With the November 14 deadline fast approaching, the city of Riverside is encouraging residents to apply to fill open seats on a majority of its community-led commissions for the next four years.
“We have an open recruitment now for positions for a number of different boards and commissions,” Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said in a video posted to social media. “We would love to have your help, helping us make decisions on boards and commissions.”
There are vacancies, both current and upcoming, within 15 of the city’s 16 commissions and boards, according to the Office of the City Clerk’s website. That includes positions within the Board of Ethics, Commission on Aging and the Human Relations Board, among others.
These advisory groups work with public officials as community representatives who review specific policies and operations — within the purview of their respective panels — and make recommendations to the city based on their findings. The recommendations would help inform officials, like the mayor and members of the city council, on how to make citywide policy decisions.
Austin C. Attaway, vice chair for the Human Resources Board, said in an email to The Riverside Record, that his volunteer service to the city has been a rewarding experience as he believes his input has helped shape workplace policies. He added that his public service has given him a “front-row seat” to the decisions the city makes to support its employees and residents.
“Whether your background is in business, education, public service or another field, there’s real value in bringing your experience and perspective to the table,” Attaway said. “Beyond civic engagement, it’s an opportunity to learn how local government operates, connect with other passionate community members and contribute to a culture of integrity and accountability.”
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Applications must be submitted by November 14 to be considered for the city’s regularly scheduled March 2026 appointment cycle, though city clerk Donesia Gause in an email to The Record, said applications are accepted year-round to support unscheduled vacancies.
“We also have unscheduled vacancies, which occur when members resign or are removed from their position before their term expires,” Gause said. “In these cases, appointments are made no sooner than 15 days from when the position becomes vacant.”
The city requires that applicants are Riverside residents and registered voters to be eligible for the role. The four-year term for commissioners and board members appointed next March is set to run through March 2030.
Eligibility also depends on where residents live, since the city requires at least one representative from each ward to serve on the boards. Gause said there were a number of available opportunities for residents from Ward 6, which encompasses the parts of the Arlanza, Arlington, La Sierra and La Sierra South neighborhoods.
Gause said that the mayor and council plan to review the applications in the coming weeks. They will then speak to each applicant before selecting finalists by December. The selected commissioners will then be onboarded over the next few months before being sworn into office before their first meetings in March.
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