The Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce hosted the City of Riverside Ward 6 Candidate Forum on March 5, 2026. Candidates Luis Hernandez and Oswaldo “Oz” Puerta were in attendance. Following Councilmember Jim Perry’s abdication after 13 years of service, this forum provided candidates an opportunity to share their plans on managing Ward 6.
Hernandez was recently elected as the Vice Chairman of the Board of Ethics Committee of the City of Riverside. He has also been involved in scholarship fundraisers for Latino students and received an endorsement from the Director of Chicano Student Programs at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), Estella Acuña.
Puerta has been the Executive Director of the Arlington Business Partnership since 2018, where he served and advocated for the businesses of Wards 5 and 6. He has been endorsed by Ronald Loveridge, a former mayor of the City of Riverside and current political science associate professor at UCR.
The first question the Chambers of Commerce prepared for the candidates revolved around their stances on a proposed Measure Z tax revenue, exploring how they would effectively and transparently manage the city’s budget.
Puerta stated that he has “never voted for a tax increase in his life,” because he does not believe the government has a money problem, but rather a money management issue. He continued by saying that if this tax increase is passed, then “we make sure the money is going where we say it’s going to go,” and encourages community involvement in following along on this matter.
Hernandez began by stating his agreement with the tax measure because he knows “it’s expensive to run a city,” including funding infrastructure, bringing in businesses, funding non-profits, the police and fire departments as well as addressing the homelessness crisis. He continued by saying that he believes “the city needs to be more transparent,” which requires for the community to remain informed as to how this money is being managed.
When asked about how to address the increasing homeless population in the Magnolia Avenue corridor with both existing city services and innovative solutions, Hernandez expressed his support for supportive housing initiatives. He believes that part of the solution is working with local non-profit organizations that are dedicated and experienced in addressing this issue, such as Family Promise, to ensure these individuals do not fall back into homelessness.
Puerta described his three-pronged approach: improving our streets’ safety through lighting fixtures, holding other cities responsible for their own homeless services available and involving the State Assembly to reform Riverside County’s Lanterman-Petris-Short (LPS) Act (1967). The LPS Act aims to “end the inappropriate, indefinite and involuntary commitment of persons with mental health disorders”.
Puerta continued by explaining that redefining the meaning of the act’s “grave danger” threshold helps mandate services to those who are in dire need of mental health or addiction treatment but are unable to make that decision for themselves.
The candidates were then asked about the specific goals they hope to accomplish in their first term if elected. Hernandez seeks to implement programs that will yield long-term solutions to address homelessness, increasing Measure Z funding for infrastructure, while providing transparency about where these funds are being allocated, as well as providing support for local businesses, including those that are already established and focus on the medical industry.
Puerta seeks to expand the community work he is already involved in, which includes street and public safety concerns. He expresses his motivation to reduce the crime rate in Ward 6 and alleges that the Riverside Police Department reported in Jan. that “out of 580 citations, misdemeanors and felonies, 539 of them occurred in Ward 6.” His final goal is to “set a tone of fiscal discipline” to ensure that funding is being allocated properly.
When the candidates were asked how they would balance funding and attention to prominent areas of the city, such as Downtown Riverside and UCR, while also focusing on historically less recognized areas in Ward 6.
Puerta began by stating that “Ward 6 is the most neglected ward in our city,” and he plans to prioritize it, while remaining conscious of maintaining the regional economy. Hernandez expressed his plans to advocate for Ward 6 to receive equal funding as other areas of the city, as he views this area as not receiving enough attention as the outer areas of the city receives.
In his interview with The Highlander, Hernandez emphasizes the importance of a politician’s transparency when it comes to their standpoints. When asked about how he would address Riversiders’ concerns regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) presence seen throughout the Inland Empire, he noted that while interfering with their operations is not possible, he seeks to ensure that agents are abiding by state laws and not violating people’s civil rights.
Hernandez was also asked about his plans to support local college students in Riverside, to which he replied by stating his intent to expand scholarship funding, providing affordable housing to students as well as encouraging organizations — such as the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) — to participate in more scholarship fundraising events.
Transitioning over to Puerta’s interview with The Highlander, when asked about whether he has any plans to support local students, both K-12 and college students, he noted how “every section of our city needs to be addressed” and how he is going to require the help of students and parents to understand which issues he needs to address.
Puerta has been involved in helping locate and interview Bracero Program participants for historical preservation, and when asked about how this experience has helped prepare him to become a Council member, he responded with “In Ward 6, we are predominantly Hispanic, so it’s gotten me more acquainted with our history … and with my community.”
Finally, The Highlander asked about how he would have voted on the $20 million funding for the homeless and low-income housing project the City Council rejected, he replied with “my initial vote would have been a no.” He elaborated by saying that if he had been a part of the project early on, he would have addressed his concerns with his previously mentioned “three-pronged approach” to mold it into a project he would have voted yes on. He also emphasized that he is not against the idea of a future project similar to this.
