Today, Riverside voters have a chance to send a clear message: no more blank checks for failed leadership.

Measure Z is not just about a tax. It is about accountability. It is about whether the same City Council, Mayor, City Manager, and charter officers who helped create Riverside’s financial mess should be rewarded with more taxpayer money while refusing to admit the problem.

Riverside already carries approximately $1.845 billion in outstanding long-term bonded debt as of June 30, 2024. That includes $409.1 million in pension obligation bonds, $66.9 million in lease revenue bonds, and other long-term debt tied to city obligations. The City’s own public financial report also warns that rising retirement costs continue to affect Riverside’s long-term financial stability.  

So when former Councilmember Gardner says Measure Z is needed because the City needs a twenty-year revenue stream to issue more bonds, voters should pay attention.

That means this is not simply about “public safety.” It is about creating a long-term revenue stream that could support even more borrowing.

That is the problem.

City Hall has spent years making poor decisions, growing costs, approving compensation packages, prioritizing vanity projects, and failing to deliver meaningful reform. Now they want taxpayers to bail them out.

Worse, the City has used taxpayer money and public resources to push misleading, one-sided information onto residents. The people paying the bills were forced to fund a campaign narrative designed to scare them into voting for more taxes.

That is not transparency.

That is not accountability.

That is not good government.

Riverside does not have a taxpayer problem. Riverside has a leadership problem.

Voting NO on Measure Z does not mean we oppose police, fire, roads, parks, or basic services. It means we refuse to reward failure. It means we demand reform before revenue. It means we expect the City Council, Mayor, City Manager, and charter officers to do their jobs before asking residents for more money.

And today’s vote is only the beginning.

After this election, residents must attend council meetings, demand change, question the charter officers, and hold every elected employee accountable. If they refuse to listen, refuse to reform, and refuse to respect taxpayers, then they need to be replaced at the voting booth.

Vote NO on Measure Z.
Vote NO on fear.
Vote NO on more debt without reform.
Vote to save the City of Riverside.