Author Archives: Keith J. Nelson, Ph.D.
Riverside’s Fire Risk: Lessons from the Bain Fire
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 […]
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Examining Campaign Contributions in Riverside Elections
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 […]
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Understanding Public Meetings Under the Brown Act
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 […]
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Riverside City Politics: Voters Must Look Beyond Campaign Slogans, Endorsements, and Political Theater
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 […]
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Fool Me Once: Why Riverside Voters Should Reject Measure Z
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 […]
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Riverside Needs Results, Not Another Self-Congratulatory Sales Pitch
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 […]
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Urgent Call for Riverside City Manager’s Termination
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 […]
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Public Records Request – The Riverside Clown Show
Many have asked for a copy of the Public Records Request I have made. Here it is: Subject: California Public Records Act Request — City Manager Michael “Mike” Futrell, Susan Freeman, Hiring, Employment, Resignation, Contract Matters, Complaints, Communications, Vendors, and Related Records To the City Clerk / Public Records Officer: This is a request under […]
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Op-Ed: Riverside Cannot Tax Its Way Out of California’s Homelessness Crisis
Op-Ed: Riverside Cannot Tax Its Way Out of California’s Homelessness Crisis Summary: Riverside taxpayers should meet the City Manager’s latest homelessness propaganda post with a heaping dose of skepticism. California has the highest homelessness rate in America. We cannot tax our way to better results and Riverside residents deserve honesty about failed government policies before […]
Riverside’s Measure Z: Questioning Fear-Based Tax Arguments
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 […]
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