UNOFFICIAL FB page for the Riverside City Council
The City of Riverside has a City Council - City Manager form of government. The City Council is comprised of seven elected members representing each of Riverside's seven Wards. Councilmembers serve a four year term and must reside in the Ward they represent. Each Ward has approximately 1/7th of Riverside's 317,000 population, or about 45,000 residents. The City's Charter, Chapter 406 states "All powers of the City shall be vested in the City Council except as otherwise provided in this Charter." The City Manager, City Attorney and City Clerk are appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Council.
WHEREAS, it is the intent and desire of the City Council to conduct its business in an orderly and fair manner; and
WHEREAS, there are certain basic rights of due process and opportunity to address issues with equity, fairness, and equal protection of the law; and
WHEREAS, certain parliamentary procedures have been found to be useful in order to assure that the communication and process of government are fair, reasonable, and just; and
WHEREAS, the City has a duty to proceed with the business of government in an efficient and orderly fashion; and
WHEREAS, the City Council desires to establish uniform norms and procedures in order to accomplish these goals.
The City of Riverside's rich heritage begins with the original residents of the area, the Cahuilla and Serrano Indian tribes, and continues with a Spanish expedition in 1774 led by Captain Juan Bautista de Anza, who sought to chart a colonization route. Mexican and Spanish settlers poured into the area to establish ranchos, presidios, and missions.
In 1844, Juan Bandini sold 6,700 acres, a considerable portion of what is today downtown Riverside, to Louis Rubidoux, a former fur trapper, who then started a cattle and grain ranch. In 1870, John W. North solicited investors to found the Southern California Colony Association and laid out a mile-square town site, originally called Jurupa. In 1871, the name was changed to Riverside.
Riverside's climate and landscape were found to be perfect for citrus crops. The success of these crops prompted a steady flow of agriculturalists and investors into the area who hoped to profit from the new citrus industry. The citrus industry also attracted numerous communities of immigrants; Chinese, Japanese, and Mexican workers flooded into the area hoping to acquire their own fortunes. At the turn of the century, Riverside contained the most successful agricultural cooperative in the world, the California Fruit Growers Exchange (Sunkist), which was the home of a superior research institution, the Citrus Experimentation Station, positioning Riverside to become the world’s center for citrus machinery production.
