die” narratives, they are not engaging in responsible governance. They […]

As Riverside moves deeper into another election cycle, voters face an important question: Do we continue electing political insiders, operatives, and ideologues who helped create our current problems, or do we finally demand qualified leadership with real-world experience, fiscal discipline, and accountability? The answer will determine whether Riverside continues its decline into the same failed […]

Vote no on Measure Z to protect community's future, stop higher taxes and unchecked development, save local parks.

Fool Me Once: Why Riverside Voters Should Reject Measure Z For nearly a decade, the citizens of Riverside have been told the same story. We are told the City is in crisis. We are told essential services are at risk. We are told police, fire, roads, homelessness, and “quality of life” all depend on giving […]

Damaged city hall building with large cracks and broken windows surrounded by debris and an old truck

Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson’s recent opinion piece asks Riverside residents to celebrate outside partnerships, national conferences, climate grants, visiting mayors, advisory networks, and symbolic recognition. But Riverside residents are entitled to ask a much simpler question: If City Hall is producing so much progress, why are residents being asked to pay higher taxes again? The […]

Microphone and papers on wooden podium in courtroom

Riverside Residents Must Speak Today: City Council Must Protect Employees, the Public Trust, and the City’s Best Interest Riverside residents should call in today and speak during public comment regarding the City Manager’s closed-session performance evaluation. This is not a normal personnel review. This is not a political disagreement. This is not about personalities. This […]